Curved Sword Talisman

Type

Talismans

Weight

0.7

Effects

A talisman depicting a curved sword and a swordsman.

Enhances guard counters.

It is said that a blind swordsman was the originator of this technique—the art of allowing one's opponent to strike so as to leave them vulnerable to a well-timed reply.

Stormveil Castle dark knight room

Limgrave

Starting Site of Grace: Stormveil Cliffside

1. After defeating Margit, activate Stormveil Main Gate and speak to Gostoc in the room to the left. Take his suggested side passage along the cliff.
2. Follow the ruined wall and rocks to Stormveil Cliffside grace. Climb the stone steps into the storage building above it.
3. Go up the wooden stairs, watching for enemies throwing fire pots at the explosive barrels. Let a throw clear the barrels from a safe distance before climbing farther.
4. Continue up the next stairs to the dark room on the right. The door can lock behind you, leaving you with a Banished Knight.
5. Defeat the knight and open the chest in the back corner for Curved Sword Talisman. The nearby corpse holds the Rusty Key, a separate pickup.
6. Leave the room and return to the locked door on the floor below. The Rusty Key opens that route farther into Stormveil; you do not need to defeat Godrick for the talisman.

Notes

• Raises eligible guard-counter damage by 20%. A curved sword is not required; other weapon classes can benefit.
• Block an enemy's attack, then use the heavy-attack input promptly to perform the special guard counter. A parry followed by a critical attack is a different action.
• It improves the counter's damage, not the damage negation or Guard Boost of the shield or weapon used to block.
• It does not add a separate stance-damage bonus. Guard counters already help break stances, but increasing their health damage does not automatically increase their stance damage.
• You still need enough stamina to avoid a guard break and an opening long enough to finish the counter. Waiting until the enemy's final hit is often safer than countering into the rest of a combo.
• The talisman is inside the chest in the Banished Knight's dark room. The Rusty Key on the nearby corpse opens the next part of Stormveil, rather than upgrading or activating the talisman.