Elden Ring - Greataxes

The Strength class you take when you want the biggest single physical number without paying Colossal Weapon prices: 14 weapons, 8.5-15 weight, and the game's highest raw base physical outside Colossal tiers.

Combat

Pros

• Greataxe holds the highest base physical of any weapon in the class at 151, and 's max-standard table puts it at 369 attack rating (AR), higher than any Greatsword, Halberd or Great Hammer in the same tables.
• Stance damage sits a full tier above Axes and Hammers: Sta 150-184 at max standard, versus 94-128 for Axes and 84-130 for Hammers.
• Four weapons enter under 25 Str (Bonny Butchering Knife 16, Butchering Knife 16, Great Omenkiller Cleaver 23, Death Knight's Longhaft Axe 23), so you can start using the class well before a 30 Str investment.
• Patch 1.06 increased Greataxe attack speed and reduced the delay before you can roll after an attack, the class's historic worst weakness was directly patched.

Cons

• Weight is the real cost: 8.5 (Bonny Butchering Knife) to 15 (Executioner's Greataxe), against 2.5-7.5 for Axes.
• Str requirements run 16-34, and the two best raw-damage picks are the two most expensive: Greataxe at 30 Str and Executioner's Greataxe at 34 Str.
• 's Greataxe Sta band (150-184) is still well below Great Hammers (154-218) and Colossal Weapons (Giant-Crusher 224), so if stance-breaking is the goal this is the wrong class.
• Scaling is unremarkable at +0: best Str is C (Rusted Anchor, Executioner's Greataxe, Gargoyle's Great Axe, Bonny Butchering Knife), best Dex is C on Butchering Knife alone.

Builds

Two clean stopping points.

• At 24 Str / 8 Dex you get Longhaft Axe (146 base) and Gargoyle's Great Axe.
• At 30 Str / 8 Dex you get the Greataxe itself, the class's damage ceiling.
• Going to 34 Str only buys the Executioner's Greataxe, and you are paying 4 Str and 2 extra weight for +34 Sta and 115 critical over the base Greataxe, worth it only if you are stance-breaking or riposting.
• Dex builds have exactly one real option: 20 Dex for Butchering Knife or Bonny Butchering Knife.
• Faith builds want 22 Fai for Gargoyle's Black Axe or 18 Fai for Death Knight's Longhaft Axe.
• Do not take Heavy affinity purely for the letter grade, on 's tables standard-affinity max values beat heavy on every Greataxe listed.

Best Weapons

Weapon	Image	Attack	Weight	Str	Dex	Int	Fai	Arc	Why Take It
Greataxe		151	13	30	8	-	-	-	Highest base physical in the class at 151, and highest max-standard attack rating (AR) on at 369 with C/D scaling and 168 Sta. Costs 30 Str / 8 Dex and 13 weight. Found in the troll-hauled carriage near Waypoint Ruins in Limgrave, which makes it reachable in the first hour, it is the single best damage-per-rune pickup in the class.
Executioner's Greataxe		150	15	34	8	-	-	-	115 critical, the only Greataxe above 100. Also holds the class's best guard boost (48) and the highest Sta figure on (184 max standard, 202 max heavy). Its own in-game description says it excels at critical hits. The cost is 34 Str and 15 weight, both class highs. 4% drop from axe-wielding skeletons.
Rusted Anchor		147	12.5	26	9	-	-	-	The only Pierce-type Greataxe, which means it can perform thrusting counterattacks on a guard counter where the rest of the class cannot. 147 base physical with C Str at +0, the highest base of any sub-30-Str Greataxe, at 26 Str / 9 Dex. lists 360 max standard and 176 Sta. Dropped by the Scaly Misbegotten in Morne Tunnel, very early.
Bonny Butchering Knife	-	134	8.5	16	20	-	-	-	Shadow of the Erdtree weapon. Same 134 base physical and 8.5 weight as the Butchering Knife but with C Str instead of E, at 16 Str / 20 Dex, the lightest Greataxe in the game and the cheapest Str entry to the class.: 328 max standard, B/D scaling, 160 Sta. Found below a shed at Bonny Village.
Butchering Knife		134	8.5	16	20	-	-	-	Recovers 1% of max HP on every attack that hits: the only sustain in the class, and it scales with your Vigor rather than your damage. C Dex at +0, the only Dex-leaning Greataxe, reaching B Dex on 's max keen table. 16 Str / 20 Dex, 8.5 weight. Received from Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater on Mt. Gelmir, already carrying the Sacred affinity.

Notes

• 's class summary: Greataxes deal large damage and easily break guards, but have slow attacks that leave the user vulnerable, and they truly shine with charged heavy attacks.
• Patch 1.06 increased Greataxe attack speed and reduced the time before rolling is possible after an attack, and fixed a bug where spell, weapon-skill and item effects were not applied correctly when dual-wielding Greataxes.
• Sta at max standard: 150 (Great Omenkiller Cleaver, Winged Greathorn), 160 (Butchering Knife, Bonny Butchering Knife, Gargoyle's Great Axe, Gargoyle's Black Axe, Axe of Godrick), 164 (Death Knight's Longhaft Axe), 168 (Greataxe, Longhaft Axe, Crescent Moon Axe, Rotten Greataxe), 176 (Rusted Anchor, Putrescence Cleaver), 184 (Executioner's Greataxe).
• Heavy affinity buys Sta, not attack rating (AR): has Rusted Anchor going 176 to 193 Sta and Executioner's Greataxe 184 to 202 when switched to Heavy, while every listed weapon's max-heavy AR falls below its max-standard AR.
• Damage type is Standard across the class except Rusted Anchor (Pierce) and Putrescence Cleaver (Slash), only Rusted Anchor can land a thrusting counterattack.

All Greataxes

Name	Image	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit. Boost	Weight	Str.	Dex.	Int.	Fai.	Arc.	Sell Price	Skill
Axe of Godrick		142 50	0 35	0 35	0 35	0 35	100 35	11	D 34	D 22	0	0	0	100	I Command Thee, Kneel!
Bonny Butchering Knife		134 58.0	0 31.0	0 31.0	0 31.0	0 31.0	100	8.5	C 16	D 20	0	0	0	0	Hone Blade
Butchering Knife		134 58	0 31	0 31	0 31	0 31	100 37	8.5	E 16	C 20	0	0	0	200	Barbaric Roar
Crescent Moon Axe		146 68	0 36	0 36	0 36	0 36	100 44	12.5	D 25	D 15	0	0	0	100	War Cry
Death Knight's Longhaft Axe		113 61.0	0 32.0	0 32.0	73 46.0	0 32.0	100	11.5	D 23	E 10	0	D 18	0	0	Blinkbolt: Long-hafted Axe
Executioner's Greataxe		150 74	0 40	0 40	0 40	0 40	115 48	15	C 34	E 8	0	0	0	200	War Cry
Gargoyle's Black Axe		100 49	0 27	0 27	0 27	120 54	100 37	8.5	D 24	E 8	0	D 22	0	200	War Cry
Gargoyle's Great Axe		123 58	0 31	0 31	0 31	0 31	100 37	8.5	C 24	E 8	0	0	0	200	War Cry
Great Omenkiller Cleaver		142 63	0 33	0 33	0 33	0 45	100 42	11	D 23	D 12	0	0	0	200	Wild Strikes
Greataxe		151 69	0 37	0 37	0 37	0 37	100 45	13	D 30	D 8	0	0	0	100	Barbaric Roar
Longhaft Axe		146 68	0 36	0 36	0 36	0 36	100 44	12.5	D 24	D 8	0	0	0	100	War Cry
Putrescence Cleaver		141 66.0	0 44.0	0 38.0	0 38.0	0 38.0	100	13.5	D 28	E 10	0	0	D 15	0	Spinning Guillotine
Rusted Anchor		147 68	0 36	0 36	0 36	0 36	100 44	12.5	C 26	E 9	0	0	0	200	Barbaric Roar
Winged Greathorn		130 50	0 35	0 35	0 35	0 35	100 35	11	D 30	D 20	0	0	0	100	Soul Stifler