Catalysts are weapons in Dark Souls 3 that allow the Ashen One to unleash powerful spells that can obliterate common enemies and bosses alike. There are kinds for sorceries, pyromancies, and miracles, all with their own lore that adds to one's knowledge of the deep and sinister world one must travel through.
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For unleashing the miracles that take the longest to cast, it is recommended to use a Talisman over a Sacred Chime. Talismans are a class of armament that differentiate from its sister class, Sacred Chimes, by usually having the weapon skill Unfaltering Prayer. This devout chant allows the player to poise through attacks while casting with hyper armor granted by a divine source. Accordingly, they scale the best with the Faith stat in most cases, though there are a couple of exceptions. There aren't many, however, numbering only 6. Each capable of differing feats, though some drastically more useful than others.
Updated on June 30, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: Catalysts can be used if one does not meet the stat requirements for them, however, the Spell Buff of many will be drastically compromised. A Talisman's Spell Buff determines the effectiveness of the spells launched, with a higher value in this hidden stat resulting in better spell performance. Not meeting a Talisman's stat requirements will automatically drop one's Spell Buff down to a flat 60, which, while not meaning anything for some Talismans, can render others that rely on this stat useless in battle. When selecting a Talisman for one's build, be sure to keep the Faith and Spell Buff stats in mind.
6 White Hair Talisman
The White Hair Talisman's Weapon Skill: Combustion
The White Hair Talisman's Spell Buff: 60
The White Hair Talisman's Stat Requirements
- 4 Strength
- 16 Intelligence
- 20 Faith
The White Hair Talisman's Parameter Bonuses
- E - Strength
- D - Intelligence
- D - Faith
This lock of hair is a Talisman created from the remains of the Fair Lady, the sister of chaos witch Quelaag from Dark Souls. As the sisters are very much linked to the origins of all chaos fire, this is a casting tool that can call forth both miracles and pyromancies.
The White Hair Talisman is found in the Smouldering Lake behind an illusory wall. Although it has great versatility, its poor scaling means that it is not very good at anything. Furthermore, its weapon skill is Combustion instead of Unfaltering Prayer, which means that it isn't even capable of poising through attacks while casting.
5 Saint's Talisman
The Saint's Talisman's Weapon Skill: Unfaltering Prayer
The Saint's Talisman's Spell Buff: 107
The Saint's Talisman's Stat Requirements
- 4 Strength
- 16 Faith
The Saint's Talisman's Parameter Bonuses
- D - Strength
- A - Faith
Obtained from looting a corpse near Irina of Carim's cell in the Undead Settlement, this Talisman is rather lackluster and therefore should not be backtracked to acquire if missed, even for a miracle build. It has the Unfaltering Prayer skill that is renowned in its weapon class, though has minuscule poise health.
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With only 30 points in this hidden stat, it can be interrupted by even lighter, single-handed weapons like Straight Swords or Curved Swords. It has the best scaling of its weapon class but if it cannot guarantee a cast, it doesn't usually equate to good usage in most cases, especially since most Sacred Chimes perform better when it comes to damage output, therefore, players should use one of those instead of the Saint's Talisman if high damage is what one seeks.
4 Canvas Talisman
The Canvas Talisman's Weapon Skill: Unfaltering Prayer
The Canvas Talisman's Spell Buff: 112
The Canvas Talisman's Stat Requirements
- 4 Strength
- 14 Faith
The Canvas Talisman's Parameter Bonuses
- D - Strength
- B - Faith
This casting tool can be bought from the Shrine Handmaid in Firelink Shrine for 3,000 souls, though only after one gives her the Paladin's Ashes. It possesses a very odd scaling pattern, which makes it more effective than its kind at lower levels (below 45 Faith), though its Spell Buff curve levels out, making it not optimal for high-level builds.
In addition, it has decent damage scaling and poise health, making it one of the best choices for an early and mid-game catalyst if one seeks to invoke the words of the gods. Afterward, however, it would be best to swap it out for another.
3 Talisman (Herald Class Starting Talisman)
The Talisman's Weapon Skill: Unfaltering Prayer
The Talisman's Spell Buff: 100
The Talisman's Stat Requirements
- 4 Strength
- 10 Faith
The Talisman's Parameter Bonuses
- E - Strength
- B - Faith
As the generic name implies, this is the most common kind of Talisman there is. It is given to the Herald class as a starting weapon, and it is one that can see a caster-build through much of the game. This one is essentially the inverse of the Canvas Talisman, as it has even scaling.
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This lets the Talisman perform only moderately well at lower levels while becoming much more potent after 45 Faith is achieved. Regular poise health grants this tool sufficient hyper armor to shrug off most of the more common enemy attacks. Paired with the other solid weapons of the Herald class, it can allow one to slay many tough foes and bosses.
2 Sunlight Talisman
The Sunlight Talisman's Weapon Skill: Unfaltering Prayer
The Sunlight Talisman's Spell Buff: 103
The Sunlight Talisman's Stat Requirements
- 4 Strength
- 14 Faith
The Sunlight Talisman's Parameter Bonuses
- D - Strength
- B - Faith
The Sunlight Talisman's description reads that it is "the Knight of Sunlight's personal talisman", likely referring to Solaire of Astora; the most renowned sunlight-related knight in the entire Dark Soul franchise. The talisman itself is even colored much like the incandescent warrior's armor. It can be found to the left of the ladder leading to the Old Wolf altar in Farron's poisonous swamp.
Despite its moderate scaling, its true strength as a miracle casting tool comes from its enormous poise health of 120. That's twice (or more) than that of any other Talisman in the game. Almost nothing can sunder one's resolve if Unfaltering Prayer is activated with the Sunlight Talisman. Even with the most modest of armor, the caster can even tank through attacks by weapons such as the always impressive Ultra Greatswords or the devastating Greataxes.
1 Sunless Talisman
The Sunless Talisman's Weapon Skill: Unfaltering Prayer
The Sunless Talisman's Spell Buff: 100
The Sunless Talisman's Stat Requirements
- 4 Strength
- 24 Faith
The Sunless Talisman's Parameter Bonuses
- E - Strength
- C - Intelligence
- B - Faith
This interesting catalyst can only be acquired by completing Sirris of the Sunless Realms' questline...or by killing her. Although it is rather mediocre, though not awful, at casting regular miracles, it excels greatly when casting dark miracles such as Dorhys' Gnawing and Lifehunt Scythe.
It scales with the user's Intelligence as well as Faith to add great bonuses to the Spell Buff stat, which in turn fuels the power of Dark-based damage. Since it requires some Intelligence to use, the Sunless Talisman could be the ideal catalyst for many who wish to embody The Abyss.