How to defeat the Gaping Dragon in Dark Souls: Remastered

The Gaping Dragon is a mandatory boss in Dark Souls: Remastered for most players, as it locks progression to the dark and dangerous Blighttown, but can be skipped by players who chose to use the Master Key as their starting gift. If you’re struggling, take a look at our guide on how to defeat the Gaping Dragon in Dark Souls: Remastered.

Where Is The Gaping Dragon?

The Gaping Dragon can only be accessed once you’ve either defeated the Capra Demon and have obtained the Key to the Depths or by using the Master Key at the door located in the Lower Undead Burg opposite the tower that connects to the Firelink Shrine aqueduct, not far from the Capra Demon boss arena.

To reach the Gaping Dragon, you’ll have to fight your way through several dozen Hollows, two Butchers, dogs, and some slime-based enemies too.

While exploring the Depths, you should eventually stumble upon the Sewer Chamber Key, which unlocks a door to the Depths bonfire. From there, you’ll want to leave the bonfire, take a right down the stairs, and then drop through the ladder opening hidden behind some crates.

Progress through the door ahead – it might be locked if you haven’t explored the Depths enough and opened it from the other side – and then descend the stairs into a large room. Continue heading forward, past the rats and a slime enemy, and you’ll spot an archway to the right just before the Blighttown gates.

Climb the stairs and you’ll be above the Gaping Dragon’s boss arena. Follow the area along until you reach a staircase. Descend it, follow the area around to another set of stairs, and descend those to reach the Gaping Dragon’s fog door. Enter it to start the fight.

How To Defeat The Gaping Dragon

The Gaping Dragon isn’t a difficult boss fight, but it is a long and tedious one. The best way to defeat the Gaping Dragon is by baiting his charge attack, running around the boss to his side, and then attacking his legs.

We suggest you two-hand your weapon to maximise the damage you deal against the Gaping Dragon, and use Pine Resin – the boss is weak to lightning – to make the fight a little easier and speed it up.

The boss is very slow, and you shouldn’t have any trouble avoiding his attacks, which include:

• Charge: The Gaping Dragon will charge at you slowly halfway across the arena
• Body slam: The Gaping Dragon will perform a body slam into the ground using his upper body. This is usually performed with his charge attack before or after
• Puke: The Gaping Dragon will puke some form of liquid into the arena, which reduces the durability of your equipped items
• Grab: The Gaping Dragon will grab you, which can kill you if you fail to break free from his grasp by hitting the attack buttons on your controller
• Tail swing: The Gaping Dragon will swing his tail if you’re standing at his rear
• Leg stomps: The Gaping Dragon will occasionally break into a freakout where he repeatedly stomps the ground with his legs

The Gaping Dragon’s head is his weak spot, but sticking to it will leave you vulnerable to his other attacks, including the deadly grab. You can also attack his rear, but we suggest you attack and run back out, as staying for too long leaves you vulnerable to his tail swing.

Note: If you attack his tail enough and cut it off, the Gaping Dragon will drop the Dragon King Great Axe.

Once you’ve defeated the Gaping Dragon, you’ll earn some Souls, a pair of Twin Humanities, a Homeward Bone, and the Blighttown Key, which allows you to progress to one of the hardest parts of the game – remember to spend those Souls first!