Shadow of the Erdtree introduces several new weapons to choose from. One of the more intriguing options in the game is the Sword of Night, a new katana weapon with a powerful Ash of War perfect for any Dexterity build. So how do you acquire this weapon?
How to get the Sword of Night in Elden Ring
The Sword of Night is a weapon you acquire fairly late in the storyline of Shadow of the Erdtree. When you reach Scadu Altus and the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, you will meet Count Ymir and undertake his questline. Once complete, the NPC Jolan will be left feeling empty. Give him the Iris of Occultation to acquire his Sword of Night.
This weapon has great Dexterity scaling and is perfect for any Dex-based build. Its true selling point is its Ash of War: Witching Hour Slash, an attack that releases dark slashes in all directions around you. These slashes are unblockable and can pierce through any defense, something few weapons offer in Elden Ring, making it invaluable in combat.
Now that you know how to acquire the Sword of Night, we need to work it into a viable build.
The best Sword of Night build in Elden Ring
The Sword of Night build will be a pure Dexterity build. As such, if your current build doesn’t reflect similar stats, it might be worth using a Larval Tear to respec your character into this endgame build. If you’re ready, these requirements should get you started.
| Build parameters | Requirements |
| Recommended level | 150+ |
| Primary stats | Dexterity |
| Secondary stats | Vigor, Endurance |
| Weapons | Sword of Night Keen Uchigatana/Nagakiba |
| Armor | Leda’s Armor Any other armor (maintain medium load) |
| Talismans | Two-headed Turtle Talisman Retaliatory Crossed-Tree Millicent’s Prosthesis Shard of Alexander |
| Weapon skills | Witching Hour Slash |
| Additional spells | N/A |
The next part of this build showcases an ideal stat distribution to make the Sword of Night work.
Stat distribution
Getting your Dex up to 50 should be ideal for this build. The remaining points are to be pumped into Vigor and Endurance, with some leftover points into Mind (optional) for additional FP. Towards the end of the stat allocation, your Dexterity should ideally be at 60, if not more.
This is what your endgame stats should look like.
- Vigor: 50
- Mind: 20
- Endurance: 35
- Strength: 11 (minimum required for Sword of Night)
- Dexterity: 60+
- Intelligence: Base level
- Faith: Base level
- Arcane: Base level
This build should cap out at levels 165-170. Any excess points left over from the reallocation and subsequent levels are best invested into Dexterity for more damage until you reach a soft cap.
Gear breakdown
The centerpiece of this build is the Sword of Night katana. You will need a prerequisite 11 Strength and 20 Dexterity to wield it correctly. Beyond this, its only scaling is through Dexterity, so investing any extra points into this stat will always yield good results. If you plan on sticking with this weapon until the end game, going through multiple Dex soft caps isn’t a bad idea.
On the other hand, we recommend equipping either a Nagakiba or an Uchigatana with the Keen affinity for better Dex scaling. Since you will be using two katanas, your chance of causing blood loss will increase. Additionally, you can use greases on your secondary weapon for more damage.
In terms of armor, you will want Leda’s Armor to boost your damage after a roll or backstep. Since you will be rolling around constantly against enemies, this armor will always grant you a damage boost. The rest of your armor is up to you, just remember to maintain a medium equip load.
Talisman breakdown
Four talismans work perfectly with the Sword of Night.
The Retaliatory Crossed-Tree is a new talisman introduced in the DLC. This talisman further boosts your damage after a roll or backstep, stacking with Leda’s Armor to provide even more damage. Keep this one on at all times.
Millicent’s Prosthesis is a staple talisman for any Dex build. Not only does it increase your Dexterity, but it also boosts your damage with every successive attack up to an increase of 11 percent. With the rapid slashes that this build dishes out, this talisman will always be useful.
The Two-headed Turtle Talisman is another new DLC talisman. This talisman grants you even faster stamina regeneration compared to the Green Turtle Talisman and is a must-have for any build that utilizes rapid rolls and dodges to stay alive.
The Shard of Alexander is the best talisman to have for any build that uses Ashes of War a lot. This talisman greatly boosts the power of all weapon skills, making Witching Hour Slash even more effective with each use.
