The answer? Their desire for strong weapons! Unless you’re one of those masochists that does a “Broken Straight Sword” challenge run or has some other weird self-imposed rule, then you’re always going to want to use the best weapons available. And DS2 does a good job of providing you with a variety of different weapon types in the early areas. But since not everyone has the time to aimlessly swing every sword in the game around, let’s take a better look at some of the best dexterity weapons you can get your hands on relatively quickly.
5. Uchigatana
Long-time fans will immediately recognize this famous katana, as the Uchigatana makes its triumphant return from the original game. Even though the uchi has lost the bleeding effect that it used to have, it still poses a threat in the right hands. Its swift attacks and high base dexterity scaling will dispatch any enemies the early-game throws at you. How to get: Sold by Steady Hand McDuff.
4. Falchion
On the other end of the “changed” spectrum, we’ve got the Falchion. This little curved sword basically stole all the bleeding power the uchigatana had, and made away like a bandit. The Falchion is one of my favorite early-game weapons – partly due to how much it can do right from the get-go. Flourishing around with every attack might not be for everyone though. And for that reason I’ve ranked it lower than some other weapons. How to get: Sold by Blacksmith Lenigrast, dropped by Skeletons, enchanted version found in Belfry Luna.
3. Pate’s Spear
If you’re feeling a bit murder-y and don’t really care about this particular storyline, this next weapon might be for you. Pate’s Spear has an incredible base attack rating of 180 that’s going to melt any hollow soldier that dares to even look at you. Such power does come with a few “downsides” though. First, as we already mentioned, you need to kill Mild Mannered Pate to get it early (otherwise you have to wait until Earthen Peak), essentially ruining his storyline and any other items you’d get from it. Secondly, the spear has a relatively high dexterity requirement (27) for that stage in the game. And it also requires twinkling titanite to upgrade. If what you just read deterred you from committing war crimes, then the Winged Spear is give or take the same weapon, although it does start with lower base damage. How to get: Kill Pate to get his spear. Or the Winged Spear can be bought from Steady Hand McDuff.
2. Warped Sword
Even though we’re slightly pushing it, I’d say this is in the realm of what’s considered the “early game”. With that said, the Warped Sword is an amazing weapon by itself – but its true potential comes out when power-stanced with another weapon (like a dagger, straight sword, or katana), and its spinning moves are unlocked. You can even use two of these bad boys with either a poison or a bleed infusion to build up those statuses at extreme speeds. I do recommend waiting and upgrading it a bit before using it, as its damage is subpar at a base level. How to get: Trade the Flexile Sentry Soul to Straid of Olaphis.
1. Rapier
Aaaalright… Forget what you just read, as you have found a secret cheat code here. The Rapier is busted in this game (like most other thrusting swords). Its damage, speed, moveset, and stamina usage is unrivaled by any other early-game dexterity weapon. You can literally pick up the rapier a few minutes after you finish the tutorial area, and poke your enemies all the way to the final boss. Later on, you can swap it out for the Espada Ropera, though this isn’t necessary at all since the difference is minimal. How to get: Sold by Blacksmith Lenigrast, dropped by Goblins.
