Godfrey, the First Elden Lord, is one of the toughest bosses in Elden Ring. The fight is an endgame battle that the Tarnished must fight to reach an ending in the game.
In this guide, I will show you how to beat Godfrey, the First Elden Lord. Please remember that this will be a two-phase fight. In the first phase, you will be fighting Godfrey, and in the second version, you’ll war against his warrior version – Hoarah Loux.
We will discuss everything – Godfrey’s weaknesses, the best weapons to beat Godfrey, and where to find this boss in the Lands Between.
So, let’s jump into this detailed Elden Ring guide.
Who is Godfrey, the First Elden Lord?
Godfrey is one of the twelve Legend Bosses in Elden Ring. He is a mandatory boss, meaning you will need to defeat him to achieve an ending in the game.
The backstory of this character is quite sad, to be honest.
Godfrey was originally known as Hoarah Loux, chieftain of the Badlands. He was a bloodthirsty warrior with a loyal troop. Queen Marika was impressed by his strength and chose him as her first consort.
But Hoarah Loux’s barbaric appearance and lust for bloodshed were unsuitable for a Lord. So, he took the Beast Regent Serosh upon his back to suppress his violent battle urges and thus became the first Elden Lord of the Lands Between, Godfrey.
After becoming the first Elden Lord, Godfrey had three children with Queen Marika – Godwyn the Golden, and the twins Mohg, Lord of Blood and Morgott, The Omen King.
On Queen Marika’s instructions, Godfrey led the war against the Giants and confined them in a faraway land – Mountaintop of the Giants. Queen Markia was using Godfrey for her means, and as soon as her means were achieved, she cast away Godfrey and his warriors.
As Godfrey defeated his last enemy, he lost his Grace. Queen Marika banished Godfrey and his warriors – thus becoming the first Tarnished.
After this betrayal, Godfrey reverted to his original name – Hoarah Loux. He left the Lands Between, along with his Tarnished warriors, and began an expedition called the Long March. He wandered lands in search of his purpose.
In Lands Between, Godwyn the Golden – Marika and Godfrey’s son – is assassinated on the Night of the Black Knives, and Marika is distraught. In anguish, Marika shatters the Elden Ring, and the Golden Order collapses.
During The Shattering, Marika’s children (even the ones she had with Radagan – Miquella and Malenia) fought each other to become the next primary God of the Greater Will (Lands Between).
But when none of the demi-gods arise to the power of the Greater Will, the Will, in desperation, looks to the ones cast away – the Tarnished. This is where the Elden Ring game begins.
As a Tarnished, you are tasked with mending the Elden Ring and restoring order to the Lands Between. However, as the chosen Tarnished (you) is called upon for this task, another Tarnished is waiting to reclaim his place as the Elden Lord – Hoarah Loux.
This journey comes to a crossroads when you (the chosen Tarnished) and Hoarah Loux (as Godfrey, the First Elden Lord) come face to face before you can enter the burned Erdtree and become the Elden Lord.
Godfrey’s Location
Although Godfrey, the First Elden Lord boss fight, is an endgame fight, somewhere before that, you will fight the Golden Shade version of Godfrey.
This version is not as powerful as the actual Legendary Boss, but the Golden Shade Godfrey is a mandatory boss players must defeat to progress further in the Elden Ring – and to ultimately fight the actual Godfrey, the First Elden Lord.
So, let’s see the locations of both versions of Godfrey.
Godfrey, the First Elden Lord (Golden Shade), is located in Leyndell, Royal Capital, just near the Erdtree. The closest site of grace to reach this enemy boss is West Capital Rampart.
The Golden Shade Godfrey is a powerful enemy boss, so don’t take him lightly. He wields a two-headed axe that helps him execute some powerful attacks.
You can summon Spirit Ashes for this boss; even multiplayer is allowed, in case you’re playing online.
After defeating Godfrey (Golden Shade), you will get 80,000 Runes and a talisman pouch to carry more talismans.
Let’s move on to Godfrey, the First Elden Lord boss fight.
After you complete Crumbling Farum Azula, you can find Godfrey, the First Elden Lord boss in Leyndell, Ashen Capital. The closest site of grace is Queen’s Bedchamber.
On the southeast of Queen’s Bedchamber, you will have a long set of stairs that lead to the arena where you previously fought Morgott, the Omen King.
When you enter the arena, a cutscene will play, and you will find Godfrey mourning the death of his son Morgott. Then, the boss will challenge you to a fight, and you need to beat him to become the new Elden Lord.
How to Beat Godfrey in Elden Ring? (Boss Fight)
Once the fight begins, there is no turning back. Please remember that this boss fight is a two-phase fight. In the first phase, you will fight Godfrey, the First Elden Lord; in the second phase, you will go against Hoarah Loux.
But, before you get into this boss fight, you need the right weapons and armor to make this fight easier for you.
Armor & Weapons to Beat Godfrey
Fortunately, Godfrey only deals physical damage, so you don’t have to carry any consumables for elemental protection. However, do don the right armor set and carry the best weapons.
➡️ Armor
I went for the Raging Wolf armor set as it is medium-weight (24.2) with a good physical damage negation of 25.9. And you do need a high physical damage negation armor set against Godfrey.
You can even go for General Radahn’s armor set. It has a higher physical damage negation of 35.5 but is super-heavy. Hence, it will affect your movements.
I like to be agile in my battles, so I chose a medium-weight armor set.
➡️ Weapons
I chose the Blasphemous Blade as my left-hand armament. It is one of the most powerful Greatswords in the Elden Ring. I kept this just in case.
I enjoy playing with katanas, so I switched between two powerful katanas in Elden Ring – Rivers of Blood and Moonveil – as my primary weapon.
Eventually, I wielded my katana two-handedly to place more powerful attacks on Godfrey. Anyway, melee-build players should equip a weapon with high physical damage. However, remember that your window to attack Godfrey will be brief, so avoid anything with a long windup.
➡️ Talismans
If you have defeated Godefroy the Grafted in Golden Lineage Evergaol (Altus Plateau), you will possess Godfrey’s Icon talisman. If you have this talisman, use it for charged attacks to beat Godfrey, the First Elden Lord.
You can even use the Dragoncrest Shield talisman to reduce the physical damage taken.
➡️ Spirit Summons and NPCs
You can summon Black Knife Tiche for this boss fight. Also, you can summon NPCs like Nepheli Loux and Shabiri – providing you’ve completed Nepheli’s questline and encountered the Three Fingers at the Frenzied Flame Proscription.
Fighting Godfrey, the First Elden Lord (Phase I)
I do not recommend using a shield in this boss fight, as it will slow down your movements, and Godfrey’s powerful axe attacks on your shield will decimate your stamina in just a couple of hits anyway.
So, shield-blocking is not a recommended option. It’s best that you dodge and roll during most of his attacks.
➡️ Axe Attacks
Godfrey will start the fight by throwing his axe at you. He will rise in the air and drop his axe into the ground; a moment later, he will come crashing down on you. Dodge this attack by rolling out of the way of the axe.
Otherwise, this will happen. 😅
(And it will happen a LOT!)
Stay close but out of his crash-down radius. Here, you will get a brief opportunity to attack Godfrey as he recovers from his axe attack moveset.
Godfrey will launch combo attacks with his powerful axe – jabs, swings, and an upward slash. Dodge sideways to avoid these attacks.
➡️ Stomp Attacks
Stomp attacks are some of the most brutal attacks in this boss fight. Godfrey will stomp his foot or axe into the ground and send rock spikes out of the ground. In most cases, a combo attack will follow.
There is no point in rolling during this attack as the area of rock spikes is spread out. Instead, jump towards Godfrey and launch a jump attack.
Godfrey has a total Health Pool of 21,903. So, at about 75% of health, his stomps will be charged. It will send shockwaves across the whole arena. Jump to avoid any damage.
The windup and recovery of this super-stomp moveset are quite long, so take advantage of this opportunity and land powerful attacks on Godfrey.
➡️ Fission Attacks
After every few attacks, Godfrey will swing his axe and slam it into the ground. A few seconds later, he will stomp the axe further into the ground and create a massive fissure.
After a moment, the fissure will explode in an AOE blast.
To avoid damage from this fissure attack, roll sideways as soon you see Godfrey stomping the axe into the ground to avoid the fissure and the ensuing AOE attack. This moveset has a follow-up attack, so be prepared.
➡️ Cutscene
Halfway through this boss fight, Godfrey stumbles and falls to his knees. But this is not the end.
Here, a cutscene will begin, and you will see Godfrey, the First Elden Lord, brutally slay his Regent Beast Serosh to unleash the warrior within – Hoarah Loux.
Killing Serosh has a metaphorical meaning to it. As I mentioned, Godfrey took Serosh on his back to suppress his bloodthirsty and violent persona of Hoarah Loux. So, Serosh acted as a suppressor for his warrior personality.
Now that Serosh has been killed, the warrior within who does not know any limits is unleashed!
Fighting Hoarah Loux (Phase II)
Hoarah Loux does not have an axe like Godfrey did. He fights with his bare hands. His grab attacks are even more deadly and can’t be blocked. He can one-shot you if his attacks connect, so be ready to roll!
➡️ Stomp Attacks
Hoarah Loux will stomp toward you and send rock spikes out of the ground. Don’t roll, but jump over them. At 25% of his health, he will do super-stomp attacks – stomping twice. Again, do the same, jump.
➡️ Grab Attacks, aka Chokeslam and Powerbomb Attacks
Grab attacks are Hoarah Loux’s favorite movesets. He begins the phase two fight with this moveset. He will charge at you to grab you. If he grabs you, you will tossed in the air and slammed into the ground.
If you time it right, you can avoid the grab by dodging to the side.
A second, more deadly, grab attack will send you flying across the arena and slam you back into the ground. Dodge at the last moment to avoid this grab.
These attacks do not exactly look like what certain wrestlers did in the wrestling ring, but they are so powerful that, in some cases, you just give up and say, “There’s nothing I can do about that!”
These attacks are inescapable, so if you are caught in one, just let him finish it. If you still have some stamina left, roll away quickly and use your Flask of Crimson Tears to recover your health.
➡️ Hoarah Loux’s Earthshaker
Hoarah Loux lets out a powerful roar called Hoarah Loux’s Earthshaker. It doesn’t deal any physical damage but does knock you down. After the roar, he jumps and comes crashing down at you.
A moment later, he slams the ground with both hands and creates an AOE blast. This blast will cover the ground in craters that erupt in a severe blast. Dodge through the AOE and run out of range of the craters before they erupt.
So, time your jumps, use the brief attack windows, and place powerful charged attacks to beat Godfrey, the First Elden Lord.
Godfrey is weak to Pierce, Lightning, and Slash attacks. He is also weak to Scarlet Rot. So, use weapons, items, or spells that inflict Scarlet Rot. These weapons or items will make this fight easy for you. Also, you need to be at 80+ level to have a fair chance of beating Godfrey in this boss fight.
Rewards for Defeating Godfrey
After you beat Godfrey, the First Elden Lord, and his warrior-version Hoarah Loux, you will receive 300,000 Runes and Remembrance of Hoarah Loux. You can hand over the Remembrance to Enia at Roundtable Hold and get Axe of Godfrey or Ash of War: Hoarah Loux’s Earthshaker.
Furthermore, a site of grace will appear in the arena when you beat Godfrey. Rest at this site of grace and recover yourself.
Concluding Notes
Here’s all that you needed to know in order to beat Godfrey in Elden Ring. It’s an extremely difficult fight and will take you quite a few attempts to beat the First Elden Lord. Of course, the tactics shown here are mostly a guideline that you can follow during the boss battle. You can improvise and add your own moves to complement your playstyle.
You can also check out our Elden Ring Madness Build Guide to unlock one of the best armor and weapon builds in the entire game!
