Out of all the Dexterity-oriented weapon classes in Dark Souls 2, the Katanas are most known for their speed and high damage potential at close range without the need for critical attacks. They have no need for flashy gimmicks, possessing, on average, some of the best counterattack stats in all of Dark Souls 2.

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This, along with their swift and strong slashes, allows their wielder to come out on top from most, if not all, damage-trades in PvE as well as PvP. There are eight to be found within the land of Drangleic, and each is a suitable weapon in its own right, however, they vary in usability due to the traits of a few simply being more viable than others. Regardless, Katanas on a whole are a great choice for any Dexterity build.

Updated on October 4, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: There are a ton of builds, both Dexterity-oriented and otherwise, that can make use of a Katana in Dark Souls 2. However, it is always important to pair a weapon with a build and not the other way around, for weapons can be reforged somewhat easily yet characters cannot without the use of very limited consumables.

Thankfully, like in all games within the legendary trilogy to which this title belongs, there are many upgrade paths to make use of for any build that players can imagine. As such, learning the maximum potential of a Katana down any given upgrade path can be helpful in planning one's next DS2 build.

8 Black Steel Katana

player fighting a boss while wielding 2 katanas.

Despite the cool name, the Black Steel Katana is lacking in the base damage department though has great stats for everything else. For this reason, players should stick to using this one in the offhand to power stance with a better main hand Katana.

After being fully upgraded to +10 on the Regular path, it gets 190 physical attack, a solid S-tier scaling with Dexterity (and nothing else), and has 150 counterattack.

Upgrade Path

Physical & Elemental Attacks

Scaling

Poison & Bleed Applied Per Hit

Regular +10

  • Physical: 190
  • Dexterity: S

Magic +10

  • Physical: 172
  • Magic: 93
  • Dexterity: S
  • Magic: B

Fire +10

  • Physical: 172
  • Fire: 93
  • Dexterity: S
  • Fire: B

Lightning +10

  • Physical: 172
  • Lightning: 93
  • Dexterity: S
  • Lightning: B

Dark +10

  • Physical: 172
  • Dark: 93
  • Dexterity: S
  • Dark: B

Poison +10

  • Physical: 172
  • Dexterity: S
  • Poison: 98

Bleed +10

  • Physical: 172
  • Dexterity: S
  • Bleed: 98

Raw +10

  • Physical: 218
  • Dexterity: C

Enchanted +10

  • Physical: 190
  • Dexterity: B
  • Magic: C

Mundane +10

  • Physical: 95
  • Dexterity: A

7 Berserker Blade

thick bladed katana.

Possessing fairly average stats for everything, the Berserker Blade is not a bad choice for a melee weapon, though is certainly not worth farming from the prowlers in the Brume Tower area of The Crown of the Old Iron King DLC, for it does not do anything better than the majority of other Katanas.

It still has the usual 150 counterattack, and when fully upgraded on the Regular path it gets 240 physical attack, D-tier scaling in Strength, and B-tier scaling in Dexterity.

Upgrade Path

Physical & Elemental Attacks

Scaling

Poison & Bleed Applied Per Hit

Regular +5

  • Physical: 240
  • Strength: D
  • Dexterity: B

Magic +5

  • Physical: 168
  • Magic: 168
  • Strength: D
  • Dexterity: C
  • Magic: B

Fire +5

  • Physical: 168
  • Fire: 168
  • Strength: D
  • Dexterity: C
  • Fire: B

Lightning +5

  • Physical: 168
  • Lightning: 168
  • Strength: D
  • Dexterity: C
  • Lightning: B

Dark +5

  • Physical: 168
  • Dark: 168
  • Strength: D
  • Dexterity: C
  • Dark: B

Poison +5

  • Physical: 168
  • Strength: D
  • Dexterity: C
  • Poison: 140

Bleed +5

  • Physical: 168
  • Strength: D
  • Dexterity: C
  • Bleed: 140

Raw +5

  • Physical: 276
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: E

Enchanted +5

  • Physical: 240
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: D
  • Magic: D

Mundane +5

  • Physical: 120
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: D

6 Bewitched Alonne Sword

special ability of a boss weapon katana.

Considering that this is the weapon obtained from trading the Soul of Sir Alonne, a DLC boss, players would expect it to be as powerful in their hands as it was in those of the mighty Sir Alonne. However, the Bewitched Alonne Sword's cool ability, bleed build-up, and excellent range are held back by the poor base damage, as it deals the least out of all other Katanas in the game before using the weapon's special ability.

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This weapon's ability to parry while two-handing it is replaced by a move that plunges the sword into the player's torso, causing them to take damage, but also boosting the power of the blade by a huge 40% as well as slightly increasing the bleed build-up. This puts its damage on par with the better Katanas, though only for 30 seconds at a time. When fully upgraded to +5 on the Regular path (Bleed infusion deals too little base damage to be worth the extra build-up), this lengthy Katana attains 180 physical attack, though gets a very nice S-tier scaling with Dexterity, and a usable (though not great) 80 points of bleed build-up per slash.

Upgrade Path

Physical & Elemental Attacks

Scaling

Poison & Bleed Applied Per Hit

Regular +5

  • Physical: 180
  • Dexterity: S
  • Bleed: 72

Magic +5

  • Physical: 162
  • Magic: 108
  • Dexterity: S
  • Magic: B
  • Bleed: 72

Fire +5

  • Physical: 162
  • Fire: 108
  • Dexterity: S
  • Fire: B
  • Bleed: 72

Lightning +5

  • Physical: 162
  • Lightning: 108
  • Dexterity: S
  • Lightning: B
  • Bleed: 72

Dark +5

  • Physical: 162
  • Dark: 108
  • Dexterity: S
  • Dark: B
  • Bleed: 72

Poison +5

  • Physical: 162
  • Dexterity: S
  • Poison: 120
  • Bleed: 72

Bleed +5

  • Physical: 151
  • Dexterity: S
  • Bleed: 124

Raw +5

  • Physical: 172
  • Dexterity: D
  • Bleed: 92

Enchanted +5

  • Physical: 150
  • Dexterity: C
  • Magic: C
  • Bleed: 80

Mundane +5

  • Physical: 90
  • Dexterity: A
  • Bleed: 40

5 Washing Pole

the longest katana in the game.

Almost the same size as a literal washing pole, this Katana boasts the longest reach out of the entire weapon class and is capable of out-spacing any armament that isn't a gargantuan greatweapon or unwieldy polearm. However, the Washing Pole suffers from slower attack speed, less counterattack damage than other Katanas (130), and consumes more stamina per attack.

When fully upgraded to +10 along the Regular path, this long blade receives 240 physical attack, E-tier scaling in Strength, and a solid A-tier scaling in Dexterity.

Upgrade Path

Physical & Elemental Attacks

Scaling

Poison & Bleed Applied Per Hit

Regular +10

  • Physical: 240
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: A

Magic +10

  • Physical: 168
  • Magic: 168
  • Strength: E
  • Magic: B

Fire +10

  • Physical: 168
  • Fire: 168
  • Strength: E
  • Fire: B

Lightning +10

  • Physical: 168
  • Lightning: 168
  • Strength: E
  • Lightning: B

Dark +10

  • Physical: 168
  • Dark: 168
  • Strength: E
  • Dark: B

Poison +10

  • Physical: 168
  • Strength: E
  • Poison: 140

Bleed +10

  • Physical: 168
  • Strength: E
  • Bleed: 140

Raw +10

  • Physical: 276
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: E

Enchanted +10

  • Physical: 240
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: D
  • Magic: C

Mundane +10

  • Physical: 120
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: C

4 Uchigatana

player as a black phantom holding a katana.

The Bearer of the Curse can purchase this excellent sword from Steady Hand McDuff for 5000 souls after giving him the Dull Ember. The Uchigatana has nice reach as well as great base damage and scaling, making it a solid choice for any aspiring swordmaster.

At the Regular +10 upgrade, it gets 230 physical attack, E-tier scaling in Strength, and an awesome A-tier in Dexterity. Players should also note that its counterattack stat is 150, meaning that it deals 50% more damage to the target while they are in any attack animation like some other Katanas.

Upgrade Path

Physical & Elemental Attacks

Scaling

Poison & Bleed Applied Per Hit

Regular +10

  • Physical: 230
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: A

Magic +10

  • Physical: 161
  • Magic: 161
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Magic: B

Fire +10

  • Physical: 161
  • Fire: 161
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Fire: B

Lightning +10

  • Physical: 161
  • Lightning: 161
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Lightning: B

Dark +10

  • Physical: 161
  • Dark: 161
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Dark: B

Poison +10

  • Physical: 161
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Poison: 140

Bleed +10

  • Physical: 161
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Bleed: 140

Raw +10

  • Physical: 264
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: E

Enchanted +10

  • Physical: 230
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: D
  • Magic: C

Mundane +10

  • Physical: 115
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: C

3 Manslayer

player holding 2 poison infused katanas.

As the only Katana with innate poison build-up, the Manslayer is an ideal melee weapon for inflicting a status condition due to its fast attack speed. In addition, it also does a respectable amount of damage while retaining the usual 150 counterattack and even has decent scaling.

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Players who upgrade this blade to the max of +5 along the Poison infusion route will find that it gets 220 physical attack, B-tier scaling in Dexterity (and E-tier in Strength), as well as a substantial 143 points of poison build-up per slash.

Upgrade Path

Physical & Elemental Attacks

Scaling

Poison & Bleed Applied Per Hit

Regular +5

  • Physical: 230
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: A
  • Poison: 100

Magic +5

  • Physical: 172
  • Magic: 100
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Magic: C
  • Poison: 75

Fire +5

  • Physical: 172
  • Fire: 100
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Fire: C
  • Poison: 75

Lightning +5

  • Physical: 172
  • Lightning: 100
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Lightning: C
  • Poison: 75

Dark +5

  • Physical: 172
  • Dark: 100
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Dark: C
  • Poison: 75

Poison +5

  • Physical: 220
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Poison: 143

Bleed +5

  • Physical: 207
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: B
  • Poison: 90
  • Bleed: 120

Raw +5

  • Physical: 264
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: E
  • Poison: 115

Enchanted +5

  • Physical: 230
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: D
  • Magic: C
  • Poison: 100

Mundane +5

  • Physical: 115
  • Strength: E
  • Dexterity: C
  • Poison: 50

2 Darkdrift

a translucent katana.

This ghostly Katana with a mostly transparent blade is not only one of the coolest-looking swords in the game, but also one of the strongest of its weapon class. It is also fairly easy to acquire, as the player will only need to speak to Gravewarden Agdayne after getting the King's Ring to receive it.

After reaching the +10 upgrade on the Regular path, Darkdrift gets 260 physical attack and A-tier scaling purely with Dexterity, though its counterattack is a bit low at 130.

Upgrade Path

Physical & Elemental Attacks

Scaling

Poison & Bleed Applied Per Hit

Regular +10

  • Physical: 260
  • Dexterity: A

Magic +10

  • Physical: 182
  • Magic: 182
  • Dexterity: B
  • Magic: B

Fire +10

  • Physical: 182
  • Fire: 182
  • Dexterity: B
  • Fire: B

Lightning +10

  • Physical: 182
  • Lightning: 182
  • Dexterity: B
  • Lightning: B

Dark +10

  • Physical: 182
  • Dark: 182
  • Dexterity: B
  • Dark: B

Poison +10

  • Physical: 182
  • Dexterity: B
  • Poison: 140

Bleed +10

  • Physical: 182
  • Dexterity: B
  • Bleed: 140

Raw +10

  • Physical: 299
  • Dexterity: E

Enchanted +10

  • Physical: 260
  • Dexterity: D
  • Magic: C

Mundane +10

  • Physical: 130
  • Dexterity: C

1 Chaos Blade

player practicing with a katana in majula.

Attained after trading the Old Witch Soul to Weaponsmith Ornifex, the Chaos Blade is a mighty Katana in terms of damage output, though each successful strike to a target will also hurt the wielder for 50 flat points of HP damage. Since this can be offset quite easily by using Lifegems, equipping the Ring of Restoration, or passive HP regeneration miracles; the high base attack, scaling, and counterattack are very much worth the minuscule self-damage.

Since it is one of the weapons that don't decrease in scaling potency if given an elemental infusion, the Chaos Blade would not be a bad choice for one. Sticking with the 'chaos' theme, a Fire infusion would be both lore-friendly and powerful, as at the max +5 upgrade for this unique weapon, it gets 175 physical and 175 fire attack alongside a colossal S-tier scaling in Dexterity and B-tier with fire damage as well as 160 counterattack.

Upgrade Path

Physical & Elemental Attacks

Scaling

Poison & Bleed Applied Per Hit

Regular +5

  • Physical: 250
  • Dexterity: S

Magic +5

  • Physical: 175
  • Magic: 175
  • Dexterity: S
  • Magic: B

Fire +5

  • Physical: 175
  • Fire: 175
  • Dexterity: S
  • Fire: B

Lightning +5

  • Physical: 175
  • Lightning: 175
  • Dexterity: S
  • Lightning: B

Dark +5

  • Physical: 175
  • Dark: 175
  • Dexterity: S
  • Dark: B

Poison +5

  • Physical: 175
  • Dexterity: S
  • Poison: 140

Bleed +5

  • Physical: 175
  • Dexterity: S
  • Bleed: 140

Raw +5

  • Physical: 287
  • Dexterity: D

Enchanted +5

  • Physical: 250
  • Dexterity: C
  • Magic: C

Mundane +5

  • Physical: 125
  • Dexterity: B

Dark Souls 2 is available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

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