Staff of the Guilty

Notes

• Requires 8 Strength and 12 Faith and weighs 4.5. Sorcery scaling comes from Faith rather than Intelligence. It still casts sorceries, not incantations, and each memorized spell keeps its own attribute requirements.
• Boosts the damage of Briars of Sin, Briars of Punishment and Impenetrable Thorns by 20%. This is a damage bonus, not a 20% increase to their blood loss buildup.
• You can keep it active in your other hand and cast the qualifying thorn sorcery through a different staff. The 20% bonus does not depend on this staff's upgrade level. Holding two copies gives a combined 44% bonus; only the staff actually casting supplies the sorcery scaling.
• The staff itself has 45 blood loss buildup on melee hits. It has no Arcane scaling, so raising Arcane does not strengthen that buildup or give its cast sorceries extra status scaling. The staff's melee bleed also does not add bleeding to unrelated spells.
• Scholar's Armament uses the Intelligence part of a staff's sorcery scaling. This staff's Faith contribution does not strengthen that enchantment, even if its displayed total looks suitable. Use an Intelligence-scaling staff for that purpose.
• Upgrade with Smithing Stones to +25. It starts with No Skill and can use the compatible Spinning Weapon Ash of War. You cannot change its normal affinity or apply grease or a weapon enchantment to it.
• Farm the small robed Thorn-Fire Sorcerers carrying smoldering staffs. The armored Fire Monks beside them have a different drop list. This is a random staff drop, separate from the guaranteed Briars of Sin reward.