The Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana belongs to the newly introduced Great Katana weapon type in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. The Great Katanas combine the powerful swings of greatswords with the swift slashes of katanas, striking a sweet balance between attack power and speed. The Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana, in particular, is a special blade because of its unique ability to deal bonus damage to dragons.
However, this weapon isn't limited to just slaying dragons and, when paired with powerful talismans, the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana can be tailored to various situations, including PvP and PvE scenarios.
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How To Obtain Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana
The Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana can be acquired after eliminating the Ancient Dragon Man dungeon boss in Shadow of the Erdtree. This boss can be found at the end of the Dragon's Pit dungeon guarding your entry to the Jagged Peak.
You can find the Dragon's Pit by riding south from the Castle Front Site of Grace. Along the way, you'll be invaded by the Ancient Dragon Man in his spectral form, but you'll also find him in his physical form at the end of the Dragon's Pit.
You can upgrade the weapon to +10 using Somber Smithing Stones and a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.
Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana Stats & Scaling
Despite its imposing name, the 
Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana is surprisingly accessible for players of varying builds, and may not require a respec of the character to effectively wield the weapon. The Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana requires the following stat attributes and scales accordingly:
|
Attribute Requirement |
Level |
Scaling |
|---|---|---|
|
Strength |
15 |
D |
|
Dexterity |
20 |
D |
The katana also features the Dragonwound Slash skill, exclusive to this weapon, and cannot be replaced with another Ash of War. Using the weapon skill coats the katana with a jagged gravel-stone aura and unleashes a reaping slash that deals bonus damage to dragons. You can also charge the skill to increase its potency and combine it with a specific talisman to further enhance its damage output.
It takes approximately three seconds to fully charge the Dragonwound Slash skill and the game does not compensate you with hyper armor during the skill animation. So, you'll need to find the best openings to punish an enemy with this skill, making it a high-risk, high-reward combat option.
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Best Talismans To Pair With Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana
While the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana is a great weapon on its own, its potential can be maximized when pairing it with certain talismans to maximize the weapon's damage. The following talisman selection enables the weapon's Dragonwound Slash skill to deal increased damage and boost the attack power when wielding the weapon with both hands:
|
Talisman Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Found in Miquella's Haligtree, the Dragoncrest Greatshield talisman negates physical damage by 20%. |
|
|
Found in Golden Lineage Evergoal, the Godfrey Icon talisman increases the attack power of charged spells and skills by 15%. |
|
|
Acquired after completing Iron Fist Alexander's questline, the Shard of Alexander increases the attack power of skills by 15%. |
|
|
Found in a chest in the Temple Town Ruins, the Two-Handed Sword Talisman increases the attack power of weapons held with both hands by 15%. |
Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman
Godfrey Icon
Shard of Alexander
Two-Handed Sword TalismanThese four talismans will significantly increase the damage output of Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana, especially the weapon's Dragonwound Slash skill when charged.
Best Armor To Use With Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana
Elden Ring offers a plethora of armor options, each offering varying levels of protection and optimizing equipment load. While you can choose one of your favorite armors that maximizes damage negation or provides high poise, you shouldn't overlook the transformation tools introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree.
The Rock Heart transformation allows you to take on the appearance of a humanoid ancient dragon and boosts resistance against all elements while enhancing dragon communion incantations. However, you can only adopt this form when not wearing any armor, resulting in lower damage negation, but you can also enjoy a lighter equipment load. You can acquire the Rock Heart by solving the Dragon's Domain painting in the DLC.
However, if you prefer armor over the new transformation tools, consider choosing a set that offers moderate poise while allowing you to maintain medium equipment roll. If your main focus is to deal massive damage, the Rakshasa's Set is worth trying, as it increases damage by 2% for each armor piece worn. With the full Rakshasa's Set, you'll deal an additional 8% damage that excludes the buffs you gain from spells, consumables, and talismans.
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Best Incantations & Sacred Seal To Pair With Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana
The two primary incantations you can consider pairing with the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana are Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength. The 
Golden Vow incantation increases the damage dealt to enemies by 15% and reduces damage received by 10%. Similarly, the 
Flame, Grant me Strength incantation boosts your damage output by 20% and negates fire damage by 20%. If you don't plan to use any other spell besides the Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength, you don't have to worry about choosing a particular Sacred Seal.
On the contrary, if you choose the Rock Heart transformation, you could pair it with the Dragon Communion Seal to complement the build and further increase the damage output of dragon communion incantations. Just don't forget to use the Rock Heart in the transformed state to grant yourself the 20-second buff.
Best Wondrous Flask Of Physick Combination For Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana
In Elden Ring, a build is never truly complete without a supporting Wondrous Flask of Physick. Choosing complementing tears can further enhance your build and help tailor the effects of the flask to your specific playstyle. In this case, you'll want to maximize the damage dealt with the Dragon-Hunter Great Katana while also ensuring decent defense. The following mix of tears will enhance both your offensive and defensive abilities:
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Deflecting Hardtear: You can obtain the Deflecting Hardtear by defeating the Furnace Golem roaming Gravitesite Plain in Shadow of the Erdtree. This tear allows you to deflect enemy attacks when you block right before the attack hits you, enabling you to follow up with a powerful guard counter.
-
Stonebarb Cracked Tear: The Stonbard Cracked Tear can be acquired upon defeating the Putrid Avatar in Caelid. Consuming this tear enhances the stagger damage you deal to enemies, helping you quickly achieve poise breaks with fewer attacks.
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Best Character Attribute Distribution For Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana
Given that the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana scales with strength and dexterity, you should consider investing most of your runes in those attributes. By the time you acquire this weapon in Shadow of the Erdtree, your character will most likely be around levels 160-180. You can use the following character attribute table as a reference to efficiently distribute your runes and maximize the potential of the great katana.:
|
Attribute |
Level |
|---|---|
|
Vigor |
60 |
|
Mind |
20 |
|
Endurance |
30 |
|
Strength |
40 |
|
Dexterity |
40 |
|
Intelligence |
9 |
|
Faith |
30 |
|
Arcane |
30 |
You can skip investing your runes in faith if you don't plan to use any incantations, and instead spend them on upgrading strength and dexterity.
Best Great Rune To Pair With Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana
Finally, you could also consider activating the following Great Runes to gain a variety of effects:
-
Godrick's Great Rune: This rune adds 5 flat levels across all attributes.
-
Radahn's Great Rune: Boosts your max HP, FP, and Stamina.
-
Malenia's Great Rune: Allows you to recover lost HP when attacking an enemy immediately after taking damage.
You can equip only one Great Rune at a time and activating it requires consuming a 
Rune Arc. The effects of Great Runes reset upon death and must be reactivated again to enjoy their effects.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Released
- June 21, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Base Game
- Elden Ring
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, FromSoftware
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
