In this Elden Ring Best Greataxe and Ranking Guide, we’ll be taking a look at the 11 Greataxes in Elden Ring and discuss why you might use them in combat. We’ll take a look at attack power, damage type, length, Weapon Skills, and other factors such as how long it takes you to acquire them, to determine if they are best suited for you. We are doing a guide for all Weapon types in Elden Ring, and these will be updated to reflect those added with Shadow of the Erdtree as well.
Greataxes in Elden Ring:
- Executioner’s Greataxe
- Greataxe
- Crescent Moon Axe
- Longhaft Axe
- Great Omenkiller Cleaver
- Rusted Anchor
- Butchering Knife
- Axe of Godrick
- Gargoyle’s Great Axe
- Winged Greathorn
- Gargoyle’s Black Axe
Best Greataxe in Elden Ring – Ranked
Greataxes are one of the 31 Weapon types in Elden Ring, soon to be 39 when Shadow of the Erdtree releases on June 21st. Greataxes do an insane amount of damage per hit. It’s not their DPS, but just a single hit. Some of the Greataxes have a higher damage than other weapon types. Also, it attacks faster than you would think. You can chain your R1 attacks together, since enemies will flinch when struck by an attack. Also, 8 of the 11 Greataxes are infuse-able. This allows you to switch around the Ashes of War, so you can tailor your builds around what Ash of War you want to play.
However, Greataxes have a shorter reach on average than Greatswords. You’re not going to get as much reach depending on the weapon you’re using. Lastly, some of the more interesting and infuse-able Greataxes, such as Rusted Anchor or Butchering Knife, only drop once per playthrough. You can only obtain a second one if someone drops you a second one, or if you go for another playthrough.
PROS
- Insane damage per hit
- Attack faster than you would think
- 8 of 11 Greataxes are infuseable
CONS
- Shorter reach than Greatswords
- Some infuseable Greataxes can only be found once per playthrough
Gargoyle’s Black Axe – #11 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Gargoyle’s Black Axe shares the default moveset of most other Greataxes, and deals Physical Damage. It is one of the lightest Greataxes in Elden Ring, weighing 8.5, and requires a lot of points in Strength and Faith, and a few Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
- 670 Attack Rating at minimum requirements
- Very high attack rating for such low equipment weight
- Good candidate for the Clawmark Seal
- Can reach over 1100 Attack Power when buffed
CONS
- Shortest Greataxe in the game.
- Cannot change the Ash of War, and War Cry isn’t the greatest Ash of War
- Located extremely late in Elden Ring in the Mountaintops of the Giants
- Holy Damage is a heavily resisted damage type late game
Attack Rating: 789
Conclusion: The Gargoyle’s Black Axe, like most other “Gargoyle’s Black” Weapons has exceptionally high Attack Rating, particularly at minimum requirements when compared with other Weapons in Elden Ring. Unfortunately you won’t get this weapon until very far into the game in the Mountaintops of the Giants, meaning you will likely have much higher stats than this when you get it.
Its sweet spot is around 50 Strength and 50 Faith, with Strength providing more damage up until 50, at which point Faith will outperform Strength until it hits 50. From here Strength remains the best scaling until 80, where you will shift to Dexterity and then Faith once more. This makes the weapon viable in NG+, but probably not too much further.
Because the Gargoyle’s Black Axe has relatively good Strength and Faith scaling, it makes a good weapon to pair with the Clawmark Seal. You can use this for buffs like Flame, Grant Me Strength and Golden Vow, or other spells somewhat effectively. When buffed with War Cry and these two Incantations, you can reach over 1100 Attack Rating with no other equipment applied which is very very high!
Since the Gargoyle’s Black Axe is the shortest Greataxe in Elden Ring, you cannot acquire it until far into the game, and because it deals over 50% Holy Damage which is heavily resisted near the end of the game, I don’t recommend using this weapon on your first playthrough unless someone can drop you one. Instead use it in NG+, paired with the Gargoyle’s Greataxe or the Clawmark Seal (or both), and perhaps the Old Lord’s Talisman to maximize your buff time.
Winged Greathorn – #10 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Winged Greathorn shares the default moveset of most other Greataxes, and deals Physical Damage. It is an average weight Greataxe in Elden Ring, weighing 11, and requires a lot of points in Strength and some Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
- Soul Stifler stacks with Frostbite, allowing you to further increase the damage Bosses take for your group.
- Decent scaling all the way up to 80 in both STR and DEX.
CONS
- Bottom half of Greataxes when it comes to length
- Not obtainable until a good ways into the game by defeating Regal Ancestor Spirit
Attack Rating: 674
Conclusion: The Winged Greathorn is not the king of all Greataxes, and has lower than average length, is at the bottom of the pack when it comes to Greataxe damage, though it does have decent scaling, and its weapon skill Soul Stifler is not particularly useful outside of boss fights. However, this weapon is not to be overlooked.
Soul Stifler can be used to debuff tough to kill enemies, like Bosses, increasing the damage they receive by 15% for 60 seconds as of patch 1.07. This allows you and your Spirit Ash or cooperators to be more effective in general. If you can also apply Frostbite you will increase the total damage the target receives by a whopping 38%, which can be amazing in cooperative play, and can make you the star of the show.
The sweet spot for this weapon is at 50 STR and 50 DEX, but it scales extremely well up to 80 in each of these stats, reaching over 800 Attack Rating. This makes this weapon phenomenal for NG+ and beyond, particularly since Soul Stifler will come in more handy as enemies get tougher to kill.
I recommend using this weapon with another Greataxe that is Cold Infused in order to set the Frostbite Status Effect, or if another cooperator is taking care of this or you’re using Freezing Pots, using it two-handed or with a Greatshield since you will have high Strength.
Gargoyle’s Great Axe – #9 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Gargoyle’s Great Axe shares the default moveset of most other Greataxes, and deals Physical Damage. It is one of the lightest Greataxes in Elden Ring, weighing 8.5, and requires a lot of points in Strength and few Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
- Extremely good Strength Scaling when set to Heavy
- Very lightweight
CONS
Attack Rating:
- Fire/Lightning – 746
- Magic – 702
- Sacred/Flame Art – 701
- Heavy – 695
- Cold – 687
- Quality – 625
- Blood/Poison – 590
Conclusion: The Gargoyle’s Greataxe deals the lowest damage of all infusable Greataxes, has the second shortest reach, and isn’t found until you defeat the Valiant Gargoyle in Altus Plateau, which means it’ll be some time before you get it. Additionally, it has tremendous Heavy Scaling, but because of its low base damage it is still outperformed by every other Greataxe save the Butchering Knife when set to the Heavy Affinity.
Because the Greataxe outperforms this weapon in terms of damage even when compared against a 99 STR version of this weapon, it is recommended you don’t use this weapon unless you REALLY need the lower equip weight.
If you still wish to use this weapon, I’d recommend doing so in a dual Greataxe Build that uses this and the Gargoyle’s Black Axe, since they are both about the same length, and they both weigh much less than other Greataxes. This will allow you to use two of them without equipment weight issues, and do Jump Attacks successfully. Be sure to set the Gargoyle’s Great Axe to the Sacred or Flame Art Affinity.
Axe of Godrick – #8 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Axe of Godrick shares the same R2 attack with Crescent Moon Axe which has a sweeping attack and a unique follow up, and deals Physical Damage. It is an average weight Greataxe in Elden Ring, weighing 11, and requires a lot of points in Strength and Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
- One of the longer Greataxes in Elden Ring
- Can be obtained relatively early in the game by defeating Godrick
- R2 attack is great for multiple enemies.
- Good damage
CONS
Attack Rating: 691
Conclusin: The Axe of Godrick is an “OK” Greataxe. And though it has low damage, it still has good reach and you can acquire it relatively early on in the game by defeating Godrick the Grafted. But there are some points that make it less useful than it could be.
It has an amazing R2 attack that can AoE through many enemies at once, but because you have an Ash of War that does this better in I Command Thee, Kneel!, it becomes moot most of the time. Additionally, I Command Thee, Kneel! does not count as 3 separate strikes, but rather one strike, so you cannot trigger talismans like Winged Sword Insignia with it, which is a shame.
The sweet spot for this weapon is around 50 STR and 50 DEX, with DEX slightly outperform STR from here up to 80 but not by much. This weapon still scales well after 50, making it a good choice for NG+ and onward.
I like to two-hand this weapon gaining the extra damage from STR scaling, as well as using Jump Attacks with the Claw Talisman and Raptor’s Black Feathers for high burst. I use I Command Thee, Kneel! when I need to AoE multiple enemies, using Shard of Alexander to boost its damage.
Butchering Knife – #7 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Butchering Knife has a unique R2 attack that is similar to the Magma Wyrm’s Scalesword where you grab the blade in both hands and push down, which deals Physical Damage. It is one of the lightest Greataxes in Elden Ring, weighing 8.5, and requires some points in Strength and several in Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
- Second Longest Greataxe
- Restores 1% HP per hit.
- Very lightweight
CONS
Attack Rating:
- Fire/Lightning – 758
- Magic – 719
- Sacred/Flame Art – 700
- Keen – 693
- Heavy – 669
- Cold – 663
- Quality – 631
- Blood/Poison – 595
Conclusion: The Butchering Knife doesn’t seem all that great at first glance. It deals the second lowest damage of all infusable Greateaxes, and you cannot find it until you defeat Anastasia, Tarnished Eater near the Shaded Castle. However, it’s extremely lightweight for a Greataxe, it has the lowest Strength requirements of Greataxes, it’s the second longest Greataxe, and it restores 1% HP per hit with this weapon.
Keen is actually a viable option for this weapon compared to other Greataxes, simply because of the low Strength Requirements, and because the weapon itself deals much more damage when set to the Keen Affinity vs Heavy, which isn’t the case with most other Greataxes.
I’d recommend using this weapon in some sort of fashion that makes best use of its life on hit, such as using Wild Strikes and high Poise to tank hits while you regain HP. Additionally, stacking other HP regain affects such as Taker’s Cameo, or the Blessed Dew Talisman could also help, and if you decide to use a Shield you could put Holy Ground on it for increased healing or use the Icon Shield which has passive HP regeneration as well. Rykard’s Great Rune also gives you HP when you defeat enemies, so you can really stay op. Note that if you use the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash it will gain this healing as well.
Rusted Anchor – #6 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Rusted Anchor shares the default moveset of most other Greataxes, and deals Physical Damage. It is a very heavy Greataxe in Elden Ring, weighing 12.5, and requires a lot of points in Strength and few Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
CONS
- Shorter than most other Great Axes
Attack Rating:
- Fire/Lightning – 805
- Magic – 781
- Sacred/Flame Art – 761
- Heavy – 743
- Cold – 742
- Quality – 666
- Blood/Poison – 625
Conclusion: The Rusted Anchor is a unique Greataxe, not only in terms of appearance, but also because it deals Pierce damage. Pierce Damage is increased while striking enemies while they are mid their attack animation (called Counter Attack Damage), which makes this weapon particularly deadly if you like to R1 spam or Jump Attack. Additionally, you can use the Spear Talisman to further boost this damage!
The Rusted Anchor is not the longest Greataxe, however, and is in the bottom half of Greataxes when it comes to length. It’s damage though is just behind the Crescent Moon Axe, and it can be found in Mourne Tunnel which is very early on in the game.
This weapon is best used in an aggressive build that aims to continue attacking through enemy attacks in order to deal Counter Damage as often as possible. So look to stack Poise, and do Jump Attacks with the Claw Talisman or R1 attacks, and make sure to use the Spear Talisman for increased Counter Damage.
Great Omenkiller Cleaver – #5 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Great Omenkiller Cleaver shares the default moveset of most other Greataxes, and deals Physical Damage. It is an average weight Greataxe in Elden Ring, weighing 11, and requires a lot of points in Strength and some Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
- Bleed Build Up on hit
- High damage
- One of the longest Greataxes in Elden Ring
- Looks awesome
CONS
Attack Rating:
- Fire/Lightning – 786
- Magic – 756
- Sacred/Flame Art – 745
- Heavy – 718
- Cold – 694
- Quality – 677
- Blood/Poison – 559
Conclusion: The Great Omenkiller Cleaver is a fantastic Greataxe, though does slightly less damage than most other Infusable Greataxes. However, it is the only Greataxe that has native Bleed Build Up on hit, more than making up for this, and it’s also one of the longest Greataxes in the game. The downside is that you cannot find this weapon until much further in the game in Volcano Manor and Perfumer’s Grotto.
Surprisingly the Fire Infusion is only 24 points behind the Greataxe in terms of damage, which isn’t all that much so I recommend using this Infusion if you’re just planning a straight melee build.
The Great Omenkiller Cleaver has very low requirements for a Greataxe, making it a bit more versatile. It makes a great candidate to dual wield two of these for Jump Attacks and Bleed Build Up, and it can be used with the Clawmark Seal or a Greatshield, so there are really many ways to use it, just swap it out when facing bleed immune enemies for a Greataxe with higher damage if you can.
Longhaft Axe – #4 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Longhaft Axe shares the default moveset of most other Greataxes, and deals Physical Damage. It is a very heavy Greataxe in Elden Ring, weighing 12.5, and requires a lot of points in Strength and few Dexterity in order to wield.
Attack Rating:
- Fire/Lightning – 809
- Magic – 773
- Sacred/Flame Art – 759
- Heavy – 740
- Quality – 691
- Cold – 674
- Blood/Poison – 601
Conclusion: The Longhaft Axe is slightly longer than the Crescent Moon Axe, and has slightly more damage in general, though lacks the same sweeping R2 attack that the Crescent Moon Axe has. It can also be found very early in Castle Mourne, dropping from Misbegotten Warriors that use this weapon, making the decision between these two weapons really up to the slight damage difference and moveset, if you don’t factor in fashion!
The Longhaft Axe is closer to the damage of the Greataxe at most infusions than the Crescent Moon Axe, with Fire/Lightning being the exception which is the same. This makes it a better candidate if you don’t want to use the Greataxe, but want to use other infusions.
As with the Crescent Moon Axe you can two-hand this weapon with a good Ash of War like Sword Dance, or you can use it with a Greatshield due to your high STR. Again though, the Dexterity requirement makes it less likely to be used in a Clawmark Seal Build.
Crescent Moon Axe – #3 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Crescent Moon Axe shares the same R2 attack with Axe of Godrick which has a sweeping attack and a unique follow up, and deals Physical Damage. It is a very heavy Greataxe in Elden Ring, weighing 12.5, and requires a lot of points in Strength and some in Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
- Third highest Attack Rating of all Greataxes
- Fantastic Heavy Attack
- Fairly good reach for a Greataxe
- Can be found fairly early from soldiers in Stormveil Castle
CONS
- Heavy Attack can be harder to chain due to longer wind-up times
- Dexterity Requirement makes it less versatile than some Greataxes
Attack Rating:
Conclusion: The Crescent Moon Axe’s claim to fame is of course its R2 and Charged R2 attacks that have wide sweeps which are fantastic for AoEing many enemies at once. It has the third highest damage of all Greataxes, it has longer reach than most other Greataxes, and it can be found early in the game by farming enemies in Stormveil Castle.
Fire and Lightning is just 1 point behind the Greataxe in terms of damage, but Magic and Flame Art are more than a dozen points behind, and so are most other infusions, so I recommend going with Fire if you want to keep that high damage of the Greataxe, but like the range and moveset a bit more.
You can two-hand this weapon with a good Ash of War like Flaming Strike, which I used in the Blazing Executioner Build, or you can use it with a Greatshield due to your high STR. The Dexterity requirement makes it less likely to be used in a Clawmark Seal Build, though it is still possible.
Greataxe – #2 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Greataxe shares the default moveset of most other Greataxes, and deals Physical Damage. It is a very heavy Greataxe in Elden Ring, weighing 13, and requires a lot of points in Strength and low Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
- Highest Attack Rating of all Greataxes, and all “Great Weapons” in general
- Found extremely early on in the game
- Can be two-handed for only 20 STR
CONS
- Short reach
- High STR requirements
Attack Rating:
- Fire/Lightning – 810
- Magic – 793
- Sacred/Flame Art – 771
- Heavy – 749
- Cold – 744
- Quality – 700
- Blood/Poison – 603
Conclusion: The Greataxe is a phenomenal “Great Weapon” and has the highest base damage of all Great Weapons in Elden Ring (Axes, Swords and Hammers). It can also be found extremely early on in the carriage pulled by the Trolls in Limgrave, and though it has high STR requirements, it can be two-handed relatively easily with only 20 STR. The downside of this weapon is that it is shorter than nearly every other Greataxe.
Fire and Lightning top the list in terms of damage at a whopping 810 AR, followed by Magic and Sacred/Flame Art. Heavy is not too far behind here, and Cold is just behind Heavy, making it a solid choice if you still want decent STR scaling but also want the Frostbite status effect.
Because of its shorter reach I don’t recommend using it with a Greatshield, as it is less likely to connect on Block Counters if you are pushed back when Blocking. However, you can use it two-handed with Jump Attacks for great results, and also use its Charged R2 very effectively. If you go the Sacred or Flame Art route you can also buff with Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength while using the Clawmark Seal rather effectively.
Executioner’s Greataxe – #1 Best Greataxe in Elden Ring
The Executioner’s Greataxe shares the default moveset of most other Greataxes, and deals Physical Damage. It is the heaviest Greataxe in Elden Ring, weighing 15, and requires a lot of points in Strength and few Dexterity in order to wield.
PROS
- Longest Greataxe
- Upper middle of the pack when it comes to damage
- Can be found relatively early in the game dropping from Skeletons that wield it.
- 115 Critical Attack
CONS
Attack Rating:
- Fire/Lightning – 794
- Magic – 764
- Sacred/Flame Art – 759
- Heavy – 744
- Cold – 739
- Quality – 665
- Blood/Poison – 631
Conclusion: The Executioner’s Greataxe is arguably the best all around Greataxe in Elden Ring. It has the longest reach of all Greataxes, it’s in the upper middle pack in terms of total Attack Rating, and it has 115 Critical. It’s high Critical will allow you to devastate stance broken enemies and players, and no other Greataxe has higher than the default 100 Critical Rating.
Much like other Greataxes, Fire/Lightning tops the list, with Magic and Flame Art pretty much tied for second and Heavy and Cold pretty much tied for 3rd. Cold is always a great option to gain about the same damage you would get from Heavy, but add the Frostbite status effect, especially if you are not planning to two-hand.
The long reach of this weapon makes it superb for either a Block Counter Build with a Greatshield, and since Block Counters often stagger enemies in one hit, you’ll make good use of that high Critical Damage. You can even add the Dagger Talisman for even more Critical!
If you enjoyed this Greataxes Ranked Guide, be sure to check out our other Weapon Guides, and also our article on how to Prepare for Shadow of the Erdtree!
