Whips are one of the most unique weapon classes in Dark Souls 3, as they function very differently than every other melee armament. They cannot be parried, as the part of them that does damage is extremely mobile and flexible. Though, conversely, they cannot perform critical attacks like ripostes or backstabs either.

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Their range and attack pattern are two of their greatest features as the former allows them to reach foes from further away than even most polearms or greatweapons. The latter makes their attacks difficult to predict and counter, letting all 5 whips in the game be useful against non-armored, agile adversaries.

5 Whip

This is the most basic Whip in the game: a simple lashing weapon that is an example of what kind of playstyle gamers can expect from armaments in this class. The best infusion path for it by far is the Sharp route, for it attains 166 physical attack and a Dexterity scaling of A.

Its item description hints that it is best used against unarmored enemies, therefore players should combine this nugget of wisdom with the Whip's wide attack hitbox to use as crowd control versus many weaker foes, like dogs and thralls.

4 Spotted Whip

As the only Whip that can apply poison build-up, the Spotted Whip is a particularly useful tool to get around the armor and tough hide that usually impairs this weapon class. It cannot be infused, though can still be upgraded to +10 and obtains 204 physical attack along with C-tier scaling in Dexterity and 34 poison build-up per hit (regardless if blocked or not).

Combined with its weapon skill, Impact, this can let this weapon get sneaky hits on foes and diminish their stamina recovery all while increasing a foes poison bar to inflict the dreaded effect upon them.

3 Notched Whip

Since it also applies a status effect, players often compare the Notched Whip to the Spotted Whip, and for good reason, as they can be used in very similar manners. However, many would agree that this bloody, barbed weapon is the better out of the two.

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For it can be infused and upgraded, letting players increase its innate bleed build-up to a huge 75 per hit at a +10 Blood infusion. This combined with its 147 physical attack and C-tier Dexterity scaling allows it to be a decent choice for a Dex-oriented build.

2 Witch's Locks

The Witch's Locks is the ideal whip to use for pyromancer builds, as it scales very well with the stats that those seeking to immolate their foes are going to be investing in anyways. At the max upgrade level of +5, it does split damage with 134 physical attack and 140 fire attack and gains B-tier scaling with Intelligence and Faith.

Made from the hair of a daughter of the Witch of Izalith, it understandably has a weapon skill related to The Old Chaos. Its Flame Whip skill coats the dark tresses in glowing flames that further ups its fire attack to scorch foes even more efficiently.

1 Rose Of Ariandel

This tool is meant for self-flagellation as well as serving a few different purposes. Transposed from the Soul of Sister Friede, it can only be acquired in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC. It is what Father Ariandel used to whip himself to draw blood for The Painter to use as a pigment, and as such appropriately offers bleed build-up when used on foes.

However, it is probably better used for its other function: as a miracle catalyst. For at its max upgrade of +5, the Rose of Ariandel gets the best scaling (A-tier) with Faith and a rather low physical attack stat of 147, making it more suitable for miracle builds. This notion is further strengthened by the fact that its unique weapon skill, Awakening, boosts the power of miracles that the player casts.

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