Magic is still one of the most useful tools that any player can harness in Demon's Souls. The remake may have made the game better, but that truth will always remain. The release of the remake has brought in new players to the franchise. While some are able to run through the game at blinding speed, others are left searching and wondering.
One of the biggest problems when attempting to use magic for the first time is finding the right weapon. Well search no further: these ones are the best for any magic build.
Updated January 31st, 2022 by Russ Boswell: There are tons of weapons for players to chose from in Demon's Souls. Although the game hasn't received any DLC as of late, that doesn't take away from the sheer amount of gear that many players will have to navigate through each subsequent playthrough. Some players choose their weapons based on strength, design, or playstyle, but it can be particularly difficult for magic users to find a weapon that speaks to them since they're so intent on slinging spells. To better help answer "what is the best magic weapon in Demon's Souls", the following list has been updated with even more entries.
13 Phosphorescent Pole
- Good reach.
- Mana Regeneration Effect
Any mage knows that one of the most important things for magic-based builds is Mana. Without it, players can't cast their myriad of spells and abilities. Thankfully, there are ways to combat this issue in Demon's Souls, as players can go down specific paths to help build up their passive (and active) Mana regeneration.
Those that don't want to wait, or build out their character, can gain some solid Mana regen by using the Phosphorescent Pole. This polearm has great reach and regenerates MP at a very slow rate to start but can be upgraded to provide a solid buff. To get it, players will need to head into area 3-1 (Prison of Hope) and plunge the zone into Pure Black World Tendency. After that, players can challenge Lord Rydell Black Phantom to secure his Phosphorescent Pole for themselves.
12 Large Sword of Moonlight
- Ignores shields.
- Heavy magic attack.
Those seeking an epic-looking weapon that feels like it's more suited for a Warrior than a Mage should check out the Large Sword of Moonlight. This weapon ignores shields, does hefty Magic Damage, and gives a solid bonus to Faith that scales up with each subsequent upgrade.
Thanks to its hefty Faith requirement (24), only players dedicated to magic will be able to wield this mighty weapon. Those that want to get their hands on the Large Sword of Moonlight need to head to the Swamp of Sorrow and find a large nest of Phosphorescent Slugs. Striking the nest enough times will cause slugs to rain down. Once done, players can head to where the slugs have fallen and find the sword in the middle of the hostile mobs.
11 Crescent Falchion
- Low weight.
- Small Mana Regeneration effect.
- Magic damage upgrade.
Although there are a lot of weapons on this list that are named, or come packaged with unique effects, there are some "basic weapons" that magically-inclined players can make great use of, especially in the earlier parts of the game.
A great example is the Crescent Falchion, which starts out with decent stats and holds up well when players put the effort into upgrading it. The best part about this weapon is that it's light, provides magic damage, and has a small MP regeneration effect. Players can find the Crescent Falchion in world 4-1 (Island's Edge).
10 Kris Blade
- Found in the Smithing Grounds near the Armor Spider boss
- Increases Magic Attack while held
- Decreases Magic Defense while held
- Upgraded with Colorless Demon Souls
The Kris Blade is great for those who wish to use magic, and it can be found easily. What makes this weapon so good is the damage bonus it gives to all spells. It is a great weapon to have on hand to dish out some extra damage to enemies. It also does most of its damage as magic damage, which is great for intelligence users. To get this weapon players need to travel to the Smithing Grounds, unless they have defeated the Armor Spider boss. In the area right before the boss is some scaffolding, where the weapon lies.
The Kris Blade is used in many builds thanks to its bonus to Magic damage. This can be seen in builds like the Soul Samurai and Souls Mage. The bonus this weapon provides also stacks with other item effects. More items to consider for their magic increase are the Ring of Magical Sharpness and the Monk's Head Wrappings.
9 Blind
- Ignores shields when dealing damage
- Dropped by Black Phantom Selen Vinland in the Swamp of Sorrow
- Upgraded with Colorless Demon Souls
Blind doesn't offer any useful buffs for spells, but it is useful nonetheless. This weapon completely ignores shields. As a nice bonus, the weapon also weighs 0.1. The only downside is that it requires players to put points into Dexterity.
To get this weapon, players will need to travel to the Swamp of Sorrow and kill Black Phantom Selen Vinland. She resides near the first fog door of the area and wields Blind. Players need to be careful when approaching her because she can traverse the swamp with ease, while players will have slower movement and be incapable of rolling.
8 Epee Rapier
- Dropped by Mephistopheles in Upper Latria
- The only piercing weapon that is enchanted with fire damage
- Upgraded with Colorless Demon Souls
For players who like stabbing weapons, the Epee Rapier is great. This weapon scales from both Dexterity and Magic, which makes it great for magic users. It deals fire damage as well as physical damage.
This weapon can be found in Upper Latria, though it takes some time to obtain. Players will need to travel through the area and destroy the chains that are holding the heart in the large tower. This will cause the heart to fall, destroying it. Once the heart is destroyed, players can travel back to the tower and go down to the bottom. They will find the weapon behind where the heart lands.
7 Rune Sword
- Found in Upper Latria on a ledge around the large tower
- Increases Magic Defense while held
- Upgraded with Colorless Demon Souls
The Rune Sword doesn't scale off Magic, but rather Strength. Still, that doesn't mean it isn't useful. It deals magic damage, and has the bonus of increasing Magic Defense. It can be a little difficult to obtain, because it rests on a hard-to-reach platform.
Players who want this weapon should make their way to Upper Latria and go to the tower with the heart. At the top of the staircase, players will notice a ledge to the left. When looking down, they will notice another platform with an item on it. That is the Rune Sword. Creep along the ledge and fall. It may take a few attempts, because the landing area is rather thin.
6 Spiral Rapier
- Dropped by Gargoyles in Upper Latria
- Upgrading weapon with Darkmoonstone increases Magic scaling to an A
- Upgraded with Sharpstone and Hardstone
- Deals bleed damage
The Spiral Rapier is great because of the bleed damage it deals. What makes it even better is the fact that it can be infused as well. Magic-users will want to infuse the weapon into the Crescent Spiral Rapier. This will allow it to scale off of Magic with an A ranking.
This is another weapon that players can find in Upper Latria, though it is easier to obtain as long as players have good item discovery. This weapon can be farmed from the Gargoyles.
5 Gargoyle Crossbow
- Dropped by Gargoyles in Upper Latria
- Has B Magic Scaling
- Not able to be upgraded
Players who prefer to keep their attacks at a distance will appreciate the Gargoyle Crossbow. This weapon scales off of Magic and primarily deals Magic damage.
Yet again, players will need to travel to Upper Latria to retrieve this weapon as it drops from the Gargoyles in the area. There are only a few Gargoyles that will drop the crossbow. Players can find them on the walkway to the first chain tower, the walkway to the second chain tower, and the walkway leading to the lower part of the heart tower.
4 Insanity Catalyst
- Created at Blacksmith Ed with the Golden Demon Soul and either the Silver or Wooden Catalyst
- Reduces max MP by 50%
- Strongest Catalyst in the game
The Insanity Catalyst is the best catalyst in the game when it comes to damage, but it comes at a great cost. This catalyst will cut a player's MP bar in half, so it is best to raise the bar if magic is a key part of the build. The Insanity Catalyst scales entirely from Magic with an A ranking. This catalyst is obtained by upgrading either the Wooden Catalyst or Silver Catalyst with the Golden Demon Soul, obtained from killing the Old Monk boss.
The Insanity Catalyst is primarily used for the Soul Mage build. This build primarily uses spells to wipe out the various enemies in the game. Stacking the Insanity Catalyst with the Kris Blade, Monk's Head Wrap, and Ring of Magical Sharpness will increase the build's damage by a large amount.
3 Uchigatana
- Located in Island's Edge behind the Vanguard Demon
- Dropped by Black Skeletons
- Only Katana that does not damage player
- Upgraded with Hardstone and Sharpstone
The Uchigatana is a great weapon overall. It does bleed damage by default and attacks rather fast. The best path to take this weapon when doing a magic build is to make it a Moon Uchigatana. This will give the weapon Magic scaling of a C rank.
Players can obtain the Uchigatana in two ways. It can be dropped by the Black Skeletons in Island's Edge, or found sitting on the ground behind the Vanguard Demon in the same area. Players can avoid fighting the Vanguard Demon by taking the underground pathway filled with illusory walls.
Those interested in the Uchigatana might want to look at the Soul Samurai build. It utilizes the Crescent upgrade for the Uchigatana so that it can scale off the Magic stat. This build focuses on creating a powerful character that can handle themselves in both PVE and PVP, by harnessing a powerful blade and spells.
2 Soulbrandt
- Retrieved from King Allant at the end of the game
- Increased damage with Black World Tendency
- Decreased damage with White World Tendency
- Cannot be upgraded
Soulbrandt is an interesting weapon because its power doesn't rely on any scaling. Instead, its power depends upon the player's Character Tendency. At pure black Character Tendency, Soulbrandt has increased attack power, but with white Character Tendency, it has no attack power. The weapon does require points in the Magic stat to wield.
Players can grab this weapon at the end of the game after defeating the King Allant boss fight. Once they beat King Allant, players will need to travel back to the Nexus and fall down the hole that appears. This will take them to a new area where they will enter the Old One, inside of which is the true version of King Allant. Defeating him will grant players the sword.
1 Geri's Stiletto
- Rewarded after rescuing Sage Freke in the Prison of Hope
- Steals 20MP per hit
- Upgraded with Colorless Demon Souls
Geri's Stiletto is perhaps the best weapon a magic-user can wield. While it doesn't have the best stats in the game, it has a bonus that trumps all the others, the ability to steal MP. Every hit that players deal to an enemy with this weapon will grant them 20MP. That bonus is extremely valuable to any magic user, and makes Spices almost obsolete.
This weapon can be found in the Prison of Hope, and requires players to rescue Sage Freke from his jail cell.