Is Moonveil still the best katana in Elden Ring?

As a long-time Souls player and Elden Ring fanatic, this question has been hotly debated across the lands between ever since Moonveil first arrived on the scene. Once deemed overpowered to the point of game-breaking, Moonveil has endured some stiff nerfs over time. But does it still retain its crown as the #1 katana? Let‘s dive in.

Moonveil by the numbers

Before analyzing Moonveil‘s qualitative traits, we should start numerically versus its katana rivals:

• Data sourced from Elden Ring Wiki

We can already see why Moonveil stands out. That 162 base damage is monstrous for a katana, with decent scaling as well in both Strength, Dexterity, and especially Intelligence. It still remains in the top 5 in every other statistical category too.

However, with similar or sometimes better scaling, bleed katanas like Rivers/Malenia can far exceed Moonveil for damage against susceptible enemies by proccing hemorrhage. So the stats alone don‘t tell the full tale.

Moonveil‘s Strengths

Now, let‘s delve into why Moonveil has remained an elite pick through various patch cycles:

1. Sheer versatility

Moonveil can dish out magic or physical damage on demand. Against magically resistant foes, its slick moveset allows picking away at health bars with traditional katana slashes and pierces. But if an enemy is weak to magic? Just unleash Transient Moonlight.

At close quarters and even medium range, this eloquently named weapon skill absolutely chunks enemies with a torrent of glintstone energy from your character‘s own moon veil.

Few weapons offer this kind of flexible offense tailor-made for tackling any foe‘s weaknesses. Moonveil-wielding Tarnished can feel consistently impactful regardless of the situation.

2. Sheer style

Alright, maybe "style" points shouldn‘t factor into determining the best katana. But by the Greater Will, just look at this gorgeous blade with its icy blue accents and faint turquoise glow.

It just oozes prestige and elegant lethality. Paired with flashy skills and magical flourishes, you‘ll feel like General Radahn pre-gravity magic when he was still metrosexual.

Other contenders like Rivers of Blood have their own ostentatious qualities of course. But Moonveil captures a subtle badassery reminiscent of old-school samurai films.

3. Late-game omnipotence

As FromSoftware veterans know, magic only scales upwards in power as your journey through the Lands Between continues. By end-game with 60+ Intelligence, Moonveil reaches extraordinary potentials for destruction.

With the right build, that glintstone Transient Moonlight is hitting for 1500+ damage easily. Even crazily inflated NG+7 health bars don‘t stand a chance. Very few weapons can claim to remain so potently lethal at SL150+ levels against whatever foes you face.

Weaknesses and downsides

Of course, Moonveil isn‘t without its flaws. As previously mentioned, pure bleed builds with Rivers/Hand can out-damage it situationally thanks to hemorrhage. Moonveil also can‘t be buffed or utilize weapon greases.

Its one-note moveset may feel stale to some players too. While the unique Transient Moonlight adds some variation, the rest of the experience revolves around relatively unexciting katana slashes. Those seeking more complexity may be left wanting.

Finally, Moonveil remains almost worthless in the hands of lowly non-mage builds. Without heavy Intelligence investment, neither the physical nor magical moveset impacts much. This exclusivity to mages cuts down on its overall viability for many players.

How other top-tier katanas compare

Let‘s see how some other fan-favorite katanas stack up qualitatively:

Rivers of Blood

• Obscenely high bleed buildup and hemorrhage proc damage
• Corpse Piler weapon skill inflicts devastating blood loss in AOE
• Nerfed from utterly broken status but still amazing
• Scales very well with Arcane too

Hand of Malenia

• Also has passive bleed buildup
• Unique weapon skill good for single targets
• Scales with Dexterity
• Can attack while blocking

Nagakiba

• Highest base damage of non-legendary katanas
• Longest reach of any katana
• Strong Dexterity/Strength scaling when Keen/Heavy
• No flashy skills but a lean, mean, slashing machine

Conclusion

While Rivers of Blood still claims the damage crown against bleeding enemies, and the Hand offers unique defenses, Moonveil remains right at the top for reliable versatility and jaw-dropping Intelligence scaling.

No other weapon covers as many bases offensively while still dishing out stylish critical strikes. Late game and into NG+ cycles, few can compete with Moonveil‘s magical slashes and Transient Moonlight nuking. Plus it looks slick as a Runebear‘s fur coat.

For my runes, Moonveil retains the title as #1 best-in-class katana through early 2023. But new challenges may arise…will we see further nerfs or contenders added in coming DLC? Only time and the Erdtree‘s wisdom will tell.