Dark Souls 3: Best Staff Weapons, Ranked (2024)

Dark Souls 3 was released by Bandai Namco and FromSoftware in 2016 to an already avid community of gamers who were ready for the next brutally challenging installment of the Dark Souls franchise. And Dark Souls 3 delivered. With outstanding reviews and high player satisfaction, this Souls release is still an absolute classic eight years on.

Due to the RPG nature of the game, there are a lot of ways to optimize, stylize, and customize player characters. From what skills are prioritized to what clothes are adorned, there are a lot of ways to make fun and unique characters in Dark Souls 3. One of the most popular ways to make characters conform to players' styles is by equipping the many weapons found in-game. Staffs are an incredibly popular choice among Souls players who like to prioritize casting and magic potency. So, it's easy to see why players would want in-depth knowledge of the best staffs in DS3 they can use to bombard their foes with magic while buffing themselves.

Updated August 17, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Dark Souls 3 is a fitting end to a trilogy that players adore. The game shows off why so many people can't get enough of Miyazaki's work, letting players face off against a retinue of challenging bosses and exploring a world that's on the brink of ruin. It's a beautiful game that players will love revisiting. The changes to combat were largely well-received, setting the foundation that Elden Ring would build upon. There are many weapon types players can use in the game, and players who want to check out the best staffs in DS3 to cast powerful Sorceries and decimate their enemies will find numerous options to choose from.

12 Mendicant's Staff

Skill: Steady Chant

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 136 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 7 Strength, 18 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Intelligence (A)

A huge reason why players don't rate the Mendicant Staff highly is because of the sheer effort involved in obtaining one. This weapon is a rare drop from the Man-Serpent Sorcerers in Archdragon Peak, and trying to farm this staff is nothing short of a nightmare unless luck is on the player's side. Players will have to beat this enemy time and time again to the point of boredom before finally getting their hands on this staff.

To make things worse, this is far from the best staff in DS3 that players can use aside from the Mendicant's Staff, making the whole ordeal of obtaining this weapon entirely pointless. Unless players want to trade it in for the Sunlight Shield, they're better off using other staffs that are way easier to find and more effective in battle against the many tough foes they'll encounter in this game.

11 Archdeacon's Great Staff

Skill: Steady Chant

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 156 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 8 Strength, 12 Intelligence, 12 Faith
• Scaling: Strength (D), Faith (S)

There are many endgame weapons that players can use to complement their build, and Archdeacon's Great Staff is one such candidate that's worth checking out. However, the stat requirements to unlock the weapon's full potential are so immense that most players won't even get the chance to use this staff unless they're in the middle of an NG+ playthrough.

Still, players who are willing to tough it out and dump all their points in Intelligence and Faith will find this weapon to be a blast to use in every way. It's just a shame that most people would just give up and use staffs that are more powerful in the mid-level range since they're just way easier to use and don't demand near-perfect stat investments. If players make the investments needed for this weapon to shine, then they'll be able to make the most of one of the best staffs in DS3.

10 Preacher's Right Arm

Skill: Feasting Branch

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• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 190 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 12 Strength, 14 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Intelligence (S)

The Ringed City has some cool weapons that players can use to creatively demolish their opponents, but they do require some work for players to bring out their true potential. A new staff added in this DLC that is useful in the right hands is Preacher's Right Arm, which holds the distinguished honor of being one of the most unique and disgusting weapons players can use in their game.

There's no denying that this weapon is a great sorcery catalyst, but arguably comes way too late for players to maximize its potential in their first playthrough. Still, it's fun to mess around with one of the best staffs in DS3, with the Weapon Art being a thing of beauty that hits like a truck. However, it can also be parried, so players should be wary if they spam this technique too much in PvP. As long as players are smart enough to know what they're doing, they'll have a great time with this weapon.

9 Man-Grub's Staff

Skill: Steady Chant

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 158 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 9 Strength, 18 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Luck (S)

The Man-Grub's Staff isn't the most popular staff in the game for a myriad of reasons, the biggest factor being that this weapon scales with Luck instead of Intelligence like most other staffs in the game. However, veterans who want to pursue an odd build will find this staff to be rewarding in its own way, as long as they're willing to endure some frustrations and make the game harder for themselves.

Players must stick to mid-level magic and invest in their Luck stat to make the most of this weapon. This can make for a challenging playthrough that only the most skilled Dark Souls 3 player should attempt. Still, it's a fun way to make the game more engaging and let players check out one of the best staffs in DS3.

8 Sage's Crystal Staff

Skill: Steady Chant

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 154 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 7 Strength, 24 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Intelligence (A)

The Crystal Sage is a fairly simple boss fight that players can walk over in no time flat. It drops a Boss Soul that can be used to get the Sage's Crystal Staff, one of the best staffs in Dark Souls 3 that many players sleep on. Players looking for a great way to cast Sorceries will find this weapon to be right up their alley.

It may not be as powerful as other weapons like the Court Sorcerer's Staff, but The Sage's Crystal Staff still has excellent damage and is a worthy addition to any spellcaster's arsenal. It helps that the staff itself looks amazing, helping a spellcaster both look and feel powerful.

7 Izalith Staff

Skill: Steady Chant

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 210 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 12 Strength, 14 Intelligence, 10 Faith
• Scaling: Strength (D), Dexterity (D), Intelligence (A), Faith (C)

This hidden-away gem of a weapon is a great choice for players who have chosen to specialize in dark sorceries. It may not prove as useful for regular spellcasting as this weapon feeds off both Faith and Intelligence, which is perfect for those dark sorcery abilities. This staff is also super useful for taking out smaller enemies, as the base physical damage for the weapon is rather impressive. It saves the player from having to use limited resources, especially because attacking with this staff doesn't drain stamina as some weapons can.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the weapon cannot be infused or buffed, making it hard to scale with level-ups, especially when it has soft caps on Intelligence and Faith. When using the Izalith Staff to cast dark sorceries, the soft cap for these skills is 45. When casting regular sorcery, only the Intelligence score is considered and is softcapped at the standard 60.

Players can acquire this item by heading to the Smouldering Lake. In the corridor with the giant rat, players can find an illusory wall on the far side of the wall. Once it's been revealed, hit the wall until the staff can be acquired by looting a corpse.

6 Witchtree Branch

Skill: Steady Chant

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 129 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 7 Strength, 18 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Intelligence (B)

Most people would scoff at the inclusion of the Witchtree Branch here. The staff's scaling is pitiful compared to other staves, and makes it hard to recommend this weapon for magic users in a traditional playthrough.

However, players who want to pursue a low-level playthrough will find this staff to be serviceable. Magic is quite powerful, so most players shouldn't have too many issues with this weapon as long as they're familiar with the game's many intricacies. It helps that this staff's casting speed is quite high as well, letting players whip out numerous magic spells in no time at all.

5 Sorcerer's Staff

Skill: Steady Chant

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 135 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 6 Strength, 10 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Intelligence (A)

Despite being a starter item for sorcerers and assassins, the Sorcerer's Staff is better saved for slightly more powerful characters. While it certainly isn't one of the most powerful weapons in the game, it's super useful for early-game characters (but isn't the most effective for beginner characters).

The easiest way to get this is by starting the game as a sorcerer or assassin, but if players are looking for a way to obtain this weapon for another character, it can be randomly dropped by Undead Mages after the Halfway Fortress bonfire at the Road of Sacrifices. Players can also buy it from the Shrine Handmaid in Firelink Shrine.

4 Heretic's Staff

Skill: Steady Chant

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 142 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 8 Strength, 16 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Intelligence (A)

This popular weapon is the best choice for players with Intelligence scores between 35-43, giving characters the highest spell buff than any other staff in the game (at least for these specific Intelligence scores). It's also reinforced with Titanite, making it slightly more durable than other potential options. The Heretic's Staff, for the eagle-eyed player, may look familiar to some. This item is a nod to the first Dark Souls, as the design is reminiscent of Beatrice's staff.

While this staff is super useful for buffing sorcery, it also can't be buffed or infused. Casting with the Heretic's Staff expends a lot more stamina than similarly powerful staves, so players should measure up what works with their play style and what they're willing to sacrifice. Players can find the Heretic's Staff on the Road of Sacrifice. Before the steps that head towards Orbeck of Vinheim, there will be a corpse inside the castle ruins that can be looted for the staff.

3 Murky Longstaff

Skill: Chant From The Depths

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 194 Physical, 46 Dark
• Skill Requirements: 6 Strength, 12 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Dexterity (D), Intelligence (A), Faith (E)

The Murky Longstaff is a great choice for players who want to specialize in dark sorceries. It's even better than the Izalith Staff for players with below 45 Intelligence as that's the softcap for this weapon. This stave also gives dual scaling to characters' Intelligence and Faith when specializing in dark sorceries. This weapon can do a lot of damage when used right. Despite it being one of the longest staffs in the game, it doesn't deplete stamina like other long staves and is more akin to shorter staffs in its stamina use.

Players can find the Murky Longstaff in The Ringed City. In the Dreg Heap, after passing the angel-like hollow shooting projectiles, and defeating the Cathedral Knights, go right (uphill). Head into the building and go through the rooms of hollows that keep spawning until reaching the last room, which will house a corpse carrying this item.

2 Court Sorcerer's Staff

Skill: Steady Chant

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 135 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 6 Strength, 14 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Intelligence (S)

This is the most powerful staff in the game for non-dark sorceries. With the highest spell buff for any staff in Dark Souls 3, this will be a great weapon of choice for players prioritizing their Intelligence skill and spell casting.

Players can find the Court Sorcerer's Staff in the toxic swamp area of the Profaned Capital. In the church-like building, on the second floor, players can find a mimic that they must slay to obtain this item.

1 Storyteller's Staff

Skill: Poison Spores

• Damage (Fully Upgraded): 136 Physical
• Skill Requirements: 6 Strength, 12 Intelligence
• Scaling: Strength (D), Intelligence (A)

While it doesn't have as high of a spell buff as the Court Sorcerer's Staff, this staff has a unique property that makes it stand out. This weapon has poison spores, allowing players to poison their enemies, even outclassing Poison Mist and Toxic Mist in their buildup rate and damage. For players looking for a unique weapon that does some serious damage, this weapon is an absolute must-have.

Players looking to obtain the Storyteller's Staff can find it by slaying Corvian Storytellers and looting them for a chance to find this staff. There are a lot of staffs in Dark Souls 3 and which one players choose to use is ultimately up to their playstyle and character build.

Dark Souls 3

Action RPG

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating:90/100 Critics Recommend:94%

Platform(s)

PS4 , Xbox One , PC

Released

March 24, 2016

Developer(s)

From Software