First, Why should you even consider a strength build? What purpose is there in donning a Greatsword? Well, dear reader, many benefits can be gained in taking what is arguably the most straightforward path in Dark Souls:
-Strong attcks with high damage
-High ability to break poise/stunlock
-Awesome nordic names now feel even better
-Greatshields
-Highly tailorable to certain weapons
-High attack range
Strength builds when done right are relentless and difficult to counter

Strength Builds are simple, like the barbarians that use them right? WRONG. MELODIC DEATH METAL HAS FOUR AND FIVE SYLLABLE WORDS. Fortunately you only need to remember up to four syllables to start. We'll get to more complicated words like "capitulatiion" and "subjugation" after you make a build which will force your opponents to do those things.These are the THREE STATS OF STRENGTH BUILDS.

ENDURANCE- Yes. This is on here before strength. It is aguably more important. You should be tossing 35 to 40 for ANY build by 80. and thats minimum. A BERSERKR'S RAGE LASTS FOR A DAY.

STRENGTH- You wanted this. This Stat is the key to your RAGE. It smells of blood and scales the damage of your weapons. This stat should be leveled to 50 by 75 for most builds. There are exceptions. A NIDINGR IS A MAN WHO CANNOT LIFT HIS AXE

VITALITY- Less required if you invest in endurance for better armor, but still a critical part of any late build. look for 35 as a bare minimum at 100. Oddly enough, it is better to level this close to strength until you hit the desired cap. no caps for this one. DEAL WITH IT.

Now that you have the basics, words like "OBLITERATION" should be more accessible to your simple barbarian. Starting classes will be dictated only slightly by the specialization you choose. None of these specializations put very much into their respective side stats. They should be limited to what you need to use as they detract from strength and health, which, with the exception of a Grant build, do not add to your base damage.

NONE- You stuck to the basics. Your rewards are more armor, more vitality, and more blood to bleed. You can't use many of the strength oriented weapons in the game, but you have access to some of the most powerful. Strength can be leveled to a full 50 or can be left at 40 in favor of more endurance.Power within shines here because of your higher health values. (it's a non-scaled damage buff) Start with a bandit. HUSCARL.

DEX- You have access to some of the highest requirement weapons in the game. Black Knight weapons are usable and offer high damage without much material investment. You give up excessive vitality. Scaling is less important, so stats can be tailored to preferred weapons. Pyromancies used as secondary weapons cast faster. attunement will be relatively low. Combustions make a useful and fast off hand weapon, as does the Gold Tracer. Start with a warrior. HROLMGANGR.

INT- This is a less powerful option, as the value of INT doesn't increase the power of power within. If you wish to use the enchanted great club for it's high damage, consider an INT build. STR and INT are not very complimentary, as DEX increases cast speed and leaves just as many options for melee. Weapon buffs can still be used with some success, but beware long cast times. Item buffs may be considered comparable, as most magic can be easily dodged without a fast followup. LOKI WAS A TRICKSTER. Start with a Pyromancer.

ATTUNEMENT- This is one of the more relentless pyromancer builds, and matches the pyro/DEX build in popularity. It will give you many options in the use of pyromancy, which will allow you to use slower weapons as you have faster pyromancies in your off hand. Combustions make a useful and fast off hand weapon here as well, and are more repeatable. a few points in DEX will increase cast speed, but INT should be avoided, as they will not be your main form of damage. Black Flame is particularly useful. Power Within remains useful even without a focus on health. start with a pyromancer. BERSERKRGANG.

FAITH- Faith and STR go well together much like DEX and INT. The reason for this is that miracles tend to be defensive (allowing you to go HAM with your axe with replenishment and timely heals) and they tent to have area effect, making them useful with high ranged greatswords to catch the enemy off guard. 30 is a recommended milestone here as Grant can then be used. Players that favor the mace will find that Darkmoon Blade makes for a more powerful PVP weapon than a divine weapon, as you benefit from more scaling. SKALD.

In a previous guide, I may or may not have complained about how load points suck and how much armor weight sucks. In that guide that was right. In this guide I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT LOAD. There is another, much ignored stat that you need to invest in.

POISE. SEXY LADIES HAVE IT. And beleive you me, you'd better get in touch with your feminine side because UNSTOPPABLE VIKINGS HAVE IT TOO.

Poise is the stat that keeps you from getting stunned or knocked down. You need enough heavy armor to keep from getting stunned during attacks or you won't be able to trade blows or stun fast enemies. Your high endurance will allow you to wear heavy armor while midrolling, which means you can still avoid the heavier attacks, neccesary for two handed equip builds. It also reduces damage in blow trading for vikings under replenishment or health heavy builds due to naturally paired armor ratings. Aiming for 53 poise is a common tactic as it lets you trade blows with Giantdad's BASS Cannon for at least a short while. Armor should be the heaviest (most poise) you can wear with your chosen weapon set while midrolling. Fatrolling and slow walk options are only doable with greatshields, as you will be foregoing your option to dodgeroll most weapons most of the time. Consider playstyle when chosing heavier builds. It may be a good option, but many STR builds have to choose lighter weapons and sheilds to accomodate heavier armor, the primary reason they SUCK.

SHIELDS
They look sexy, they keep you looking sexy. THEY MAKE THINGS HURT LESS. Shield choice is very important and most often tied to your choice of load and weapon, not your stats. Deflection and Stability are the most important stats here, as they dictate stamina cost. Consider these options:

Grass Crest Shield- Stamina regen important for two handed builds that have spare load points.

Iron Round Sheild- Medium Shield that has Greatshield Deflection. Good if you need a more robust shield against heavier weapons without accepting the weight of a greatshield.

Greatshields (any kind)- High deflection coupled with high resistance means anything short of a greatsword puts an agressive enemy at a disadvantage. Very heavy.

Peirce/thorned shield: most warriors don't consider these two weapons, but they make fast off hand weapons and block a reasonable amount of damage. Less useful for pyromancers and dex mixes, as they have better options.

RINGS
Havels- You flat out need it for this build. You will be carrying a lot of weight. More important than anything else.

Your off hand ring will have a number of options. Wolf is good for lighter builds to stack poise. Cloranthy ring should be used here lacking other needs. Armor should cover all defensive needs, and is more useful than the ring of favor and protection for keeping stamina.

Weapons for STR builds are varied, but generally follow the simple formula of high damage, slow strikes. Regardless of the weapon you choose, you will have to contend with higher weights than other builds, with the highest damage weapons often being oppressivly heavy. Lighter options include:
Mace- Great weapon, despite being a starter. Consistent damage, great scaling. Slow as hell
Club- Lighter option than mace. less damage, generally lousy.
Morningstar- important if you want to add bleed to a STR build. generally worse scaling than Mace
Pickaxe- faster than a mace, with a surprising amount of power for such a "small" weapon.
Butcher Knife- Great axe for STR builds looking to keep weight down mid game. also saps hp on hit, allowing for a robust build despite clunky attack mechanics
Battle Axe- an accessible weapon with reasonable speed to learn timing wile still unable to use greater weapons.
Large Club- one of the best strength weapons in the game, slow, high range, high damage, great scaling and great power for weight. the poison is a bonus.

Heavier options allow for great swords and great axes. Keep in mind you may not have the stats to use all of them, especially the Black Knight Greatsword.

Dark Knight Weapons offer high damage, a range of speed options, generally good reach, and good scaling for builds that can use them. They have high stat requirements, so they require careful planning. A good idea is to level Dex to 15 early, leveling to requirement later, and then focus on the Three. Don't throw any more points into DEX as more scaling will come from STR.

Greatswords
Faster, accesible weapons with similar movesets, The Bastard Sword and Claymore may look like good options initially, but the Stone Greatsword, for its slow, and the Serpent Greatsword, for it's high scaling, eventually win out. Don't consider "Artie's Armory" as they require specialized builds (to those weapons)

Ultra Greatswords
Demon Great Machete- everything a strength build weapon is meant to be. pure power and highly scaled. Learn to dead angle and become the stuff of nightmares.
Dragon Greatsword- High base damage and magic attacks make up for scaling.
Greatsword/Zwei- Both are actually inferior for strength builds. They don't get excellent scaling and better options such as the Demon's Greataxe are available.

Great Axes/Hammers
Demon's Great Axe amd Large Club have the best scaling. Dragon's tooth is powerful and iconic, but the lack of a horizontal swing will leave you open in pvp. Grant has high power and scaling for faith mixes. Demon's Great Hammer is inferior to Demons Great Axe

Now that you have a full set of build information, words like "Vivisection" roll from your lips like the bloody slaver of a Blighttown Barbarian. You may feel that combat techniques are the icing on the cake, but in reality, IT'S THE ENTIRE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ CAKE.

DEAD ANGLE- Remember how you used to lock on? this becomes impossible in the midst of berserkr rage. Your attacks and facing direction should sway from side to side, maximizing your sweep radius, crushing blocks from the side such that shotel users look like pansies, and making you harder to roll into for a backstab. Be aware you may have to break combat by rolling. Always end a combo facing your enemy, as this is their opening, which you forced them to go through Hell for.

FEINT. The ring of Hrolmgang is small, but allows for a short step backwards as a feint. Backsteps help cover for your lack of speed by giving you a fast followup.

RAGE. Advance. Move forward. Attack until all that stands before you is a mangled corpse writhing in its death agonies. Turtlers cannot stand against you, and even greatsheilds will not hold forever. Batter more cautious opponents down.

USE YOUR WEAPON. High range melee weapons are useful for keeping enemies at bay, especially if you use the cloranthy ring. Lighter strength weapons are still good at breaking poise and costing stamina. Use single strikes as deterrents and wait for your opening.

USE YOUR SHIELD. High deflection means that smaller weapons will bounce off your shield. Don't be afraid to turtle if using a Greatshield. That's what you brought it for.

MOW DOWN COWARDS. Bring a crossbow to PVP. Some enemies will be able to run faster than you. Let them take solace in this as they fall to a finisher that is rarely used. Especially useful for fatrolling builds.

KATAGELASTICISM. This is a word you will come to know well...

-If somebody want's to go off at me for butchering Norse ethos, rage in private comments. I probably deserve it at this point.

-A lot of players use Dragon's Tooth. I don't hate those people. I simply feel the weapon is overrated.

-If you make a female Undead Slim and give her a Demon's Great Machete, admit you like anime. Just admit it. We still love you.

-This guide was made as my first guide acheived some mainstream success. Thank you for all the feedback and comments. As always, I know that a lot of people have differing and strong opinions about how to play the game. I welcome discussion and thank you for contributing.