For many Elden Ring players, starting a new game by killing the dormant white 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 lays around while five, smaller dragons defend it. Defeating these five dragons will result in the death of the larger one, but 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.

Who The Giant White Dragon Is: Greyoll, Explained

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. Take a look at just how easy (and depressing) killing Greyoll this way actually is in this YouTube video from Fidel Nacho:

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.

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

Perhaps the more important reason players should not kill Greyoll is that doing so can detract from the 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.

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 thus result in a Lands Between that feels neither vast nor dangerous, but instead is a mostly straightforward path toward whichever boss is next.

Players who don't care about lore and are just looking for the biggest rune gain possible from the giant white dragon in Caelid should remember to equip the Gold Scarab and consume a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot before Greyoll dies!

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.

Look at the difference in combat from the video above to the one below from Zhuster, who wanted to fight Greyoll "the right way," and decide for yourself what to do with Caelid's dragon:

The spell you 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.

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, Rotten Breath is amazingly handy in most situations, and no one needs to murder any sleeping animals to get it.

Elden Ring's confirmed DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, is still shrouded in mystery for now, but it's very possible that more dragons and dragon lore could appear. While it seems unlikely that killing Greyoll in the base game would have much of an impact in anything in the DLC, for those wishing to restart the game, the controversial deed could be an easy way to level up a Tarnished much faster for a second playthrough.

Source: Fidel Nacho/YouTube, Zhuster/YouTube

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  Elden Ring

  Released:

  2022-02-25

  Developer(s):

  FromSoftware

  Genre(s):

  Action, RPG

  Platform(s):

  PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

  Publisher(s):

  Bandai Namco Entertainment

  ESRB:

  M

  Expansion Packs :

  The Colosseum

  How Long To Beat:

  56 Hours