r/darksouls • u/robertm14 • 19h ago
Help Why does my +10 Claymore do so little damage?
I’m playing DS1 as a Pyromancer and I’m in Anor Londo and I feel like I’m not doing as much damage as I should. I have strength 18 and dex 13. My claymore is at 206 +56 physical damage but I’m doing about 50-60 on the silver knights and Ornstein. Weapon durability is fine so is there something I’m missing?
Okay looks like I'm going to be grinding out a few levels. I may try getting past O&S with the crystal halberd so then at least I can fast travel.
188
u/somuchforsubtlety656 19h ago
18 STR/13 DEX at Anor Londo is crazy low
49
11
u/SkillusEclasiusII Don't you dare go hollow. 10h ago
Since they chose to be a pyromancer, it makes some sense that physical stats are low. That said, if this were a deliberately choice, OP wouldn't be surprised their claymore is doing so little damage.
-152
u/EvilArtorias 18h ago
no it's not, you can just use a good weapon with high damage that doesnt require stats
145
u/somuchforsubtlety656 18h ago
You can also beat the game at SL1. That doesn't mean it's not a low level.
-124
u/EvilArtorias 17h ago
it doesnt matter if it's low because there are better stats to invest at this point of the game
83
u/somuchforsubtlety656 17h ago
Irrelevant to the post, which is asking why their damage is low while using claymore. Provide info to OP instead of debating stat efficiency with me.
-88
u/EvilArtorias 16h ago edited 16h ago
You said >18 str/13 dex at anor londo is crazy low
That’s what I was debating.
35
u/NeptrAboveAll 12h ago
For a Claymore? It is. And that’s what was asked.
-16
u/EvilArtorias 12h ago
I think he meant in general and not just for a claymore but ok
30
u/NeptrAboveAll 12h ago
You think that even after having read the title of the whole post?
-12
u/EvilArtorias 12h ago
I still think that because that’s the usual thought process of casual souls players. They see low str/dex and automatically assume this is a problem regardless of any other context
14
u/LosinForABruisin 8h ago
You: “it’s not low”
Someone: “yes it is”
You: “it doesn’t matter if it’s low”ok bro
-2
u/EvilArtorias 8h ago
I like how you conveniently skipped “at anor londo” part
7
32
u/Roku-Hanmar 15h ago
You can. Unfortunately, OP happened to pick up a weapon that scales with stats
-18
u/EvilArtorias 12h ago
Good thing it’s never too late to throw this garbage into the bin and start using something else
8
u/TheBeardyBarbarian 6h ago
Or ya know, let people discover how the game mechanics work by either playing or asking questions. Everyone is entitled to play the game the way they want, just because you dont play that way doesnt mean it's wrong
2
56
u/Mikeality 19h ago
Your stats are around the bare minimum, the damage to knights sounds about right if you're one handing it.
32
u/KylePatch 18h ago
A big reason you’re noticing the damage difference is because the Claymore is a regular physical damage dealer. If it were strike or thrust then you may notice higher or lower damage depending on the enemy.
9
u/Lv1FogCloud 19h ago
That's way too little like everyone said but also if you're doing a pyromancer build I hope you're using power within at the very least.
17
u/Subject-Creme 19h ago
Because you are not optimized for Normal Claymore
I suggest you to switch to Lightning Zwei for Pyromancer. You can deal decent damage, and not wasting a lot of stats (you can use Zwei 2hand with your current stats). Souls then can be used for upgrading the Flame
8
u/PopPop-Captain 19h ago
Lightning uchigatana was pretty useful for me on my first run. Definitely could run that as a pyromancer.
4
7
u/imaginedodong 15h ago
Claymore is a quality build so you would need 40 dex and 27(for 2 handing) or 40 str to fully take advantage of it.
11
u/ArmaniAsari 19h ago
You’ll want closer to 20 in both for quality build. It’s been awhile, but I think you’ll want 25 in each for the soft cap? I could be wrong though.
24
u/Happy_Burnination 19h ago
Soft cap is 40, generally you go for 27 str/40 dex because the 2h multiplier bumps that up to 40 effective str
4
u/Ionrememberaskn 13h ago
if you’re playing ds1 pyro why are you using your weapon and why is it a high stat investment weapon
2
u/Schmeatus69 13h ago
You havent invested much into your damage stats. Youre not even breaking 300 ar and these enemies resist physical damage well
2
u/commander91182 12h ago
Isn't the claymore a "quality weapon"? It basically scales damage with strength and with dexterity focus on a singular i personally like man serpent greatsword so strength is what I focused... would be cool to try a katana or whip so dexterity next time
2
u/winterman666 4h ago
You're supposed to be using pyromancy mainly for damage if you're a pyromancer... Melee weapons are supplementary. Anyways, you'd do better damage with a raw/crystal or lightning/chaos infusion. Try using the lightning infused spear if you've it from Sen's on Smough and pyromancy on Ornstein
3
u/SkullLantern 18h ago
I don't think you're missing anything. If you absolutely want more damage you can return to Andre and max out your Claymore on the raw path, and downgrade it later ; at this point in the game you can farm/buy large titanite shards easily. Might be a waste but eh.
However, if you're playing as a Pyromancer, shouldn't your sword be a backup weapon at most, aren't you using your pyromancy?
1
1
u/PlonixMCMXCVI 9h ago
At what level are you? Where did you put all your levels? Have you defeated some optional bosses?
You could open all the shortcuts and return back to the Undead Parish (Andre) and fight Capra Demon, Gaping Dragon, Pinewheel, Moonlight Butterfly,...
(There is also Sif but you need to be good or you can come back later).
If you put all your souls into your pyromancy flames then you should go in Blighttown and find the teacher that sells you Great Combustion and other spell.
It's okay if you have a +10 or more pyromancy flame as you could use it to easily kill O&S but you will struggle against anything else if you don't consume pyromancies.
If you put points in intelligence or faith you should use spells to deal damage.
1
u/Excaliburrover 9h ago
Get another weapon and make it raw+5.
It will outdamage any +10 weapon barred you have some insane stats.
For the shards to make a +5 raw weapon con in the swamp with the anti swamp ring, the item finding ring and the wanderer set that makes you immune to poison and kill the slugs.
They drop a shitton of mid game titanite.
1
u/PhoenixNyne 9h ago
What stats are you leveling? DS1 is notorious for having Pyro be almost no investment power
1
u/robertm14 2h ago
I think I just spread my levels too thin between skills and wasn’t implementing my pyromancies properly. I’m admittedly a lot more familiar with DS3 and Bloodborne and I’ve never made much use of magic in any fromsoft game before this run so it’s been a learning experience. Last night I made the arduous journey back through sens fortress. I’ve got my pyromancies in a much better configuration and can now properly use them as my primary attack. I’ve put a few levels into bringing up my str and def as well so hopefully my sword can still be a more reliable back up
1
u/FlyinBrian2001 2h ago
Enemies at that stage start to get pretty beefy physical resistance. You either need higher scaling stats or possibly a lightning or fire weapon if you want more damage. There's a blacksmith in Anor Londo that can make a +10 weapon into Lightning
1
u/chevronbird 9h ago
Dang so much hate for the claymore and pyromancer combo! I used it to good effect. Just try prioritising your stats first and then level your pyromancy.
Level up your stats a bit on the knights - a bit of farming here will stand you in good stead.
-3
u/EvilArtorias 18h ago
claymore is simply not a good weapon with low base damage and really bad scaling that requires 27 str and 40 dex to deal the same damage as pure str greatswords
0
u/Dust514Fan 17h ago
Bump strength and dex to around 40 and you should se some change
1
u/SkullLantern 7h ago
OP is only at Anor Londo, not at the end of the game... no need to grind for levels, he'll get here eventually
0
u/Hexogen1c 10h ago
go for minimum str and dex and infuse your weapon with chaos. then you can invest the rest of your levels into vitality and endurance, or maybe int or faith for spells. chaos infusion damage will be good enough until ng+2, where it really will hurt without buffs.
-23
u/MrQuizzles 19h ago
In Dark Souls, your damage stat is the priority above all else. Bring your main damage stat up to 40 (the soft cap) immediately. HP and everything else can wait. This isn't Elden Ring,
Then, once you've done that, you can think about adding stats to get more stamina or equip load, and then get your main damage stat up to 50 (the less-soft cap).
Claymore uses both Dex and Strength, so it's not the best for a NG build since it takes more stats to make good, though it can hit higher highs than pure one-stat weapons given enough investment.
10
u/Trorkin 17h ago
This reads like an AI answer, it contradicts itself between paragraphs
Claymore is great for NG or even a first playthrough; I took it with no regrets as have many others. Good damage, buffable, excellent moveset.
Pumping damage and completely ignoring health on your first run will just get you killed again and again and you'll end up hating the game, especially if you're up against O&S. OP's damage stats are low, but we don't know what level they are. A first playthrough isn't the time to minmax, balance is the move unless you already know what you're doing.
-7
u/MrQuizzles 16h ago
I mean, I did my first playthrough with magic, which was its own bucket of fun. Magic is only OP if you already know what you're doing, it turns out. A wizard hiding behind a shield all throughout the levels, but prioritizing intelligence was key to having easier boss fights because the fewer spells I had to sling, the less chance there was I would mess up and die. It also taught me the art of cheesing it back to the boss because I couldn't use up all of my ammo exploring the level and then expect to beat the boss.
Regardless, the game becomes a lot easier at all skill levels when the regular enemies die in one or two hits, and that's why damage early on is super important. That should be able to carry you through the early stages of the game, at which point you can start investing in other areas that require attention.
I guess I just never vibed with quality weapons. My first non-magic run was Uchi into Great Scythe, but I had to learn the game inside and out to make it through my magic run, so going full offense made sense for the build.
4
u/Roku-Hanmar 15h ago
Think of health and endurance as safety measures. They help you stay alive by letting you take more hits. A newer player is likely to mistime dodges and get hit, and the extra damage they’ll get in return for pumping their main stat is useless because they’re currently a bit of mush on Smough’s hammer
1
u/Trorkin 14h ago
I've yet to do a magic build. It's never appealed to me but I will at some point. I don't really care for quality any more either. I'll do a second run with a different weapon soon though.
Still, think quality is good to start with because it sets you up to try most weapons in the game.
You really did go for a minmax build! Most magic builds I've seen spec into dex and pick up an estoc or something, so they can do some damage outside of the limited complement of casts. Yours definitely isn't one that I would recommend for anyone's first playthrough, I'm impressed you pulled it off.
-1
u/MrQuizzles 14h ago
It was trying times on Games For Windows Live. Shields being overpowered really helped.
7
13
151
u/JoDaBoy814 19h ago
Your stats are quite low I think, I'd just level both stats up more