The Elden Ring community has been buzzing with excitement since the latest patch 1.09 hit the game. It's always a thrilling experience when developers listen to player feedback and make changes that improve the overall gameplay experience.
In addition to a host of other changes, the latest patch in Elden Ring has also focused on the four "great" weapon classes: Great Hammers, Greatswords, Curved Greatswords, and Greataxes. And let's be honest, who doesn't love wielding massive weapons that can decimate enemies in a single blow?
In this article, we'll explore the changes made to Greataxes and how to use them in new builds. So, let's dive into it.
Heavy Longhaft Axe Build
Weapon
For this build, we will use the Heavy Longhaft Axe infused with the Ash of War EarthShaker. Here you can find some in-depth stats and the location of the Longhaft Axe.
This is an excellent choice for a strong Greataxe Build. This formidable weapon delivers massive amounts of damage with each swing, making it a force to be reckoned with.
Pairing the axe with the Gravel Stone Seal in the offhand provides an additional advantage because, with this seal, you can cast Vyke's DragonBolt, a powerful spell capable of striking multiple enemies at once.
This weapon and seal combination creates a lethal Build for both single and multiple-enemy combat. Additionally, adding these Elden Ring items can further strengthen this build.
Armor
To complement this build, we have chosen an interesting armor set to maximize effectiveness and survivability in combat. Starting with the head, the Veterans Helm provides excellent protection without sacrificing mobility, making it a great choice for the build.
The Scale Armor serves as the chest piece, providing a balance of protection and weight, making it ideal for those who want to maintain some agility in combat.
The Malformed Dragon Gauntlets offer good protection for the arms, while the Bull-Goat Grieves provide added protection for the legs without weighing the wearer down too much.
Talismans
We will start with the Erdtree Favor, which provides a significant boost to health and stamina regeneration. This talisman is essential for any build that prioritizes survivability in combat.
The Crimson Amber Medallion is a powerful talisman that increases the wearer's maximum HP by 6-8%, providing a much-needed boost to survivability in combat.
The Shard of Alexander raises the attack power of skills by 15%, making it an essential talisman for any build that relies on skills to deal damage.
Finally, the Axe Talisman is another important talisman that raises charged attack damage by 10%. This boost in damage can make a significant difference in battle, especially when facing tough opponents.
Incantation
For this build, the main incantation used will be Vyke's Dragonbolt. This powerful incantation imbues the right-hand armament with lightning damage, adding an extra kick to each strike with the Heavy Longhaft Axe. Lightning damage is especially effective against many enemies in Elden Ring, making this incantation a valuable tool in any battle.
Stats
For this build, the primary focus is on Strength and Vigor. Strength is essential for wielding the Longhaft Axe effectively, as it is a heavy and powerful weapon that requires 24 of Strength. Here are the preferred stats for this build:
Vigor: 56
Mind: 10
Endurance: 31
Strength: 54
Dex: 10
Intelligence: 10
Faith: 23
Arcane: 10
Deaths's Cleaver Build
This build is known for its simplicity, tankiness, and heavy-hitting power. With the Death's Cleaver Build, you'll be able to take on even the toughest enemies in the game with ease, making it an ideal choice for players who want to focus on brute strength and durability.
Weapon
The key to the Death’s Cleaver build is the Executioner's Heavy Greataxe +25 (with heavy affinity), which is a powerful weapon that deals massive damage with each swing. With its heavy-hitting power, the Executioner's Heavy Greataxe +25 is the perfect weapon for players who want to focus on raw strength. Additionally, on the off-hand, we will use the Godslayer's Seal +25, which is perfect for casting powerful buffs to enhance your abilities in combat. You can also enhance your abilities by buying runes in Elden Ring. Simply, the more you have, the stronger you can get.
Armor
The armor selection is chosen to provide a unique and aesthetically pleasing look. The Haligtree Knight Helm not only looks impressive but also provides a +2 Faith bonus. The Leyndell Knight Armor and Greaves provide solid defense and fashion, creating an imposing figure. Additionally, we will use the Royal Remains Gauntlets, as they provide a small healing bonus when health drops below 18%, giving you a slight edge in tough battles.
Ash of War
The Ash of War on the Executioner’s Heavy Greataxe will be enhanced with Lion's Claw, which is an incredible addition to this build. This attack not only looks great with its impressive animation, but it also packs a powerful punch. The Lion's Claw attack hits hard, dealing significant damage to your enemies, and also does 30-stance damage, which can throw your opponents off balance and leave them open for a follow-up attack.
Talismans
Our Talismans are crucial for this build, and we have chosen the ones that will maximize our effectiveness in battle. The Shard of Alexander is a key component, boosting the power of our Ash of War: Lion's Claw attack.
The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman will boost our physical defense, helping us to withstand even the toughest of blows. Additionally, the Dagger Talisman will increase our critical hit damage, which is especially effective with the Executioner's Heavy Greataxe, which already has a heightened critical damage output.
Finally, we have Erdtree's Favor +2, providing us with a slight boost to our overall health.
Incantations
There is a diverse range of Incantations that can be used for this build, but we will choose those two. The Flame, Grant Me Strength spell will boost our physical and fire-affinity attack power. And we have Golden Vow, which provides a buff that increases the attack and defense of our character. This buff lasts for 80 seconds and will help us deal and withstand more damage in battle.
Stats
And lastly, let's take a look at the stats. The Hero class might be the best starting class for this build. So, here are the preferred stats:
Vigor: 55
Mind: 20
Endurance: 25
Strength: 54
Dex: 9
Intelligence: 7
Faith: 48
Arcane: 11
Crescent Moon Axe Build
Weapon
For this build, we will be using the Crescent Moon Axe as our weapon of choice. One of the main reasons for this is the unique moveset that it provides.
The R2 attack of the Crescent Moon Axe is very useful, as it involves a sweeping horizontal slash with another follow-up horizontal slash. This is an excellent technique for taking out multiple enemies at once and can be particularly useful in PvE battles. Additionally, we will be using Flaming Strike as our ash of war, which provides Fire and Flame Art affinity.
Armor
For this build, we will use the Raging Wolf Helm in combination with other pieces to hit the desired 51 Poise. The style of this armor set is appealing, but players can mix and match other pieces to their liking.
As for the chest piece, you can use the Raging Wolf's, or the Raptor's Black Feathers is also a solid choice as this build relies on jump attacks, and the extra jump attack damage boost from the chest piece is beneficial. Additionally, you can use Blaidd's Gauntlets and Greaves.
Talismans
We have selected some great talismans that complement our playstyle. Firstly, we will use the Axe Talisman to increase the damage of our charged R2 attack, which is the Crescent Moon Axe's signature move. Next, we have the DragonCrest GreatShield Talisman, which will provide us with additional protection.
This is particularly useful when we use the charged R2 attack or the Flaming Strike. In addition, we have the Shard of Alexander, which will boost the damage of our Flaming Strike, adding to our offensive capabilities. Lastly, we have the Claw Talisman, which will increase the damage of our jump attacks. This is a great choice since we do a lot of jump attacks with this build, and the extra damage will come in handy.
Incantations
For our incantations, you can go with Flame, Grant Me Strength to increase the physical and fire-affinity attack power, and Golden Vow the attack and defense for 80 seconds, making us deal and withstand more damage in battle.
Stats
For this build, we will prioritize Vigor and Strength attributes. Having a high Vigor will allow us to have a large health pool, making us more durable in combat. Meanwhile, focusing on Strength will boost the damage output of our Crescent Moon Axe and our charged R2 attack. We won't neglect other attributes entirely, as we also want to have a decent amount of Endurance to manage our stamina consumption during combat.
These would be the preferred attributes for this build:
Vigor: 60
Mind: 26
Endurance: 30
Strength: 66
Dex: 15
Intelligence: 16
Faith: 7
Arcane: 9