How to Beat Dragonlord Placidusax in Crumbling Farum Azula

Learn how to defeat the optional Legend Boss, Dragonlord Placidusax, in Elden Ring's Crumbling Farum Azula. Discover attack patterns, weaknesses, and strategies for this challenging two-headed dragon.

Location: Start at the Beside the Great Bridge site of grace. Go back down the elevator into the church, past the Azula Beastmen, turn right, then left out of the church. Head towards the trees, look over the cliff for a platform to drop to. Follow the path to the end and find a hole in the stone floor without bones. You will get a prompt to 'Lay down' and be teleported to the arena.

Stats / Weaknesses:

• Damage Types: Physical, Fire, Lightning
• Weaknesses: Piercing damage
• Resistances: All elemental damage, Status effects
• Cannot be Parried
• Can have Poise Broken
• Weak Spots: Heads

Attacks:

• Lightning Strikes from the Sky: Placidusax conjures lightning strikes that hit the ground for a prolonged time. Watch for small red electrical currents on the ground to anticipate and avoid. These can one-shot players.
• Lightning Claw Attack: Placidusax conjures a huge claw of lightning from his hand.
• Bite: Placidusax bites with either head, sometimes following up with a second bite from the other head. Be aware of the extended neck range.
• Fire Breath: Placidusax breathes greenish fire from both heads, with a large range that can sweep behind him. Hiding to the side or behind him is not entirely safe.
• Tail Swipe: A counterattack for players attacking from behind. He swings his tail, potentially knocking players down, and may follow up with a head snap.
• Lightning Cloud Attack: Placidusax flies up and disappears, reappearing in a huge lightning cloud. He then swoops down to crash into the player, dealing lightning and physical damage. This attack can one-shot players but is dodgeable or avoidable by running once he is spotted in the sky. He may repeat this after landing.
• Lightning Sword Plunge Explosion: Placidusax plunges a lightning sword/spear into the ground, which pulsates before exploding in a large lightning blast. Back away as far as possible, as the area of impact is large and difficult to dodge if close.

Strategy:

• Consider using lightning resistance through armor (Bull-Goat Armor Set, Omen Set), consumables (lightning-proof dried liver), or spells (Lightning Fortification, Golden Lightning Fortification).
• Target his heads as weak spots, but be mindful of his large area-of-effect attacks.
• Rotate your position to hit from the sides and behind, but always be aware of his AoE attacks and the relatively small arena size.
• When he flies up and disappears for the Lightning Cloud Attack, keep an eye on the sky to spot his reappearance and dodge accordingly.