Executioner's Greataxe
Executioner's Greataxe is a rare drop from large axe-wielding skeletons. It combines high Strength demand, long greataxe reach, an elevated critical modifier, ordinary affinities, and compatible Ashes, making it a powerful stance-break and riposte weapon.
Key Takeaways
The Executioner's Greataxe is a heavy Elden Ring greataxe built around punishing critical attacks rather than a unique weapon skill. Its farmable acquisition and standard upgrade path make it more customizable than many unique weapons, but its weight, slow handling, and Strength demand shape the builds that can use it comfortably.
Critical-focused greataxe
Its unusually high critical modifier gives critical hits more importance than they have on many comparable heavy weapons, making stance breaks and ripostes a central part of its identity.
Strength investment required
The weapon has a substantial Strength requirement, so it is primarily suited to Strength-oriented characters rather than low-investment or highly mobile setups.
Farmable from skeleton enemies
Executioner's Greataxe is obtained as an enemy drop from skeletons that wield it, making it farmable rather than a fixed one-time pickup; the drop is not guaranteed.
Heavy commitment in exchange for reach and damage
Its greataxe moveset provides strong reach and heavy-hit potential, but attacks commit the character for longer than faster axe and sword alternatives.
Customizable on the standard path
Unlike a somber-upgrade unique weapon, the Executioner's Greataxe follows the regular reinforcement route and can use compatible Ashes of War and affinities, allowing its skill and damage profile to be adjusted.
Overview
Executioner's Greataxe is a standard greataxe in Elden Ring, built around deliberate close-range attacks and the adaptable War Cry weapon skill rather than a unique legendary effect.
The Executioner's Greataxe belongs to the greataxe class and uses the heavy, committed attack patterns associated with that class. Its identity comes from the combination of substantial melee impact, demanding spacing, and a conventional upgrade path. It is not a unique or remembrance weapon, so it fits naturally into a progression where the player is comparing ordinary armaments by moveset, requirements, skill options, and affinity flexibility.
Its default weapon skill is War Cry, which gives the weapon a temporary offensive stance and changes how its heavy attacks function while the effect is active. That makes the axe more than a passive damage choice: the wielder can use the skill to create a short attacking window, then return to the weapon's normal attacks when the opportunity ends. The skill is shared by other compatible weapons, so it is useful rather than exclusive.
As a greataxe, the Executioner's Greataxe is most suitable for a character prepared to accept slower, more committed swings in exchange for strong close-range pressure. It rewards attacking after an enemy's recovery, punishing openings, and controlling the distance at which a heavy weapon can connect. It is less naturally suited to players who want rapid repeated hits, very low commitment, or a weapon whose defining value comes from a unique passive or exclusive skill.
The weapon is part of Elden Ring's base-game arsenal rather than a Shadow of the Erdtree-only armament. Its regular upgrade and customization identity leaves room for comparison with other greataxes and with strength-oriented alternatives, but the right choice depends on the player's attributes, preferred affinity, and tolerance for War Cry's setup time. The weapon therefore has a practical role as a customizable heavy axe, not as a special-case quest or boss weapon.
Statistics
Elden Ring publishes no 0–100 stat bars, so this page lists the verified requirements, scaling and handling figures instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- CategoryGreataxes
- Damage TypeSlash
- Primary ScalingStr D
- Weight18
- SkillAsh of War (varies)
- Str Req30
- Dex Req13
- How to ObtainVolcano Manor
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar greataxes
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executioner's Greataxe | 30 | 13 | 18 | Str D |
| Rusted Anchor | 30 | 8 | 20 | Str D |
| Vulgar Militia Saw | 23 | 13 | 15 | Str D |
| Great Omenkiller Cleaver | 26 | 9 | 15 | Str D |
| Longhaft Axe | 22 | 12 | 14 | Str D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Access to Liurnia of the Lakes and the Church of Irith area.
- No DLC, quest, boss, or New Game Plus requirement is needed.
- 01In Liurnia of the Lakes, go to the Church of Irith and search the nearby graveyard for Skeletons wielding greataxes. Kill those enemies and collect the Executioner's Greataxe when it drops; the weapon is an enemy drop rather than a fixed pickup or quest reward.
- 02The drop is random, so repeat the encounter if necessary. Skeletons must be killed fully by striking their revived remains after they collapse; otherwise they can recover and the farming attempt does not count as a completed kill.
- 03The weapon is farmable across repeated encounters and is not restricted to a single pickup, quest completion, boss reward, or vendor purchase.
Mechanics and Handling
Executioner's Greataxe uses the standard Greataxe moveset, so its attacks are deliberate, broad swings rather than quick chained cuts. The weapon's long commitment makes spacing important: begin attacks outside an enemy's immediate range, then use the sweep to catch advancing targets or multiple nearby enemies. Its reach is one of the weapon's practical advantages within the Greataxe class, although the slow recovery leaves fewer opportunities to correct a mistimed swing.
Heavy attacks and spacing
The light attack chain consists of wide axe swings suited to controlling space in front of the wielder. The heavy attack is a committed overhead strike, while the charged version increases that commitment in exchange for greater impact. Jumping attacks provide a faster way to open or punish than waiting through the full ground combo, but they do not remove the weapon's need for close positioning. The axe can stagger vulnerable enemies when its attacks connect cleanly, but its slow animations make trading hits a poor default against agile opponents.
War Cry and Ashes of War
Executioner's Greataxe is equipped with War Cry rather than a permanently exclusive weapon skill. War Cry briefly raises attack power and changes the weapon's strong-attack behavior into a forward-charging attack. That altered attack gives the weapon a more direct way to close distance and can make the skill useful after an enemy commits to an animation. Because the buff and its attack pattern are temporary, the skill is most effective when activated before an opening rather than used reactively during an enemy's fastest attacks. As an infusible weapon, its skill and affinity can be changed through compatible Ashes of War, subject to the normal restrictions for the selected skill.
Handling limitations
The weapon has no innate status buildup or special ammunition/resource cycle to manage. Its main handling cost is animation commitment: missed swings can expose the wielder during recovery, especially against enemies that circle or attack from multiple angles. A shield, roll timing, or cooperative pressure can help create the space needed for its charged attacks, but the axe itself does not provide a built-in defensive action or parry.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its greataxe moveset gives charged heavies, jumping attacks and other committed swings substantial stance-pressure potential, making openings more valuable than sustained button-pressing.
- It has an elevated critical modifier for a weapon in its class, so successful ripostes after a stance break deal more damage than the standard critical baseline.
- As an infusible greataxe, it can be aligned with a suitable Ash of War and affinity rather than being locked to one weapon skill or damage setup.
- Its physical-focused profile suits Strength-oriented characters that want heavy attacks without relying on an innate status effect.
Weaknesses
- Greataxe attacks have noticeable startup and recovery, so missed swings are costly against fast enemies or bosses with short punish windows.
- Its weight and attribute demands compete with equip load and defensive-stat investment, especially when paired with heavy armor or a large shield.
- It has no innate status buildup to add pressure while spacing or trading, leaving its effectiveness dependent on physical attacks, stance damage and critical opportunities.
- Its commitment makes narrow arenas and highly mobile targets harder matchups than slower, predictable enemies.
Best uses
- Use it in PvE against enemies that expose themselves long enough for charged heavies or jumping attacks, then capitalize on stance breaks with its improved critical modifier.
- Use it for a physical Strength setup when flexible Ash of War and affinity choices matter more than a built-in status effect.
- Pair its deliberate reach and stance pressure with patient spacing: wait for an attack recovery, land one committed strike, and disengage rather than trading repeatedly.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and damage role | Distinctive trait | Build/use-case contrast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executioner's Greataxe | Higher critical modifier than most comparable greataxes; compatible with Ashes of War | Suits strength-focused play that can exploit critical attacks and heavy stagger opportunities | — |
| Great Axe | More conventional greataxe profile with broad customization through infusions and Ashes of War | A practical alternative when a general-purpose greataxe matters more than critical-attack specialization | — |
| Rusted Anchor | Piercing damage gives it a different damage profile from the Executioner's Greataxe | Better suited when attack-property interactions or piercing damage are more relevant than critical specialization | — |
| Crescent Moon Axe | Emphasizes broad attacks and crowd coverage rather than the Executioner's Greataxe's critical identity | Consider it for groups of enemies or open-area fighting where attack coverage is the priority | — |
Lore and Design
The Executioner’s Greataxe is presented in its item description as a weapon used by executioners to behead condemned criminals. Its significance is therefore institutional rather than tied to a named warrior: the axe represents the authority of the state, while the executioner who carries it is feared as the agent of that authority. The description establishes the weapon’s function and social meaning without identifying a specific kingdom, faction, or historical executioner.
The weapon’s design communicates that purpose through its oversized cutting head and heavy execution-oriented profile, but the game does not provide a documented real-world attribution or developer statement establishing a particular inspiration. Any broader interpretation—such as connecting it to a specific culture, legal system, or Elden Ring faction—should remain speculative rather than being presented as canon.
Trivia
- The item description identifies the Executioner's Greataxe as a weapon wielded by the executioners of the capital and describes it as being fashioned from a giant blade, giving the weapon an execution-focused identity rather than presenting it as an ordinary military greataxe.