Star-Lined Sword
Star-Lined Sword is a Shadow of the Erdtree katana dropped by Demi-Human Queen Marigga near Cerulean Coast. It deals physical and magic damage and uses Onze’s Line of Stars, an extendable series of agile magic slashes.
Key Takeaways
Star-Lined Sword is a Shadow of the Erdtree katana built around its fixed, multi-stage weapon skill rather than interchangeable Ashes of War. Its value depends on whether a Dexterity/Intelligence character can exploit that skill’s commitment and reach.
DLC katana with a fixed identity
This weapon is exclusive to Shadow of the Erdtree and uses the somber reinforcement path. Its innate skill is Onze’s Line of Stars, so it does not serve as a general-purpose infusable katana.
The skill is the main reason to use it
Onze’s Line of Stars performs a sequence of rapid slashes and ends with a stronger finishing attack. The full sequence rewards openings that last long enough for the user to commit to the animation.
Its acquisition is tied to a specific DLC boss
Star-Lined Sword is obtained from Demi-Human Queen Marigga in the Cerulean Coast area of Shadow of the Erdtree, making the weapon unavailable in the base game and dependent on reaching that encounter.
It favors a Dexterity/Intelligence setup
The katana’s attribute requirements and split physical/magic profile make it a more specialized choice than a purely Dexterity-focused katana. Its suitability should be judged against the character’s actual attributes rather than weapon appearance alone.
Its reach and skill pressure come with commitment
The skill can cover more space than a basic close-range exchange, but the multi-hit sequence is not automatically safe. Enemies that move, stagger the user, or punish delayed recovery can make the finishing strike difficult to land.
Moonveil is the clearest alternative for a similar build
Moonveil also serves Dexterity/Intelligence characters, but its Transient Moonlight skill offers a different attack pattern. The choice is therefore primarily between distinct skill behavior and combat timing, not simply between two katana names.
Overview
Star-Lined Sword is a unique katana added in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Its identity rests less on a passive status effect than on Onze’s Line of Stars, a distinctive weapon skill that turns a katana moveset into a staged sequence of rapid slashes followed by a committed finishing attack.
Unlike the standard Uchigatana and other interchangeable katanas, Star-Lined Sword is a fixed unique weapon rather than an ordinary blade that can be freely reconfigured with Ashes of War and affinities. It follows Elden Ring’s special-weapon progression, so its defining skill and weapon identity remain tied together throughout its upgrade path. That makes it a deliberate choice for players who want a particular attack pattern instead of a blank katana platform for experimentation.
The weapon’s signature is Onze’s Line of Stars. The skill begins with a distinctive close-range sword motion and can be extended through follow-up inputs into a sequence of slashes, with the sequence ending in a stronger, more committed attack. This gives Star-Lined Sword a burst-oriented role: the wielder must judge distance and enemy recovery before committing, because the skill is more specialized than simply repeating light attacks. Its value therefore depends on openings and execution, not just on the katana category.
Star-Lined Sword belongs to the Shadow of the Erdtree weapon roster and is associated with the encounter involving Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze. It is consequently a DLC-side progression option rather than an early Limgrave replacement for a starting katana. The weapon can become relevant once a character has access to the expansion, but its usefulness still depends on whether the player’s build can support its requirements and whether its fixed skill fits the intended combat rhythm.
For comparison purposes, Star-Lined Sword is best understood beside other unique katanas with defining skills, rather than judged only against infusible katanas by their ordinary attack strings. Moonveil offers a different skill-led identity, while Uchigatana represents the flexibility of a customizable katana. Star-Lined Sword occupies the space between those ideas: it retains the familiar katana role but asks the player to build around a specific, multi-stage skill instead of treating the weapon as a neutral foundation for many Ashes of War.
Statistics
Elden Ring publishes no 0–100 stat bars, so this page lists the verified requirements, scaling and handling figures instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- CategoryLight Greatswords
- Damage TypeSlash/Magic
- Primary ScalingDex C / Arc D
- Weight8
- SkillAsh of War (varies)
- Str Req13
- Dex Req20
- Arc Req20
- How to ObtainShadow of the Erdtree - Rauh Ruins
- DLCShadow of the Erdtree
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar light greatswords
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star-Lined Sword | 13 | 20 | 8 | Dex C / Arc D |
| Milady | 13 | 18 | 6.5 | Dex C |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Shadow of the Erdtree access is required.
- Reach the Cerulean Coast in the Realm of Shadow.
- Defeat Demi-Human Queen Marigga; the reward is guaranteed from this boss.
- The weapon is available during a standard DLC playthrough and is not known to be missable through quest progression.
- The boss provides one copy per playthrough; another copy requires obtaining it again in a subsequent playthrough or NG+ cycle.
- 01Enter the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and travel to the Cerulean Coast in the southern part of the Realm of Shadow. Continue through the region toward its southern end until you reach the arena of Demi-Human Queen Marigga; the weapon is not found in a chest or sold by a vendor.
- 02Defeat Demi-Human Queen Marigga at the southern Cerulean Coast. Star-Lined Sword is the boss's guaranteed weapon reward, so no drop-rate farming or separate pickup is required after the victory.
- 03Collect the reward after the boss is defeated. There is no known NPC quest, key item, vendor purchase, or additional story prerequisite tied to this weapon beyond access to Shadow of the Erdtree and the route to the Cerulean Coast.
Availability
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree expansion required
The Star-Lined Sword is DLC-exclusive and does not appear in the base-game weapon pool.
Requires Access to the Shadow Realm and the Cerulean Coast; defeat Demi-Human Queen Marigga
It is not a vendor-stock item and has no purchase price. The same acquisition route applies in subsequent playthroughs when the DLC area is accessible.
Mechanics and Handling
Star-Lined Sword is defined less by a novel basic moveset than by the way its fixed weapon skill extends a katana-style attack pattern. Its ordinary attacks retain the quick, forward-committing rhythm expected from the katana class, while the sword’s distinctive handling comes from Onze’s Line of Stars. The skill rewards a player who can hold position long enough to complete its sequence without being interrupted.
Katana attacks and spacing
The standard light-attack chain is suited to short openings and repeated pressure rather than trading through every hit. Its slashes advance the wielder enough to punish targets within ordinary katana reach, but the weapon still depends on spacing: missing the opening swing or attacking from the edge of range can leave the later parts of the sequence unable to connect. The heavy attack provides a more deliberate strike, while jumping and running attacks are useful for closing distance or taking advantage of a brief recovery window. Star-Lined Sword does not turn katana attacks into wide crowd-control swings, so groups remain easier to manage when enemies are kept in front of the player.
Onze's Line of Stars
Onze's Line of Stars is the weapon's defining feature and its fixed skill. It begins with a sheathed-blade technique and follows with a stylized series of slashes that produce the skill's star-like visual trails. Additional inputs continue the sequence, culminating in a broader finishing attack. The skill therefore has more commitment than a single quick weapon-art strike: its value increases when the first hit connects and the target is staggered, trapped in recovery, or otherwise unable to interrupt the follow-up inputs.
The skill is most reliable against an enemy that has just committed to an attack, or after an opening has already been created by normal attacks, a stance break, or an ally's pressure. Using it raw at point-blank range against an active enemy is riskier because the early part of the animation must create enough safety for the later slashes to matter. The visual trails should not be treated as a substitute for confirmed spacing; the useful result still depends on the individual strikes connecting with the target.
Bleed and sustained pressure
Star-Lined Sword carries innate blood-loss buildup. That passive effect gives repeated successful hits an additional payoff, particularly against enemies vulnerable to hemorrhage, but it does not make every attack an immediate status trigger. The player must keep landing attacks while accounting for the target's resistance and the weapon's attack commitment. The skill's multiple-hit structure can support buildup when enough of the sequence connects, although interrupting the sequence or spacing the slashes too far apart reduces that benefit.
Fixed skill and combat commitment
Unlike an infusible katana, Star-Lined Sword is built around its named skill rather than a freely selected Ash of War. Its identity is consequently stable across normal use: the player cannot replace Onze's Line of Stars to convert the weapon into a different skill-based role. This makes the weapon a better fit for players who want its distinctive chained attack than for players choosing a katana primarily for Ash of War flexibility.
The weapon has no firearm-style reload, magazine, or ammunition behaviour. Its practical resource consideration is the FP consumed by Onze's Line of Stars; normal attacks do not require that skill resource. The sword can also be used defensively in the ordinary ways available to its class, but it is primarily a pressure weapon. Its strongest handling pattern is to use ordinary katana attacks to find a safe opening, then commit to the skill when the enemy cannot readily interrupt the sequence.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its innate blood-loss buildup gives repeated katana hits a status-pressure role without requiring an affinity change or external weapon buff.
- Onze's Line of Stars provides a distinctive burst sequence: the initial skill attack can be followed by additional slashes, allowing the weapon to convert a clear opening into several hits.
- As a katana with physical and magic damage, it suits a Dexterity/Intelligence character that wants a melee option alongside sorceries rather than a purely physical sidearm.
- The skill's concentrated sequence is useful against large targets or staggered enemies that can remain in range long enough for multiple strikes to connect.
Weaknesses
- Its split physical-and-magic damage is checked by two defensive values, so the displayed attack profile does not guarantee efficient damage against enemies well defended against either component.
- The weapon is tied to a Dexterity/Intelligence-oriented setup, which limits its value for strength-focused, faith-focused, or otherwise low-Intelligence builds.
- Its fixed unique skill prevents replacing Onze's Line of Stars with an Ash of War or changing the weapon's affinity, reducing customization compared with an infusible katana.
- The skill's follow-up sequence commits the player to close range. If the opening closes, the target moves away, or the attack is interrupted, the weapon can lose the advantage of its multi-hit design.
Best uses
- Use it in PvE against bleed-susceptible enemies when a Dexterity/Intelligence build can safely maintain repeated contact.
- Choose it for boss punish windows, stance-break openings, or large targets where the full skill sequence has room to connect.
- It works best as a specialized melee weapon for a spellcaster or hybrid character, complementing sorceries while retaining katana speed and status pressure.
- Prefer another weapon when the build cannot meet its Dexterity/Intelligence demands, when affinity and Ash-of-War flexibility are priorities, or when the matchup offers few safe close-range openings.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and build role | Signature skill or identity | Infusion and upgrade flexibility | Choose it when... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star-Lined Sword | Onze's Line of Stars creates a sequence of magical sword attacks. Its value is concentrated in its unique weapon skill and the openings needed to use it safely. | Unique weapon with a fixed skill and Somber reinforcement; it is not a general-purpose Ash of War or affinity platform. | You want a DLC katana whose defining feature is an elaborate magical attack sequence rather than a conventional unsheathe-style skill. | — |
| Moonveil | Transient Moonlight gives the weapon accessible horizontal and vertical projectile attacks, making it useful for punishing targets at short-to-moderate distance. | Unique weapon with a fixed skill and Somber reinforcement. | You prefer a more immediate, repeatable ranged skill and a simpler combat loop than Star-Lined Sword's longer signature sequence. | — |
| Meteoric Ore Blade | Gravitas pulls nearby enemies inward and provides area control, giving it a different role from Star-Lined Sword's offensive magical sequence. | Unique weapon with a fixed skill and Somber reinforcement. | You want crowd control and a Strength/Intelligence-oriented katana rather than a skill built around a committed chain of slashes. | — |
| Wing of Astel | Nebula supplies a delayed area burst, while the weapon's heavy attack offers a ranged magical option without spending FP. | Unique weapon with a fixed skill and Somber reinforcement. | You want an Intelligence sidearm with area denial and a different spacing profile, not a direct katana substitute. | — |
Used In
- Demi-Human Queen MariggaDefeating this Shadow of the Erdtree boss rewards the Star-Lined Sword.
- Cerulean CoastDemi-Human Queen Marigga is encountered in this region, where the Star-Lined Sword is obtained.
Lore and Design
The Star-Lined Sword is identified in its item text as the katana of Onze, Swordhand of Night. Its defining image is also literal within the weapon’s lore: the blade is lined with stars, while the spaces between them are described as a void. This gives the weapon a distinctly celestial identity without establishing a broader cosmological explanation beyond the text itself.
Onze and the blade’s celestial imagery
The weapon’s connection to Onze is reinforced by its unique skill, Onze’s Line of Stars, whose name directly associates the sword’s signature technique with its wielder. The available lore presents Onze as a Swordhand of Night, but does not by itself establish a full biography, faction history, or confirmed relationship to other named characters. The Star-Lined Sword’s design is therefore best read as a specific character weapon with star-and-void imagery, rather than as evidence of an undocumented real-world inspiration or larger canonical theory.
Trivia
- The weapon’s unique skill, Onze’s Line of Stars, is named for Swordmaster Onze, directly linking the sword’s title to its associated wielder rather than describing only its blade or damage type.