Elden Ring Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana Build - Dragonslayer (Shadow of The Erdtree)

Jul. 11, 2024

Elden Ring Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana Build – Dragonslayer (Shadow of The Erdtree)

In thisDragon-Hunter’s Great Katana Build, I’m going to show you myDragonslayerbuild. This build specializes in slaying dragons but is also extremely effective against other bosses and enemies in the game. It utilizes theDragon-Hunter’s Great Katana, one of the newGreat Katanaweapon types.

In this Elden Ring Build Guide, I’ll be showing you my Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana build. This is aShadow of the Erdtreebuild that takes place after level 150. If you’ve been looking for a Great Katana build that deals great damage with its awesome weapon skill Dragonwound Slash, then you might want to check this build-out.

We have over 110 Elden Ringbuilds. Each one is meticulously crafted to offer unique playstyles, strategies, and experiences, ensuring there’s something for every adventurer in the Lands Between. Whether you seek the raw power of heavy weapons, the finesse of spellcasting, or the versatility of hybrid builds, our collection has you covered. Explore the depths of the game’s mechanics and unleash your full potential with our diverse array of builds.

TheDragon-Hunter’s Great Katanais a new weapon that blends elements of a katana and a curved greatsword, offering a moveset and size that falls between the two. It deals 100% physical damage and has quality scaling, meaning it scales with both strength and dexterity. To maximize the attack rating, you should distribute your stat points evenly between strength and dexterity, such as 50-50 out of 100 points. It also has a Blood Loss Buildup of 55, though this isn’t the focus of the build.

Theweapon skill,Dragonwound Slash, leaps you into the air for a powerful slash that can be charged for extra damage and fires a projectile that travels a decent distance. This skill is highly effective for maintaining distance from enemies and has hyper armor to poise through many attacks. The projectile can adjust its path to hit targets above or below you, making it versatile against dragons or other large enemies. The weapon also has ananti-dragon effect, dealing 30% increased damage to regular dragons and 20% to ancient dragons.

Dragonwound Slashis particularly effective due to its stance damage. Connecting both the blade and projectile often stance breaks enemies, usually requiring two casts for standard enemies and three for bosses. While you should aim to hit with both components when possible, firing projectiles from a safe distance is also a viable strategy.

Great katanasinherently have higher stance damage than regular katanas, aiding in stance breaks during regular attacks. For this build, I two-hand theDragon-Hunter’s Great Katana, but you could use aSacrificial Axein the offhand for FP recovery on kills. TheRakshasa armor setis used for this build, offering a 2% damage increase per piece worn at the cost of taking more damage. This aggressive build focuses on dealing high damage quickly to eliminate threats before they can retaliate.

This build is designed for players who enjoy an aggressive playstyle, aiming to overpower enemies and bosses swiftly. TheDragon-Hunter’s Great Katana, combined with theRakshasa armor set, provides a balance of increased damage output and strategic vulnerability, requiring careful timing and positioning to maximize its effectiveness.

When it comes to talismans for this build, here are my recommendations:

Shard of Alexanderboosts the damage of your weapon skill, which is crucial since you’ll be using it extensively, especially against dragons.

Godfrey Iconincreases the damage of your charged weapon skill. Charging your weapon skill is key because it allows you to hit bosses from a safe distance and provides better FP efficiency.

TheTwo-Handed Sword Talismanboosts the damage of all your other attacks, including jump attacks, running attacks, regular attacks, and heavy attacks, since we are two-handing this weapon.

TheTwo-Headed Turtle Talismanhelps with stamina recovery, essential for managing the quick depletion of stamina due to frequent use of the weapon skill and attacks.

You can also consider other talismans based on the situation:

theDragoncrest Greatshield Talismanoffers further physical damage protection and can be slotted in place of theTwo-Headed Turtle Talisman, providing more defense when needed.

TheCrusade Insigniacan replace theTwo-Headed Turtle Talismanwhen exploring the landscape, where you may not need to chain the weapon skill as frequently, offering additional damage which is beneficial, or you can use it in legacy dungeons where stamina recovery is less of an issue.

When it comes to attributes for this build, at level 158, I have50 Vigor, 30 Mind, 25 Endurance, 50 Strength, 50 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, 7 Faith, and 9 Arcane. You don’t needIntelligence,Faith, orArcanefor this build. I started as anAstrologer, so I can’t get those any lower, but they are not necessary for this setup.

Health-wise, you’ll want to go higher, around55 or 60 Vigor, considering how aggressive this build is, but I didn’t have the attribute points at this stage. If you’re going higher in levels, which many players will, this should be easy to manage.

Mindis set at30because the weapon skill is quite expensive at 18 FP. If you’re usingSacrificial Axein your offhand, you might get away with25 Mindfor now. However, having a lot of FP makes boss fights easier as it reduces the need to switch between blue and red flasks. Aim for30 Mindat least, and consider going up to35eventually for more FP to work with.

Enduranceis at25to maintain a medium roll while using this armor set, talismans, and weapon, and to provide some stamina. This is probably the bare minimum. Increasing Endurance to30 or 35will give you more stamina and might alleviate stamina issues, potentially allowing you to replace the Green Turtle Talisman with one of the other suggested talismans.

StrengthandDexterityare split at50 eachbecause this is a quality weapon, and my testing shows that this distribution offers the best attack rating for the invested stats. You’ll want to increase these simultaneously, as it’s the best way to maximize damage with this weapon. Eventually, you’ll take both of these up to80, but ensure they remain balanced stat-wise.

When it comes to theFlask of Wondrous Physick, I have theOpaline Hardtearfor more protection. We’re a bit light on protection due to the armor set we’re using, so this helps. Given the aggressive nature of this build, trading damage and coming out ahead is worth it. I also use theGreenburst Crystal Tearfor stamina recovery to alleviate stamina issues, which can prevent you from spamming the weapon skill as much as you’d like. Both of these are excellent choices.

TheStonebarb Cracked Tearis also an option if you’re aiming for stance breaks, as it increases stance damage for a short time in boss fights. If you plan on running up to a boss and using this in their face repeatedly until you stance break them, consider this. Often, you can burn down bosses by spamming the weapon skill, breaking their stance, and continuing the assault, effectively ending the fight.

When it comes toGreat Runesfor this build, several work well.Radahn’sis great for FP, HP, and stamina, benefiting the build overall.Morgott’sis useful for extra health, allowing you to trade damage without dying.Malenia’sis also a solid choice as it regains health when you’ve taken damage. Since you tend to jump into the air when using the charged version of this skill and might get hit in boss fights before firing off your attack, this rune can heal you back up immediately after taking damage.

That wraps up our Dragonslayer Build. I hope you enjoyed this one. This build is incredibly fun and easily in my top five weapons in the DLC so far. As always, let us know if you have questions or other tips in the comments below. We have a ton more builds coming forElden RingandShadow of the Erdtreeso stay tuned for those. If you need help finding the spells, items, or equipment in this build, and securing some personal objectives, make sure to check theElden Ring Map.

Castielle

Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.