The Ultimate Elden Ring: Celestial Blade Build Guide

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How To Get Moonveil Katana (& What It Does)

Recommended Moonveil Stat Allocation

Sorceries for the Moonveil Katana Build

Side Weapons for the Moonveil Katana Build

Best Talismans for Moonveil

Complementary Armor for Moonveil

Elden Ring distinguishes itself from other modern RPGs by fully embracing player freedom. Its expansive open world, filled with mysteries, allows players to embark on an adventurous journey and experience progression as they unravel the game's intricacies. One aspect where Elden Ring truly excels in granting player freedom is in its diverse selection of character builds.

FromSoftware has always been known for providing a wide range of viable and distinctive playstyles in their games (excluding Sekiro). In Elden Ring, the Moonveil Katana is considered a pivotal choice for any Intelligence/Dexterity hybrid build, as it is widely regarded as the best weapon for this build type in the game.

Updated July 2, 2023 by Erik Petrovich:

How To Get Moonveil Katana (& What It Does)

The Moonveil samurai build ranks high among Elden Ring's Mage builds due to the exceptional performance of the Katana. With its highly useful Ashes of War, the weapon is capable of inflicting Bleed and complements other weapons seamlessly. Additionally, its scaling is tailor-made to transform an ordinary sorcerer into a formidable Moonveil Mage. Fortunately, there are numerous build variations incorporating the Moonveil Katana, such as dual-wielding with other Bleed weapons or utilizing it as a backup for Sorceries. For an optimal Moonveil Katana build, delve into the information on recommended Talismans, armors, auxiliary weapons, spells, and more.

If you are familiar with the location, you can obtain the Moonveil Katana relatively early in the game. Begin your journey from the Third Church of Marika and travel north towards the western entrance of Caelid. Stay on the road until you come across the telescope indicated on the world map. From there, continue your path directly west, and you will eventually arrive at the Gael Tunnel.

Look for an orange-tinted cave icon on the border of Limgrave and Caelid on the world map. These symbols highlight caves in Elden Ring that contain numerous crafting materials. Enter the cave and reach the end of the tunnel to communicate with Alexander and advance his quest. Afterward, ignite the Lost Grace and proceed to the boss room to battle the Magma Wyrm. Upon defeating this boss, you will obtain the Moonveil.

Beating the Magma Wyrm

Recognizable to Dark Souls players, this boss exhibits analogous movement patterns similar to the Gaping Dragon. When it executes a charging attack, leaving molten trails in its wake, players can evade it using the same technique employed against the renowned Dark Souls boss: by sprinting at a 90-degree angle away from its trajectory, without resorting to rolling.

Moonveil Stats & Requirements

Tips for Dealing with the Challenging Foe

Despite its sluggish movements, this creature poses a formidable challenge as it requires exceptional agility to evade its attacks. Remarkably, its stomps and lava release possess a surprisingly extensive hitbox, demanding swift reactions on your part. Thus, it is advisable to seize the opportunity to strike only when absolutely necessary. Additionally, utilize the invincibility frames provided by rolling to tactfully maneuver past its sweeping onslaughts. These precious moments allow a window for inflicting a couple of hits. While the encounter may be arduous, prevailing over this adversary is entirely feasible – particularly for adept practitioners of Magic.

Damage and Types		Scaling			Level Requirements			Ash of War	Weight	Additional Properties
73 Physical, 87 Magic	Slash and Pierce	STR: E	DEX: D	INT: C	STR: 12	DEX: 18	INT: 23	Transient Moonlight (15 FP)	6.5	Bleed buildup on hit

Recommended Moonveil Stat Allocation

The Moonveil Katana primarily scales with Dexterity and Intelligence, making it ideal for players who enjoy a blend of close-quarters swordplay and midrange spellcasting. Included with the Moonveil is the Transient Moonlight, known as the Ash of War, which enables players to unleash a powerful and cost-effective magical arc that grows stronger as the weapon is upgraded. To wield the Moonveil, players must have at least 18 Dexterity, 12 Strength, and 23 Intelligence, which, considering the exceptional scaling and skill it offers, is quite attainable.

Vigor	Mind	Endurance	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith	Arcane
35	20	12	12	30	40	10	26

To survive in Elden Ring, it is crucial to have a high Vigor. Make sure to allocate a point or two into this stat regularly as you progress. If you want to maximize the usage of Moonveil's Ash of War without running out of FP quickly, focus on increasing your Mind stat. Additionally, having a Dex of at least 30 and an Int of 40 will effectively utilize the weapon's scaling. Investing in Arcane is also essential for this build as it enhances your ability to cause Bleed buildup. Although Moonveil initially inflicts a low 50 Bleed damage with each hit, this can be significantly improved with a little boost from Arcane.

Sorceries for the Moonveil Katana Build

To optimize the potential of the Moonveil katana, it is advisable to pair it with Sorceries that complement its limitations or enhance its moveset. One such example is the Magic Glintblade, which allows Moonveil users to synchronize their entry into close-quarters combat with the activation of the spell.

Additionally, Sorceries that inflict area-of-effect (AoE) damage, such as the Rotten Breath Incantation or Meteorite Sorcery, prove beneficial to Moonveil users. However, it is important to emphasize the need for strategic stat planning when utilizing these spells. Furthermore, the Rock Sling, a renowned choice among Magic-wielders, possesses the remarkable ability to Stagger enemies, presenting an opportune moment for a series of consecutive attacks.

Side Weapons for the Moonveil Katana Build

To fully exploit the Powerstancing moveset exclusive to the katana weapon class in Elden Ring, it is optimal to equip Moonveil along with another katana. This combination allows players to sacrifice defense in exchange for significantly increased raw damage output, effectively dealing twice the usual amount of damage.

For maximizing damage potential while utilizing Moonveil, consider pairing it with another Intelligence-based katana such as the Meteorite Blade. This choice takes advantage of the shared scaling between the two weapons. Alternatively, you can opt for classic options like Rivers of Blood or the Hand of Malenia to complement Moonveil's capacity to inflict Bleed damage.

An Uchigatana or Wakizashi on the side will be extremely useful for the dual-wield configuration until acquiring these end-game Katanas. Make sure to equip Moonveil in the right hand so that you can utilize the Transient Moonlight Ash of War.

Best Talismans for Moonveil

The Moonveil build prioritizes swiftness and swift attacks, making frequent use of its Ash of War. Therefore, Talismans that align with this playstyle are invaluable. The Winged Sword Insignia and Warrior Shard are vital for augmenting both regular and special damage output. Additionally, the Carian Filigree Crest and the Lord of Blood's Exultation minimize FP consumption and amplify attack power when engaging bleeding adversaries.

Complementary Armor for Moonveil

The damage dealt by weapon skills and Ashes of War can be significantly increased with the Warrior Jar Shard and the Shard of Alexander. Additionally, the charged Spells and Skills can be enhanced with the Godfrey Icon. Combining these two items can greatly boost the damage output of Moonveil, however, in a wider range of situations, the boosts to FP reduction and Bleed damage will prove to be more useful.

When using Moonveil, the choice of armor and appearance for your character is ultimately yours. However, the weapon undeniably looks more appealing in the hands of someone donning light and flowing armor. The Altered Preceptor's Gown resembles a black Gi, although the classic Land of Reeds armor holds its own charm.

Embracing traditional Japanese-inspired aesthetics is always a safe bet, and with meticulous facial customization, you can even roleplay as the formidable One-Armed Wolf from Sekiro.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.