Best Elden Ring Moonveil Katana Build (Complete Guide)

The Moonveil katana is one of my favorite weapons in Elden Ring. It does a mix of magical and physical damage with every hit. Plus, it also has the bleed effect which is always a welcomed addition. If you want to find the best Elden Ring Moonveil katana build, you’ve come to the right place.

This is an extremely powerful and fun weapon. The best part is that it allows players to use versatile builds which is a great thing. With that said, let’s dive right in and find out what the best builds are for the Moonveil Katana.

Moonveil Katana Build

There are two main classes that love using the Moonveil Katana – the Prisoner and Astrologer. While you can use it on a Samurai, I suggest going for an INT build alongside it. The weapon scales primarily with Dexterity and Intelligence and rewards a playstyle that mixes close-quarters swordplay with midrange spellcasting.

Here is what your stats should look like during the late game while using this weapon:

While you can put a few points in Endurance rather than Vigor, I found it too difficult when my HP bar was extremely small. Even at this Vigor, you might instantly die to stronger attacks, but it still allows you to have a few more chances to heal and roll to safety.

Apart from that, putting points into INT and DEX is crucial since the blade scales off of those stats. Also, having a few extra points in Mind will allow you to have more FP and cast more spells which is the main point of this build.

Finally, leveling up your Arcane will allow you to build up bleed easily which can deal tons of damage to enemies with high max HP.

How to Get the Moonveil Katana

Before we talk about the gear that suits this weapon, let’s briefly talk about how you can get it. Luckily, you can find this weapon extremely early in the game and if you want to go for this build, I suggest immediately going to this location to pick it up.

From the Third Church of Marika, head north towards the western entrance to Caelid. If you have the map uncovered, you need to head to the area marked by a telescope. From here, head directly west to reach the Gael Tunnel. This is marked by an orange cave on the map if you want to go here directly.

Once you are in the dungeon, progress through it and defeat the final boss – which is the Magma Wyrm. This boss isn’t that difficult so you shouldn’t have any issues. However, if you go here during the early stages of the game, you’ll have to watch out for its grab attack.

When you finally defeat the boss, he will drop the Moonveil and you can start using it. Chances are that you’ll not meet the stat requirements yet but you can always work toward it after getting the weapon.

Recommended Classes

The Moonveil can go well with a lot of classes in the game. Primarily, many players suggest using the Samurai for it. While I do encourage that, I prefer using an Astrologer or the Prisoner.

Since Moonveil’s stats requirements are 12 Strength, 18 Dexterity, and 23 Intelligence, starting with the Samurai class is ideal. The Samurai has 12 STR, 15 DEX, and 9 INT at the start. So, you’ll already have met the STR criteria and will only need a few points in DEX. Then, you can start leveling up your INT and wield this awesome weapon.

However, if you want to go for the proper min-max, the Prisoner starting class is slightly more optimal. Plus, you’ll be able to cast powerful sorceries as well which makes this build even better. Instead of just relying on the melee damage and its Ashes of War, you can use various spells to keep enemies on their toes.

Armor

When it comes to Armor in Elden Ring, you do not have to put a lot of stock in specific sets and their unique bonuses. Instead, you can mix and match various sets to make the most out of the weight, stats, and protection.

It’s not worth getting a set that gives you a measly +3 stat if the result is a lack of protection from attacks. In that regard, there are only a few armor sets that you can use viably for this build. Using light armor to fast roll and move around quickly is highly suggested.

Since you will want to focus on fast-paced gameplay, there is no need to wear heavy gear that will hinder your movement.

Land of Reeds Set

Land of Reeds Set is an Armor made from strips of iron fastened together and worn by the warriors of the Land of Reeds, made to reduce damage intake and protect warriors during battle. This is the set that the Samurai class starts with and it looks absolutely amazing.

While wielding a katana, you cannot go wrong with wearing a traditional samurai outfit as well. Plus, it is quite lightweight which goes hand in hand with the fast-paced nature of the Moonveil. While wearing this armor, you will mostly stay at Medium Load which is the optimal equipment load that you should aim for.

The best part is that you can easily apply bleed to the enemy as well since you won’t have any debuff on your Stamina either. This is one of the best armors with this weapon in the game.

Raging Wolf Set

The Raging Wolf Set is a Medium Weight armor. Armor provides our character with protection and different resistance against all types of damage and negative status effects. While some of the stats are lower than the Land of the Reeds armor, this one is overall better in the late game.

With your Endurance leveled up, you will eventually lower your equipment weight to Light Load. This is extremely useful against late-game bosses like Malenia, Radagon, Godfrey, etc. Plus, this set looks extremely cool which automatically gives you style points!

Talisman

Talismans play a massive role in all types of builds. That is why Elden Ring is completely filled with different types of them. There are so many Talismans that you can find across the map that it can be quite overwhelming for a newer player.

While you can equip four talismans on your character, we will mention a few more so that you have the option to alternate between them. Try all of them out and see which one suits your playstyle most. Plus, if you find a talisman that works well with this build, make sure to let us know in the comments below.

Winged Sword Insignia

The Winged Sword Insignia is a great talisman to choose when using the Moonveil. It raises the attack power of your hits with each successive attack. Since you will want to constantly attack the enemy to proc bleed, this is one of the best talismans that you can use.

Plus, if you want to go even further beyond, you can use the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia which enhances your hits even more. Regardless of which variant you go for, both are extremely viable and work great with this katana.

Warrior Shard

The Warrior Jar Shard is an effective talisman that boosts the attack power of all skills. This will greatly enhance your Transient Moonlight attack which already is quite good. Improving it further will allow you to deal tons of damage with your skills and your melee attacks combined.

Carian Filigreed Crest

Moving on to the Carian Filigreed Crest, it does a simple thing but can be a lifesaver. If you are having issues maintaining your FP, you can use this talisman to lower the FP consumed by skills. It will allow you to spam your Transient Moonlight attack without having to worry about FP cost that much.

Also, I suggest keeping a few FP flasks handy in case you run out. This will allow you to continuously spam your skill and sorceries as well.

Assassin‘s Crimson Dagger

The Assassin’s Crimson Dagger allows you to restore some of your HP with each critical hit. While using the Moonveil, you will often strike crits without even realizing it. So, if you want to have something that restores your HP and saves you from using your HP flasks, this is the talisman to go for.

Radagon’s Scarseal

Finally, the Radagon’s Scarseal is a good talisman that you can use to raise your attributes. This allows you to deal more damage and become tanky as well. However, the major downside is that you will take additional damage as well.

So, if you are using this talisman, be extremely careful or you will easily die to enemies that didn’t deal a lot of damage to you previously. However, the difference isn’t insane so you won’t have too much trouble once you get the hang of it.

Staffs

If you want to use various sorceries with the katana, you’ll want to equip a good staff as well. Luckily, the game offers tons of options to choose from. I have mentioned some of my favorite weapons but you might want to look for other ones if you cannot meet the stat requirements easily.

Some of them require you to put points into stats that you might not want to. So, in that case, make sure that you find an alternative and go for that. In the end, all you need is a decent staff that can cast spells and does the trick.

Astrologer’s Staff

The Astrologer’s Staff is a sleeper hit in Elden Ring. This is the starting staff of the Astrologer class which can be underestimated very easily considering it a starting weapon. But as you upgrade it, it will show you that in terms of sheer numbers and stats, this staff is second to the Academy staff mentioned before. So pump this bad boy at the smiths and bask in the glory of this mighty humble staff.

Lusat’s Glintstone Staff

Found after killing Nox Swordstress & Nox Priest boss. This staff is a weird one. The initial Intelligence requirement is huge and it is upgraded with Somber Stones. Also, it has another doozy, it costs 50% more FP to cast each spell with this staff on the contrary the damage output is greater too.

This staff is recommended for players that prefer to keep higher FP flasks and have massive Mind investment, or if you are rocking Cerulean Hidden Tear talisman that eliminates all FP consumption for some time to truly take advantage of that enhanced damage without the downside of the FP running out early.

Meteorite Staff

Found in the Caelid Region, this staff is the best thing your mage can find early on, you can beeline to it right from the beginning of the game without any fight. It has the best Intelligence (S) and Sorcery Scaling (248) that you can get at the start of the game and can carry you through much of the journey. Also if you are fond of using gravity sorcery like Rock Sling then this staff can be in the S-tier for you.

Mind you this staff cannot be upgraded at any smith so there is a point where other staves will overtake this when they are upgraded enough. Though this staff can be your backup choice until you are collecting all the necessary resources to upgrade your main staff.

Demi-Human Queen’s Staff

Another early great staff you can find in the Weeping Peninsula that has good stat scaling for an early mage build. This staff can too carry you to the mid-game if you choose to not journey through the Caelids for the Meteorite staff. This staff will soon be underpowered when you start coming across better staves.

Prince of Death’s Staff

Prince of Death’s Staff is a Glintstone Staff in Elden Ring. The Prince of Death’s Staff scales primarily with Intelligence and Faith and is a good weapon for death sorceries. This staff has good scaling with E in STR, D in INT, and D in Faith. If you are someone who uses a lot of Dark Sorceries, then this weapon is ideal for you as it boosts that effect.

You can get this staff in the Deeproot Depths by making your way across the map and finding it in a tower when you are climbing the large roots. One of the good parts about this staff is that it is light in weight so you don’t have to worry about having a heavy load.

Sorceries/Incantations

While using the Moonveil katana, Sorceries are extremely vital as they will allow you to make the most out of your build. There are tons of spells in the game that you can use. To make up for the distance (since you’re using a melee weapon) you should have some spells that can damage from afar.

Since there are a lot of options to choose from, we have mentioned some of the best ones. I would suggest that you check out other Sorceries as well to see if they suit your style or not. Otherwise, going for the ones mentioned will give you guaranteed results.

You can also go for certain Incantations if you are going for a Faith build. Doing so will allow you to easily fend off enemies and deal tons of damage to them.

Carian Phalanx

The Carian Phalanx is a great spell that has multiple uses. For starters, you can cast it and run toward the enemy in PvP to force them to back off. This forces them to stop attacking you and roll through all the daggers. Meanwhile, you can run at them at full force and swing your sword if you are carrying it.

Otherwise, you can use it as a defensive spell as well. If the enemy gets too close, the daggers will fly toward them and force them to roll away. The best part is that if you use it against bosses or normal enemies, they are bound to get hit with all the daggers since they can’t dodge it easily

Swift Glintstone Shard

The Swift Glintstone Shard is a simple spell that is good for the earlier stages of the game. It causes your character to fire a single bolt of magical projectile that goes in a straight line. While it doesn’t deal a lot of damage, the casting time is extremely low.

Plus, it doesn’t consume a lot of FP either, so you can potentially spam it on weaker enemies or even bosses to reduce their HP. Since it is a quick attack, you can use it and immediately run away if the boss is charging toward you.

Black Flame

The Black Flame incantation is a strong spell that is quite common. When you use it, you will throw a ball of raging black fire that will continue to sap foes’ HP for a short time. Plus, you can charge this attack to enhance its potency and cause the fireball to explode upon impact.

The easiest way to get this is to buy it from Brother Corhyn at the Roundtable Hold for 7,500 Runes.

Black Flame Ritual

This incantation allows you to summon a circle of black flame pillars around your character. The longer you charge, the larger the circle will be. This forces enemies to run away from you while this effect is active. If you are getting overwhelmed, use this to cause the enemy to run while you chase them.

To get this, head over to the Mountaintops of the Giants and enter the Spiritcaller’s Cave. Here, you will have to fight a Spirit-Caller Snail. While this fight is easy, it will summon both the Godskin Apostle and the Godskin Noble. Defeating them can be quite troublesome, so be prepared for that

Beast Claw

The Beast Claw is one of the best Incantations in the game, and it can be made even better thanks to the Clawmark Seal. To get it, you need to give 5 Deathroot to Gurranq and collect this Incantation. You can use it in quick succession and it only uses 10 FP per use.

The best part is that you only need 8 points in Faith to use this spell; making it a strong spell that you can potentially spam during combat.

Moonveil Playstyle

Thanks to the lightweight nature of the blade and other gear, you can move around easily without having any issues. So, make sure that you constantly move around the battlefield and slice through your enemies instead of waiting for them to attack and then rolling.

Try to lure enemies away from their groups and do one-on-one as much as possible. If you find yourself surrounded by a group of enemies, the heavy special vertical slash can hit multiple targets as it pierces through them. This allows you to line up the enemies and cleave them down without any worries.

Since mobility is the name of the game, make sure that you always roll away from attacks. Do not try to block or parry. You will not be able to take most hits and it will result in your death. Try to be aggressive enough to the point where your bleed procs.

However, if you cannot find an opening, do not get greedy, or you’ll regret it later. Also, do not underestimate the Moonveil Katana’s Transient Moonlight skill. The light attack is excellent for crowd control and allows you to easily clear the path for yourself if you are ever backed into a corner.

You can combine melee attacks with ranged attacks, thanks to your sorceries as well. Mostly, you should play as a melee/ranged hybrid character and try to damage the enemy from a safe distance before fully committing to getting close to him.

Conclusion

And there you have it; that’s the best Elden Ring Moonveil katana build that you can follow. With this build, your sword will deal tons of damage, and all the other items will complement it. This is a strong weapon that can be extremely deadly in the hands of the right person.

Do you like the Moonveil katana? Or do you prefer other weapons instead? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!