Is Nagakiba a Good Katana in Elden Ring? In this article, let’s take a look at this unusual blade and decide if it’s a good choice. I used the word unusual here because of the Katana’s length. It’s nearly as long as a Colossal Sword but its moveset is still faster. Among all the widely-used and overpowered Katanas of this game, Nagakiba is underrated.
Obtaining Nagakiba
Progressing the Bloody Finger Hunter Yura’s questline rewards you with this Katana and his armor set. I won’t explain how to complete the questline in this article because then it’d be too long to read. It’s not a tricky quest to complete, however.
You’ll obtain the Katana in the early-to-mid game sections if you follow the questline.
Ashes of War
When you obtain the Katana, the Ash of War on it will be Piercing Fang. It’s a somewhat long-range thrust attack that deals considerable damage to enemies. It cannot be charged, however, and uses 16 FP. That’s not a large number so it’s a good AoW for a player that uses the skill regularly. What’s especially good about this attack is how it pierces enemy shields with ease. Meaning that you’ll do damage even though your enemies are blocking.
One other feature of the Katana is that its Ash of War can be changed into another, so it’s a versatile weapon.
Stats and Requirements of Nagakiba
You’ll need 22 Dexterity and 18 Strength to wield this Katana, and its scaling is as follows. It has a D rank scaling with Strength and a C Rank scaling with Dexterity. When it’s fully upgraded to level 25, the Dexterity scaling will increase to the B rank, and that’s really good.
Among other Katanas of the game, Nagakiba deals average damage. Like the Uchigatana, it deals 115 Physical Damage at the base level. When it’s fully upgraded, it deals a whopping 281 physical damage in standard scaling.
If you’re interested in changing the Scaling of the Katana, I’d highly suggest going with the Keen scaling. That increases Dexterity Scaling to A, and it becomes a perfect weapon for a Dexterity build character.
Another thing that’s really great about this Katana is how it also deals Bleed damage. It’s a passive effect and deals 45 Bleed damage per hit. While upgrading the weapon doesn’t increase the amount of Bleed damage you deal, it’s still a very good effect.
When you use Exalted Flesh or attack power buffs like Flame, Grant Me Strength, or Golden Vow, the weapons attack power substantially increases and it still deals the Bleed damage on top.
Better than other Katanas?
While there are a few other Katanas that are superior to the Nagakiba, the main advantage of this weapon is its length. It’s nearly similar to a spear and you can hit enemies that are somewhat distant from you. This can be a big advantage when you fight bosses or multiple enemies at once.
Its moveset is just like other Katanas but its thrust attack is powerful and it has a really good range. In fact, it has the longest reach out of all the Katanas in the game.
It’s certainly a really good weapon and it’s my personal favorite Katana. If you’re into Samurai aesthetics, this is the perfect sword. You can also dual-wield it with another Katana, and it makes for a really good build.
