You’re standing under a bridge in the Undead Burg. It’s early. You’re likely frustrated because that bridge wyvern keeps roasting your skin off every time you try to cross to the Sunlight Altar. Then, you hear about it from a message on the ground or a grainy YouTube video from 2011. The "secret" weapon. The Drake Sword. You buy a wooden shortbow and maybe 50 or 60 standard arrows from the Undead Malevolent Merchant, tuck yourself into that little corner under the bridge, and start plinking away at a tail that just won't stop wagging.
It’s tedious. It’s boring. But suddenly, a splash screen pops up: Drake Sword acquired.
For a new player, this moment feels like finding a cheat code. The sword has a base damage of 200. To put that in perspective, your starting Longsword probably hits for around 80. You equip it, and suddenly, those terrifying Hollow Soldiers that were giving you grief are dying in a single swing. You feel like a god. But honestly? That feeling is exactly how Dark Souls tricks you into ruining your first playthrough.
The Drake Sword Math that Nobody Tells You
Dark Souls is a game built on scaling. When you look at the stats of a weapon like the Claymore or the Uchigatana, you see letters—C, B, or even A—next to Strength and Dexterity. These letters mean that as you level up your character, your weapon gets stronger. The Drake Sword is different. It has no scaling. Zero. Nada. Whether you have 16 Strength or 99 Strength, that sword is going to hit for 200 damage.
This creates a massive "power floor" but a terrifyingly low "power ceiling."
Think about it this way. Around the time you reach Blighttown or Sen’s Fortress, you’ve likely spent thousands of souls leveling up your stats. If you were using a standard +5 or +10 Halberd, your damage would be climbing alongside your level. With the Drake Sword, you’re stuck. You are essentially playing with a weapon that refuses to grow with you. You become a glass cannon that isn't even a cannon anymore; you’re just glass.
Then there’s the upgrade cost. To make the Drake Sword better, you need Dragon Scales. These are incredibly rare items in the early game. You might find one in a chest at the bottom of Blighttown or get lucky with a drop from a Hydra, but it’s not something you can just buy. Even if you manage to upgrade it, the return on investment is pathetic. It goes from 200 to 220. That’s it. For a rare, expensive material, you get a measly 20 points of damage. Meanwhile, a standard Titanite-upgraded weapon is jumping by huge margins and benefiting from your stat points.
It Kills Your Skill Progression
Dark Souls isn't really a game about stats. It’s a game about rhythm. When you use the Drake Sword, you stop learning the rhythm.
Because you can one-shot almost everything in the first three areas of the game, you don't learn how to parry. You don't learn how to backstab effectively. You certainly don't learn how to manage your stamina because you only need one swing to end the fight. You basically brute-force your way through the Undead Parish and the Depths.
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And then you hit the wall.
The wall is usually Ornstein and Smough. By the time you reach the golden city of Anor Londo, 200 damage is a joke. The bosses have massive health pools, and the silver knights will laugh at your little dragon tooth. Because you relied on a "crutch" weapon for the first 15 hours of the game, you haven't actually learned how to play. You’re a level 50 character with level 5 skills. This is where most people quit Dark Souls. They realize their "OP weapon" is now a wet noodle, and they don't have the mechanical skill to survive without it.
Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the game, is known for this kind of environmental storytelling and game design. The Drake Sword is a literal trap. It’s a dragon’s tail—a piece of a powerful creature—given to a puny human. It gives you a false sense of security before the game rips the rug out from under you.
When Should You Actually Use It?
Is it ever good? Yeah, sort of.
If you are a veteran player doing a "speedrun" style skip to reach a certain point in the game quickly, the Drake Sword is a tool. It’s a means to an end. It allows you to ignore the early game grind and sprint to the Red Tearstone Ring or the Great Hollow. But if this is your first time through Lordran, you should probably put it in the Bottomless Box and forget it exists.
There is one cool feature, though. If you two-hand the Drake Sword and press the heavy attack button (R2/RT), you unleash a vertical shockwave of wind. It looks awesome. It feels powerful. It also eats through your weapon's durability like a hungry dog. Three or four of those attacks and your sword is "At Risk." It’s another way the game mocks you for relying on the weapon. It gives you a taste of true power, then breaks the tool in your hands.
Better Alternatives for the Early Game
If you want a weapon that actually rewards you for playing the game, look elsewhere.
- The Claymore: Found on the same bridge where you get the Drake Sword. It has a fantastic moveset, great reach, and scales beautifully with both Strength and Dexterity. It can carry you to the credits and through New Game Plus.
- The Zweihander: Just sitting there in the graveyard near Firelink Shrine. It requires high strength, but it "pancakes" enemies. It knocks them flat on their backs. That is true power.
- The Uchigatana: You have to kill the Undead Merchant to get it early, which is a moral dilemma, but it’s one of the best Dexterity weapons in the series. It has bleed damage, which does a percentage of a boss's health.
Even a basic Longsword upgraded to +5 at Andre of Astora will serve you better in the long run than the Drake Sword ever will. The Longsword teaches you spacing. It teaches you timing. It grows with you.
How to Transition Away From the Dragon's Tail
If you’ve already fallen for the trap and you’re currently swinging the Drake Sword in Sen's Fortress, don't panic. You haven't ruined your character. You just need to pivot.
Stop putting points into Vitality for a second and look at your Strength and Dexterity. Pick a weapon that fits your current stats. Go back to the Undead Parish and talk to Andre. Buy some Titanite Shards. Spend the souls to get a different weapon up to +5 or +10. It might feel weaker at first—you might go from 200 damage back down to 160. But look at the scaling. Look at the speed. You’ll notice that as you swing, you’re actually learning the moveset.
The Drake Sword is a relic of a specific era of gaming—the "secret hidden item" era. But in the context of Dark Souls' philosophy, it’s a test. It tests whether you want a quick fix or if you want to actually master the systems.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Build:
- Check your stats: If you have high Strength, head to the graveyard and grab the Zweihander. If you have high Dex, head to the back of the Darkroot Garden or the Undead Merchant for a katana.
- Farm Titanite: Don't waste Dragon Scales on the Drake Sword. Spend your souls on Titanite Shards from Andre or Large Titanite Shards from the Giant Blacksmith or the slugs in Blighttown.
- Practice the moveset: Take your new weapon to the Undead Burg. Practice parrying the hollows. Get a feel for the R1 and R2 timings.
- Commit to the transition: Once your new weapon hits +7 or +8, it will start outperforming the Drake Sword. That is the moment you should stop using the dragon weapon entirely.
- Save the Drake Sword for niche moments: If you really love the shockwave, keep it in your inventory for specific crowds, but never let it be your primary source of damage again.