Elden Ring’s biggest and most highly anticipated expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, is live, and as expected, players have dived into the mysteries of the Shadow Realm. As soon as you start your journey, you will find enemies blocking your path. Overcoming them will eventually take you to the boss fights. Like Elden Ring, the DLC also has a few optional bosses to take down, and the Ancient Dragon-Man is among them.

If you have been playing the DLC, you must have completed the base game. Therefore, you are aware that optional bosses shouldn’t be taken lightly. They can be the toughest to beat. Though the case is not that hard when it comes to Ancient Dragon-Man in Shadow of the Erdtree, this fight may still require some guidance to be completed. So, this guide will provide players with all the necessary details about the boss fight.

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

Elden Ring players are aware that every boss has some purpose to serve in the game. Even though they are optional bosses, they can still give players the most powerful weapons to survive the brutal world. If you are not sure about fighting the Ancient Dragon-Man in Shadow of the Erdtree, let us tell you, he will give you one of the potent early-game Great Katana: Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana. 

Ancient Dragon-Man Location in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree

As an optional boss of the game, Ancient Dragon-Man will be found in one of the earliest option dungeons of the game, named the Dragon’s Pit dungeon. Once you start the DLC, the very first region players will unlock is the Gravesite Plain.

From here, players need to start their journey and uncover the mysteries hidden in the storyline. However, before you start looking for the Dragon’s Pit, first make your way near the Scorched Ruins and pick up the map of the region from a structure a little before entering the Ruins.

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Once you have the map, it will be much easier to locate the dungeons. Even if it is an optional dungeon, the location will still be marked on the map. Make your way to the Pillar Path Waypoint Site of Grace, and scroll toward the southwest side from there to find the Dragon’s Pit dungeon. 

As you enter the dungeon, you have to make your way to the depths of it. So, start exploring the area and killing regular enemies. You can sometimes ignore them if you don’t want to fight. Run past them, and eventually, the path will lead you to a limitless void. Jump into it, and you will reach the door of the boss arena. Enter through it, and the Ancient Dragon-Man boss will be waiting for you inside.

How to Beat Ancient Dragon-Man in Shadow of the Erdtree

Despite an optional boss who appears early in the game, Ancient Dragon-Man is a tough opponent with a sword that has a bleed status effect equipped. So, every attack by the boss will inflict bleeding damage if they hit. Once you have the blood loss damage, your character will start losing health over time, if not healed. So, ensure to bring healing items to fight the boss. We also recommend keeping your distance from the boss, which is the safest way to survive. 

For an optional boss, this enemy is pretty agile and aggressive. He will consistently use his sword to deal damage to players. Fortunately, he only has two sword attacks. In the first attack, the boss will swing his sword in large, powerful arcs. Staying away will save players from this attack. The next attack is a bit tricky, where the boss will jump into the air and slam his sword on you. Watch out for this move and go to any side to avoid this attack.

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Apart from these two attacks, the boss has a Special Attack, where Ancient Dragon-Man will summon another Dragon’s head and both of them start spraying lava on the floor or, occasionally, launch fireballs at the player. This is probably the most damaging attack of the boss that should be avoided to survive.

Now that you are aware of the defense and the attacks of the boss, it is time to understand the offensive strategies. The boss not only does bleed damage, but he is also weak to it. So, players can wield any sword or katana that has a blood-loss effect. If you can’t tackle him alone, it is better to summon a Spirit Ash. Though summoning any of them will work, we recommend using Mimic Tear, as it will have the same weapon and equipment as you. 

Once the boss takes enough damage and gets to 50% health, he will try to do something unique. The boss will try to use a potion to regain his lost health. Don’t let him do that, or your efforts to drain his health will be wasted. The fight will also get prolonged if he gets his HP back. Therefore, as soon as you see the boss trying to use the potion, use sword slashes to interrupt this process. 

Once the process is interrupted, the fight once again starts. This time, the boss will become more aggressive and begin using the special attack frequently. Once you dodge his attacks, try to get close to him and deal damage. Immediately, come back and keep your distance. Repeating this process a few times will gradually beat the boss. Upon defeat, the enemy will drop the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana and 130,000 Runes. 

That’s everything players need to know about beating the Ancient Dragon-Man in Elden Ring‘s Shadow of the Erdtree. As an early game fight, this will take a long time and most probably a few attempts if you are not aware of the strategies. However, the Great Katana you will receive is worth the effort.

Now that you have been progressing through the game, soon you will face the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. This boss is a lot more challenging, so we recommend going through our guide for a detailed walkthrough of the process. Additionally, for any further Elden Ring or Shadow of the Erdtree queries, don’t forget to check out our guides and resolve all confusion.