Key Takeaway
Use a bow to hit the tail of the Hellkite Wyvern (also known as the Hellkite Dragon or Hellkite Drake) in Undead Burg 20 to 30 times until it falls off (tail cut). You’ll receive the Drake Sword immediately afterward.
The Drake Sword is an awesome early-game weapon in Dark Souls. It is light and it deals a whole lot of damage. Better yet, you can receive this weapon fairly early! It’s a newcomer’s best friend in this harrowing world.
Table Of Contents
A Step-By-Step Guide for Getting the Drake Sword in Dark Souls
Advance through Undead Burg until you’ve defeated the Taurus Demon. Past that boss area, you’ll eventually arrive on a bridge that’s covered with undead enemies. If you make it halfway across this bridge, a Hellkite Wyvern will fly over it and spew fire on you from above.
Safely Crossing the Undead Burg Bridge
If you’re fast enough, you can make it halfway across the bridge and to the staircase on the right that leads to a bonfire shortcut without being burned by the dragon. You can also survive this if your armor has high enough fire resistance. Either way, make it to the staircase to head under the bridge.
Tip
Preparing for Tail-Cutting
Head down to the bonfire and rest up. Next, prepare a bow and some arrows. If you don’t have a bow yet, you can purchase them from the Undead Merchant in Undead Burg.
To get to the merchant, exit the bonfire room, take the stairs on the right, then head to the area on the left. There’s a hidden staircase here that leads down. It is covered by boxes. Once you find it, descend, then head to the door at the bottom of the staircase. You’ll find the merchant here.
Purchase a Short Bow and at least 30 to 40 arrows (either Standard Arrows or Wooden Arrows will do). These are all pretty cheap; the Short Bow costs 1,000 Souls, Standard Arrows cost 10 Souls each, and Wooden Arrows cost 3 Souls each. Once done, return to the bonfire.
Destroying the Drake’s Tail
Head up the ladder, then proceed to the door on the left instead of going up to the bridge. Proceed to the right, then look over to the side where the dragon is resting. You’ll be able to spot its tail from here.
Your goal now is to shoot the dragon’s tail with your bow. After about 20 to 30 shots, you’ll destroy the tail and receive the Drake Sword to use in your Dark Souls journey.
Everything You Need to Know About the Drake Sword in Dark Souls
The Drake Sword is an efficient weapon. It falls under the Straight Sword type, which means it has a relatively fast attack speed. When held with one hand, its light attacks are horizontal swipes. Its strong attacks are similar.
When wielded with both hands, its light attacks are vertical swipes. Its strong attack, however, is unique: it slams the sword on the ground—which triggers a shockwave that moves forward. Holding the attack button will make it stronger.
Like most weapons, equip it with a shield and use the light attacks against smaller mobs. You can then hold it with two hands whenever you fight bosses.
Upgrading the Drake Sword
The Drake Sword has a base physical damage of 200, which is a significant damage stat considering how early in the game you can acquire it. This makes the weapon incredibly helpful in the early game. However, as the game progresses, it will eventually become obsolete.
You can upgrade the Drake Sword five times, which increases its physical damage to 300. You’ll need Dragon Scales and Souls to upgrade it. You’ll need one Dragon Scale to get it to +1 and +2, two Dragon Scales for +3 and +4, and four Dragon Scales to get it up to +5. On top of that, you’ll also need to pay 10,000 Souls per upgrade.
The total resources needed to fully upgrade the Drake Sword are 50,000 Souls and 10 Dragon Scales. Even with your current damage output, it’s difficult to farm Dragon Scales. If you wish, you can farm them from the Blue Drakes in the Valley of Drakes. You’ll also get Dragon Scales by slaying the following foes:
- Undead Dragon in the Valley of Drakes
- Undead Dragon in the Painted World of Ariamis
- Hydra in Darkroot Basin
- Black Hydra in Ash Lake
Why You Shouldn’t Use the Drake Sword for Your Whole Playthrough
There are lots of Dragon Scales in the game, but it is a laborious endeavor to farm them just to get the Drake Sword up to 300 physical damage (only 100 more than its starting damage). What’s more, this blade is extremely costly Souls-wise. Those 50,000 Souls are better spent on leveling up.
On top of that, the Drake Sword does not have Parameter Bonuses. This means it won’t gain extra damage when you level up Strength or Dexterity.
As you progress through the game, you’ll encounter other, better weapons that have stat scaling. These weapons will greatly overpower the Drake Sword quickly.
That being said, it is best to use this weapon in the early stages of the game. Then, you can think about using and leveling up another weapon around the time when you get to Sen’s Fortress.
The quality of Dark Souls’ Drake Sword is undeniable. It is a FromSoftware fan-favorite for a good reason. However, it is not capable of helping see you through your entire adventure. That being said, make use of it while you can. Wield it to defeat early-game enemies before you move on to the more powerful weapons you’ll find later on.
