The choice between the Axe of Godrick and the Grafted Dragon in Elden Ring isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Both weapons have their own unique strengths and weaknesses that are suitable for different playstyles and Elden Ring builds. This guide explains the details of both weapons to better understand the best weapon to get as per your preferred approach to combat in the Lands Between.
Remembrance of the Grafted: A Quick Overview
Once you defeat Defeating Godrick the Grafted at Stormveil Castle, you will receive Remembrance of the Grafted. This can be traded with the Finger Reader, Enia, in the Roundtable Hold for either the Axe of Godrick or the Grafted Dragon. Although you can duplicate Remembrances at Walking Mausoleums across the world, this guide is meant to help you pick the best first choice for your playthrough.
Axe of Godrick: The Colossal Cleaver
The Axe of Godrick is a Greataxe that scales with Strength and Dexterity. You must have 34 Strength and 22 Dexterity to use this mighty weapon one-handed. Although two-handing the axe decreases the Strength requirement to 24 because all Elden Ring weapons deal +50% damage with two hands.
- Attack Power:
- Physical: 142
- Critical: 100
- Guarded Damage Negation:
- Physical: 65
- Magic, Fire, Lightning, Holy: 35
- Guard Boost: 42
Unique Skill: “I Command Thee, Kneel!”
The special ability of the Axe of Godrick is “I Command Thee, Kneel!”, which creates a powerful shockwave that deals area-of-effect (AoE) damage. Although you can’t charge this skill, it greatly benefits from talismans such as the Shard of Alexander, which gives a good boost to skill damage.
Pros:
- High damage output with wide-sweeping attacks.
- Effective AoE skill for crowd control.
- Strong scaling with Strength and Dexterity – a solid choice for quality builds.
Cons:
- High stat requirements, so you can’t access it in your early game stage.
- Slow attack speed compared to lighter weapons.
- Scaling at higher upgrade levels is relatively poor for a boss weapon.
Grafted Dragon: The Flaming Fist
Grafted Dragon is a unique fist weapon that scales primarily with Strength but also has modest scaling with Dexterity and Faith. Unlike the Axe of Godrick, you can’t wield this weapon in both hands, making its 20 Strength requirement non-negotiable. Additionally, you need 14 Dexterity and 16 Faith to use it effectively.
- Attack Power:
- Physical: 89
- Fire: 57
- Critical: 100
- Guarded Damage Negation:
- Physical: 27
- Magic: 18
- Fire: 44
- Lightning: 18
- Holy: 18
- Guard Boost: 22
Unique Skill: “Bear Witness!”
The unique skill of the Grafted Dragon, “Bear Witness!”, ends with the player bringing the weapon up above to spit out the fire in a large area in front. Using fire damage over time makes this a perfect skill for when you need to create space in a fight or deal good damage continuously.
Pros:
- Fewer stat requirements, better in the earlier part of the game.
- Quick attack speed, high DPS (damage per second) capabilities.
- Effective AoE skill that deals fire damage over time, that good for controlling the mobs and pressure.
Cons:
- Lower base physical damage than Axe of Godrick.
- Only usable in close combat due to its fist weapon nature, so risky against strong enemies.
- Fire damage scale is less powerful unless you go heavy with Faith.
Axe of Godrick or Grafted Dragon: Which One Should You Choose in Elden Ring?
Ultimately, whether to opt for the Axe of Godrick or the Grafted Dragon comes down to how you’ve built your character and how you enjoy playing.
Choose the Axe of Godrick if:
- You are creating a Strength and Dexterity character build.
- You just want to swing a big damage-dealing weapon that can kill a whole group of enemies.
- You enjoy using strong AoE skills that can stagger and control crowds with ease.
Choose the Grafted Dragon if:
- Your build focuses on investments in Strength and Faith.
- Faster attack speed, more zippy combat.
- You want to deal with physical/fire damage as well as DoT abilities to take down enemies.
Want Both Weapons?
If you’re finding it hard to choose and want a taste of both weapons, you can duplicate the Remembrance of the Grafted at a Walking Mausoleum as we told above. These will let you create a copy of the Remembrance, and you can get both the Axe of Godrick and the Grafted Dragon at one time in Elden Ring. There are only so many of these Mausoleums scattered around, so if you’re aiming to collect all boss weapons, skills, or valuable gear, you’ll need to replay the game. That means taking your character into Journey No. 2, and starting the adventure all over again but with all your gear and stats intact.
The choice is completely yours but will depend on your playstyle and build. Both weapons offer a great deal of advantages and can be incredibly powerful in a skilled set of hands. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each weapon can help you make the best decision for wandering the treacherous world of the Elden Ring.
