If you’re struggling with the Ancient Dragon-Man in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, we have some tips to help improve your success. Whether you’re a new player, or returning from a break, here’s what you need to remember during this battle.
How To Beat the Ancient Dragon-Man in Elden Ring
Fighting the Ancient Dragon-Man is typically quite easy. You’re going to have an easier fight if you’re a ranged player, but even with a melee weapon, once you know the attacks that are coming they are very easy to dodge.
The first thing you should watch out for is the Dragon Hunter’s Great Kattana weapon art that sends a crescent-shaped blast toward the target. You will see this coming when the Ancient Dragon-Man jumps in the air with his blade shrouded in flames and it can be easily dodged by rolling to the left or right.
When you’re in close range the enemy’s sword swings are typically slow and telegraphed. If he jumps roll to the side, or if he lifts his weapon above his head do the same and you’ll have a pocket to deal damage before more attacks come. If he lifts his weapon over the shoulder on an angle instead of directly over his head then he will do a swiping attack so you should roll backward to avoid this. Sometimes this can come in combination with other stabbing and swinging attacks, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble rolling them. He will also use a Dragon’s Bite move that turns his head into a dragon as he leaps and tries to bite you. Roll to the side to avoid this attack.
The final move to be aware of is his Dragon’s Breath ability. You’ve got two options here. If you’re a player with a heavy weapon you can attack him during his cast to stagger and cancel the move, but if you aren’t then the best thing is to run away from him. At a distance, you can avoid these incoming attacks.
With these attacks in mind, you should be able to easily take out the Ancient Dragon-Man and claim your Dragon Hunter’s Great Kattana, but if you’re still having trouble then we’d suggest using the Mimic Tear Spirit Ashes. This will provide you extra damage and an ally to tank attacks coming your way.
