The Iaito is one of the Katanas in Dark Souls. It has low Durability, but high damage scaling with Dexterity when upgraded along the Normal Reinforcement path.
While any Normal +10 Katana can be converted into the Chaos Blade, the Iaito is a better choice than an Uchigatana or Washing Pole because it is simply not as useful as the others and cheaper to obtain.
The Iaito is located not far from the upper Bonfire in Blighttown. From the Depths entrance, before descending the ladders towards the Bonfire you should be able to see the item glow on a ledge. You need to sprint and jump to it.
It is highly recommended that you rest at the Bonfire before attempting this leap as it is easy to miss. Also a few enemies are located below the Iaito. Take them out first.
Base level:
- Requires: 14 Str, 20 Dex
- Slash
- 88 Physical Damage
- 300 Bleed
- B Dexterity bonus
Difference at +15 (Normal) :
- 220 Physical Damage
- A Dexterity bonus
Ascension | Attributes | Notes | |
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Standard (+15) | 220 (Phys) Bonus: A (Dex) |
Can be Enchanted |
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Raw (+5) | 202 (Phys) Bonus: C (Dex) |
Can be Enchanted |
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Divine (+10) | 158 (Phys), 162 (Mgic) Bonus: D (Dex), C (Faith) |
Adds 110 Holy damage. |
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Occult (+5) | 156 (Phys), 165 (Mgic) Bonus: D (Dex), B (Faith) |
Adds 110 Dark damage, Holy damage is removed. |
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Magic (+10) | 165 (Phys), 180 (Mgic) Bonus: D (Dex), C (Intel) |
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Enchanted (+5) | 158 (Phys), 162 (Mgic) Bonus: E (Dex), A (Intel) |
Lower base damage than Magic weapon, but much higher stat bonus on Intelligence. |
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Fire (+10) | 246 (Phys), 246 (Fire) Bonus: All removed |
May not be correct values. Highly possible the values are more like 216 each. |
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Chaos (+5) | 192 (Phys), 222 (Fire) 232 (Phys), 268 (Fire) Bonus: Humanity |
Damage scales with Humanity up to 10. Values shown at 0 and 10 Humanity. |
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Lightning (+5) | 242 (Phys), 246 (Lght) Bonus: All removed |
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Crystal (+5) | 237 (Phys) Bonus: A (Dex) |
Durability reduced to 8 (1/10 the original). Can not be repaired. |