Dark Souls 3 is the third iteration of the soulsborne series of video games and arguably it is by far the best one as well. Players can create a wide variety of builds by mixing weapons, armor, equipment, and much more – the possibilities are endless. We have curated this guide entailing everything players need to know when it comes to creating Dark Souls 3 Thief build. However, for the sake of this guide, our thief build will be more focused on the bleed status effect.
Key Takeaways
- Bleed can cause a lot of damage to the enemies and NPCs, in a similar manner to poison and curse.
- The Thief class in Dark Souls 3 has the highest starting luck, which makes it an ideal build for bleed.
- The main weapon recommended is the Twin Warden blades upgraded to +10 and infused with Hollow. For right-hand weapon 2, the Washing Pole is suggested, while the left-hand weapon 1 should be a Caestus with Hollow infusion.
- The Dark Sigil item grants an additional 5 luck if your character has 15 Hollow level or above, which makes hollow infusion important for this build.
- Chloranthy Ring, Prisoner’s Chain Ring, Ring of Steel Protection, and Ring of Favour are recommended rings for this build.
- The Carthus Rouge item is recommended for buffing bleed effect.
- The overall equipment load should be under 70% weight ratio.
- The Twin Warden blades can be obtained by killing Cathedral Wardens, Caestus can be found in the sewers of the Undead Settlement, Washing Pole can be obtained from Lady Easterner’s Ashes, and Dark Sigil can be obtained from Yoel of Yondor or by marrying Anri of Astora.
- Carrying out soul farming will be useful to upgrade weapons to the required level.
Related Build Guide: Dark Souls 3 Dex Weapons
Bleed, like poison and curse, is a stat that can be inflicted upon enemies and NPCs which can drain a massive amount of health points instantaneously. When the bleed bar is completely filled, the enemy loses a good chunk of their health. We think for a bleed is the perfect match for a thief build because of its starting higher luck stat. We have also made a guide for the best build for the pyromancer, just in case you are not into creating a thief build.
Dark souls 3 Thief Build
The Thief class in dark souls 3 has the highest starting luck from the rest of the Dark Souls class of characters. Ideally, the luck stat is most often used to farm weapons and items from an enemy, and also determines poison and bleed build-up. Since the thief already has high amount of the luck stat from the get-go, our entire focus will be to curate the best possible thief build in Dark Souls 3 revolving around the higher luck stat and bleed damage.
Theif Build Weapons
For the sake of this build, players should prioritize using the Twin Warden blades. In order to get the peak performance in terms of damage dealing on a target, the weapon should be upgraded to plus 10 level and its infusion needs to be hollow. For the right-hand weapon 2, we recommend using the Washing Pole, since it has a long reach and also works very well with bleed or poison builds. For the left-hand weapon 1, use the Caestus with the Hollow infusion. Both the caestus and the washing pole should be infused with a Hollow Gem.
Another Builds Guide: Dark Souls 3 Quality Build
Leveling up the Twin Warden bladed to plus 10 will require a lot of soul farming, our Best Dark Souls 3 soul farming locations guide will be useful here.
Why Hollowing Infusion For Thief Build
The reason why we put emphasis on the hollow infusion is that all the weapons in this build get favor from the item Dark Sigil. It grants an additional 5 luck if your character has 15 Hollow level or above. Moreover, using hollow weapons grants you an additional 5 luck, increasing the overall luck stat by 10. That is why it is crucial that your character gets the Dark Sigil for this build. You must also keep in mind that the all of the Hollow weapons need to be at 10+ to receive that additional 5 luck stat bonus.
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Thief Build Armor and Rings
There is no particular or favored item we would recommend while rocking the thief build. However, whatever armor set or armor pieces you equip, the overall equipment load should be under 70% weight ratio, so that your character is not slowed.
Contrary to the liberty while equipping armor, players must equip the best rings in order to get the most of Dark Souls 3 thief build. Here is our suggestion for the rings that goes well with the build we recommend
- Chloranthy Ring
- Prisoner’s Chain Ring
- Ring of steel Protection, Ring of Favor
Furthermore, we highly recommended that players make the most usage of the Carthus Rouge. It greatly buffs the character’s bleed effect and causes a target to bleed in about three to four consequent attacks while rocking the thief build we have suggested.

How to Acquire Equipment for Thief Build
There is no surprise that if you would want to go with the thief build we have recommended so far, you will have to grind and find the rings, and weapons. So, here is a brief rundown on how to acquire all equipment we mentioned above for the thief build.
- The twin warden blades have a rare drop chance by killing Cathedral wardens located outside the Cathedral
- The Caestus can be acquired by looting a corpse located inside the sewers of the Undead Settlement.
- The washing pole is obtained by giving the shrine Lady Easterner’s Ashes. She will later offer you the weapon to buy for 7500 souls.
- The Dark Sigil can be obtained from at least two different locations; from Yoel of Yondor after you receive an upgrade from him and another after choosing to marry Anri of Astora.
That is pretty much everything you need to know about Dark Souls 3 thief build. Have you had a chance to create a thief build before in the game? Which build in Dark Souls 3 has been your favorite? Let us know more of your thoughts in the comment section down below.
Next: Dark Souls 3 Sellsword Twinblades
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