- For the Dark Souls III variant, see Dark Hand (Dark Souls III).
The Dark Hand (ダークハンド) is a gauntlet in Dark Souls. It is a versatile weapon that can also function as a shield.
In-Game Description
- The Darkwraiths, incited by Kaathe, use the power of the dark soul to absorb humanity, an art shared by this weapon, which also acts as a special shield. The ancients, particularly, could sap the humanity of even a replete saint in the blink of an eye.
Availability[]
- The Dark Hand is granted by Kaathe to the player upon joining the Darkwraith Covenant
- 1% drop from Darkwraiths in New Londo Ruins
General Information[]
As a shield, the Dark Hand has an 80% damage reduction from all damage types, is able to parry, is tied with the Small Leather Shield for lowest weight in the game, and one of the highest lightning damage reductions of all shields. This makes the Dark Hand a very well rounded Small Shield alternative. It also has the highest durability available and is hidden when not actively blocking, helping to offset its very low stability negative.
As a weapon, the Dark Hand's special right handed strong attack is the only action capable of stealing liquid humanity from NPCs and other players. How much it steals is dependent on the rank the player has progressed in the Darkwraith Covenant, as listed:
- +0 (or not in the Darkwraith covenant): 1 humanity stolen
- +1: 3 humanity stolen
- +2: 5 humanity stolen
- +3: 10 humanity stolen
Note: Humanity stolen is per attack. Multiple attacks will yield more humanity if the victim has any left.
The special attack has a very long windup time and a small hitbox, so one must choose wisely when deciding when to use it. Dark Hand users may not steal more humanity than is available on their target; for example, if a Darkwraith +3 were to use the grab on someone with 8 humanity, they'd only steal 8 and not 10. Certain NPCs carry liquid humanity on them, and can have all their humanity stolen without becoming hostile towards the player thanks to the very low damage the Dark Hand deals to NPCs when initiating the grab move.
Humanity Absorption on NPCs[]
- Depending on the player's Darkwraith covenant rank, one may need to use the Dark Hand several times to fully drain an NPC's Humanity.
- Some NPCs may end up Hollowed if their quests are finished or when all their items are purchased. Hollowed NPCs yield no Humanity when the Dark Hand is used on them.
- For the sake of completion, the list below also contains NPCs that have no drainable Humanity, but can be targeted by the drain move of the Dark Hand.
- Big Hat Logan — None
- Crestfallen Merchant — None
- Crestfallen Warrior — None
- Lady of the Darkling — None
- Darkmoon Soldier (Greatsword) — 3 Humanities
- Darkmoon Soldier (Sword) — 3 Humanites
- Domhnall of Zena — None
- Dusk of Oolacile — None
- Forest Hunters — None
- Griggs of Vinheim — 3 Humanities — Will become hollow if all his Sorceries are bought
- Ingward — 4 Humanities
- Dark Spirit Kirk, Knight of Thorns — None
- Knight Lautrec of Carim — 8 Humanities — If sitting, bare fist punch to make him stand without making him hostile
- Laurentius of the Great Swamp — 5 Humanities — Drain him at Firelink Shrine, will become hollow when allowed to seek Quelaana of Izalith, If sitting, bare fist punch to make him stand without making him hostile
- Lord's Blade Ciaran — None
- Maneater Mildred — 8 Humanities
- Nico of Thorolund — 3 Humanities — Drain as soon as met at Firelink Shrine
- Oscar, Knight of Astora — None
- Oswald of Carim — None
- Patches — 7 Humanities — If sitting, bare fist punch to make him stand without making him hostile
- Paladin Leeroy (Dark Spirit) — 3 Humanities
- Petrus of Thorolund — 2 Humanities
- Quelaana of Izalith — None
- Reah of Thorolund — 12 Humanities — Drain her in Undead Parish, after being saved from Tomb of the Giants — If sitting, bare fist punch to make her stand without making her hostile
- Sieglinde of Catarina — 10 Humanities
- Siegmeyer of Catarina — 4 Humanities
- Solaire of Astora — 5 Humanities — If sitting, bare fist punch to make him stand without making him hostile
- Vince of Thorolund — 5 Humanities — Drain as soon as met at Firelink Shrine
Moveset[]
| Attack | Description |
|---|---|
| One-handed Weak Attack |
Right hook. Further input yields additional swings, alternating between right hooks and back-hands. |
| One-handed Strong Attack |
Humanity drain. High starting lag; small hitbox. If sweet-spotted, player will drain humanity from human opponents (if there is any to drain) while dealing very minor damage. If not sweet-spotted, more damage will be inflicted instead. Unlike grabs from enemies, this attack can be blocked. |
| Two-handed Weak Attack |
Cannot be two-handed. |
| Two-handed Strong Attack |
Cannot be two-handed. |
| Jump Attack | Forward jumping punch. |
| Running Attack | Back-hand. |
| Rolling Attack | Upward diagonal back-hand. |
| Kick | Knee; functionally identical to the standard kick. |
| Left-handed Weak Attack |
Blocks. |
| Left-handed Strong Attack |
Standard parry. |
Resistance Defense[]
Along with Physical and Elemental damage reduction, weapons also have hidden stats that reduce the amount of status build-up while blocking.
| Resistance | Reduction |
|---|---|
|
85% |
|
75% |
|
75% |
|
50% |
Moveset[]
| Attack | Description |
|---|---|
| One-handed Weak Attack |
Right hook. Further input yields additional swings, alternating between right hooks and back-hands. |
| One-handed Strong Attack |
Humanity drain. High starting lag; small hitbox. If sweet-spotted, player will drain humanity from human opponents (if there is any to drain) while dealing very minor damage. If not sweet-spotted, more damage will be inflicted instead. Unlike grabs from enemies, this attack can be blocked. |
| Two-handed Weak Attack |
Cannot be two-handed. |
| Two-handed Strong Attack |
Cannot be two-handed. |
| Jump Attack | Forward jumping punch. |
| Running Attack | Back-hand. |
| Rolling Attack | Upward diagonal back-hand. |
| Kick | Knee; functionally identical to the standard kick. |
| Left-handed Weak Attack |
Blocks. |
| Left-handed Strong Attack |
Standard parry. |
Description[]
In-Game Description
- The Darkwraiths, incited by Kaathe, use the power of the dark soul to absorb humanity, an art shared by this weapon, which also acts as a special shield.
- The ancients, particularly, could sap the humanity of even a replete saint in the blink of an eye.
In-Game Description
- カアスに唆された、ダークレイスたちの業 闇のソウルにより人間性を奪う吸精の業をなし また特殊な盾ともなる
- 偉大なる古の者ともなれば、人間性溢れる聖人とて 一度にすべてを奪い取ることができるだろう
In-Game Description
- Art of the Dark Wraith instigated by Kaathe. This is the art of lifedrain that can steal Humanity from the Dark Soul. Alternatively, it can also be used as a special shield.
- With this technique, you should be able to steal everything in one fell swoop, like the great humans of ancient times did. Even with the saints full of Humanity.
Trivia[]
- The Dark Hand is the only weapon in the game with no stat requirements.
- It is likely that the Dark Hand was initially intended to be upgradable, as a +5 version exists within the game files.
- If the Ring of Fog is being worn, blocking will not show its warping animation although it will still work as normal.
Gallery[]
| Gauntlets |
|---|
| Caestus • Claw • Dark Hand • Dragon Bone Fist • Fists |