Among the six brand-new weapons added in the Tarnished Edition, one has already earned a reputation as the most powerful pickup of the entire drop. The Reed Great Katana is the first Great Katana available in The Lands Between rather than the Realm of Shadow, and thanks to its early accessibility, native bleed buildup, and top-tier moveset, it can carry a fresh character from the opening minutes of the game all the way to the Elden Beast. Below is a full guide on its stats, Ash of War, location, and the best build to run around it.
Elden Ring Reed Great Katana Guide
The Tarnished Pack DLC and Patch 1.17 mark the biggest content drop for Elden Ring in over a year. Alongside two new starting classes, three Torrent skins, and new NPC invasions, FromSoftware added six brand-new weapons scattered across the base map, with the Reed Great Katana being the surprise standout of the entire package. Patch 1.17 also brings a wave of buffs to perfume bottles, Smithscript throwing weapons, Carian Sorcerer's Sword, and various other underused options, giving the meta a much-needed refresh.
With so much new gear on the table, the Reed Great Katana has quickly climbed to the very top of most tier lists thanks to its ridiculous early-game accessibility. The following sections cover everything you need to know about the weapon, from its raw numbers to the ideal build wrapped around it.
Related Read: Elden Ring Leothiel's Greatsword Stats, Ash of War Skills, Build & Location
Elden Ring Reed Great Katana Stats (Base, Requirements, Scaling)
The Reed Great Katana is a Great Katana-class weapon dealing Slash/Pierce damage, with a passive bleed buildup that pairs perfectly with the class's fast crouch attacks and long-reaching swings.
Base Stats (Unupgraded)
Weapon Class: Great Katana
Damage Type: Slash / Pierce
Weight: 10.0
Skill: Overhead Stance
FP Cost: 8 (light) / 10 (heavy)
Critical Modifier: 100
Guard Boost: 33
Passive Effect: Blood loss buildup (55)
Attribute Requirements
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 16
Intelligence: 0
Faith: 0
Arcane: 0
Attribute Scaling (Base)
Strength: D
Dexterity: D
Attack Power at Max Upgrade (Snapshot from Level 150 Character)
At a Level 150 Vagabond-style spread of 50 Vig / 32 Mind / 32 End / 16 Str / 23 Dex / 55 Faith / 16 Arc using the standard Overhead Stance skill, the weapon posts 158 Physical + 26 bonus scaling damage. Once fully upgraded and pushed onto a proper Dex or Bleed build, it easily rivals the DLC Great Katana in raw output.
Why the Numbers Work
Low stat requirements let almost any build pick it up
Native 55 bleed buildup procs frequently thanks to the great katana's fast attack chains
100 Critical modifier means solid riposte damage
Slash + Pierce hybrid damage type covers dragons and heavily armored enemies alike
Elden Ring Reed Great Katana Ash of War (Skill)
The Reed Great Katana comes with the Overhead Stance Ash of War by default, the same skill used by the DLC Great Katana. Community members have already pointed out that the animation is a direct nod to the Ichimonji technique from Sekiro, with the light version acting as a single overhead cleave and the charged heavy version chaining into a Double Ichimonji-style follow-up.
How Overhead Stance Works
Light Skill Attack (R1): Single overhead vertical slash with heavy poise damage
Heavy Skill Attack (R2): Charged double-slash follow-up dealing massive damage and posture pressure
Both versions carry hyper armor during the wind-up, letting you trade through most boss attacks
The skill deals huge stance damage, setting up guaranteed critical ripostes on nearly every enemy in the game
Infusion & Ash of War Swaps
Since the Reed Great Katana is a standard weapon, it can be infused and its Ash of War can be swapped out at any Site of Grace. Popular alternatives include:
Bloodhound's Step – Ideal for players new to the game or wanting extra mobility
Blood Blade / Seppuku – Turns it into a bleed monster on Occult or Blood infusion
Hoarfrost Stomp – For a Cold-infused frostbite build
Wild Strikes – For raw Strength setups seeking huge stagger pressure
Determination or Royal Knight's Resolve – To buff the first heavy attack for burst damage
Elden Ring Reed Great Katana vs Great Katana
The obvious comparison is against the original Great Katana found in the Realm of Shadow. Here's how the two stack up.
Model & Design
Reed Great Katana: Slightly shorter blade with a thinner, more traditional profile. Sheath sits more naturally on the hip and clips into the ground far less than the DLC version.
DLC Great Katana: Longer blade with a bulkier scabbard that famously clips through the floor on smaller characters.
Weight
Reed Great Katana: 10.0 weight
DLC Great Katana: 9.0 weight
Oddly, the shorter and thinner Reed version is actually the heavier of the two.
Stat Requirements
Reed Great Katana: 11 Str / 16 Dex
DLC Great Katana: Higher stat floor across the board
The Reed version has some of the lowest requirements in its entire weapon class, lower than half of the standard katanas in the game.
Moveset
Both weapons share the same core moveset with sweeping R2 heavies (not the poking heavy from Rakshasa's Great Katana). Charge attacks, crouch attacks, and jump attacks all behave identically.
Availability
Reed Great Katana: Available immediately from a fresh save with no boss fights required
DLC Great Katana: Requires beating Mohg, Lord of Blood and progressing well into the Realm of Shadow
Off-Hand Pairing
Thanks to its shorter blade and lower weight, the Reed Great Katana works beautifully as an off-hand paired with an Uchigatana for a massive Uchi + Wakizashi-style loadout. The sheath even angles itself to avoid ground clipping when held in the left hand.
Verdict
If you're rolling a new character or want a Great Katana before diving into the DLC, the Reed version is the clear pick. The DLC Great Katana still edges it out slightly at max upgrade on optimized builds, but the difference is minor and heavily outweighed by how early the Reed version becomes available.
Elden Ring Reed Great Katana Locations & How To Get
The Reed Great Katana is located in Caelid, sitting on a corpse atop the giant white skull just north of the Fort Faroth Site of Grace, right on top of the mound near the sleeping dragon Greyoll. No boss fights are required to obtain it, which is what makes this weapon so absurdly strong for early-game builds.
Fastest Route From Character Creation
Start the game and skip the Golden Soldier ahead of you at the Chapel of Anticipation exit.
Head straight into Limgrave and travel up past the Gatefront Ruins area.
Cross the bridge and head toward the Third Church of Marika Site of Grace.
Grab Torrent, then locate the spirit springs to the east of the church.
Ride the chain of spirit springs upward. Do not approach the church at the top — it triggers a difficult NPC invasion.
Continue past the large tree and jump over the low wall as the sky turns red.
You're now in Caelid. Sprint past the birds and dogs — they hit hard, but they'll be distracted if you keep moving.
Push toward the large white groups of enemies (Runebears and giant lobsters). Avoid their aggro radius by weaving around them.
Jump the small gap while dodging the dog on the far side.
Rest at the Fort Faroth Site of Grace (or the closest grace in the area, Deep Siofra Well if coming from a different route).
Head toward the golden tree with the tower on your left. You'll spot several dragons — including Greyoll, who is paralyzed and cannot attack you.
Climb up the side of the giant white skull mound closest to the paralyzed dragon.
The weapon is on a corpse right at the top.
Alternate Approach
Enter through the Dragon-Burnt Ruins and travel east through Caelid.
Come from the Dragonbarrow region via the cave with the spirit spring to jump up.
Approach from the back section behind Greyoll's skull.
Bonus Farm
Since Greyoll is right there and cannot fight back, whack her legs for a quick 70,000+ rune farm to fund a full upgrade path for the weapon on the spot.
Requirement
You must own the Tarnished Edition DLC for the weapon to appear at this location. Without it, the corpse is empty.
Elden Ring Reed Great Katana Best Build Setup
The Reed Great Katana thrives as either a pure Dexterity slasher or a Bleed/Arcane hybrid. Below is the recommended setup at Level 150.
Recommended Attributes (Level 150 Bleed Build)
Vigor: 50
Mind: 22
Endurance: 25
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 55
Arcane: 20
Intelligence: 9 (base)
Faith: 9 (base)
Weapon Setup
Affinity: Keen for pure Dex, Blood for maximum bleed procs, or Occult if pushing Arcane above 30
Ash of War: Overhead Stance (default) for boss burst damage, Seppuku for solo-play bleed stacking, or Bloodhound's Step for evasion
Talisman Loadout
Rotten Winged Sword Insignia – Ramps up damage as you land consecutive hits
Lord of Blood's Exultation – +20% damage when bleed procs nearby
Millicent's Prosthesis – Additive Dex + attack power boost on successive hits
Shard of Alexander – Buffs the Overhead Stance Ash of War by 15%
Swap Shard of Alexander for Rellana's Cameo Talisman if you want the stance skill to hit even harder on charged use.
Physick Setup
Bloodsucking Cracked Tear – +20% damage output at the cost of HP drain
Thorny Cracked Tear – Boosts consecutive attack damage, perfect for great katana combos
Buff Routine
Pop the Physick before engaging.
Cast Golden Vow for the party-wide 15% attack and 10% defense boost.
Cast Flame, Grant Me Strength for another 20% physical and fire boost.
Open the fight with a charged Overhead Stance R2 for maximum burst.
Follow up with crouch attacks (L1 → R1 chain) to proc bleed within 2–3 swings.
Armor Recommendation
Any medium-load armor set that keeps you under 70% equip load works. Suggested pieces include the White Reed Set for the samurai aesthetic, or the Malenia's Set for extra Dex bonuses.
Playstyle Tips
The crouch attack chain is one of the strongest damage tools in the game — abuse it against slow-recovery bosses.
Jump attacks apply massive poise damage; use them to stagger tougher enemies for critical ripostes.
The R2 heavy is a sweeping attack, not a poke like Rakshasa's Great Katana, so treat it as a spacing tool rather than a thrusting counter.
Off-hand an Uchigatana with Blood affinity to double-stack bleed procs even faster.
The Reed Great Katana is arguably the best addition to Elden Ring's base game in the Tarnished Pack. Zero boss fights, low stat requirements, native bleed, and a devastating Ash of War make it a runaway pick for both new players starting their first run and veterans wanting a fresh challenge on New Game Plus. Combine it with a Bleed-focused build and the right talisman loadout, and you've got a weapon capable of one-cycling most bosses in the game, all before you've even set foot in the Realm of Shadow.