Godslayer's Greatsword
Godslayer's Greatsword is a unique colossal sword recovered beneath Caelid's Divine Tower after defeating a Godskin Apostle. Its Queen's Black Flame skill delivers sweeping black-flame cuts with lingering percentage-based damage, favoring Dexterity/Faith despite the weapon's size.
Key Takeaways
Godslayer's Greatsword is a Faith-oriented colossal sword whose fixed skill gives it a distinct black-flame attack pattern rather than the interchangeable Ash-of-War setup used by many regular weapons.
Faith shapes its requirements and role
The weapon requires Strength, Dexterity, and Faith, making it a poor fit for characters that do not intend to invest in Faith alongside colossal-sword attributes.
Its signature skill is Queen's Black Flame
Queen's Black Flame raises the sword before delivering a black-flame strike and can continue into a broader follow-up slash. The skill is the weapon's defining offensive feature and is fixed to the weapon.
It is a Somber weapon with a fixed setup
Godslayer's Greatsword follows the Somber reinforcement path and cannot be given a different Ash of War or affinity. Its progression therefore improves a specialized weapon rather than converting it into another damage or skill profile.
The reward is tied to the Divine Tower of Caelid
It is obtained from a chest in the Divine Tower of Caelid after defeating the Godskin Apostle encountered in that area, making the boss encounter and tower route the key availability condition.
Its payoff comes with deliberate commitment
The weapon combines colossal-sword reach and impact with physical-and-fire damage and a fire-based signature skill, but its slower attacks and Faith requirement demand more commitment than a faster sword class.
Its closest alternatives trade identity for flexibility
Other colossal swords can offer different requirements, reach, scaling profiles, or changeable skills, while Godslayer's Greatsword stands apart through its fixed Queen's Black Flame skill and Faith-oriented damage profile.
Overview
Godslayer's Greatsword is a unique colossal sword in Elden Ring that combines heavy melee attacks with Faith-scaling fire damage and a distinctive black-flame weapon skill. It is a base-game weapon rather than a Shadow of the Erdtree addition.
Godslayer's Greatsword occupies an unusual position among Elden Ring's colossal swords. It uses the class's committed, high-impact melee style, but its identity is not limited to physical attacks: its damage profile and attribute demands support characters investing in Dexterity, Strength, and Faith. That combination makes it a specialized weapon for builds that want colossal-sword reach and impact without treating the weapon as a purely physical strength tool.
Its defining feature is The Queen's Black Flame, the weapon's fixed skill. The initial action ignites the blade with black flame and delivers a sweeping attack; a follow-up input continues the sequence with an additional rising slash. The skill gives the weapon a more active offensive rhythm than a standard colossal sword, while its black-flame effect reinforces the weapon's association with Godskin armaments. The skill is part of the weapon's identity rather than a freely replaceable Ash of War.
This is a unique weapon with a Somber Smithing Stone upgrade path, so it is not a normal infusion platform for experimenting with Ashes of War and affinities. In practical terms, that fixed configuration trades the flexibility of an ordinary colossal sword for a clearer role: the weapon is built around its own fire-oriented attack profile, its distinctive skill, and the character attributes that support both. It therefore suits players who want a named, mechanically committed weapon rather than a blank weapon class chassis.
Godslayer's Greatsword comes from the base game's Caelid progression and is associated with the Godskin Apostle encountered in the Divine Tower of Caelid. That placement gives it a meaningful role for players exploring the region, but the weapon remains usable throughout the wider game rather than being tied to a temporary quest state. It should be considered separately from Shadow of the Erdtree weapons and from ordinary colossal swords whose skills, affinities, and upgrade behavior can be customized more freely.
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.
- CategoryGreatswords
- Damage TypeSlash/Holy
- Primary ScalingFai C
- Weight9.5
- SkillWave of Gold
- Str Req18
- Dex Req13
- Fai Req24
- How to ObtainDropped by Godskin Noble, Volcano Manor
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar greatswords
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godslayer's Greatsword | 18 | 13 | 9.5 | Fai C |
| Dark Moon Greatsword | 10 | 18 | 10 | Int D |
| Ordovis's Greatsword | 16 | 15 | 9 | Str E / Fai D |
| Fire Knight's Greatsword | 18 | 13 | 10 | Str D / Fai D |
| Knight's Greatsword | 18 | 13 | 9 | Str D / Dex D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Access to the Divine Tower of Caelid in Caelid's Dragonbarrow area.
- Defeat the Godskin Apostle in the tower basement.
- This is a base-game acquisition and does not require Shadow of the Erdtree or another DLC. The weapon is a unique chest reward, so it is normally limited to one copy per playthrough; it is not a permanently missable quest reward, and it can be obtained later if the tower and boss remain unfinished.
- 01Travel to the Divine Tower of Caelid in the Dragonbarrow area of Caelid. Enter the tower and descend through its interior route to reach the basement; the weapon is not obtained from an overworld enemy, vendor, or quest reward.
- 02Defeat the Godskin Apostle encountered in the tower's basement. This boss must be defeated before the reward room can be safely accessed.
- 03After the fight, continue beyond the boss arena to the room containing a chest. Open the chest to receive Godslayer's Greatsword; the chest reward is guaranteed rather than a random enemy drop.
Availability
Requires No currency, vendor, difficulty, or DLC requirement to obtain. Wielding it requires 20 Strength, 22 Dexterity, and 20 Faith.
A fixed chest reward in the base game; availability is not tied to a rotating stock or a quest-choice outcome.
Requires No Shadow of the Erdtree ownership requirement.
The weapon is part of the base-game arsenal rather than DLC-exclusive content.
Requires No NG+ requirement; the acquisition can be repeated in a new cycle.
The fixed chest resets with the new cycle, allowing another copy.
Mechanics and Handling
Godslayer's Greatsword is a colossal sword with a more distinctive handling profile than its class label alone suggests. Its attacks still demand commitment and spacing, but its attack chains are comparatively mobile for a weapon of this size, using broad slashes that can catch targets around the character rather than relying exclusively on a straight-line hit. The weapon is best handled from deliberate spacing: close enough for the sweep to connect, but not so close that a missed opening leaves its recovery exposed.
A mobile colossal-sword moveset
The ordinary attack chain is built around sweeping cuts with substantial forward commitment. These attacks cover a useful lateral area, making them practical against groups and enemies that circle at close range, but they are not fast enough to be treated like a straight sword or katana. The weapon rewards starting an attack before an enemy enters range rather than reacting after the opponent has already begun a quick attack.
Its heavy attacks provide more committed single strikes and are most reliable when used after a stagger, an enemy recovery animation, or a safe approach. Charged heavies are especially dependent on timing: the additional commitment can improve the punish when it connects, but makes them poor choices during an unconfirmed opening. Jumping attacks remain a useful way to bring the weapon's reach and heavy impact into an engagement, although they do not remove the need to manage recovery.
Queen's Blackflame
The defining mechanic is the unique skill, Queen's Blackflame. Activating it coats the sword in black flame and begins a downward attack; the skill can then be followed by a second input for a broad follow-up slash. The two-step sequence gives the weapon a way to convert one opening into a larger area attack, but the follow-up should not be used automatically. If the first strike only clips a retreating target or is blocked, continuing the animation can leave the wielder committed after the opponent has recovered.
The black-flame effect is more than a visual treatment. Successful skill hits apply the characteristic black-flame damage-over-time effect, so the skill can continue contributing after the initial impact. This makes Queen's Blackflame particularly valuable against targets that can be struck cleanly and allowed to remain in range, while its long animation is less attractive when the enemy can immediately disengage. The skill consumes FP, so repeated use is constrained by the character's available resource rather than being a free replacement for the normal moveset.
The skill's damage and practical payoff depend on the weapon's reinforcement and the wielder's attributes; this section does not treat one damage value as universal. The flame effect should likewise be understood as a conditional result of a successful skill hit, not as a permanent property that automatically applies to every ordinary sword swing.
Spacing, commitment, and defensive use
Godslayer's Greatsword has no innate bleed or frost buildup to manage in its ordinary attacks. Its distinctive status-like pressure comes from Queen's Blackflame, which means the weapon's identity is tied more closely to skill timing than to passively accumulating a status through every hit. Players choosing it should therefore plan openings around both stamina for the attack and FP for the skill.
The sword can be used one-handed or two-handed, but two-handing is the more natural handling choice when the build permits it: it supports the weapon's strength-oriented requirements and keeps the large blade's attacks as the central part of the moveset. It is not a substitute for a shield-focused weapon, and its long swings make panic attacks and repeated trades unreliable. A short exchange, a confirmed stagger, or a punish window is usually safer than trying to overwhelm a fast opponent in neutral.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Queen's Black Flame adds a lingering, maximum-health-based damage component, giving the weapon a way to keep damaging enemies after the initial skill hit and making it especially relevant against high-health PvE targets.
- The unique skill combines a forward-reaching black-flame attack with an optional follow-up slash, letting a successful opening convert into additional damage without changing weapons.
- As a Colossal Sword, it supplies long-reaching swings and substantial commitment-based impact, allowing charged attacks and well-timed jump attacks to pressure enemy stance when the user has room to attack.
- Its physical-and-fire damage profile and Faith investment give it a distinct role from purely physical Colossal Swords, particularly for characters already meeting its Strength, Dexterity and Faith demands.
Weaknesses
- The weapon is slow and commitment-heavy. Missed swings and the opening or follow-up of Queen's Black Flame leave fewer opportunities to evade than faster greatswords or curved swords.
- Its unique skill consumes FP and requires the player to remain close enough to connect both stages; using the follow-up automatically is risky when the enemy can retaliate after the first hit.
- Split physical-and-fire damage can lose efficiency against targets with strong fire resistance, so its displayed attack cannot be treated as equivalent to the same amount of purely physical damage.
- Because it follows a unique reinforcement path and has a fixed skill, it cannot be reshaped with ordinary Ashes of War or freely converted to another affinity. It therefore offers less setup flexibility than an infusible Colossal Sword.
Best uses
- Use it in PvE boss encounters where safe openings allow Queen's Black Flame to land and its lingering maximum-health-based damage to contribute over the exchange.
- Use it for a Faith-oriented Colossal Sword character that wants reach, heavy attack commitment and a weapon-specific skill rather than interchangeable Ash of War options.
- Use its skill against large or committed enemies that cannot immediately punish the follow-up, and reserve ordinary attacks for situations where the full animation would be unsafe.
- Keep a different weapon or damage plan available for fire-resistant enemies and confined encounters where the Colossal Sword's slow swings and spacing demands are difficult to exploit.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and upgrade path | Build role | Distinctive mechanic | When it is the more suitable choice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maliketh's Black Blade | Strength/Faith colossal weapon | Destined Death weapon skill applies a temporary maximum-HP reduction and damage-over-time effect | Prefer it for a Strength/Faith setup or when Destined Death's health-reduction effect is more valuable than Godslayer's faster, flame-focused skill. | — |
| Greatsword | Strength-focused physical colossal weapon | Infusable and compatible with a broad range of Ashes of War and affinities | Prefer it for physical builds that need skill and affinity flexibility rather than Godslayer's fixed skill and Dexterity/Faith emphasis. | — |
| Zweihander | Flexible colossal weapon for strength or quality-oriented builds | Customizable skill and affinity, with a moveset and handling profile distinct from Godslayer's fixed black-flame weapon art | Prefer it when lower-commitment colossal-weapon handling and build experimentation matter more than Godslayer's unique skill. | — |
| Blasphemous Blade | Strength/Dexterity/Faith fire weapon | Taker's Flames provides a ranged fire attack with healing utility | Prefer it for a Faith build that wants a more forgiving greatsword skill and healing support; Godslayer's Greatsword is the closer choice for colossal-sword reach and its percentage-based black-flame skill. | — |
Used In
- Godskin ApostleDefeating the Godskin Apostle in the Divine Tower of Caelid grants access to the chest containing Godslayer's Greatsword.
- Divine Tower of CaelidThis legacy location contains the Godskin Apostle encounter and the chest where Godslayer's Greatsword is obtained.
- Somber Smithing StonesGodslayer's Greatsword follows the special-weapon reinforcement path and is upgraded with Somber Smithing Stones.
Lore and Design
Black flame and the Godskin Apostles
Godslayer's Greatsword is tied directly to the Godskin Apostles and the older power of black flame. Its item lore presents the apostles as servants of the Gloam-Eyed Queen, whose black flame was once capable of killing gods. The weapon therefore represents a surviving remnant of that god-slaying order rather than an ordinary colossal sword with an unrelated sacred title.
The same lore explains why the black flame encountered in the present age is diminished: after the Gloam-Eyed Queen was defeated by Maliketh, the flame lost its former power. This establishes a direct relationship between the weapon, the Godskin tradition, the Gloam-Eyed Queen, and Maliketh, while also giving the sword’s fire a historical context within the Lands Between. The description does not identify a separate mortal owner for the greatsword, so it is safer to treat it as an apostolic weapon associated with the group rather than assign it to a named character.
Its unique skill, Queen's Blackflame, reinforces that connection in gameplay by setting the blade alight with black flame before a sweeping attack. The skill is an explicit reference to the queen and her faction; it is not evidence that the weapon itself belonged to the Gloam-Eyed Queen. No documented developer commentary or official design statement is established here, so claims about real-world inspiration or intended cultural references should be omitted.
Trivia
- Its unique skill, The Queen's Black Flame, preserves the weapon's association with the Gloam-Eyed Queen rather than naming the attack after the Godskin Apostles who wielded the broader black-flame tradition.
- The weapon's lore distinguishes it from an ordinary greatsword: it is described as the sacred sword of the Gloam-Eyed Queen, the former leader of the Godskin Apostles, whose power was defeated by Maliketh.