Pyromancies in DS3 have dual-scaling – their damage increases with both intelligence and faith. This makes pyromancers play just like a dedicated caster, unlike in DS1 where they could be weaved into any build. But don’t let that scare you off. Pyromancers have a ton of unique buffs, interesting utilities, and of course, cataclysmic fireballs! So which are the best? We’ll be ranking all the best ones right now.
20. Flash Sweat
Kicking off with what might be the most situational spell in the entire game. Casting it makes you… sweat? Which provides a temporary yet massive boost to your fire damage absorption… somehow. Strange as it is, flash sweat is one of the key components for being able to traverse the lava pools in the smouldering lake, which harbours some cool loot- including the awesome (yet similarly niche) white hair talisman! How to get: Sold by Cornyx after freeing him.
19. Fireball
Baby’s first pyromancy – fireball is the starting spell for the pyromancer class. And it does exactly what it says on the tin – you throw a fireball. It’s not particularly flashy and doesn’t scale well into the mid-to-late game, but for early-game it’s fantastic, boasting bonus damage against Gundyr and the pus of man as well as shutting down teleporting dogs with ease! How to get: If you didn’t start pyromancer, you can get it from Cornyx after freeing him.
18. Sacred Flame
It makes me sad to put sacred flame so low, but it is near the bottom of the pyromancy barrel. Sacred flame is a grab attack – the only critical-damage spell in the entire game! Using it on an opponent locks them into an animation similar to a riposte, during which you burrow your fist into them, coursing fire through their veins, and then detonating them! …for basically no damage. Yep, the reward for this incredibly risky long wind-up attack is about as much damage as a longsword swing. How to get: Found in the Smouldering Lake lava pit behind where you fight knight slayer Tsorig.
17. Toxic Mist
Toxic mist is similar to other area denial spells such as pestilent mist or snap freeze – it’s not so much what it does, it’s what your opponents can’t do. Casting this pyromancy conjures a very large and lingering cloud of poison that applies toxic build-up to enemies standing within. It’s particularly great for tight spaces like corridors or throwing behind you as you flee, as enemies will try their best to avoid it – and panic if they’re in it! And plus, if it ever does land, toxic sucks. It’s borderline sociopathic to inflict on someone. How to get: In the Smouldering Lake ruins, in the first lava pit you encounter.
16. Carthus Beacon
I have a soft spot in my heart for unconventional buffs like this. Carthus beacon is essentially a spell version of Pontiff’s right eye – buffing attack when repeatedly swinging. There’s entire build archetypes dedicated to persistent attacking. And while they may not be the strongest in the game, they’re an absolute blast to try out – maybe dedicate your next run to them. How to get: Bought from Cornyx after giving him the Carthus pyromancy tome.
15. Chaos Storm
Chaos storm has taken a fall from grace from the powerhouse it was back in DS1. It remains one of the flashiest pyromancies, however, as casting it causes you to go prone, channeling your palms to the earth to erupt huge pillars to flame and lava all around you. It can be used in PvE quite effectively as an AoE tool, but not much beyond that. Its damage is great, but it costs stamina as well as FP, and it’s very easy to kill or run away from the dude who’s locked into a 3-second-long crouching animation. How to get: Bought from Cornyx after giving him the Izalith tome.
14. Rapport
Rapport is one of those spells that 99% of players have never even considered using, but can actually be extremely effective! Essentially, it possesses enemies, causing them to fight for you for 30 seconds. During this time they will not attack you or your allies, and you can even buff and heal them with spells! This is great for all sorts, including farming routes, highly populated areas, and even using red-eyed enemies to slaughter your foes! How to get: Purchased from Karla, after giving her the Quelana tome.
13. Fire Orb
Basically just an upgraded fireball, fire orb will likely be the go-to damage spell for a decent chunk of a pyro playthrough. It does really good damage, scales fantastically, is easy to land, and only requires 8/8 intelligence/faith! That’s all there is to it! Grab it ASAP on your fire-flinging playthroughs! How to get: Sold by Cornyx after giving him the great swamp tome.
12. Iron Flesh
Similar to rapport, iron flesh is a rarely-used spell that can have amazing effect. Casting it does what you’d think – turns you into metal! This increases all physical absorptions by 40%, buffs resistances by 50, and causes most melee attacks that hit you to be deflected! But metal is heavy. And you will move at a snail’s pace and fat roll regardless of equip load. It also reduces your lightning reduction by a massive 60%, for obvious reasons. How to get: Found in the Farron keep swamp, just head right from the very first bonfire.
11. Power Within
Power within may seem simple on paper, but actually has a few effects that aren’t too well-known. At face value – it buffs your damage by 20%, but drains your HP- 30% of your max health over the duration. But what you might not know is it also buffs stamina regen by 30 and it’s one of the only buffs to remain just as strong in PvP! It’s incredibly low requirements of 10/10 also allow it to be used on any build! How to get: Found behind a hidden wall in the grand archives – in the first dark room.
10. Fire Surge
Undoubtedly one of the more annoying pyromancies in the game. Fire surge channels a long-range beam of continuous flame from your palm, similar to a flamethrower. It has some of the most efficient damage-to-FP-ratio in the entire game, and is basically an instant cast, allowing you to easily whittle enemies health down in PvP! There’s very little as frustrating as trying to fight someone who’s slowly backing away and gently peppering you with fire surge. How to get: Sold by Cornyx after freeing him.
9. Black Fire Orb
Black fire orb is the best ranged pyromancy without delving into the apex predators that top this list. It’s essentially just a better version of fire orb, but deals dark damage. It does require quite a bit of investment at 20/20, but a pyromancer will likely be gunning for that anyway. How to get: Sold by Karla after giving her the grave warden tome.
8. Black Serpent
Another dark pyromancy, black serpent unleashes several homing trails of flame that travel along the environment towards foes! It deals ok damage, but its real application is within PvP, as its extremely unpredictable behavior makes it a pain to dodge. On top of this, it can also be combo’d into other spells for devastating effect – such as profaned flame if the enemy tries to roll or a point-blank black flame for rushers! Do bear in mind, however, that its strange behavior can cause it to sometimes simply… miss. It doesn’t happen often, but can be a real killjoy. How to get: Transposition with the soul of high lord Wolnir.
7. Seething Chaos
Our first DLC pyromancy, seething chaos possesses likely the coolest spell name in the entire game. It’s another ranged spell, but this time with an interesting twist – having you chuck a boulder that sticks to surfaces before exploding, much like a grenade! It’s straight-up garbage for 1v1 PvP, but excels at fighting groups of foes, either in PvE or during invasions. Its unique attributes also allow you to set traps if being chased, by sticking these fiery time bombs to surfaces around corners! How to get: Transposition with the demon prince soul.
6. Profaned Flame
Next up is my personal favorite, profaned flame. This utterly badass pyromancy conjures a tiny floating point in mind-air which then doubles in on itself and implodes, dealing huge damage and sending foes flying! It’s great in both PvE and PvP, as its large explosions can clear swathes of foes or severely injure enemy players who happen to get caught in its wake! It even hits things through walls – which has its uses if you want to be a pain in the ass during invasions. How to get: Found at the feet of the giant in the pit of Irithyll Dungeon.
5. Carthus Flame Arc
Every school of magic has a weapon buff, and this is just that. Flame arc is the only weapon buff available to dedicated pyromancers, adding fire damage scaling with your intelligence and faith to your main-hand weapon. If you’re investing in both stats equally, this is one of the best buffs in the game! And thanks to its minimal requirements of 10/10, it can be used on just about any build looking to pack a fiery punch. How to get: Sold by Cornyx after giving him the Carthus pyromancy tome.
4. Black Flame
An absolute pyromancy staple, black flame should be your go-to for point-blank encounters. It deals huge damage to close-range foes, and staggers hard. It can be combo’d into amazingly with a ton of other pyromancies or simply used as-is, as its fast cast speed with often catch other players out and give you a nice window of opportunity to finish them off. Its most effective use, however, is casting it just as your opponent finishes a roll, as they’ll go face-first right into it! You can also pair it with the parting flame catalyst for a nice chunk of extra damage. How to get: Sold by Karla after giving her the grave warden tome.
3. Flame Fan
The only other DLC pyro to make the list, flame fan is no joke. It’s often a toss-up between this and black flame, the latter providing more damage while this has more range and utility. Casting it conjures a very fast and extremely spammable fan to wave fiery death in your foes faces! It costs next to nothing and hitting an enemy will uniquely stagger them as if they were kicked – causing the next weapon swing or subsequent flame fan to deal an instability hit for a ton of extra damage! It can also weirdly reflect arrows! Which is… probably useless. How to get: Dropped by desert pyromancer Zoey just before the demon prince boss fight.
2. Great Chaos Fire Orb
And now the top 2 – likely the most contested spot for number 1 out of any list I’ve written to date. The debate for best ranged pyromancy burns bright to this day, and one of those contestants is the great chaos fire orb. Casting it hurls an explosive fireball that erupts into a pool of lingering magma upon landing! It deals huge damage across a wide area, and the pool of lava can stagger weaker foes. Because of this, it is considered the best AoE pyromancy, and the best pyromancy in the game by some. How to get: Sold by Cornyx after giving him the Izalith tome.
1. Chaos Bed Vestiges
On the other side of the ring, we have the vestiges. Similar to chaos orb, vestiges hurls a fireball – only this one is massive, travels in a straight line, and has very limited AoE capabilities – though it will singe enemies it travels past for light damage. The real kicker is when it lands, as it deals the most single-target damage out of any pyromancy in the game! It’s flashy, devastating, and hard to miss. So for that it trumps out chaos orb for me, and sits atop our list. How to get: Transposition with the old demon king soul.
