Elden Ring boss guide: How to defeat Godrick the Grafted

Elden Ring's bosses tend to be quite difficult, and the leader of Stormveil Castle, Godrick the Grafted, is no exception. With his large health pool and devastating attacks, Godrick is a force to be reckoned with. Without a doubt, he's one of the hardest encounters in Elden Ring's early game, and we anticipate that many players will be stuck on him for awhile.

With that said, the fight with Godrick will become significantly easier as you learn his moveset and begin to understand how you can exploit him. If you're still having a hard time figuring him out, though, don't worry — we're here to help. Here's a detailed guide on everything you need to know about fighting Godrick the Grafted, including general tips and strategies for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of his boss fight.

Elden Ring Godrick the Grafted general tips

• The arena you fight Godrick in has several headstones that you can use as cover from his attacks. Godrick will eventually smash through these in order to get to you, but you can use them as temporary protection if you need a safe way to heal or replenish your FP.
• Many of Godrick's attacks aren't elemental, so shields are generally effective at blocking his damage. We still recommend dodge rolling, but using a good medium-sized shield to block attacks you're struggling to dodge is a good idea.
• Godrick moves slowly, so peppering him with magic spells or projectiles from range is a good way to deal some damage. You can also heal or replenish FP while far away from him as well, as it will take him several seconds to close the distance.
• Using Spirit Ash Summons in this battle is effective, as they'll distract Godrick and allow you to hit him without much retaliation.
• You can also summon the NPC Nepheli Loux, Warrior for this battle after speaking with her. She can be found in a room attached to the courtyard located before Godrick's boss fight. She doesn't do good damage, but she's very tanky and is worth bringing if you're a mage that prefers to cast from a distance.
• Godrick can be staggered if you hit him with heavy melee attacks, especially if you charge them first by holding down the heavy attack button. While Godrick is staggered, you should immediately attack him to perform a critical hit that deals a high amount of damage.

Elden Ring Godrick the Grafted Phase 1

As is often the case with multi-phase boss fights, Phase 1 of Godrick's the Grafted is easier than Phase 2. However, that doesn't mean that it's a cakewalk. Here's what you need to know about this phase.

• Godrick moves slowly, but often "bursts" quickly when attacking. Don't think you'll be able to stay out of his range for long, as he can close the distance with a few special moves.
• Watch out for Godrick's wind attacks. He will often create a circular wind storm around himself, then either "throw" two damaging wind gusts at you or quickly use the power of the wind to roll across the arena and attempt to slam his axes into you.
• Godrick winding up a big swing with one of his axes signals a deadly 5-attack combo. Either back away quickly or prepare to dodge the quick flurry of attacks.
• When he drags his axes along the ground and rushes towards you, wait until he begins swinging upwards to dodge. This delayed attack is designed to get you to panic roll, which can often lead to missed dodges.
• When Godrick lifts his axe above his head and laughs, back away. He will slam his axe into the ground shortly after this and create three devastating shockwaves, so you don't want to be near him when he does this.
• Attack after every melee combo you dodge. It usually takes Godrick a few seconds to recover after attacking you, which is when you should focus on hitting him two to three times before he starts another attack.
• Begin attacking Godrick when he lifts his axe up at 50% health. This signals that he's about to chop his arm off and graft a nearby dragon head onto it to begin Phase 2, but this process takes several seconds — during which you can get plenty of free damage on Godrick.

Elden Ring Godrick the Grafted Phase 2

Godrick's second phase is very similar to his first, although he gets some new attacks as well since he's replaced one of his arms with a dragon head. Here's what to look for and how you should approach Godrick in Phase 2.

• When Godrick sprays fire horizontally across the arena, dodge roll through it to avoid damage. Dodging in the same direction that the fire stream is moving in is a bad idea, since you'll still likely get hit after your roll completes.
• When Godrick shoots fire directly at you, run back to avoid getting hit. The flames don't have very long range, so backing away is the best way to escape this attack.
• Run left, right, or backward when Godrick shoots flaming rocks into the air. These will rain down on your current position, so it's important to get to a different location quickly.
• All of Godrick's wind attacks now have fire damage, so don't try blocking them with shields that don't have fire resistance. This includes the attack that creates a ring of wind, the wind projectile attack, and the rolling slam melee attack.
• Attack just like you did in Phase 1. While Godrick's attacks get more dangerous in this phase, he's still vulnerable in the same ways he was in the first phase. Use projectiles or magic from afar, and melee him after dodging his attack combos up close.

Keep up the pressure until Godrick falls, at which point you'll be rewarded with your first Great Rune. Congratulations, you've defeated Godrick the Grafted!

Elden Ring is finally here, and it's available for $60 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC. It's one of the best Xbox games you can play right now if you're a fan of challenging RPGs, and we strongly recommend it.