- For other uses, see Bleed (disambiguation).
Bleed is a negative status effect, auxiliary effect and damage type in Dark Souls.
General Information
Bleed builds up after successive attacks from specific weapons in a similar way to Poison, but it deals instant damage instead of damage per second. As the victim is hit, the Bleed Resist meter fills. The rate at which this fills is dependent on the Bleed Resist value of the victim and the Bleed auxiliary effect modifier, which corresponds to buildup, of the offenders weapon. Once the Bleed Resist meter is full, "Blood Loss" occurs.
Effect
Blood Loss deals damage based on a percentage of the victim's total health, which is typically 30%, but 50% when weapons associated with Priscilla are used. This is also applied to enemies in the same amount, but with bosses the amount inflicted is smaller, but still substantial.
Notes
- Bleed damage can be avoided by rolling the moment when the Bleed meter fills.
- Bleed damage can also be inflicted to some Bosses in the game, examples are the Demon Firesage and Taurus Demon.
Defense
Curing
Bleed buildup slowly decreases with time, and can also be cured with the items Bloodred Moss Clump and Divine Blessing, or through the use of the Remedy sorcery. Resting at a bonfire also cures buildup.
Stats
Investing in the Endurance stats while leveling up increases the player's intrinsic Bleed Resist.
Equipment
Armor
Of the starting armor sets the Thief Set offers the best Bleed Resist.
As with defense against other negative status effects, Light armor sets generally offer the best Bleed resistance. The Chester's Set offers excellent protection against Bleed. The Dingy Set, Gold-Hemmed Black Set and Shadow Set are also good alternatives.
Amongst the medium armor sets the Catarina Set, Channeler's Set, Ornstein's Set and Paladin Set are good choices for Bleed resistance.
Despite offering little defense against other status effects, heavy armor sets can offer high Bleed resistance. The best amongst them are Smough's Set and the upgraded Black Iron Set.
Individual armor pieces that have the highest Bleed Resist when fully upgraded are the Gargoyle Helm, Sage Robe, Smough's Gauntlets, and either Blood-Stained Skirt or Maiden Skirt, totalling 163.7 Bleed Resist.
Rings
The Bloodbite Ring increases resistance by 400% of the character's intrinsic Bleed Resist and is not affected by armor; however, it does stack with weapons and shields that affect Bleed Resist.
Shields
The Bloodshield offers excellent Bleed resistance and is the only shield to offer defense against this negative status effect.
Weapons
The Gargoyle's Halberd and Gargoyle Tail Axe offer some resistance to Bleed and are the only weapons to do so.
Weapons
The following is a list of weapons that have the Bleed auxiliary effect.
| Weapon | Buildup | Damage Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Bandit's Knife | 30 | 30% |
| Barbed Straight Sword | 33 | 30% |
| Chaos Blade | 36 | 30% |
| Claw | 36 | 30% |
| Flamberge | 36 | 30% |
| Gold Tracer | 30 | 30% |
| Great Scythe | 36 | 30% |
| Iaito | 33 | 30% |
| Jagged Ghost Blade | 30 | 30% |
| Lifehunt Scythe Victim |
50 | 50% |
| Lifehunt Scythe Wielder |
40 | 50% |
| Morning Star | 33 | 30% |
| Notched Whip | 33 | 30% |
| Painting Guardian Sword | 30 | 30% |
| Priscilla's Dagger | 20 | 50% |
| Reinforced Club | 30 | 30% |
| Spiked Shield | 33 | 30% |
| Uchigatana | 33 | 30% |
| Washing Pole | 30 | 30% |
Enemies
The following is a list of characters, enemies and bosses that can inflict Bleed.
| Infliction Source | Buildup | Damage Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Characters | ||
| Crystal General | ??? | 50% |
| Forest Hunter Thief | ??? | ??? |
| Kirk, Knight of Thorns | ??? | ??? |
| Lord's Blade Ciaran | ??? | ??? |
| Marvelous Chester | ??? | ??? |
| Shiva's Bodyguard | ??? | ??? |
| Undead Male Merchant | 42 | 42% |
| Xanthous King, Jeremiah | ??? | ??? |
| Enemies | ||
| Abyss Attack Dog | ??? | ??? |
| Attack Dog | 30 | 17% |
| Giant Skeleton Swordsman | 33 | 22% |
| Hollow Thief | 39 | 32% |
| Painting Guardian | 30 | ??? |
| Serpent Mage | 45 | 68% |
| Skeleton Swordsman | 30 | 17% |
| Wooden Scarecrow - Scissor Wielding | ??? | ??? |
| Bosses | ||
| Crossbreed Priscilla | 80 | 100% |