All Elden Ring Dragons, Ranked

Image: FromSoftware Inc, Bandai Namco Entertainment via HGG

Human Made

My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Taking on a dragon in a boss fight is one of the best feelings in a video game. There’s just something special about taking on these powerful, impressive creatures, and the feeling is no different in Elden Ring. Good thing the game features a pretty decent amount of dragon (or at least, dragon-like) bosses for players to get engaged with! In this article, we’re ranking all dragons in Elden Ring based primarily on difficulty. We’ll also be giving some tips and tricks on how to best take them down.

Let’s get right into our ranking of all the boss dragons in Elden Ring!

13/13

Elder Dragon Greyoll

Difficulty: 4/10
Fun: 4/10
Design: 7.5/10
Location: Dragonbarrow, Caelid

Kicking off our list at spot number thirteen, we have the dragon Greyoll. This is an old, frail creature that can be found in the region of Caelid, at Dragonbarrow. He is so ancient and large that he is completely immobile! I love this design, and I like how unique he is compared to the other dragons. This sleeping giant is one of the easiest to fight (although he can be time-consuming to kill if your weapons don’t do much damage). As previously mentioned, he does not move from his spot at all.

In fact, he doesn’t even attack you! However, he is guarded closely by several smaller dragons nearby. This is where the challenge of the fight comes from. But even then, these smaller dragons are pretty easy to beat. They just have a decent amount of health, and there are quite a few of them. Because of the structure of this fight, I didn’t find it super enjoyable to do. It was just kinda repetitive.

Due to how easy this fight is, there really aren’t that many tips and tricks I can give you. Obviously, you should kill the smaller dragons first. I recommend provoking one, leading them away from the other small dragons, and fighting it one on one. This makes it easier to deal with each of them. Once all the smaller dragons are gone, you can just focus on dealing damage to Elder Dragon Greyoll.

12/13

Flying Dragon Agheel

Difficulty: 5/10
Fun: 8/10
Design: 7.5/10
Location: Shallow Lake, Limgrave

Moving onto spot number twelve, we have the Flying Dragon Agheel! This is an early-game boss, and most likely the first dragon you’ll encounter in the game. He is found in Limgrave, on the shallow lake to the east of the First Step site of grace. He will come swooping down from the sky once you reach the area where you fight him. I love that we can fight a dragon so early on in the game — it really does a good job of showing off what the game has in store for you.

The design of this guy is pretty basic but still well done. He’s large and imposing, with an intimidating roar to match. As for the fight itself, it feels challenging but fair, especially if you are a low-level player. You can avoid his tail swings and most other attacks by just rolling out of the way. His main attack that you need to watch out for, however, is his fire breath.

But this can be easily outmaneuvered by riding on the back of Torrent, your trusty steed. The fight as a whole is much easier using him to help you outrun his attacks. You shouldn’t have too much to worry about with this fight. Since it’s the first dragon boss fight of the game, he isn’t too challenging or overwhelming.

11/13

Flying Dragon Greyll

Difficulty: 5/10
Fun: 8/10
Design: 7.5/10
Location: South of Bestial Sanctum, Caelid

Up next, we have Flying Dragon Greyll. This is another early-game optional boss. He can be found in the region of Caelid, patrolling a bridge south of the Bestial Sanctum. He shares the same model and design as the previously mentioned boss, so there is not much to discuss in this area. This dragon is very similar to Flying Dragon Agheel in several other ways, as well.

For starters, his moveset and attack patterns are basically identical to that of Flying Dragon Agheel. If you were able to take him on with no problem, then you should have little difficulty dodging Greyll’s attacks. One thing that makes this dragon different, however, is the environment you fight him in. Greyll is located on a bridge, which is a more narrow area than the wide open lake you fought Agheel in.

If you want to counter this problem, I recommend leading him away from the bridge and into a more open area. You can also use Torrent in this fight to improve your mobility. This’ll allow you to move in and out of trouble much faster. Also, since Greyll is located in a more difficult region than Agheel, I do recommend leveling up a bit before taking him on. Vigor is great for tanking some of his attacks.

10/13

Magma Wyrm

Difficulty: 6/10
Fun: 7.5/10
Design: 8.5/10
Location: Volcano Manor, Mt. Gelmir*

Moving onto spot number ten on our ranking of the boss dragons in Elden Ring, it’s actually the first non-dragon on our list. This is the Magma Wyrm, a dragon-like creature that is found in several different locations throughout the map. He can be found in Volcano Manor, Gael Tunnel, and Fort Laiedd. I love the design of this guy! He’s very creepy-looking, and the magma he is constantly surrounded by makes for a visually impressive fight that is hard to forget.

His most memorable attack is the flaming hot magma that he spews from his mouth. While he does not shoot it directly at you, he does spew it all over the floor. This creates an obstacle for you to avoid during the fight, as you’ll take damage if you touch it. Thankfully, this attack is pretty easy to stay clear of, and the magma will disappear on its own after a short while.

He really isn’t that aggressive of a foe and can be defeated without too much hassle. He does have a charging attack that can deal some damage to you if it catches you off guard. He’ll also swing his tail from side to side, wiping the floor clean of any Tarnished unlucky enough to be in its way. You can jump over or dodge through this, though, and it’s generally pretty easy to see coming.

9/13

Magma Wyrm Makar

Difficulty: 6/10
Fun: 7.5/10
Design: 8.5/10
Location: Near Ruin-Strewn Precipice Overlook, Liurnia of the Lakes

Next up, we have the Magma Wyrm Makar. This is a beefed-up, more dangerous version of the Magma Wyrm mentioned previously. This particular boss is found on the northern side of Liurnia of the Lakes, at the Ruin-Strewn Precipice Overlook. His design is pretty similar to the regular Magma Wyrm, but with a few changes — most notably, his color is a little bit different than the regular version.

He features the same moveset and attack patterns as the previously mentioned boss. Fighting the Magma Wyrm Makar is going to be more difficult, however, due to the fact that he has more health than his counterpart. This shouldn’t be too big of a problem if your character is properly leveled-up. In case you’re still having some trouble fighting him, here are a few tips.

For starters, you should try and use the Firedrake Talisman if you can. This is a special talisman that will reduce the amount of fire damage you take, making it especially handy against enemies that deal fire damage, like the Magma Wyrm Makar. You should also try to use weapons that deal physical damage, as that is what this boss is the weakest to.

8/13

Great Wyrm Theodorix

Difficulty: 6/10
Fun: 7.5/10
Design: 8.5/10
Location: East of the Cave of the Forlorn Dungeon, Consecrated Snowfield

Moving onto our next spot, we have the Great Wyrm Theodorix! This is a late-game boss located in the Consecrated Snowfield, an area found next to the Mountaintop of the Giants. This boss has a similar model to the other Wyrms, but with a noticeably darker color scheme that makes him look more intimidating.

He has a similar move set to most of the other wyrms that you fight in this game. I wouldn’t consider this boss to be super difficult to defeat, especially since he is located in a big, wide-open area. The other wyrms still had fairly decent-sized arenas, but this one doubly so.

The main thing that makes this boss more difficult is his health. Since he is located in an endgame zone, he naturally has more health than most of the other bosses in the game. Thankfully, he is still weak to physical damage like the other wyrms, so fighting him isn’t that much of a headache.

7/13

Decaying Ekzykes

Difficulty: 7/10
Fun: 7/10
Design: 9/10
Location: Near Caelid Highway South, Caelid

Up next on our list, we have the dragon Decaying Ekzykes. This is a large, imposing dragon who has come under the effects of the scarlet rot. This already deadly creature is now even more deadly, thanks to the disease that has ravaged his body. He is found in Caelid, near Caelid Highway South.

The place you fight him in is pretty enclosed, which can make navigation difficult. His most impressive attack is his ability to breathe scarlet rot onto players. This attack will affect you with the scarlet rot debuff if you get hit with too much of it. I recommend taking some Preserving Boluses into the fight with you, so you can cure your affliction if you happen to get it.

You should also bring some fire-damage dealing weapons as well, as this particular enemy is incredibly weak to this element type. Dealing fire-based attacks will allow you to quickly wear down his health before he even has the chance to infect you. I also advise being careful with how aggressively you play, as this fighting area is very enclosed.

6/13

Ancient Dragon Lansseax

Difficulty: 7.5/10
Fun: 8/10
Design: 9/10
Location: Near Abandoned Coffin Site of Grace, Altus Plateau

Coming up next is the Ancient Dragon Lansseax! Found in the Altus Plateau, this ancient and imposing beast is not only terrifying to look at, but a lot of fun to fight. It’s a good mid-game challenge and probably one of my personal favorite dragons in the whole game.

Her most notable attack involves flying up slightly into the air and swinging her wings. They will come back down and deal damage to you. This move has multiple attacks, so be sure to dodge it often. Additionally, this dragon deals out a lot of lightning damage with each of her attacks.

Like several other dragons on this list, the Ancient Dragon Lansseax is weak to pierce damage. Fencing swords, as well as lances and similar weapons, are good for dealing piercing damage. You can also use dragon grease on your weapon to deal increased damage to dragon-type enemies.

5/13

Glintstone Dragon Smarag

Difficulty: 8/10
Fun: 7/10
Design: 8/10
Location: Crystalline Woods, Liurnia of the Lakes

Kicking off the top five on our ranking of all the Elden Ring boss dragons is the Glintstone Dragon Smarag! He is a mid-game dragon found in Liurnia of the Lakes — specifically, the Crystalline Woods, which is not that far away from the Glinstone Academy legacy dungeon. His model is shared with several other dragons in the game, such as Decaying Ekzykes.

I had quite a few problems fighting this guy on my first playthrough. Most of his attacks are fairly similar to the other dragons in the game. However, he has this one magic fire attack in which he completely coats the ground in magic flames. This was a very tricky attack to avoid that often did high damage, causing me to fail the fight to it.

You can get on Torrent to run away from this attack, but it’s still very fast and I often found myself taking damage even when on horseback. Sometimes Torrent would die and I’d be staggered on the ground, which usually resulted in my death. I recommend leveling up Vigor and coating your weapons in a dragon grease before taking him on.

4/13

Glintstone Dragon Adula

Difficulty: 8/10
Fun: 7/10
Design: 8/10
Location: Three Sisters, Liurnia of the Lakes

Moving onto our next spot is the Glintstone Dragon Adula. This is a magic dragon located near the Three Sisters in Liurnia of the Lakes, which is the area where Ranni the Witch lives. During this fight, he’ll flee to the Cathedral of Manus Celes, which you can only reach by progressing Ranni’s questline.

He has a similar moveset and attack to Smarag, but his increased health makes him even deadlier. You can use Torrent during this fight, which I recommend doing in order to dodge most of his attacks.

He has a special weakness to piercing damage. Because of this, it makes sense to equip the appropriate sword before fighting him. Weapons that deal piercing damage include lances and spears. So if you happen to have any of those on you, be sure to use them for this battle.

3/13

Lichdragon Fortissax

Difficulty: 8/10
Fun: 9/10
Design: 10/10
Location: Near Prince of Death’s Throne, Deeproot Depths

Next on our ranking of all the dragons in Elden Ring, we have Lichdragon Fortissax. This is the final boss for Fia’s quest line, and boy does he leave an impression! He has a very creepy, undead aesthetic, making him one of the best-looking dragons in the game. You can fight him at the Deeproot Depths, but I’d only go there after you’ve progressed through Fia’s quest line.

For the most part, he has all of the standard attacks that you’d come to expect from dragon-type enemies. He does, however, have a few extra tricks up his sleeve. One of his attacks sends several strikes of lightning that appear randomly around the boss arena. He can also summon a lightning bolt and slam it into the ground to deal AOE damage.

This enemy is weak to piercing damage. Because of this, I advise carrying a spear or lance into battle when fighting him, if you can. You can also try a mimic tear — this summon is great for dealing damage, and he makes a great companion during this fight.

2/13

Borealis, the Freezing Fog

Difficulty: 8.5/10
Fun: 7.5/10
Design: 8/10
Location: Mountaintop of the Giants

Up next at spot number two, we have Borealis, the Freezing Fog! This is a really cool-looking dragon located on a frozen lake at the Mountaintop of the Giants. He is a late-game boss that I often fight when joining co-op games. Because of this, I assume many players have had trouble fighting this boss and winning.

The area that you can fight him in is blanketed in fog, which makes the fight very atmospheric but a bit hard to see. Strangely, you cannot use Torrent during this fight. This boss’s specialty is in frost damage. During this boss battle, he will frequently breathe frost magic on you, which can not only deal lots of damage but also slow you down.

Borealis is weak to strike damage. This is a type of damage that is inflicted by blunt weapons, such as hammers and clubs. Because of this, you may find this fight easier if your build is centered around those types of weapons.

1/13

Dragonlord Placidusax

Difficulty: 9/10
Fun: 9/10
Design: 10/10
Location: Near the Great Bridge, Crumbling Farum Azula

And last but most certainly not least on our ranking of all the dragons in Elden Ring, we have the Dragonlord Placidusax! This is a remembrance boss, and one of the most memorable fights in the entire game. You can find him by going to a secret area in the Crumbling Farum Azulea. This is a late-game area that can only be accessed after defeating the Fire Giant and progressing through the game’s story.

When you first start the fight with this guy, you’ll find yourself in a massive circular arena. You will have to sprint towards him, as he is resting in the center of the area. After he wakes up, he will begin his series of attacks. His move set is pretty unique, and he has a few notable attacks you should avoid. His most deadly is when he will fly up into the air and swing back down in one quick swoop.

Strangely, this dragon does not take any extra damage from dragon greases. You should skip those and rely on piercing weapons like lances and straight swords into do the maximum amount of damage. Mimic tears are a good spirit summon to use in this fight, thanks to the DPS that they can dish out.

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All Dragon Bosses in Elden Ring, Ranked