- "Occult weapons were used to hunt the gods, and are effective against their following and kin."
- — Dark Ember
- Not to be confused with Occult (upgrade path).
Occult, also known as Unholy or Heretical, is an auxiliary effect in Dark Souls.
General information[]
Occult is an effect possessed by specific weapons, that can be attained by either upgrading a weapon down the Occult upgrade path or using one that is innately imbued.
Ascension is achieved through Andre of Astora, a Divine +5 weapon and the Dark Ember.
Effects[]
An Occult infusion adds Magic damage to any given weapon as well as the Occult auxiliary effect. It also adds Faith scaling to weapons, while reducing Strength and Dexterity scaling.
The Occult auxiliary effect deals extra damage to certain enemies and bosses - namely, to the Gods and their following.
Note that the Occult auxiliary effect, much like Divine, is NOT a separate damage type like Fire or Magic, but rather a multiplier which increases any damage done by a weapon against the aforementioned enemies. For example: A weapon with 200 damage, and a Divine multiplier of 120 will do 1.2x the amount of damage the weapon would've done against regular enemies, and will thus end up dealing 240. [130 -> 1.3x, 140 -> 1.4x, and so on]
It also has slightly higher returns on AR than Divine infusions on most weapons on characters exceeding Faith level 30-40.
Weapons[]
The following is a list of weapons that are either innately imbued or are found already ascended with the Occult auxiliary effect.
Innate:
Infused:
- Occult Club (dropped by a Mimic in Anor Londo)
Lore[]
According to the item description of the Dark Ember, Occult weapons were once used to hunt the Gods, as well as their kin and followers.
It was likely for this reason that the church - otherwise known as the Way of White - hid this forbidden ember in the Painted World of Ariamis.
Possible connection to Velka:[]
The Dark Ember, which is used for Occult infusions, is not actually found in Lordran, but the Painted World of Ariamis.
The high density of objects in the Painted World relating to Velka, Goddess of Sin strongly suggests a connection between the two, which in turn hints at a connection between the power of the Occult and her. She is known as a "rogue deity"[1] and is highly implied to be at odds with the Gods.
Velka's Rapier is one of only three weapons that innately deal Occult damage. [not counting the Club with Occult infusion found in Anor Londo]
One of the two remaining weapons - Priscilla's Dagger - is also located in the Painted World.
The description of the Effigy Shield states that: "In an ill-fated plot to destroy the very gods, the followers of the occult once attempted to steal the power of Gravelord Nito, the first of the dead." If the "occult" which is mentioned in the aforementioned description does indeed reference the very same as the power used to kill the gods, it could potentially strengthen the connection between Velka and the Occult, as she is often theorised by fans to have been at the helm of said plot.
Enemies[]
The following is a list of known enemies and bosses that are susceptible to the Occult auxiliary effect.
Enemies[]
Characters[]
Bosses[]
See also[]
Trivia[]
- Despite the description of the Dark Ember claims that the occult weapons are effective against the gods and their kin, neither Gravelord Nito, the daughters of chaos nor their followers are weak to the occult damage. Actually, the only one susceptible to the occult damage are Gwyn, his son Gwyndolin, and their followers. The original description of the Dark Ember says "effective against the clan of the gods and their followers". The only clan of gods ever described is the one guided by Gwyn[2] which neither Nito or Izalith belonged to, therefore, it's plausible to theorize that the occult weapons are effective specifically against Gwyn, his family, and their followers.
References[]
- ↑ Vow of Silence
- ↑ Bequeathed Lord Soul Shard#Seath japanese description