Key Takeaway
The best place to farm Dragon Scales is the Valley of the Drakes.
The Blue Drakes in this location all have a 5% chance of dropping a Dragon Scale.
Dragon weapons need Dragon Scales to be upgraded in Dark Souls (understandably). Sources for scales are easy to find but they are still challenging to obtain, as the sources in question fight back fiercely. You’ll need to defeat a bunch of draconic foes for a good haul!
Table Of Contents
Farm the Blue Drakes in the Valley of the Drakes
The easiest way to farm Dragon Scales in Dark Souls is to kill the Blue Drakes in the Valley of the Drakes. This area is fairly accessible very early in the game. In fact, you can even access it the moment you begin exploring Firelink Shrine as long as you choose the Master Key as your Starting Gift.
From the Firelink Shrine bonfire, take the staircase nearby to head downward. Keep traveling down until you reach New Londo Ruins. As soon as you do, make a right and enter the structure here. Press forward and you’ll eventually reach the Valley of the Drakes.
If you don’t have the Master Key, you can get to the Valley of the Drakes after you find and enter Blighttown. You can get to the valley by heading up from the water wheel close to the bonfire at the bottom of Blighttown.
Once you finally make it to the Valley of the Drakes, start slaying dragons! Each Blue Drake in the Valley of the Drakes has a 5% chance of dropping a Dragon Scale. On top of that, the Undead Dragon in this area is guaranteed to drop one.
Kill All Hydras and Dragons
All the Hydras and Undead Dragons you find in Dark Souls drop one Dragon Scale, except for the Black Hydra in Ash Lake, which drops two. That said, here’s where to find every Hydra and Undead Dragon:
- Painted World of Ariamis – This Undead Dragon is on the bridge that leads to Crossbreed Priscilla.
- The Valley of the Drakes – An Undead Dragon is found along the cliffs—you can’t miss it.
- Darkroot Basin – There’s a Hydra in the lake at the bottom of Darkroot Basin.
- Ash Lake – You’ll easily spot the Black Hydra as soon as you arrive at Ash Lake’s central area.
WarningVagrants Sometimes Drop Dragon Scales
Vagrants also have a chance of dropping Dragon Scales in Dark Souls. These crab-looking creatures appear in every area of the game except for Firelink Shrine and the Valley of the Drakes. Despite that, this is an incredibly unreliable method of farming.
There are various types of Vagrants in Dark Souls. The Vagrants that have a chance of dropping Dragon Scales are Red Good Vagrants. However, they run away and disappear as soon as they spot you—like a Crystal Lizard would.
For “deep lore reasons,” Vagrants don’t spawn like any other enemy. How they appear in your game world is fairly complicated. However, to summarize the process, Vagrants appear in your world when another player in their game world dies, leaves a considerable amount of Humanity, and dies again before picking it up.
That said, when you do come across a Red Good Vagrant, kill it as quickly as you can. However, don’t expect to see them when you actively seek them out, as they are very rare.
What Are Dragon Scales Used For
The main use of Dragon Scales in Dark Souls is to upgrade Dragon weapons. There are only a handful of Dragon weapons in the game, which makes it reasonable that Dragon Scales are not as abundant as other upgrade materials.
The weapons in the game that can be upgraded with Dragon Scales are:
- Dragon Bone Fist
- Dragon Greatsword
- Dragon King Greataxe
- Dragon Tooth
- Drake Sword
- Moonlight Greatsword
- Priscilla’s Dagger
- Obsidian Greatsword
If you’re looking for a great early-game weapon, consider getting the Drake Sword. With that said, it’s not very useful beyond the first few areas, as its damage output does not scale well when upgraded—no pun intended.
On top of upgrading the weapons listed above, Dragon Scales are also used to increase your rank in the Path of the Dragon covenant.
Whatever type of weapon you’re using in Dark Souls, it serves you greatly to upgrade it to its maximum level. Getting through the Tomb of the Giants and reaching the hellish Lost Izalith require you to be as strong as possible. That said, if your go-to armament is a Dragon weapon, be sure to collect these scales to prepare yourself better for the challenges to come.
