One of the most popular and effective weapons in Cyberpunk 2077 is perhaps the Katana, due to its high damage-causing and critical hit capabilities, its effectiveness during battles, and its overall ability to make the wielder feel like a samurai.
Of course, the fact that it does not have a pesky charge time like other weapons also adds to its desirability. The following list will guide you about the best Katanas in Cyberpunk 2077, and the mods you can use to make them even more powerful weapons.
Tsumetogi
A level 5 weapon that is both powerful and sleek in its design, the signature weapon of Hiromi Sato, Tsumetogi will make killing enemies all the more easier if used properly. It has moderate damage, balanced attack speed, and comes at a low stamina cost.
The main bonuses for this weapon include a +25% shock chance and +25% armor penetration. It also has a unique modifier that changes physical damage with electrical damage and gives an additional 20% chance to apply shock.
Also, when you attack using this weapon while blocking, crouching, jumping, or sprinting you will cause 5% extra damage. Tsumetogi also gives you 10% electrical damage resistance.
You can get Tsumetogi during the Pisces quest. After the Tyger Claws bosses and Maiko are done with their conversation, and the Tyger Claw ends up killing one of their own bosses, you can simply pick the weapon.
Cocktail Stick
One of the best Katanas to have early in Cyberpunk 2077, the Cocktail Stick, is another extremely powerful early-game weapon that offers a balanced mix of damage and attack speed. It is extremely effective in armor penetration and has a low stamina cost as well.
It has a +25% armor penetration as well as a +25% bleeding chance. What makes the sword so good is the fact that it has an iconic modifier that leads to Bleeds lasting longer if the user is utilizing Optical Camo while applying the bleed.
To find Cocktail Stick, begin the mission Automatic Love, and while you are searching for clues in the Cloud club, secure access to the VIP area. Once inside, go to the upper floors, where you will find the katana inside a dressing room under a sign that says Bliss.
Satori
The Satori Katana is easily one of the best weapons to find in Cyberpunk 2077. It does a crazy amount of damage by default. The only downside is its low critical rate which can be improved through the right cyberwares.
Satori gives you a +25% armor penetration and a +17% bleeding chance. You can also leap at far-away enemies by holding down the attack button and apply guaranteed bleeding by using a quickdraw attack while the weapon is sheathed. Moreover, if the enemy is already bleeding, Satori will cause hemorrhaging and restore your own health while draining the enemy’s.
Lastly, while the proper Satori build can be effective throughout the game, we recommend not upgrading to the legendary Satori katana, due to the way scaling works in the game.
To get Satori, make your way to the rooftop after T-Bug unlocks the penthouse balcony during the opening Heist mission. Take out the guards and take Satori from inside Saburo’s flying Limousine.
Also, important to note is that Satori is a missable weapon, meaning that if you don’t get it during the prologue, you won’t be able to get it again.
Errata Thermal Katana
Errata is a Katana that causes high damage and is known for allowing users agility-enhancing leaping ability and its high critical damage upon burning enemies. This gives you almost infinite critical damage if burning is successful.
The katana, which has become available in the Phantom Liberty DLC, also has +25% armor penetration and +30% Burn chance.
Moreover, the Katana is also very easy to get. It sits inside a furnace in the Electric Corporation Building. Go towards the Republic East Service point and find the right building.
After a little exploration, you will get to sector 2 where you will come across a locked double door. Once opened, behind them you will find Errata, lying on a furnace.
Scalpel
An iconic tier 5 weapon, Scalpel is suited for players of all sorts as its effects are easy to learn and it makes any battle easy for the wielder.
Scalpel comes with a +25% armor penetration and a +30% shock chance. Furthermore, Scalpel comes with a perk which is the reason behind its power.
In addition to the existing electrical damage, when Sandevistan is active, your chance of dealing a critical hit increases by 50%, and the hits also apply bleeding.
You receive this mission as a reward for completing the Big in Japan quest, which requires you to deliver a package while fighting off the Tyger Claws.
Best Katana mods to consider
There are 4 Melee-type weapon mods in Cyberpunk 2077, and all can be bought from melee mod sellers for 180 Eddies, so while the choice is limited, they are nonetheless worth considering.
White-Knuckled
White Knuckle offers an increase in crit chance by 2.5%. This is one of the lesser options compared to others as it offers less of a crit chance and perks.
Cold shoulder
Slightly better than White Knuckled is the cold shoulder, which increases damage by 5%, and can be stacked up to 15% using all 3 mod slots.
Scourge
Since most melee weapons found in the game come with a high crit chance, they would benefit incredibly from a mod that boosts crit damage. This is what makes Scourge a useful mod to employ, given that it increases crit damage by 10%.
Kunai
Kunai proves useful if a useful wants to increase their Katana swinging speed even more, as it increases attack speed by 0.3, making the process of killing enemies all the easier as well as faster.
Best Katana build you should try in Cyberpunk 2077
An extremely powerful build that we would recommend you try in Cyberpunk 2077 is as follows.
Your three weapons should be Errata (Katana), Agaou (Axe), and Fang (Knife).
Your cyberware should include Militech Apogee, the Kiroshi Optics, Handle wrap, Microrotors, Adrenaline booster, Heal-on-Kill, Leroy ligament system, Mechatronic core, Newton module, Universal booster, Dense marrow, Titanium bones, Deep field visual interface, Stabber, Carapace, Proxishield, and Optical camo.
Choose attributes of your liking for your character, and voila! Your Katana build is ready for you to begin shredding enemies in Cyberpunk 2077.
