Katanas are long, thin samurai blades inDark Souls 3. They primarily do bleed damage which can easily stack and kill even high-health targets with ease. There are only eight katanas in the entire game.
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Despite the lack of apparent variety, players can easily switch up their playstyle when using different types of katanas. Some are better for PvP, while others chew throughthe hardest bosses in the gamelike nobody’s business. Every katana is viable in some way, but it’s up to the player to figure out what suits them best.
8Bloodlust
Bloodlust revolves around its Weapon Art. The skill “Bloodlust” boosts bleed damage build up to ridiculous levelsandincreases your AR at the same time. Despite appearing to scale well with luck, it’s much better utilized by Dex-focused builds.
Be mindful, however, as overusing the Weapon Art can easily kill you too. Players receive 200 bleed damage each time they use it. This damage is reduced by bleed resistance before being applied. And since bleed stacks, players can quickly die if unaware of the risks.
7Darkdrift
The straightforward way to get your hands on Darkdrift is to kill Yuria. But, for the soft-hearted, you can also get it by summoning Yuria during the last fight and keeping her alive until the end.
While not the most powerful katana out there despite being a late-game weapon, enterprising players have found plenty of builds with Darkdrift as the main weapon of choice. Since it can be buffed, you can stack its innate pierce damage with more pierce damage, resulting in a weapon that can effectively chip away at shield-wielders.
6Black Blade
The Black Blade is short, deceptively so, but it offsets that by having a good moveset with frequent thrusts to reach farther enemies. However, this means players need to get a little bit of practice in to get a feel for the range and which buttons to press.
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In addition, it has the highest base damage output of any katana. If you’re comfortable with getting up close with enemies, this weapon will chew through anything. The heavy attack, when wielded one-handed, is arguably better than the two-handed one. Experiment with it until you find what suits you.
5Uchigatana
The first katana players gain access to is the Uchigatana. Despite being the first katana, this is by no means a weak weapon. Buffable, the Uchigatana can be used to clear the game quite easily in the hands of a skilled player. In fact, it is considered one of thebest weapons in the game.
It has decent reach, good damage, and a nice moveset. It also scales extremely well with Dexterity, making it an incredible option for Dex-focused builds. It can also be infused to become a Sharp weapon, the best infusion for Katanas in general.
4Onikiri And Ubadachi
For players looking to dual-wield Katanas, the Onikiri, and Ubadachi are a set of two katanas. Boasting very fast attack animation with a very cool Weapon Art that’s also usable in PvP, this weapon is a hard one to pass up.
Dual Wielders are often conflicted between this weapon and the Sellsword twinblades. Both have their unique traits, and both are suitable for different builds. Do note that uninfused Weapon Art, for some reason, does more damage than an infused one.
3Chaos Blade
The Chaos Blade does damage to you as you damage enemies. However, its damage output has the highest output among all other katanas. If you need to melt through a boss or want to end fights quickly, this isthekatana. Just remember to keep an eye on the Health bar.
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There are various spells to use and rings to equip to offset the self-damage. With theright ringequipped, you can easily counteract most of the damage. As a bonus coolness factor, a blood effect appears on each landed hit, surrounding the blade.
2Washing Pole
Impossibly long, the Washing Pole needs to be seen to be believed. It is the melee weapon with the longest range in the entire game, reaching deceptively far even while standing still.
For PvP-ers, learning the Washing Pole is a must if they want to thrive as a katana user. Its reach makes it too good to pass up in 1v1 scenarios. As a downside, however, it only has 20 durability, which necessitates frequent repairs. Some players might become annoyed if they keep using this for regular play.
1Frayed Blade
An end-game weapon, the Frayed Blade, requires 40 dexterity to be wielded. But, if you’re going for big damage, little else in the game comes close. The weapon art is not only useful in PvP but absolutely melts bosses and larger enemies by chaining multiple slashes in quick succession.
Like the Washing Pole, the Frayed Blade also has a durability rating of 20, requiring multiple repair powders to be viable in regular PvE. But this sacrifice is trivial in the face of the sheer damage and ready access to bleed damage.
