Elden Ring offers a range of weapons that cater to different playstyles, and you can get some of these weapons by exchanging the Remembrances obtained by defeating major bosses. One such Remembrance, the Remembrance of the Grafted, presents a dilemma: Grafted Dragon vs Axe of Godrick?
You get both items by exchanging the Remembrance in question with Enia, the Finger Reader, at the Roundtable Hold. Axe of Godrick is a hefty great-axe that scales well with Strength and Dexterity. It boasts impressive damage output and wide-sweeping attacks, making it a force to be reckoned with. However, its slow attack speed and high stat requirements make it less accessible.
On the other hand, the Grafted Dragon is a unique fist weapon that scales primarily with Strength but also benefits from Dexterity and Faith. It boasts a fast moveset and a powerful Ash of War that unleashes fire projectiles for area-of-effect damage. Additionally, its stat requirements are relatively low.
This guide breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of both weapons, helping you decide which aligns best with your build and combat approach in Elden Ring.
How to Get the Weapons?
After defeating Godrick, the Grafted at Stormveil Castle, you will receive the Remembrance of the Grafted, which lets you choose between two powerful weapons.
Once you have obtained the Remembrance of Godrick, head to Enia, the Finger Reader at the Roundtable Hold, and trade it for either of the two weapons. But to choose between The Grafted Dragon vs Axe of Godrick in Elden Ring, we must determine which is better.
Axe of Godrick
The Axe of Godrick is a powerful weapon in the Great Axe class that has optimal scaling in both Strength and Dexterity with a heavyweight. This rare quality makes it an excellent choice for a quality build, allowing players to take advantage of its impressive damage output and versatility. With its wide-swept slashes and 360-degree follow-up attacks, the Axe of Godrick is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
The skill you get with the Axe of Godrick is called the “I Command Thee, Kneel”. This exclusive skill allows you to slam the Greataxe into the ground, shaking the earth and creating successive shockwaves that deal AoE damage to surrounding enemies.
The weapon offers a high base physical damage of 142 and an impressive guard. The gold axe mainly scales with Strength and Dexterity, with a D rating in both.
| Attack | Guard | ||
| Physical | 142 | Physical | 65 |
| Magical | 0 | Magical | 35 |
| Fire | 0 | Fire | 35 |
| Lightning | 0 | Lightning | 35 |
| Holy | 0 | Holy | 35 |
| Critical | 100 | Boost | 42 |
While the main specialty of this axe is its huge damage output and great skill, its primary cons are a slow attack speed and a high stat requirement to wield, which is 34 Strength and 22 Dexterity.
Though you could use talismans to boost your Str and Dex attributes/stats, a better option would be to wield it as a two-handed axe. This is because, in that case, you only require 24 Strength to wield it, given the 50% increase in Strength.
In terms of build synergy, the Axe of Godrick pairs well with the Claw Talisman, which enhances jump attack damage and makes it easier to land roll catches. The Shard of Alexander and Crimson Armlet +2 also complement the Axe of Godrick nicely, boosting damage output and HP, respectively.
However, the best way to wield it is to upgrade your overall Str and Dex stats by investing attribute points in those attributes. This will work best if you have a build revolving around Strength and Dexterity, for which the Axe of Godrick is a good weapon.
Grafted Dragon
The Grafted Dragon is another powerful fist weapon that offers optimal scaling and strength, making it a great choice for players who want to deal massive melee damage. While it also receives some scaling from dexterity and faith, its faith scaling is particularly noteworthy, as it increases the damage of its Ash of War. This makes the Grafted Dragon a versatile weapon that can be used in various playstyles, and not to mention you get two dragon heads for fists.
Grafted Dragon is used on both of your first, and you don’t necessarily have to use it two-handed either because its stat requirements are 20 Strength, 14 Dexterity, and 16 relatively low Faith. This means the weapon mainly scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith to a lower extent. You get grade D scaling with all of the attributes mentioned previously, which is pretty good.
Let’s go through the stats of this weapon to have a better understanding:
| Attack | Guard | ||
| Physical | 89 | Physical | 27 |
| Magical | 0 | Magical | 18 |
| Fire | 57 | Fire | 44 |
| Lightning | 0 | Lightning | 18 |
| Holy | 0 | Holy | 18 |
| Critical | 100 | Boost | 22 |
The skill that comes with the Grafted Dragon is called the “Bear Witness!” This skill costs 20 FP to use and allows you to lift your fists and throw fire projectiles in the air. These projectiles deal Fire damage to nearby enemies and can linger on the ground for a few seconds.
One of the Grafted Dragon’s greatest strengths is its move set, which is similar to other fist weapons, but note that while using this weapon, players must be more strategic in their approach, using the dual-wielded moveset to their advantage. The weapon’s heavy attacks also have good Poise damage, making it effective in trading blows with opponents.
However, despite its slow startup, the Grafted Dragon’s Ash of War can be a game-changer in battle. Its fire AOE can be particularly useful in catching opponents off guard, and its ability to increase damage with faith scaling makes it a powerful tool in the right hands. Overall, the Grafted Dragon is a strong weapon that requires skill and strategy to wield effectively but can be incredibly rewarding for players who master it.
What to pick from Remembrance of Godrick?
Now that we’ve reviewed both of the weapons, the choice is a hand – which weapon to pick from the Remembrance of Godrick in Elden Ring?
The Grafted Dragon has a strong AoE fire damage skill, Bear Witness, that requires you to stay up close with the enemy. If you prefer uniqueness and can stay on strong defense while fighting enemies in short range, the Grafted Dragon should be your weapon of choice. The fun part is that you have no stat requirement to equip this weapon.
Whereas, for the Axe of Godrick, as said above, the light attacks are pretty fast, while the heavy attacks have an AoE effect that gives heavy damage, but note that this attack will be a little bit slow, and its upgrades aren’t sufficient. Not to mention, you have the strength and dexterity requirements to wield it.
The best Godrick weapon to pick from the two options is the Grafted Dragon in Elden Ring. Although the weapon you pick should mainly depend upon the type of build you are going for, there are several reasons why the Grafted Dragon is a better option, and one such reason is that this weapon does damage over time.
Moreover, while the axe can only deal with on-hit damage, the Grafted Dragon also lets you deal with damage over time and restricts enemy movement with its unique skill.
Note that you can get both weapons by duplicating your Remembrance of Godrick. For this purpose, you must find and enter a Walking Mausoleum in the Elden Ring.
You don’t necessarily have to have this Remembrance on you to duplicate it, as you can also duplicate previously used Remembrance, which lets you obtain two of the associated rewards.
However, if you have used all of the Walking Mausoleums, you cannot go for a second playthrough for the alternative reward.
