The Godrick the Grafted boss fight in Elden Ring is one of the toughest battles to experience in the early game. A lot of players will be struggling with this Demigod Shardbearer, who seems capable of one-shotting you easily if you’re not overleveled. Nonetheless, it turns out the boss can be made much easier with a few simple tips. Here’s our guide to beating Godrick the Grafted in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring FAQ: Every Guide You’ll Need
ELDEN RING: GODRICK BOSS STRATEGY
Godrick the Grafted is encountered at the very end of Stormveil Castle. He possesses a Great Rune; one of the shards of the Elden Ring that you’re after. So defeating him is crucial to advancing the plot. However, you should also know that you don’t have to go to Stormveil Castle immediately at the beginning of the game. In fact, you can even skip it entirely if you want to go to Liurna of the Lakes, the next area, a little early. We have a guide on how to do that here.
Before you take on Godrick, there are a few things we’d recommend you do. For starters, we’d recommend upgrading your weapon to at least +4. That way your damage output against Godrick will be a little better tuned. Try and get it higher if possible, but we’d consider +4 to be the minimum you should attempt this fight at.
Next, you’ll want to summon Nepheli Loux, an NPC you can meet in a room located just down the way from the big troll guarding Godrick’s boss room. Talk to her and she’ll regard you with some scepticism. But eventually she’ll come round on you. Next time you head to the fog gate at Godrick’s boss room, a golden summon sign will be located on the floor which allows you to bring her into the fight. You should be all prepared now to take on the boss.
FIGHTING GODRICK: PHASE 1
Godrick’s boss arena is a long stone courtyard with two flights of steps at each end. The sides of the courtyard are also open, meaning you can possibly fall off to your death if you’re not careful. There are also large numbers of stone pillars and gravestones here too, which will slow you down if you get stuck on them. Godrick’s attacks, however, can destroy them so the arena will gradually open up as you continue the fight.
Godrick’s moves consist of a lot of spins and cartwheels, which can catch you off-guard if you’re not careful. A lot of these attacks have delayed animations, which may tempt you into an early attack you’re not prepared for. One move that is particularly dangerous is one where he looks like he’s charging up a huge spin. He’ll lift the hammer into the air and suddenly unleash a fury of moves. Try to roll and rely on your invincibility frames for this, as they are pretty hard to block and impossible to take the full damage of.
There’s another move where Godrick will drag his greataxe in the ground behind him and charge at you, going for a massive swing that’ll knock you in the air and momentarily stun you. If you see him performing this move, your instinct might be to roll left or right out of the way. If you do this, he’ll simply change course and still hit you. What you want to do instead is roll into the attack. Your invincibility frames will protect you, and his attack will completely miss you, giving you an opportunity for some close-range hits.
One especially powerful attack you’ll want to avoid is where he thrusts his greataxe into the ground. Godrick will slam it into the ground in front of him, causing an area of effect damage circle that will do great harm. Shortly after he’s pulled it out of the ground, he’ll do the same again. So if you see him performing this move, remember to attack after the second time he’s slammed into the ground.
Your summons (Nepheli and your spirit allies) will do a good job of distracting Godrick during his first phase. If each of you manage to get enough hits on him, he’ll be temporarily stunned. A backstab is possible here, but the window of opportunity is short so be sure to be ready as soon as you hear the stun sound effect. It should be possible to at least get 3-4 hits in here depending on your stamina levels. When Godrick gets to half-health, he’ll enter Phase 2.
FIGHTING GODRICK: PHASE 2
Phase 2 Godrick utilises all the same moves from his previous phase, but now there’s a new addition to his arsenal: the big flaming dragon head that’s on his new arm.
Now you’ve got to deal with some fire attacks that will prevent you from getting up close to him. But it’s not impossible to avoid, and melee characters will still have lots of chances to deal close-range damage. One main attack Godrick will do, especially as the phase begins, is spray the fire around the entire arena like a flamethrower. An alternative move also sees him spin the dragon head around into the ground to unleash several fireballs into the sky to rain down upon you. Be sure to avoid these as best you can.
The key here is to create as much distance as possible as soon as you identify the starting animations of these moves. You can hide behind any trees or the big dragon statue to counter this, or if you’re fast enough you can get behind him and chain a few hits in.
Meanwhile, some of Godrick’s earlier moves have been enhanced too. His ground slam attack now has three hits instead of two, and his elemental swinging attacks are much more aggressive. If your summons are still alive, they’ll provide a great distraction for him, allowing you to jump in and out and make small attacks on his behind.
One attack he’ll make more use of is his cartwheel, where he appears to roll around on the ground away from you before quickly changing course and going in for a devastating fire attack. Be sure to prepare for this appropriately once you see him doing this.
A final attack you’ll definitely want to avoid is a close range one where Godrick grabs you using the dragon head. This attack can’t be escaped from until after the animation (and damage) has finished. It’ll take off quite a considerable amount of HP, so be sure to roll away and heal afterwards if you survive it.
With all that said, you should be in the right position to take on Godrick the Grafted in Elden Ring. Good luck!
Be sure to check out our other guides on Elden Ring. We have starter tips on upgrading your Sacred Flask, using Ashes of War and Spirit Ashes, as well as how to use Torrent. If you want to know more about levelling, check out our guide to each class in the game, how to level up, and the best locations to farm runes. And finally, if it’s boss encounters you’re after we also have some tips to help you beat the early game bosses.
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