In this Demon’s Souls Gloom Knight build guide, we will be focusing on using a shield and spear to eliminate enemies while maintaining safety behind your block. This build is especially suitable for beginners or new Demon’s Souls players as it allows them to take down enemies with minimal risk.
The Gloom Knight uses a spear and shield combination to attack enemies while maintaining their block. Spears are among the few weapons in Demon’s Souls that allow blocking while attacking, making them highly beginner-friendly. This strategy enables players to deal damage with less risk than the average melee character while causing pierce damage, which is highly effective in Demon’s Souls. Furthermore, the Gloom Knight uses heavy armor with excellent resistances, enabling it to withstand and keep fighting even if the enemy manages to break through its block. Good shields are essential for this build to prevent this from happening, but we will discuss that further in the subsequent sections.
Gloom Knight Starting Class
For the Gloom Knight build, you’ll want to select either the Knight Class or Temple Knight Class. The Knight provides you with a slightly better shield and an easier weapon to use in the form of a Long Sword, while the Temple Knight class has better stat distribution. If you prefer an easier start, select the Knight class. If you want to optimize your character, choose the Temple Knight class.
Gloom Knight Early Game Tips
One crucial aspect you need to understand when playing this build is that not all shields are equal, and selecting a suitable shield can mean the difference between success and failure. You must use a shield with 100 Physical Resistance to avoid taking chip damage when blocking most regular attacks.
Guard Break is a critical stat on shields as it determines how much stamina is drained when blocking an attack. This stat is important as it ensures you do not get Guard Broken and helps preserve stamina for attacking. Note that upgrading your shield will improve Guard Break, allowing for better blocking.
All shields also have an L2 function, with smaller and medium-sized shields using L2 for parrying, while larger shields use L2 for a shield slam attack. For this build, parrying or shield slam is not required, but it’s worth noting in case you enjoy parrying at times, in which case you’ll need a compatible shield.
Stamina Management
Stamina management is a critical aspect of this build, as you’ll be blocking and attacking simultaneously. This action depletes stamina quickly, so you must be mindful of this to avoid being Guard Broken and taking damage.
To address this issue, the build focuses on rapidly increasing the Endurance stat to 40, providing you with the maximum stamina achievable. Other methods include lowering your guard when there’s enough space between you and the enemies to regain stamina more quickly or by upgrading your shield to reduce stamina consumption while blocking.
Gloom Knight Stats
The Gloom Knight build primarily requires three stats: Endurance, Strength, and Vitality. Endurance increases your stamina and maximum equip weight, allowing you to wear heavier armor and roll effectively. Strength is needed to carry a shield with high Guard Break. Vitality is crucial for increasing your HP so you can withstand hits without dying, but you won’t need much of it since you shouldn’t be hit often and will have good resistances from your armor.
The end goal for stat distribution is:
- Endurance: 40
- Vitality: 30
- Strength: 18
You won’t be a damage powerhouse with this setup, but you can still deal respectable damage and prove very hard to kill. Moving further into the game, you can increase your Strength, Dexterity, or both to enhance your damage output.
Gloom Knight Equipment
Having the right equipment for this build is essential. Early game equipment includes the Cling Ring, which increases your health in Soul Form. Another useful item is the Ring of Great Strength, which allows you to wear heavier armor more comfortably.
The Winged Spear is the weapon of choice for this build and can be acquired early in the game. You’ll be using this weapon throughout the game, so make sure to upgrade it as soon as possible.
The Steel Shield, which can be found in Stonefang Tunnel, is another essential piece of equipment for this build. As you progress through the game, keep an eye out for the Regenerator’s Ring and Gloom Armor Set, which provide excellent resistances and healing over time.
The final essential item for this build is the Dark Silver Shield, acquired by defeating Garl Vinland. This shield has excellent resistances and allows you to parry, making it one of the best all-around shields in the game.
Final Tips
Some practical tips for the Gloom Knight build include learning when to dodge instead of block and using buffs to increase your damage output. Adjust your build according to your playstyle and preferences.
Stay tuned for more Demon’s Souls build guides and check out the Demon’s Souls Wiki if you have any specific questions about the game!
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- Beginner Guide, Demon's Souls
- April 21, 2023
