If, like us, you’ve spent your weekend exploring Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s massive new map called the Land of Shadow, it’s very likely you’ve come across a few dragons to take down. These massive creatures use every tool at their disposal to send your Tarnished right back to the Site of Grace from whence they came.

But every Dragon has its weaknesses, and the Ghostflame Dragons that you encounter in the DLC embody FromSoftware’s talent at taking what’s best from its base games and expanding on that in its DLCs. Popping up at multiple locations in the Land of Shadow, these monstrosities are a challenge to tackle – and a huge hit of dopamine when you take them down.

The Ghosts of Dragons Past

The Ghostflame Dragon differs from its corporeal counterparts in one crucial aspect. Its wings have withered away in the Land of Shadow, leaving it unable to sustain its flight for longer than a few seconds. This doesn’t make it any less of a threat but does require that you adjust your usual dragon-slaying strategy a little.

SUGGESTED: Life Lessons: Become a Sanguine Slasher With Our Backhand Blade Bleed Build in Shadow of the Erdtree

We encountered Ghostflame Dragons at three separate locations during our travels. The first one you can find is fairly close to the Gravesite Plains Site of Grace, where you begin the DLC. It is sleeping in the middle of a lake atop a Great Katana, one of the new weapon types in Shadow of the Erdtree. Another one can be found past the Fort of Reprimand near the Moorth Highway in Scuda Altus. Finally, another one awaits you at the Cerulean Coast, just south of the first Site of Grace for this region.

Bosses Be Gone: How to Beat Ghostflame Dragon in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree

Like every other dragon in Elden Ring with the notable exception of Placidusax, the Ghostflame Dragon uses its claws, tail, and jaws to deal melee damage to any Tarnished who are brave enough to take it on. While its damaged wings do not let it fly too far from you and bathe the battlefield in flames like the others, it does spew flames at you either directly ahead of it or under it to catch you off-guard as you hack away at its legs.

SUGGESTED: Bosses Be Gone: How to Defeat Ancient Dragon-Man in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree

Tarnished who prefer a close and personal approach would do well to stay in front of it, locking on to its head and looking for opportunities to punish its attacks. A Greatshield can help you tank damage from its claws and counterattack, in addition to its attempts to snap at you with its rows of sharp teeth. Both attacks can be punished with a few hits, but don’t get too greedy. The same strategy applies to its tail swipes, although dodging works best to help with positioning yourself for the counterattack.

The same strategy applies to magic users or ranged weapons. Stay locked onto its head and pepper it with attacks, saving your most powerful ones for when it has just completed an attack of its own to give you enough time to charge up your counters.

Look out for when the Ghostflame Dragon rears its head back as it is about to spray you with Ghostflame, which causes rapid Frostbite buildup. This is by far the deadliest of its attacks, as Frost takes out a large chunk of your health while slowing you down and rebuffing your defenses as long as it’s active. Run to the side as soon as you see the attack coming to score a few free hits on the Dragon’s head.

If you prefer staying under it and hacking at its legs and wings, an attack you must look out for is when the Dragon sprays the area directly under it with Ghostflame. Forego locking on to its legs in order to use your camera to get a better view of what it’s doing at the front. You will also need to manage your Stamina well as the Dragon constantly hops around the battlefield to reposition itself, leaving you to run up to it in order to keep up the attack.

As with all enemies in Elden Ring, a Spirit Ash summon like the Mimic Tear or Black Knife Tiche can work wonders at keeping the Dragon distracted, while the Green Turtle Talisman or the Two-Headed Turtle Talisman can help you regenerate Stamina quickly, allowing you to manage attacking and running to it more easily.

Frost-resistant armor and Talismans can also work very well against it, along with weapons that have a bit of reach in order for you to attack its head consistently and reliably. Great Katanas work very well here, and the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana that you can get quite early on is an absolute menace in such encounters!

You receive a mix of Dragon Hearts and Smithing Stones for beating the Ghostflame Dragon at each encounter, and a healthy amount of Runes too. It can make sense to take them on when you need a top-off for that next level or weapon upgrade, so seek them out when you need to. It’s also important to note that the Dragon at the Moorth Highway is already fighting a whole battalion of Knights and Perfumers, so you may want to let them do some of the heavy lifting before you step in.

That wraps up our tips for beating the Ghostflame Dragon. If you’re looking for more help with Elden Ring or Shadow of the Erdtree, such as tips for some cool builds with its new weapons, our guides have got you covered!