You’ve probably spent hours wandering the jagged, ghost-filled cliffs of the Jagged Peak in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. It’s brutal. Between the lightning strikes and the drakes that seem to have infinite poise, it’s a lot to handle. But if you’ve been paying attention to the Dragon Communion lore, you know there’s a specific item that changes everything for dragon-cult builds: the Priestess Heart.
It isn’t just some random collectible. It's a transformation item.
Honestly, the first time I saw someone turn into a humanoid dragon, I thought it was a mod. It isn’t. By using this heart, you shed your armor—literally, you have to be naked—and take on the form of an ancient dragon priestess. It’s weird, kinda gross if you look too closely at the skin texture, and incredibly powerful if you're running the right spells.
Where the Priestess Heart Comes From
You can’t just find this in a chest. You have to earn it through a questline that most people find pretty tragic. It involves the Dragon Communion Priestess at the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion. She’s sitting there, stone-still, bathed in the red glow of a giant, dead dragon.
To get the Priestess Heart, you basically have two paths, but only one gives you the heart immediately. You have to follow the quest involving Bayle the Dread. If you talk to her, she asks you to ingest a "Dragon's Blessing." Eventually, after you scale that nightmare of a mountain and kill Bayle—which is arguably the hardest fight in the DLC for many—you return to find her gone, leaving the heart behind.
Wait.
There's a catch. If you give her Thiollier’s Concoction during the night, the quest changes entirely. You get her as a Spirit Summon instead. If you want the transformation? Don't drug her. Just kill the dragon.
The Transformation Mechanics
Let's talk about what actually happens when you click "Use" on that item.
First, take off your clothes. All of them. The game won't let you use the heart if you're wearing a single piece of leather or glintstone-crusted robes. Once you use it, your character's model swaps to the Priestess form. You’ll look like a slender, grey-scaled humanoid.
This isn't just a cosmetic change. While in this form, you get a massive boost to all Dragon Cult incantations. We’re talking about the red lightning. Fortissax’s Lightning Spear, Death Lightning, and the standard Lightning Strike all get a 15% damage buff.
But there’s a secondary effect people miss.
If you use the Priestess Heart again while already transformed, you let out a silent pulse. For about 60 seconds, your Dragon Cult spells get an even higher boost. It’s a temporary steroid for your lightning. If you’re built for Faith, you’re suddenly hitting like a literal god. The downside? You have zero physical damage negation from armor. You are a glass cannon in the truest sense. One hit from a boss like Messmer will probably send you straight back to the Grace.
Comparing the Hearts
A lot of players get confused because there are actually two hearts in the DLC. There’s the Priestess Heart and the Rock Heart.
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They look similar. They do similar things. But they serve different masters. The Rock Heart is for the "Dragon Communion" spells—the ones where you summon a giant dragon head to breathe fire or rot. The Priestess Heart is strictly for the "Dragon Cult" spells—the lightning.
- Priestess Heart: Boosts Lightning (Red and Yellow).
- Rock Heart: Boosts Dragon Breaths (Magma, Borealis, Agheel).
If you mix them up, you’re wasting your time.
Is the Lack of Armor Worth It?
This is the big debate on Reddit and in the Discord servers. Is a 15-20% damage boost worth having 0 poise and 0 physical defense?
In the base game, maybe not. In Shadow of the Erdtree, where everything kills you in two hits anyway? Yeah, it might be.
Since the Scadutree Fragments provide a flat percentage of damage negation, you aren't actually at "zero" defense if you've collected enough fragments. You can still reach about 40-50% negation through fragments and talismans alone. Combine the heart with the Dragoncrest Shield Talisman +2 and the Blue Feathered Branchsword, and you've got a build that can actually survive a hit while looking like a draconian zealot.
The real value is in the "Flowerstone Gavel." This is the weapon the Priestess drops along with the heart. Its weapon art, "Flowerstone Bolt," reduces the enemy’s lightning resistance.
So, the loop is: Transform -> Use Gavel Skill -> Spam Ancient Dragons' Lightning Strike.
The damage numbers are stupid. It’s one of the few ways to "melt" bosses in the DLC without relying on Bleed or Frostbite. I’ve seen some players hitting for over 15,000 damage on large-body bosses like the Furnace Golems or Bayle himself using this exact setup.
Technical Nuances You Should Know
The transformation lasts until you die. You don't have to keep reapplying the heart unless you want the temporary 60-second buff.
This is great for exploration because you don't have to worry about your "buff" running out mid-dungeon. However, you can't "un-transform" without dying or resting at a Site of Grace. This can be annoying if you suddenly decide you want to put your armor back on to handle a specific hallway filled with snipers.
Also, the Priestess form has surprisingly high resistances to certain status effects. Your resistance to Death Blight and Madness actually goes up. It makes sense lore-wise, considering you’re becoming something more than human, something closer to the ancient dragons who existed before the Erdtree.
Common Misconceptions
People think the heart scales with Arcane. It doesn't.
The Priestess Heart buffs are flat percentages. While Dragon Communion spells usually require Arcane, the Dragon Cult lightning spells are almost purely Faith-based. If you're building around the Priestess form, stop putting points into Arcane unless you’re just hitting minimum requirements for a specific weapon. Pour everything into Faith.
Another mistake? Forgetting the roar.
The transformation animation itself has a small knockback. It won't save you from a boss, but it can push away those annoying shadow dogs or imps if you’re cornered.
Actionable Build Steps
To make the most of this, you need a very specific loadout. Don't just pop the heart and hope for the best.
- Get the Gravel Stone Seal: This is the only seal that naturally buffs Dragon Cult spells. If you’re in New Game Plus, dual-wield two of them. The buffs stack.
- Equip the Lightning Scorpion Charm: You're already naked, so the increased damage taken from this talisman doesn't hurt as much as it usually would. The 12% lightning damage boost is mandatory.
- Use the Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear: Put this in your Flask of Wondrous Physick.
- Godfrey Icon: Most of the best lightning spells can be charged. This talisman boosts those charged versions by another 15%.
When you layer all of this—the Priestess Heart, the Gravel Stone Seal, the Scorpion Charm, and the Physick—your red lightning will delete almost anything in the game.
It’s a high-skill, high-reward playstyle. You have to get used to the "light roll" distance, which is significantly further than the medium roll most players use. It changes how you space yourself against bosses. You're faster, but you're fragile.
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If you're tired of the same old "heavy armor and a big sword" gameplay, getting the heart is the best thing you can do. It feels like playing a different game. It turns Elden Ring into a high-stakes dance where one mistake means death, but one successful cast means total annihilation of your enemy.
Go to the Jagged Peak. Find the Priestess. Kill the dragon. Become the dragon. Just remember to watch your health bar, because the ancient dragons weren't known for their ability to take a punch once their scales were gone.