Elden Ring features some of the slickest weapon designs in video gaming history. We only recently discussed the Ringed Finger Hammer, and now, we are here to talk about another cool but powerful weapon — the Rivers of Blood Katana. It effortlessly finds itself ranked high among the best weapons in Elden Ring, thanks to its ability to deal impressive bleed damage. This weapon is arguably one of the strongest when used correctly. However, acquiring it can be a challenge for players, and it requires certain attributes to be wielded effectively. So, in this article, we discuss the location of the Rivers of Blood Katana in Elden Ring and how to use it in your builds.
Rivers of Blood is a katana in Elden Ring that deals impressive damage to enemies at close range. It also has a visually impressive weapon skill, allowing Elden Ring’s Samurai class players to fight from a noticeable distance. Much like every weapon with great stats, obtaining it requires exploration on the player’s part. That said, let’s learn the basics and then track down this katana in the Lands Between.
The Rivers of Blood Katana: Overview
Rivers of Blood is a katana possessed by Okina, a swordsman from the Land of Reeds. Considered to be cursed in nature, it is a katana that deals impressive bleed build-up, resulting in spectacular damage. Furthermore, the katana’s Corpse Piler skill makes blades out of cursed blood with each slash, allowing players to fight from a noticeable distance from the enemies.
As per the weapon description, Rivers of Blood was acknowledged by Mohg, the Lord of Blood, after he felt Okina’s madness and the power of the sword. This, in turn, compelled the lord of blood to offer Okina the power of demons.
When Mohg, the Lord of Blood, first felt Okina’s sword, and madness, upon his flesh, he had a proposal, to offer Okina the life of a demon, whose thirst would never go unsated
Rivers of Blood item description (Elden Ring)
Many players suggest that the weapon is possibly inspired by a sixteenth-century swordsman in Japan called Muramasa. Legends say that Muramasa’s swords were cursed and imbued with demonic powers, giving the user bloodlust.
How to Get Rivers of Blood Katana in Elden Ring
The Rivers of Blood katana in Elden Ring is a late-game area weapon that requires you to complete a substantial portion of the game before you even start searching for it. So, before you start beating yourself over the inability to obtain this katana early in the game, enjoy the experience. Feel the scenery, vanquish the many bosses and sub-bosses, and explore the many areas. Then, follow the steps below to locate the Rivers of Blood katana.
Rivers of Blood Katana Location — An invading Bloody Finger Okina drops this katana at the Church of Repose, located at the Mountain of the Giants.
Note: Players need to make sure that they reach the Church of Repose and fight Okina before defeating the Fire Giant boss. If players kill the Fire Giant before fighting Okina, the NPC does not invade them, removing the ability to get the weapon until a new playthrough.
1. First, reach the Mountaintop of the Giants area in Elden Ring. If players have been following the story progression, this is the next area in the game. Players reach it by vanquishing Morgott, The Omen King, at Leyndell Royal Capital and riding the Grand Lift of Rold.
2. Here, activate the first Site of Grace (Zamor Ruins), and start progressing the area. Follow the path through a stone bridge and activate the Ancient Snow Valley Site of Grace. This is also where players meet with Millicent (if they are following the side quest).
3. From Ancient Snow Valley Ruins, start heading towards a frozen road, with one path going towards the left and another heading right. Take the left path and continue following the road till you see enemies fighting bats. Ignore them and take a left after reaching the cliff. Use the Spirit springs to take the higher ground.
4. From here, continue towards the Stargaze ruins at the high ground and then take a right. Keep following the road until you meet an Erdtree Avatar. You can ignore the boss fight if you want. Then, continue following the road till you find the Frozen Lake Site of Grace below. We are still far from reaching the final location to get the Rivers of Blood katana in Elden ring, so keep following the path we have described below.
5. Once you are at the Frozen Lake Site of Grace, head southeast towards the First Church of Marika. Be careful here, as crossing the frozen lake brings a dragon boss called Borealis, The Freezing Fog. Like every dragon boss in this game, this is an optional fight.
6. From the First Church of Marika, head southeast towards the Spirit Springs and go above. Follow the roads marked below, passing through the Guardian’s Garrison. Ignore the enemies or clear the area out, depending on your playstyle, and keep heading south.
7. Once you reach the Flame peak, activate the Giant’s Gravepost site of grace. From here, start heading southwest and take a left. Continue down the road till you see a Giant and a Giant Crow fighting. Head towards their way, ignoring them, and keep moving forward till you see a Church.
8. At this point, the game despawns your horse and forces you to walk to the Church of Repose. Approach the structure, and Bloody Finger Okina will invade your game.
- Okina wields the Rivers of Blood katana, which deals tons of bleed damage on successive slashes in Elden Ring. Keep it in mind while fighting him. Slaying Okina will reward you with the Rivers of Blood Katana and Okina Mask, which increases Dexterity by 5 points in exchange for focus.
How to Use Rivers of Blood Katana
The Rivers of Blood katana is an exceptional Dexterity and Arcane-focused weapon, dealing large amounts of physical and bleed damage in Elden Ring. However, the requirements to wield the katana are modest, as players require 12 Strength, 18 Dexterity, and 20 Arcane.
Making sure appropriate points are allocated to these attributes will allow you to utilize the damage dealt by the Rivers of Blood katana in boss fights. Additionally, more points in Arcane increases the bleed build-up in the weapon, so players need to focus on both Dexterity and Arcane stats. The stats for the katana are as follows:
Attack Guard Physical: 76 Physical: 36 Magic: 0 Magic: 27 Fire: 76 Fire: 62 Light: 0 Lightning: 40 Holy: 0 Holy: 33 Critical: 100 Boost: 31 Scaling Requirement Strength: E Strength: 12 Dexterity: D Dexterity: 18 Arcane: D Arcane: 20 Weapon Type/Skill/ Weight Requirements and Damage Type Katana Slash or Pierce damage Weapon Skill: Corpse Piler Focus Point Requirement: 17 Weight: 6.5 50 Bleed Hemorrhage Damage
Best Rivers of Blood Katana Builds in Elden Ring
Since Rivers of Blood excels in dealing bleed damage to enemies, you should focus on making a build that favors the bleed build-up. First up, you need to equip another katana in the left hand. Uchigatana is a great armament that players can obtain early in the game. It also scales well with Dexterity and Strength, so that’s my pick alongside the Rivers of Blood katana. Players then need to acquire the following items to complete their Elden Ring build:
Talismans
- Rotten Winged Sword Insignia: Rotten Winged Sword Insignia boosts the power of successive attacks. Since Corpse Piler, the weapon skill of Rivers of Blood, allows players to make six attacks in quick succession, it will boost the damage output from it. Players receive this talisman by assisting Millicent in defeating her sisters. Players need to start and follow the Millicent questline to acquire it, a long-winding side-quest beginning at Caelid spanning various regions, culminating in one of the toughest yet fun boss fights of Elden Ring.
- Lord of Blood’s Exultation: Another great Talisman that players can receive after killing Esgar, the Priest of Blood, in the Leyndell Catacombs hidden deep in the Subterranean Shunning Grounds underground area in Leyndell Capital. This talisman boosts the attack power when a nearby enemy receives the bleed effect. Since Rivers of Blood katana and Uchigatana deal bleed effect on the enemy with each successive slash, this Elden Ring talisman will multiply the player’s damage.
- Carian Filigreed Crest: The final talisman, Carian Filigreed Crest, reduces FP consumption while using weapon skills. Since players will utilize the Corpse Piler skill to deal bleed damage, equipping this crest will ensure they can use the skill for a prolonged time until they run out of focus. To obtain it, players need to meet Blaidd in Mistwood and assist him in killing Bloodhound Knight Darrawil on Limgrave. Successfully defeating the enemy will prompt Blaidd to tell you to meet Warmaster Iji, situated outside Caria Manor. Talk with him and mention Blaidd, allowing you to purchase the talisman for 5000 runes.
Crystal Tears
- Thorny Cracked Tear: This crystal tear increases the damage for every successive attack and works similarly to the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia. Using this tear alongside the talisman will double the damage output of the weapon skill Corpse Piler. Players receive this crystal tear by defeating the Putrid Avatar at the Consecrated Snowfield Minor Erdtree.
- Cerulean Hidden Tear: Cerulean Hidden Tear ensures that the player consumes no FP for a brief time while using skills or Ash of Wars. This lets players use Corpse Piler continuously without utilizing FP in any big fight for a little while. The players, within this time, can decimate an enemy’s health bar until the effects wear off. Players receive this crystal tear by defeating the Ulcerated Tree Spirit at Mt. Gelmir.
So in this article, we have covered everything you need to know about the Rivers of Blood katana in Elden Ring. We hope you will be able to follow the easy steps to obtain the katana and use the best builds to increase the damage output in-game. While Dexterity weapons can take some time to get used to, the Rivers of Blood katana is arguably one of the fun weapons in the game for players to enjoy. Did you manage to track down this cursed katana yet? Let us know in the comments below.
Elden Ring allows players to equip the Rivers of Blood katana as long as they meet the minimum requirements to wield the weapon. If they don’t meet the requirements, they can still use the weapon. However, the damage from Rivers of Blood katana will be low.
Players can respec their character using the Larval Tears in the game. You need these in their inventory and head to Renalla at the Academy of Raya Lucaria.
