How to defeat Ghostflame Dragons in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

The Spirit Flame Dragon is a rare but ferocious enemy in Elden Ring‘S Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. You’ll probably encounter this boss quite early on, but don’t expect an easy fight. In fact, you can expect three times as many problems as you expected…

Whether you’re a melee or ranged fighter, love spirit mounts or not, here it is how to defeat the Ghostflame dragon in Elden Ring‘S Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

Ghostflame Dragon locations in the Elden Ring DLC

There are not one, not two, but three Ghostflame dragons in the Elden Ring DLC. To help you find them all, here’s an overview of every Ghostflame Dragon location in the Shadow Realm:

1. In the shallow lake, northern part of the Gravesite Plain.
2. Northern part of the Cerulean coast.
3. Just north of the Fort of Reprimand.

Although every Ghostflame Dragon in Elden Ring uses the same attacks, which in the Gravesite Plains is much easier to defeat. If you’re looking for a dragon hunt, that’s where you should start.

How to prepare for the Ghostflame Dragon boss fight

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

A Ghostflame Dragon is not easy to defeat – at least not if you fight it unprepared. Luckily, you can protect yourself from their Frostbite damage, exploit their weakness for Holy damage, and equip yourself with a truly overwhelming dragon-slaying weapon.

This preparation checklist will help you defeat the Ghostflame Dragon Elden Ring:

• Take measures against the build-up of frostbite. The Ghostflame Dragon has a series of light green ‘ghostflame’ attacks that build up to deal freeze damage. As a status effect, you can reduce freeze buildup by consuming Invigorating salted meat (recipe found in the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook (2)). You can also cure frostbite by consuming Defrost boluses (recipe found in the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook (16)) or casting the Beastly constitution incantation (found in Dragonbarrow).
• Use holy damage. The Ghostflame dragon is weak to holy damage, so if this damage type suits your build, make sure you use it. There are many options: you can use a melee or ranged weapon with innate holy damage (like the Greatsword of Ordovis), use an Ashes of War to imbue a weapon with holy damage (like the Holy Blade), or rely on magic spells. and incantations to deal holy damage. Of course you can also use Holy fat to apply Holy damage to your weapon (often found in Leyndell) or throw Sacred Water Pots (the craft recipe is in the Missionary Cookbook (1)).
• Upgrade and equip some Spirit Ashes. You don’t need a specific type of Spirit Ash against the Ghostflame Dragon, as long as it’s distracting enough. Spirit Ashes are especially important if you’re looking for ranged damage and need some recharge time. Grandshield soldiers are the best Spirit Ashes for this purpose, but the good old ones Lone Wolf Axis can also keep the dragon busy (provided you’ve upgraded them). You’ll find the Greatshield Soldiers in the Eternal City of Nokron, in a graveyard east of the depths of the Siofra River Well, while the Lone Wolf Ashes are easier to find at the Church of Elleh in mid-Limgrave, where they are given to you by Renna after you unlock Torrent.
• Get the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana. The Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana is not only one of the best weapons in the world Elden Ring DLC; it also does amazing damage against dragons. It is dropped by the Ancient Dragon-Man mini-boss, which is located in the Dragon’s Pit dungeon (Gravesite Plain, below the cliff with the oppressive pillar).
• Buy a weapon with a high range. If melee weapons aren’t your thing, Loretta’s mastery can help you defeat the Ghostflame Dragon with ease; thanks to its great range it is possible to stay far away from the dragon while firing your magical arrows. Loretta’s Mastery is dropped by Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree in the Haligtree area Elden Ring. If that’s too hard to obtain, you can go along Loretta’s Great Arch instead of; it was dropped by the boss of Caria Manor. Keep in mind that you will probably need every manaflask charge to defeat the Ghostflame Dragon this way.

How to defeat the Ghostflame Dragon in the Elden Ring DLC

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

To defeat the Ghostflame Dragon Elden Ring, it is important to anticipate his attacks. This is what you can expect:

• Ghostflame fire breathing attack: Instead of regular fire, the Ghostflame Dragon breathes greenish flames that deal freeze damage. He usually points this forward before slowly moving it to the left or right. It is possible to dodge through the flames and hit the dragon’s legs, but this requires expert timing; it’s much easier to simply avoid the flames with Torrent.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

• Ghostflame area-of-effect attack: Once the Ghostflame Dragon boss is down to around 60% HP, he will launch a deadly area-of-effect attack, spreading the green flames around his position. Luckily, you can easily see it coming, as the dragon raises its head, lets out a loud roar and gathers flames in its chest before unleashing the attack. Sprint away on time and you don’t have to worry about anything.
• Stomping attack: If you’re close enough, the Ghostflame Dragon will try to stomp on you with its wings. There are usually two or three pistils in a row.
• Ghostflame stomping attack: When the Ghostflame Dragon uses its hind leg to stomp on you, beware that the initial impact is followed by a wave of ghost flames. The area of ​​effect is not too large, making it possible to outsmart the damage with Torrent.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

• Basis: The Ghostflame dragon flies up before falling to the ground, dealing damage in the impact area. Beware that the dragon can change the direction of this attack while in the air, so be sure to dodge or sprint away just before impact (it takes about a second of flight time for the dragon to initiate the strike). Afterwards, the Ghostflame dragon’s head stays close to the ground for a few seconds, giving melee fighters an excellent chance to land some hits.
• Wing Slash attack: The Ghostflame Dragon swipes its left wing in front of it, followed by the right wing. The wings are quite large, so this one has a lot of reach. If you dodge to the dragon’s hind legs, it won’t hurt you.
• Tail swipe: The Ghostflame dragon sweeps the battlefield with its tail as it turns around. When you find yourself behind the dragon, be prepared for this attack.
• Bite attack: The Ghostflame Dragon charges towards you while trying to bite. Keep in mind that he will move backwards and scream before unleashing this bite attack, so be prepared to dodge if you notice.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

One strategy is to have a medium build and use melee attacksbut be aware that this requires expert timing, as you must constantly dodge his attacks. If you want to try this, it’s best to dodge towards the dragon’s legs and keep hitting them until you see an opportunity to aim for the head (usually after a ghost flame breathing or biting attack). Try to break the dragon’s stance and land a critical hit on its head while it remains unconscious – this will deplete a lot of its HP.

If dodging proves too difficult, an easier way is to defeat the Ghostflame Dragon as a melee fighter ride Torrent and circle the boss while hitting him with a melee weapon. You’ll need to sprint away when the Ghostflame Dragon spits fire or initiates a ground slam, so learn how to spot the incoming attacks. The downside to this strategy is that it usually takes a long time to finish off the dragon (unlike blows to the head, cutting through the legs doesn’t do much damage) and one mistake can easily be fatal – if Torrent is killed. and you get knocked down, the battle will likely tilt in the Ghostflame Dragon’s favor.

Finally, if you have a varied construction, you can defeat the Ghostflame Dragon by using Torrent and keeping your distance. It’s best to summon Spirit Ashes as a distraction and allocate the majority of your bottle charges to mana. Also try to make use of the terrain; if you can find higher cliffs within your range, use them as a buffer against the Elden Ring Ghostflame Dragon.

Defeating a Ghostflame dragon will reward you with a minimum of 100,000 runes, a dragon heartand a Gloomy ancient dragon Smithing Stone.

Looking for more Shadow of the Erdtree Guides? Check out our guides on new Elden Ring DLC weapons, armor, bosses, map fragments, places of mercy and talismans. We also have location guides on where to find Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, and an interactive Elden Ring DLC map.