Katana

Traveling Merchant wares and rapid slicing arc

The Katana is an early pre-Hardmode broadsword purchased from the Traveling Merchant for 4 Gold when he visits your world. Striking with 18 base melee damage, the weapon swings automatically without needing external accessories. Its swift Very fast attack speed of 20 ticks allows players to carve through approaching surface monsters during blood moons or goblin scouts. Because the vendor stocks it randomly, obtaining one early in a playthrough depends on regular visits.

Critical strike specialization and early boss combat

Unlike standard broadswords that sit at a 4% base critical strike rate, the Katana features an elevated 19% critical chance that substantially boosts its damage output against early bosses. While it lacks the raw base strike value of the Blood Butcherer, its innate autoswing and high critical frequency make it effective against Eye of Cthulhu servants and cave bats. Reforging to the Legendary prefix delivers peak speed, knockback, size, and damage bonuses.

Trivia

• The Katana is one of the few pre-Hardmode broadswords featuring innate autoswing prior to obtaining Feral Claws.