Top 8 Best Katanas In Elden Ring [270+ Hours Experience]
Katanas may not be the most detrimental weapons in the game, but they sure are really cool. Here are all the best katanas in Elden Ring.
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Katanas may not be the most detrimental weapons in the game, but they sure are really cool. Elden Ring has been successful in making Katanas useful and worthy of mention. Elden Ring doesn’t have many Katanas to show off, but they’ve chosen to have eight katanas in total that’ll get the job done.
- Why Trust Us: Hamid Shah has spent 270+ hours on Elden Ring, which makes him highly trustworthy on this topic!
Our Picks For Best Elden Ring Katanas Compared
The following table entails the best Katanas with comparison between them:
| Rank | Katanas | Physical ATK | Physical Guard | Strength | Dexterity | Light Guard | Holy Guard | Boost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Dragonscale Blade | 110.0 | 35.0 | 12.0 | 20.0 | 50.0 | 25.0 | 30.0 |
| 7 | Nagakiba | 115.0 | 49.0 | 18.0 | 22.0 | 33.0 | 33.0 | 33.0 |
| 6 | Hand of Malenia | 117.0 | 49.0 | 16.0 | 48.0 | 33.0 | 33.0 | 33.0 |
| 5 | Uchigatana | 115.0 | 45.0 | 11.0 | 15.0 | 30.0 | 30.0 | 30.0 |
| 4 | Serpentbone Blade | 120.0 | 45.0 | 11.0 | 22.0 | 30.0 | 30.0 | 30.0 |
| 3 | Moonveil Katana | 73.0 | 31.0 | 12.0 | 18.0 | 26.0 | 26.0 | 31.0 |
| 2 | Meteoric Ore Blade | 112.0 | 50.0 | 15.0 | 14.0 | 31.0 | 31.0 | 33.0 |
| 1 | Rivers of Blood Katana | 76.0 | 36.0 | 12.0 | 18.0 | 40.0 | 33.0 | 31.0 |
8) Dragonscale Blade
- Why I Chose This: While this katana is locked behind a late-game area, its stat requirements make it so you can use it for almost any build, making it highly accessible.
The Dragonscale Blade is a strong low-requirement katana that primarily scales with strength and dexterity.
- Accessible for most builds.
- Ash of War is great for PvP.
- Can be buffed with Lightning Damage via Ash of War.
- Lackluster attribute-scaling.
- Cannot be infused with other Ashes of War.
7) Nagakiba
- Why I Chose This: If you like to have a katana with effective regular attacks, this is easily my top recommendations.
The Nagakiba Katana is a splendid weapon for early-game due to its availability and impact.
This Elden Ring katana scales primarily with strength and dexterity and has an incredibly long blade enough to cut through the enemy in no time.
Attack:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Crit |
|
115 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
Guard:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Boost |
|
49 |
33 |
33 |
33 |
33 |
33 |
The NPC Bloody Finger Hunter Yura drops the Nagakiba Katana, which is very easy to get. The Nagakiba Katana grades D and C, requiring 18 and 22 in strength and dexterity.
- Easy to get.
- Deceptively long range.
- Low requirements.
- Strong Guarding ability.
- Ash of War is nothing special.
- Weak Attribute Scaling.
6) Hand Of Malenia
- Why I Chose This: If you like to have a katana with effective regular attacks, this is easily my top recommendations.
As the name suggests, the Hand of Malenia Katana is Malenia’s Katana built into her prosthetic arm. This katana can be obtained from the remembrance of the Rot Goddess by Enia.
- Why I Chose This: The Hand of Malenia is designed for offense-oriented Dex players who want to play around with arguably the most overpowered boss attack in Elden Ring.
Attack:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Crit |
|
117 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
Guard:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Boost |
|
49 |
33 |
33 |
33 |
33 |
33 |
The Hand of Malenia cannot be infused with Ashes of War but can be upgraded by Somber smithing stones. Also, the Hand of Malenia is primarily scaled with strength and dexterity. It is graded E and B and requires 16 and 48 strength and dexterity.
If you like Katanas, then you’ll surely love other melee Weapons. Check out our Elden Ring best melee weapons guide and learn 25 top melee weapons.
- Ash of War has strong range.
- Great damage output.
- Strong Guarding Ability.
- Impressive Attribute Scaling.
- Challenging to get.
- Only for Dexterity users.
- Ash of War is tricky to master.
5) Uchigatana
- Why I Chose This: The amount of builds where I’ve seen a unique Ash of War with the Uchigatana while still being a menace in PvE and PvP deserves a noteworthy mention on my list.
The Uchigatana can be used by the Samurai of the Land of Reeds as starting equipment for the samurai starting class. Its unique single-edged curved design is made to cause blood loss in the enemy.
Attack:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Crit |
|
115 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
Guard:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Boost |
|
45 |
0 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
The Uchigatana has physical and critical damage of 115 and 100, and its weapon skill is Unsheathe. This Elden Ring katana is primarily scaled with strength and dexterity as it is graded D and D and requires 11 and 15. The long-sharp blade is compatible with Ashes of War and can be upgraded by Smithing Stones.
- Highly customizable.
- Low requirements.
- High Blood Loss buildup.
- Gets overshadowed by Rivers of Blood.
- Weak attribute scaling.
4) Serpentbone Blade
- Why I Chose This: This katana is extremely well-rounded with strong attack and range, but what really sets it apart is its Heavy Attack, which can catch players off-guard.
With the weapon skill of double slash, the Serpentbone Blade is perfect for inflicting much damage on the opponent. Its blade is covered with serpent venom, and the Serpentbone Blade can deal with a physical attack of 120.
Attack:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Crit |
|
120 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
Guard:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Boost |
|
45 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
The Serpentbone Blade is obtained as a reward for completing the second letter quest in the Volcano Manor.
- Unique heavy attack.
- Incredible Physical Damage.
- Ash of War is uninspiring.
3) Moonveil
- Why I Chose This: No other katana’s Ash of War is as overpowered and tricky to counter in PvP as the Moonveil.
Moonveil Katana is one of the best Early game Katana in Elden Ring.
Despite some better katanas out there, their popularity is probably the highest. The Moonveil Katana has a physical attack of 73, 87 of magical damage, and critical damage of 100.
It can be found in Gael Tunnel, dropped by Magma Wyrm. The Moonveil Katana scales primarily with strength, intelligence, and dexterity and is graded E, C, and D.
Attack:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Crit |
|
73 |
87 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
Guard:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Boost |
|
31 |
57 |
26 |
26 |
26 |
31 |
Moonveil Katana requires 12 strength, 18 dexterity, and 23 intelligence.
- Ash of War has incredible vertical and horizontal range.
- Great for PvE and PvP.
- Highly popular among the community.
- Amazing staggering ability.
- Strong Magic Damage.
- High Intelligence requirement.
2) Meteoric Ore Blade
- Why I Chose This: As my personal favorite katana, this weapon has it all – scaling, damage, range, versatility, and an amazing Ash of War.
The Meteoric Ore Blade is undoubtedly the second-best Katana in Elden Ring,
if not the best. Fans will always have different views on the ranking, but I feel the Meteoric Ore Blade deserves this.
Attack:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Crit |
|
112 |
72 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
Guard:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Boost |
|
50 |
45 |
31 |
31 |
31 |
33 |
With the weapon skill of Gravitas and high overall damage, the Meteoric Ore Blade is believed to be so stupendously powerful that one slash is equal to a falling meteor.
This vicious Katana can be found at the Caelid Waypoint Ruins inside a chest of an underground hall.
- Incredibly versatile Ash of War.
- Gravity-based attacks are highly effective in PvP.
- Strong damage output.
- High Intelligence requirement.
- Weaker Attribute Scaling that Moonveil.
1) Rivers Of Blood
- Why I Chose This: The Rivers of Blood can melt bosses with its high Bleed buildup, rivaling some of the best Bleed weapons in the game.
Most players agree that the Rivers of Blood Katana is undisputedly the best Katana in Elden Ring. The Rivers of Blood is the only Katana introduced yet that scales primarily with Arcane, strength, and dexterity. They are graded E, D, and D and require 12, 18, and 20 strength, dexterity, and arcane.
Attack:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Crit |
|
76 |
0 |
76 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
Guard:
|
Physical |
Magic |
Fire |
Light |
Holy |
Boost |
|
36 |
27 |
62 |
40 |
33 |
31 |
The Rivers of Blood is dropped by the NPC Bloody Finger Okina, who spawns near the Church of Repose in the Eastern Region of Mountain Tops of Giants.
- Amazing Blood Loss buildup.
- Ash of War has an incredible range.
- Great against bosses and hordes of enemies.
- S-tier status affliction.
- Impressive Guarding stats.
- Challenging to get.
- Not as effective in PvP as other top-tier katanas.
My Favourite Katana In Elden Ring
For the early game, I’d highly recommend getting the Nagakiba. It is the longest Katana in the game, with immense range, and also offers an interchangeable Ash of War slot. This gave me much more flexibility in what Ash of War I’d go with, but my choice was Bloodhound Step. Once you are in the mid-late game, you can pair this with either River of Blood or Hands of Malenia.
Both of these weapons have some of the most powerful Ash of War in the game, capable of taking out any foe in a single combo. Their combination also works very well in the PvE, making these two a very strong recommendation from me.
Community Poll
Let us know what you think about the guide. Comment below which Katana is best for you. As mentioned before, there really aren’t any bad katanas and all have the ability to pierce through the enemy, but as the game progresses, better enemies face us in the heat of battle. And when that happens we’ll need to get the best of the best and these are the best, in order.
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Let\'s be honest here. The Meteoric Ore Blade is the only cultured pick
We all knew Rivers of Blood was gonna be No 1.
Great list! I always wondered how the Moonveil Katana stacks up against the Rivers of Blood. Looks like I need to give it a try now!
Loving the Moonveil for its magic scaling. Definitely agree with it being one of the top picks.
i went for a samurai build and it goes so well with the Hand Of Malenia, best weapon, but i would like to try other katanas as well, good list
Uchigatana FTW!!
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