Dragons have always captured the imagination of fantasy fans; there’s something both majestic and terrifying about these legendary creatures found in various cultures worldwide.Dragons are also a staple in gaming, appearing in countless titles across different genres. Since the originalDemon’s Souls,FromSoftwarehas consistently included dragons in their Soulsborne games, with each new entry surpassing the last in terms of complexity, spectacle, and excitement in dragon boss fights.
However, it’s not just the studio’s boss battles against dragons likeBayle The Dread, Lichdragon Fortissax, The Slumbering Dragon Sinh, Black Dragon Kalameet, Dragonlord Placidusax, or Ancient Dragon Lansseax that have captivated fans. Often, some of the most intriguing scaled creatures in the developer’s games aren’t the ones players fight. In many cases, in games likeElden RingorDark Souls 3, the biggest and most impressive dragons are encountered as inactive corpses or even elements of the landscape. This list will rank the largest dragons ever encountered inFromSoftware’sfantasy games.
Probably one of the most challenging and iconic dragon boss fights inFromSoftware’shistory,Darkeater Midirstands as the smallest dragon on this list. Measuring about 80 meters from nose to tail, Midir is one of the largest dragons players can actually face in combat, but not the biggest overall.
A descendant of the Archdragons raised by the gods, Darkeater Midir is encountered inDark Souls 3: The Ringed CityDLC. The actual battle with this dragon is a secret optional fight that players don’t need to endure to complete the game. However, if they choose to, they better be prepared for one of the toughest and most unforgiving encounters in all ofDark Souls 3. Midir’s long and dangerous melee combos, devastating bites, and fire-breathing attacks — along with the infamous laser display in the second half of the fight — can end most players in just a hit or two.
90 Meters Long
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The Ancient Dragon is one of the largest bosses inDark Souls 2and is slightly bigger than Darkeater Midir. Players are not obligated to kill the Ancient Dragon when they find him at the top of the Dragon Shrine and can simply converse with him telepathically before moving on. Alternatively, they can choose to engage in battle with this colossal creature.
However, the fight against this behemoth is much easier than you might expect and is not as challenging as the previous entry on this list. Despite the Ancient Dragon having the largest health pool in the entire game (even larger than Midir’s), it is very large and slow, making evading most of its attacks relatively easy. If players are careful, they can prevail and overcome this menacing opponent with relative ease.
Here’s where things start to ramp up. WhileSekiro: Shadows Die Twicedoesn’t offer many boss fights against non-human enemies, the battle against theDivine Dragon, also known as Dragon of the Everblossom, is an exception, and it’s extremely memorable and cinematic. Found at the Fountainhead Palace, this boss battle is a classic staged encounter that doesn’t require players to fight the creature in a typical FromSoftware boss fashion — instead, players must perform a series of special steps/sequences to complete this spectacular battle.
This dragon has a serpentine design typical of Japanese dragons, which are conventionally connected to water, and resembles a giant serpent with legs. It isn’tFromSoftware’slargest, but its length is impressive at 152 meters. For comparison, it is the same size as Vhagar fromHouse of the Dragonand slightly bigger thanSmaug from theHobbittrilogy, who is 130 meters long.
The first dragon on this list that appears to be long gone is the unknown Archdragon corpse inDark Souls 3, which players can see from afar when exploring the game’s secret area,Archdragon Peak. We don’t know much about this colossal creature, but fan measurements estimate the corpse to be 166 meters long.
For comparison,King Ghidorah’sheight inGodzilla: King of the Monstersis 160 meters, making the two approximately the same size. Fighting a dragon twice the size of Darkeater Midir would have been quite a spectacle inDark Souls 3, but perhaps it is too massive to be killed by mere mortals.
Dragon God appeared in the very first Soulsborne game byFromSoftware (Demon’s Souls)and was considered the largest of the dragons created by the studio for years untilElden Ringcame out. Found in the Underground Temple, Dragon God is truly enormous at 182 meters long and is capable of instantly killing the player’s character. For comparison, Dragon God is almost thesize of Godzillafrom the latestMonsterversemovies, where the Kaiju is estimated to be 177 meters long.
Fighting Dragon Godisn’t a direct showdown like many other fights. Instead of trying to damage this colossal creature with their weapons, players have to avoid the dragon’s attacks and reach two large ballistae to weaken him. Only after that can you deliver the finishing blow to his weak point on the head.
The last dragon on this list that players can actually fight is themassive Elder Dragon Greyoll, encountered in the Dragonbarrow region of Caelid inElden Ring. This dragon is comparable in size to Dragon God and can be seen from afar when exploring the surrounding lands. It is a sight to behold, but the fight with this one is rather special, as the dragon itself is too ancient — and decrepit with Scarlet Rot — to directly oppose the player.
Instead of fighting Greyoll, players can slaughter all five lesser dragons that are protecting it, which in turn will finish off this giant dragon. Alternatively, there’s a safe spot near Greyoll where players can damage it without the need to fight all the smaller dragons, who will die as soon as Greyoll itself is killed. Once you know this trick, killing Elder Dragon Greyoll is easy — even for early-game characters — and will reward players with a great amount of runes to level up their Tarnished quickly. While quite easy to pull off, it is a time-consuming endeavor, as Greyoll has an enormous health pool (87,664 HP) — one of the biggest of allElden Ringbosses.
Here comes another point on this list where things get truly colossal. Ancient Dragon Gransax inElden Ringis almost twice as big as Dragon God or Elder Dragon Greyoll, and is another spectacular dragon inFromSoftware’sgames that players encounter already dead and don’t have to fight.
At a massive 328 meters, Ancient Dragon Gransax attacked Leyndell, the Royal Capital, marking the first time the city’s walls failed to protect it. Its corpse now covers a large part of the capital, creating an unforgettable sight — and unorthodox way to traverse the city’s ruins — when exploringone of the most beautiful locations the studio has ever created.
With the release of theShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion forElden Ring, a new record-breaking dragon was found (via YT Zullie the Witch) among all the dragons that ever appeared inFromSoftwaregames. This colossal corpse, visible on the Land of Shadows' map above the Finger Ruins of the Rhia region, measures about 392 meters, significantly larger even than Ancient Dragon Gransax.
Very little is known about this unnamed dragon corpse at this point. The fact that its model is just an enlarged version of the common lesser dragons fromElden Ringmay suggest there isn’t much history or lore behind it. Still, there might be more to this creature that has not yet been uncovered. For now, though, it is undoubtedly the largest dragonFromSoftwarehas ever put in their games, and it is unlikely to be surpassed for some time.
