Curved Swords are the cousin to Straight Swords, both in form and function. These bent blades offer fast attacks, high damage per second, and some incredibly cool weapon skills. Dark Souls 3, like its predecessors, offers a wide variety of this weapon type. Sword wielders who favor unorthodox, yet efficient combos and standard attacks at close range know to seek a scimitar or falchion when agility is needed alongside power.
The very best of this weapon class offers skills or other specialized effects that make them versatile and deadly in equal amounts. Though all involve an aggressive playstyle meant for only the boldest warriors.
10 Dancer's Enchanted Swords
Very rare among Dark Souls 3 weapons, Dancer's Enchanted Swords deal three-way split damage: physical (slashing), fire, and magic. At the maximum +5 (cannot be infused), these unique paired weapons deal 144 physical damage as well as 114 fire and magic damage respectively. This is a combo of elements that no defense can withstand.
This is especially true if the wielder unleashes the devastating weapon skill called Dancer's Grace, which causes the user to spin about like a bladed tornado, similar to what Dancer of the Boreal Valley does in her boss fight. Appropriate, since these weapons are transposed from her soul.
9 Demon's Scar
As a blade comprised entirely of flame, the Demon's Scar feels like the embodied power of the Old Chaos. Both melee weapon and pyromancy catalyst, it offers a very versatile playstyle that excels in keeping foes on their toes. At close range, players can use light attacks to slash forth horizontally with the moveset of a scimitar.
And at long-range, they can use their heavy attack to cast any pyromancy they so desire to punish foes at any distance. Demon's Scar deals pure fire damage at 180 after being upgraded to +5. The moderate scaling with both Intelligence and Faith lends it more to a caster build than a melee one, though offers great destructive power to anyone who has claimed the Soul of the Demon Prince.
8 Crescent Moon Sword
This unusual-looking Curved Sword seems very much like how a blade symbolizing the crescent moon should. Also appropriately, it comes with magical power such as with other moon-related weapons. It deals split physical and magic damage at 142 each when upgraded fully to +5.
Although the scaling in both Dexterity and Intelligence are middling, its skill, Crescent Blade, launches magical projectiles that appear to be smaller versions of what the Moonlight Greatsword is capable of. This adds some ranged attacks that can catch a foe off guard.
7 Scimitar
Despite being an early-game weapon, the classic Scimitar that can be bought from the Shrine Handmaiden offers a great moveset full of fast attacks and wicked combos, as well as evasive maneuvers. Like many Curved Swords, it has the Spin Slash skill, which can rip apart exposed foes.
At +10 with a Sharp infusion, it has 166 physical damage along with a monstrous S-tier in Dexterity scaling that makes each strike in the flurry of blows they can unleash into devastating slashes.
6 Falchion
The Falchion is the archetype for all of the heavier Curved Swords, boasting a diverse moveset of slashes for almost all occasions. As opposed to its lighter variant, the Scimitar, and similar light Curved Swords, the light attack combined with a forward input of this weapon sub-type is just the standard kick instead of a cartwheel.
The slashes are also a bit slower, though when combined with a well-timed kick on guarding foes, it delivers great results. If given a Sharp infusion and upgraded to +10, the Falchion will deal 216 physical damage with a great A-tier scaling for Dexterity.
5 Carthus Curved Sword
As one of the longest blades out of the heavy Curved Swords, the Carthus Curved Sword acts much like the Falchion, though with greater reach and coming with a built-in bleed effect. When this auxiliary effect is paired with the Spin Slash weapon skill, this bloody blade can simultaneously deal high physical damage as well as push the adversary's bleed bar to the max.
It can also work as either a Strength or Dexterity weapon as it has equal potential for damage and scaling down both the Heavy and Sharp infusion upgrade paths. At +10, it will deal 212 physical damage and scale with one's Strength (Heavy) or Dexterity (Sharp) at a B-tier for some nice boosts.
4 Pontiff Knight Curved Sword
At odds with what one would assume when looking that the size of this blade, it is not one of the heavy Curved Swords, instead, it fits alongside the lighter scimitars because of their cartwheel maneuver instead of a standard shield-kick. The Pontiff Knight Curved Sword is the longest weapon in the light Curved Sword sub-type and can apply great pressure in melee combat if one manages their Stamina properly.
It cannot be infused, however, when upgraded to +5 it deals 214 physical damage that gets buffed by moderate Strength and Dexterity scaling. This makes it a great choice for a quality build.
3 Follower Sabre
The Follower Sabre is a weapon found in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC not too far from the Ariandal Chapel. It offers the moveset of a heavy Curved Sword and has decent reach when compared to most other swords. The trait that stands out the most about this otherwise common-looking blade is its weapon skill, Prying Wedge, which launches an upward slash that breaks a foe's guard and can be followed up with a strong attack for a deadly one-two combo.
It is equally capable at +10 for either Heavy infusion, resulting in 199 physical attack, or with Sharp infusion for the same. Either way, it gets A-tier scaling with Strength or Dexterity respectively.
2 Storm Curved Sword
Transposed from the Soul of the Nameless King, this end-game weapon is appropriately powerful. It has the heavy Curved Sword moveset of the Falchion, which makes it ideal for aggressive tactics against shield-hugging foes. Out of all weapons in this sub-type, the Storm Curved Sword has the longest reach, which pairs well with its weapon skill.
With the power of a Stormdrake, its variant of the Spin Slash skill, called Tornado, does a similar twirling attack. However, Tornado does much more poise damage and can knock down or stun most enemies it connects with, making it excellent against human foes in PVP. At +5, this blade of metal feathers gets 200 physical attack and B-tier Dexterity scaling.
1 Sellsword Twinblades
These paired weapons are the equivalent of wielding two Scimitars simultaneously and have the DPS to warrant the lack of defensive tactics. Able to string together insane combos with minimal damage, the Sellsword Twinblades can decimate an enemy's health bar in mere seconds.
Spin Slash arguably works better on these blades than on any other due to the wielder being able to integrate it into combos seamlessly. With a Sharp infusion, it has 183 physical attack and an A-tier in scaling. With both speed and power on its side, the Sellsword Twinblades are the deadliest out of all the Curved Swords.