Last updated: 21 July 2026

Lords of the Fallen II Katana & Scythe — New Weapon Classes Explained

When Lords of the Fallen II was revealed, one of the community's loudest requests was broader weapon variety — and CI Games answered with two weapon classes that never existed in the 2023 original: the katana and the scythe. Both were officially confirmed across multiple Lifting the Veil developer updates and the Summer Game Fest 2026 'Battle for Thorngar' trailer. This article covers everything publicly confirmed about each class, how they fit into the three-stance combat system, and what remains unknown until the game launches in Q1 2027.

01Why These Two Classes Are Significant

The original Lords of the Fallen (2023) shipped with a solid but conventional melee arsenal — straight swords, greatswords, hammers, axes, and spears. Neither the katana nor the scythe was present. Both are entirely new additions developed specifically for Lords of the Fallen II.

CI Games explicitly framed both as a direct response to community feedback. The katana was described in official communications as answering "one of the community's most-requested additions," while the scythe was developed as part of a broader combat overhaul described as making the sequel "faster and more brutal than ever before."

This guide covers only what has been officially confirmed in pre-release developer material. Specific stat scaling, build synergies, skill names, and full moveset depth are not yet publicly detailed — each of those is flagged clearly below, and the appropriate place to look for those specifics after launch is the official Lords of the Fallen II wiki.

02The Katana — Fast, Precise, and Built for Aggressive Play

The katana was officially revealed during the Summer Game Fest 2026 'Battle for Thorngar' trailer and received extended gameplay footage in Lifting the Veil Episode 10 (June 12, 2026) — the most detailed pre-release look at the weapon to date.

CI Games describes the katana as featuring "sleek animation and tactical strikes" that make fights "more intimate and fast-paced than ever before, while retaining Lords of the Fallen II's signature visceral feel." The design emphasis is on precision and speed: where heavier weapon classes such as greatswords or warhammers rely on poise and stagger windows, the katana trades raw impact for a faster tempo that keeps enemies under constant pressure.

• Confirmed design intent: fast-paced, precise, aggressive — built for players who prefer speed over brute force.
• Community origin: explicitly acknowledged by CI Games as a high-demand community request met for the sequel.
• New region context: the katana reveal coincided with the announcement of Ysiguen, a new biome inspired by Asian mythology featuring pagoda towers and the dragon boss Lingao the Souring Storm. The stylistic connection between weapon and region is intentional, though no mechanical link between the two has been confirmed pre-release.
• Not confirmed pre-release: exact stat scaling paths, specific skill names, bleed or status-buildup mechanics, and which primary stat (Agility, Strength, or another) governs the katana's damage scaling.

Based on developer framing, the katana will suit players who prefer an agility and precision playstyle over the slower, harder-hitting rhythms of greatswords or hammers. If you are planning an Agility-focused build, the katana is the natural weapon target to watch — but confirm its scaling details in the official wiki after the game ships in Q1 2027.

03The Scythe — Crowd Control with Lethal Reach

The scythe predates the katana in the developer update timeline and was confirmed in an earlier episode of the Lifting the Veil series. Where the katana is built for focused, single-target engagements, the scythe is designed for zone control and multi-target pressure.

The official @lotfgame account described the scythe directly: "The Scythe weapon class delivers sweeping arcs, extended reach, and relentless combo chains designed for battlefield dominance." That same official statement includes a meaningful warning: "But don't be seduced by its hypnotic flow — one swing too many could prove fatal."

That warning is a direct signal about stamina cost and commitment. Extended combo chains always carry the risk of draining your stamina bar mid-fight in a Soulslike context. The scythe's sweeping arcs likely have slower per-hit recovery than a katana or straight sword, meaning overcommitting to a combo against fast enemies carries real consequences.

• Confirmed strengths: sweeping arcs, extended reach beyond close-quarters ranges, relentless multi-hit combo chains, crowd control capability against grouped enemies.
• Confirmed risk: overextension — the weapon's rhythm encourages chaining attacks but empties your stamina bar fast if you are not careful.
• Also described as: delivering flashy execution moves, fitting for players who want to dominate the battlefield rather than duel precisely — the 'Grim Reaper' archetype of the game's arsenal.
• Not confirmed pre-release: exact reach radius, the number of targets hit per swing arc, specific combo strings, and which primary stat governs the scythe's damage scaling.

The scythe is the stronger fit for players who routinely get surrounded — in the Umbral realm, for example, where multiple enemies often close in from different angles. In the narrower corridors common across the game's interior zones, wide sweeping arcs may have limited effectiveness compared to a more compact weapon. Plan around the environments where the scythe shines rather than treating it as a universal option.

04Three Stances — One Weapon, Three Tactical Profiles

One of the confirmed changes to Lords of the Fallen II's combat system is a flexible stance system that applies to every weapon class, including the katana and the scythe. CI Games confirmed that players can wield any weapon in one-handed, two-handed, or dual-wield configurations, and that each approach creates "entirely different tactical approaches" to the same encounter.

• One-handed: frees the off-hand for a shield, a second weapon, or casting. Expected to reduce per-hit damage relative to two-handed, but adds a defensive or hybrid option. Optimal for players who rely on blocking.
• Two-handed: both hands on the same weapon. Expected to maximise damage output and potentially stagger power at the cost of losing off-hand options. The full-commitment stance.
• Dual-wield: a weapon in each hand — potentially the same class in both or mixed types. Typically the highest raw offensive output at the cost of no shield and demanding stamina management.

What this means for the two new classes: the katana's speed advantage likely scales differently across stances than the scythe's reach advantage does. A dual-wield katana configuration would amplify its already-fast tempo significantly. The scythe in two-handed mode would presumably maximise its swing arc and reach. These are informed inferences from confirmed Soulslike design conventions — the exact stance-specific move sets and damage modifiers for each class have not been detailed pre-release.

The stance system means neither the katana nor the scythe is locked into a single identity. Both can be adapted to defensive (one-handed with shield), high-damage (two-handed), or speed-focused (dual-wield) configurations. Your stance choice will likely matter as much as your weapon class choice when you settle into a build.

05The Broader Combat Arsenal

The katana and the scythe are the two headline new weapon classes, but they exist within a broader combat system that also includes options confirmed in developer footage and pre-release communications:

• Unarmed / bare-fisted combat: confirmed in gameplay footage. Exact mechanics have not been detailed pre-release.
• Ranged options: bows and crossbows are confirmed, enabling hybrid melee-ranged builds.
• Elemental magic: confirmed in footage, including frost magic that freezes enemies for follow-up attacks. Elemental spellcasting systems from the first game return in expanded form, though CI Games has not confirmed pre-release whether they keep the same system names as the 2023 game.

The katana and scythe are additions to an already broad toolkit rather than replacements for existing options. Players who favoured the greatsword or hammer playstyle in the 2023 game will still have those archetypes; the new classes expand the build spectrum available from day one.

06Release Window and What Changes Before Launch

Lords of the Fallen II was originally announced for Fall 2026. On June 23, 2026, CI Games officially announced a delay to Q1 2027. No specific month within Q1 2027 has been confirmed.

The official statement cites two reasons: feedback from a dedicated Gameplay Feedback Team — described as "seasoned Souls-like veterans" — identifying "meaningful opportunities to further refine and strengthen the overall experience," and a strategic decision to avoid launching into the crowded holiday release period.

For the katana and scythe specifically: the additional development time means the pre-release footage captured in Lifting the Veil Ep. 10 and the Summer Game Fest trailer may not reflect the final shipped state of each weapon class. Tuning, balancing, and possibly new stance-specific mechanics could be refined before launch. Treat all pre-release details as a starting framework and cross-check the official Lords of the Fallen II wiki when the game ships for final values.

The game releases on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Full crossplay and shared-progression co-op for two players from day one remain confirmed despite the delay.