I have played Dark Souls 3 for 180+ hours; with significant progression in the thief build. You can trust my recommendation for the Dark Souls 3 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 a lot of the luck stat from the get-go, my entire focus will be to curate the best possible thief build revolving around the higher luck stat and bleed damage.
Key Takeaways
For an effective Bleed build in Dark Souls 3:
- Choose the Thief class for high starting Luck.
- Use Twin Warden Blades +10 with Hollow infusion as the main weapon, Washing Pole as a secondary, and a Hollow Caestus.
- Dark Sigil grants extra Luck if Hollowing is 15+, so use Hollow infusion.
- Recommended rings: Chloranthy, Prisoner’s Chain, Ring of Steel Protection, and Ring of Favor.
- Buff your weapons with Carthus Rouge for enhanced Bleed.
- Keep equipment load under 70%.
- Obtain weapons from specific sources and consider soul farming for upgrades.
Related Build Guide: Dark Souls 3 Dex Weapons
I have also made a guide for the best build for the pyromancer, just in case you are not into creating a thief build.
Weapons
For the sake of this build, players should prioritize using the Twin Warden blades. To get the peak performance in terms of damage dealing on a target, the weapon should be upgraded to a plus 10 level, and its infusion needs to be hollow.
For the right-hand weapon 2, I recommend using the Washing Pole since it has a long reach and works very well with bleed or poison builds. For the left-hand weapon 1, use the Caestus with the Hollow infusion. 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 is Hollowing Infusion Recommended?
We need an additional 5 luck to make the total stats by 10 to maximize the build’s performance. This is only possible by using the Dark Sigil.
Trending: Elden Ring Builds
Thief Build Armor & Rings
I would recommend no particular or favored item while rocking the thief build. Whatever armor set you equip, the overall equipment load should be under 70% weight ratio, so your character is not slowed.
Contrary to the liberty while equipping armor, players must equip the best rings to get the most of thief build.
Here is my suggestion for the rings that go well with the build:
- Chloranthy Ring
- Prisoner’s Chain Ring
- Ring of steel Protection, Ring of Favor
Furthermore, I highly recommend that players use the Carthus Rouge most. 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
Here’s a concise rundown of how to acquire the equipment mentioned for the thief build in Dark Souls 3:
- Twin Warden Blades:
- These blades have a rare drop chance from Cathedral Wardens outside the Cathedral.
- Caestus:
- You can acquire the Caestus by looting a corpse inside the sewers of the Undead Settlement.
- Washing Pole:
- Obtain the Washing Pole by giving the Shrine Lady Easterner’s Ashes. She will offer you the weapon to buy for 7500 souls.
- Dark Sigil:
- The Dark Sigil can be obtained from at least two different locations. One is from Yoel of Londor after you receive an upgrade from him, and the other is after you choose to marry Anri of Astora.
My Experience With Thief Build
I love farming and upgrading my gear whenever I get a chance, and this thief build is ideal for that aspect of the game. Your choice for stats and gear might differ, but if your gameplay also inclines with upgrading gear as you progress, these recommendations are the perfect choice.
Next: Dark Souls 3 Sellsword Twinblades
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An enthusiastic writer who loves art and gaming, you can find Maaz casually spending his day either behind the keyboard or the canvas. Maaz holds a major in Electronics and has over 5 years of experience working as a freelance blog and content writer. He loves to talk about all things gaming and help other gamers through his guides. He’s an expert when it comes to Diablo 4, Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3.
Maaz mostly plays games on PC, you can check out his library on Steam attached below:
