How to beat Ancient Dragon-Man in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
The boss of the Dragon's Pit specialises in blood loss attacks.
The Ancient Dragon-Man is the boss of Dragon's Pit in Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. He's an optional boss, but you'll need to defeat him if you want to get to Jagged Peak and Charo's Hidden Grave. These two sub-regions of the Shadow Realm's Southern Shore lie just beyond the large doors at the end of his boss arena, so read on below for how to beat Ancient Dragon-Man nice and quickly so you can carry on your journey.
How to beat Ancient Dragon-Man
Ancient Dragon-Man is a small and nimble boss whose sword attacks can deal blood loss damage if you're not careful. As a result, you may want to equip healing items that can negate blood loss damage before you enter through the boss fog.
Luckily, you can use Spirit Ashes in this boss fight, so I'd recommend summoning one straight away to help take the pressure off and give yourself an advantage.
His attacks aren't too complicated. He will mostly swing his sword in large, powerful arcs, but he can also launch himself into the air and slam his sword down on you from above. This is quite easy to dodge (or block), however, and when he's on the ground, it doesn't take too much to interrupt him.
When his health drops down to below 50%, he will attempt to heal himself with a potion. Unless you want to prolong this fight, you can interrupt this with a well-timed sword swing.
During this phase of the fight, his attacks also get more elaborate. For example, he can summon a huge dragon head while floating in the air, which will thrash and bite at you in large, violent movements. If you're not already well clear of this attack, dodge roll towards Ancient Dragon-Man to close the distance between you. It's another attack that can be quite easily interrupted, so keep on the offensive and he'll be down in no time.
Overall, Ancient Dragon-Man is one of the easier bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, and your rewards for beating him include: 13,000 runes, and the Dragon Hunter's Great Katana (one of the new Great Katana weapons in Shadow of the Erdtree).
Now, you can either return to the surface or continue on through the large doors at the end of the arena to get to Jagged Peak and Charo's Hidden Grave.
Continue to next boss: Chief Bloodfiend
Need more help? Jump back to our list of Shadow of The Erdtree bosses or our Shadow of The Erdtree tips and tricks.