Dark Souls Top 10 Tips – #8: Get the Drake Sword and the Claymore Right Away

The Drake Sword is the strongest weapon available in early game.  It does a set amount of physical damage and has no stat modifiers.  As long as you can wield it (16 STR and 12 DEX), you will have a powerful weapon regardless of your build type or soul level.  The Drake Sword is invaluable in early game.  It can be used to defeat the Bell Gargoyles and Quelaag, and to obtain rings and off some strong early game enemies (see my #3 tip).  You must chop off the tail of the Hellkite Dragon.  Get to the bridge area, buff your weapon with gold pine resin for additional lightning damage and hack at the Dragon’s tail.  The timing is a bit tricky and you may not get it on your first try.  My recommendation is to run up to the tail and wait until it “drops” slightly.  Three hits with your buffed weapon should do the trick.  An alternate but much more tedious strategy is to use arrows to shoot off the tail (from underneath the bridge). If you miss the Drake Sword for some reason, the Claymore is a suitable replacement.  It has the same stat requirements and it is only slightly less powerful than the Drake Sword after upgrades to +5 status (assuming base stats).   To get the Claymore, run past the Dragon into the sanctuary with the bonfire.  Once you rest at the bonfire, the Hellkite Dragon will fly away.  The Claymore and souls are on the bridge guarded by 3 low level armored undead soldiers. Because of its high stat modifiers and multiple upgrade paths, the Claymore is a better choice for late game.  The Drake Sword should not be upgraded and it is severely underpowered by the time you reach Senn’s Fortress, but it is a must-have item for the first few game levels.  See my video to acquire both of these awesome weapons within the first 10 minutes of the game.