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The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring not only introduced players to a whole new world to explore in the form of the expansive Realm of Shadow but also entirely new weapon classes that can completely change how you approach your build. One of these new types of weapons are the Great Katanas, giant blades that all share a hard-hitting 4-swing combo that will quickly build the Bleed effect on any foe.
There are 3 Great Katanas for you to uncover: The basic Great Katana that shares its name with the weapon type, the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana, and Rakshasa’s Great Katana. Players who are ready to switch up their playstyle with these heavy swords will want to know where to find these new weapons and we can point you in the right direction. This guide will show you where to find all 3 Great Katana locations in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring.
Great Katana
The earliest Great Katana you can find has the simplest name out of all of the weapons in its class. You will be able to track down this giant blade in the starting area of the DLC known as the Gravesite Plain. Head to the north of the Scorched Ruins and follow the dirt path to the Abandoned Ailing Village. Directly to the west of this location is a large lake with a Ghostflame Dragon. You will find the Great Katana on a corpse directly in front of the sleeping dragon. If you are careful and don’t get too close to the dragon, you can grab the weapon and leave the area without the creature even knowing you were there. If the dragon does awaken, there is no need to worry as you can run away or ride Torrent to safety if you don’t wish to fight the giant beast but feel free to try and take the foe head-on if you’re feeling brave.
The Great Katana requires 14 Strength and 18 Dexterity to wield properly. The giant blade comes equipped with the Overhead Stance Ash of War Skill. This will see your character raise the sword vertically above their head, allowing you to slowly move around in his stance. Press the Light Attack button while in this stance to have your character step forward and quickly slam the Katana’s blade down to the ground. Pressing the Heavy Attack button while in the Overhead Stance will see your character unleash 3 downward slashes in quick succession.
For fans of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, this move will remind you of the extremely powerful Ichimonji Skill that functioned in much the same way as this Ash of War. This version of the attack is even better than that incredible ability as the best version of the Ichimonji would only ever allow you to strike two times while the Overhead Stance maxes out at 3 attacks. With the Great Katana being able to quickly build Bleed damage and these heavy strikes able to stagger many enemies, this ability can be one of the best options in the entire game.
Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana
The next Great Katana is one infused with Dragon magic and tasks you with taking down one of the DLC’s bosses in order to get it. The Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana is wielded by the Ancient Dragon-Man, the boss that awaits you at the end of the Dragon’s Pit cave that leads into the Jagged Peak region in the southeast part of the map. To reach this area, cross the Ellac Greatbridge that is to the south of the Abandoned Ailing Village and head to the Castle Front Site of Grace which is found right outside Castle Ensis in the northeast part of the Gravesite Plain. From this Grace, start to make your way to the southeast. Follow the dirt path until you reach the Pillar Path Waypoint Site of Grace and then follow the southern path. At the end of this path in the cliffside is where you will find the entrance to the Dragon’s Pit cave.
Along the way, you will be invaded by the Ancient Dragon-Man who will give you a chance to test yourself against this foe before the actual boss fight. Defeating this invader won’t drop the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana but gives you a chance to learn the moveset of the upcoming battle. Make your way past this fight and you will then enter the Dragon’s Pit cave. At the end of this cave, you will find what seems like a bottomless hole that will surely lead to your death but don’t let it deceive you. Jump down the hole to land right outside the fog wall for the fight with the Ancient Dragon-Man. Defeat the boss and you will get the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana.
This Great Katana requires a very slight bump in the stats we covered in the previous weapon with 15 Strength and 20 Dexterity. The Ash of War Skill for this weapon is the Dragonwound Slash, which sees a red aura surround the blade as your character leaps into the air. If you just press the Weapon Skill button and release it immediately, your character will perform a powerful downward slash as you land back on the ground. The weapon does have a unique, charged version of this Ash of War, however. If you hold down the Weapon Skill button while in the air, you will still perform the downward slash but will have the added attack of a beam that sees the red aura that surrounds the sword being launched forward at your enemies.
Rakshasa’s Great Katana
The third and final Great Katana known as Rakshasa’s Great Katana is found in the lower part of the Scadue Altus in the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum. This Katana is the hardest to find as it is found in a very secretive area of the map, requiring you to go through an illusionary wall just to reach it. The first thing you must do is head to the Shadow Keep, which is the Legacy Dungeon in Scadu Altus found to the northeast of Castle Ensis. Progress through the zone until you find several burning boats. You will know this is the right place because it will be at the bottom of the elevator that takes you up to the Specimen Storehouse section of the castle. You can use the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace if you have already visited this location and take the elevator down to the area below. Facing away from the elevator when at the bottom, cross the bridge from the elevator, go to the left, and you will find a ladder along the left wall. At the bottom of this ladder, you will find a hidden area behind a waterfall that leads to another ladder. When at the bottom of this ladder, go to the right and attack an illusionary wall to reveal another secret passage. Follow this new path until you find a coffin that you can climb into. After a cutscene, you will find yourself in the lower level of the Scadu Altus.
Once outside the small cave that you arrive at via the coffin, keep heading to the southeast until you find the Recluses’ River Upstream Site of Grace. From here, go along the cliffside and you will eventually find the Recluses’ River Downstream Site of Grace. From here you will be able to find a series of tombstones coming out of the nearby cliff heading down. Stick the leftmost path of tombstones and you will land at the top of a waterfall with another waterfall to your left. Head towards the left waterfall and then take a right. Follow this river and you will arrive at the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum. Inside this location, you will battle Rakshasa, the character that this Great Katana is named after. After you defeat them, you will get their full armor set as well as the elusive Rakshasa’s Great Katana to complete your collection.
Rakshasa’s Great Katana requires 12 Strength and 27 Dexterity to use properly and is the best Dex-scaling Great Katana. This weapon does have a few noticeable differences when compared to the other two in its class. Yes, it has the same basic Light Attack combo as the other Great Katanas but it also has unique Heavy Attacks. The other Great Katanas have huge horizontal sweeping Heavy Attacks, Rakshasa’s Great Katana has thrusting attacks that see your character stabbing forward instead of swiping. This allows you to hit your targets from farther distances without the crowd control of the Heavy Attacks from other Great Katanas. Luckily, this weapon’s unique Ash of War Skill rectifies this. The Weed Cutter Skill sees you perform two giant horizontal sweeps which can be repeatedly used as long as you have Focus, the blue bar between your Heath and Stamina. This allows you to constantly move forward and cut down large groups of enemies as long as you manage your meter and makes this weapon a great choice at range and with crowd control.
You now know where to find all 3 of the new Great Katana weapons in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
