Elden Ring - Axes

The cheap, light, one-handed blunt option: 17 weapons, 2.5-7.5 weight, Str 9-24, that you pick up early and keep for charged heavies and Ash of War spam, not for staggering bosses.

Combat

Pros

• Lowest entry cost of the five classes here: Str requirements run 9 (Forked Hatchet) to 24 (Warped Axe), Dex 7 (Iron Cleaver) to 16 (Icerind Hatchet), per the local stat dump.
• Lightest blunt class alongside Hammer: 2.5 (Forked Hatchet) to 7.5 (Warped Axe), so a full kit fits inside a light-roll budget.
• One-handed and shield-compatible; out that four of them (Hand Axe, Forked Hatchet, Icerind Hatchet, Forked-Tongue Hatchet) swing faster than the rest of the class.
• Widest spread of damage identities of the five: magic (Rosus' Axe 68), lightning (Death Knight's Twin Axes 65), frost (Icerind Hatchet 65 buildup) and arcane (Ripple Blade) all live here.

Cons

• Lowest stance damage of the five classes: 's Sta column at max standard runs 94 (Icerind Hatchet) to 128 (Warped Axe), against 106-122 for Flails, 84-130 for Hammers, 150-184 for Greataxes and 154-218 for Great Hammers.
• Scaling is flat and mediocre at +0: best Str in the class is C (Iron Cleaver, Warped Axe), best Dex is D on twelve separate weapons. Only Ripple Blade breaks out, with A Arcane.
• Only one Axe exceeds 100 critical (Highland Axe, 110), so this is not a riposte-oriented class.
• Guard boost tops out at 43 (Warped Axe) and most sit at 27-33, poor for a class you would actually one-hand behind a shield.

Builds

12-16 Str / 8-10 Dex covers most of the class outright; that alone unlocks Battle Axe, Highland Axe, Jawbone Axe, Sacrificial Axe, Iron Cleaver and Messmer Soldier's Axe.

• Push Str to 19 and Dex to 15 for the Stormhawk Axe, or 24 Str for the Warped Axe.
• Do not invest past that for the class itself, Axe scaling is too flat to reward it.
• The two exceptions: 20 Arcane for the Ripple Blade, which is the only A-grade scaling of any kind in the class at +0 and hits S Arcane at max standard on; and 16 Dex / 11 Str for the Icerind Hatchet if you want Hoarfrost Stomp on a 3.0-weight stick.

Best Weapons

Weapon	Image	Attack	Weight	Str	Dex	Int	Fai	Arc	Why Take It
Messmer Soldier's Axe		133	5.5	14	10	-	-	-	Shadow of the Erdtree weapon. Ties Smithscript Axe for highest base physical in the class at 133, at 14 Str / 10 Dex, the cheapest requirement of any 130+ axe. puts it at 325 max standard with C/C, second only to Stormhawk Axe. Farmed at 2% from axe-wielding Messmer Soldiers.
Stormhawk Axe		130	5.5	19	15	-	-	-	Highest max-standard attack rating in the class on 's table at 333, with C/C scaling. Base physical 130 at 5.5 weight, but it costs 19 Str / 15 Dex, the steepest Dex requirement among the heavy-hitting axes.
Warped Axe		118	7.5	24	8	-	-	-	The pure-Strength axe: C Str with literally no Dex scaling at +0, 24 Str required. It also holds the class's best guard boost (43, next best is 36) and the class's highest Sta value on at 128. Pick it if you are one-handing behind a greatshield and never plan to touch Dex. Farmed at 4% from axe-wielding Omens.
Icerind Hatchet		111	3	11	16	-	-	-	65 frost buildup and Hoarfrost Stomp as its native skill, at 3.0 weight and 11 Str / 16 Dex. But it carries the lowest Sta figure in the class on (94) and only 111 base physical, it is a status and Ash of War delivery tool, not a damage weapon. Chest near the Temple Quarter grace in Liurnia.
Ripple Blade		70	4.5	11	11	-	-	20	The only Axe with better than C scaling at +0: A in Arcane, reaching S Arcane at max standard on. Its own description says its attack power is greatly enhanced by arcane. The trade is brutal, 70 base physical against the class's 133 ceiling, so it is only worth it on a committed 20+ Arcane build. Bought from Pidia for 3,500 runes.

Notes

• Charged heavy attacks are the class's signature. The Battle Axe's own in-game description says axes are regarded for their powerful charge attacks.
• : four axes swing faster than the rest of the class: Hand Axe, Forked Hatchet, Icerind Hatchet, Forked-Tongue Hatchet, but this does not change the powerstanced moveset.
• Patch 1.08 increased the stagger damage of Axe guard counters, and reduced Axe poise damage in PvP. Patch 1.14 increased the attack speed of the uncharged first heavy attack.
• Sta (stance damage) at max standard: 94 Icerind Hatchet, 106 Hand Axe/Forked Hatchet, 112 Battle Axe/Highland Axe/Celebrant's Cleaver/Ripple Blade, 116 Stormhawk Axe/Rosus' Axe, 120 Smithscript Axe, 122 Iron Cleaver/Jawbone Axe/Sacrificial Axe/Messmer Soldier's Axe/Death Knight's Twin Axes, 128 Warped Axe.
• Heavy affinity does not raise Sta on axes the way it does on hammers: lists Smithscript Axe at 120 Sta on both max standard and max heavy, while its attack rating (AR) drops from 320 to 293.

All Axes

Name	Image	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit. Boost	Weight	Str.	Dex.	Int.	Fai.	Arc.	Sell Price	Skill
Battle Axe		123 47	0 31	0 31	0 31	0 31	100 31	4.5	D 12	D 8	0	0	0	100	Wind Strikes
Celebrant's Cleaver		119 47	0 31	0 31	0 31	0 31	100 33	4.5	D 12	D 8	0	0	0	100	Wind Strikes
Death Knight's Twin Axes		101 44.0	0 30.0	0 30.0	65 44.0	0 30.0	100	5.5	D 14	D 12	0	D 16	0	0	Blinkbolt: Twinaxe
Forked Hatchet		101 40	0 27	0 27	0 27	0 27	100 27	2.5	D 9	D 14	0	0	0	100	Quickstep
Forked-Tongue Hatchet		125 45.0	0 30.0	0 30.0	0 30.0	0 30.0	100	4.0	D 10	D 13	0	0	0	200	Dragonform Flame
Hand Axe		113 42	0 28	0 28	0 28	0 28	100 28	3.5	D 9	D 8	0	0	0	100	Quickstep
Highland Axe		123 47	0 31	0 31	0 31	0 31	110 31	4.5	D 12	D 9	0	0	0	100	War Cry
Icerind Hatchet		111 40	0 27	0 27	0 27	0 27	100 27	3	E 11	D 16	0	0	0	100	Hoarfrost Stomp
Iron Cleaver		120 51	0 34	0 34	0 34	0 34	100 34	6	C 15	E 7	0	0	0	100	Wind Strikes
Jawbone Axe		124 49	0 33	0 33	0 33	0 33	100 36	5.5	D 14	E 8	0	0	0	100	Wind Strikes
Messmer Soldier's Axe		133 49.0	0 33.0	0 33.0	0 33.0	0 33.0	100	5.5	D 14	D 10	0	0	0	100	War Cry
Ripple Blade		70 47	0 31	0 31	0 31	0 31	100 31	4.5	-11	-11	0	0	A 20	100	Wind Strikes
Rosus' Axe		106 44	68 44	0 30	0 30	0 30	100 33	5.5	D 18	E 10	D 18	0	0	200	Rosus's Summons
Sacrificial Axe		128 49	0 33	0 33	0 33	0 33	100 33	5.5	D 16	D 10	0	0	0	100	Wind Strikes
Smithscript Axe		133 48.0	0 32.0	0 32.0	0 32.0	0 32.0	100	5.0	D 13	D 10	E 11	E 11	0	0	Wild Strikes
Stormhawk Axe		130 49	0 33	0 33	0 33	0 33	100 31	5.5	D 19	D 15	0	0	0	200	Thunderstorm
Warped Axe		118 56	0 37	0 37	0 37	0 37	100 43	7.5	C 24	-8	0	0	0	200	War Cry