5 Best Axes in Elden Ring, Ranked

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Reviewed by Sharayah

While not the flashiest weapons, axes in Elden Ring are powerful and fast. Great for Strength builds, these weapons tend to offer a variety of play styles from fast hacks to wide swings. Axes are also great weapons for dual-wielding.

There are a lot of weapons that fall in the class of “axe,” but not all of them are worth your time. Today, we’re looking at the five best axes in Elden Ring, where to find them, and how to use them.

Let’s get started!

5 Best Axes in Elden Ring

Let’s dive into our list of the top five best axes in Elden Ring, ranked from mediocre to mighty!

5/5

Jawbone Axe

First up on our list of the best axes in Elden Ring is the Jawbone Axe. This primitive axe is great for aggressive play styles in a build that focuses on Strength and Dexterity. While not the flashiest weapon, it still has its strengths that make it worth your consideration.

Stats

The Jawbone Axe has the third highest base Physical attack stat in the axe weapon class, sitting pretty at 124. It has a relatively low barrier to entry, needing only 14 Strength and 8 Dexterity to wield. This axe scales best with Strength, with a base D grade that reaches C by max upgrade. It has reduced scaling in Dexterity, with a base E grade that reaches D by max level. As such, you should prioritize leveling up Strength with this weapon.

Where to Find It

The Jawbone Axe is dropped by the Ancestral Follower enemy. These enemies can be found in Liurnia of the Lakes as well as Siofra River, the underground region of Elden Ring’s map that can be accessed from eastern Limgrave. A great place to farm these enemies is in eastern Liurnia of the Lakes near the Ruined Labyrinth site of grace. There are five of these enemies nearby that you can farm until they drop the Jawbone Axe.

How to Use the Jawbone Axe

The Jawbone Axe, while a decent weapon in its own right, is really nothing special on its own. The only thing that makes this weapon stand out is the relatively high attack stat compared to other weapons in its class. However, the Jawbone Axe does have its place in certain builds.

The default Weapon Skill on the Jawbone Axe is Wild Strikes. This skill is the default on several axes, but it still has its utility. Using this skill has the player perform a combo of swings with the axe that can be followed up with a strong or light attack. This is a decent skill, but we can do better.

To make the most of this weapon, try equipping it with the Royal Knight’s Resolve Ash of War. This skill adds the Quality affinity to the weapon which changes the damage scaling of both Strength and Dexterity to a max grade of B. It also greatly boosts the power of your next attack when used. Dual-wielding axes with this skill sets you up for an aggressive, fast-paced play style.

4/5

Sacrificial Axe

An upgrade to the Jawbone Axe in almost every way, the Sacrificial Axe offers a stronger base physical attack in addition to better damage scaling. It may be tougher to get, but it offers users a powerful and fast way to slice through enemies.

Stats

The Sacrificial Axe has the second highest base Physical attack of any axe at 128. This puts it a step above the Jawbone Axe. However, it also means it has a bit higher requirements to wield. Although still reasonable, you will need 16 Strength and 10 Dexterity to wield it. It comes with slightly better damage scaling in Dexterity, having a base D grade in both it and Strength. Ultimately, it still scales better with Strength, reaching a C by max upgrade while maintaining a D grade in Dexterity.

Where to Find It

Finding the Sacrificial Axe may be trickier than anticipated. Head to the Weeping Peninsula to the south of Limgrave. Wait until nighttime, then make your way to the ridge just north of Castle Morne. Here you will encounter a Deathbird boss. Defeat the boss and it will drop the Sacrificial Axe.

How to Use the Sacrificial Axe

Like the Jawbone Axe, the Sacrificial Axe doesn’t offer anything unique outside of its high base attack stat. On its own, it may not offer much. However, we recommend taking advantage of the high attack stats of both axes by dual-wielding the two. This will take a bit of investment in both Strength and Endurance, but it will be worth it for the axe-swinging brute you will become.

The Royal Knight’s Resolve Ash of War mentioned above is a good choice for the Sacrificial Axe as well. But to really dish out damage, try using the Claw Talisman with this build. This talisman increases the power of jump attacks by 15%. A great playstyle with this build is to focus on performing jump attacks with your two axes to deal a ton of damage right off the bat and often break your enemy’s poise. The Claw Talisman can be found pretty early in the game, on the rooftops of Stormveil Castle. Since both the Jawbone Axe and the Sacrifical Axe are pretty short in their reach, getting up close and personal with jump attacks is the optimal strategy.

3/5

Stormhawk Axe

The axe with the highest base attack in its class, the Stormhawk Axe combines the power and speed of an axe with a unique Weapon Skill to land a spot at number three on our list.

Stats

As noted above, the Stormhawk Axe has the highest Physical attack of its kind, with a base Physical attack of 130 . It requires a bit of investment in Strength, needing 19 points, as well as 15 Dexterity. Like most axes, it scales best with Strength, having a base D grade that reaches a C grade by upgrade +6. It also has a D grade in Dexterity which it maintains through each upgrade.

Where to Find It

This axe can be found in a few locations. The earliest you can find it is at the Village of the Albinaurics in western Liurnia of the Lakes. However, to do so, you must have spoken to Nepheli Loux in Stormveil Castle, then speak to both her and Gideon Ofnir in Roundtable Hold. She then appears in the Village of the Albinaurics, where you can fight her and claim the Stormhawk Axe. If you do not want to kill her, you can find this axe later in the game at Leyndell, Royal Capital near the Fortified Manor, First Floor, as well as at Castle Sol in the Mountaintops of the Giants.

How to Use the Stormhawk Axe

In terms of Physical damage, the Stormhawk Axe hits hard and swings fast. You may not have enough Strength to dual-wield this axe like Nepheli, but even one can get the job done. This is because of its awesome unique Weapon Skill, Thunderstorm. This skill has the user imbue the axe with lightning and then perform a series of spinning swings, creating a lightning storm of axe blows in a large area of effect. The axe remains imbued with lightning damage for a short period of time afterward.

This skill is powerful, but slow leaving you vulnerable to counter attacks. To compensate, try using a combination of the Ritual Shield Talisman and the Dragon Greatshield Talisman. The Ritual Shield Talisman reduces the damage you take by 30% while at full health, and the Dragon Greatshield Talisman reduces all Physical damage taken by 20%. Between the two of these talismans, you should be tanky enough to withstand hits while you keep on spinning and dishing out damage.

2/5

Rosus’ Axe

The runner-up on our list of the best axes in Elden Ring is Rosus’ Axe.What this axe lacks in Physical damage, it makes up for in Magic damage and a long reach. Add a unique and interesting Weapon Skill into the mix and you’ve got a surprisingly strong Intelligence focused weapon.

Stats

While it doesn’t have the highest base Physical attack stat, coming in with only 106, it does offer an additional base 68 Magic attack stat. This axe is great for Intelligence focused build because it scales well with Intelligence and doesn’t require a lot of level investment into other attributes. You will only need 18 Strength, 10 Dexterity, and 18 Intelligence to wield it. In return, you will get a base D grade in Strength, a base E grade in Dexterity, and a base D grade in Intelligence. Both Strength and Intelligence reach grade C by upgrade +4 and +7, respectively.

Where to Find It

Far in the eastern portion of Liurnia of the Lakes, just northeast of the Minor Erdtree, you’ll find the Black Knife Catacombs. Make your way through this dungeon and eventually you will come across a fog wall and an imp statue. You’ll need a Stonesword Key to activate the imp statue and remove the fog wall. Doing so reveals a room with two skeletons you will have to avoid or defeat, as well as Rosus’ Axe.

How to Use Rosus’ Axe

One advantage this axe has over others in its class is its long reach. This allows the user to keep enemies at bay more easily than the up-close-and-personal style of combat other axes require. Rosus’ Axe also has a unique Weapon Skill, Rosus’s Summons. This skill has the user raise the axe to perform a downward strike. At the same time, the user summons three skeletons that also perform a downward strike in tandem with the player before vanishing. The skeleton’s attacks are staggered a bit, which is helpful in overwhelming and staggering your enemy.

As an Intelligence-focused weapon, it is ideal to take advantage of the Magic damage this axe deals. To do this, try using the Magic Scorpion Charm talisman. This talisman increases Magic damage by 12%, with the trade off of increasing Physical damage taken by 10%. This trade off may seem a bit steep, but if you’re able to defeat your enemies before they can touch you, utilizing the long reach of Rosus’ Axe to keep them at a distance, the additional damage taken is negligible.

1/5

Icerind Hatchet

Topping our list of the best axes in Elden Ring is the Icerind Hatchet. Contrary to other weapons in its class, this axe is actually a Dexterity-oriented weapon. It also comes with an incredibly useful ability that makes it stand above its peers.

Stats

The Icerind Hatchet has a modest base 111 Physical attack stat. However, it has equally modest requirements to wield, needing only 11 Strength and 16 Dexterity. If you’re going for a Dexterity build, this is a good option to consider. It scales best with Dexterity, starting with a base D grade that reaches a B grade by max upgrade. Scaling in Strength is reduced with only a base E grade that reaches a D grade by max level.

Where to Find It

One of the best things about this weapon is that you can find it relatively early and it can carry you for a large portion of the game. To find it, head to the Temple Quarter in western Liurnia of the Lakes. You’ll find it in a chest inside a ruined bell tower just to the southeast of the area’s site of grace that contains the Icerind Hatchet.

How to Use the Icerind Hatchet

With its unimpressive stats, you may be wondering what makes this weapon top this list. The Icerind Hatchet’s Weapon Skill, Hoarfrost Stomp, is incredibly useful, which alone makes up for its mediocre attack stat. Hoarfrost Stomp has you stomp, creating a wave of freezing mist that spreads in front of you. This mist inflicts 70 Frostbite damage on initial hit, with another 110 Frostbite damage after the ice crystals explode.

Additionally, the Icerind Hatchet inflicts Frostbite build up with each hit. It also deals an extra 20% damage to Dragon-type enemies and an extra 10% damage to Ancient Dragon-type enemies. This makes the Icerind Hatchet an excellent weapon for taking on bosses. Many bosses fit in the Dragon or Ancient Dragon class, meaning they’ll take additional damage from this axe. Combine that with Hoarfrost Stomp’s large area of effect and Frostbite damage, and you can quickly melt boss HP bars!

Join the High Ground

Did you agree with our list of the best axes in Elden Ring? Which axes have you found success with? Let us know in the comments below! Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss any of our upcoming Elden Ring content!

Happy gaming!

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