In this Elden Ring Build Guide, I’ll be showing you my Dragon Hunter's Great Katana build. This is a Shadow of the Erdtree build 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.

The Dragon Slayer build specializes in slaying dragons but also highly effective against other bosses and enemies in Elden Ring. This build utilizes the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana, a new weapon type that combines elements of a katana and a curved great sword. This hybrid weapon has a unique move set, size, and weight, dealing 100% physical damage and featuring scaling in both strength and dexterity. The Dragon Hunter's Great Katana scales evenly with strength and dexterity, providing the highest attack rating when points are equally distributed between these attributes. With 100 points to spend, the optimal distribution is nearly a 50/50 split. For example, allocating 55 points to strength and 45 to dexterity or vice versa results in slightly lower attack ratings compared to an even split. Players aiming to maximize their damage should aim for balanced stat increases, such as 60/60 or higher. This weapon also has a blood loss buildup of 55, though it’s not the primary focus of the build. Blood loss will trigger occasionally but is not a reliable source of damage. The real strength of the Dragon Hunter's Great Katana lies in its weapon skill, Dragonwound Slash. This skill launches the player into the air, delivering a powerful slash that deals 100% physical damage. When charged, it fires a projectile that extends the attack’s reach, making it effective against both close and distant enemies. The Dragonwound Slash has hyper armor, allowing players to poise through many attacks while executing the skill. The projectile adapts to the target’s position, whether above, below, or to the side, ensuring it connects with the enemy. This versatility is particularly useful against dragons, as the projectile adjusts to hit their heads or other elevated parts. The weapon also deals increased damage to dragons, with a 30% boost against regular dragons and a 20% boost against ancient dragons. On the off-hand, this build doesn’t require another weapon, as the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana is two-handed. However, players can equip the Sacrificial Axe to regain FP on kills, offsetting the 18 FP cost of Dragonwound Slash. This is useful against regular enemies but less so in boss fights where kills are infrequent.

The armor set used in this build is the Rakshasa Set, which increases damage by 2% per piece worn but also increases damage taken. This setup promotes an aggressive playstyle, focusing on dealing damage quickly to eliminate threats before they can retaliate. While this makes the player more vulnerable, the high damage output compensates by reducing the duration of fights.

Shard of Alexander boosts the damage of Dragonwound Slash, good for maximizing the build’s primary attack; Godfrey Icon increases the damage of charged spells and skills. Charging Dragonwound Slash is crucial for dealing maximum damage, so this talisman is highly effective; Two-Handed Sword Talisman enhances the damage of all two-handed attacks, including jump attacks, running attacks, regular attacks, and heavy attacks; Two-Headed Turtle Talisman improves stamina recovery, critical for maintaining the ability to use Dragonwound Slash and other attacks consecutively. Other talisman options include the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman for additional physical damage protection or the Crusade Insignia Talisman when exploring landscapes and dungeons.

At level 158, the attributes for this build are as follows: 50 Vigor, 30 Mind, 25 Endurance, 50 Strength, 50 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, 7 Faith, and 9 Arcane. The key attributes are Vigor, Mind, Endurance, Strength, and Dexterity. Vigor is set at 50 for survivability, with plans to increase it to 55 or 60. Mind is at 30 to support the high FP cost of the weapon skill. Endurance is at 25 to enable medium rolling and provide sufficient stamina. Strength and Dexterity are equally distributed to maximize the weapon’s damage output. Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane are at their base levels, as they are not required for this build.

The build uses the Opaline Hardtear for increased damage negation and the Greenburst Crystal Tear for enhanced stamina recovery. These tears help mitigate the build’s vulnerabilities and support the aggressive playstyle. The Stonebarb Cracked Tear is an alternative for increased stance damage, useful for quickly breaking enemy stances in boss fights.

The recommended Great Runes for this build include Radahn's Great Rune for additional health, FP, and stamina, Morgott's Great Rune for extra health, or Malenia's Great Rune for health regeneration upon taking damage and immediately attacking back.