How to Beat Godrick the Transplant in Elden Ring

By John D. Rushing Last updated Apr 6, 2022

Godrick the Transplant is the first demigod boss in Elden Ring and your first hurdle to becoming an Elden Lord. Here’s how to defeat Godrick.

The goal of the Ternished in Elden Ring is to hunt down the demigod children of the goddess Marika, destroy them, and take their Elden Ring shards. Godrick the Transplant is the first of them, but he’s not going to go down without a fight or willingly putting his shard back on.

Godrick is the lord of Castle Stormveil and will need to be defeated to continue the story. Once there, the game world opens up in many ways and the Elden Ring adventure truly begins. Here’s where to find Godrick the Transplant in Elden Ring and how to defeat him.

From software

Godrick is the first demigod boss in Elden Ring.

How to Find Godrick the Transplant

Godrick is relatively easy to find if you follow the game’s main campaign. Simply progress through Stormveil Castle until you reach the Fog Gate which is guarded by a giant troll and two exiled knights.

There is a grace site in an isolated cell to the right, outside of Godrick’s arena. So, be sure to heal up and gear up before heading towards him.

Godrick is a mess of flesh and body parts.

NPC summoning support

It is possible to summon the friendly NPC Nepheli to fight Godrick on your side. Her summon sign can be found just outside the fog gate and she can be a useful ally.

Her damage isn’t great, but she’ll get half of Godrick’s attention, letting you score a few hits against him. You can also bring your Spirit Summons into battle for more allies.

To summon Nepheli, you must first find her and exhaust her dialogue. She’s in a room off the road outside of Godrick’s arena, where the path curves towards him.

Summoning Nepheli is completely optional, but we recommend talking to her even if you’re not summoning her to continue her questline.

The NPC Nepheli is a useful ally in the battle against Godrick’s boss.

How to Defeat Godrick the Transplant

Luckily, Godrick isn’t as tough as Margit the Fell because he doesn’t have that character’s speed. However, he’s still incredibly aggressive and powerful and can kill even the most skilled player with just a few hits.

If you haven’t upgraded your weapon to at least +3 during the round table, we advise you to do so now. However, most players will have done this before facing Margit.

In the first phase of the fight, Godrick will swing his ax wildly leaving small openings for him to hit before you need to dodge. After his combo, he will swing his ax vertically into the ground and it will take him a few seconds to recover. So hit him with everything you got and then get out of there.

His ax swings are deadly and cover a lot of ground, so melee fighters will need to be on their toes. Ranged fighters just need to keep their distance and attack him from afar. Don’t let him get close because getting caught in his combo will likely mean death.

Blocking can be an effective strategy for tanky melee builds, but his combos are fast, powerful, come in waves. Thus, it is often more advisable to dodge and let his animations play out. Be careful though, he can launch into another in a split second.

Godrick grafts a dragon and absorbs its power.

Second stage

In the second phase of the boss fight, Godrick will grab a dead dragon and inherit the ability to breathe fire. These attacks cause major AOE fire damage, so if you have gear that provides fire buffs, now is the time to equip it. Or before the fight ideally begins.

It is imperative to avoid this dragon fire, as it can instantly kill weaker players and has a ridiculous range. So stay mobile and take photos when you can. When you deal enough damage to Godrick, he staggers and you can move for a critical attack.

Godrick will now rely more on fire damage than just physical attacks, so make sure you’ve purchased the cookbooks from the various vendors to learn how to craft items that cast protective buffs. You can also pick up the Flamedrake Talisman from the Groveside Cave mini-boss in Limgrave.

This will help protect you slightly from Godrick’s fire damage. It is also useful against the Dragon Agheel when it comes to fighting it.

Godrick is the master of Castle Stormveil.

Summon spirit to use

Godrick will likely kill your Spirit Summon if left alone with him, but once Godrick is poisoned his job is done. After that, its main use is as a distraction. If you’re a magic or ranged build, bring the tankiest Spirt Ash you have.

Your Spirit Summons and Nepheli can be vital allies in this battle. If you’re a melee build, consider bringing the Jellyfish Spirit Ash with you. This way you and Nepheli can tank Godrick while your jelly ally poisons him from afar.

If you managed to complete the Frindgefolk Hero’s Grave dungeon from the start of the game and beat the boss there, you will have unlocked the banished knight Oleg. This is a powerful unique NPC summon that can tank a lot of Godrick with Nepheli while you range attack.

Nepheli will also more than likely fall if the fight lasts too long, but her main value is to draw Godrick’s attention away from you.

Once Godrick falls, you’ll receive your first Great Rune, a powerful item that can be used to upgrade yourself once you’ve unlocked its power.

Godefroy is almost identical to Godric.

Evergaol Encounter: Godefroy

Elden Ring has a habit of recycling its main bosses into field or Evergaol bosses. So, several hours after defeating Godrick, you can defeat him a second time. However, it is an identical copy known as Godfrey the Grafted who uses the exact same moveset.

To reach Godefroy, you will need to go to the Golden Lineage Evergaol on the Altus Plateau, very close to the Great Dectus Lift. Here you will then need to spend a Stone Sword Key to enter Evergaol and challenge Godfrey.

Since you’ll likely meet Godefroy sometime after Godrick, he’s on a much higher level this time around, but you probably will be too. Therefore, don’t be intimidated, you might even be overwhelmed by this point. It also only has one phase this time, which makes the fight much simpler.

However, since this is an Evergaol boss, you won’t have access to Spirit Ash, NPC support, or co-op partners this time around. This battle is you versus Godfrey, one on one. Repeat the strategy above to knock him down, you will also earn the Godfrey Icon talisman for your trouble.

So there you have it, all the tips and tricks you need to beat Godrick the Graft in Elden Ring. Be sure to check out our Elden Ring page for all the latest news and guides.