For those who prefer Dexterity builds over others, katanas are the best and most effective weapons to go with. While attack speed and mobility are what the Dex player wants, Elden Ring has katanas that are capable of providing far more functionality and flexibility in any number of combat situations that the tarnished are sure to encounter during their playthrough.
Elden Ring’s dynamic weapon system allows players to fit their katanas into non-Dex builds as well. In this article, we will look at the top 5 best katanas in Elden Ring and how these katanas can be obtained during the long, varied, and arduous journey that is in The Lands Between.
Rivers of Blood, Moonveil, and other Katanas in Elden Ring…
1. Rivers of Blood
Rivers of Blood is an infamous sword in the Elden Ring weapon catalog. Bleed weapons provide a devastating blow to the enemy’s HP; however, it is important to note that a certifiable degree of skill also goes into wielding and successfully combating using such weapons. Ever since Rivers of Blood was rendered available to gamers in Elden Ring, it instantly became a favored choice by PvP players and thus dominated the meta.
While it has been nerfed consistently in several updates for the game, Rivers of Blood is still a compelling and popular weapon choice among hundreds of thousands of players of the FromSoft game. Moreover, it features a fan-favorite weapon art called Corpse Piler, which, if landed, increases both fire and physical damage while also bringing a compelling degree of blood loss with it.
It requires 12 Strength points, 18 Dexterity points, and 20 Arcane points to be wielded to its initial potential. For the late game stage, it would require 50 Dexterity points and 45 Arcane points, as it scales with the two stats the best.
Where to find it?
It comes relatively later in the game, as the player has to venture close to the Fire Giant boss fight in the game. In the area Mountaintops of the Giants, close to the Church of Repose, the player gets invaded by an NPC phantom called Bloody Finger Okina. Once defeated, his wielded weapon, Rivers of Blood, is yours for the taking.
2. Moonveil
For Dexterity players who want to make productive use of the distance they gain after quickly slashing their enemy and retreating, Moonveil proves to be a compelling choice. Not only does it do both magical and physical damage, but its skill, Transient Moonlight, also turns out to be one of the most effective attacks in the game. Furthermore, the Katana also has a bleeding effect on the enemy, which makes it even better. It’s the perfect offensive weapon that can be used to stagger your opponent, who would have the choice to either retreat or react; standing their ground is barely an option.
Moonveil requires the initial stats of 12 Strength points, 18 Dexterity points, and 23 Intelligence points. In order to reach the maximum potential of the magical katana, you must increase your Dexterity and Intelligence stats.
How to find it?
Moonveil can be obtained upon defeating the Magma Wyrm boss located in the Gael Tunnel dungeon in Eastern Limgrave, close to the border of Caelid. Getting into the tunnel is not difficult in the early game, and running to the Magma Wyrm boss door is not too challenging either.
3. Nagakiba
Nagakiba is the longest katana in Elden Ring. Despite its long melee reach, it maintains the attack speed of other standard katanas in the game. It is a great weapon for roll-catching hostile players in PVP, and it excels in boss battles as well. Nagakiba can be infused with Ashes of War, which not only makes it versatile but also a quite deadly Dex weapon. It has a base blood loss buildup of 45 and is surprisingly great if you plan to dual-wield it alongside other katanas.
It requires 18 Strength points, 22 Dexterity points to wield, and scales with Dexterity at C and Strength at D.
How to find it?
There are three ways to obtain Nagakiba…
- Go to the Murkwater Cave grace site. Outside of this cave, Bloody Finger Nerijus will invade players, and at the same time, Yura will spawn to assist you. After you kill the invader, head north up the river, and you will find Yura under the new ruins underpass. By killing him here, players will obtain Nagakiba and, in the process, forfeit his questline.
- However, if players choose to continue his questline by not killing him prematurely, they’ll obtain the Nagakiba towards the end of his side quest near the Second Church of Marika. In addition to the katana, players will also get Eleonora’s Poleblade and the Purifying Crystal Tear as rewards.
- If players fail to complete Yura’s questline, they’ll still be able to obtain Nagakiba in any of his previous three quest locations or the last spot where the players talked to Yura.
4. Meteoric Ore Blade
Meteoric Ore Blade is an incredible Dexterity weapon to wield for those who wish to still deal with spells through Intelligence in combat. It provides both Slash and Pierce damage if used correctly. Moreover, its Gravitas weapon art makes it an incredible aid during encounters with evasive enemies.
It scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence, and initially requires 15, 14, and 18 points in the respective categories.
Where to find it? (Early game route)
Meteoric Ore Blade can be obtained from the chest in the basement of Caelid Waypoint Ruins. To get to this location early game, start from First Step grace and proceed eastward to the Dragon Burnt Ruins. Use the ruin staircase to go underground and make your way across the room, at the end you will find a steel door, open it and interact with the chest inside. This chest will teleport player to Caelid’s Crystal Tunnel. Thereafter, make your way out of the cave while interacting with the grace en route. Once out, head straight to Caelid Waypoint Ruins as marked on the map below. The chest containing Meteoric Ore Blade is there behind the steel door in the ruin basement.
5. Hand of Malenia
The Hand of Malenia is one of the most impressive weapons in Elden Ring. It harkens back to FromSoftware’s masterpiece, Sekiro, which is primarily driven by fast-paced, highly-coordinated combat at each and every step. Since it’s a late-stage weapon, it has a 48-point Dexterity requirement from the get-go. It’s worth it though, as it has devastating slashing blows and its weapon art of the Waterfowl Dance emulates the same menacing nature that Malenia herself did while wielding the weapon during the boss fight.
Where to find it?
After defeating Malenia, Blade of Miquella, you must interact with Enia. Using the Remembrance of the Rot Goddess at the Roundtable, you can finally wield the weapon of the foe you fought by undergoing limitless peril to defeat.
Wrapping up
Elden Ring marks a pivotal shift from its spiritual successors. While the Dark Souls franchise provided a template for the game’s combat and a linear system of weapons, miracles, and spells corresponding to the player’s build, Elden Ring has greatly improved upon that. It allows players to explore more satisfying possibilities in how they want to confront in-game hostility in both PvP and PvE scenarios. For instance, you can customize your katanas with Ashes of War and grant them unique skills and affinities.
