Gaping Dragon

The Gaping Dragon is an optional boss in Dark Souls.

Location
The Gaping Dragon is found in a large, open chamber in the Depths, near the gate to Blighttown.

Description
The Gaping Dragon has developed an additional pair of legs to sustain its large stomach and, even though it cannot fly, its four mangled wings are used to assist in high jumps. Its own ravenous gluttony also transformed its ribcage into a gigantic vertical maw that can inflict crushing bites and oozes acid, while its head regressed to a stubby proboscis to detect potential prey.

Lore
The Gaping Dragon is a distant descendant of the Everlasting Dragons, but its blind hunger somehow turned it into an abomination.

Summoning
It is possible to summon Solaire of Astora and Knight Lautrec of Carim, if the player had previously freed him and talked to him at Firelink Shrine. Solaire's summon sign can be found next to the stairs leading to the Fog Door, while Lautrec's can be found just behind the pillar, opposite to Solaire's.

Strategies

 * As a Dragon, it is very susceptible to Lightning.
 * Ranged attacks can prove useful, especially while the boss is performing a forward charge.
 * As long as care is taken with positioning, there is no need to block or dodge during the fight, making two-handed weapons an excellent choice for melee attacks.
 * The Gaping Dragon will become momentarily still after its charge attack; this time can be used to attack it safely. The charge always comes after a stomach slam, so use the slam as a signal to get close to its side/tail.
 * Hitting its head deals extra damage, but the head is only accessible right after a slam (and before a charge). More experienced players can shorten the fight considerably by hitting the head a couple of times right after the slam, and quickly getting out of the way before the charge starts. A hit to its head does approximately 3x as much damage as a hit to the body.
 * Below 50% health, the dragon gains a new attack (corroding ooze), that can reduce item and weapon durability, and even cause the player's equipment to break. It's important not to confuse this attack with the stomach slam (their animations start in a similar way).
 * The Gaping Dragon's tail can be cut off. The Dragon King Greataxe is the reward for doing this (and the tail swipe's range becomes extremely short, making the rest of the fight easier). If you are trying to get the axe, hit the middle (or end) of the tail; if you aim at the base of the tail (i.e., the "buttockal" area) it's possible to kill the dragon before the tail itself has taken enough damage.
 * A player phantom can offer ranged support and distract the Gaping Dragon from the balcony, if they don't enter the fog gate.
 * Locking on can make evading the Gaping Dragon's attacks harder, as it reduces the speed at which the player can move away from the boss.
 * Staying at the Gaping Dragon's side and attacking its legs, moving only when it begins to walk or fly, can result in an easy victory.

Right Punch
The Gaping Dragon performs a punch with its right arm. The attack has a short range and can be dodged by running to the left side of it.

Triple Stomp
The Gaping Dragon brings its leg up and quickly stomps three times in succession. The Gaping Dragon focuses this attack on the area in front of it.



Left Leg Swipe
The Gaping Dragon slowly brings its left leg up and then swing across its front. This attack covers a great range so it's best to run away or stick close the Dragon's right hand side.



Stomach Slam
The Gaping Dragon points its stomach in the air and then slams it into the ground with great force. The best option to avoid this attack is running directly away. The Gaping Dragon's teeth get stuck in the ground briefly after this attack, making it vulnerable to counter-attack.



Charge
The Gaping Dragon begins to charge in a straight line. Running to the side is the best way to avoid this attack. This attack is normally executed after a Stomach Slam.



Tail Whip
The Gaping Dragon swings its tail to one side of its body. This attack can be difficult to avoid but is best evaded by running to the enemy's front. Cutting off the tail will cause the reach of the attack to lower significantly, but it can still hit.



Jump
The Gaping Dragon will fly upwards for a brief moment and attempt to land on the player. When it is stuck or is being flanked it will trigger this move, which will result in the dragon turning itself around. Another form of this attack triggers when the player attacks from afar, after which the monster will try to land onto the player in a single bound. Both can be avoided by running away, however, the latter requires the player to focus more on timing.



Corroding Ooze
The Gaping Dragon points its stomach to the ground and after a brief delay, expels a liquid that covers a big portion of the area. This liquid will degrade equipment. Staying in it too long may cause all of the player's equipment to break.



Gorge
The Gaping Dragon grabs the player and then crunch with its vertical maw, inflicting tremendous physical damage.