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While adventuring through the Land of Shadow in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion forElden Ring, you’ll explore many different locations that are filled with new secrets and a slew of challenging enemies. Among these locations are numerous mini-dungeons, similar to those in the base game, waiting to be explored.
If you’re looking to acquire a powerful new Katana early on, the Dragon’s Pit is a dungeon you shouldn’t overlook. Though reaching and navigating the cave is straightforward, facing and defeating the threats inside presents a formidable challenge. Conquer it, and you’ll be rewarded with a weapon of considerable might.
Where To Find The Dragon’s Pit Dungeon
You will find the Dragon’s Pit on ahill southeast of the Castle Front Site of Grace. This Site of Grace isjust across the Ellac Greatbridge. Follow the road leading east from there until you reach anotherSite of Grace called the Pillar Path Waypoint.
Near the Pillar Path Waypoint, you’ll find a wailing NPC by the name of Igon, and advancing through the Dragon’s Pit is crucial to his questline.
Here, you will need to look for the manybeheaded dragon statues,as these will guide you to the Dragon’s Pit. Simply follow along, and you’ll spot the cave’s entrance in the distance, marked by a nearby lit brazier. Head inside to activate theDragon’s Pit Site of Grace.
As you work your way to the dungeon from the Pillar Path Waypoint Site of Grace, you’ll beinvaded by the Ancient Dragon-ManNPC.
How To Complete The Dragon’s Pit Dungeon
Once inside the cave, proceed east to reach an area withtwo skeletal beastmen: asmall one right below the ledgeand alarger one facing the big chalice. You’ll be able to dispatch the smaller one easily with a plunge attack from the ledge without alerting the larger one.
As is the case with many of the skeletal enemies in Elden Ring, they won’t truly go down unless youdestroy their glowing remains before they can reform.
You need to be wary of the larger skeletal beastmen, though, as they won’t go down as easily as the smaller ones and can breathe fire in addition to their hard-hitting attacks. After clearing this area, head southeast to grabsixSmithing Stone [1]from a dead end.
Continue north through the corridor, butwatch out for an ambush from the right. Deal with the enemy quickly and proceed to the next area, where you’ll find two more skeletal enemies, with one wielding a crossbow at the far end of the room.
Once you’ve dealt with them,quickly loot the corpse resting on the chalice for aShadow Realm Rune [2], as two more skeletons will crawl out from the ground.
The path to the next area is by the crossbow wielder, and this will lead you to a room with a flight of stairs guarded by four skeletal beastmen, one of whom is another crossbowman on the rocks and debris.
You will want toapproach this area with caution,as two of these are the larger variants. Toavoid getting ganked,your best bet is toisolate themfrom one another andtake them down one at a time. After clearing this area, you may either go up or down the stairs.
The path above leads to a cavern with afight involving aMagma Wyrm, which is not to be mistaken with the ones that are found in the Lands Between. While they are generally the same, this one is far sturdier and can hit like a truck, but if you somehow manage to defeat it, you’ll earn anAncient Dragon Smithing Stoneand aDragon Heart.
After obtaining some loot from two corpses in this area, you can return to the previous room and head down the stairs toreach a bottomless pit.Jump into it without hesitation, and after a few seconds of a heart-pounding freefall, you’llland before the fog wall that leads to the boss room.
Be sure to collect theFurlcalling Finger Remedybehind you before proceeding to the boss room.
How To Beat The Ancient Dragon-Man
The boss of the Dragon’s Pit is thephysical form of the Ancient Dragon-Manspecter you fought on the way.He wields theDragon-Hunter’s Great Katana, which will be yours to claim once you defeat him.
The boss is not too bad, as he has quite a few tricks up his sleeve and is pretty quick on his feet. His weapon is aGreat Katana - a new type of weapon,and as it is clear from the name, it features thestandard Katana heavy and light slashesbut with a wider swing.
While his sword attacks can be dodged easily, you’ll want tosteer clear of his Dragonwound Slash Weapon Artwith a well-timed dodge roll, as it is capable of one-shotting you.
The boss occasionally uses this move tounleash a crimson arc of Dragonwound, often catching you off guard,especially when you’re attempting to heal. So, be sure to find the right opportunity before taking a swig from your flask. However, the Ancient Dragon-Man is not a true sword fighter as he also resorts to using twoDragon Communion Incantations.
The first Incantation isDragonmaw,which sees the Dragon-Man conjuring a dragon’s head and lunging forward to bite you, while the other one isMagma Breath,where the caster spews a wide area pool of magma. The best course of action against these attacks is to eitherroll toward either sideorinterrupt him from channeling it altogether with an attack of yours.
As a humanoid boss, the Ancient Dragon-Man also has acharge of theFlask of Crimson Tears. You’ll see him using it as soon as you’ve depleted his health bar below the halfway point.
Besting this adversarynets you his weapon along with 130,000 Runes. After the battle, however, it’s important you don’t warp back to the cave entrance. Instead, head through the giant gate at the south of the boss arena to reach theFoot of the Jagged Peak region.
The Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana Explained
The Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana requires15 Strength and 20 Dexin order to properly wield it and make use of its built-in Weapon Skill.
It hasD scaling in both Strength and Dexterity, which can beimproved to C scalingwith upgrades using Somber Smithing Stones, making it aviable option for quality builds.
As a Great Katana, the moveset can feel a bit sluggish compared to the regular Katana, but the weapon’s appeal lies in theDragonwound Slash Weapon Skill,which is highlyeffective against dragon foes.
As it seems, the Realm of Shadows isn’t short of such enemies, and you’ll have many instances where you’ll want to use the weapon, particularly againstBayle The Dread.
