Why You Shouldn’t Kill Caelid’s Big White Dragon

For many Elden Ring players, starting a new game by killing the dormant white dragon Elder Dragon Greyoll of Caelid for easy runes seems essential. Because the giant dragon does not defend itself, it may at first seem like there aren’t too many better methods for a newbie Tarnished to quickly gain lots of runes.

However, simply running up and slaughtering this giant dragon without considering its lore or the consequences of Greyoll’s death can take away from the experience of the game.

Part of understanding who Elden Ring’s giant white dragon is involves facing it in battle. Found in the northeastern section of Caelid, the enormous white beast lies around while five smaller dragons defend it. Defeating these five dragons will result in the death of the larger one.

However, players have found that they can sneak behind them all and simply kill the giant white dragon instead for an easy rune farm in Elden Ring‘s early game. Doing so unlocks its legendary incantation at the Cathedral of Dragon Communion, which in turn unlocks the secret of its identity.

Don’t Kill Caelid’s Giant White Dragon on a Whim

Doing So Can Rob You Of The Intended Experience

Killing Greyoll can detract from your experience of the game. Elden Ring emphasizes free will, so players may approach their journey to the Elden Throne however they choose. But starting the game with 50,000 runes—especially on the first time through—seems antithetical to what Elden Ring is meant to be: a game in which players overcome challenges.

This is more than a question of ethics. It may seem like an easy and quick leg up, but getting so many runes right in the beginning can actually hurt you in the long run. The challenge of the first part of Elden Ring is set up to teach you the necessary skills you need to face the rest of the game. You can’t simply run and gun in Elden Ring; you need to develop the patterns and rhythms of fighting, and, as the community says, “get good.”

FromSoftware pushes players to explore Limgrave by making Elden Ring’s bosses too difficult for the average low-leveled Tarnished to realistically beat. Bypassing this by leveling up very quickly with tons of runes can result in an experience that’s neither vast nor dangerous. Instead, you’ll be giving yourself a straightforward path from one enemy to the next without the push to actually learn how to fight.

Besides, killing Greyoll through the exploit nets fewer runes than returning to Caelid when one is at a high enough level to face her offspring. Indeed, there are many other more lucrative and repeatable rune farming methods to be found in the Lands Between. Relying on the quick 50,000-rune drop from Elden Ring‘s giant white dragon is thus not only immoral but inefficient—and it will cause players to miss out on a great battle.

In addition, the spell players get by killing the big white dragon in Caelid, Greyoll’s Roar, is only one of 13 Dragon Communion Incantations in Elden Ring—and for many playstyles, it isn’t even the best one.

Who The Giant White Dragon Is: Greyoll, Explained

Elder Dragon’s Powers Are Diminished

The giant white sleeping dragon of Caelid is Greyoll, the mother of all dragons in the Elden Ring universe, according to the description of “Greyoll’s Roar.” Greyoll is an important figure in the history of the Lands Between, which was once ruled by dragons before the reign of Queen Marika and Lord Godfrey.

Killing Greyoll is thus akin to destroying a beloved monument; sure, the white dragon may lay dormant and seems to hold no true power anymore, but destroying a sacred entity for the sake of greed and bloodlust seems needlessly evil—especially when there are better rune farms in Caelid.

For the most part, dragons in Elden Ring are in no way the Tarnished’s enemy. Besides a select few, dragons mostly roam about until they feel their territory is being threatened.

While fighting in self-defense seems reasonable enough, striking one who not only lacks the ability to defend herself but also holds cultural significance in the Lands Between feels more blasphemous than Melina’s desire to burn the Erdtree.

Destroying such an important part of the Lands Between’s history is nothing short of criminal, lore-wise. While there’s no morality system in place in Elden Ring, the game’s story weaves a complex tale of strength, bravery, morality, and righteousness—none of which are applicable to the Tarnished should they decide to defeat Greyoll.

When You Should Consider Killing Greyoll In Elden Ring

Despite all the downsides of defeating the Elder Dragon Greyoll through the easy cheesing method, there are some pros to exterminating this field boss in Caelid. The first and most obvious benefit is being able to quickly claim 50,000 runes without much of an effort other than having some patience.

50,000 Runes is a lot and, while players can arguably get more by defeating each of the surrounding dragons in Elden Ring, this can be an instant level-up. This is especially useful if players are already caught up with the lore involving the dragon or are not particularly interested in killing each of its five children. At times, a simple level-up can be enough to ensure a player can use a new weapon by reaching its minimum stat requirements.

Occasionally, it can even serve as the bump they need to endure another boss fight they are stuck at. Every little level can help players progress, even if the game can be beaten at level 1. Another big bonus of defeating Greyoll is instantly obtaining five Dragon Hearts in Elden Ring. For players who are looking to focus on Dragon Communion spells and want to obtain new ones, the white Elder Dragon of Caelid can be a quick and easy solution.

Elden Ring’s Dragon Communion Incantations

Greyoll’s Roar costs 50 FP to use, and its main function is to decrease the attack power and defense of enemies within a short radius of the player. While these debuffs can be useful, Dragon Incantations like Smarag’s Glintstone Breath and Theodorix’s Magma might be better suited to players who like dealing flashy damage.

Elden Ring has many useful dragon skills, and most of them are better than Greyoll’s Roar. For instance, Rotten Breath is amazingly handy in most situations, and no one needs to murder any sleeping animals to get it. So, you could cheese Greyoll in the beginning of the game, but you’d be doing yourself a disservice.

Elden Ring

Systems

10/10

Released

February 25, 2022

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence