Decaying Ekzykes
| Decaying Ekzykes | |
|---|---|
| Type | Great Boss |
| Region | Caelid |
| Runes | 38,000 |
| Weak To | Fire, Standard, Slash, Strike, Pierce, Magic, Lightning, Holy, Hemorrhage, Frostbite |
| Required | No |
Decaying Ekzykes is a great boss in Elden Ring.
Decaying Ekzykes is a huge dragon rotting away from scarlet rot in southern Caelid. It guards the road to the Cathedral of Dragon Communion, near the Caelid Highway South Site of Grace. Instead of fire, it breathes vast clouds of rot that linger on the ground. Its decayed body takes extra damage from almost everything, and fire hurts it most of all.
Lore
Ekzykes is a massive dragon whose body is eaten away by scarlet rot. Rot drips from its jaws, and every stomp kicks up a small cloud of it.
Ekzykes, the Dragon Communion Revenger, never forgot his hatred even as he succumbed to the scarlet rot. He loathed the drake warriors who feasted on dragon hearts and barred their way to the cathedral.
When the rot spread after the battle of Aeonia, most dragons fled Caelid. Ekzykes stayed to keep up his vengeance until the rot consumed him.
Where to find Decaying Ekzykes Location?
Caelid, in the field along the main road southeast of the Caelid Highway South Site of Grace, guarding the way to the Cathedral of Dragon Communion
Decaying Ekzykes map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Weaknesses
| Weak To | Fire, Standard, Slash, Strike, Pierce, Magic, Lightning, Holy, Hemorrhage, Frostbite |
|---|---|
| Resists | Poison, Scarlet Rot |
| Immune | Sleep, Madness |
| Parry | No |
Attacks
- Rot Breath: it breathes a sweeping stream of scarlet rot that lingers on the ground; ride away on Torrent and wait for the cloud to clear.
- Roar: it bellows and lets rot fog fall from its mouth at its feet; back away until the fog fades.
- Rotting Miasma: it lowers its head and releases a huge rot cloud over a very wide area; mount up and ride far away or get behind it.
- Stomps: its stomps hurt and kick up rot; hit its feet a few times, then step back out front.
- Bites and Wing Sweeps: close range snaps and sweeps like other dragons; run toward its feet to avoid them.
- Flying Breath: it takes off and sprays rot from the air; ride away at once.
Tactics
- Bring Preserving Boluses to clear rot buildup.
- Stay on Torrent at range, then dash in to hit its head while a breath attack finishes.
- Use the high ground nearby, which most breath attacks cannot reach.
- Hit the feet in short bursts and return to the front before the next stomp.
- Alternate frost and fire: freeze it, then burst it with flames.
- Summon Spirit Ashes or co-op partners from the summoning pool near the Site of Grace.
Best Builds
Fire damage
Ekzykes takes double damage from fire, so Fire Grease or fire spells shred its huge health bar.
| Gear | Fire Grease, O, Flame!, Magma Shot |
|---|
Bleed weapon
Bleed builds up quickly and takes a large share of its health with each burst.
| Gear | Uchigatana |
|---|
Frost and fire spells
Freezing it first raises the damage of the fire burst that follows.
| Gear | Frozen Lightning Spear, Dragonice, Freezing Mist, Glintstone Icecrag |
|---|
Long range sorcery
Long reaching spells hit its head from safety.
| Gear | Loretta's Greatbow |
|---|
Freezing Battlemage Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 150 |
| Focus | Intelligence |
| Main Stats | Intelligence |
| Other Stats | Mind & Vigor |
| Requires | 52 Intelligence, 20 Strength, 14 Dexterity |
| Weapon | Lusat's Glintstone Staff & Carian Glintstone Staff |
| Shield | Jellyfish Shield |
| Armor | Snow Witch Hat, and any that still allows |
| Talismans | Graven-School Talisman, Graven-Mass Talisman, Magic Scorpion Charm & Ritual Sword Talisman |
| Skills | Contagious Fury |
| Spells | Carian Slicer, Adula's Moonblade, Carian Piercer, Glintstone Icecrag, Zamor Ice Storm and Freezing Mist |
| Flasks | Mostly HP some FP |
Moonveil Shinobi Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 100 |
| Focus | Intelligence |
| Main Stats | Intelligence & Vigor |
| Other Stats | Dexterity & Mind |
| Requires | 26 Intelligence, 18 Dexterity, 12 Strength |
| Weapon | Moonveil, Uchigatana and any Staff |
| Armor | Any that can still med roll |
| Talismans | Carian Filigree Crest, Assassin's Cerulean Dagger, Magic Scorpion Charm, & Green Turtle Talisman |
| Skills | Transient Moonlight & Glinstone Phalanx |
| Spells | Loretta's Greatbow, Great Glintstone Shard, and Terra Magica |
| Flasks | Slightly more HP than FP |
Soul Samurai Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 150-200 |
| Focus | Intelligence, Dexterity |
| Main Stats | Intelligence & Dexterity |
| Other Stats | Vigor & Mind |
| Requires | 52 Intelligence, 22 Dexterity, 18 Strength |
| Weapon | Nagakiba & Academy Glintstone Staff |
| Armor | Black Knife Set |
| Talismans | Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, Shard of Alexander, Magic Scorpion Charm & Millicent's Prosthesis |
| Skills | Double Slash |
| Spells | Greatblade Phalanx, Founding Rain of Stars, Unseen Form, Loretta's Greatbow, Carian Retaliation, Scholar's Armament, Terra Magica, Freezing Mist |
| Flasks | Mostly HP some FP |
All-Knowing Sage Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 172 |
| Focus | Intelligence |
| Main Stats | Intelligence, Vigor, Faith |
| Other Stats | Mind, Endurance |
| Requires | 50 Faith, 40 Intelligence, 12 Strength, 12 Dexterity |
| Weapon | Staff of the Great Beyond, and Sword of Night and Flame |
| Armor | Greathelm, All-Knowing Armor, All-Knowing Gauntlets, All-Knowing Greaves |
| Talismans | Godfrey Icon, Graven-Mass Talisman, Flock's Canvas Talisman, Scorpion Charms |
| Swap In | Blessed Blue Dew Talisman, Crusade Insignia, Two-Headed Turtle Talisman, Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, Ritual Sword Talisman, Old Lord's Talisman |
| Spells | Multilayered Ring of Light, Elden Stars, Knight's Lightning Spear, Ancient Dragons' Lightning Strike, Flame of the Fell God, Giantsflame Take Thee, Frenzied Burst, Rykard's Rancor, Ancient Death Rancor, Knight Comet, Loretta's Greatbow, Mass of Putrescence, Pest-Thread Spears, Stone of Gurranq, Rock Sling |
| Flasks | Equal Charges |
| Crystal Tear | Bloodsucking Cracked Tear, Oil-Soaked Tear |
| Great Rune | Godrick's Great Rune |
Battlemage Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 100 |
| Focus | Intelligence |
| Main Stats | Intelligence |
| Other Stats | Mind, Vigor & Strength |
| Requires | 27 Intelligence, 20 Strength, 14 Dexterity |
| Weapon | Carian Glintstone Staff |
| Shield | Jellyfish Shield |
| Armor | Any that can med roll |
| Skills | Contagious Fury |
| Spells | Carian Slicer, Carian Greatsword, Carian Piercer, Glintstone Pebble, Loretta's Greatbow |
| Flasks | Mostly FP, some HP |
Black Blade Slicer Build
| Class | Confessor or Wretch |
|---|---|
| Main Stats | 60 vigor, 26 mind, 12 dex, 8 str, 18 faith, 16 arcane |
| Other Stats | 17 arcane, 46 faith, 34 strength |
| Requires | 46 Faith, 17 Arcane, 15 Dexterity, 12 Strength |
| Weapon | Black Knife, Maliketh's Black Blade, Serpent Bow ( Serpent Arrow ), Black Knife Tiche Ashes |
| Shield | Any but try Kite Shield |
| Armor | Any |
| Spells | Swarm of Flies, Frozen Lightning Spear, Pest Threads, Scarlet Aeonia, Poison Mist, bloodboon, Bloodflame Talons, Black Blade |
| Flasks | As |
Summons
- Spirit Ashes allowed
- Co-op allowed, with a summoning pool near the Caelid Highway South Site of Grace
Drops
Defeating it grants 38,000 runes.
| Name | Image |
|---|---|
| Dragon Heart | 
|
Notes
- Defeating Ekzykes unlocks Ekzykes's Decay at the Cathedral of Dragon Communion.
- Its head takes much more damage than the rest of its body.
- Anti-dragon effects work on Ekzykes.
All Bosses
The table below lists all Bosses in Elden Ring.