Dark Souls 2 Hex Build Best Stats Weapons and Spells
Dark Souls 2 stands out in the trilogy for its unique magic systems, and none are more devastating than the art of hexes. Utilizing a combination of inner darkness, intelligence, and faith, hexers can melt boss health bars and dominate PvP encounters alike. Crafting the perfect build requires a careful balance of stat investment and specialized equipment to unleash your true potential across Drangleic.
Optimal Stat Distribution and Soft Caps
Unlike standard sorceries or miracles, hexes scale off the lower value between your intelligence and faith stats. To maximize your dark damage bonus, you should aim for a baseline of 30 intelligence and 30 faith. This specific distribution hits the primary soft cap for dark scaling, providing the best return on your statistical investment.
Beyond your magical attributes, investing heavily in attunement is mandatory for survival. Reaching at least 30 to 40 attunement gives you enough spell slots and significantly increases your overall casting speed. You should also allocate remaining points into vigor and endurance to ensure you can survive sudden counterattacks during tough battles.
Best Weapons and Staffs for Hexers
The premier tool for any early to mid-game hexer is undoubtedly the Sunset Staff, which boasts incredible dark scaling when upgraded. You can obtain this powerful staff early in Huntsmans Copse by speaking to Felkin the Outcast. Infusing this weapon with a Dark Nightstone will dramatically boost its damage output for your primary offensive spells.
For close-quarters combat, the Crypt Blacksword and the Sacred Chime Hammer stand out as elite choices for strength-hybrid builds. If you prefer a faster playstyle, a dark-infused Silverblack Spear offers excellent reach and consistent elemental damage. These melee options ensure you remain deadly even when your spell casts run completely dry.
Essential Hex Spells for PvE and PvP
Dark Orb serves as the reliable bread and butter spell for any hex build due to its high cast count and solid stagger potential. It allows you to clear out standard mobs from a safe distance without depleting your primary magic reserves. You should buy multiple copies from vendors to stack your total available casts.
When facing massive bosses or hostile players, heavy hitters like Great Resonant Soul and Climax deal unparalleled burst damage. Additionally, utility spells such as Dark Weapon provide a massive temporary damage boost to your right-hand melee armaments. Mixing these versatile options allows you to adapt to any combat scenario seamlessly.
Key Gear and Exploration Strategy
To further enhance your spellcasting efficiency, equipping the Hexers Hood is highly recommended because it increases your total spell casts. You can acquire this useful armor set from Felkin after reaching the required 20 intelligence and faith thresholds. Combining it with the Lion Mage set will noticeably reduce your casting animations.
Progressing through Drangleic as a hexer requires strategic positioning and managing your rare consumable herbs to replenish spell casts. Prioritize upgrading your primary dark catalyst before investing heavy titanite into your secondary melee armaments. By maintaining proper spacing and utilizing the right elemental weaknesses, your dark mage will conquer the hardest challenges easily.