How to beat Ghostflame Dragons – a rare but ferocious enemy in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Plus see all Ghostflame Dragon locations in the DLC

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

The Ghostflame Dragon is a rare but ferocious enemy in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. You’re likely to encounter this boss fairly early on, but don’t expect an easy fight. In fact, you may expect thrice as much trouble as you anticipated…

Whether you’re melee or ranged, fond of spirit steeds or not, here’s how to defeat the Ghostflame Dragon in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

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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, the one in the Gravesite Plains is much easier to defeat. If you’re looking for a dragon hunt, it’s best to start with that one.

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HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE GHOSTFLAME DRAGON BOSS FIGHT

A Ghostflame Dragon isn’t easy to defeat — at least not if you fight them unprepared. Luckily, you can protect yourself against their Frostbite damage, exploit their weakness to Holy damage, and equip yourself with a truly overpowered dragon-slaying weapon.

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

• Take measures against Frostbite buildup. The Ghostflame Dragon has an array of light-green “ghostflame” attacks that build up to deal frostbite damage. As a status effect, you can reduce frostbite buildup by consuming Invigorating Cured Meat (recipe found in the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [2]). You can also cure frostbite by consuming Thawfrost Boluses (recipe found in the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [16]) or casting the Bestial Constitution incantation (found in Dragonbarrow).
• Use Holy damage. The Ghostflame Dragon is weak to Holy damage, so if this damage type suits your build, be sure to use it. There are many options: you can use a melee or ranged weapon with innate Holy damage, (such as Ordovis’s Greatsword), use an Ashes of War to imbue a weapon with Holy damage (such as the Sacred Blade), or rely on magical spells and incantations to deal Holy damage. Of course, you may also use Holy Grease to apply Holy damage to your weapon (commonly found in Leyndell) or throw Holy Water Pots (the crafting recipe is in the Missionary’s 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 particularly important if you’re going for ranged damage and need some charging time. Greatshield Soldiers are the best Spirit Ashes for this purpose but the good old Lone Wolf Ashes can also keep the dragon plenty busy (provided you’ve upgraded them). You’ll find the Greatshield Soldiers in the Nokron Eternal City, in a graveyard east of the Siofra River Well Depths, while the Lone Wolf Ashes are more easily found at the Church of Elleh in the middle of Limgrave, where they’re given to you by Renna after you’ve unlocked Torrent.
• Obtain the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana. The Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana isn’t just one of the best weapons in the Elden Ring DLC; it also deals amazing damage against dragons. It’s dropped by the Ancient Dragon-Man mini-boss, who’s located inside the Dragon’s Pit dungeon (Gravesite Plain, below the cliff with the Suppressing Pillar).
• Get a high-range weapon. If melee weapons aren’t your thing, Loretta’s Mastery can help you beat the Ghostflame Dragon with ease; thanks to its amazing range, it’s 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 of Elden Ring. If that’s too difficult to obtain, you can go with Loretta’s Greatbow instead; it’s dropped by the Caria Manor boss. Just beware that you’ll probably need every mana flask recharge you have to defeat the Ghostflame Dragon this way.

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HOW TO BEAT THE GHOSTFLAME DRAGON IN ELDEN RING DLC

To beat the Ghostflame Dragon in Elden Ring, it’s important to anticipate its attacks. Here’s what to expect:

• Ghostflame fire-breathing attack: Instead of ordinary fire, the Ghostflame Dragon breathes greenish flames that deal frostbite damage. He’ll usually aim this towards the front before slowly moving it towards the left or right. It’s possible to dodge through the flames and hit the dragon’s legs, but this requires expert timing – it’s far easier to simply outrun the flames with Torrent.

• Ghostflame area-of-effect attack: Once the Ghostflame Dragon boss drops to roughly 60% HP, it will initiate a deadly area-of-effect attack, spreading the green flames all around its position. Luckily, it’s easy to see it coming as the dragon will raise its head, let out a loud roar, and accumulate flames in its chest before unleashing the attack. Sprint away in time, and there’s nothing to worry about.
• Stomping attack: When you’re close enough, the Ghostflame Dragon will try to stomp on you with its wings. There are usually two or three stomps 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 ghostflames. The area-of-effect is not too large, making it possible to out-sprint the damage with Torrent.

• Ground slam: The Ghostflame Dragon flies up before slamming onto the ground, dealing damage in the area of impact. Beware that the dragon can change the direction of this attack while airborne, so be sure to dodge or sprint away right before impact (it takes roughly one second of flying time before the dragon initiates the ground slam). Afterward, the Ghostflame Dragon’s head will remain close to the ground for a few seconds, providing melee fighters with an excellent opportunity to land some hits.
• Wing slash attack: The Ghostflame Dragon swipes its left wing in front of him, followed by the right. The wings are pretty big so this has a lot of range. If you dodge towards the dragon’s hind legs, it can’t hurt you.
• Tail swipe: The Ghostflame Dragon swipes its tail across the battlefield as it turns around. Whenever you find yourself behind the dragon, be ready for this attack.
• Bite attack: The Ghostflame Dragon dashes towards you while trying to bite. Note that he will move backwards and shriek before unleashing this bite attack, so be ready to dodge when you notice that.

One strategy is to get a medium-weight build and use melee attacks, but beware that this requires expert timing as you’ll constantly need to dodge its 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 ghostflame-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 massive chunk of its HP.

If dodging proves too hard, an easier way to defeat the Ghostflame Dragon as a melee fighter is to ride Torrent and circle the boss while hitting it with a melee weapon. You’ll need to sprint away whenever the Ghostflame Dragon breathes fire or initiates a ground slam, so learn how to recognize the incoming attacks. The downside to this strategy is that it usually takes a long time to finish the dragon (unlike the blows to its head, slashing the legs doesn’t deal a great amount of damage) and one mistake can easily prove fatal — if Torrent gets killed and you get knocked down, the battle will likely tilt in the Ghostflame Dragon’s favor.

Finally, if you’re rocking a ranged build, you can defeat the Ghostflame Dragon by using Torrent and keeping your distance. It’s best to summon Spirit Ashes as a distraction and assign the great majority of your flask charges to mana. Try to make use of the terrain as well; if you can find higher cliffs within your range, use them as a buffer against the Elden Ring Ghostflame Dragon.

Defeating a Ghostflame Dragon rewards you with at least 100,000 Runes, a Dragon Heart, and a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.