The Demigods inElden Ringstand as some of the most formidable bosses in the game, with Godrick the Grafted acting as a solid benchmark for this type of enemy right from the first dungeon. Not only does Godrick follow up the firstboss encounter againstElden Ring’s Margit, but he also has the task of setting up for the struggles players will face throughout the Lands Between.
Even with the high points ofElden Ringthat surround Godrick, the boss still manages to elevate himself with two distinct phases and a moveset that can quickly reset a player back to the nearest site of grace. It only leads the game to improve when it becomes apparent that Godrick was the weakest of the Demigods, meaning that every challenge to come will be even more impressive.
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Godrick the Grafted’s Moveset in Elden Ring
Similar to the Grafted Scion that players meet right at the start of the game, Godrick the Grafted is capable of making erratic movements that initially appear inhuman. This is because the shape thatElden Ring’s Godricktakes isn’t exactly that of a natural human, instead being a selection of arms and legs that are all able to work independently and give the boss his unique moveset. The result is a set of flips and swings that appear to come out of nowhere on an initial playthrough, but follows the twisted logic of Godrick’s design on further inspection.
This impressive moveset also extends to the aspects of combat inElden Ringthat makes most of the bosses more difficult than many of their counterparts in previous games. Not only are Godrick’s movements unnatural, but he also has a number of attacks that kick up with wind and a swinging axe with little preparation time. It’s a concept that persists across many ofElden Ring’s toughest bosses, with Godrick perfectly setting up for how difficult the rest of the game is going to be.
Godrick as the First of Many Two Phase Bosses in Elden Ring
To improve on Godrick’s impressive moveset, the boss makes for a major change at around the halfway point. At this point, Godrick trades out one of his massive, grafted arms for the entire head of a dragon, giving himself access to a whole new set of attacks that utilize this new appendage. Not only does Godrick now have fire-breathing attacks from the dragon head, but it also has a new grab and introduces flames to his previous wind attacks. It’s both an entirely new encounter and an evolution of everything that came beforehand.
As one of the earliest bosses in the game, this has Godrick then setting up for a number ofmultiphase fights throughoutElden Ring, including Rennala, Fire Giant, and Maliketh. This naturally doesn’t make Godrick the most difficult boss in the game, although his second phase is still likely to kill a player that might have been caught unaware by the new fire-breath and grab attacks. More important than being brutally punishing or comparing in strength to other bosses like Malenia, Godrick instead sets the foundation for how tough similar Demigods will be throughout the world.
It also can’t be understated exactly how spectacular it is to see Godrick go through the process of grafting the dragon’s head to his own arm. Starting with a brutal dismemberment that begins during combat and bleeds perfectly into the cutscene, the whole process leads to one of thebest visuals in FromSoftware games. Whether a player struggles against the boss or breezes past him, Godrick leaves quite the impression right at the start ofElden Ring, with the rest of the game then continuing to elevate what he establishes.
Elden Ringis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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