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Black Knight Greataxe

Greataxe of the black knights who wander Lordran. Used to face chaos demons.

The large motion that puts the weight of the body into the attack reflects the great size of their adversaries long ago.

Availability


Drop by the Black Knight (Greataxe) in The Catacombs and Kiln of the First Flame (20% drop rate).

General Information


As with other Black Knight weapons, deals extra damage to demon enemies such as Taurus Demon and Capra Demon.

The Black Knight Great Axe often seems weaker in practice than its damage stats would indicate. This is because its Standard Attacks (R1/RB) have reduced damage to account for their swing speed, which is fast compared to similar weapons. The damage of its slower Power Attacks (R2/RT) are in line with its listed statistics.

It is possible to farm this weapon right after leaving the Asylum by simply Reversing Hollow, sprinting through the Catacombs and reaching Paladin Leeroy's summon sign. Once summoned, drop down on the side closest to the fog wall and slowly go back toward the Knight's side of the cavern. Clear the Skeleton Wheels with the help of Leeroy and the moment the Knight aggroes from his perch he will jump down into the cavern. Kite the Black Knight to Leeroy if he keeps going to the fogwall. This is a low time and effort investment into the current playthrough so if the Black Knight doesn't drop the Greataxe, start over and try again. (This "farming" method could also be potentially be used to obtain a Bonewheel Shield)

Image Name Damage Critical Bonus Durability Weight Stats Needed
Stat Bonuses
Damage
Reduction %
Stability Frampt
Souls
Black Knight Greataxe 229/0/0/0

(Regular)
100 300 16.0 361/18/0/0

B/E/-/-
55/10/40/40 38 100

Move Set


1 Handed
R1 — R1 Right-to-left swing into left-to-right swing.
R2 Jumping downward smash.
Roll — R1 360 degree horizontal spin attack.
Backstep or Run — R1 Running horizontal smash.
Forward + R1 Kick. Useful for breaking guard.
Forward + R2 Leaping overhead smash.
L1 (left hand) Guard.
L2 (left hand) Overhead smash.

2 Handed
R1 — R1 Diagonal swing into diagonal swing.
R2 Delayed upward swing.
Roll — R1 360 degree horizontal spin attack.
Backstep or Run — R1 Running horizontal smash.
Forward + R1 Kick. Useful for breaking guard.
Forward + R2 Leaping overhead smash.
L1 or L2 Guard.
  • Light attacks (1-handed) are replaced by a horizontal swing followed by a horizontal swing.
  • Strong attack (1-handed) is replaced by a jumping downward smash.
  • Light attacks (2-handed) replaced by a faster diagonal swing followed by a diagonal swing.
  • Strong attack (2-handed) replaced with a delayed upward swing.

Black Knight Greataxe Moveset Video

Upgrades


Requires

  • Twinkling Titanite

90% STR, 4% DEX scaling.

Name Damage Stat Bonuses Twinkling Titanite Souls
Black Knight Greataxe +0 229/0/0/0 B/E/-/-
Black Knight Greataxe +1 251/0/0/0 B/E/-/- 1 2,000
Black Knight Greataxe +2 274/0/0/0 B/E/-/- 1 2,000
Black Knight Greataxe +3 297/0/0/0 B/E/-/- 2 2,000
Black Knight Greataxe +4 320/0/0/0 B/E/-/- 2 2,000
Black Knight Greataxe +5 343/0/0/0 B/E/-/- 4 2,000

Key


Damage:

The Damage stat dictates how much damage the weapon does. The Damage stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:

  • W is Physical Damage
  • X is Magical Damage
  • Y is Fire Damage
  • Z is Lightning Damage

Each weapon has one or more physical damage types:

  • Normal
  • Striking
  • Slashing
  • Thrusting

Certain enemies are weak or strong against different types of damage types.

Critical: One of the multipliers (in percent) for the bonus damage on criticals, such as backstabs and ripostes.
Durability: The health of the weapon. The effectiveness of the weapon will severely deteriorate when the durability falls below 30%.
Weight: The weight of the weapon. Note that carrying over 50% of a character's Equip Burden will reduce the speed of their rolls, while going over 100% will reduce their regular speed to walking and attempts to roll or backstep will leave them momentarily stunned.
Stats Needed:

The Stats Needed determines how high various Stats must be in order to wield the weapon effectively. The Requirement stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:

  • W is the Strength required
  • X is the Dexterity required
  • Y is the Intelligence required
  • Z is the Faith required

Wielding a weapon without the required Strength and/or Dexterity will incur a penalty to the Physical damage of the weapon, while lower-than-required Magic and/or Faith will reduce the Magic damage of the weapon.

Also keep in mind that a character gains a 50% bonus to Strength by wielding a weapon with both hands, thus reducing the actual Strength required.
For example, a character with 18 Strength can wield a Large Club (Requires 26 Strength) properly if the weapon is held with both hands.
(18 x 1.5 = 27)

Damage Reduction %:

The Damage Reduction stat dictates the percentage of damage reduced while blocking. The Damage Reduction stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:

  • W is the Physical Damage Reduction
  • X is the Magical Damage Reduction
  • Y is the Fire Damage Reduction
  • Z is the Lightning Damage Reduction
Stability: The stability of the weapon. The higher this value, the less stamina is consumed when blocking attacks.
Frampt Souls: This is the amount of souls players will receive if they feed the item to Kingseeker Frampt.

Footnotes

  1. When two-handing this weapon, only 24 Strength is required.