Godrick the Grafted, formerly known as Godrick the Golden, is a main antagonist of the Elden Ring video game. He is a member of the Godfrey and Marika family, who acts as the ruler of Stormveil Castle. Godrick believes he is a true successor of Godfrey and wants to prove his worth by killing those who dare cross his path and turn their blades against him.
Personality: Godrick the Grafted (Elden Ring)
Personality: GodaGodrick is a cruel and ruthless tyrant who believes himself to be the true successor of Godfrey and sees himself as the lord of all that is golden. Although he is a member of Godfrey’s race, he is considered a nobody among the demigods and is even called a coward by Kenneth Haight. Even before the Shattering, he was considered the weakest of Marika’s children, not only in terms of power and influence, but also in leadership skills and basic strategic thinking. Nevertheless, he wants to make a name for himself and gain power because he believes he is worth something to his ancestors.
This has led him to become a power-hungry individual who hunts down and slaughters various people and creatures, preserves their bodies for collection, and transplants their parts onto his body. This act has led to him being referred to as „the transplanted one“ rather than „the golden one,“ simply because of the depravity of his intentions and crimes. For this reason, he is loathed by almost everyone who has met him, so much so that even his gatekeeper is fond of stomping on his decapitated head because of the abuse Godrick has inflicted on him.
Story of Godrick the Grafted (Elden Ring, Lore)
Queen Marika the Eternal and Godfrey, the first Lord of the Elves, married and had several children together. One of these children, Godrick, suffered from strong feelings of inadequacy throughout his life, as he did not feel as strong as his father or siblings.
To prove his worth, Godrick tried to usurp the Elden Ring to become an Elden Lord, as his father once was. Soon, war broke out among the Golden Children, causing great unrest in the interlands. Because of the atrocities committed in the interlands, the Elden Ring was broken.
In an effort to gain as much power as possible, the Golden Children took large shards of the Elden Ring known as Great Runes and retreated to their respective areas of the world. While most of his siblings preferred to remain hidden and secretly cling to their Great Runes, Godrick decided to use his Great Rune to rule over the interlands, commanding an army of foot soldiers and knights to harm the citizens of the interlands.
Despite the great power of the Great Rune, Godrick still suffered from a constant sense of inadequacy and began looking for ways to become even more powerful. When the Elden Ring broke, the Afflicted returned to the Interlands because they felt the need to seek the Great Runes and become an Elden Lord. Godrick soon realized that this meant that a steady stream of Clouded warriors would arrive at Stormveil Castle.
When the dullies arrived at Stormveil to find the Great Runes, Godrick took great pleasure in destroying them. For those warriors who posed a great challenge, Godrick removed their limbs and transplanted them to his own body.
To make new stains stronger, Godrick sent his troops to Limgrave and fortified his castle to ensure that any stains that found their way to him were strong enough to harvest. Those Godrick did not deem strong enough were used to create decapitated shoots, abominations that quickly became a symbol of Godrick’s cruelty. In time, word of Godrick and his cruel refining methods spread throughout the interlands. For those once loyal to the Golden Line, Godrick the Grafted now represents how far the world has fallen since the shattering of the Elden Ring.
Appearance: Godrick the Grafted (Elden Ring)
Godrick the Grafted has a humanoid physique. However, he is much taller than normal humans. In contrast to the rest of his body, Godrick’s head is relatively small. This contrasts with his massive torso and thick arms. His skin is gray and his hair is dull. On Godrick’s body are grafted numerous arms that once belonged to stains he hunted. He possesses 6 fingers on one of his two hands. He wears filthy clothes that were once magnificent. On his head, Godrick wears a golden crown that hides his long hair. In battle, Godrick wields a large, ornate axe with blades on both sides.
Fight Style: Godrick the Grafted (Elden Ring)
Godrick the Grafted has two phases, like most of the big boss fights in Elden Ring. In the first phase he just wields a large golden axe that he uses to attack the player, but in phase 2 he grafts a dragon head onto his left arm and uses it not only to breathe fire, but also to perform grappling attacks that deal massive damage. So a good flame resistance is not a bad idea for this fight. Phase 2 of his attacks starts around the time he reaches 60% HP.
Godrick has a number of attacks that are mainly melee. However, he can also perform a few directed ranged attacks. These attacks range from punches, lunges, jumps, swings, and sweeps. All attacks are relatively fast and have a quick transition between them, although some attacks have a slower attack animation that lets the player reposition himself when he withdraws his weapon to prepare for a swing or one of his other melee attacks.
Godrick the Grafted: Combat Strategy
To reduce the likelihood of being hit by Godrick’s jumps and thrusts, you should move as often as possible during the fight. The goal is to stay out of his line of sight. Attempts should be made to get in his back as quickly as possible to open up an attack opportunity for him. As soon as a window of opportunity presents itself, he must be attacked so that his next action is delayed. This provides an opportunity for longer attacks. You should always be on the lookout for clues about his upcoming attack. In some action preparation animations, there is a brief moment of 1-2 seconds when Godrick the Grafted withdraws his weapon. This is the moment to reposition or dodge. Since this arena is surrounded by walls, you should always try to stay in the open area. This will help you avoid being backed into a corner from which dodging will be difficult.