How to beat the Jagged Peak Drake in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Shadow of the Erdtree has introduced new bosses and massive enemies for players to take on in the Realm of Shadow. One of these is the Jagged Peak Drake, of which there are three available to find.

Being large dragons, these winged creatures can be intimidating when you first come across them, yet they won’t pose too much of a threat once you understand how to take them down.

As such, we have broken the process down so you will be best prepared when encountering the Jagged Peak Drake while adventuring through Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

Jagged Peak Drake locations

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While there are technically three Jagged Peak Drakes you will come across should you go to the right optional area in Shadow of the Erdtree, there is only one that is truly a boss fight.

First, you will need to fight your way through the Dragon’s Pit section, located to the east of the DLC’s starting area. It specifically sits on top of the cliff overlooking the Scorched Ruins in the Gravesite Plains.

You will need to head north from the starting area, across the large bridge toward Castle Ensis, and then head up the path that sits to the right of the Castle Front Site of Grace.

After getting through the Dragon’s Pit, and working your way up through the Jagged Peak area, you will find the Foot of the Jagged Peak Site of Grace. Just past this is a rocky path that will lead you to the boss battle, where you will find the Jagged Peak Drake already fighting a smaller dragon.

How to beat the Jagged Peak Drake

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Despite its size, the Jagged Peak Drake is quite simple to take down. You just need to be aware of its attacks:

• Tail Sweep: the dragon will wind up and unleash a swipe with its tail
• Heavy Stomps: the Jagged Peak Drake will hover in the air, briefly, before slamming down on you
• Fire Breaths: a simple fire-breathing attack that will cover the area directly in front of the dragon
• Leaping Fire Breath: the dragon will fly backward as it blasts the area in front of it with fire
• Flying Fire Breath: the Jagged Peak Drake will fly in a straight line while breathing fire directly in front of and below it
• Lightning Roar: summons lightning in various spots around it that will strike with incredible power

Phase 1: Let the dragons fight

For the first part of the fight, use the smaller dragon to your advantage, i.e. let them fight. The smaller dragon may be weaker than the Jagged Peak Drake, but it can do a lot of damage before it’s killed.

This means that for this part of the fight, you don’t have to do much of anything. Simply stick to the outskirts of the battlefield with Torrent, making sure to dodge any wayward attacks that may get close to you.

The Lightning Roar, especially can sneak up on you if you aren’t careful. Keep moving and stay alert while they whittle each other’s health bars down, and you will be set up for success in the second phase after the smaller dragon is killed.

Phase 2: Hit and run

Now, the Jagged Peak Drake won’t gain a new ability or anything during this part, but with the other drake out of the picture, it will turn its attention on you.

Magic user tips

Notably, magic users will have an easier time with this fight since the dragon will continually put space between the two of you.

This leaves it open for spell-casting that can chunk its damage with ease without even having to get close to it. For anyone using this method: stay back, avoid its attacks, and hammer it with spells until it goes down.

Given your distance from the boss, you won’t have to worry about its close-range attacks. The only two you will really need to watch out for are the Flying Fire Breath and Lightning Roar.

For Flying Fire Breath, simply run to either side and you will avoid the flames entirely. For Lightning Road, look out for the spots where the lightning will strike; you will see these spots by the crackling energy that appears on the ground.

Just keep moving and avoiding some of the long-range attacks the dragon will send at you, and it will fall in no time.

Melee user tips

However, melee users will have their own perks. All that’s needed is a bit of patience when fighting these behemoths.

For a melee build, you will want to use your mount, Torrent, and keep moving. Riding Torrent is important for two reasons:

1. It allows you to close the distance between you and the Jagged Peak Drake much easier.
2. It allows you to run away from the dragon when you see it charging up its attacks.

The goal is to stay on Torrent and run around the arena, moving in to get a couple of swipes in on the Jagged Peak Drake before moving away to avoid its retaliations.

You should always be running from the front of the Jagged Peak Drake to behind it. This helps you to avoid attacks like Tail Sweep, Heavy Stomps, Leaping Fire Breath, and Fire Breaths that will damage the area in front of it.

However, when you see it using Fire Breath and covering the ground in front of it with flames, take that moment to stop and wail on the dragon. We recommend sticking to its backside still, as trying to get a hit in on the head, while doing more damage, can be incredibly dangerous.

When it performs its Flying Fire Breath attack, move to either side, and for Lightning Roar, just look out for the crackling energy that key you in on where the strikes are going to happen.

Be careful not to get greedy and go for an extra hit or two, as the Jagged Peak Drake can take advantage and land additional blows. It only takes a couple of hits to wipe out your entire health bar.

Occasionally, you may stun the Jagged Peak Drake, during which you can move into its head and dish out some massive damage. Once you see it start the stir again, though, hop back on Torrent and run away before it can get a swipe in at you.

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When taking on two Jagged Peak Drakes at the same time, let them fight each other for as long as possible. They deal solid damage to one another, and one will eventually kill the other.

Just watch out for the AoE attacks like Lightning Roar that can hit you even if you aren’t the target.

NPC Allies

There are no specific NPC allies that you can summon for either fight with a Jagged Peak Drake. However, you can use your Mimic Tear for both, which can help take some of the attention off of your character.

Jagged Peak Drake rewards

For completing the fight against the Jagged Peak Drake, you will be given:

• 120,000 Runes
• Dragon Heart
• Dragonscale Flesh

Jagged Peak Drake weaknesses

The Jagged Peak Drake is a tough opponent, but you can deal some extra damage through the following weaknesses:

• Bleed

Stacking up your Bleed is going to be the best objective for this beast. It takes awhile to build up completely, but once it does, you will see the dragon’s health disappear.

The Jagged Peak Drake is just one boss in a long list of new additions for Shadow of the Erdtree, so check out our full guide to their locations. Also be sure to read up on how to take down bosses like the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, Rellana Twin Moon Knight, Messmer the Impaler, and Bayle the Dread.