Godrick is a descendant of the Golden Lineage, the bloodline that began with Queen Marika the Eternal and her first consort Godfrey.[1] Only a distant relation of Marika's line, his divine blood was sorely diluted, and he was viewed as the runt of the litter.[2] Godrick idolized the first Elden Lord, desiring his ancestor to witness his feats.[3] He wielded an axe emblazoned with a lion, a symbol of Godfrey,[4] and furnished his army with the Erdtree and Serosh emblems of the Golden Lineage.[5][6] Though he styled himself “lord of all that is golden,”[7] he commanded far less respect than his forebear and was despised by many of his own servants.[8]
After the Elden Ring was shattered, Godrick inherited the Great Rune from the center of the Elden Ring, referred to as the anchor ring. During The Shattering, he was hounded from Leyndell, Royal Capital. He claimed a multitude of treasures, including the Mimic's Veil,[9] and hid among the womenfolk to flee the city.[10] Godrick made his way south, settling in Limgrave with an army of soldiers who had fled Leyndell.[11] He took up residence in Stormveil Castle, using it as a refuge to hide from General Radahn.[12] When Malenia marched southward, Godrick insulted her,[13] leading to a confrontation that left him beaten and humiliated, forced to beg for mercy.[14]
Godrick retreated to Stormveil Castle to practice grafting, the forbidden art of attaching the parts of other beings to oneself to gain power.[15] When the Tarnished returned to the Lands Between, Godrick sent his soldiers on Tarnished hunts, seeking new subjects to graft.[16] He also produced Grafted Scions; abhorrent beings comprised of many different limbs, seemingly grafted onto children.
Game events[]
The Tarnished journeys to Stormveil Castle in search of Godrick's Great Rune, on the advice of White Mask Varré[17] and Melina.[18] The castle shows many examples of his grafting: severed limbs hanging in the dining hall, a dismembered Troll over a courtyard, and piles of corpses, including the companions of Roderika.[19] Eventually the Tarnished finds Godrick in a graveyard, addressing a dead dragon impaled on a statue.[20] He grafts the dragon's head to his own arm mid-fight, but is defeated, and his Great Rune is claimed.
Raises both axes and swings them in an arc after a delay.
Axe Slam
Phase 1 & 2
Raises both axes above his head and slams them into the ground in front of him.
Stormcaller
Phase 1 & 2
Spins the axe to generate a cyclone that knocks the player back; follows with a rolling attack into a wind-imbued slash. In Phase 2 the cyclone ignites.
Ground Slam
Phase 1 & 2
Leaps and slams the axe into the ground, creating a shockwave.
I Command Thee, Kneel!
Phase 1 & 2
Two successive quakes; in Phase 2 a third, larger shockwave.
Axe Grind
Phase 1 & 2
Drags the axe to spark, then overhead chop.
Jumping Slash
Phase 1 & 2
Jumps and delivers a downward arc slash.
Forward Axe Grind
Phase 1 & 2
Advances while scraping the axe, then slashes forward.
Axe Combo
Phase 1 & 2
Five-hit axe string.
Storm Blade
Phase 1 & 2
Fires multiple homing wind projectiles; may follow Stormcaller.
Roll
Phase 1 & 2
Combat roll that chains into the next attack.
Arm Chop
Phase 1
At ~60% HP, he stops and severs his arm to trigger Phase 2; nearby players take damage.
Fire Sweep
Phase 2
Sustained fire jet from the dragon arm that sweeps the arena.
Fire March
Phase 2
Walks forward while breathing fire; finishes with a horizontal sweep.
Grab
Phase 2
Dragon-arm grab, lift, flame burst, and slam finisher.
Bear Witness!
Phase 2
Drives the dragon into the ground, spins, then erupts, falling fiery rocks.
Phase 1[]
The fight begins after a cutscene. Godrick primarily uses his axe and enlarged left arm, generating cyclones and quakes for area-of-effect damage. He rolls to reposition and uses a homing wind projectile.
Phase 2[]
At roughly 60% HP, a cutscene plays, and he grafts the dragon's head to his arm. He gains ranged and area fire attacks layered onto his Phase 1 kit.
Environment[]
The arena is a narrow, paved approach flanked by graveyards, with a wider entrance near the steps. Movement through gravestones is possible, but it can hinder dodging.
He is fought as a challenge at the end of each day. However, he can only be encountered after Day 1 of both the Augur, Fissure in the Fog, and the Night Aspect expeditions.
Dialogue[]
English Dialogue
Intro cutscene
Mighty dragon, thou'rt a trueborn heir.
Lend me thy strength, o kindred.
Deliver me unto greater heights.
...Well.
A lowly Tarnished,
playing as a lord.
I command thee, kneel!
I am the lord of all that is golden!
Phase 2 cutscene
Ahh, truest of dragons.
Lend me thy strength...
Nnngh!
Forefathers, one and all...
Bear witness!
If the player is killed (phase 1)
Lowly Tarnished...
Thou'rt unfit even to graft...
If the player is killed (phase 2)
Great Godfrey, didst thou witness?
Defeat
...I am the Lord of all that is Golden...
...And one day, we'll return together...
...To our home, bathed in rays of gold...
Unused Monologue 1
One day, we'll return together.
To our home, bathed in rays of gold.
There is only one tree, and only its branches.
That bathe in true rays of gold.
Not the fool Omen King.
Nor the rank malformed twins.
O, we are the Golden Ones. The true and rightful heirs.
Our land's grown old, now ashen, and cold.
But look up, the Erdtree glows!
One day, we'll return together.
To our home, bathed in rays of gold.
And grace will surely guide us safe.
To our home, bathed in rays of gold.
Unused Monologue 2
Hear me, my knights! Proud warriors and true.
Let the hunt begin! Fetch me a mighty branch to make mine own!
A fresh offering to graft!
Raaargh!
Graaargh!
Hunt me down a new branch! Bring me a Tarnished!
Notes[]
Godrick is optional. He drops a Great Rune; two are required to enter Leyndell, Royal Capital.
Trivia[]
Internal name: GraftKing (ID: 4750)
In cut content, Gatekeeper Gostoc claimed to be a son of Godrick and could replace Nepheli Loux as lord of Stormveil after Godrick's defeat, later succumbing to grafting as well.[22]
Godrick's death lines are an abridged version of a longer monologue cut before release.[23]
↑Finger Reader Enia: "The demigods are each and all the direct offspring of Queen Marika. Godrick the Grafted was but a distant relation... The runt of the litter, his divine blood sorely diluted."
↑Godrick the Grafted: "Great Godfrey, didst thou witness?"
↑Kenneth Haight: "I would take great care to avoid Godrick's Tarnished hunts, were I in your shoes. That depraved lot are obsessed with sacrificing Tarnished like you for the sake of 'grafting'."
↑White Mask Varré: "Challenge Godrick the Grafted, lord of Stormveil, to acquire a Great Rune."
↑Melina: "Upon the cliff, in Castle Stormveil, is a shardbearer..."