Greataxes in Dark Souls 2 differ from the regular one-handed axes in that they are bigger, heavier, and slower, but also more powerful. Not only can these behemoth blades of immense slashing damage severely cleave through every enemy’s health, but they also deliver huge poise damage to stagger and possibly even stun-lock foes.
Players with Strength builds are the ones who can make the best use of these greatweapons and their devastating potential. Just be sure to accrue enough stamina to be able to swing these monstrous weapons around, for they are quite hungry for the contents of one’s green bar. All of the greataxes can be adequate battlefield companions since none are objectively awful at taking down threats, however, there is a clear order of which ones are the best due to a few having better stats, movesets, and unique traits.
9 Crescent Axe
There isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with the Crescent Axe (not to be confused with the Dragonslayer’s Crescent Axe, which is a one-handed axe), however, it simply is not as viable for most builds due to its niche usage strategy that is at odds with what greataxe-users build for.
This weapon comes with innate magic attack, though, the player should still upgrade this on the Regular path instead of the Magic one because the slightly higher scaling in Strength and Dexterity is more useful in the long run. At the max Regular upgrade level of +5 for this unique greataxe, it gets 210 physical and 80 magic attack as well as triple scaling: B-tier with Strength, C-tier with Dexterity, and E-tier with magic damage. Needing to invest a bit in Intelligence forces the player to spread their stat points out too thin for the Crescent Axe to be worth using for most builds.
8 Lion Greataxe
Dropped by the fierce lion clan warriors in the most curse-ridden parts of the shaded woods, this initially seems like a cool weapon to try out, however, anyone other than those rocking a quality build will be a bit disappointed. The short reach and lackluster Strength scaling, even when fully upgraded, means that only players who spend hours practicing with the Lion Greataxe will be able to use its full power.
The unique power stance moveset that possesses the light attacks of a greatsword and the strong attacks of a great hammer make it difficult for foes to anticipate what the wielder will do, so it can be pretty handy in PvP, though, it is a lot easier to just use a better greataxe and get a similar damage output but with better range and less stat investment. At the +10 Regular upgrade, this greataxe obtains 310 physical attack along with B-tier scaling in Strength and C-tier in Dexterity.
7 Bandit Greataxe
Despite not being fancy in design or tactics, the Bandit Greataxe is a solid weapon choice for those who only care about base damage potential and don’t want to think about combat strategies beyond simply cleaving their enemies’ heads in two.
At the maximum Regular upgrade of +10, this deadly armament reaches 370 physical attack while also getting C-tier scaling in Strength and E-tier in Dexterity. The unimpressive scaling means that only high Strength builds (50+ in the stat) make it ideal for a Regular upgrade, however, anyone below this threshold should take the Raw infusion route as it will result in better damage output with a physical attack of 425 at +10 along with E-tier scaling in Strength and Dexterity.
6 Greataxe
Simple in name and in usage, the Greataxe is the bar at which other greataxes are compared as it is likely the first of this weapon class that the Bearer of the Curse will encounter. As such, it is average in all regards for a greatweapon yet this is not a bad thing, as this same trait makes it usable for many Strength builds.
It can be bought from Steady Hand McDuff for 6200 souls and also upgraded by him (or by Blacksmith Lenigrast in Majula). At the +10 Regular infusion upgrade, the Greataxe will reach 390 physical attack as well as B-tier in Strength and E-tier in Dexterity. Worth noting that this heavy weapon deals more poise damage (50) than the previously listed greataxes (45 or less), making it exceptionally capable of staggering and stun-locking foes.
5 Drakekeeper’s Greataxe
With a noticeably longer handle than other greataxes, the Drakekeeper’s Greataxe possesses all the boons of this weapon class in addition to more reach. This lets its wielder out-space foes easier, which is an even bigger benefit than it would be for other weapon types, as greataxes suffer from relatively short reach when compared to other greatweapons like the ultra greatswords.
Otherwise, its stats and usage are very similar to the Greataxe, though the Drakekeeper’s Greataxe has slightly better scaling. At the +10 Regular upgrade, it attains 380 physical attack alongside A-tier scaling with Strength and E-tier scaling with Dexterity.
4 Giant Stone Axe
Initially, this greataxe was easily the worst in the game as it used to only get D-tier scaling in Strength despite the massive requirement in this stat (45) to even wield it. Thankfully, this was patched and the Giant Stone Axe was given a boost to both scaling and stats to make it worth trading the Soul of the Last Giant with Straid of Olaphis to acquire.
When upgraded to the max level of +5 on the Regular path, the Giant Stone Axe receives an appropriately huge 400 physical attack and pure Strength scaling at A-tier. Solid stats to be sure, though accompanied by a solid weight stat of 25 as well, so be sure to invest in Vitality a bit before trying to equip it. It is also worth noting that this greataxe deals 55 poise damage for top-tier staggering potential.
3 Gyrm Greataxe
A behemoth of a battle-worthy axe, this weapon could almost be used to cleave hillsides apart with its massive mass driving forth potent power. Despite being very heavy at 24 weight, the Gyrm Greataxe actually consumes less stamina for each two-handed light attack than most other greataxes.
If one has the Vitality to wield this without being over-encumbered, the player will be able to make excellent use of this beastly blade that possesses 55 poise damage per severe strike. At the +10 level of the Regular upgrade, the Gyrm Greataxe achieves 410 physical attack that gets bumped up by the solid A-tier scaling in Strength and minimal E-tier scaling in Dexterity. It also deals a colossal 140 counterattack damage to let its wielder come off better in most damage-trades.
2 Black Knight Greataxe
The black knight weapons are renowned in power throughout the Dark Souls trilogy and for great reasons. With a fairly long handle and a somewhat slower attack speed, the Black Knight Greataxe acts similarly to the Drakekeeper’s Greataxe, however, deals a decent amount more damage as well as possessing very useful fire attack.
Due to its innate fire attack, it may be tempting to take this greataxe down the Fire infusion path, however, it will lose out on some crucial Strength and Dexterity scaling, so one should take the Regular path instead. At the +5 Regular upgrade, the Black Knight Greataxe obtains 340 physical and 120 fire attack alongside triple scaling: A-tier in Strength, D-tier in Dexterity, and C-tier with fire damage.
1 Black Dragon Greataxe
It makes sense for the rarest greataxe in the game to be the most powerful. The Black Dragon Greataxe, referenced in its item description to be made from the tail of “The Black Dragon”, otherwise known as Black Dragon Kalameet from the first Dark Souls, can only be acquired as a very rare drop from the dragon knights of the Dragon Shrine.
As with the other dragon weapons, the Black Dragon Greataxe possesses tremendous base damage but no scaling whatsoever. Thankfully, it does not need the boost from scaling as it gets a ridiculous 471 physical attack after being fully upgraded to the +5 level of Raw infusion, making it the deadliest greataxe of them all.
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