Originally designed to be used on horseback, spears have found their place in video games as a weapon to both maintain distance and deal damage.
In Dark Souls, spears are the primary source of Thrusting damage, which is great for breaking through enemy defenses.
And there are ten spears total in the game, so let’s take a look at how they all stack up against each other.
10. Four-Pronged Plow
This farming implement is very strange, in that it has an oddly low drop rate from late-game DLC enemies, and doesn’t really have that much going for it…
Not nearly enough here to justify farming enemies solely to get it.
Granted it’s not super terrible. But rather it’s so amazingly average that every other spear selection in the game will overshadow it.
It looks silly to use, though and it is still a weapon.
And if you have the strength to make up for its shortcomings, the Four Pronged Plow can provide enough silly fun to somewhat ignore that you could be doing way better.
How to Obtain: Dropped by Wooden Scarecrows in the DLC areas.
9. Winged Spear
The Winged Spear is pretty cool looking. There’s a real magic to its simple design, and it fits the dark fantasy setting of Lordran very well.
Too bad it’s not that great a spear.
It has a decent reach, but so do all spears.
And yeah, it can do the job, but not quite as well as its other pointy contemporaries – despite its slightly higher base attack.
Its real tragedy though is that it’s heavier than most spears, and requires just a bit of extra strength and dex to efficiently use.
And it doesn’t scale that well to boot.
Using this is really all about looking cool over being efficient with damage.
It does look cool, though.
How to Obtain: Found near a big gravestone in the graveyard next to the Firelink Shrine.
8. Spear
As simple as it gets, the basic “Spear” is a wooden pole with a pointy metal end that’s meant to poke enemies until they die.
The most basic explanation of a spear is also the description for this weapon.
While this version doesn’t have much in the way of extra abilities or stats, it is super reliable, and can provide attacks from behind a shield.
The Spear in DS1 is a great weapon for beginners because it can be used while hiding.
It offers a great way to learn the ropes of Dark Souls and understand what the game requires of you.
How to Obtain: Drops from Undead Spear Soldiers and can be purchased from the Undead Merchant.
7. Partizan
The name definitely has a strange use of the letter ‘Z’, but overall it’s a decent weapon.
The PartiZan is a step up from the basic spear, with more reach and a little more punch.
It also can deal regular damage as well as the typical thrust damage that spears are known for.
This thing also has a neat sweeping attack for crowd-control, and can be upgraded to the player’s whim.
There’s really not a lot to say about the Partizan, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a reliable weapon.
This spear is just as useful as the regular version – and a good stepping-stone to better things.
How to Obtain: Found in a hidden area in the Darkroot Garden.
6. Pike
The Pike, Partizan, and Spear are all very similar in DS1.
They form a ‘Spear Squad’, if you will.
But the Pike is the best of the three, with a good range and the highest potential damage (should you adjust your character’s stats for it, as well as upgrade it).
It requires a bit more strength and stats, but it’s typically worth it.
If you’re a fan of simple polearm weapons, then any of the Spear Squad will do you fine.
But the Pike is the most well-adjusted of the three – and can probably be used for a lot longer.
How to Obtain: Purchase from Andre of Astora in the Undead Parish.
5. Silver Knight Spear
The Silver Knights of Anor Londo are a wellspring for good equipment.
They drop swords, shields, big arrows, and of course, a spear.
So naturally, the Silver Knight Spear is a good weapon too.
What really makes it stand out is that it’s the only weapon in the game that has Divinity and doesn’t also have a Faith stat requirement.
This means you can defeat undead stuff like skeletons and not have them revive, while also preserving your stat build.
The Silver Knight Spear also has a heck of a reach – actually one of the best in the game.
Keeping distance between you and whatever’s trying to eat you is pretty easy with this weapon.
All praise Silver Knights!
How to Obtain: Drops from Silver Knights in Anor Londo.
4. Moonlight Butterfly Horn
Using spears is typically a strength or dexterity user’s play.
However, there are two great spears that cater towards the magically inclined, allowing everybody to take part in the pleasure of spears (Spleasure?).
The Moonlight Butterfly Horn is one of those spears.
This weapon, derived from the boss of the same name, does exclusively magical damage and scales excellently to intelligence.
If you’re all about casting spells and want a weapon that can accommodate the times when you want to get right up in your enemy’s face, then the Moonlight Butterfly Horn is your jam.
It’s easy to obtain too, even moreso if you’ve already been using a spear up until that boss.
How to Obtain: Apply the Soul of the Moonlight Butterfly to any +10 spear.
3. Channeler’s Trident
Whereas the Moonlight Butterfly Horn is fairly painless to obtain, getting the Channeler’s Trident (the other magic-based spear) is a whole thing.
It requires farming late-game enemies that drop the spear at a very low rate.
If you’re a magic user it’s all worth it, though.
Way worth it.
What makes the Channeler’s Trident better than the Butterfly Horn is that it deals both magical and physical damage.
Its magical damage is equal to the Moonlight Horn, and the physical is very good too.
This means you’re suddenly equipped to deal with any enemy – even ones that would normally resist magic damage.
And even better, if you play co-op, you can dance and boost the party’s damage!
How to Obtain: Super rare drop from Channeler enemies in The Duke’s Archives and the Undead Parish.
2. Demon’s Spear
The biggest draw of using a spear is that it allows you to keep a healthy distance between yourself and your foe.
This approach is what the Demon’s Spear is best at.
Hands-down the longest spear in the game, this vertebrae-shaped polearm has the best reach to make sure you stay safe while your enemies suffer.
Even better, it deals lightning damage, which is one of the best catch-all elements in Dark Souls.
It has decent scaling, but the base strength and incredible reach make up for that teeny-tiny shortcoming.
Go and flex your demeaning poking abilities with this awesome spear.
How to Obtain: Sold by Shiva of the East.
1. Dragonslayer Spear
So you’ve gotten to Orenstein and Smough and died.
A lot, right?
And I bet more than one of those deaths came from Orenstein’s very big, very cool spear.
It’s a spear that, despite all the suffering it causes, kind of makes you want to use it.
Well good news, you can!
Take Orenstein’s soul and stuff it into a +10 spear, and you get the Dragonslayer Spear.
This bad boy is just as cool in your hands as it was in Orenstein’s.
Plus the Dragonslayer Spear has a fantastic reach, and can shoot lightning bolts! It’s also lightning elemental.
And this weapon scales very well for a multitude of builds, including those reliant on Faith.
So if you’re into spears, this is one to look out for.
It’s powerful, looks cool, and gets the job done.
How to Obtain: Power up any +10 spear with the Soul of Ornstein.
Brian knows more about RPGs than he does world history. Combine with his love of writing and you get somebody who can, and will, go on forever about every nuance of every game he's played.
