Elden Ring: How To Easily Beat Godrick The Grafted

The gameplay in "Elden Ring" is phenomenal whether the player is exploring the open world or battling their way through hordes of enemy creatures. One of the things that keeps it interesting is that there are so many different kinds of weird and interesting monsters to fight, and none stand out more than the game's bosses. No one ever accused FromSoftware boss fights of being easy, though. It takes most players numerous attempts to beat a boss, carefully learning attack patterns and trying to figure out where the best openings are. Many of them involve complicated phases that some fans think can even go a little too far. That's not just in the end game, either. Many of these bosses can feel oppressive right from the start. One of the more high-profile examples of this is Godrick the Grafted. This multi-armed monstrosity can feel practically impossible to beat when players first face him.

Godrick is the lord of Stormveil Castle and one of the first bosses most players will face as they try to make their way out of the opening area in the game. Yet according to Steam's achievement list, only 61% of players have been able to beat him so far — so he's kind of a big deal, regardless of how early he's encountered. Wide sweeps from his massive axe and brutal flame attacks from his dragon arm make for a harsh reality check for those new to the series, but there is one method for beating him that makes things much easier.

There are numerous methods and techniques for beating Godrick the Grafted in one go, but most of them involve fighting him fair and square. There is a trick to make the fight easier if the player doesn't mind being a little underhanded, however.

Before starting the fight, the player is going to need an item called the Rotten Stray Ashes. This is a Spirit Summon that will allow the player to call forth the spirit of a stray dog corrupted by scarlet rot. It can be found just north of the Under-Stair Site of Grace located in Sellia, Town of Sorcery. The ashes will be located inside a building containing the dead bodies of both a human and a dog.

Getting the basic ashes isn't enough, however. Once the player has met Roderika at Stormhill Shack and obtained the Chrysalids' Memento for her, they will be able to find her at the Roundtable Hold where she will be able to upgrade the spirit ashes. Players will want to upgrade the Rotten Stray Ashes at least a couple of times before facing Godrick.

Just having the upgraded Rotten Stray Ashes will make this fight easier as the hound will occasionally distract Godrick and open him up for more attacks. He still does lots of AOE damage, however, and just having the Rotten Stray doesn't mean the player can't still get a "You're Dead" screen if they're not careful. This is actually fine, because the player doesn't really need to attack Godrick at all. The dog is going to do pretty much all the heavy lifting. That's because the Rotten Stray's bite has a poison effect.

All the player needs to do is distract Godrick by dodging his blows and only attacking when Godrick turns his attention to the Rotten Stray. Keep this up just long enough for the stray's poison to take effect. Once Godrick is poisoned, the player can simply continue to avoid his attacks as his health pool is slowly drained away by the hound's corruption coursing through his system. This method might not be in the challenging spirit that FromSoftware had in mind when they designed Godrick the Grafted, but it certainly seems to be the easiest.