Elden Ring added a new weapon type in the form of Great Katana in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Fans are quite curious to know what is the best way to tweak their build around the weapon to maximize its potential.
The Great Katana is pretty much a hybrid of the Dexterity-focused Katanas and the Strength-focused Greatswords. While players necessarily don't get the best of both worlds, it is more about a balance between the two. That being said, when built properly, the weapon can be an absolute menace to deal with.
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How To Get Great Katana In Elden Ring
For players looking to get the Great Katana in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, the good news is that it can be found as soon as players hop into the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. From the starting area in the Gravesite Plain, players will need to head northwest towards the lake. Simply following the path from the Three Path Cross Site of Grace should lead players there. Once players reach the lake, all they need to do is reach the center, where they will find a dragon.
It is not necessary to beat the dragon, but players can if they want to get some runes. The 
Great Katana can be found right in front of the dragon. The nearest Site of Grace is the Abandoned Ailing Village and the location is just west of it.
Great Katana Build Guide Elden Ring
Firstly, players should have the right infusion on this weapon, since it is probably not that great of an idea to have the standard affinity because of its mediocre scaling on both Strength and Dexterity (D and C, respectively). The most popular option by far is the Heavy affinity, as it ramps up the Strength scaling to B, allowing players to focus solely on investing points in one department to get the maximum gains. One should take the Strength all the way up to 80, and for every couple of levels, players should alternate between Endurance or Vigor. Players get 329 Physical damage and 55 bleed buildup at maximum level, but that is without taking into account attribute scaling or two-handing the weapon, which should further bump up the scaling by another 50%.
The second option is to go for a Bleed affinity. While this might offer the same scaling as the standard version, the bleed ramps up significantly to 100, and if players are dual-wielding this weapon with another bleed weapon, it can proc bleed pretty quickly. It is probably a good idea to get Dexterity to 55 first to hit the first soft cap, and then start putting points on Strength until it reaches 55 as well. Then, going back to Dexterity all the way up to 80 should be the ideal choice. However, that's not all that players should focus on. Considering this is bleed-focused, Arcane is going to play a role too, so players shouldn't ignore that completely. For every two Dexterity or Strength points, one should be invested in Arcane as well.
When it comes to the Talismans, players don't need to do a lot for this build. They should definitely grab the 
Two-Headed Turtle Talisman since this is a heavy weapon, but apart from that, the usual suspects such as the 
Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, 
Pearldrake Talisman +3 (or specialized ones such as 
Haligdrake Talisman +2, 
Flamedrake Talisman +3, etc. Depending on the boss battle) and 
Ritual Sword Talisman should be pretty good. However, for players opting for the bleed build it is crucial to have the 
Lord of Blood's Exultation as it boosts damage when bleed status is in the vicinity.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Released
- June 21, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware's groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
- Base Game
- Elden Ring
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, FromSoftware
