There are many weapons in Elden Ring that have become extremely popular amongst the player base, but few have managed to hold on to their spot since the game's release despite continuous patches and changes.

Moonveil has always been a champion of katanas, so much so that one of the very first patches for the game drastically nerfed its strength. Even now, Moonveil is considered a top-tier weapon due to its hard-hitting attacks and unique, lightning-fast Ashes of War. Like any weapon in Elden Ring, you'll need to build your character correctly if you want to get the most out of it.

The Weapon

To obtain Moonveil, you'll need to travel to the underground dungeon Gael Tunnel within the treacherous land of Caelid. Once you've reached the dungeon, you'll have to defeat the Magma Wyrm boss before you can claim your new katana. In order to wield Moonveil, you'll need to have at least 12 Strength, 18 Dexterity, and 23 Intelligence.

These requirements may be a roadblock to many players, as not everyone heavily levels Intelligence during their playthrough. The good news is that if you are still dead set on using Moonveil, there are plenty of Larval Tears you can obtain throughout the Lands Between, which will allow you to respec your character.

Elden Ring Lands Between

The Stats

All weapons in Elden Ring scale differently. While some weapons become stronger when your character has a higher Strength stat, others grow in power by raising Faith. Additionally, you can increase a weapon's scaling by upgrading it using Smithing Stones. Moonveil scales mostly with Intelligence and secondarily with Dexterity. To make the best Moonveil build, you should start by making sure that Intelligence and Dexterity are your highest stats.

Moonveil does similar damage with its basic attacks compared to other katanas, but its Transient Moonlight Ashes of War is well-known for packing quite a punch. This move costs 15 FP or 20 FP to cast, depending on which version of the attack you use, so you'll need a large FP pool to use it effectively. Since the majority of your damage will come from Transient Moonlight, you'll need to devote some of your points to Mind. It's also highly recommended to sacrifice some of your Flasks of Crimson Tears in order to carry more Flasks of Cerulean Tears.

Moonveil katana in action

The Talismans

There are four talismans that will help you cast Transient Moonlight more often and do more damage in general with Moonveil.

  • (Optional) Marika's Scarseal/Soreseal — Raises Mind, Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane by several points, but increases damage taken significantly.
  • Cerulean Amber Medallion — Raises maximum FP by a percentage. This is more effective with a higher base FP.
  • Ancestral Spirit's Horn — Restores FP upon defeating enemies, allowing you to conserve your Flasks of Cerulean Tears more effectively.
  • Carian Filigreed Crest — Lowers FP consumed by skills, giving you the opportunity to use Transient Moonlight more frequently.

Whichever talismans you use, remember to focus on maximizing your FP usage while also maintaining high Intelligence and Dexterity for your base attacks.