How to Get the Rivers of Blood Katana in Elden Ring
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Elden Ring
How to Get the Rivers of Blood Katana in Elden Ring
How to Use Rivers of Blood
Rivers of Blood was arguably the most powerful weapon in Elden Ring at launch and remains top-tier even after balance patches. The combination of Corpse Piler’s rapid Bleed application and Arcane scaling makes it exceptional against almost every boss in the game, including Malenia — one of the few bosses who can resist Bleed to some degree. If you’re building an Arcane build, this is the weapon to build around.
Frequently Asked Questions
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Get Rivers of Blood
Rivers of Blood is dropped by Bloody Finger Okina, an invader NPC who appears at the Church of Repose in the Mountaintops of the Giants — the frozen area east of the Giant-Conquering Hero’s Grave grace. He invades automatically when you approach the church. Kill him to receive the katana. You do not need to do anything special to trigger the invasion. Requires Dex 12, Arc 18 to wield.
1Reach the Mountaintops of the Giants — this area unlocks after defeating Morgott in Leyndell and using the Rold Medallion at the Grand Lift of Rold. The Mountaintops is the frozen snowfield directly above Leyndell.
2Navigate east through the Mountaintops past the Giants and Freezing Lake area. Find the Church of Repose — a small ruined church on the eastern cliffs of the region. It’s marked on the map as a church icon near the eastern edge of the Mountaintops area.
3As you approach the church, Bloody Finger Okina automatically invades your world — a red phantom NPC wielding two katanas. You don’t need to be in multiplayer or online for this invasion — it’s a scripted NPC event that happens in single-player too.
4Defeat Okina — he fights aggressively with dual katana combos and can bleed you quickly. Stay mobile, dodge his flurries, and punish after his combo strings end. He has medium HP and dies in a few hits from a strong weapon at this point in the game.
5On death, Okina drops the Rivers of Blood katana and the White Mask helmet. Pick both up — the White Mask is part of the classic Bleed build and increases attack power when Bleed procs nearby.
→Scale with Arcane — Rivers of Blood has an S-scaling in Arcane at max upgrade (+10 somber). Build toward 60–80 Arcane for maximum Bleed buildup and damage. Pair with the Respec option at Rennala if your current build doesn’t have Arcane investment.
→Corpse Piler weapon skill — Rivers of Blood’s skill fires a rapid series of blood-infused slashes that build Bleed extremely fast. Using it twice in quick succession against a boss almost guarantees a Bleed proc, dealing 15% of their max HP as bonus damage.
→Pair Rivers of Blood with a second Bleed weapon in the offhand — the Uchigatana or Eleonora’s Poleblade. Dual-wielding Bleed weapons stacks Bleed buildup twice as fast, making it one of the highest DPS setups against bosses with large HP pools.
→Equip the Lord of Blood’s Exultation talisman (from Mohgwyn Palace) — it boosts attack power by 20% for 20 seconds whenever Bleed procs nearby, including from your own attacks. Combined with White Mask (+10% when Bleed procs), you get significant damage bursts every Bleed cycle.
Can I get Rivers of Blood early?No — the Church of Repose is in the Mountaintops of the Giants, which only unlocks after defeating Morgott in Leyndell. This is a late mid-game area, typically reached around SL 80–100. There’s no way to access it earlier in a standard playthrough.
What stats do I need for Rivers of Blood?The minimum requirements are Dexterity 12 and Arcane 18. For optimal performance, build toward 60+ Arcane — the weapon reaches S-scaling in Arcane at +10 somber upgrade, making high Arcane investment the biggest damage multiplier available.
Can Rivers of Blood be infused?No — Rivers of Blood is a unique weapon and cannot be given a new infusion. It already has innate Bleed buildup and Arcane scaling baked in. You can only upgrade it with Somber Smithing Stones at a blacksmith, up to +10.
Is Bloody Finger Okina hard to beat?At the typical level you reach the Mountaintops (SL 80–100), Okina is manageable. He’s aggressive with dual katanas but his health pool isn’t large. Stay at medium distance to bait his combo, then roll through the final hit and punish. A summon ash makes the fight trivial if you’re struggling.