Commanding high Stamina and Strength values, they’re a min/maxing tank that can utterly devastate even the most seasoned players. Because of that, some of you will want to run out and craft this build as quickly as possible. On the other hand, some of you will want to know the strategies that’ll beat him in an instant.
This guide to Dark Souls: Remastered will show you how to do two things:
Construct this build, including what weapons and armor you’ll need Show you the best tactics for beating Giant Dad in PvP
Phantoms wait for no one, so let’s get started.
Assigning Your Stats
This build starts at Soul-level 99. You can go higher to take advantage of higher-level PvP locations and arenas. However, if you want to stay “true” to the base Giant Dad build, you’ll want to put stats into other categories than those shown below. If you don’t care about that, then you can obviously allocate more points as you see fit.
This is what your primary stat line should look like when you reach Soul-level 99:
Vitality (48) Endurance (66) Attunement (12) Strength (16) Dexterity (10)
Equipment You’ll Need
Mask of the Father: This helm provides players with a +5% equipment load modifier. Get it from Pinwheels in the Catacombs or from Patches in Firelink.
Giant Armor Set (minus helm): You can buy this set from the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo’s Cathedral. You’ll need to keep the Giant Armor (the cuirass), the Giant Gauntlets, and the Giant Leggings. You can ditch the helm. This set provides good elemental and physical defense while being one of the lighter heavy armor sets in the game.
Ring of Favor and Protection and Havel’s Ring: The Ring of Favor gives a 20% buff to Vitality, Stamina, and Equip load. You can find it after defeating Knight Lautrec of Carim as a drop. You can also visit Snuggly the Crow and drop the Xanthous Crown. Havel’s Ring increases your Equip load and can be found after defeating Havel the Rock as a drop.
Giant Shield: One of the best shields in the game if you can wield it, you can get the Giant Shield either from the Giant Blacksmith or from the Sentinels roaming Anor Londo. You can also opt for the Grass Crest Shield (dropped by Black Knights) because it provides Stamina regen.
Chaos Zweihander: This might be one of the most efficient two-handed weapons in Dark Souls: Remastered. You only need 16 STR to wield it, easing both equip load and stat allocation. The Chaos upgrade path is important here because it scales the Zweihander’s damage with Humanity.
You can also opt to use the Dark Hand with this build. Use it as a shield and it will deflect 80% of all damage types. On top of that, you can use the Dark Hand to steal humanity from other players. This works well with the Chaos Zweihander, helping you make the latter weapon even more powerful.
Lastly, get the Pyromancy called Dark Flame. After you get it from the Chasm of the Abyss, you’ll find it’s particularly powerful at close range. In fact, it mauls stamina when enemies block your attacks, wearing them down relatively quickly depending on how you use it.
Best Offensive Strategies
If you’re using this build, there are a few key things you’re going to want to keep in mind as you wreck enemies into oblivion.
The key is using stunlock. The Zweihander is so powerful in its Chaos form that a single hit can stun enemy phantoms in place, setting them up for a devastating follow-up attack.
And although the Giant Dad’s attacks have long(er) animations, having increased END levels, as well as equipping Havel’s Ring and the Ring of Favor and Protection, means you can dodge and roll quite a bit. Use this to your advantage. Confuse other phantoms and players by looking for backstab opportunities, which can be especially useful since most players will expect Giant Dads to attack head on.
If you do take enemies head on, use the Black Flame to deplete most of their Stamina, then go for the stunlock. Once that connects, quickly follow up with another Zweihander swing to finish them off.
How to Counter Giant Dad
If you’re facing off against a Giant Dad, you’ll want to employ these strategies if you want to survive.
Essentially, focus on parrying, rolling, and backstabbing. You most likely won’t be able to face this build blow for blow, so your best bet is to be patient and defensive. Reading the section above, you’ll see that you have to not only be wary of stunlock, but also Black Flame and/or Dark Hand.
Tranquil Walk of Peace is a fantastic spell to use against this build. However, you have to be quick to catch the Giant Dad as they roll away from the AoE. If played correctly, you can get a nasty backstab in.
Alternatively, you can spam certain spells such as Crystal Soul Spear or Great Heavy Soul Arrow. However, unless you have a high DEX rating and can cast spells very quickly, this is an unsafe strategy at best.
It’s true: some players will wretch at the thought of seriously playing a Giant Dad. Griefers have made the build one that many players avoid. However, if you must venture into PvP using this specific class, don’t be an arsehole. Nobody likes griefers.
Be one of the good guys and bring Giant Dad back to prominence.
Got any other strategies for using or defending this build? Let us know in the comments below, and make sure to check out our other Dark Souls: Remastered guides while you’re here.
