Welcome back to another awesome guide on Elden Ring.
In this article, I will talk about the 8 best katanas in Elden Ring and where to find them. We will cover all 8 katanas available in the game – from early-game Uchigatana to the powerful Rivers of Blood.
We will see what these katanas are, what they do, and most importantly – katana locations in the world of Elden Ring.
Let’s jump into the article and discover the magical Elden Ring katanas together.
What Are Katanas and Their Benefits?
Arise, ye Tarnished…
Wield your katana!
Among all the Elden Ring weapons, players love playing with katanas as their primary weapon for their sheer finesse and precision. You can find up to 8 katanas in the Lands Between; each one of them is as deadly as it is beautiful.
Most katanas have an inherent blood loss effect. So, if you love swinging at your enemies, you should play with a katana like Uchigatana or Meteoric Ore Blade.
One more reason to use katana?
They look cool!
Most katanas scale with Dexterity. However, some of them also scale with other attributes like Arcane or Intelligence.
A thing to remember beforehand is if you are a player who prefers Faith build (relying heavily on incantations), katanas are of no use to you. If you’re playing with any other build, you can inflict powerful damage with your katana.
However, remember that the Dexterity-focused build is considered the best katana build in Elden Ring.
Benefits of Katana
➡️ Multiple Capabilities
Katanas are long-shaped weapons. Thus, they can help you attack an enemy without getting too close to them. Katanas can do thrust attacks, inflict slashes, and add the Hemorrhage Status Effect, which can deal significant damage.
➡️ Powerful Modifications
Throughout Elden Ring, you will discover many Ash of War items (such as the Storm Stomp). You can use these special items to modify your katanas and make them more skillful to inflict more damage.
In the above image, you can see Ashes of War that gives your weapon Heavy Affinity, but you have more that can give you Keen, Quality, Magic, and many other affinities.
➡️ Multiple Styles of Play
With katanas, you get three styles of play – single katana, dual wield, and spell-blade.
In a single katana style of play, you can use one powerful katana like Uchigatana or Nagakiba. You can use the katana one-handed or dual-handed to inflict more powerful attacks.
In dual wield style of play, you have two katanas – one in each hand. This type of play style is used when you want to take advantage of status effects. For example, you can use Uchigatana to apply the bleed effect and then Serpentbone Blade to add a poison effect on top of that.
Some advanced players prefer using a katana in one hand and a staff to cast spells in the other. For example, you can use Dragon Communion Seal in one hand and Rivers of Blood in the other to create an incantation build.
You can decide for yourself which one is the perfect one for your style of play.
Katanas are considered the best samurai weapons in Elden Ring, and now, we will look at the 8 katanas in Elden Ring.
We will also discuss the locations of these 8 katanas in the Lands Between. So, let’s jump into it together.
Uchigatana
➡️ Special Skill: Unsheathe
If you start Elden Ring as a Samurai, you automatically equip Uchigatana. Along with the katana, you get a bow and a shield to parry. Uchigatana is the best early-game katana in Elden Ring.
The advantage of using a Uchigatana is it has an inherent blood loss buildup. You can also upgrade this Elden Ring katana with Smithing Stones or add an Ash of War affinity.
➡️ Attributes and Strength
Uchigatana has better general scaling than Nagakiba and comes equipped with a strong skill called Unsheathe. This katana scales with Strength and Dexterity attributes, and you require 11 (strength) and 15 (dexterity) to wield it.
Most gamers add the Poison or Frostbite status effect on top of the innate Blood Loss effect for even more deadly combinations.
Is it worth dual-wielding Uchigatana?
Definitely YES! You can pair Uchigatana with any katana in this list, but I have seen the best results with Serpentbone, Moonveil, and Meteoric Ore. Serpentbone’s inherent Poison effect blends well with Uchigatana’s Blood Loss effect.
➡️ Location
Uchigatana is the easiest katana in Elden Ring to equip, provided you start with the Samurai class. However, if you start as any other class, you will need to find it. Uchigatana is located in Deathtouched Catacombs.
Enter the Catacombs and make your way to a dead body hanging at the ledge. This is where you will find Uchigatana. You don’t need to fight anyone.
One of the drawbacks of the Uchigatana is its short length, so you need to be close to the enemies when fighting with this katana. However, its upgrading capabilities and dual-wielding make it a worthy katana – even for defeating Elden Ring bosses.
Nagakiba
➡️ Special Skill: Unsheathe
Nagakiba is a katana with a ferociously long blade. It is the signature weapon of Yura, hunter of Bloody Fingers. Nagakiba’s long blade resembles a spear, and its length can be beneficial for powerful thrusting attacks.
Nagakiba is a customizable weapon and comes with natural blood loss buildup, making it a great katana for dual wielding.
➡️ Attributes and Strength
Nagakiba is a Strength and Dexterity-based weapon. Wielding this Elden Ring katana requires 18 (strength) and 22 (dexterity). Nagakiba is the longest katana in Elden Ring and one of the heaviest too.
Nagakiba can be infused with any Ash of War and customized into a cooler katana. Any fire or lightning affinity, along with the natural blood loss buildup, makes it one of the most powerful and versatile weapons in the Elder Ring.
The following Ashes of War work the best with Nagakiba – Seppuku, Bloody Slash, Repeating Thrust, Double Slash, etc.
➡️ Location
Nagakiba does not have a certain location. You need to complete the questline of Bloody Finger Hunter Yura – Nagakiba’s wielder. Once you complete the questline, you will get the katana; you can also get his armor set.
You can find Bloody Finger Hunter Yura in Limgrave near Agheel Lake South.
The extreme reach of Nagakiba outweighs its slightly lower damage than Uchigatana. Due to Nagakiba’s long length, it is best paired with the Hand of Malenia in a dual-wield play style.
Hand of Malenia
➡️ Special Skill: Waterfowl Dance
The Hand of Malenia is a katana built into Malenia’s prosthetic arm, hence the name. Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is a demigod and one of the strongest bosses in Elden Ring. Through consecration, this katana is resistant to rot.
Malenia’s war prosthesis symbolized her victories. Some claim to have seen wings when the weapon was raised aloft, wings of fierce determination that have never known defeat.
The Hand of Malenia is heavy and the second-longest katana in Elden Ring behind Nagakiba. It causes natural blood loss and comes with a special skill called Waterfowl Dance – the same skill Malenia uses against her enemies.
➡️ Attributes and Strength
The Hand of Malenia is considered one of the best Dexterity weapons, requiring 48 (dexterity) and 16 (strength) to wield. It has 600+ physical damage, the highest of all the katanas.
However, the Waterfowl Dance fills up the bleed extremely slowly, making it less impactful than it could be. So, keep that in mind.
Also, the Hand of Malenia lacks customization options. It cannot be infused with Ashes of War but can be upgraded by Somber smithing stones.
➡️ Location
The Hand of Malenia is a New Game Plus (NG+) weapon, as you can only acquire it late in the game by defeating Malenia herself in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree. Trust me; it won’t be easy to defeat a boss who is a Demi-God!
I recommend you to be at least level 120+ before you even think of defeating Malenia.
Once you defeat Malenia, you will receive two items: Malenia’s Great Rune and Remembrance of the Rot Goddess.
Take the Remembrance to Enia in the Roundtable Hold and exchange it for the Hand of Malenia Katana.
The Hand of Malenia blade causes immense natural blood loss to enemies and even bosses. Although the Waterfowl Dance has a slow buildup time (which leaves you open to counterattacks), it can be made stronger with a high poise and an attack buff talisman.
Overall, the Hand of Malenia is a powerful katana with a long reach and extremely high physical damage and pairs wonderfully with Nagakiba.
I am telling you, if you are looking for the best katanas for duel wielding in Elden Ring – go for Nagakiba and Hand of Malenia combination. Their lengths and strengths complement each other perfectly.
Moonveil Katana
➡️ Special Skill: Transient Moonlight
Moonveil Katana – I know you were waiting for this one!
Perhaps the most popular katana, the Moonveil katana, is a perfect weapon for intellect users. This Elden Ring katana is forged of Glintstone and is a masterpiece of a Sellian swordsmith.
According to the lore, when sheathed, Moonveil katana is enveloped by the moonlight, and when unsheathed, releases that power as a wave of light – a special skill called the Transient Moonlight. Hence, the Moonveil moniker.
➡️ Attributes and Strength
You require the following attributes to wield Moonveil katana – 12 (Strength), 18 (Dexterity), and 23 (Intelligence). The advantage of this katana is it causes bleed buildup with every hit. Also, it has better magic scaling than the Meteoric Ore Blade.
No, you cannot get two Moonveil katanas, but you can definitely use it two-handed for powerful attacks or dual-wield it with Uchigatana/Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger.
If you have a Spellblade play-style (using katana in one hand and a staff to cast spells in the other), then pair Moonveil katana with Carian Regal Scepter and Greatblade Phalanx.
➡️ Location
Finding Moonveil katana is quite easy, but acquiring it is not. I mean, it depends on how leveled up your Tarnished is.
Go to Gael Tunnel and find the boss of the place – Magma Wyrm.
Defeat the Magma Wyrm and it will drop the Moonveil katana for you.
You can acquire Moonveil katana quite early in the game, making it one of the most powerful and best early-game katanas in Elden Ring.
Overall, Moonveil katana has a superb wave of light attack animation that doesn’t just look cool but does a lot of damage as well. However, it has a shorter reach than Nagakiba and Hand of Malenia.
Rivers of Blood
➡️ Special Skill: Corpse Piler
Arguably, one of the best katanas in Elden Ring, Rivers of Blood, is a uniquely powerful weapon. It has a cool weapon art and causes natural blood loss as well.
Rivers of Blood is dropped by Okina, a swordsman from the Land of Reeds. According to the Elden Ring lore, it is a cursed weapon that has defeated countless men.
Furthermore, when Mohg, the Lord of Blood, first felt Okina’s sword and madness upon his flesh, he had a proposal to offer Okina the life of a demon whose thirst would never go unsated.
(The bloody slashes in the air do look cool, don’t you think?)
➡️ Attributes and Strength
Rivers of Blood is one of the rarest katanas in the Lands Between, which makes sense because it is one of the few katanas that scales with the Arcane attribute. You require 12 (Strength), 18 (Dexterity), and 20 (Arcane) attributes to wield it.
Rivers of Blood’s special skill – Corpse Piler – is a combination of repeated interweaving attacks and additional attacks. This skill leads to immense and quick blood loss and does a ton of damage.
Rivers of Blood does the most bleed (75) in Elden Ring. This katana does both fire and physical damage benefitting from Flame, Grant Me Strength incantation.
➡️ Location
In the later portion of the game, you need to head to the snowy region of Mountaintops of the Giants and find the Church of Repose.
Upon reaching the Church of Repose, you will be invaded by Bloody Finger Okina. You need to defeat him, and he will drop his weapon – Rivers of Blood katana.
Along with the katana, you will also get an Okina Mask.
The Rivers of Blood can be considered the strongest katana in Elden Ring and a weapon you do not want to be missing from your arsenal. The only downside of this katana is its faraway location on the Mountaintops of the Giants.
Due to its Arcane scaling, Rivers of Blood can be paired with Dragon Communion Seal. You can also pair it with the Shard of Alexander and Lord of Blood’s Exultation.
Serpentbone Blade
➡️ Special Skill: Double Slash
The Serpentbone blade is an Elden Ring katana that is modeled after a serpent bone, hence the moniker. The blade features a densely packed row of spines that rise away from the cutting edge. The spines are coated with poison giving the blade an inherent poison effect.
You can do a Double Slash attack – a skill of a superior swordsman – with Serpentbone katana that looks awesome. You perform a crossing slash attack from a low stance. Repeated inputs allow for up to two follow-up attacks.
Serpentbone katana has the second-highest physical damage of all the katanas in Elden Ring – behind the Hand of Malenia. And you also get poison buildup with each hit.
➡️ Attributes and Strength
Serpentbone katana is one of the lightest katanas in Elden Ring and requires 11 (Strength) and 22 (Dexterity) points in order to wield. It has higher raw damage than Nagakiba and Uchigatana.
An interesting thing I noted about upgrading the Serpentbone katana is you can upgrade it with regular Smithing Stone; there is no need for Somber Smithing Stone. Considering this is a unique katana in the game, it was quite shocking.
Also, you cannot change Serpentbone’s Ash of War. (Sucks, right?)
➡️ Location
You need to do the Assassination quest in Volcano Manor, which is somewhat far into the game.
In Volcano Manor, you need to find Tanith, the lady who has the Crucible Knight beside her. She will assign you two quests. In the first one, you need to defeat Old Knight Istvan, and in the second one, kill Rileigh the Idle.
Once the quest is complete, return to Tanith, and she will reward you with the Serpentbone Blade.
In my opinion, the Poison effect is much slower and less effective than the Bleed effect in general. Also, it has a shorter reach than the Hand of Malenia or Nagakiba. Another drawback is that you cannot change the affinity of this weapon, which means you cannot add another status effect like Bleed or Frostbite.
So, I do not prefer the Serpentbone blade.
However, if you want to use this Elden Ring katana, make sure you use it double-handed or dual-wield it with a Bleed katana like Uchigatana.
Meteoric Ore Blade
➡️ Special Skill: Gravitas
Meteoric Ore Blade is one of the most popular katanas in Elden Ring and one of the easiest-to-get unique weapons. It is a katana forged from meteoric ore to dispatch lifeforms born of falling stars.
Meteoric Ore Blade is the heaviest katana in Elden Ring and delivers slashes with much ferocity – resembling the crash of a falling meteor. It does physical as well as magical damage. In fact, Meteoric Ore Blade has the highest Attack ratings out of all the katanas in Elden Ring.
➡️ Attributes and Strength
As mentioned, Meteoric Ore Blade is the heaviest katana in Elden Ring, so before you wield it, ensure that you are leveled up pretty well and have a high poise. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get all the benefits from this katana.
Meteoric Ore Blade’s attribute requirement is 15 (Strength), 14 (Dexterity), and 18 (Intellect). Its unique skill called Gravitas lets you thrust the katana into the ground and create a gravity well. This pulls in all the surrounding enemies allowing you to finish them with quick slashes.
➡️ Location
Depending on your map fragment collection, you may or may not have access to the Caelid region. Yes, this is the same region where you find fearsome dragons.
Meteoric Ore Blade is located in Caelid Waypoint Ruins.
(Also, since you are in Caelid, you can kill the sleeping dragon and acquire 50,000 Runes!)
Enter the Ruins and go to the basement. Avoid or fight the enemies, your choice. There you will find a chest. Open the chest, and you will find the Meteoric Ore Blade.
Tip: Do have a Glowstone or buy a Torch from merchant Kalé. It’s dark inside the Ruins!
Meteoric Ore Blade is the heaviest and the shortest katana in Elden Ring. Its short reach is outweighed by its heavy attack, though. Also, Gravitas is not much of a powerful attack and does little damage.
This Elden Ring katana does have a blood loss buildup and the highest attack rating. However, there are better katanas in Lands Between.
Dragonscale Blade
➡️ Special Skill: Ice Lightning
The Dragonscale blade is made by sharpening a Gravel Stone scale, a source of ancient dragon immortality, into an unclouded blade. You can dish out both Frostbite and Lightning with this blade.
This blade does +20% damage against Dragon-type enemies and +10% damage against Ancient Dragon-type enemies.
The blade’s special skill calls down a bolt of ice lightning into the blade and allows you to slash it upon a foe. The ice-lightning effect will persist for a while.
➡️ Attributes and Strength
The Dragonscale Blade scales primarily with Dexterity and Strength attributes. You require 12 (Strength) and 20 (Dexterity) points in order to wield it. This blade is the second shortest katana in Elden Ring – just slightly longer than Meteoric Ore Blade.
However, it’s the lightest katana in Elden Ring – tied with Uchigatana. It does not have any initial buildup – no poison effect, no blood loss effect, nothing at all.
Also, the special skill – Ice Lightning – is not much useful as you progress further in the game and is not at all useful against Dragons. This disappointed me a lot, considering how cool the Ice Lighting effect looks on the Dragonscale blade.
➡️ Location
The Dragonscale blade is located underground in the middle of the Lake of Rot. Yes, you will have to deal with a LOT of Scarlet Rot.
Defeat the Boss and get the Dragonscale blade.
The Ice Lightning Sword effect lasts only 20 seconds, and you cannot change its Ash of War. It does not have any inherent passive effect as all the other katanas have.
It is best to dual-wield the Dragonscale blade with Cold Uchigatana for faster Frostbite buildup and similar scaling. These two katanas also have similar ranges, making launching a powerful attack easier.
Conclusion
So, we discussed all the 8 katanas available in Elden Ring. These are in no particular order, but, in my opinion, Uchigatana and Nagakiba are the best katanas for their upgrade capabilities and powerful attacks. They can help you throughout the open world of Elden Ring if you keep scaling and infusing them with Ashes of War.
There really aren’t any bad katanas, and all have the ability to pierce through the enemy, but as the game progresses and enemies get stronger, you will need better katanas. If you want to try some OP katanas, go for Meteoric Ore Blade or Rivers of Blood katanas.
Of course, all this traveling for different katanas won’t be easy on foot. So, make sure to find Melania and acquire Torrent, your Spectral Steed, for faster traversal!
