Players of Elden Ring will find plenty of weapons to battle foes with. Of these weapons, Greataxes make up a fair amount of unique and powerful tools. While players with high Strength will likely make the most use out of this weapon class, quantifying the best Greataxes can be tricky thanks to their versatility. That’s why it’s important to take all attributes of these weapons into consideration, from where they can be found to how well players can wield them.
Top 10 Best Greataxes in Elden Ring
10. Winged Greathorn
The Winged Greathorn is an underwhelming member of the Greataxe family. It can only be obtained by defeating the Regal Ancestor Spirit boss and making use of its Remembrance. Due to its status as a boss weapon, Ashes of War cannot be equipped on it. Its unique Ash of War calls forth a miasma that lowers enemy defenses, but it doesn’t have great range and takes quite a bit of time to set up. This only exacerbates the issues of it lacking any unique moves, alongside its high requirements and low base damage. At the point you find the Winged Greathorn, you’ll likely have a better Greataxe already.
9. Gargoyle’s Black Axe
Though it can only by defeating a strong boss found late in the game, the Gargoyle’s Black Axe is a fairly powerful Greataxe. This weapon manages to beat out its Gargoyle’s Great Axe counterpart, with the latter not even making it into this list. The Black Axe is among the lightest of Greataxes and comes with innate Holy damage, making it more powerful against certain enemies. As a result, it’s also the only Greataxe that requires Faith to wield. The requirement is high, as well, needing 22 points just to make full use of the aforementioned Holy damage. This can make it a fine tool for mixed attackers, but players focusing purely on Strength and Dexterity should look elsewhere.
8. Crescent Moon Axe
The Crescent Moon Axe finally starts to put the “Great” in Greataxe. It has relatively low requirements, high base damage, and the ability to accept new Ashes of War. Unfortunately, players that want this axe will need to spend some extra time trying to obtain it. You cannot find the Crescent Moon Axe out in the field; it can only be dropped by enemies wielding it in Stormveil Castle. While this means you can find multiple Crescent Moon Axes in one playthrough, it also means you’ll be relying completely on RNG to obtain them.
7. Butchering Knife
The Butchering Knife is a strange Greataxe with intriguing characteristics. It can only be found by defeating an invading NPC at Mt. Gelmir, located near the Bridge of Inquiry. Strangely, the Butchering Knife comes with a special attribute as though it were infused with a special Ash of War. It is obtained as the Sacred Butchering Knife, giving it innate Holy damage much like the Gargoyle’s Black Axe. It even comes with unique charged attacks! Its damage might not be anything special, but the Butchering Knife is a great choice for players that want to spice up their moveset.
6. Great Omenkiller Cleaver
Despite its grotesque design, the Great Omenkiller Cleaver is actually quite tame. It has a fair amount of damage and relatively low requirements. Additionally, players can reliably find two of these Cleavers through each playthrough, making it a perfect choice for Power Stance. The biggest downside of the cleaver is finding it, as it’s only dropped by two specific Omenkillers – one in Altus Plateau and one at Volcano Manor. You’ll need to get pretty far into the game to get even one of these cleavers, but it’s a fine choice of weapon for players wishing to save their levels for other attributes.
5. Axe of Godrick
As the only other boss weapon on this list, the Axe of Godrick succeeds where the Winged Greathorn couldn’t. Its special Ash of War and unique charged attacks make the axe a force to be reckoned with. It can also be found early in the game, as it’s one of the rewards from the Remembrance of the Grafted. Unfortunately, such a weapon comes at a price; the Axe of Godrick has the highest Strength and Dexterity requirements needed for any Greataxe. Players will need a lot of investment in Godrick’s weapon if they want to use it to its full potential.
4. Executioner’s Greataxe
The Executioner’s Greataxe shares the Axe of Godrick’s high Strength requirement. It also shares the Crescent Moon Axe’s unfortunate quirk of only being obtainable by enemy drops; a skeleton by the cliffs just after Stormveil Castle is likely the best enemy to farm this weapon from. To top it all off, the Executioner’s Greataxe is the heaviest of all Greataxes. This might make it sound like a terrible weapon, but its base damage beats out nearly every other Greataxe and it scales with Strength better than most. If you’re looking for pure power, the Executioner’s Greataxe is worth your time.
3. Longhaft Axe
The Longhaft Axe is yet another Greataxe found only as a drop from enemies. However, it can also be found before a single boss has been killed. Enemies in the Weeping Peninsula can be found wielding this axe, and they’re all prime candidates for farming. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on this axe, you’ll have a low-requirement Greataxe with relatively high damage very early in the game. These qualities alone don’t mean much. But with everything taken into consideration, the Longhaft Axe makes for one of the best Greataxes you’ll ever find.
2. Greataxe
Surprisingly, one of the best Greataxes you can find is the basic Greataxe itself. Though it needs a lot of Strength, its base damage is shockingly incredible – especially when compared to the other weapons in its class. It can also be found without any need for farming or defeating bosses; just search for a traveling carriage. The Greataxe is versatile, powerful, and especially useful for anyone taking advantage of two-handing. It’s nothing special, but that’s exactly what makes it so great.
1. Rusted Anchor
Though it might seem like a joke at first, the Rusted Anchor is genuinely a top contender for the best Greataxe you can find. It has lower requirements, lower weight, and better Strength scaling when compared to the regular Greataxe. Its base power falls just a bit short, but the unique design more than makes up for the few points of damage you might miss out on. Additionally, the anchor can be found just as early as the Longhaft Axe; just head to Morne Tunnel in the Weeping Peninsula and defeat an easy boss. The Rusted Anchor deserves to be counted as one of the best Greataxes in Elden Ring thanks to its accessibility, power, and simple novelty.
Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
