Players usually associate sorcerers with spell casting. However, as every good sorcerer knows, having a staff is as important as learning new types of spells. I have a few staves that go hand in hand with a sorcerer’s arsenal. In this guide, I will take a look at some of the best staff to use.
Key Takeaways
- Staves are tools used by Sorcerers and Clerics to cast their spells and miracles.
- They provide the ability to output consistent damage while being at a safe distance.
- The best Staves are the Izalith Staff, the Heretic Staff, the Sorcerer’s Staff, and the Court Sorcerer’s Staff.
- You can get the Izalith Staff from the smoldering lake. It provides good stats and high physical damage to conserve your FP.
- The Heretic Staff is found in the Road of Sacrifices and has low equipping restrictions making it a good staff early game with decent scaling.
- The Sorcerer’s Staff can be equipped if you choose the Sorcerer class or by killing dead mages. It provides excellent damage along with the ability to cast powerful spells.
- The Court Sorcerer’s staff deals enormous damage while casting powerful spells, making it easy to defeat most bosses. However, it requires a high intelligence stat.
Ehtishaam is a hard-core Dark Souls 3 fan, having spent 100+ hours in the game. You can trust his information related to the Staves for magic builds in Dark Souls 3!
Comparison table for Best Staves;
Here is a comparison table of my best Staves in Dark Souls 3 . Each stat can be sorted to view the highest and lowest values, which has been done for your convenience:
No Staves Best for Physical Attack Physical Defence Magical Attack Magical Defence Fire Attack Fire Defence Light Attack Light Defence Dark Attack Dark Defence Critical Attack Critical Defence Focus Cost Durability
1 Izalith Staff Best Staff for Mid-Game Dominance & High Physical Damage! 120 30 - 25 - 20 - 20 - 20 100 - 7 (-/-) 55
2 Heretic Staff Best Staff for Intelligence Centric Users. 63 30.0 - 25.0 - 10.0 - 10.0 - 20.0 100 - 7 55
3 Sorcerer Staff Best Staff for Versatility and Early Use. 60 25 - 20 - 10 - 10 - 15 100 - 7 (-/-) 50
4 Court Sorcerer Staff Best Staff for High Intelligence & Massive Damage with Spells. 60 25 - 20 - 10 - 10 - 15 100 - 7(-/-) 45
Normally, players looking to try the Faith Build will want to use a staff since it is considered a faith weapon. Unlike Dex Weapons, staves are meant to be used from a distance. Casting spells use your FP bar, which can be replenished via the Ashen Estus Flask
Dark Souls 3 offers a variety of staves that come in handy for magic users. This guide will include the top 4 staves and showcase them to show their potential.
1. Izalith Staff
Best Staff for Mid-Game Dominance & High Physical Damage!
Why did I Choose Izalith Staff?
I chose the Izalith Staff for its mid-game reliability, offering balanced stats and high physical damage. Its efficiency in handling low-level enemies without depleting Focus Points makes it a versatile and dependable choice.
| Phy | Mag | Fire | Light | Holy | Crit | Boost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 120 | - | - | - | - | 100 | - |
| Defense | 30 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 20 | - | - |
| Strength | Dexterity | Intelligence | Faith | ||||
| Scaling | D | D | B | C | |||
| Requires | 12 | 0 | 14 | 10 | |||
| Skill | Steady Chant | ||||||
| Stability | 15 | ||||||
| Durability | 55 | ||||||
| Weapon Type | Staves | ||||||
| Wgt. | 20.0 | ||||||
| Attack type | Strike | ||||||
| Focus Cost | 7 (-/-) |
Izalith Staff Stats Table.
Starting with the first weapon on my list, the Izalith Staff. To get it, you must go to the Smouldering Lake and remove the illusionary wall found in the corridor. Once the wall disappears, follow the narrow corridor until you see a corpse; loot it to get this staff.
Since you’ll reach this area almost mid-way through the game, your stats will be quite decent. Players looking to go for an Intelligence build combined with a bit of Faith will have a good time using this weapon. If you want to focus solely on the INT stats, I’d suggest going for the Murky Longstaff instead.
Finally, the Faith stat will only affect dark sorcery spells and has no impact on magic damage. Due to the misleading description of this staff, most players often get confused.
2. Heretic Staff
Best Staff for Intelligence Centric Users.
Why did I Choose Heretic Staff?
I chose the Heretic Staff for it’s benefits in early-game spellcasting, boosting spells for substantial damage, and found relatively early in the game. It caters to Intelligence-centric users with an INT stat of 40 or less, prioritizing magical capabilities over physical attacks.
| Phy | Mag | Fire | Light | Holy | Crit | Boost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 63 | - | - | - | - | 100 | - |
| Defense | 30.0 | 25.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 20.0 | - | - |
| Strength | Dexterity | Intelligence | Faith | ||||
| Scaling | D | D | B | C | |||
| Requires | 12 | 0 | 14 | 10 | |||
| Skill | Steady Chant | ||||||
| Stability | 15 | ||||||
| Durability | 55 | ||||||
| Weapon Type | Staves | ||||||
| Wgt. | 3.0 | ||||||
| Attack type | Strike | ||||||
| Focus Cost | 7 |
Heretic Staff Stats Table.
The previous staff was a mix of INT and Faith. This one is ideal for intelligence-centric users. Players who have an INT stat of 40 or less are perfect candidates for this. Since staves are more powerful work well with a higher level of intelligence, you will not find a better option than this.
Using the Heretic Staff will allow you to boost spells to deal insane amounts of damage. Again, this is only useful if you have an intelligence stat of 40 or less. Due to how the magic scaling works, if you equip a stronger staff with less than 40 INT, it will not be used at its maximum potential.
You can find this weapon relatively early in the game. Head over to the Road of Sacrifices and visit the castle ruins. There you’ll have the option to loot a corpse to get this staff. Stats-wise it’s pretty decent all across the board. While it does not provide ample defense, it allows you to greatly enhance damage.
Unlike the previous staff, this one does not have high physical damage, so you probably won’t be using this for melee attacks. Requiring only 8 STR and 16 INT to equip, this staff is perfect for your early game. Keep in mind that this staff drains more stamina than other staves, so using it only for spells is recommended.
3. Sorcerer Staff
Best Staff for Versatility and Early Use.
Why did I Choose Sorcerer Staff?
I chose the Sorcerer Staff for its versatility and early-game accessibility, providing decent damage and enabling powerful spell casting. Whether obtained at the start by choosing specific classes or later by defeating undead mages, it outperforms other early-game staves.
| Phy | Mag | Fire | Light | Holy | Crit | Boost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 60 | - | - | - | - | 100 | - |
| Defense | 25 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 15 | - | - |
| Strength | Dexterity | Intelligence | Faith | ||||
| Scaling | E | - | B | - | |||
| Requires | 6 | - | 10 | - | |||
| Skill | Steady Chant | ||||||
| Stability | 10 | ||||||
| Durability | 50 | ||||||
| Weapon Type | Staves | ||||||
| Wgt. | 2.0 | ||||||
| Attack type | Strike | ||||||
| Focus Cost | 7 (-/-) |
Sorcerer Staff Stats Table.
Moving on to the second-best staff in the game, the Sorcerer Staff. Using this weapon is recommended if your character is somewhere around 40-60 INT. As compared to the previous staves, this one heavily outclasses them.
Most people don’t know this but you can get this weapon as soon as you start the game. If you choose the Sorcerer or Assassin class, you will automatically get this staff. However, at that stage, it might seem bad and will not perform well. This is only because you are severely under-leveled at that point. In my playthroughs, I start with this weapon and swap it for the Heretic or Murky Longstaff. This will allow you to have this weapon ready when you reach the 40-60 Intelligence stats.
If you do not want to pick the mentioned classes, you can find this staff by killing undead mages. You can encounter these enemies really early, and they have a slight chance to drop this weapon. Now, as far as the stats go, it has pretty decent damage and defense. The physical damage is enough to take care of weak enemies, but it won’t be of too much use.
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The main reason why it outperforms the weapons mentioned above is that you can greatly boost your damage and cast powerful spells. It only requires 10 INT and 6 STR to equip; having above 40 intelligence will reap the best results.
4. Court Sorcerer Staff
Best Staff for High Intelligence & Massive Damage with Spells.
Why did I Choose Court Sorcerer Staff?
The Court Sorcerer Staff stands out as the ultimate choice for high-intelligence characters above 60 INT. Its unmatched spell buff and damage potential make it the go-to staff for dominating the later stages of Dark Souls 3, despite its limited suitability for dark spells.
| Phy | Mag | Fire | Light | Holy | Crit | Boost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 60 | - | - | - | - | 100 | - |
| Defense | 25 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 15 | - | - |
| Strength | Dexterity | Intelligence | Faith | ||||
| Scaling | E | - | A | - | |||
| Requires | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |||
| Skill | Steady Chant | ||||||
| Stability | 10 | ||||||
| Durability | 45 | ||||||
| Weapon Type | Staves | ||||||
| Wgt. | 2.0 | ||||||
| Attack type | Strike | ||||||
| Focus Cost | 7(-/-) |
Court Sorcerer Staff Stats Table.
Now comes the absolute best staff. If you are planning to level up your character above 60 intelligence, then there is no better option than this. Court Sorcerer Staff allows you to gain a massive spell buff due to its amazing scaling.
Keep in mind that this staff isn’t necessarily the best if you want to focus on the dark spells. Plus, it only shows its true potential when you’re above 60 INT. The stats are superb as compared to most staves, but the real magic happens when you cast powerful spells. It deals an insane amount of damage that can intimidate even the strongest bosses.
Finding it can be a little troublesome, but the reward is worth it if you are willing to do so. Head over to the Profaned Capital bonfire and make your way down the ladder. Continue to walk forward until you are met with a toxic swamp. Move through the swamp and find a church – it is easily visible, so don’t worry. Once you are in the church, climb up the ladder and move past the mutated monsters to find a treasure chest. Be careful though, this chest is a mimic, and you will have to kill it for it to drop the staff.
Why Others Were Not Chosen?
- Mendicant’s Staff: This staff was not chosen due to its focus on item discovery, lacking attributes for potent sorcery. Suited for farming rather than enhancing spellcasting.
- Man-grub’s Staff: This staff was not chosen for its reliance on luck scaling, irrelevant for sorcerers focusing on intelligence.
- Storyteller’s Staff: This staff was not chosen because of its emphasis on gradual poison buildup rather than direct spell damage, contrary to sorcerers’ preferences.
- Logan’s Staff: This staff was not chosen due to its inconvenient location in Irithyll Dungeon, hindering accessibility for beginner sorcerers.
- Archdeacon’s Great Staff: This staff was not chosen for its focus on melee combat, deviating from the primary role of a sorcerer, and functioning as a catalyst/mace hybrid.
- Izalith Catalyst: This staff was not chosen due to split scaling between intelligence and faith, making staves with higher intelligence scaling more effective for dedicated sorcerers.
- Preacher’s Right Arm: This staff was not chosen for its emphasis on pyromancy and dark miracles, making it less suitable for traditional pure sorcery builds.
What Would I Recommend?
As an experienced Dark Souls 3 player, I’d recommend the Izalith Staff for its mid-game reliability, striking a balance between stats and high physical damage. This staff is ideal for handling diverse enemies efficiently while conserving valuable Focus Points.
For players seeking unmatched magical power in the later stages, the Court Sorcerer Staff is a must-have. Its exceptional scaling and massive spell buffs make it a game-changer, delivering the kind of devastating damage that becomes important in challenging encounters.
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Ehtishaam is an enthusiastic gamer who is never tired of playing games and writing about them. He is pursuing his career in Electrical Engineering while keeping an active interest in CS. I keep myself busy playing football when I am not focused on content writing. My dedication towards gaming knew no bounds, as I started spending hours on my Pentium 4 PC, playing GTA. If you don’t see me posting content, I’ll probably be pushing rank in Valorant or Counter Strike. Connect with me on Steam if you plan on playing some competitive.
