Elden Ring maybe one of the most accessible FromSoftware Soul’s like games so far, but that does not mean it is easy. There are still plenty of challenges found in the game, and you will die…a lot. Thankfully, even with the level of challenge, there are plenty of secrets and tricks you can use to get ahead and take on the Lands Between, and come out on top. The Sleeping Dragon (Elder Dragon Greyoll) is one of the best ways to earn a large amount of runes early on, and if done right, it will involve minimal death or fights along the way. This is not a typical farming guide, but is a great way to get a leg up in the early section of Elden Ring, and a head start on your quest to be the next Elden Lord.
Should you Kill The Sleeping Dragon?
Elden Ring players are divided if you should kill the Sleeping Dragon, but from everything players have been able to uncover, it does not cut out any quest lines, and will not have a negative effect on the game as a whole. So, if you want some runes and a head start on your new character, you will face no negative story issues by taking this massive dragon down.
What You Will Need To Take Down The Sleeping Dragon
While the fight will be relatively easy to take on, and will just take patience and time to kill this massive dragon if done properly, there are a few things you will need to make the journey as rewarding as possible. First things first, head to the beach just south of the first site of grace you encounter in Elden Ring. Here you will find a Gold Pickled Fowl Foot. This consumable will boost runes gained from killing enemies by 30% for 3 minutes. You will want to be sure you activate this just before killing the Sleeping Dragon, since without it, you will only net around 50,000 runes.
The next thing you will need to make the fight a bit less time-consuming is the morning star. This is an early weapon that will help you inflict bleed damage, and it is relatively easy to access early on in the game. Cross the bridge of Sacrifice and you will eventually come across a broken down wagon. Avoid the enemies and run in to get the weapon. With that in tow, you are now ready to take the next step to defeating this massive dragon.
The Sleeping Dragon Location
Once you have all the equipment you need, you are ready to make your way to the Third Church of Marika. Once there, head to the bushes behind it, and you will find a portal that, once activated, will transport you to the Caelid region. This is a very hard area, and so if you take it on early in the game, be warned, you will die. Thankfully, you can avoid most of the enemies, and can make a run for the dragon without much need to fight.
Travel south, cross the bridge and avoid the large dragon guarding it by simply riding past him. If you are on Torrent, you should not have any problems getting past this section without taking any damage. You will find a site of grace located immediately outside the entrance to Fort Faroth, so rest here and get ready for the next segment of the battle. Thankfully, while Dragon Greyoll maybe huge, this is not a typical boss fight.
With everything ready, it is time to actually fight the sleeping dragon. Equip your morning star (the great bleed weapon we picked up earlier), depending on your class, you may have to two-hand the weapon. With that ready, simply head to the dragons side and start attacking, don’t worry, it won’t fight back, although it will be a slow process.
While the morning star won’t do much each hit, as you attack you will at times do bleed damage that will take large chunks of the dragons’ life in the process. Make sure you do not attach the dragon’s head, it will cause it to wake up. When the dragon is on the verge of death, and before you deal the killing blow, use the Gold Pickled Fowl Foot and when it finally dies, you will be rewarded with 97,000 runes along with five Dragon Hearts.
Once this is done, fast travel to a site of grace and rest up to use the new runes you have at your disposal. Ensure you don’t try and fight anything along the way before using the runes. With that done, you can now take on the rest of Elden Ring with enough runes to spec your character anyway you want, giving you a major leg up in the early game, and making even the more difficult enemies slightly more manageable.
