Gargoyle Tail Axe - Fabulous max?

I recently decided to use this weapon on a whim, and to my surprise it actually seemed to be really good. The AR at 40 DEX is comparable to that of the Butcher's Knife at 40 STR, for starters. (Butcher's Knife only slightly outdamages it) It also seems to have considerably faster attack speed and slightly longer reach than most axes. The only downside seems to be a pretty bad R2 moveset.

Why isn't this weapon more widely used? Is there something about it that is actually really bad that I've missed? Or are axes in general just unpopular?

Good point and I quite liked this weapon when I tried it. Maxed it to Fire +5 (catacombs before the depths) and rinsed through the depths... My next character build is going to only use gargoyle items - axe, halberd, shield and helmet... I'm thinking starting as deprived..

It's a pretty good early game weapon if you farm upgrade materials. I made a lightning+4 one as soon as I got to Anor Londo and it was as good as anything else I had by that stage of the game.

The only thing is, it's boring to use (move set) and that's becoming more and more important to people it seems. A less than optimum weapon is still viable if it's fun/interesting to use.

Basically, the Gargoyle Axe is neither.

The weapon (to me) looks too goofy, kinda like guardian tail.

@DMC:
So what I said about the bad R2 moveset holds true, then? Personally I think it's pretty fun to use it just for the R1 attacks, but I guess that's a matter of opinion. Might get tired of it later too.

@Juutas:
It only looks silly when it bends during R2 attacks, IMO. Looks pretty cool, albeit too long to held the way it is most of the time.

It's R2 does good dead angling, if you use it properly, but it has short reach.

It boosts some of your resistances, so people using bleed and poison are less of an annoyance to you.

Yeah I think it is the moveset because like you say, it's got good range and is quick for an axe of that size. But all I ever do with it is the R1 attack, either one-handed or two. It does have the resistance bonuses too though I suppose.

I use the painted guardian sword a lot even though, like the Gargoyle Axe, it's not among the very best weapons (IMO) but the difference is it has an awesome moveset so it's still a lot of fun to play with.

I used this a good deal successfully in PvP. It's got a surprisingly good guard break ability for the weight.

+1 for the Penguindrum reference. 8)


Also, is this the axe that is hilariously floppy?

No, there's nothing bad about it. It's a viable axe for Dex builds, with good reach and damage. The r2's aren't very good, but I guess you can fool an opponent who tries to parry with them. I like it a lot overall, it's just not used because people don't think of an axe for a dex build, and they don't use axes in general anyway.