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Elden Ring already boasted a wide variety of weapons, but with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, players can now enjoy even more types of weapons, including some brand new types like hand-to-hand combat and great katanas. Out of all the new weapons, the Backhand Blade has become a fan favorite for multiple reasons. The Backhand Blade is available quite early, can be upgraded using regular smithing stones, and has access to a powerful Ash of War called Swift Slash.
The Backhand Blade already comes with the Blind Spot skill, which is similar toBloodhound’s Step Skillbut follows up with an attack behind the target. While this is an excellent skill, the Ash of War: Swift Slash can be a better pick. The Swift Slash skill launches the character forward into enemies, slicing through them and creating a vacuum of slices. The distance covered by the skill is impressive, as it can help you close the distance quickly and is easy to spam. Here’s how you’re able to get theAsh of War: Swift Slashin Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Elden Ring Swift Slash Skill Location Guide
To get the Ash of War: Swift Slash, you will have to helpHornsentdefeat Needle Knight Leda in Shadow Keep. Upon defeating her, Hornsent will reward you with the Ash of War: Swift Slash. You will need to make progress in both Hornsent and Needle Knight Leda’s questlines to trigger this event. In a blind playthrough, you might miss the option to take part in this invasion or get locked out of obtaining the Ash of War: Swift Slash.
Fortunately, you need to do only a few things to be able to help Hornsent and get the Swift Slash skill. Follow these steps to get theAsh of War: Swift Slash:
Defeating the remembrance boss,Rellana, is necessary to progress Hornsent’s questline. Once you have defeated her, you will find Hornsent just outside the boss arena’s exit. You will also findNeedle Knight Ledahere, who asks you to head to Shadow Keep, which is located north of the Highroad Cross site of grace.
As you get closer to Shadow Keep, a message will pop up saying a Great Rune has been broken. This also breaks Miquella’s charm on his followers. Following this, the group of Miquella’s followers will start to break out, while a few decide to stick by. As Miquella’s charm wears off, Needle Knight Leda gets worried about the faith and truth of other followers and wants to weed out suspects. You will have to talk to Needle Knight Leda and suggest Hornsent as the suspicious target.
After suggesting Hornsent to Leda, talk to Hornsent and exhaust all dialogues. Now, rest at the site of grace and talk to Needle Knight Leda again to hear her decision to attack Hornsent.
Next, you will have to enter Shadow Keep and defeat theGolden Hippopotamus bossto unlock Shadow Keep Main Gate site of grace. From here, follow the path on the west to the end to reach a bridge with burning boats. Next to this bridge, there will be a staircase heading down towards a giant door leading back to Shadow Keep Main Gate site of grace.
You will find the summon signs for assisting Hornsent or Needle Knight Leda in front of this staircase. Choose to assist Hornsent and defeat Needle Knight Leda to get the Ash of War: Swift Slash as a reward.
Defeating Messmer the Impaler before progressing Hornsent’s questline will lock you out of receiving Ash of War: Swift Slash.
Is Ash of War: Swift Slash Good or Not?
Ash of War: Swift Slash is a powerful weapon skill only applicable toBackhand BladeandSmithscript Cirque. Unfortunately, this skill is exclusive to the Backhand Blades weapon class, which only features two regular weapons and a Somber weapon. TheBackhand Bladeis the best weapon for Swift Slash as it can be obtained quite early and easily in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Ash of War: Swift Slash can be buffed in multiple ways. Just like almost all Ashes of War, Swift Slash gets bonus damage from the Shard of Alexander talisman. Since it’s a multi-hitting skill, you can useRotten Winged Sword InsigniaorMillicent’s Prosthesisto get an attack bonus from successive hits. When fighting against enemies prone to Bleed, you can also go with Blood infusion and useLord of Blood’s Exultationfor an attack boost when blood loss happens.
Swift Slash was incredibly strong at the launch of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. However, it has been nerfed since then and is now a slightly above-average skill. You can still use the Ash of War: Swift Slash in PVP and PVE, but it’s not as good as it used to be.
