The Dark Souls series has plenty of tough bosses that drive players to break their controllers. Take Ornstein and Smough, for example. They’re almost impossible to beat without a plan of attack or at least a method for splitting them up.
The Gaping Dragon might not hold a candle to the aforementioned dynamic duo, but a player going for that essential Dark Souls playthrough blind and with minimal assistance is bound to find themselves intimidated by its ghastly appearance and powerful repertoire of attacks. With that in mind, we’re covering some essential tips and tricks for conquering this particular boss fight.
10 Fast Roll
It’s instinctual for veterans of the series to wear armor that allows their characters to fast roll. Fast rolling is the quickest and most efficient type of dodge in the game. To see the difference, just try rolling without any of your armor equipped versus rolling with the heaviest armor available to you. Fast rolling gives the player more invincibility frames, making them harder to hit.
If you’re having trouble dodging the Gaping Dragon’s attacks, try mixing and matching your equipment until your equip load is between 0.1% and 25%. Even if it’s just a temporary measure to get past the boss, having an improved roll can make a massive difference in how the fight plays out.
9 Grab Havel’s Ring
This sort of goes along with setting yourself up to fast roll, but if you’re pursuing the ability to fast roll without sacrificing too much armor, Havel’s ring is a must-have. It increases the amount of weight players can carry, allowing them to wear heavier armor while maintaining a fast roll. The only other way to increase a character’s equipment load is by leveling up endurance.
Players that chose the master key gift can unlock the door to Havel before fighting the Taurus Demon. The other method is by grabbing the key from the petrified blacksmith after defeating Moonlight Butterfly. Dealing with Havel himself is the hardest part of getting the ring because he’s one tough nut to crack. If he’s a bit much for you to handle, there’s no shame in looking into how to cheese him with poison and ranged attacks.
8 Defeat The Channeler
It’s crucial to take down the Channeler that’s posted up in the area just before the boss fight, as he’ll launch Soul Arrows and buff the Gaping Dragon during the actual encounter if he’s not dealt with before entering the fog gate. Needless to say, this is bad for business.
The Channeler is in an opening above the area, and shouldn’t be difficult to locate. He’s surrounded by rats that aren’t a threat until he buffs them with a spell. Deliver a well-deserved beatdown to this fork-wielding magical menace before he gets the opportunity to turn the boss fight into a total nightmare.
7 Do Solaire’s Questline
Solaire can be summoned to aid in the fight against the Gaping Dragon, making it much easier than a purely solo run. However, players have to have completed Solaire’s quest up to that point. To start the quest, make sure you speak to Solaire after defeating the Taurus Demon and agree to join him in jolly cooperation.
Once players befriend Solaire, they’ll have to summon him by entering human form – this is a risk in itself because it will leave you open to PVP invasions, but it’s well worth the effort. You’ll need to use his first summon sign just before the Bell Gargoyles boss fight. After this, he can be summoned for the Gaping Dragon fight.
6 Do Lautrec’s Questline
Players can also summon Lautrec if they’ve freed him from the prison hidden away in the Undead Parish. It should be noted that players can summon both Lautrec and Solaire, making the boss fight a cakewalk.
To begin Lautrec’s quest, players have to retrieve the Mystery Key from the Undead Parish basement area. Players can unlock Lautrec’s cell (hidden behind a breakable door in the Undead Parish) and meet him at Firelink Shrine afterward to be rewarded with a Sunlight Medal. After all of this, players can head to The Depths. His summon sign is just before the fog gate.
5 Know Its Move Set
The Gaping Dragon has several different attacks, some of which are dangerous, while others are exploitable. Firstly, stay away from its arms, as it can use a grabbing attack that will do an incredible amount of damage. However, of particular note is its dashing attack.
At the start of the fight, the Gaping Dragon charges players with its ribcage on the floor. Bait it into the wall, and it’ll leave the dragon open for attack. Staying at distance to repeatedly bait this attack out is a prime strategy. It uses a floating attack to reposition itself — this is a great opportunity to get some distance and bait it into a dash. Also remember that it will start using an AOE attack that covers the floor in acidic goo when reduced to roughly 1/3 of its total health, so keep a sharp eye for this in the home stretch.
4 Exploit Its Weaknesses
The Gaping Dragon has several weaknesses that can be taken advantage of. First and foremost, it qualifies as a dragon, meaning that it’s weak against lightning damage. Second, managing to strike the head will do extra damage, though this can be risky.
Lastly, its tail is also a weak point. Managing to cut it off will not only yield the powerful Dragon King Greataxe as a reward but will cripple its dangerous tail swipe attack, reducing its range and effectiveness immensely.
3 Skip The Gaping Dragon
The most overpowered strategy is the easiest one — just skip the dragon. The catch with this tactic is only players who chose the Master Key as their starting gift can do the skip. With the Master Key, players can skip The Depths and the upper part of Blighttown (which is a bigger nightmare than the Gaping Dragon).
To access the skip players must run down the stairs at Firelink Shrine, past Anastacia (The Fire Keeper), to the elevator room. Players must take the elevator down and go right into the next building, after exiting the stairs. They’ll run into a locked door, which they can open with the Master Key. Across the wooden bridge, into the cave, is Blighttown.
Players that are hellbent on their revenge against the Gaping Dragon can come back to fight once they’ve strengthened their character.
2 Keep Your Distance With Miracles Or Spells
One of the easiest ways to simplify the Gaping Dragon boss fight is to use spells or miracles. The miracles and spells in the early part of the game aren’t strong, but they are good enough to get the job done. Though it can drag the boss fight out for quite a while in some cases.
To win with these ranged builds, players should level up their attunement stat to have a plethora of spells or miracles to use on the Gaping Dragon. Even then, running out of spells or miracles is still a distinct possibility, so players should keep a weapon on their second right-hand slot, just in case.
1 Summon A Friend
If none of the previous methods have worked to make this boss any easier and players still find themselves totally stuck, it may be time to call in the cavalry. The easiest way to defeat the Gaping Dragon is, of course, by summoning a friend. Solaire and Lautrec are available as NPC summons, but the Gaping Dragon is especially easy to cheese with another chosen undead controlled by a real person.
When players summon a friend, one viable strategy for cheesing the Gaping Dragon is having one player fire arrows, spells, miracles, or firebombs at it. The other can just focus entirely on defense, running, and dodging until the Gaping Dragon is critically low on health or totally defeated.
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