Giant Dad is probably the most powerful PvP build in (as Dark Souls Remastered it was in the previous version).
It has very high strength and endurance values, making the wearer a real tank that can devastate even the most experienced players. For this reason, some of you will want to understand how to create this build as quickly as possible. On the other hand, many of you will also want to know the strategies to beat the wearer.
This guide will show Dark Souls Remastered you how to do both:
- Build this build, including the weapons and armor you'll need
- Show the best tactics to beat a Giant Dad in PvP
Giant Dad Build Guide
Assign your stats
This build can be used from level 99. You can of course level up a lot more to deal with the higher level PvP arenas, however, if you want to stay "loyal" to Giant Dad's basic build, the advice is to include the stats in the categories shown below. If you're not interested, you can of course award points as you see fit.
This is how your stats should look when you reach level 99:
Vitality (48)
Stamina (66)
Will (12)
Strength (16)
Dexterity (10)
Equipment you will need
- Father Mask: This helmet provides players with a +5% equipment load modifier. You can take the Father Mask from Pinwheel in the Catacombs or from Patches the Hyena.
- Giant armor set (except the helmet): you can buy this set from the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo Cathedral. You'll need to get the Giant Armor, Giant Gauntlets and Giant Leggings. You can abandon the helmet. This set provides good elemental and physical defense while being one of the lightest heavy armor sets in the game.
- Ring of Protection and Havel Ring: The Ring of Protection offers a 20% bonus to Vitality, Stamina and Maximum Equipment Load. You can find it after defeating Carim's Knight Lautrec who will drug him. You can also visit Snuggly the Raven and exchange it for Xanthous' crown. Havel's Ring, on the other hand, increases Equip's load and can be found after defeating Havel the Rock that will drug him.
- Giant Shield: One of the best shields in the game if you can handle it, you can get the Giant Shield from both the Giant Blacksmith and the Sentinels that go around Anor Londo. You can also opt for the Grass Crest Shield (drugged by the Black Knights) because it provides stamina regeneration.
- Chaos Zweihander: This is probably one of the most efficient two-handed weapons in Dark Souls: Remastered. You only need 16 FORs to wield it, making it easier to load equipment and assign stats.
You can also choose to use the Dark Hand with this build. Use it as a shield and deflects 80% of all damage. 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 to make the latter weapon even more powerful.
Finally, take the Pyromancy called Dark Flame. After taking it from Chasm of the Abyss (a location in the DLC, but included in the basic game of the Remastered version), you'll find that it's particularly powerful at close range. In fact, it resists when enemies block your attacks, bringing them down fast.
Best offensive strategies
If you are using this build, there are some guidelines you should keep in mind while fighting. The key is to use a stunlock. The Zweihander is in fact so powerful in its Chaos form that a single blow can stun enemies, exposing them to a devastating subsequent attack.
Although the Giant Dad attacks have long animations, increasing the Stamina level, in addition to equipping the Havel Ring and the Protection Ring, you can dodge and roll a bit. Use this to your advantage. Confuse other ghosts and players by looking for backstab opportunities, which can be especially useful as most players expect Giant Dad to attack head-on.
If you catch enemies head-on, use Dark Flame to exhaust most of their Stamina, then go stunlock. Once you're done, quickly perform another Zweihander hit to finish them off.
How to fight a Giant Dad
What if you're the one facing an opponent wearing the Giant Dad build? If you are facing a Giant Dad, you will have to use these strategies to survive.
Essentially, focus on parry, roll and backstab. Most likely you won't be able to face a Giant Dad blow by blow, so the best strategy is to be patient and defensive. Reading the section above, you'll realize that you'll have to be careful not only with the stunlock, but also with Dark Flame or Dark Hand...
Walk Pacific is a fantastic spell to use against this build. However, you must be quick for the spell to do its job before the Giant Dad moves away from the AoE. If you perform it correctly, you can then perform an effective backstab.
Alternatively, you can spam certain spells such as Crystallized Soul Spear or Higher Soul Arrow. However, unless you have a high DEX score and can cast spells very fast, this is a dangerous strategy.
