Best Katana in Elden Ring

Elden Ring’s lore speaks of a continent to the far east of the Lands Between known as the Land of Reeds. This location is presumably Elden Ring’s analog to feudal Japan, since it’s where all of the Samurai gear and katanas come from. You can’t visit the Land of Reeds in Elden Ring, at least not yet, but if the devs ever release a way to do so, it’d probably be beneficial to have a good katana at your side when you go. So, what’s the best katana in Elden Ring?

Best Katana in Elden Ring

There are only eight katanas to find in Elden Ring, but they’re all pretty solid weapons, focusing mostly on your Strength and Dexterity. Even among those few blades, there are a handful of standouts that no good Samurai should be without:

• Moonveil
• Rivers of Blood
• Meteoric Ore Blade

Moonveil

• Damage Types: Phys 73 and Magic 87 at base, Phys 173 and Magic 213 at +10
• Scalings: STR E, DEX D, INT C at base, STR E, DEX B, INT B at +10
• Requirements: STR 12, DEX 18, INT 23

One of the primo picks for katanas among most Elden Ring players, Moonveil is a fantastic workhorse weapon for those with a diverse allocation of STR, DEX, and INT, especially since you can get it fairly early in the game if you know where to look. Besides providing reasonably powerful Magic damage, Moonveil’s unique skill, Transient Moonlight, is an absolute monster. You sheathe the blade for a moment, then unleash a large wave of magical light either horizontally with a light attack or vertically with a heavy. In addition to being very damaging, this attack does major poise damage, knocking both enemies and bosses into a stun state with just a few strokes.

Rivers of Blood

• Damage Types: Phys 76 and Fire 76 at base, Phys 186 and Fire 186 at +10
• Scalings: STR E, DEX D, ARC D at base, STR E, DEX B, ARC D at +10
• Requirements: STR 12, DEX 18, ARC 20

If you’re interested in creating a Bleed build, a katana is a necessity, as few weapons build Bleed like them. Out of all katanas, though, Rivers of Blood, as the name may imply, is the Bleed master. Rivers of Blood deals more flat Bleed damage per swing than other katanas, and that only increases as it scales with your ARC. Its special skill, Corpse Piler, unleashes two powerful swings with massive, red blades that build up heavy Bleed damage, and you can combo it with multiple inputs for a total of five slashes. If you can pull off the full five-hit combo, that’s almost always a guaranteed Blood Loss infliction.

Meteoric Ore Blade

• Damage Types: Phys 112 and Magic 72 at base, Phys 274 and Magic 176 at +10
• Scalings: STR D, DEX E, INT D at base, STR C, DEX D, INT C at +10
• Requirements: STR 15, DEX 14, INT 18

If you’re looking for a katana that’s a bit more strength-focused while still offering a magical tinge, the Meteoric Ore Blade is your huckleberry. This thing packs ridiculous physical damage just at base and absolutely dwarfs all other katanas in strength at +10. Fittingly, it’s also the heaviest katana in the game, so this is one for primarily STR builds. Its special skill, Gravitas, creates a gravity well around the wielder that damages foes and then draws them in closer to you. If you’re not an especially agile combatant, that’ll keep the mooks from getting away from you.

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