Dragon Hearts are the currency of Dragon Communion: you trade them at a dragon altar for breath and claw incantations. Each one comes from killing a dragon, and they never respawn in the same playthrough. This guide lists every dragon that drops a heart, how many you get, and what each incantation costs, so you can plan what to buy before you spend them.
| Hearts in the base game | 23 |
| Hearts needed for every base incantation | 20 |
| Biggest single source | Elder Dragon Greyoll, 5 hearts |
| First heart | Flying Dragon Agheel, Limgrave |
| Where to spend them | Church of Dragon Communion (Limgrave), Cathedral of Dragon Communion (Caelid), Grand Altar of Dragon Communion (DLC) |
| Can you sell them? | No |
| Farmable? | No, dragons stay dead until the next New Game+ cycle |
All Dragon Heart locations in the base game
| Dragon | Where | Hearts |
|---|---|---|
| Flying Dragon Agheel | Agheel Lake by the Dragon-Burnt Ruins, Limgrave | 1 |
| Glintstone Dragon Smarag | Liurnia, asleep next to the Academy Glintstone Key west of Raya Lucaria | 1 |
| Glintstone Dragon Adula | Three Sisters area in north-west Liurnia; flees to the Cathedral of Manus Celes after taking damage | 3 |
| Glintstone Dragons (3) | West of the Moonlight Altar, Liurnia | 1 each, 3 total |
| Magma Wyrm Makar | Boss of the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, northern Liurnia | 1 |
| Decaying Ekzykes | Southern Caelid, east of the Caelid Highway South grace | 1 |
| Magma Wyrm | Gael Tunnel, Caelid | 1 |
| Elder Dragon Greyoll | Dragonbarrow, near Fort Faroth, surrounded by smaller dragons | 5 |
| Flying Dragon Greyll | On the Farum Greatbridge, Dragonbarrow | 1 |
| Magma Wyrm | Lava lake beside the Seethewater Terminus, Mt. Gelmir | 1 |
| Magma Wyrm | Volcano Manor | 1 |
| Borealis the Freezing Fog | Frozen lake in the north-east of the Mountaintops of the Giants | 1 |
| Great Wyrm Theodorix | Frozen riverbed of the Consecrated Snowfield, near the Cave of the Forlorn | 3 |
Some big dragons give no heart at all. Dragonlord Placidusax and Lichdragon Fortissax drop Remembrances instead, so do not count them when you plan your purchases.
Dragon Hearts in Shadow of the Erdtree
| Dragon | Where | Hearts |
|---|---|---|
| Ghostflame Dragon | Gravesite Plain, west of the Greatbridge, North grace | 1 |
| Ghostflame Dragon | Scadu Altus, north of Fort Reprimand | 1 |
| Ghostflame Dragon | Cerulean Coast, south of the Cerulean Coast grace | 1 |
| Magma Wyrm | Dragon’s Pit | 1 |
These four are the DLC sources that every major wiki agrees on. Some guides also list the Jagged Peak Drakes as heart drops; we leave them out until the sources agree.
What to buy with Dragon Hearts
Named dragon incantations only appear after you kill that dragon. The basic ones are on sale from the start.
| Incantation | Hearts | Unlocked by |
|---|---|---|
| Dragonfire | 1 | Available from the start |
| Dragonclaw | 1 | Available from the start |
| Dragonmaw | 1 | Available from the start |
| Glintstone Breath | 1 | Cathedral, from the start |
| Rotten Breath | 1 | Cathedral, from the start |
| Dragonice | 1 | Cathedral, from the start |
| Magma Breath | 1 | Killing the Mt. Gelmir Magma Wyrm |
| Agheel’s Flame | 2 | Killing Flying Dragon Agheel |
| Smarag’s Glintstone Breath | 2 | Killing Glintstone Dragon Smarag |
| Ekzykes’s Decay | 2 | Killing Decaying Ekzykes |
| Borealis’s Mist | 2 | Killing Borealis the Freezing Fog |
| Theodorix’s Magma | 2 | Killing Great Wyrm Theodorix |
| Greyoll’s Roar | 3 | Killing Elder Dragon Greyoll |
| Ghostflame Breath (DLC) | 3 | Grand Altar of Dragon Communion |
Greyoll’s Roar is one of the seven Legendary Sorceries and Incantations, so save 3 hearts for it if you are hunting that trophy.
How to reach the Dragon Communion altars
- Church of Dragon Communion (Limgrave): go through the Coastal Cave in western Limgrave, beat its boss and leave by the far exit. Touch the church’s grace before you leave so you can fast travel back. It sells Dragonfire, Dragonclaw and Dragonmaw.
- Cathedral of Dragon Communion (Caelid): from Mistwood, follow the road south into Caelid and keep going south as it bends east. The cathedral stands in southern Caelid and sells the full base game list above.
- Grand Altar of Dragon Communion (Shadow of the Erdtree): the DLC altar, where you buy the new dragon incantations such as Ghostflame Breath.
Fastest route to your first 10 Dragon Hearts
- Agheel (1): ride around Agheel Lake in Limgrave until he lands. Fighting on Torrent makes this easy.
- Greyoll (5): go to Dragonbarrow early. Greyoll barely fights back, and a bleed weapon on her tail kills her quickly even at a low level.
- Ekzykes (1): on the way back through southern Caelid.
- Smarag (1): you have to pass him for the Academy Glintstone Key anyway.
- Makar (1) and the Gael Tunnel wyrm (1): both are dungeon bosses on common routes through Liurnia and Caelid.
Related: dragons drop a lot of runes too, so combine this route with our rune farming guide. To upgrade dragon-scaling weapons later, see the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone locations.
FAQ
How many Dragon Hearts are in Elden Ring?
23 in the base game. Buying every base game Dragon Communion incantation costs 20, so you have 3 to spare. Shadow of the Erdtree adds at least 4 more.
Can you farm Dragon Hearts?
No. Each dragon drops its hearts once per playthrough. You get them again only in New Game+.
Which dragon gives the most Dragon Hearts?
Elder Dragon Greyoll in Dragonbarrow, with 5. Glintstone Dragon Adula and Great Wyrm Theodorix give 3 each.
What is the best Dragon Communion incantation?
For most players it is either Dragonclaw for close range or one of the named breaths, such as Rotten Breath for scarlet rot. Check the stat needs first: most dragon incantations ask for both Faith and Arcane.
Source: dragons, heart counts and incantation costs checked against Fextralife’s Elden Ring wiki plus the Elden Ring wiki.gg and a third guide for the heart numbers. Where wikis disagreed (Jagged Peak Drakes), we left the item out.
Further reading: Dragon Heart on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.