As a long-time fan of FromSoftware games and Japanese lore, I‘ve always gravitated towards katana builds. There‘s something elegant, yet savage about carving through enemies with a razor sharp, curved blade. These weapons demand finesse and discipline to fully master.
In Elden Ring, katanas are more versatile and powerful than ever. After hundreds of hours experimenting with different builds, I‘m ready to share the secrets to mastering these deadly swords in the Lands Between. Read on for bleeding-edge analysis from a dedicated katana enthusiast!
Why I Love the Katana Playstyle
Katanas stand out for a few key reasons that cater perfectly to my preferred playstyle:
High risk, high reward – Their medium range and lower poise demand tight spacing and precision. But timed properly, you shred foes before they can react.
Aggressive, combo-driven – The quick, low cost attacks let you pressure enemies with complex chains. This fits my aggressive preferences nicely.
Bleed, bleed, bleed – Hemorrhage is simply overpowered in Elden Ring. Most katanas accentuate this with innate bleed scaling.
Flashy finesse – Between the flowing strikes, sprints, and stylish weapon arts, katanas have an unmatched elegance no other weapons can match.
Now let‘s analyze the best katana choices in detail across PvE and PvP.
Best Katanas for PvE Damage
While all katanas work fine in PvE, these 3 stand out from the pack:
Rivers of Blood
Without a doubt, one of the most powerful katanas in Elden Ring for PvE carnage. The "Corpse Piler" weapon skill morphs you into a spinning, blood-soaked helicopter of death – shredding groups and bosses with insane speed.
On top of bonkers damage, it causes heavy bleed per hit. You can melt through NG+ content by chain staggering enemies.
However, the long animation leaves you vulnerable. Spacing and timing is key. Rivers truly shines when paired with a secondary katana to mix up timing.
Hand of Malenia
Arguably the most iconic dexterity katana in Elden Ring. Defeating the notorious Malenia boss rewards you with this beauty.
It mirrors Malenia‘s flowing Waterfowl Dance skill – a flurry of acrobatic slashes that erase bosses. Despite recent nerfs, Waterfowl remains one of the strongest skills – shredding even end game bosses.
The key downside is significant stat investment required. You need good vigor just to survive using it. However, if you adore the Malenia fight, this weapon is the ultimate trophy.
Moonveil
For ranged harassment and magic power, Moonveil dominates. It fires a wave of magic energy with its Transient Moonlight skill, catching unaware enemies completely off guard in both PvE and PvP.
In addition to solid physical damage, Moonveil deals strong magic damage with good Intelligence scaling. It has versatile damage types, good mobility, and causes bleed buildup through combos. Easily one of the most well-rounded and effective katanas in the game.
Comparing Katanas for PvP
The PvP katana meta favors speed, range, and aggression. When fighting skilled opponents, landing the first hit is often decisive. Let‘s examine how the top PvP katanas compare:
| Katana | Range | Move Set | Skill | Quick Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers of Blood | 8/10 | Pierce/Thrust | S-Tier | 10/10 |
| Moonveil | 7/10 | Standard | A-Tier | 9/10 |
| Nagakiba | 10/10 | Pierce/Thrust | B-Tier | 8/10 |
As shown above, Rivers of Blood stands at the top – boasting decent range with a overwhelmingly strong weapon skill in Corpse Piler. Getting caught by just one can mean death.
Moonveil takes 2nd place, with slightly lower range but a versatile, annoying weapon skill to constantly pressure enemies from afar.
Finally, the Nagakiba katana takes 3rd as a "one-trick pony" – relying purely on its immense range to harass. But with the right player, it‘s lethal.
Now let‘s analyze some direct katana vs katana matchups:
Rivers of Blood beats Nagakiba due to higher speed and damage. But Nagakiba can sometimes punished whiffed skills.
Moonveil beats Rivers in drawn out battles by keeping distance and using ranged skills. But gets crushed if caught by Corpse Piler.
Nagakiba can defeat Moonveil if played evasively to avoid skills. But smart Moonveil spacing makes this very difficult.
In summary, while Rivers may seem unbeatable, it can be countered through proper spacing, punishment windows, and damage avoidance. Learn your opponent‘s weapons to excel in PvP.
Optimizing Stats for the Build
Let‘s analyze the optimum stats to maximize katana performance:
| Stat | Target Level | Benefit |
| Vigor | 50-60 | Survivability for risky playstyle |
| Mind | 25-30 | More weapon skill uses |
| Endurance | 20-25 | Medium armor without fat roll |
| Strength | Minimum for weapons | Katana requirement is low |
| Dexterity | 80 | Maximizes katana damage and bleed |
| Intelligence | 60 | Power up Moonveil skill |
| Arcane | 45-50 | Boost bleed buildup |
Let‘s analyze the rationale behind this spread:
Prioritize Vigor for surviving your risky, close range playstyle
Mind fuels weapon skills, which katanas rely heavily on
Endurance enables medium armor without fat rolling
Dexterity is king, driving both damage and bleed procs
Intelligence powers Moonveil skill and magic damage
Arcane further accentuates bleed buildup
Adjust exact amounts based on whether you strictly play PvE vs PvP. But this distribution offers an excellent starting point.
Best Ashes of War
While katanas come with great base skills, Ashes of War can push them even further. Here are my top affinities:
Blood – A no brainer for most katanas. Boosts bleed scaling for hemorrhage procs.
Occult – An alternative to Blood that scales well with Arcane. Lowers base damage but higher bleed.
Keen – Removes status effects but massively boosts Dexterity scaling for raw damage.
Seppuku – Attaching this Ash transforms your katana into a walking bleed nuke. At the cost of FP and health per hit.
I suggest keeping your mainhand katana with Blood or Occult focus, while your offhand focuses on raw damage like Keen. This provides balance.
Seppuku is extremely powerful but costs HP per hit to use – making it very risky. Use at your own peril.
Armor and Talismans Synergies
Let‘s analyze how to accentuate your katanas with end-game armor and talismans:
The White Mask helmet boosts attack power whenever bleed procs on enemies. This stacks multiplicatively with the Lord of Blood‘s Exultation for even higher damage spikes when hemorrhage activates. You become a delete button.
The Raptor‘s Black Feathers chest armor further raises attack power for successive hits. Combining with the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia talisman rewards aggression with growing might.
For poise, the Bull Goat armor set offers the highest while maintaining medium equip load. You trade some mobility for hyper armor during attack chains.
The Claw talisman pairs perfectly with the innate jumping slash moves of katanas. You become a lethal grasshopper of blades.
Altogether, these equipment synergies compliment, accentuate, and enable the rushdown katana playstyle.
Mastering the Key Combos
Now that your build is fully optimized, let‘s analyze the intricacies of high level katana play:
Katanas reward mixing up singles, doubles, and weapon skill chains to create complex combo strings that overwhelm opponents. Some key examples:
Against slow melee enemies, bait an attack then input:
Running attack > Double R1 Combo > Weapon Skill
The running slice covers distance rapidly to punish whiffs, followed into the double slash R1 chain. End with a weapon skill finisher.
For mages, quickly close the gap then input:
Roll Catch > Jump Attack > Running Slash > Repeat
Roll catch their evasion attempt with a well-timed R1 out of your own roll. Flow into a jump attack then running slash to chase them down. Stick to them like glue.
In PvP, a nasty deception combo is:
Whiffed Running Slash > Corpse Piler
Whiff a running slash completely on purpose, then catch them off guard with the explosion of Corpse Piler while they attempt to punish. This is an easy one-shot.
As you can see, high level katana play relies heavily on connecting combos, punishing poor aggression, and mixing up movement attacks. Master these core principles to perfect the craft.
Playstyle Tips and Real World Examples
Now I‘ll provide some detailed tips and concrete examples to truly master competitive play:
Beware trading hits – Your lower poise means avoiding multiple simultaneous hits. Prioritize perfectly timed dodges and single punishes.
Exploit bleed constantly – Keep up constant pressure through combos until bleed procs, then reset spacing and repeat. Hemorrhage outpaces raw DPS.
For example, against a colossal sword user in PvP, properly space their first lumbering swing then dash in behind them during recovery frames to bleed slash their exposed back. Reset your spacing safely and re-engage. Whittle them down through patience and discipline.
Punish recklessness – The thirst for finishing low HP targets leads to poor aggression. Master the discipline to instead reset back to maximum range after landing initial hits, ready to evade and counter-punish their greedy chase attempt on you. Turn the hunter into the hunted.
Mix delayed weapon arts – The split second delay between an enemy expecting your weapon art wind up versus when it actually fires throws off even seasoned duelists. Mix delayed activation to score free hits. This buys you room to then reset spacing safely once more.
Through hours of trial and error against the Lands Between‘s fiercest foes, these universal principles allowed me to refine my katana game into a lethal art form. I hope they inspire you as well, my friend. Now go bleed some beasts!
Conclusion
For dexterity fans desiring a challenging yet satisfying melee playstyle, katanas are an incredible option offering complexity and flair to enjoy mastering. I hope this bleeding-edge deep dive arms you with the analytics to excel on your own journey to katana excellence. May we cross blades someday!
