The Reed Great Katana is one of the newer additions to ELDEN RING, arriving with the Tarnished Edition content. It sits in Caelid, one of the game's most hostile regions, which means plenty of players walk right past it without realizing what they're missing. A 158 base physical attack, built-in Hemorrhage buildup of 55, and a unique skill called Overhead Stance make it worth the detour through dragon country.
What is the Reed Great Katana?
The Reed Great Katana belongs to the Great Katana weapon class, which sits between standard katanas and colossal blades in terms of reach and weight. Compared to regular katanas, it trades some speed for longer range and higher base damage. The in-game description frames it as a weapon from the Land of Reeds, designed for fighters who commit their whole body to every swing. That design philosophy shows up in the moveset: these are not light, flickering cuts but full-body commitments that hit hard and stack blood loss fast.
The weapon weighs 10.0 and deals Slash and Pierce damage, which gives it decent versatility against different enemy types. It requires 11 Strength and 16 Dexterity to wield, making it accessible early enough to be useful for most dexterity-focused builds.
Elden Ring Tarnished Guide: Where to Find Reed Great Katana
Where to find the Reed Great Katana
The weapon sits in eastern Caelid, just northwest of Fort Faroth. Here is the exact route:
- Fast travel to the Fort Faroth Site of Grace on the east side of Caelid.
- Head north on Torrent, passing by Elder Dragon Greyoll, the massive dragon lying on the ground.
- Once you are just past Greyoll, turn left to head westward.
- Climb the hill on your right.
- At the top, loot the Reed Great Katana from the burned corpse sitting in a meditation pose, facing away from the white rock structure.
The white rock structure with Caelid growth on its sides is your landmark. The corpse is at the top, facing away from you as you approach from the Site of Grace direction.
Elden Ring Tarnished Guide: Where to Find Reed Great Katana
Reed Great Katana stats
At +25, the physical attack climbs to 387 while the Hemorrhage buildup and guard stats remain consistent with the base values. The D/D scaling in Strength and Dexterity means investing heavily in both stats will reward you, though it leans toward dexterity builds given the 16 DEX requirement versus 11 STR.
What does Overhead Stance do?
Overhead Stance is a skill unique to the Reed Great Katana. The name reflects the weapon's aggressive design philosophy: a raised, overhead position that sets up powerful downward strikes. This skill does not appear on any other weapon in the current roster, which makes the Reed Great Katana a distinct option even among other Great Katanas like the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana, Great Katana, and Rakshasa's Great Katana.
The skill has no FP cost listed at base, which is worth noting when planning your build around flask usage.
Is the Reed Great Katana worth using?
Here's the honest assessment after spending time with the Great Katana class: the Reed Great Katana's combination of 158 base physical damage, native Hemorrhage at 55 buildup, and a longer reach than standard katanas gives it a strong identity. Blood loss is one of the most reliable damage amplifiers in the game, and having it baked into a weapon with this much range means you are not sacrificing reach to get the bleed effect.
The D/D scaling is the main caveat. At base, the scaling contribution is modest, so the weapon benefits significantly from upgrading rather than stat investment alone. Pair it with talismans that boost dexterity scaling or hemorrhage buildup and the numbers improve considerably.
Elden Ring Tarnished Guide: Where to Find Reed Great Katana
For soulslike games in general, weapons with built-in status effects and unique skills tend to have longer shelf lives in builds because they bring something that generic scaling alone cannot replicate. The Reed Great Katana fits that pattern.
For a broader look at what else is available in the game's Tarnished Edition content and beyond, the full Elden Ring strategy guides collection has everything organized by category.