Summary
Dark Souls 2introduced a wide range of new weapons, armor, and rings that opened up thousands of build options. To this day,Dark Souls 2has the most build variety out of anyDark Soulstitle. One reason build variety skyrocketed with this game is the fact thatDark Souls 2has four ring slots instead of the original’s two.
As a result,From Softwareintroduced plenty of new rings for players to try. Nearly every ring has a purpose and isn’t a bad option, but there are certainly rings that triumph over the rest. Whether they grant a wide range of stat bonuses or increase damage output, some rings are must-haves for certain builds.
Updated August 11, 2025 by Erik Petrovich: The best DS2 rings vary from rings that grant basic, but effective, bonuses to those whose effects are much harder to understand. The Life Ring, for example, is one of the best rings Dark Souls 2 players can get because of how easy it is to locate and how simple its effect is. But, the Old Leo Ring requires players to play carefully and with excellent timing to take advantage of its powerful effects. Many rings have alternate, improved versions that can only be acquired in New Game Plus or elsewhere in later-game challenges. Be sure to check each of these DS2 best rings to find the location and methods to acquire, and equip, each and every one.
15Old Leo Ring
The Old Leo Ring may seem surprising to be included amongst the best ringsDS2has for players to find, but its because in the hands of the right player, this ring can be devastating. Its effect is kind of nuanced – the Old Leo ring increases counter damage for thrusting weapons, but many players don’t even know what a counter-attack is inDark Souls 2.
A counter attack is not the same as a parry, it’s quite different. When an enemy is just about to strike, or is in the middle of an animation to strike, attacks will deal a little bit of extra damage. With the Old Leo Ring, perfectly timed attacks with thrusting weapons can massively increase players' damage output, as well as their ability to stagger foes.
How To Get the Old Leo Ring
14Ring of Life Protection
The Ring of Life Protection is an important one that players ought to have at least one of, if able. The effect is similar to the effect of the Ring of Sacrifice from the originalDark Souls– when equipped, players won’t turn hollow or lose any souls upon death.
This is an especially important benefit inDark Souls 2as the Hollowing mechanic is way more punishing and cumbersome than it was before (or after). Going Hollow is very annoying inDS2, and so is losing tons of souls to an unexpected death. Always keep a Ring of Life Protection in the inventory, just in case things aren’t going your way but you need to keep your masses of souls to level up.
Where To Find Rings of Life Protection
13Bracing Knuckle Ring
There are many rings available in Dark Souls 2 that can give a player better stats and abilities, but one ring is useful for those that find themselves struggling to keep their items repaired. The Bracing Knuckle Ring will give players better durability for all of their items, decreasing the cost of repair and giving players stronger weapons, armor, and rings, that will last them much longer through intense fights.
Where To Find Bracing Knuckle Ring
12Royal Soldier’s Ring
Being able to equip four rings in Dark Souls 2 gives players a lot of choices when it comes to how to build and spec their character. There are a lot of rings that will help boost combat prowess, increase a character’s magical capabilities, and even allow them to take more hits. One particularly useful ring, the Royal Soldier’s Ring, gives players access to better armor and weapons by increasing their maximum Equip Load by a percentage. This gives players a chance to add better, stronger, and heavier gear to a given build without losing any of their mobility.
Where To Find Royal Soldier’s Ring
11Stone Ring
For PvE, there aren’t many rings that are as instantly noticeable as the Stone Ring. While equipped, every attack will deal an additional 30 Poise damage. This works on all attacks including spells. For fast-attacking weapons, this is a must for shutting down heavily-armored opponents in a few strikes. It can even stuna few bosseswhen used properly.
Where To Find Stone Ring
Players can find this ring right after they start the game. From the starting position in Things Betwixt, run until the wooden bridge that connects to the house is visible. Run left instead of straight. Running past some shrubs will reveal a hidden path with an Ogre at the end. Kill the Ogre to receive the ring.
10Ring Of Thorns
The Ring of Thorns is a PvP-centered ring that has a moderate to high chance of counter-attacking an opponent when the player is hit. The normal ring has a 30% chance, the +1 version has a 50% chance, and the +2 variant has a 70% chance. The +1 version is a great choice foraggressive PvP playersthat want to quickly stagger a target when they overcommit. Obtaining the +2 version isn’t worth the effort for most builds.
Where To Find Ring Of Thorns
9Vanquisher’s Seal
Granted after reaching rank 3 with the Company of Champions, the Vanquisher’s Seal increases unarmed melee attack damage to 280 base, and grants it 75% Attack Rating scaling from strength with 25%from dexterity. Note that this damage is only active while the player’s fists are completely empty. Fist weapons won’t work.
RELATED:Dark Souls 3: The 7 Best Rings In The Game (& 7 Worst)
Vanquisher’s Seal allows players to beat the entire game using their bare hands. No weapon runs are usually a joke amongst theSoulscommunity, but this is the only time that a no weapon run is perfectly viable and, arguably, a solid choice. Two-handed heavy attacks with this ring can demolish just about any foe, including bosses.
Where To Find Vanquisher’s Seal
Reach rank 3 with the Company of Champions. This requires the player to turn in 50 Awestones to the Covenant.
8Ring Of Giants
There are a lot of bosses in Dark Souls 2 that can eviscerate players in a few hits, but adventurers will also have to deal with a slew of smaller, but sometimes just as imposing, enemies sprinkled throughout their journey. The issue with some of these foes is that they’re capable of staggering players and keeping them from attacking, making it difficult to contend with some types that have rapid-fire movements and combat skills. Those that are tired of being knocked back each time they try to land an attack can increase their Poise with the Ring of Giants. The additional boost can help keep players firmly on their feet when in combat.
Where To Find Ring Of Giants
7Life Ring
Since players need to spend quite a few levels upgrading their adaptability stat, invasions and most co-op summons are a rather high level. Investing so much into adaptability can give players less room to breathe when speccing for other stats, which is where the Life Ring comes in. At +3, the Life Ring grants a solid +15% to maximum HP. If players have a fourth ring slot open, the Life Ring +3 is a solid pick.
Where To Find Life Ring
6Clear Bluestone Ring
Every character that casts sometype of spell, miracle, pyromancy, or hex will want to obtain the Clear Bluestone Ring. This ring increases the casting speed of every spell in the game. It reduces cast times by 20% on its own, but it grants an even faster 35% cast speed bonus with its +1 version and a whopping 55% cast speed boost with the +2 version.
