How to take down Godfrey, First Elden Lord in Elden Ring

Godfrey, First Elden Lord blocks the way up the castle in Leyndell, Royal Capital, here’s how to beat Godfrey in Elden Ring.

Godfrey, like many bosses in Elden Ring, shows up twice. This guide covers the first time he’s encountered on the player’s first visit to Leyndell. The second time players fight Godfrey is very different and is part of a larger sequence of battles in the game.

How to find and beat Godfrey, First Elden Lord

Godfrey can be found in the upper levels of the capital’s palace, best accessed from the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace.

Run south towards the enormous Erdtree root and then hop onto it and up towards the new areas of the capital. Most of the enemies in this area can simply be sprinted past, as you’ll be able to respawn at the Stake of Marika. This will eventually take the player up into the ramparts around the castle, and following the roots further will give access to a large temple-like area where a battle with Godfrey, First Elden Lord awaits.

Godfrey is a classic Dark Souls boss, with powerful but telegraphed combos that can be predicted quite easily. Keep your distance upon entering and Godfrey will leap into the air, throw his ax and come dashing after it. Rolling past the ax will give you a free hit on Godfrey, then you can back off into the main hall for the rest of the fight.

Godfrey’s main combo is a three-strike axe swing that can be easily dodged if you learn the timing. Rather than immediately repeating the dodge roll command for each blow, dodge roll through the axe handle then briefly input movement back towards the axe’s new side before rolling over it again. This is the secret to dodging his wide swings. Godfrey also has a stomp attack that is very telegraphed and can be jumped over. As soon as Godfrey’s foot is about to hit the ground, input a jump and you’ll be able to avoid damage and hit Godfrey.

The only other attacks to worry about are a lunging overhead swing that Godfrey will use if you’re approaching him rapidly. Simply roll forwards into Godfrey to avoid the ax’s outreached swing. The last attack is a slow, spinning overhead strike that Godfrey will do after his swipe attacks. Walk around Godfrey until his ax arm starts to move, then dodge roll in the direction you’re walking and it will miss.