Godrick the Grafted has a reputation as Elden Ring’s first real wall, and most of that reputation comes from one moment: the cutscene where he chops off his own arm and grafts on a dragon’s head. Players freeze up watching it, eat the opening fire attack, and lose the fight’s biggest free-damage window before they’ve even moved their thumbstick. The fix isn’t better reflexes — it’s knowing that window exists at all and sprinting into it the second the cutscene ends.
Fight Overview
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Stormveil Castle, Limgrave |
| HP | 6,080 [1][3] |
| Rune reward | 20,000 (5,000 in co-op) [1] |
| Phase 2 trigger | ~60% HP remaining [3] |
| Drops | Godrick’s Great Rune, Remembrance of the Grafted [1][3] |
| Weak to | Standard, Slash, Strike, Pierce [1] |
Quick Start
- Most players clear Stormveil somewhere around level 25-30 with weapons upgraded to +6 to +9 — there’s no hard gate, but going in much lower makes his delayed axe combos punish every mistiming [2].
- Summon Nepheli Loux right outside the fog gate if you haven’t fought her earlier in the castle — she’s the intended distraction tank for this specific fight [1][6].
- Keep your equip load light-to-medium. Blocking eats heavy stamina against his axe, and you need dodges available for the delayed swings [4].
- The instant the phase 2 cutscene ends, sprint toward his left (your right) instead of backing away — this is the single highest-value habit in the whole fight [6].
- Don’t panic-roll the five-hit axe combo. The fourth and fifth swings carry more range than the animation suggests, so back off rather than trying to out-dodge all five [6].
Phase 1: Reading the Axe
Godrick’s phase 1 kit is built around one theme: every attack looks committal, and most of them are. His standard combo chains up to five consecutive axe swings, and the temptation is to count to three and assume he’s done. Do the math on that assumption and it falls apart — the fourth and fifth strikes in the sequence reach further than the earlier hits, which is exactly the range players misjudge when they try to punish after swing three [6]. Treat any combo you haven’t fully seen end as still live.
His slower attacks are the real openings. The rolling leap-and-slam has a recovery long enough that multiple guides independently clock it as a 2-3 hit punish window, not a single poke [2][6]. His ground-drag into a forward slash telegraphs early enough to sidestep clean. Two projectile-based attacks — a pair of wind blasts and the axe-planted homing wind release — exist specifically to catch players who default to backing straight away from everything; strafe instead of retreating and both whiff.
The Phase 2 Transition: Don’t Just Survive It, Punish It
Somewhere around 60% of his health bar, Godrick stops attacking, severs his own arm, and grafts a dragon’s head onto the stump [3]. Some guides put this threshold closer to 50% [4], but the two sources that state it explicitly as a mechanic detail — not a rough impression — agree on 60% [1][3], so that’s the number worth planning around. Either way, the cutscene itself is the tell: once it starts, phase 2 is coming regardless of the exact percentage.
Here’s the part almost every walkthrough undersells. When the cutscene ends, Godrick opens phase 2 with a fire attack — the dragon head breathes upward, then sweeps the flame around his body from his right to his left. If you sprint toward his left side (your right, from where you’re standing) the moment control returns, you’re moving into the space the flame hasn’t reached yet, and you come out the other side at his flank or back with a full punish window before he’s even finished the animation [6]. Standing still or backing away, by contrast, puts you directly in the sweep’s path. This single positioning call is worth more free damage than anything else in the fight — it’s the difference between opening phase 2 down a healing flask and opening it with a chunk of his new health bar already gone.
Once you’re past that opening, phase 2 attacks are slower but hit harder and cover more area than phase 1. The dragon’s grab lunges after a clear wind-up roar — dodge left or forward through it rather than back. “I Command Thee, Kneel!” chains two quick shockwave slams into a third, delayed big one; the first two bait a dodge, so hold your position slightly longer than instinct suggests before committing to the roll for the third. “Bear Witness!” has him circle the dragon arm before thrusting upward and raining fire down — getting behind him during the circling wind-up avoids the entire attack rather than just the initial hit.
Phase 1 vs. Phase 2, Side by Side
| Category | Phase 1 | Phase 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Signature threat | Five-hit axe combo, delayed timing | Fire sweep on the phase-2 opener |
| Best punish window | After the rolling leap-slam (2-3 hits) | Sprint-left opening, before the fire sweep finishes |
| Attacks to strafe, not retreat from | Wind Blast, homing wind release | Grab lunge, upward fire thrust |
| Damage profile | Physical, delayed timing | AOE fire, wider arena coverage |
| Recommended positioning | Mid-range, dodge into openings | Stay to his side or flank, avoid standing dead ahead |
Recommended Level and Gear Checkpoint
There’s no enforced level gate here — Stormveil is early enough that a well-played level 15 character can clear it, and a cautious level 40 character can still get punished by the five-hit combo. Game8’s own recommendation of level 30 [2] is a reasonable general target rather than a hard rule; treat it as “comfortable,” not “required.”
| Checkpoint | Suggested target |
|---|---|
| Character level | Roughly 25-30 for a comfortable margin [2] |
| Weapon upgrade | +6 to +9 (Smithing Stones [1]-[6]) — no need for Somber or Ancient stones this early |
| Spirit Ash | At least Roderika’s first upgrade tier completed |
| Summon | Nepheli Loux, available just outside the fog gate [1][6] |
That weapon-upgrade checkpoint is worth flagging honestly: the scarce, non-farmable Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones that push a weapon from +25 don’t come into play at all here — save those for late-game weapon choices once you know your build, and lean on regular Smithing Stones for Stormveil.
Weaknesses and the Best Early Loadout
Godrick is weak to Standard, Slash, Strike, and Pierce damage, and resists Holy at a solid 40% negation — skip Holy-infused weapons or incantations for this specific fight even if they’re strong elsewhere in your build [1]. He also carries moderate (not full) resistance to Magic, Fire, and Lightning at roughly 20% negation each, so elemental damage still works, it’s just not the standout choice [1].
Status effects are where sources disagree. Fextralife’s data table lists him with moderate — not full — resistance to Poison, Scarlet Rot, Hemorrhage, and Frostbite, meaning bleed and poison builds work, they just take a little longer to proc than average [1]. Some community write-ups instead describe him as broadly “weak” to the same statuses [2]. We’re going with Fextralife’s specific negation values here, since a numeric resistance tier is a stronger claim than an unqualified “weak to” label — in practice, expect bleed and poison to land, just don’t plan the fight around a one-shot status exploit.
For a standard damage build, any upgraded straight sword, greataxe, or colossal weapon in the +6 to +9 range handles this fight fine — Godrick’s own resistances don’t punish a generic early build. If you’re leaning into a bleed-focused playstyle instead, our katana tier list ranks the early-accessible blades (Uchigatana, Nagakiba) that proc Hemorrhage fast enough to matter against his moderate resistance, as an alternative to a pure Standard-damage weapon.
Priorities By Player Type
| Player Type | Priority |
|---|---|
| New player | Summon Nepheli Loux every attempt, learn the five-hit combo by watching it end fully at least once, and don’t worry about the sprint-left tech until you’ve survived a few phase 2 openers the safe way (backing off). |
| Casual player | Skip elemental optimization entirely — a +6 to +9 weapon you already like clears this fine. Just add the sprint-left opener once you’re comfortable with phase 1. |
| Hardcore / optimiser | Bank damage during the rolling leap-slam’s punish window in phase 1, then chain straight into the sprint-left opener at the transition for two big damage windows back to back with minimal downtime. |
| Completionist | Loot the arena before engaging — there are item pickups around the gravestone-lined arena edges that are easy to miss once the fight starts moving [3]. Trade the Remembrance for both weapons across separate playthroughs if you want the full drop set. |
When Not to Attempt This Fight Yet
If you’re still under level 15-20 and haven’t upgraded a weapon past +3 or so, the five-hit combo and phase 2’s fire sweep will out-damage your healing pool faster than you can learn the patterns. There’s no shame in clearing more of Limgrave’s overworld first — Godrick doesn’t scale, so nothing about waiting costs you access later, and a few more Golden Seeds or a second Flask of Crimson Tears upgrade makes the learning process far less punishing.
After the Fight: Great Rune, Remembrance, and What’s Next
Beating Godrick drops his Great Rune, which restores +5 to every attribute while active — but it needs activating first. Head south from the boss room through the courtyard to the Limgrave Tower Bridge Site of Grace, cross past the Guardian Golems (they wake up but can be avoided), and take the Waygate at the bridge’s end to the Divine Tower of Limgrave [5]. Interact with the item at the top to activate the rune, then use a Rune Arc at any Site of Grace to trigger the buff.
The Remembrance of the Grafted trades with Enia at Roundtable Hold — whose door only opens after this fight — for either the Axe of Godrick (a greataxe) or the Grafted Dragon (a fist weapon), or you can simply consume it for a large Rune payout if neither weapon fits your build [5]. Defeating Godrick also relocates Roderika, Sorcerer Rogier, and Nepheli to Roundtable Hold, opening their questlines, and clears your route toward Liurnia of the Lakes [5]. If you’re earlier in your run and still working through Limgrave’s open world before Stormveil, our Elden Ring beginner’s guide covers the broader progression path this fight sits inside.
FAQ
Does phase 2 start at 50% or 60% health?
The two sources that state it as a specific mechanic detail both say 60% [1][3]; a 50% figure shows up in at least one strategy write-up [4] but reads more like a rough estimate than a measured threshold. Plan around 60%, but the cutscene itself is the real signal — once it starts, react to that, not to a health percentage you’re tracking mid-fight.
Is the sprint-left trick risky if I mistime it?
Less risky than standing still. Worst case, you’re moving through the edge of the flame’s sweep instead of catching it dead-on, which still beats eating the attack at full force from a standstill. The main failure mode is hesitating for a second after the cutscene ends — that’s the window that closes.
Should I fight Godrick before exploring the rest of Stormveil?
No strong reason to rush him. Clearing more of the castle first nets extra Smithing Stones and a second Site of Grace closer to the fog gate, both of which make the attempt cheaper without changing the fight itself.
Which weapon is better, Axe of Godrick or Grafted Dragon?
It depends entirely on build, not on one being objectively stronger — the Axe of Godrick is a heavy Strength-scaling greataxe, while the Grafted Dragon is a fast Strength/Dexterity fist weapon. If you’re unsure, consuming the Remembrance for Runes is a legitimate option too; neither weapon is required for anything later in the game.
Sources
- Fextralife Elden Ring Wiki, “Godrick the Grafted”
- Game8, “How to Beat Godrick the Grafted: Boss Fight Guide”
- Elden Ring Wiki (wiki.gg), “Godrick the Grafted”
- TheGamer, “How To Defeat Godrick The Grafted In Elden Ring”
- Game Rant, “Elden Ring: What to Do After Beating Godrick the Grafted”
- DualShockers, “Elden Ring: How To Beat Godrick The Grafted”
Verified against the current live version of Elden Ring as of August 2026. Values may shift with future balance patches.
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.