Elden Ring’s lore is profound, as it dives deep into the backgrounds of minor characters and pivotal entities alike - and the ancient dragons are no exception. Elden Ring’s world is full of numerous challenges and fearsome beasts, and no other creature is more intimidating than a dragon. These mighty creatures are found in different corners of The Lands Between, and each dragon is slightly different from the others. Many players may not know that the dragons in Elden Ring can be classified into two types: ancient dragons and modern dragons.
Most of the dragons players encounter in the game world are modern dragons, including Flying Dragon Agheel, Decaying Ekzykes, and Glintstone Dragon Adula from Elden Ring. They are vastly different from their ancient counterparts as they are generally larger and have several noticeable differences. Lichdragon Fortissax, Ancient Dragon Lansseax, and Dragonlord Placidusax are a few of the ancient dragons that gamers can fight in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring: History of The Ancient Dragons
The ancient dragons of Elden Ring are possibly among the first life forms that appeared in The Lands Between. Elden Ring’s lore mentions an era of The Crucible when the Erdtree existed in its primordial state, and many believe the ancient dragons have been around since then. Others believe the ancient dragons appeared after the Crucible era, ushering in the age of the dragons. The game’s lore doesn’t explicitly mention which of the above is true, but it is certain that the ancient dragons were once the rulers of The Lands Between.
Moreover, the description of the Remembrance of the Dragonlord from Elden Ring says that Dragonlord Placidusax was once the Elden Lord in an age before the Erdtree. It also says that the Outer God of the ancient dragons fled, causing the Dragonlord to await its return. The dragons ruled peacefully for quite a while, but eventually, their civilization faltered due to an unforeseen event. The exact details of this event are not clear, but it had something to do with The Greater Will and the emergence of The Golden Order.
Elden Ring’s lore mentions another crucial event in the history of The Lands Between where the ancient dragons played a defining role. The description of the Bolt of Gransax spear in Elden Ring sheds light on this occurrence and says that an ancient dragon called Gransax once wreaked havoc on the Royal Capital of Leyndell. It also says that was the only time in Elden Ring’s history that the walls of the great city were breached, causing the war of the dragons.
Ultimately, the dragons were defeated in the bloody conflict when Godwyn the Golden led the charge and defeated Lichdragon Fortissax. Surprisingly, the two became friends after that, but the age of the ancient dragons had ended, and The Golden Order prevailed.
Elden Ring: Key Features of Ancient Dragons
The ancient dragons of Elden Ring are undoubtedly different from the modern ones in appearance and abilities. Firstly, the names of all ancient dragons end with the suffix ‘sax,’ which is Latin for rock or stone. This suffix highlights the most glaring feature of the ancient dragons of Elden Ring that all of them have bodies made from stone. This can be proven by taking a closer look at the description of the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, which says it is a gravel stone made from the scales of the ancient Dragonlord. It also says this Elden Ring item lightly twists time, making it capable of slaying a god.
Besides their stony bodies, the ancient dragons are masters of using lighting as a weapon, as they all wield it in some form or other. Lansseax uses a lightning glaive as the preferred armament, while Lichdragon Fortissax is known for manifesting a lightning spear. Dragonlord Placidusax from Elden Ring takes this further by using lighting claws to deal massive amounts of damage. All the ancient dragons of Elden Ring are capable of manifesting lightning strikes over an extended area.
On the other hand, the modern dragon variants in Elden Ring have no such abilities to wield lightning as a weapon, as they rely on other elements like fire, Scarlet Rot, or Glintstone. These modern Elden Ring dragons also lack stone-scaled bodies as they’re made from flesh, making them weaker than the ancient ones.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.