Elden Ring gives players plenty of opportunities to customize their playstyle, but let’s face it, there’s nothing cooler than being a samurai wielding a katana.
To live out your Shogun dreams, there are quite a few different weapon options, each with its own unique quirks. Ultimately, these swords are not equal, with select ones excelling far beyond their peers, so you’ll want to choose wisely. The eight katanas in Elden Ring are obtainable at different points in the hardcore FromSoftware game, but if you’ve got access to all of them, here’s what we’d suggest wielding (in order of worst to best).
The eight bests katana in Elden Ring
8) Uchigatana
Uchigatana is probably the first katana you’ll find in Elden Ring. This weapon is the worst in class, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. You can build up blood loss by slashing this blade, and its weapon art Unsheathe does give opportunities to deal extra damage. However, you’ll probably want to seek out one of the weapons higher on our list for your campaign.
7) Serpentbone Blade
As you’d expect from an early-game katana, the Serpentbone Blade is mostly a physical damage dealer, however, it does have a nice passive that builds up poison damage. To increase your chance of dealing this, you can use the weapon art Double Slash to increase hits. Outside that, this is very much an early-game weapon.
6) Nagakiba
Nagakiba is a katana that’s trustworthy, but nothing special. This weapon has good physical damage and a great weapon art that can’t be blocked. It’s a good choice for PvP and will get you through many of the armed guards you’ll face during your journey in the campaign.
5) Dragonscale Blade
The Dragonscale Blade is a good alternative to Hand of Malenia. This weapon has good physical damage, but where it excels is the magic damage via its weapon art. Ice Lightning Sword sees the Dragonscale Blade engulfed in lightning, buffing it for a period. When you’re facing tougher bosses you can quickly increase the damage from your katana.
4) Hand of Malenia
Hand of Malenia, which is the toughest katana to get, is a great weapon for any samurai in Elden Ring. This hefty sword deals incredible physical damage—the best in class—and this damage can be dealt in lethal succession using the weapon art Waterfowl Dance. This attack sees the player dash forward dealing a beautiful succession of swings with their sword. If you’re using a Dex build then this is probably going to be one of the best katana options for you.
3) Moonveil
The Moonveil Katana has a great weapon art called Transient Moonlight. This ability fires off a crescent moon-shaped blast of magic; a powerful ranged move to complete the close-ranged skills of the Katana. Using this weapon also allows you to experiment with magic builds despite using a weapon like the Katana that doesn’t typically suit this playstyle.
2) Meteoric Ore Blade
Gravity magic is some of the strongest in Elden Ring and that’s what makes the Meteoric Ore Blade such a great Katana. The unique weapon art, Gravitas, drags nearby enemies close, dealing damage and setting them up for combat. Again, this katana deals magic damage, so you can pair it with other spells for a unique spin on the traditional katana style.
1) Rivers of Blood
The Rivers of Blood katana is by far the best in Elden Ring. This incredible weapon can deal massive damage by building up bleed, and with the right build, can be fatal in just a few hits. Furthermore, some of the toughest bosses in Elden Ring are vulnerable to bleed, so if you’re stuck on the campaign, this is a great weapon choice.
