- For the Dark Souls II variant, see Washing Pole (Dark Souls II).
- For the Dark Souls III variant, see Washing Pole (Dark Souls III).
The Washing Pole is a katana in Dark Souls.
In-Game Description
- Katana forged in an Eastern land. Very unusual specimen with a long blade.
- The blade is extremely long, but as a result, quite easily broken.
Availability[]
Shiva of the East sells Washing Poles in Blighttown for 20,000 souls. Players must be in the Forest Hunter Covenant to encounter him at either location.
Characteristics[]
The Washing Pole requires 20 Strength and 16 Dexterity to wield. It deals identical damage to the Uchigatana initially, but possesses greater reach. The Washing Pole does not scale as well with Dexterity as other katanas, however this drawback is somewhat compensated by its additional scaling with Strength, being the only katana in the game to have scaling with that stat.
Due to its unique look and long reach, the Washing Pole is very popular in PvP. In particular, the Washing Pole's rolling attack can be very hard to dodge due to its speed and large hitbox. However, in saying this, the Washing Pole is slightly slower and has less durability than the other katanas.
Moveset[]
| Attack | Description |
|---|---|
| One-handed Weak Attack |
Fast, vertical cuts. Good for draining stamina and increasing bleed due to its long reach and excellent hit-frames. |
| One-handed Strong Attack |
Wielder pulls back, then lunges forward. Excellent reach, but high starting lag. |
| Two-handed Weak Attack |
Fast, vertical cuts that are slightly slower but deal more damage than the one handed variant. |
| Two-handed Strong Attack |
Wielder holds the sword overhead in both hands, then brings it down forcefully. High starting lag. |
| Jump Attack | Wielder jumps and buries the katana into the ground. Good damage, but small hitbox and a short reach. |
| Running Attack | Running stab. Fast with excellent reach, but small hitbox. |
| Rolling Attack | Swings katana in front of the wielder horizontally. |
| Kick | Standard kick. |
| Left-handed Weak Attack |
Vertical swing. Similar to the one-handed weak attack, except that it does not combo into upward swings. |
| Left-handed Strong Attack |
Standard parry. |
Upgrades[]
Requires: Standard Washing Pole, Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washing Pole | 90 | – | – | – | D | D | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +1 (Titanite Shard ×1) | 99 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +2 (Titanite Shard ×1) | 108 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +3 (Titanite Shard ×2) | 117 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +4 (Titanite Shard ×2) | 126 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +5 (Titanite Shard ×3) | 135 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +6 (L. Titanite Shard ×1) | 144 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +7 (L. Titanite Shard ×1) | 153 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +8 (L. Titanite Shard ×2) | 162 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +9 (L. Titanite Shard ×2) | 171 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +10 (L. Titanite Shard ×3) | 180 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +11 (Titanite Chunk ×1) | 188 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +12 (Titanite Chunk ×1) | 198 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +13 (Titanite Chunk ×2) | 207 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +14 (Titanite Chunk ×3) | 216 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Washing Pole +15 (Titanite Slab ×1) | 225 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
Requires: Standard Washing Pole +5, Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Washing Pole (Large Titanite Shard ×1) | 156 | – | – | – | D | D | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Raw Washing Pole +1 (Large Titanite Shard ×1) | 166 | – | – | – | D | D | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Raw Washing Pole +2 (Large Titanite Shard ×1) | 176 | – | – | – | D | D | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Raw Washing Pole +3 (Large Titanite Shard ×2) | 187 | – | – | – | D | D | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Raw Washing Pole +4 (Large Titanite Shard ×2) | 197 | – | – | – | D | D | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Raw Washing Pole +5 (Large Titanite Shard ×3) | 208 | – | – | – | D | D | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
Requires: Standard Washing Pole +10, Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Washing Pole (Titanite Chunk ×1) | 198 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Crystal Washing Pole +1 (Titanite Chunk ×1) | 207 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Crystal Washing Pole +2 (Titanite Chunk ×1) | 216 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Crystal Washing Pole +3 (Titanite Chunk ×2) | 225 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Crystal Washing Pole +4 (Titanite Chunk ×3) | 233 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Crystal Washing Pole +5 (Titanite Slab ×1) | 243 | – | – | – | D | C | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
Requires: Standard Washing Pole +5, Green Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Washing Pole (Green Titanite Shard ×1) |
102 | 109 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +1 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) |
108 | 116 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +2 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) |
115 | 124 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +3 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) |
122 | 131 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +4 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) |
129 | 138 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +5 (Green Titanite Shard ×3) |
136 | 146 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +6 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×1) |
142 | 153 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +7 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×1) |
149 | 160 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +8 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×2) |
156 | 167 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +9 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×3) |
163 | 175 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Magic Washing Pole +10 (Blue Titanite Slab ×1) |
170 | 182 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
Requires: Magic Washing Pole +5, Blue Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enchanted Washing Pole (Blue Titanite Chunk ×1) |
136 | 144 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Enchanted Washing Pole +1 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×1) |
141 | 148 | – | – | E | E | C | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Enchanted Washing Pole +2 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×1) |
146 | 152 | – | – | E | E | B | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Enchanted Washing Pole +3 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×2) |
152 | 156 | – | – | E | E | B | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Enchanted Washing Pole +4 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×3) |
157 | 161 | – | – | E | E | A | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Enchanted Washing Pole +5 (Blue Titanite Slab ×1) |
163 | 167 | – | – | E | E | A | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
Requires: Standard Washing Pole +5, Green Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divine Washing Pole (Green Titanite Shard ×1) |
91 | 111 | – | – | E | E | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +1 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) |
97 | 118 | – | – | E | E | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +2 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) |
103 | 125 | – | – | E | E | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +3 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) |
109 | 133 | – | – | E | E | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +4 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) |
115 | 140 | – | – | E | E | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +5 (Green Titanite Shard ×3) |
122 | 148 | – | – | E | E | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +6 (White Titanite Chunk ×1) |
128 | 155 | – | – | E | D | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +7 (White Titanite Chunk ×1) |
134 | 162 | – | – | E | D | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +8 (White Titanite Chunk ×2) |
140 | 170 | – | – | E | D | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +9 (White Titanite Chunk ×3) |
146 | 177 | – | – | E | D | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Divine Washing Pole +10 (White Titanite Slab ×1) |
152 | 185 | – | – | E | D | – | C | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
Requires: Divine Washing Pole +5, White Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occult Washing Pole (White Titanite Chunk ×1) |
124 | 136 | – | – | E | E | – | B | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Occult Washing Pole +1 (White Titanite Chunk ×1) |
131 | 142 | – | – | E | E | – | B | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Occult Washing Pole +2 (White Titanite Chunk ×1) |
138 | 149 | – | – | E | E | – | B | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Occult Washing Pole +3 (White Titanite Chunk ×2) |
146 | 156 | – | – | E | E | – | B | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Occult Washing Pole +4 (White Titanite Chunk ×3) |
153 | 163 | – | – | E | D | – | B | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Occult Washing Pole +5 (White Titanite Slab ×1) |
161 | 170 | – | – | E | D | – | B | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
Requires: Standard Washing Pole +5, Green Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Washing Pole (Green Titanite Shard ×1) | 116 | – | 116 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30.0 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +1 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) | 126 | – | 126 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30.3 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +2 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) | 135 | – | 135 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30.6 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +3 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) | 144 | – | 144 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30.9 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +4 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) | 153 | – | 153 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 31.2 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +5 (Green Titanite Shard ×3) | 162 | – | 162 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 31.5 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +6 (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) | 172 | – | 172 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 31.8 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +7 (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) | 183 | – | 183 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 32.1 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +8 (Red Titanite Chunk ×2) | 194 | – | 194 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 32.4 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +9 (Red Titanite Chunk ×3) | 205 | – | 205 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 32.7 | 30 |
| Fire Washing Pole +10 (Red Titanite Slab ×1) | 216 | – | 216 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 33.0 | 30 |
Requires: Fire Washing Pole +5, Red Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaos Washing Pole (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) |
140 | – | 162 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30.0 | 30 |
| Chaos Washing Pole +1 (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) |
148 | – | 171 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30.6 | 30 |
| Chaos Washing Pole +2 (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) |
156 | – | 180 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 31.2 | 30 |
| Chaos Washing Pole +3 (Red Titanite Chunk ×2) |
163 | – | 188 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 31.8 | 30 |
| Chaos Washing Pole +4 (Red Titanite Chunk ×3) |
171 | – | 198 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 32.4 | 30 |
| Chaos Washing Pole +5 (Red Titanite Slab ×1) |
179 | – | 207 | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 33.0 | 30 |
Requires: Standard Washing Pole +10, Titanite and 200 souls per upgrade.
| Attack Values | Parameter Bonus | Damage Reduction | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning Washing Pole (Titanite Chunk ×1) | 162 | – | – | 162 | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 30.0 |
| Lightning Washing Pole +1 (Titanite Chunk ×1) | 174 | – | – | 174 | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 32.4 |
| Lightning Washing Pole +2 (Titanite Chunk ×1) | 187 | – | – | 187 | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 34.8 |
| Lightning Washing Pole +3 (Titanite Chunk ×2) | 199 | – | – | 199 | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 37.2 |
| Lightning Washing Pole +4 (Titanite Chunk ×3) | 212 | – | – | 212 | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 39.6 |
| Lightning Washing Pole +5 (Titanite Slab ×1) | 225 | – | – | 225 | – | – | – | – | 45 | 10 | 30 | 42.0 |
Trivia[]
- The German, French, Spanish and Italian versions of the game appropriately call this weapon a nodachi, which is a type of katana that has a very long blade up to 90 cm or 3 shaku.
- The Japanese version calls this weapon a "monohoshizao" (物干し竿), which is reference to a particular nodachi used by Sasaki Kojirō, a swordsman from the Edo period, known for his rivalry against Miyamoto Musashi. Kojirō's sword was rebalanced so that it could be wielded in one hand, and the traditionally long hilt was shortened to that of a normal katana.[1]
- The literal translation of monohoshizao is "Drying Pole". The name "Washing Pole" may most likely come from a translation error.
Gallery[]
References[]
| Katanas |
|---|
| Chaos Blade • Iaito • Uchigatana • Washing Pole |

