This build is all about speed. The Nagakiba has excellent reach for a katana and builds up blood loss with every slash, while the Hand of Malenia gives you a flashy backup with its own unique skill. You trade raw toughness for quick, flowing combos.
| Playstyle | Fast one- or two-handed katana combos |
|---|---|
| Starting class | Samurai |
| Target level | 150 |
| Main weapon | Nagakiba |
| Damage | Physical (slash) plus blood loss |
Stats at level 150
| Vigor | 60 |
|---|---|
| Mind | 20 |
| Endurance | 30 |
| Strength | 18 |
| Dexterity | 76 |
| Intelligence | 9 |
| Faith | 8 |
| Arcane | 8 |
Dexterity goes high because the Keen affinity scales almost entirely from it. 60 Vigor keeps you alive, 30 Endurance covers stamina for long combos and medium armor, and 20 Mind leaves room for a few uses of your weapon skill.
Weapons
- Nagakiba with the Keen affinity at +25. It comes with Unsheathe, a quick draw-and-slash that is great for punishing.
- Hand of Malenia at +10 needs 48 Dexterity and brings Waterfowl Dance, a burst of spinning slashes for when a boss is open.
Talismans
- Millicent's Prosthesis: adds Dexterity and rewards you for chaining hits.
- Rotten Winged Sword Insignia: attack power climbs during successive attacks, which a katana does naturally.
- Shard of Alexander: makes weapon skills like Unsheathe and Waterfowl Dance hit harder.
- Lord of Blood's Exultation: a strong attack boost whenever blood loss procs nearby, and your katana causes it all the time.
Armor
We used the White Mask, which also boosts attack when blood loss happens nearby, together with the Raging Wolf set for the rest. Feel free to swap the body pieces for whatever looks best on you.
Spirit Ash
Black Knife Tiche is quick, hard to hit and adds pressure without stealing too much attention.
How to play it
- Stay close and keep the combo going. Most of your damage comes from many quick hits and the blood loss they build.
- Use Unsheathe as a fast punish after a boss attack ends.
- Save Waterfowl Dance for big openings. It costs a fair bit of FP and stamina.
- Two-handing the Nagakiba gives a little extra damage and a stronger stance when guarding is not needed.
Other katanas such as the Uchigatana work with the same stats if you prefer a different look or found one earlier.
Stats, equip load and attack ratings were checked with our Build Planner. Numbers are based on patch 1.09 data, so later balance patches may nudge them a little. Want to compare other setups? Browse all our builds.