Dark Souls 3features a variety of classes and builds that players can choose from, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. This makes the game more entertaining and accessible to players with different playstyles. Faith Builds are quite popular due to their serious damage output and how amusing the spells look to the players.

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Additionally, many weapons in the game scale well with Faith, meaning that the more Faith a player has, the more damage they can deal with these weapons. Overall, Faith builds in Dark Souls 3 offer a diverse range of offensive and defensive options that can make them effective in both PvE and PvP scenarios.

PvE Builds

PvE Faith Builds are much more straightforward because you know every boss’s weakness and can strategize beforehand.Most bosses in the game are not resistant to Lightning, so that will be your bread and butter. you’re able to switch to Bleed and Fire for some of the fights.

Bleed Caster

The Bleed Faith build is popular mainly because it is effective against enemies with a high health pool.The way Bleed damage works is that it inflicts a percentage of the target’s maximum health as damage over time. So the more Faith you have, the more damage you will deal with a full Bleed Buildup on an enemy. Starting with theClericClass, your main goal will be toincrease your Faith to 60 and Luck to around 40. Increasing your Luck will also up yourBleedBuildup on your Weapons and Miracles.

The only Miracle you will be using isDorhy’s Gnawing. This Miracle applies Dark damage as well as Bleed Buildup on the enemy. TheSage RingandRing of Sun’s First Bornare two of the best Ring options for this build. They increase your casting speed and Miracle damage.

A character preparing a spear while another one is throwing a lightning projectile at the Dancer.

Ring of Sun’s First Bornwill only increase the dark damage you deal from Dorhy’s Gnawing and will not increase the Bleed Buildup.

For the weapon of choice, you’re able to go with theWarden Twinblades. You can acquire the weapon early on fromCathedral Grave WardensinCathedral of the DeepandUntended Graves. This weapon can also be infused with Blood Gem decreasing base damage but increasing Bleed Buildup and damage.

The player casting Dorhy’s Gnawing.

Paladin

The Paladin Build in Dark Souls 3 focuses on using Miracles and heavy armor to protect oneself while dealing damage with a melee weapon.Your starting class should be Herald as this class includes Talisman and a few Miracles from the start and is tankier than a Cleric. You should put40 pointsintoFaithandStrengthand the rest you have intoVigorandEndurance.

The Miracles you will use are primarily to buff or heal yourself. Your primary source of damage will come from your buffed weapon.Sacred Oath,Deep Protection,andTears of Denialare necessary as they increase your physical damage, damage reduction, and potentially save you from death.

The player applying Lightning Blade on the weapon.

You will also needLightning Bladeto reinforce your weapon, and you’re able to also bringLightning Arrowif you feel there is a particular need for it.

Rings such asRing of Sun’s First Bornand Lingering Dragoncrest Ring will increase your Miracle damage and extend the duration of your spells, making buffs very powerful. The remaining slots for Rings can be filled with any Rings that provide you with physical or magic damage reduction depending on the boss fight. As most bosses are not Resistant to Lightning, this build will shine.

A character creating a shining bow and arrow from light.

Finally, the weapon you will be using is theSunlight Straight Sword. This weapon has a skill similar to Sacred Oath and has good scaling with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith, making it the perfect for the Paladin build. Try to buff yourself before going through the fog gate and let the Straight Sword do its thing.

God Of Thunder

The God of Thunder build revolves around the player being able to use Lightning Spells to dish out severe damageand feel powerful while doing it.Cleric is the best option for this build, as you will need all the Faith you can get. Start by upgrading yourFaith to 60andStrength to 40. It would be best to upgrade yourEnduranceandAttunementto increase max Stamina and FP.

The Miracles you will be using areSunlight Spear,Lightning Stake, andLightning Arrow. All these are spells you will use from afar to deal severe Lightning Damage. Lightning Arrow will be the main Miracle that you use as it can deal good damage in quick successions. Your armor should focus on mobility so you’re able to move around and dodge attacks effectively.

Player applying Dark Blade on their weapon.

You will use theSage RingandRing of Sun’s First Bornfor the Rings to reduce casting time and increase Miracle damage.Lightning Clutch Ringis also valuable as it increases your weapon’s and Miracles' lightning damage. You can use theSunlight Straight Sword, which scales well with Faith and gives you a decent option in close combat situations.

Darkness Itself

This build takes the most out of all the Dark items and buffs the game offers you. You can start with theHeraldclass, as you will need Faith as well as Vigor and Strength. Upgrade yourFaith and Strength to 40and put the remaining upgrades inEnduranceandVigor.

You will need onlyDark BladeandDorhy’s Gnawing for the Miracles. Always have Dark Blade on your right-hand weapon to keep doing Dark Damage to the enemies. Dorhy’s Gnawing is your ranged option, which deals a lot of Dark damage if you build around it and it also applies Bleed Buildup.

A red knight receiving a hit from a long range weapon by a blue knight.

Blindfold Maskis a great armor piece for this build,but you can only get it in The Ringed City DLC. It increases your Dark Miracle and weapon damage. For Rings, the best options are theDark Clutch Ring,Ring of Sun’s First Born, andSage Ring(if you use Dorhy’s Gnawing a lot).

For the choice of weapon, you can go with theCrucifix of the Mad King. The weapon has decent scaling with Strength and Faith and is one of the few weapons with base Dark Damage and can be buffed further with the Dark Blade.

The player using the Heal Miracle to heal themselves.

You can also use some of the Dark Pyromancies if you want to play at range.Black Fire OrbandBlack Serpentare great options for this.

PvP Builds

Faith Builds in PvP can be very challenging to play. This is because many of the spells affiliated with Faith have a slower casting time than others in the game. This makes them more difficult to land in fast-paced combat situations. Despite this, some builds make the most out of Faith and can make you a force to be reckoned with.

Healer

The Healer Build in PvP plays quite an essential part in keeping your allies alive for a more extended period. There is an abundance of healing miracles and spells that can buff you and your allies. However, that does not mean you will not get in on the action. Your starting class will beCleric, and you will be upgrading yourFaith to 60 and Attunement to 30. You do not need to put a lot of points intoVigororVitality, as both of the stats are not beneficial to this build.

The Miracles in your Slots will beSacred Oath,Soothing Sunlight, andLightning Arrow. The first two spells are mainly for healing and buffing your allies so they take less damage from enemy attacks and deal more themselves.Lightning Arrow will be your primary damage ability. As you will be the farthest away from the enemy players, you must deal damage from afar.

A player burning an enemy using a fire sphere.

After the enemy players see you constantly healing and buffing your allies, they will divert their attention to you and rush toward you. Your allies will protect you, but it is good to have backups available. In this case, the MiracleWrath of the Godscan be helpful.It creates a shockwave to damage enemies around you. This spell can help you if enemies get too close.

You can use theSunlight Straight Swordas a melee weapon if you want another defensive option.

A knight spawning multiple lightnings to where they are standing.

For Rings, you will need toLingering Dragoncrest Ring,Sage Ring, andDusk Crown Ring. These rings will increase your spell duration and decrease casting time and FP consumption. This allows you to use buffs and healing Miracles more often.

Fire Mage

The Fire Mage or the Pyromancer build is self-explanatory. You shoot fire at the enemies, and they burn and die. However, how one can optimize and deal the most fire damage is where this build comes into play. You will start with thePyromancer Classand make use of thePyromancy Flameand the14 points in Faith. You need to upgrade yourFaith,Intelligence,and Vigor to 40and can put the remaining points inAttunementandEndurance.

Spell Optimization is going to be key for your Fire Mage build in PvP. As most of the players you will face are going to be experienced, they will most likely try to dodge most of your spells.

For the first few seconds of the fight, you will be able to analyze how the opponent is.Once you determine whether the enemy is aggressive or not, you can act accordingly.

you may lock on to the enemy and try hitting your spells, but a better way to remove the lock on and cast spells where you think the enemy will go.This does require more skill, but once you get used to it, you will be unstoppable.

You will need to cast specific spells depending on the position of your enemy.Fire Surgewill be your main tool for damage from range. you’re able to use this constantly and see how the enemy reacts. If the player gives you enough space, you can start spammingFloating Chaos.This is another great spell for ranged combat. The enemy will have to dodge constantly if they want to avoid all the fire spits giving you time to castChaos Bed Vestiges. If you can space well enough, then havingToxic Mistis also a good option, as you can harass enemies not to come close to you.

For Rings, you will already haveGreat Swamp Ringas a starting item for Pyromancer. The other Rings you need areWitch’s Ring,Sage Ring, andFire Clutch Ring. Keep in mind the buffs from Great Swamp Ring and Witch’s Ring do stack, giving you a high buff in Fire Damage. For weapons, you can use the Onyx Blade which is a very good Greatsword and has a skill that gives serious dark damage.

Lightning Caster

The Lightning Caster build for PvP is similar to the God of Thunder build, but as you will be facing highly skilled online players, a few more defensive options need to be added to the build to make it work. You will be starting out with theClericand focusing on upgrading yourFaithto 60 and eitherDexterityorStrength to 40.

For the Miracles,Sunlight Spear,Lightning Storm,Lightning Stake, andLightning Arrowwill be the same, but you will also need to bringTears of DenialandDeep Protection. As you invade an enemy, your goal will be to instantly buff yourself with Tears of Denial and Deep Protection,protecting you from death once and also increasing damage reduction and stamina boost. Lightning Stake can sometimes catch players off guard while rolling toward you.It deals a decent amount of damage and allows you to follow up with Lightning Arrow or rush in and use your melee weapon.

Lighting Clutch Ring,Sage Ring,andRing of Sun’s First Bornare all required for this build. You will need to be careful if the enemy tries to come close to you as you may deal serious damage from afar but at close range, you are not that strong.