Those seeking to dominate their enemies at close range often focus on either Dexterity or Strength, the latter of which is used to wield some of the hugest and heaviest weapons inDark Souls 3. Builds that focus on this stat prioritize maximizing damage output, though often in the bluntest and most straightforward manner.
Over the years since this incredible dark fantasy action RPG was released,players have been finding increasingly novel ways to utilize theStrength statfor the best builds possible inDark Souls 3. Some of which can be recreated with some insight into their stats, equipment, and concept.
Updated on Aug 09, 2025, by Gerardo Molina:Dark Souls 3 allows for a ton of versatility when it comes to the number of builds players can make. While some players might prefer to move swiftly and focus on dealing Bleed damage to their enemies, others might prefer long-distance combat through the casting of spells. For those who don’t mind being slower and tanky, and want to deliver punishing blows with their gargantuan weapons, Strength builds are the way to go.
One thing many players seem to miss when using a Strength build, is that a successful one does not evade attacks, but rather blocks them and withstands them while taking minimal damage. Strength builds are meant to be slow and clumsy, as none of that matters when a single hit can end an enemy in both PvE and PvP.
An Impenetrable Build That Hits Like A Truck
Build Overview
This build is not only one of the most famous and iconic of the entireDark Soulsfranchise, but also one of the most powerful and neat-looking. Appearing inDark Souls 1, Dark Souls 2,andDark Souls 3, Havel’s Set can be recognized from miles away by fans of this dark universe,
Featuring rock-solid armor that covers the wearer from top to bottom, as well as an impenetrable shield and the massive Dragon Tooth Great Hammer, this build is ideal for players who want a formidable Strength build while donning Havel’s iconic set. Granted, this build is extremely heavy and will cause players to do the infamous “fat roll” when trying to dodge, but with the right rings, rolling normally is possible. Besides, who cares about not being able to dodge well when getting hit represents minimal damage?
PVP Tips
Since this build is so heavy and slow, players should focus on dealing damage and ending the threat as quickly as possible. The Dragonslayer’s Delight’s greatest enemy is agile players who can easily dodge attacks and cast spells from afar. Players should focus on staying close to the enemy and landing as many blows as possible. With this build, two might be more than enough.
PVE Tips
The Dragonslayer’s Delight build is arguably much better in PVE than it is in PVP, as NPCs are more predictable than human players and tend to follow telegraphed patterns. Dealing with most enemies in the game will not be an issue. However, when it comes to agile bosses and other creatures, landing a hit might be a bit difficult. Players should focus on reading their targets, waiting for them to strike, block the attack and immediately follow up with a mighty strike from the Dragon Tooth.
A Balanced Strength Build To Cover Many Requirements
This build aims to perform all the basic maneuvers that Strength builds are capable of, though with a streamlined plan that can be altered as needed, such as splitting up the points invested in Faith with Intelligence forpyromancies instead of miracles.
The goal of this best Strength build inDark Souls 3is to hit foes hard at close range while poising through their attacks to stagger and maybe stun-lock themor using spells to pressure them from further away. Nothing ground-breaking, but none can denythis Greatsword-wielding buildis a reliable one.
The biggest counter to this build is dark-type magic, as Morne’s Set does not possess the greatest damage reduction against this element.
This means that players will be susceptible to dark sorceries and dark miracles. However, those who are using the Faith variant of this build should be able to deal with these kinds of threats better than Intelligence-focused ones.
A balance between melee attacks and spells will be important for those using this build. While it will be tempting to cleave enemies apart solely using the Greatsword, players could get more damage out of each swing if they use a spell to buff their weapon. Since PvE enemies don’t really plan their attacks, players should be able to out-think them in any situation.
A Bulky, Decimating Build To Squash Enemies
Players seeking the ability to poise through nearly anything should try out this tanky approach toDS3’s combat. Utilizing the bonus poise granted byequipping Yhorm’s Greatshield, the plan is to go hit-for-hit in damage trades and come out on top while forcing the foe to back off, allowing one to keep applying pressure.
The Zweihander is the weapon that the creator of this build,Youtuber Crozyn, uses. However, Yhorm’s Great Machete would not be a bad choice either.
As with many otherDS3Strength builds, one of the biggest weaknesses of this one is the slow attack speed, however, this can be compensated by outthinking the opponent. It’s unlikely that one will be able to land a clean hit on the enemy when swinging wildly, so make sure to lure them in with a feint of some sort so that they begin attacking.
With a setup like this, taking melee hits is actually a good thing as it will temporarily keep the foe in place long enough to land that first crucial hit, which can be followed up with others as the adversary is stun-locked.
With the huge amount of poise that one gains from wielding Yhorm’s Greatshield, players will be able to trade attacks with enemies much larger than them. This will often mean taking damage, so be sure to have some sort of healing option ready. Time one’sEstus Flaskuses appropriately to keep up the momentum.
A Lore-rich Build That Looks Incredibly Intimidating
Here’s one that fans of the lore will appreciate, as it aims to use one of the heftierblack knight weaponsto not only stagger and stun-lock foes but to do so with arguablythe best moveset out of any greataxe. The greater than average poise health and poise damage grants wielders of the Black Knight Greataxe the ability to trade blows optimally.
Using some rings to boost one’s stats for greater scaling bonuses adds to this build’s viability, especially if the player includes some parries and damage-boosted ripostes.
Much like how the black knights hunted and felled foes much greater in size than themselves,the Black Knight Greataxe is arguably the bestDS3Strength build weapon to use against other great weaponsif one wants to beat them at their own game.
The greater poise health and damage enhance the aggressive moveset, especially the one-handed strong attack that can flatten foes similar to what a great hammer can do as well as the fully charged two-handed strong attack that can launch players into the air.
Similar to other Strength weapons mentioned, the Black Knight Greataxe is another solid choice for those who want to out-poise enemies in combat and trade big hits. The innate poise health combined with the powerful leaping attack and the mighty two-handed charged heavy attack can allow players to dominate many kinds of enemies in-game.
A Weapon Of Mass Destruction With High Strength Requirements
As this weapon requires the wielder to possess 60 Strength to even be used, this build, byYoutuber Games 4 Days, that focuses on usingLedo’s Great Hammerwill require players to put even more points into this desirable melee stat.
The extra points are worth it, as this build can demolish a great variety of foes at close range thanks to the great hammer’s devastating weapon skill, Call to Stone, which essentially turns the player into a living wrecking ball for a few seconds.
Since Ledo’s Greathammer is relatively short, it does not have the best reach with its regular attacks, however, this can be used to one’s advantage.
Enemies who acclimatize to this great hammer’s range will likely become more and more confident as a duel progresses, though, players can surprise too-close foes with the weapon skill that has a surprisingly far reach and can stun enemies who panic and mistime their dodge rolls. If the player has enough stamina left, they can follow up their Call to Stone attack with regular strikes for an insane and deadly combo.
Call to Stone is a fun weapon skill to spam, as it always gets satisfying results against most common enemies. Players can clear paths through crowds of weaker foes in singular swings of this great hammer. Furthermore, even bigger adversaries will get stunned on occasion by impacts made by Ledo’s Great Hammer. As such,this is a great choice for those seeking a heavy-hittingDS3Strength build.
1Strength & Faith Greataxe
A Build That Relies On Buffs And Miracles
Players seeking a Strength build requiring less raw power and brute force should put some points into Faith, though not for lightning-base ranged miracles. Using the Lightning Blade miracle to buff one’s weapon with lightning damage so that even foes with great physical defense won’t be able to get off light from damage trades.
This is a relatively simple tactic that has many variants, though, the reason for this is because it isa tried and true method of taking enemies out in both PvE and PvP.
Flexibility is what makes this one of the best Strength builds in Dark Souls 3, as being able to hit hard, parry, and deal with incoming spells essentially sets one up to deal with any kind of foe save crazy niche ones or the occasionally one-shot builds.
Observe one’s opponent to see whether they plan to utilize ranged or melee attacks and then act accordingly: for ranged foes, chase them down and don’t give them time to cast spells by making use of running and jumping attacks, though, for melee threats, one should be a bit more cautious and maybe mix in a parry attempt between repeatedly bringing down one’s Greataxe upon the enemy’s skull.
Having access to miracles is always convenient, as there are plenty of healing and buff spells that players can make use of in combination with their main weapon. Being capable of doing lightning damage will also make things easier, as there are many kinds of enemies that are weak to this element. Between that and the physical power of one’s Greataxe, there shouldn’t be anything that can stand in the player’s way with this build.
Stats
Equipment
Dark Souls 3is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
