Katanas are a classic weapon inElden Ring, and with the Great Katana weapon archetype introduced inShadow of the Erdtree,the weapon class looks more robust and powerful than ever.With howpowerful Rivers of Bloodwas in the base game, it’s no surprise that this trend continues with the new Katanas and Great Katanas introduced in the DLC. Whether two-handed or dual-wielding these lethal instruments, any Katana build will surely have you slicing your way to victory in no time.
With Great Katanas being introduced inSOTE, Katana-wielders canstagger enemies with powerful attacks while retaining the playstyle of regularKatanas.It’s a best-of-both-worlds blend of heavy and light weapons that opens up many build and combo possibilities. Your very first Great Katana is introduced pretty early in the game and is a great way to learn how to wield this new weapon type.
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As you can tell by the name, the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana inElden Ringdoes more damage against draconic enemies. It scales with STR and DEX and also deals blood loss, so it’s a pretty okay weapon, but it quickly gets outpaced by the other Great Katanas in the DLC that can be seen inArekkz Gaming’s video on YouTube and even some of the Katanas. If you’re hunting dragons with it, however, it truly shines.
The Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana weapon skill must be used for any draconic enemy. It’s a chargeable overhand swing that, upon being charged, fires a projectile of damage that also causes the victim to become more prone to bleed damage. Combined with talismans like Godfrey’s Icon and the Shard of Alexander, this Great Katana becomes perfect forbeating Bayle inElden Ring.
The Great Katana is the first of its archetype that you can unlock inShadow of the Erdtree.It can be found next to the sleeping Ghostflame Dragon on the lake, west of the Abandoned Ailing Village site of Grace. ThisGreat Katanascales with STR and DEX, making it a simple but effective weapon to weild both two-handed or dually alonside something else.
No matter how you choose to build The Great Katana, it willbe a reliable source of damagethroughout the game. Its weapon skill, Overhead Stance, allows users to make hard-hitting downward slash attacks to incredible effect. While this isn’t the most interesting Great Katana, its relatively bland nature means thatyou can slot it into any STR or DEX build without worrying too much about synergy, making it a consistent main-hand weapon.
Sword of Night and Flameis another Katana introduced inSOTEand scales with DEX, limiting the types of builds you may run with it. However,what it lacks in build diversity, it makes up for in damage, as its charged weapon skill can be followed up with an immediate R1 combo, which shreds. Even uncharged,Sword of Night’s weapon skill is nothing to sneeze at.
Elden Ring’s Witching Hour Slash is a chargeable multi-attack that cannot be blocked and is used on bosses or weaker enemies to deal massive damage. Run this Katana alongsideMillicent’s Prosthesis, Shard of Alexander, and Rotten Wing Talismanto take advantage of the multi-attack skill. Millicent’s and Rotten Wingonly proc after three hits, so ensure you’re getting each swing of Witching Hour Slash off to fully utilize your talismans.
If you’re having trouble hitting all three attacks of the charged weapon skill, try using Godfrey’s Icon. This way, you don’t need to hit all three attacks to get value from your charged attack.
This Katana is also fromShadow of the Erdtree, and is dropped by Demi-Human Queen Marigga when you defeat her at Charo’s Hidden Grave onElden Ring’s Cerulean Coast. This is a regular Katana, which attacks quickly with half magic and half physical damage.
It scales withSTR, INT, and DEXand works best with DEX builds that take advantage of its weapon skill, Onze’s Line of Stars. Because it can scale with more than one stat, it’s more versatile than theSword of Night.
Onze’s Line of Stars, when activated,imbues the blade with magic and performs a slashing attack. you’re able to attack twice more in succession, and the attacks increase in power each time.Before the third attack, the user will teleport into the air and then slam down a super-strong slash attack to finish the skill. The first attack in this sequence can poise break, while the two follow-up attacks proc bleed and increase in power with each attack.
Like Shadow of Night, Millicent’s Prosthesis and Rotten Wing Talisman will further empower Onze’s Line of Stars multi-attacks.
Nagakibais a base-game Katana, but its long reach and maneuverability make ita great sword if you don’t want to get too close to your foes.Additionally, the R2 attack’s “slide and poke” movement allows you to immediately roll away when you get the hit off, further expanding its range.
This Katana inElden Ringcan be infused with a whole host of different Ashes of War, so it can be customized to almost any build. For a specific build, check outJazza97’s video from YouTube.
Like other Katanas,Nagakibainflicts bleed on enemies with its attacks.The Lord of Blood Exultation Talismanincreases your damage by 10% whenever a nearby enemy takes damage from Blood Loss, socombining it with theRitual Sword Talisman, which increases your damage by 10% when you’re at full health, takes advantage of both attributes of this Katana.
Finally, a Katana running anOccult Affinity onNagakibameans that you’ll empower both your bleed buildup and physical damage, making this sword awesome both for damage and survivability.
Moonveilis a base-game Katana that scales of INT and is one of the few that do so. This weapon’s skill is super strong as well; it sheathes the blade, then pulls it back out upon using either a light or heavy attack for an instant slash that also sends out a projectile of damage.This attack is super fast and combos well with any casterbuilds that use intelligence and DEXrather than STR.
If you’re looking to spam the Transient Moonlight skill, all you’ll need is a few talismans:
Ancestral Spirit’s Horn is an optional talisman, as you’ll likely be using the skill for boss damage, but it can also be useful when dealing with smaller enemies.
Combined, These talismans should let you keep your weapon skill going as much as possible, allowing you to send out powerful and fast projectile attacks alongside the initial slash. Take advantage of this quick attack to slip damage between tough-to-dodge enemy moves.
Rivers of Bloodis probablyElden Ring’s best-known Katana thanks to it’suber-high bleed stack application and stagger(and the reputation it got on launch for how annoying it was to fight.) Despite its nerfs in March of 2023, this Katana is a go-to for PvE. Less so in PvP, but if you’re struggling with invasions, there are quite a few ways todefend against invaders inShadow of the Erdtree.
The weapon skill on Rivers of Blood, Corpse Piler, stacksBleed and Fire damage that scales with your ARC stat.Any builds that rely on ARC, DEX, or STR will find that Rob works well but should lean more towards DEX and ARC, as the damage on Corpse Piler relies on these stats. This still also has a relatively low cost, so for a powerful skill that can really pile damage onto bosses,RoB is the way to go for any Bleed build.
While there is no definitive answer to the question “WhatKatanais the strongest?” there is an argument to be made forRakshasa’s Great Katana. It has a good range on top of its poise break,which lets you stagger opponents more easily.It scales with STR and DEX and is dropped bydefeating the Rakshasain the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum.
For a quick rundown on both the Great Katana and the Armor Set, check outLaserBolt’s video on YouTube.It’s the only Blood Loss Great Katana that exists now; somany Bleed builds you could run will work with this weapon.
On top of the weapon’s already formidable stats, its Weapon SkillWeed Cutterwill cut down most enemies that get in your way. At the low cost of8 FP and just a bit of stamina, you can swing this Great Katana wildly until no enemies remain inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
