Did you ever dream of becoming the fourth musketeer while growing up? Is fencing perhaps one of your favorite sports? If you answered positively to any of the above questions, then this article was made for you! As far as a lot of players are concerned, piercing/thrusting swords (hereinafter generally referred to as “rapiers”) are probably the most broken weapon category in DS2. Because they’re incredibly quick, do an insane amount of damage, and weigh basically nothing at all. So join me as we take a better look at every single piercing sword in the game, and rank them in terms of usefulness.
9. Spider’s Silk
As usual, let’s preface some things before getting into the meat of it. Due to their base attributes, such as low stat requirements and high counter damage, thrusting swords are perhaps the most “blessed” weapon class there is. What I mean is that even though there’s a couple clear winners that stand tall above the rest, basically every single one of them could fit into the right build, and have its niche uses. With that out of the way, I honestly don’t know why anyone would ever unironically use this one. The Spider’s Silk’s saving grace (if you can even call it that) is the ability to pierce shields with its strong attack. Hear my out though. In PvE, the number of problematic enemies with shields are very low. And you can always just circle around them for a backstab while using a better weapon. While in PvP, where this ability would find its most use, this kind of strategy could only work against newer opponents – because the majority of experienced players only use shields to parry incoming attacks. How to get: Trade the Soul of Duke’s Dear Freja with Weaponsmith Ornifex.
8. Mail Breaker
You know those classic fake “disguises” with the fake glasses, mustache, and nose? Yeah, this is the exact situation we’ve got going here. The Mail Breaker is a long dagger that has somehow made its way over in the piercing swords category. Its regular stats are abysmal compared to the other weapons in its class, including damage, range, and scaling. The one thing going for it is its above average critical hit multiplier, making it a somewhat decent sidearm to switch to right before performing a riposte or backstab. How to get: Treasure in the Forest of Fallen Giants, found inside a room above the courtyard with a couple of soldiers inside of it. Can also be dropped by Skeletons and Parasite Spiders.
7. Ricard’s Rapier
Ricard’s Rapier isn’t bad in the same way the rest of the lower-ranked weapons in this list are. Despite having decent damage and reach, its special attack is the reason you’d want to use it, and also not use it at the same time. The special attack performs several quick strikes, one after another, making it an ideal candidate for poison or bleed buildup. But the problem comes in the form of durability, with each successive strike reducing it, leaving you with a broken blade after only a couple of uses. Where to find: Treasure found in Huntsman’s Copse, in a chest inside the cave with the poisonous moths. Also a rare drop from Parasite Spiders.
6. Chaos Rapier
Following that, we’ve got one of the more niche weapons in our list. The Chaos Rapier is an excellent weapon if you really, really, want to deal some fire damage. A common trap many people fall into with this blade, is infusing it with fire. This is going to gut your scaling, while giving you barely anything in return. What you actually want to do is leave it uninfused, and use charcoal pine resin in combination with the Ring of Blades to achieve its maximum potential. How to get: Sold by Felkin the Outcast.
5. Black Scorpion Stinger
Continuing on the trend of niche weapons, we’ve got the Black Scorpion Stinger. Due to the total lack of scaling, this rapier is an excellent choice for caster-heavy builds who have invested the majority of stat points in intelligence or faith, and need a way to quickly dish out some physical damage. Don’t forget to infuse it with Raw for some bonus attack rating. How to get: Talk to Manscorpion Tark after killing Duke’s Dear Freja. Can also be bought from Merchant Hag Melentia after killing Tark.
4. Estoc
The vast majority of strength weapons are large, unwieldy, slow-moving chunks of metal. The Estoc comes in to contradict all of the above adjectives, giving strength builds a nimble and fast attacking sidearm, with respectable damage and reach to that. Even if it gets out-damaged by a few other rapiers, it’s the best option for all your muscular friends, and a force to be reckoned with. How to get: Sold by Blacksmith Lenigrast in Majula. Also dropped by Hollow Soldiers.
3. Rapier
And now we’ve reached the namesake of the class: the rapier itself. Even though it sits at number three on our list, the humble rapier is entirely interchangeable with the number one spot. Yes, you read that right. The simple rapier that you can obtain within 10-20 minutes of starting a new run is equally as good as one of the best dexterity weapons in the game, only beaten by it with a heavy stat investment (and even then, the difference is minimal). So yeah, if you’re planning on doing a dex build and you need an incredibly strong weapon, you can use this one for a while. How to get: Sold by Blacksmith Lenigrast. Also dropped by Forest Grotesques.
2. Ice Rapier
Are you a sorcerer that’s getting beaten left and right? Can you just not catch a break? Well do I have a deal for you! Introducing the Ice Rapier, also known as “That one god damn weapon that has one-shot me countless times in PvP”. Seriously, if you’re a sorcerer, get yourself one of these bad boys and infuse it with magic. Then start turning your enemies into swiss cheese. How to get: Dropped by Spellswords in Frozen Eleum Loyce.
1. Espada Ropera
I know we’ve reached the #1 spot, but it’s gonna be a short one, because there’s really not much to say and I haven’t already (hopefully) sold you on the Rapier. Espada Ropera is a straight-up upgrade over the normal rapier, coming out with more damage in the long run thanks to its dexterity scaling. It’s one of the strongest (if not the strongest) dex weapons in the entire game. And it can melt any enemy or boss in the blink of an eye (okay, I might be slightly exaggerating). So go on and poke poke poke to your heart’s content! How to get: Gift from Chancellor Wellager after defeating the Giant Lord.
