Highlights

  • FromSoftware excels at creating breathtaking dragon boss fights, with Elden Ring boasting a total of 12 major encounters in the base game alone.
  • Shadow of the Erdtree DLC introduces new dragons like Ghostflame and Jagged Peak Drakes, each with unique visual designs and movesets.
  • Bayle The Dread, the most challenging dragon in Elden Ring, outshines even Dragonlord Placidusax with devastating attacks and formidable power.

FromSoftware has always had a penchant for dragons, with even its debut title, King's Field, including a legendary dragon god named Guyra and a mystical dragon sword. Dragons have been a frequent occurrence in FromSoftware's action-RPGs ever since, appearing across Demon's Souls and the entire Dark Souls trilogy. Naturally, Elden Ring followed suit, delivering its own smattering of dragon boss fights.

At their best, FromSoftware's dragon boss fights can offer a level of spectacle that few other fights can. There's just something so viscerally fun about fighting such a classic fantasy monster archetype, and FromSoftware has a knack for putting refreshing spins on the timeless creature. In its base game, Elden Ring had a total of 12 major dragon boss fights, and though some fans thought FromSoft might tone it down for its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, it's instead decided to double down even further, delivering another eight major dragon encounters.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Lies of P
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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Proves FromSoftware's Next Game Needs a Lies of P Feature

Shadow of the Erdtree has proven to be challenging for a number of reasons, one of which demonstrates what FromSoftware can learn from Lies of P.

Comparing Shadow of the Erdtree's Ghostflame Dragons to Those in Elden Ring's Base Game

Ghostflame Dragon 1

The first dragon boss players are likely to encounter in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is one of the DLC's three Ghostflame Dragons, one of which is located just north of the Gravesite Plains. These Ghostflame Dragons behave very similarly to most of Elden Ring's base game elemental dragons, such as Borealis and the two Glintstone dragons. However, the Ghostflame Dragons do have slightly different movesets and visual designs to those elemental dragons found in Elden Ring's base game.

Looking a little similar to Decaying Ekzykes, these Ghostflame Dragons have seemingly been ravaged by time or some kind of unknown ailment, with holes and wounds dotted throughout their body and wings. This unique visual design also leads the Ghostflame Dragons to have a slightly different moveset from the other dragons in Elden Ring, as with their frayed wings they take flight much less frequently. As their name implies, the Ghostflame Dragons also spew black fire.

Comparing Shadow of the Erdtree's Jagged Peak Dragons to Those in Elden Ring's Base Game

Jagged Peak Drakes

Essentially Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's version of Dark Souls 3's Archdragon Peak, Jagged Peak is an area dominated by dragons, and it's where players will find the remaining five dragon boss fights in the DLC. In two separate parts of Jagged Peak, players will encounter a Jagged Peak Drake, a relatively simple dragon boss that only has a handful of moves. The Jagged Peak Drake doesn't really offer anything Elden Ring's base game dragons can't do, making them feel like a bit of an afterthought, though it is fun to see two of them dueling one another.

Ancient Dragon Senessax

Found near the Jagged Peak Summit Site of Grace, Ancient Dragon Senessax is the DLC's only Ancient Dragon boss fight, but he's a pretty solid one. While his moveset is similar to Elden Ring's base game Ancient Dragon Lansseax fight, the real challenge comes from just how hard this dragon can hit, and how much damage he can take, with Senessax having over double the health pool of Elden Ring's final boss fight.

Comparing Bayle The Dread to Elden Ring's Base Game Dragons

The biggest and baddest dragon in all of Shadow of the Erdtree, the entirety of Elden Ring, and maybe even all of FromSoftware history, Bayle the Dread is an absolute nightmare of a boss. Capable of firing both fire and lightning at the same time, and boasting an array of sweeping melee attacks that can down the player in just one or two hits, Bayle the Dread is arguably much more challenging than Dragonlord Placidusax, which is really saying something.