Sword of Night Build Guide for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – Best Strategies and Setups

Imagine an axe made for those who appreciate finesse, speed, and the ability to counter defensive builds effortlessly. The Sword of Night in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is designed just for that. This katana does not just promise fast swings and stylish moves but also breaks through the toughest of shields with its unique Ash of War.

Acquiring the Sword of Night

To begin your journey with the Sword of Night, you first need to unlock it by completing Ymir's questline. This involves tracking down specific items, defeating certain enemies, and uncovering hidden lore. Once done, you'll find the Sword of Night waiting for you as a reward, ready to be wielded against any foe.

Understanding the Sword of Night’s Mechanics

Before diving into detailed builds and strategies, it’s crucial to grasp the core mechanics of the Sword of Night. This katana is characterized by:

• Fast Attack Speed
• Built-in Bleed Effect (45)
• Unique Ash of War: Witching Hour Slash
• Double-Hit Heavy Attack
• A true combo from uncharged Witching Hour into Heavy Attack

While these features make the Sword of Night formidable, it does come with some drawbacks:

• Low single-hit damage and poise damage
• Lack of armor during Ash of War, making the user vulnerable to interruptions
• Shorter range compared to other swords
• Fixed Ash of War

Nevertheless, its multi-hit Witching Hour Slash, which cannot be blocked, makes it particularly effective against shielded enemies and rolls.

Optimizing Your Gear: Armor and Talismans

One of the primary weaknesses of the Sword of Night is its susceptibility to interruptions during the Ash of War. The right gear can mitigate this to a great extent.

Recommended Armor

For optimal performance, build up your poise to withstand enemy attacks while you execute your moves. Aim for:

• 76 Poise: To resist most light attacks.
• 98-125 Poise: To withstand nearly all light and most medium attacks.

Armor sets like the Bull-Goat Set provide excellent poise without sacrificing too much mobility.

Best Talismans

Talismans play a vital role in enhancing your capabilities with the Sword of Night. Here are the best options:

• Shard of Alexander: Increases the damage of Witching Hour Slash by 15%. This is essential for maximizing your Ash of War’s potential.
• Godfrey Icon: Boosts the damage of a fully charged Witching Hour Slash by another 15%, making it perfect for boss encounters and slower enemies.
• Bull-Goat’s Talisman: Enhances your poise by 33%, ensuring you can complete your attacks despite taking hits from opponents.
• Rotten Winged Sword Insignia/Millicent’s Prosthesis: Both increase damage with successive hits, taking advantage of the quick strikes and multi-hit nature of the Sword of Night.
• Two-Handed Sword Talisman: Provides a 15% damage increase when two-handing the Sword of Night. This is ideal if you prefer full access to the katana’s moveset without using a secondary weapon.

Weapon Pairing for Diverse Combat Options

While the Sword of Night has commendable speed and a decent bleed effect, pairing it with another weapon can help counter its lower damage output and short reach.

Combining with Longer-Reach Weapons

Pairing the Sword of Night with weapons that have long reach but slower attack speeds, such as colossal weapons, Great Spears, or the Great Katana, enables you to:

• Benefit from the elongated reach
• Maintain consistent pressure on enemies
• Add a layer of strategic versatility to your combat style

Dual Wielding Katanas

Alternatively, consider dual-wielding the Sword of Night with another katana. This allows for:

• Increasing damage up close by swinging both weapons simultaneously
• Keeping all the advantages of the Witching Hour Slash
• Rapidly building up the bleed effect

Stat Allocation for Maximum Efficiency

The Sword of Night scales solely with Dexterity, making your primary stat Dexterity. Here’s how you should allocate your points:

• Dexterity: 80: Maximizes your damage output.
• Arcane: 40-45: Boosts your bleed damage, particularly useful in PvE scenarios.
• Vigor: 60: Ensures you have the health to withstand trading hits during the Witching Hour Slash.

Combat Strategies and Techniques

Putting together a build is half the battle; understanding in-game strategies and techniques is what lets you dominate both PvP and PvE settings.

In PvP

Given its speed and disruptive capabilities, the Sword of Night shines in PvP settings. Here’s how to effectively use it:

• Exploit True Combos: Use the uncharged Witching Hour Slash followed by a heavy attack to trap opponents.
• Punish Shield Users: Shielded foes often rely on the safety of their defense. The unblockable nature of Witching Hour Slash lets you break through and catch them off guard.
• Maintain Aggression: Due to the weapon’s quick attack speed, stay aggressive and continually pressure your opponent, forcing them into unfavorable positions.

In PvE

While PvE encounters present different challenges, the Sword of Night is no less potent here:

• Focus on Positioning: Use the weapon's speed to outmaneuver bosses and mobs, striking when they expose their vulnerabilities.
• Capitalize on Bleed: Enemies susceptible to bleed will be significantly weakened by the katana’s internal bleed build-up. Stack Arcane stats to enhance this effect.
• Use Heavy Attacks Wisely: The Sword of Night’s heavy attacks can chain into themselves, making them effective for sustained damage during openings in enemy defenses.

Play Style Varieties

While you can go the traditional katana route, don’t be afraid to experiment with different play styles that best suit your preferences.

Standard Dexterity Build

This is the classic way to wield the Sword of Night:

• Focus on Dexterity and Vigor
• Take advantage of the katana’s quick strikes and bleed build-up
• Utilize the Ash of War to breach defenses

Bleed Focused Build

Perfect for those who love inflicting haemorrhaging damage:

• Pump points into Arcane alongside Dexterity
• Equip talismans and armor that enhance bleed damage
• Combine the Sword of Night’s inherent bleed with bleed-focused spells or items

Tanky Poise Build

Ideal for players who want to trade blows and finish strong:

• Invest heavily in Vigor and poise-related armor
• Equip poise-boosting talismans
• Use the Sword of Night as a counter-offensive tool, exploiting enemy weaknesses during trades

Conclusion

The Sword of Night, with its unique moveset and unblockable Ash of War, is a versatile and vital addition to your arsenal in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Whether you're breaking through shielded foes in PvP or methodically tearing down bosses in PvE, this katana's blend of speed, bleed, and strategic combos makes it a standout weapon. Equip the right gear, allocate your stats wisely, and master its combat intricacies to maximize your potential on the battlefield.