You’ve probably seen it. The giant, spinning, blood-soaked lawnmower of the Lands Between. Officially, it’s the Ghiza’s Wheel, but let's be real—everyone just calls it the pizza cutter.
It looks terrifying. It looks like it should shred everything from a Godrick soldier to Elden Beast into confetti in about five seconds. But then you pick it up, take it to Volcano Manor, and realize something feels... off.
The Ghiza’s Wheel Trap
Most players treat this weapon as a "press L2 to win" machine. It’s understandable. The Spinning Wheel weapon skill literally lets you walk forward while the blades whir at a million miles per hour. It’s the ultimate Bloodborne callback to the Whirligig Saw.
Here is the problem: the L2 is actually the weakest part of the weapon.
In the current state of the game, that spinning L2 doesn't trigger most of the things that make multi-hit builds broken. It doesn't stack with the Winged Sword Insignia. It doesn't proc Millicent’s Prosthesis stacks. Worst of all, the bleed buildup during the spin is weirdly sluggish compared to just hitting the boss with a normal attack.
If you're just standing there holding L2, you’re basically a stationary target waiting to get flattened. You’re doing "chip" bleed when you could be doing "burst" bleed.
How to Actually Get the Wheel (Without Getting Lost)
You don't just find this in a chest. You have to kill the man himself, Inquisitor Ghiza.
He’s an invader. To find him, you need to get to Volcano Manor on Mt. Gelmir. Once you’re in the main drawing room (the place with all the NPCs sitting around looking depressed), head upstairs. There’s a massive dining hall.
Walk in, and Ghiza will show up.
He’s not a hard fight, but he hits like a truck. He uses the wheel, obviously. If you’re low level, don't let him catch you in the spin or you’ll be dead before you can roll away. Once he’s down, the wheel is yours.
Quick Stats Check:
- Weight: 19.0 (It’s heavy, pack some endurance).
- Requirements: 28 Strength, 18 Dexterity.
- Scaling: Starts at D/D, ends at C/C at +10 (Somber Smithing Stones).
- Passive: 70 Blood Loss buildup.
The Secret "One-Handed" Meta
This is going to sound like heresy to Colossal Weapon purists. You should probably be using Ghiza's Wheel one-handed.
Wait. Don't close the tab yet.
The two-handed moveset for the wheel is slow and the heavy attacks have a weird, vertical angle that misses more often than it hits. However, the one-handed R2 (heavy attack) is a completely different beast. When you tap or charge the R2 while holding the weapon in one hand, the wheel spins during the swing.
Unlike the L2 skill, these R2 spins do count as successive hits.
This means if you’re wearing the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia and have the Thorny Cracked Tear in your Flask of Wondrous Physick, a single one-handed heavy attack can nearly max out your damage buffs instantly.
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Basically, you’re getting the speed of a curved sword with the poise-breaking power of a giant iron wheel. It’s a joke.
Building the Ultimate "Quality" Slayer
Since this weapon scales almost equally with Strength and Dexterity, it is one of the very few "Quality" weapons worth using in the late game or NG+.
You want to aim for a 50/50 split in Str and Dex. If you’re pushing past level 150, go for 80/80.
Recommended Setup:
- Off-hand: Jellyfish Shield. Use the Contagious Fury skill for a 20% damage boost. It stays active even if you're one-handing the wheel.
- Talismans:
- Lord of Blood’s Exultation (for that sweet 20% attack boost when you proc bleed).
- Millicent’s Prosthesis (Dexterity plus successive hit damage).
- Axe Talisman (if you like charging those heavy spins).
- Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman (because you're going to trade hits).
Is it Better than the Whirligig Saw?
Honestly? It depends on what you value.
The Bloodborne version felt heavier. It sounded like a Harley Davidson. The Elden Ring version feels more like a precision surgical tool that just happens to be the size of a tractor tire.
In Elden Ring, the "weight" of the weapon comes from the stagger. You aren't just cutting them; you're pancake-ing them. If you time your charged R2s correctly, you can loop bosses like Malenia or Mohg into a cycle of bleed procs and posture breaks.
What Most People Miss
The lore of the wheel is actually pretty dark, even for FromSoftware. It wasn't designed as a weapon. It was an instrument of torture used in the "Inquisition" of the Volcano Manor. The blades aren't for combat; they’re for... well, inquisiting.
Knowing that makes using it on the DLC bosses feel a little more personal.
If you want to maximize your efficiency with the Ghiza’s Wheel right now, stop relying on the L2 "lawnmower" mode for anything other than clearing out weak mobs. For the big guys, switch to one-handed heavy attacks. Pair it with the Jellyfish Shield. Watch the health bars disappear.
To get the most out of this build immediately, go respec at Rennala to balance your Strength and Dexterity—don't dump everything into Strength just because it's a big weapon. Grab the Thorny Cracked Tear from the Consecrated Snowfield if you haven't already, as that's the missing piece for making the "Pizza Cutter" truly top-tier.