Most players are probably familiar with the sleeping dragon found in Caelid in Elden Ring. It's a giant white dragon with massive health and drops five Dragon Hearts and 75K Runes. This amount of Runes can instantly level up players to approximately level 30.

Unfortunately, Tarnished are missing out on an enormous sum of Runes that can be exploited using a simple method. Players can repeatedly use this process early in Elden Ring to reach the desired level, and it only requires Torrent, any bleed weapon, and patience.

Updated on June 20, 2023, by Nahda Nabiilah: Under normal circumstances, the Elder Dragon Greyoll is arguably one of the toughest bosses in Elden Ring. Thanks to the sleeping dragon’s huge health bar, players will have a tough time depleting it and the only possible method to quickly defeat the giant sleeping dragon is to kill the smaller dragons around the boss. Luckily, players haven’t only found a way to kill the white dragon quickly but also discovered an exploit to farm even more Runes in Elden Ring.

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How To Get To The Sleeping Dragon In Elden Ring

sleeping dragon location in elden ring

To reach the sleeping dragon, players need to use the Waygate near the Third Church of Marika. It will be easier to locate if Tarnished first collect the Elden Ring Limgrave Map Fragments that unlock Mistwood on the map.

Upon reaching the church, jump through the window behind the statue, then head east. Interact with the Waygate to be teleported to the Bestial Sanctum. From there follow these steps:

  • Head southeast and cross the bridge that has Flying Dragon Geyll on it.
  • Go southwest and circle the giant Erdtree to use the Spirit Spring in the area.
  • Jump up the cliff and walk southwest to light the Fort Faroth Site of Lost Grace ahead.

The sleeping dragon should be northwest of the Bonfire.

How To Use The Sleeping Dragon Exploit To Farm Even More Runes In Elden Ring

bleed build up on sleeping dragon in elden ring

The dragon has a large HP and is immune to almost everything. Luckily, it seems to have a particular weakness to bleed, so make sure to equip any weapon that causes Hemorrhage.

The first step is to summon Torrent and head to the dragon's tail. Repeatedly slash the dragon and cause Hemorrhage build-up until a good chunk of its health is gone. Once the dragon's HP bar drops to zero, immediately stop attacking and sprint to the Fort Faroth Site of Lost Grace and rest. Players must stay on Torrent while hitting to avoid wasting time walking after killing the sleeping dragon in Elden Ring.

the sleeping dragon method in elden ring

If the method succeeds, Tarnished will receive 50k Runes, and the dragon won't disappear. Additionally, the entire process takes about three minutes and a half, so people can easily repeat the same steps until they have the desired amount of Runes.

How To Get The Reduvia Dagger In Elden Ring

reduvia dagger location in elden ring

As mentioned before, players need any bleed weapon. The Samurai class automatically equips Tarnished with the Uchigatana, a bleed Katana. The Elden Ring Reduvia Dagger can also be obtained after killing Bloody Finger Nerijus northeast of Agheel Lake North.

Tips And Tricks

sleeping dragon near death in elden ring

If the dragon doesn’t die from the bleed build-up and still has a few more hits, keep attacking it until its body does a specific twitch. The dragon does small twitches periodically, but the one before its death is very distinctive. After that, turn around and immediately run to the site of grace. Although Elden Ring Ash Summons are available, it’s advised not to use them since it may kill the dragon and players won’t notice.

gold pickled fowl foot in elden ring

People can increase the number of gained Runes by equipping the Gold Scarab Talisman or using a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot seconds before killing the dragon. Equipping one or both items grant:

  • Gold Scarab: 60,000 Runes
  • Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot: 64,000 Runes
  • Both: 78,000 Runes

How To Get The Gold Scarab Talisman

elden ring gold scarab talisman guide

The Golden Scarab Talisman increases acquired Runes by 20%, which makes it an excellent option for the sleeping dragon in Elden Ring. The Talisman is dropped from the Cleanrot Knight Duo in the Abandoned Cave, which exists in Caelid. To get to the cave, head east from the Smoldering Wall Site of Lost Grace and approach the cliff. Next, use Torrent to jump on the tree branches and land on the platform below.

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The biggest challenge inside the Abandoned Cave is the ground itself, as multiple rooms are filled with Scarlet Rot pools. To easily reach the Cleanrot Knight Duo:

  • Light the cave bonfire and drop into the Rot pool below.
  • Head north towards the Summon Pool Statue.
  • Proceed in the same direction then jump south from the edge.
  • Enter the tunnel and run past the rats to reach a large area containing a Giant Miranda Sprout.
  • Turn northeast and climb the platform to enter another tunnel.

The Cleanrot Knight (Sickle) and Cleanrot Knight (Spear) boss room will be at the end of the tunnel.

How To Get Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot

elden-ring-gold-pickled-fowl-foot

The Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot is a consumable in Elden Ring that grants 30% more Runes and lasts for three minutes. Although it can be found while exploring the Lands Between, it’s possible to craft the Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot by obtaining the Missionary's Cookbook (2) sold by Patches.

The required crafting materials in Elden Ring to make one Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot are:

  • Rowa Fruit x3: Can be found everywhere in the Lands Between.
  • Four-Toed Fowl Foot x1: Obtained by farming Guillemot which are found around certain areas in Elden Ring.
  • Gold Firefly x1: Mostly found in Limgrave, Weeping Peninsula, and Altus Plateau.

If Tarnished decides to use both the Gold Scarab Talisman and the Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot while exploiting the Elden Ring sleeping dragon farm method, they’ll get far more Runes than they normally would.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.

MORE: Complete Guide To Elden Ring: Weapons, Tips, Tricks, Bosses, & Builds