Best Faith Build in Dark Souls 3
Home → Dark Souls → Best Faith Build in Dark Souls 3
Dark Souls
Best Faith Build in Dark Souls 3
Faith Build Tips
Faith builds in Dark Souls 3 reward a hybrid playstyle — you are primarily a melee fighter with a pre-buffed lightning weapon, using miracles as a secondary toolkit rather than a primary offense. Sunlight Spear hits hard enough to chunk bosses from range but the real damage engine is Lightning Blade on a fast weapon like the Lothric Knight Sword. At 60 Faith the damage numbers are excellent, the utility miracles like Tears of Denial provide unmatched safety, and the aesthetic of a lightning-blessed warrior is one of the game’s most satisfying playstyle identities. If you want to focus more on casting than melee, consider splitting into a pyromancer hybrid with 40/40 Faith and Intelligence for access to both miracle and pyromancy schools simultaneously.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
Best Faith Build Setup
The best Faith build targets 60 Faith as your primary stat with a Sunlight Straight Sword or Lightning Lothric Knight Sword as your main weapon and the Sunlight Talisman for casting. Core spells: Lightning Arrow for ranged damage and Sunlight Spear for maximum burst. Pre-buff with Tears of Denial and Lightning Blade before every boss.
1
Choose your starting class. Herald is the best starting class for a Faith build — it starts with 13 Faith, a Talisman, and solid base stats that align well with the final stat spread. Cleric starts with higher Faith (15) but lower Vigor and weaker early weapon options. Both work — Herald is more rounded and reaches endgame stats more efficiently.
2
Target stats at level 120: Vigor 40, Endurance 20, Strength 16 (to wield lightning weapons and meet most weapon requirements), Dexterity 16, Faith 60. Keep Attunement at 24–30 for multiple spell slots. Faith is your primary damage stat — every point beyond 40 continues to improve miracle damage substantially up to the 60 softcap.
3
Get the Sunlight Talisman for casting. The Sunlight Talisman is found on a corpse on the bridge near the Dancer of the Boreal Valley fog gate in Lothric Castle. At 60 Faith it achieves the highest Spell Buff of any talisman in the game — significantly outperforming the Canvas Talisman. Its Weapon Art is Unfaltering Prayer, letting you cast through hits without interruption.
4
Choose your melee weapon. Two top options: the Lightning Lothric Knight Sword (dropped by Lothric Knights, infuse with Lightning — fast, excellent damage at 60 Faith) or the Sunlight Straight Sword (transposed from Soul of the Rotted Greatwood — has built-in faith scaling and a unique WA). Both are S-tier at 60 Faith. Get whichever you find first and upgrade to +10.
5
Acquire your core miracles. Sunlight Spear (transpose Soul of the Lords from the final boss — highest damage miracle) for boss burst, Lightning Arrow (purchased from Irina of Carim after giving her the Braille Divine Tome of Lothric) for mid-range damage, Tears of Denial (purchased from Irina — survive one fatal hit at 1HP) as a safety net, and Lightning Blade (purchased from Irina) to buff your melee weapon with lightning damage.
→
Pre-buff routine before every boss: cast Tears of Denial first (survivability insurance), then Lightning Blade on your weapon (adds lightning AR for the entire fight), then enter the fog gate. This two-spell pre-buff takes 10 seconds and provides a dramatic damage and survivability increase for every boss encounter throughout the game.
→
Sacred Oath for group or long fights: Sacred Oath (purchased from Sirris after completing her questline) adds +10% attack and defense to you and any phantoms nearby for 60 seconds. In long boss fights stack it with Lightning Blade for combined physical and lightning damage boosts — both buffs apply simultaneously to your weapon.
→
Talisman choice matters at 60 Faith: the Sunlight Talisman has the highest Spell Buff at 60 Faith and its Unfaltering Prayer Weapon Art lets you cast through enemy hits without interruption — essential for Sunlight Spear in PvP and close-range casting in PvE. Use the Canvas Talisman only if you cannot find the Sunlight Talisman yet.
→
Lightning infusion for melee weapons: apply Lightning infusion to your main weapon using a Lightning Gem (found in the Archduke’s Ashes). At 60 Faith a Lightning-infused weapon gains an S scaling in Faith, adding enormous lightning AR on top of its physical damage. This makes melee combat devastating against anything not resistant to lightning.
→
Irina of Carim for miracle purchasing: find Irina in her cell in the Undead Settlement (requires the Mortician’s Ashes) and bring her to Firelink Shrine — she becomes a miracle vendor. Give her the Braille Divine Tome of Carim and Braille Divine Tome of Lothric to unlock her full miracle inventory including Lightning Arrow, Tears of Denial, and Force.
What is the best starting class for Faith in Dark Souls 3?
Herald is the best starting class for a Faith build — it starts with 13 Faith, a Talisman for casting, and balanced base stats. Cleric starts with higher Faith but lower Vigor and weaker weapon options. Both reach the same endgame stat distribution, but Herald is more efficient for a hybrid melee-Faith build at level 120.
What is the Faith softcap in Dark Souls 3?
Faith has a softcap at 40 for weapon scaling and a higher softcap at 60 for miracle damage — Spell Buff on talismans continues to increase meaningfully up to 60 Faith. Most Faith builds target 60 Faith as the optimal investment for maximum miracle damage output, with diminishing returns beyond that point.
What is the best talisman for Faith in Dark Souls 3?
The Sunlight Talisman has the highest Spell Buff at 60 Faith and is generally the best talisman for pure Faith builds. Its Weapon Art — Unfaltering Prayer — lets you cast miracles through enemy hits without staggering, which is essential for landing Sunlight Spear in both PvE boss fights and PvP encounters.
What are the best miracles for a Faith build in Dark Souls 3?
Core miracles are: Sunlight Spear (highest damage miracle, transposed from final boss soul), Lightning Arrow (mid-range tracking lightning), Lightning Blade (weapon buff — adds lightning AR to your melee weapon), Tears of Denial (survive one hit at 1HP), and Sacred Oath (attack and defense buff). This combination covers damage, survivability, and weapon enhancement.