How to beat Godfrey in Elden Ring

Sam Smith
GODFREY ELDEN RING

Godfrey is a powerful boss in Elden Ring’s capital city. Here’s how to defeat Godfrey, the First Elden Lord.

Godfrey the First Elden Lord is an important character in Elden Ring. You’ll hear a lot about him in the game before you finally come face to face with this axe-swinging demigod. However, once you do, you’ll need all the help you can get to defeat him.

You have to beat Godfrey in multiple boss fights in Elden Ring, but this first battle takes place near the Erd Tree in the capital city. Godfrey is guarding the path to Marika’s throne and this version of him is bathed in golden light. Here’s how to defeat Godfrey.

Remember, this is your first battle with Godfrey. You’ll meet again later.


Contents


Godfrey elden ring
Fighting Godfrey up close is brave, but fun.

How to find Godfrey in Elden Ring

Godfrey is located in Lyndell, the Royal Capital of The Lands Between. You’ll have to fight your way through the ruined city and reach the center. You’ll soon spot a gigantic dead stone dragon which you can climb to reach another part of the Lyndell.

After climbing the dragon, you’ll be able to jump off into a small alcove with a ladder. Once you climb up, you’ll need to deal with (or run away from) a knight who stands on guard. After you’ve passed him, you’ll eventually notice some large tree roots that lead up to a temple in the sky.

Be careful when walking across these roots, as some tree people enemies will attack you, but luckily, you can backstab most of them if you’re stealthy. Keep following the roots up and to the left to arrive at the temple – and an ominous-looking fog gate.

Godfrey elden ring
Ranged attacks do well against Godfrey, just don’t let him catch you.

How to beat Godfrey, First Elden Lord

The boss battle with Godfrey will begin without a cutscene or any fanfare. Instead, this golden, hulking, axe-wielding warrior will trudge towards you before launching into a furious sprint.

Godfrey has a selection of attacks, some involve him leaping into the air and hurling his axe at you, while others see him keeping hold of the axe and landing with a thud. Both these attacks buy you some seconds to attack him, so take advantage of the time they give.

His other attacks involve wildling swinging his axe in a variety of combos that you don’t want to get caught in. These last either 3 or 4 strikes so try to determine which one he’s doing and be ready to attack once he’s reached the end of a combo. Naturally, roll and dodge his strikes.

Blocking is also useful, but his sheer strength and ferocity will break your guard if multiple strikes connect in full. Therefore, dodging is best. Ranged and magic users will be able to take pot shots as they dodge, but melee players will need to then circle around him, and strike in those precious moments.

Unless you’re confident in his move set, we strongly advise bringing a tanky Spirit Summon into this fight. This way you can draw his attention and take advantage of more openings in his attacks. A ranged summon will likely die early in the fight once he moves in to attack them.

Godfrey elden ring
This isn’t the last you’ve seen of the First Elden Lord.

Despite Godfrey being such an imposing figure, he’s fairly straightforward as far as bosses go in Elden Ring. The trick is to learn his combos and counter him.

Just remember, once he falls, you’ll need to face Godfrey again later in a much more difficult battle.


So, that’s how you take down Godfrey in Elden Ring. Make sure you check out our Elden Ring page for all the latest news and guides.

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