Weaponsupporting

Sword of Night

Sword of Night is a katana received from Swordhand of Night Jolan by giving her an Iris of Occultation at the end of Count Ymir’s quest. Its fixed Witching Hour Slash is a chargeable night attack, making the weapon the mutually exclusive alternative to Jolan’s spirit ash reward.

Importance

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Elden Ring · weapon

Key Takeaways

Sword of Night is a Shadow of the Erdtree katana built around an unusual concealed-blade skill and a quest reward choice, rather than the broad customization of a standard katana.

A fixed, somber-upgrade katana

Sword of Night follows the Somber Smithing Stone upgrade path and retains its unique weapon skill, so it trades affinity and Ash of War flexibility for a defined moveset.

Its defining mechanic is Witching Hour

Witching Hour briefly obscures the blade before releasing a rapid series of slashes, giving the weapon a distinctive close-range attack that differs from ordinary katana skills.

The reward requires a quest decision

In Shadow of the Erdtree, obtaining Sword of Night depends on progressing Jolan’s storyline and choosing the Iris of Occultation reward rather than Jolan’s spirit-ash reward.

It suits a bleed-oriented Dexterity and Intelligence setup

Its katana moveset and innate blood-loss buildup make it relevant to status-focused play, while its attribute requirements favor a Dexterity and Intelligence character.

Its main limitation is reduced customization

Unlike an infusible katana, Sword of Night cannot be reshaped around different affinities or replace its signature skill, limiting experimentation compared with flexible alternatives such as Uchigatana.

Overview

Sword of Night is a unique katana in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, distinguished by its fixed Darkweave skill and connection to the Manus Metyr questline. It is a late-DLC weapon for players who want a katana whose defining attack extends beyond ordinary blade-range pressure.

Sword of Night belongs to the Shadow of the Erdtree weapon roster rather than the base-game katana selection. Its identity is tied to the Manus Metyr questline and to Jolan, making it a character- and progression-linked reward rather than a routine chest pickup or general-world weapon. The acquisition context can be understood without revealing the questline's major story outcomes.

Its most distinctive feature is Darkweave, a weapon skill that sweeps the blade to release a fan of dark blades. That gives the weapon a way to threaten targets beyond the immediate reach of its normal katana attacks, while retaining the close-range identity and fast repeated strikes associated with the katana class. The skill is the main reason to consider Sword of Night as more than a cosmetic variant.

Sword of Night is therefore best viewed as a specialized unique katana rather than a general replacement for every other katana. Standard or affinity-customizable katanas offer different skill and build-flexibility choices, whereas this weapon asks the player to evaluate its fixed skill alongside the katana moveset. Its appeal is strongest for characters who want a distinctive skill-centered weapon during late Shadow of the Erdtree progression.

The weapon's DLC and quest-reward status also shape when it matters. It is not an early-game option for a new character, and its availability depends on reaching the relevant Manus Metyr storyline and making the associated reward choice. The rest of the page should therefore treat Sword of Night as a fixed, unique DLC katana and keep its acquisition, upgrade state, and any calculated attack values separate from universal weapon claims.

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.

Category
Katanas
Damage Type
Slash
Primary Scaling
Dex C
Weight
6.5
Skill
Witching Hour Slash
Str Req
8
Dex Req
22
How to Obtain
Reward from Jolán, Swordhand of Night's questline, Shadow of the Erdtree
DLC
Shadow of the Erdtree

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

Compared to similar katanas

Weapon	Str Req	Dex Req	Weight	Primary Scaling
Sword of Night	8	22	6.5	Dex C
Hand of Malenia	13	20	6.5	Dex C
Rivers of Blood	12	18	6	Dex D / Arc D
Moonveil	12	18	7.5	Int C / Dex D
Meteoric Ore Blade	11	20	5.5	Dex C / Int D

Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

How to Obtain

Before you start

Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Progress through Count Ymir and Jolan's quest far enough to defeat Metyr, Mother of Fingers.
Obtain an Iris of Occultation before speaking to Jolan for the final reward. The Sword of Night is a quest reward rather than a vendor purchase or ordinary enemy drop.
The reward choice is missable within the quest outcome and is limited to one Sword of Night per playthrough; no separate vendor or alternate recovery route is established.

01In Shadow of the Erdtree, progress Count Ymir's quest at the Cathedral of Manus Metyr in Scadu Altus and complete the required Finger Ruins objectives until the quest leads to Metyr, Mother of Fingers.
02Defeat Metyr, Mother of Fingers, then return to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr and resolve the confrontation involving Count Ymir and Jolan. Reload the area if Jolan is not yet in her post-quest position.
03Speak with the injured Jolan at the cathedral and give her the Iris of Occultation. She rewards the Sword of Night; giving her the Iris of Grace instead produces a different reward, so the choice is mutually exclusive during that playthrough.

Availability

Base gameunavailable

Requires Shadow of the Erdtree required.

Sword of Night is DLC-exclusive and does not appear in the base-game weapon pool.

Shadow of the Erdtreeavailable

Requires Progress Count Ymir and Swordhand of Night Jolan's questline, then use an Iris of Occultation as the reward choice.

This is a choice-exclusive reward; selecting the alternative reward prevents obtaining Sword of Night in that playthrough unless obtained through another cycle.

Mechanics and Handling

Sword of Night uses the standard katana moveset rather than replacing its normal attacks with a slow great-weapon pattern. Its light attacks are quick slashes suited to close pressure, while the running and jumping attacks help close space or punish openings. The weapon’s short commitment makes it easier to disengage after a single hit than after a long heavy-weapon sequence, but it still relies on spacing because its attacks are close-range and its reach is not the defining advantage of the katana class.

Innate bleed and attack rhythm

The blade carries innate blood loss buildup, so repeated successful hits can create pressure against enemies vulnerable to hemorrhage. The buildup is a property of the weapon’s attacks rather than an effect that must be supplied by an Ash of War. Its katana attack rhythm supports this use: short strings and opportunistic running or jumping attacks are generally more practical than committing to every available swing, particularly against enemies that can interrupt light weapons.

Witching Hour Slash

Sword of Night’s defining feature is Witching Hour Slash, its fixed weapon skill. The user briefly sheaths the blade and then releases a dark slash. The skill’s attack cannot be blocked, giving it a specific role against shielded targets and enemies that would otherwise safely guard a conventional katana hit. The sheathing action creates a visible commitment before the strike, so the skill is best used after an opening, from a prepared position, or when an opponent is already committed to an attack. It is not a substitute for normal attacks when immediate damage is required.

Fixed handling and defensive limits

Because Witching Hour Slash is the weapon’s innate skill, Sword of Night does not function like an infusible katana whose Ash of War can be freely exchanged. The weapon’s identity therefore comes from the combination of its katana strings, innate bleed, and guard-bypassing skill rather than from broad skill customization. The blade is primarily an offensive weapon: ordinary attacks do not turn it into a shield or parrying tool, and its value depends on creating openings instead of absorbing pressure.

Upgrades and Variants

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

The katana moveset gives Sword of Night quick close-range attacks, making it responsive for punishing short openings rather than committing to slow swings.
Its unique Witching Hour skill temporarily conceals the blade; a normal-attack follow-up releases a concentrated flurry, giving the weapon a distinct burst option when an enemy remains in range.
As a Somber weapon with a fixed skill, its identity is consistent: players do not need to choose an Ash of War or affinity to access its signature attack.

Weaknesses

Witching Hour is a two-step commitment: the setup creates less immediate pressure than a skill that deals its damage on activation, and the follow-up can be interrupted or whiff if the target moves away.
Its fixed skill and non-infusable upgrade path limit customization compared with standard katanas that can receive different Ashes of War and affinities.
It does not serve as a natural bleed-build sidegrade because its weapon-specific identity does not provide the usual katana bleed focus.

Best uses

Use it for a fast, dexterity-oriented katana approach when a distinctive weapon skill matters more than affinity flexibility.
Use Witching Hour during predictable recovery windows or against targets that stay within melee range long enough for the follow-up flurry.
Choose another katana when the build depends on changing affinities, selecting a different Ash of War, or maximizing a specific status setup.

Compared With Similar Weapons

Compared With Similar Weapons
Weapon	Class and role	Signature mechanic	Build profile	Main trade-off
Sword of Night	Witching Hour temporarily shrouds the blade, with its follow-up slashes designed to bypass blocking	Dexterity-focused; fixed unique weapon skill	Less flexible than an infusible katana and its special attack requires close-range commitment	—
Moonveil	Transient Moonlight releases a fast horizontal or vertical magic wave	Dexterity and Intelligence	Provides ranged magic pressure, but asks for Intelligence investment	—
Rivers of Blood	Corpse Piler chains blood-flame slashes	Dexterity/Arcane	More dependent on bleed buildup and its specific skill pattern	—
Nagakiba	Long reach with a changeable Ash of War and affinity	Dexterity, with flexible infusion options	Offers more setup flexibility but lacks Sword of Night's fixed signature skill	—

Lore and Design

The Sword of Night is associated with Jolan, Swordhand of Night, and with the Swordhands of Night named in its item lore. Its dark blade and weapon skill reinforce that connection, presenting the katana as an expression of the setting’s “night” imagery rather than merely a conventional weapon with a dark appearance. The weapon’s place in Jolan’s storyline also gives it a clearer narrative identity than an ordinary katana, linking its use to the events surrounding Count Ymir and the pursuit of the cosmos described in the Shadow of the Erdtree content.

The available lore supports the weapon’s association with Jolan and the Swordhands of Night, but it does not establish a real-world design source or a broader canonical history beyond those references. Interpretations connecting the blade to wider themes of darkness, concealed identity, or the night sky should therefore remain interpretations rather than be presented as confirmed development intent.

Trivia

The Sword of Night is the weapon reward associated with giving Jolan the Iris of Occultation during the Manus Metyr questline. Choosing the Iris of Grace instead produces Jolan's Spirit Ash, making the two rewards mutually exclusive on that playthrough.
Its signature skill, Witching Hour Slash, briefly makes the blade intangible before the follow-up attack. This gives the weapon a guard-bypassing identity distinct from a conventional katana skill.