Hookclaws

Notes

• With Standard affinity, physical damage scales most strongly with Dexterity, with weaker Strength scaling.
• Its critical rating is 110. This improves critical attacks such as backstabs and ripostes; it does not give every ordinary attack the same bonus.
• Upgrade it with Smithing Stones. Its maximum upgrade is +25.
• Can use compatible Ashes of War. Your choice of skill and the whetblades you've found determine which affinities you can apply.
• Grease or a weapon enchantment can be applied while using an affinity that allows weapon buffs.
• Its normal weapon hits build up blood loss. The effect only triggers against enemies that are vulnerable to it.
• Two-hand Hookclaws to equip a claw on each hand. One copy provides both claws.
• Requires 8 Strength and 14 Dexterity and weighs 2. Its fast paired attacks suit close-range Dexterity setups, with Keen emphasizing Dexterity further.
• Has 60 innate Blood Loss buildup on Standard. Arcane does not improve that buildup unless an affinity gives the weapon Arcane scaling.
• Occult retains the innate bleed while making Physical damage and bleed scale with Arcane. Cold retains bleed and adds Frostbite, but Intelligence improves its Magic damage rather than the Frostbite buildup itself.
• Applying an eligible grease or weapon enchantment to the right-hand claws carries the coating onto both claws when you two-hand them. You only upgrade one inventory weapon for the pair.
• Paired attacks can land several contacts, but their status modifiers differ by attack. Two visible claws do not guarantee two full applications of the menu buildup on every input.
• Starts with Quickstep for 3 FP. It helps reposition at close range; repeating it continuously is less effective than timing individual evasions.
• The cellar corpse is a fixed pickup. The Exile Soldier does not have to drop the claws, and the locked room with Rusty Key lies farther along the castle route.