One of the best parts of any FromSoftware DLC is all the new weapons. With Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, we get access to entirely new weapon archetypes, one of which is the Great Katana, a larger, slower version of everyone’s favorite edgy weapon. We’ll go over where to find them all in this guide.
How to Final All Great Katana Weapons in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
As of writing, I’ve managed to find 3 Great Katanas in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, each more unique than the last. There is, of course, the “standard” Great Katana, which you can find early on. The other two are hidden far off the beaten path in optional areas you might never find unless you canvas the entire world with a tooth comb.
Where to Find the Great Katana in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
The standard Great Katana is by far the easiest of the three to find, and you can get it very shortly after starting the DLC. The easiest way to get it is first to grab the map fragment in the Gravesite Plain, then head for the lake in the northern section of the area, east of the castle.
There’s a Ghostflame Drake world boss there, but if you sneak your way to the corpse with the item near its head, you can easily grab the Great Katana and get away scot-free.
Where to Find the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
While not the hardest weapon to find, the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana is still a bit more involved than the standard version of the weapon. To start, go to the bridge leading into Castle Ensis, then follow the path south of the front gate. You’ll eventually reach the Pillar Path Waypoint Site of Grace.
From that Grace, don’t follow the path up the hill. Instead, head southwest through the groups of broken dragon statues. On your way, you’ll be invaded by Ancient Dragon-Man. Defeat him or run by him and continue south, with the cliff on your left, until you reach the Dragon’s Pit mini-dungeon.
At the bottom of that dungeon, you’ll fight Ancient Dragon-Man again, and his defeat nets you the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana.
Where to Find the Rakshasa’s Great Katana in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
The third and most complicated of the three Great Katanas to get in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, the Rakshasa’s Great Katana requires three things:
- That you find the hidden coffin in the Shadow Keep.
- That you go down a specific path on the way toward the Abyssal Forest.
- That you beat the Rakshasa boss fight using her eponymous Great Katana.
Of these three steps, the first is the most complicated. First, you need to make your way to the Shadow Keep, home of Messmer, the Impaler. The most straightforward path is through the main gate, though you’ll need to defeat the Golden Hippopotamus to go deeper in. You can also go through the Church District and Specimen Storage, though you’ll basically be backtracking to the entrance anyway.
The first stop on your quest to the hidden coffin is on the rampart northeast of the Golden Rhinoscerous fight. If you start there, make your way west along the outer wall of the keep until you reach the bridge leading deeper into Specimen Storage, but instead of engaging the Fire Knight, continue east onto the rampart. You’ll see a corpse with an item on it and if you look closely, near that corpse is a ladder. Take it down.
Follow the narrow path along the black stone wall around and to the left, behind the waterfall. You’ll see another ladder to take way down. Do so. At the bottom of the ladder, you’ll eventually reach what is apparently a dead end. It’s not. Instead, hit the right-hand wall with any attack to dispel the illusory wall.
Follow the path around until you reach a coffin next to a waterfall, and choose to enter it when prompted. You’ll arrive at the ruins east of the Shadow Keep, as well as the Castle Watering Hole Site of Grace. For our purposes, we’re going to ignore the ruins in the lake here and instead make our way south. Grab the grace near the waterfall, then continue along the path until you reach the Recluses River Downstream Grace. Rather than continuing down toward the base of the cliffs, look at the cliffs just east of the Grace, and you’ll see tombstones helping you get down faster.
Rather than going all the way down, jump onto the middle pathway with the waterfall. Follow the waterway east, past the crabs, until you see a small mausoleum in the distance, the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum. That’s where you want to be.
Head down and face off against Rakshasa, an NPC boss who uses the Rakshasa’s Great Katana, and when you beat them, you’ll get it.
And that, Tarnished, is how you get your hands on all three of the Great Katana weapons in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. If we find any others, we’ll definitely be updating this guide. In the meantime, check out our other guides on the DLC, including all Blessing of Marika locations, how to unseal spiritsprings, and more in our Elden Ring guides hub.
