Well this will hopefully be my first of many posts on defeating the dragons strewn about in Theadas. After much pain and suffering I finally was able to defeat this big baddie and I'll tell you how.
Obviously to start off, this is by no means the best or fastest way to defeat this Dragon, however it was done, completely inside the game limits. So if this helps anyone nab their first dragon kill then I will be happy and feel like I helped out my fellow Inquisitor.
Some disclaimers, I play on Nightmare, with Friendly Fire turned off, because I dont like to break keyboards. So this is not the hardest the game will ever be, but its pretty close. I also play on PC, so sorry console users, if I name a button or a command that you dont have, please just use your brain and deciepher it. Im not about "PC Master Race" I did play both DA:O and DA2 on Console before DA:I. I also do not EVER use tac cam, and not just because its terrible on PC, but I never have. The closest thing to that is what I call the Tactical Pause. I will occasionally pause the game to issue a command to a party member, mostly this is used for Tonic and Grenade use.
Party Composition
Myself (Level 14) - Archer Rogue w/ Poisoned Weapons and Archery Talents. I am a Tempest however I actually havent put any points into it yet (I know I'm terrible)
Cassandra (Level 13) - Sword and Board Warrior w/ Full Vangaurd and Sword and Shield Talents. Nothing into Templar yet.
Dorian (Level 13) - Mage w/ Full Spirit and a smattering of Lightning/Necormancy Talents.
Solas (Level 13) - Mage w/ Full Spirit and some Lightning/Frost Talents
This is by no means meant to be an optimal party composition, again, this is how I did it and I hope it will help others out in their quest. If interested I will reply with actual Talent builds should people want it.
Combat (Phase 1) - Run like Hell
Spoiler
When you first meet the Dragon north of Dusklight Camp, youll notice a tower behind him and some foliage surrounding the area. In addition to the Dragon, some Dragonlings will be present and even though their level states 12, I found them much easier than another level 12 counterpart. However do not be distracted, the reason the title of this phase is Run like Hell, is because thats what you do. At least 2 deaths happened over the course of my playthrough by trying to get the beast to land and fight me.
When you enter the area, and the Dragon flies off, just, Run like Hell. Ignore any other monsters, ignore loot, just RUN. After passing the small tower structure in the middle of this area you will notice a small pond, with another "Tunnel"/"Overhang" just beyond it. Once you reach this pond, the Dragon will stop shooting fireballs of death at you and fly past this area to the next. Simply clean up any remaining Dragonlings that followed you, top off, and get ready for the showdown.
If done perfectly, you wont need to heal at all, if you are me, youll have to use either a potion or two, or a regen. Also this intermission was a very good point to build some Guard on Cass, trust me she (or whoever your tank is) will need it very soon.
Combat (Phase 2) - Fire is Bad, even Friendly Fire
Spoiler
Now that we have healed up, killed some Dragon babies we walk through the tunnel and meet the Dragon again, this time he (probably she actually) is waiting for you in a nice open area. When seeing this the first time I literally facepalmed at my deaths during the aforementioned Run like Hell phase, because its very clear this is where we are meant to fight.
Step 1 Inquisitors, get into melee AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, it doesn't have to be you, but your tank should move as fast as possible towards the dragon. If you do not, those lovely fireballs of death will start to decimate your party in very short order. Once a character is in melee combat, the Dragon will cease to shoot fire balls, but gains three new features: Melee attacks, Fire Breath, and what I can only call Wing Beat
Using my party, Cass made it in to melee in very short order which was good, and the rest of use took up positions where the mages could hit Cass with Barrier, without being in melee range. Was actually one of the proudest moments of DA:I's AI I'm sure. After a bit of tank and spank, the Dragon Fire Breath was actually not a terrible issue, UNLESS it caught one of the mages. Even then, barrier was more than enough to keep them up, and the Damage over Time element of the breath is not long enough to worry.
Now here is where the issue started, Wing Beat. This ability is the bane of squishy parties like my own. The Dragon will gain a circle around it looking like wind, and will pulse at a interval. Every pulse causes moderate damage to every individual in the party and attempts to drag you closer to the Dragon. The only way to avoid this ability, is to hide behind something, like a tree or a rock. However in the battlefield this fight is taking place in, there are very few, if any options to avoid this attack. As a Rogue with decent health, I could take every pulse with no barrier, however my mage friends required barriers to survive. Even at perfect timing the mages will still take 1 or 2 hits from this ability. This is where the regen pots came in handy, since the main focus was not on the mages, and amazingly they were using barrier properly, they were easily able to be full health before the next Wing Beat ability went off. Once or twice one of the squishies would die due to bad positioning after the Wing Beat and getting smacked by a Fire Breath or Melee attack. But with 2 mages, both having revive, this wasnt the worst thing to ever happen.
Now the reason this phase is named such, this is a FIRE Dragon, therefore any abilities or damage types that are fire based, he will be immune to. I know this seems like common sense, but it needed to be said.
Rinse repeat above until 75%, then we enter the next phase.
Combat (Phase 3) - Run like Hell, AGAIN
Spoiler
Yep you guessed it, at 75% the dragon will leap into the air and attempt to rain fire down upon you. As a non tac cam user, my best strategy was to spam the disengage command, and run around attempting to dodge fireballs. After 1 or 2 fireballs, the dragon will land, but not in the middle position. So lets take a moment here to descirbe our battelfield.
On the left and the right of the Dragon as you enter the field, there are inaccessible plateaus, during his flight phase, after she drops a couple fireballs, she will land on one of these locations. When she does, you should move the whole party to just below the edge of these locations. There is a slight ledge in which you can all take cover and not get any more fireballs. Treat this as another small intermission, heal grenades work wonders during this time as your party is all together and relatively safe. Again, just as in the original Run like Hell phase, make sure you hit the Disengage command so your party follows you to the safe area.
After a brief pause, the Dragon will leap off of the plateau and land back in the middle of the field.
Combat (Phase 4) - Rinse and Repeat
Spoiler
There is actually 0 change in the fight at this time, if you need the strategy for it, see Phase 2 - Fire is Bad, even Friendly Fire. Damage the Dragon down to 50% and we can progress to the next phase.
Combat (Phase 5) - Run like Hell, but Hide Fast
Spoiler
During this phase we use the same basic concept as the previous Run like Hell phase, with one exception. Now when the Dragon lands she will perform a Scream attack. This attack will stun the entire party for a few seconds, so that means it is very important to be hidden under the ledge when she does this. If you are not quite quick enough to hide, the Dragon will lob a fireball directly at your face and you will be unable to dodge it. This is obviously bad.
Additionally, the Dragon appears to do more than just the stun with her scream. Youll notice at this time that between 2 and 3 smaller Dragonlings will spawn and attempt to pick off the party members. The Dragonlings themselves pose little threat, use your Damage Dealing character to take them down first. If they are still alive when progresing into the next phase, continue to kill them until it is just you and the big Dragon again. After a brief time, the Dragon will leap down into the middle again and we progress to the last phase where she is in the middle, halfway there Inquisitor!
Combat (Phase 6) - Rinse and Repeat, after Dealing with the Babies
Spoiler
Again, there is not change in her abilities for this phase, however it is very important that you kill the smaller Dragonlings before focusing on her. We dont want them alive when we move on to the last phases of this fight. Damage her down to 25% and we can move on. I.E. See Phase 2 - Fire is Bad, even Friendly Fire.
Combat (Phase 7) - Run like Hell, for the last time!
Spoiler
At 25%, the Dragon will yet again leap into the air and rain fire from the sky. Nothing changes in this phase except the fact that we know where she is going to land this time. Behind her as you entered the arena, there is a medium sized hill that actually has a path to the top. after her fireballs are spent, she will fly to this location (North for those of you directionally challenged) and land. She will still perform the Scream ability, however if we are safely at the bottom of the hill, there is no need to worry about it. It will still spawn adds, but if you are fast enough, you can actually get up the hill without engaging them. As they spawn somewhat far away from your location.
Now before we enter the last phase this is important, try to not all run up the hill at the same time. The area up on top is much smaller than what we have been fighting in, so its going to be a bit more cramped, also there is only one path to her, and it creates a natrual choke point. It very well might happen that all 4 party member run up the hill into a Breath attack, and I dont want to hear about anyones TV/Monitors being shattered over this. You have been warned.
Combat (Phase 8) - The Final Showdown
Spoiler
The dragon after being bloodied and beaten is not very happy, she lands and sits quite close to the entrance of the hill, so be careful. If possible have the Tank turn her away from the entrance while the rest of your party positions themselves. I used gratuitous pausing here to make sure that people werent going to die for no reason. Little tip however, the area behind her on the hill is much more spacious than the entrance, if possible, try and get your ranged characters around her and into that area. It will save you much headache.
Essentially though, the Dragon is the same in this phase as any other ground phase. If you can survive the attacks you win! The only difference is the space in which you have to work with. Take your time and do it right. Also, enjoy your loot! As a level 14 Inquisitor I was pretty happy with the drops I recieved off this, my first Dragon kill.
Map - For those interested
Spoiler
Archer Rogue Tips
Spoiler
For those of you like me who want some tips specifically for Archers on this fight, Welcome! Couple of things to note:
1. Long Shot is your BEST Friend. More specifically, the upgraded version. While mostly useles in other fights, I found it invaluable in this one due to the multi hit box feature of Dragons. An example would be aiming at the head while standing behind the beast, or aiming at the far leg while on the sides. It caused me to push the phases much faster and use less resources in doing so.
2. Explosive Shot is not worth it. Fire Dragon + Fire Damage dont mix. Dont use it. The only reason I ever hit that button was to slow down the Dragonlings during those phases. Otherwise it was a useless talent.
3. Poisoned Weapons are mediocre. The damage dealt to the Dragon by the poison is not a whole lot, however if you have the upgrade you should still use it on CD to gain the damage bonus. I personally have 2 rings to increase the duration time by 60% total, so for about 80% of the damage phases, I had the increased damage. Your mileage may vary.
Conclusion
While I have attempted only one other dragon in the world (Crestwood) I can say as a Dragon Age fan, thank you boiware. This was a truly enjoyable fight, with phases, tactics and death. It finally made fighting a Dragon worth my time in the Dragon Age game. I hope to continue the experience and kill even more in the future.
For those of you interested, if this type of post suits your fancy, I can update them with all of the other Dragons I plan on killing in the future. If not, I'll probably do it anyway, because hopefully somebody out there needed this information and help and I am happy to provide. Sorry about the no TL;DR version, I'm not even sure that could exist in something like this.
Please feel free to ask any questions or provide any feedback. Once again this may not be optimal, but it's how I personally beat it. As always, your mileage may vary. Thanks!
Also, to give props where props is due. The portion of the map is borrowed from game-maps.com/DAI. Excellent source of information as well for those interested.
Here's how I defeated a dragon in Hinterlands and three others after it - soloed it with Knight Enchanter build. No struggles with dumb companions AI and controls. It was quite boring too, because they all use the same attack pattern and are quite the HP sponges. It's more a battle of attrition than anything else.
I just defeated the dragon on level 10. in 1 hour --
Uses terrain to guard the party from fireball, then attack with mages.
Put all AI off and placed my DW rogue inquisitor in a safe distance, ready to cloak and run when things went fubar.
It's a matter of patience once I get the spot to hide from its fireball.
Interesting, I didn't realize there was a spot to hide from said fireball. Seems like good information! What difficulty are you playing on and what party comp? I noticed you mentioned that you have AI turned off, does that mean you play in tac mode mostly? OR does everyone just auto attack till you need them to do something? For my own curiosity of course .
I will be attempting this dragon finally tomorrow. I went out of my way to prepare for it and am only lvl. 12-13 for my party but let us hope it goes well. I already got smoked by him once, but this time I am ready!
Good guide, also. I am surprised you could automate their barrier usage. I find they tend to waste it if I don't do it myself.
I will be attempting this dragon finally tomorrow. I went out of my way to prepare for it and am only lvl. 12-13 for my party but let us hope it goes well. I already got smoked by him once, but this time I am ready!
Good guide, also. I am surprised you could automate their barrier usage. I find they tend to waste it if I don't do it myself.
Thanks and good luck!
I think it may have something to do with the way I have my tactics setup. I used both mages on "Defend:Cassandra" and Solas has preference on defensive spells, while Dorian has preference on Offensive spells, with the defensive ones still active. Maybe its just my feeling, but it seems to line up in most fights where at least one of them will have it available when we need it.
Interesting, I didn't realize there was a spot to hide from said fireball. Seems like good information! What difficulty are you playing on and what party comp? I noticed you mentioned that you have AI turned off, does that mean you play in tac mode mostly? OR does everyone just auto attack till you need them to do something? For my own curiosity of course .
Diff: Hard,
Party: DW Rogue, Varric, Viviene, Solas.
Man, I can never play in tactical mode. It's just next to useless.
Turned AI off doesn't mean everyone will stop attacking. Just issue the order once and they will mindlessly attack.
There is this cliff near the port where I use to hide from the fire ball. The dragon will prefer to blast fireballs from below and I can hit him easily from above.
On 25% (or less) HP, the dragon will fly to this cliff. And I changed the spot to the road slightly below.
Generally, as long as you and your party are in a melee range, you are pretty much unkillable.
I went into Nightmare mode (solo as well) just to try myself out, i find that despite the difficulty, end up killing the dragon in the end
Here's one of my fight with a dragon in Nightmare mode
Generally, as long as you and your party are in a melee range, you are pretty much unkillable.
I went into Nightmare mode (solo as well) just to try myself out, i find that despite the difficulty, end up killing the dragon in the end
Here's one of my fight with a dragon in Nightmare mode
You are soloing with KE. That's pretty much unkillable.
Not to be a damp squib, but literally every dragon is soloable as any mage spec, so long as you have a staff which is not resisted by the dragon.
On Nightmare. Alone. At any level. Obviously some level restrictions will prevent you from getting to the dragon, but so long as you can see a dragon, a mage can solo it. The AI is so bad and since staves have infinite range, you can simply auto-attack them from beyond their range of recognition. They just sit there growling stupidly, and won't even attack.
I discovered this on the Ferelden Frostback in the Hinterlands at level 3. It took about 40 minutes just keeping R held and literally nothing else. No movement, no dodging, no line of sight to avoid anything.
I tried honestly to beat it but lost everyone except Cassandra. Kept trying to res the rest of the party to take care of the adds while I took the dragon on myself until it flew it up the ledge where I had it practically to myself the whole time. Shield Wall is boss. That one battle has made me want to roll a shield and sword warrior. I've already put 40+ hours into my mage though and so probably will just stick it through.
Not to be a damp squib, but literally every dragon is soloable as any mage spec, so long as you have a staff which is not resisted by the dragon.
On Nightmare. Alone. At any level. Obviously some level restrictions will prevent you from getting to the dragon, but so long as you can see a dragon, a mage can solo it. The AI is so bad and since staves have infinite range, you can simply auto-attack them from beyond their range of recognition. They just sit there growling stupidly, and won't even attack.
I discovered this on the Ferelden Frostback in the Hinterlands at level 3. It took about 40 minutes just keeping R held and literally nothing else. No movement, no dodging, no line of sight to avoid anything.
FYI, this also works with a ranged Archer, but hey, I like to play the game . If you want to cheese it I'm not really gonna stop you, but that's not really the point of this thread. It's intention is to help people beat it who may be struggling. What I will say is this, my sense of accomplishment after beating this beastie was very high. The feels were strong.
Not to be a damp squib, but literally every dragon is soloable as any mage spec, so long as you have a staff which is not resisted by the dragon.
On Nightmare. Alone. At any level. Obviously some level restrictions will prevent you from getting to the dragon, but so long as you can see a dragon, a mage can solo it. The AI is so bad and since staves have infinite range, you can simply auto-attack them from beyond their range of recognition. They just sit there growling stupidly, and won't even attack.
I discovered this on the Ferelden Frostback in the Hinterlands at level 3. It took about 40 minutes just keeping R held and literally nothing else. No movement, no dodging, no line of sight to avoid anything.
This is true but I think it was for those who wanted to attempt to defeat the dragon without abusing AI exploits(Of which there are quite a few).
It is quite a lot more fun and a fair bit more satisfying to defeat it that way.
Not to be a damp squib, but literally every dragon is soloable as any mage spec, so long as you have a staff which is not resisted by the dragon.
On Nightmare. Alone. At any level. Obviously some level restrictions will prevent you from getting to the dragon, but so long as you can see a dragon, a mage can solo it. The AI is so bad and since staves have infinite range, you can simply auto-attack them from beyond their range of recognition. They just sit there growling stupidly, and won't even attack.
I discovered this on the Ferelden Frostback in the Hinterlands at level 3. It took about 40 minutes just keeping R held and literally nothing else. No movement, no dodging, no line of sight to avoid anything.
Yeah, i have to agree with that, Knight Enchanter have it really easy ._. I started another playthrough as a thief, I went for a more tactical approach, which was far more satisfying
FYI, this also works with a ranged Archer, but hey, I like to play the game . If you want to cheese it I'm not really gonna stop you, but that's not really the point of this thread. It's intention is to help people beat it who may be struggling. What I will say is this, my sense of accomplishment after beating this beastie was very high. The feels were strong.
Tell me about it, when i finally figure out the fighting patterns of the dragon (after around 7 to 8 death on the first one) i felt so heroic, slaying the dragon to save Hinterland. xD
This is true but I think it was for those who wanted to attempt to defeat the dragon without abusing AI exploits(Of which there are quite a few).
It is quite a lot more fun and a fair bit more satisfying to defeat it that way.
Oh, what AI exploits are there? Sounds interesting, haha
my lvl 12-13 rogues and mages could never survive the "wing beat" at all, with barrier sure, but without? 2-3 pulses = dead
did they have protection gear on? whats the element if so?
at lvl 16 is when I was able to beat this dragon, then it was more survivable the wing attack but honestly its the easiest attack to avoid, and line of sight is NOT the only way to avoid it, being within the aoe range (mid-close range) nullifies the attack.
in fact I found a neat trick about it, if you keep going in and out with a high mobility character, you can make the dragon use the attack more, he will be stuck in the animation while using it and not causing any dmg or doing any sprint attacks at all, which was a huge help.
my lvl 12-13 rogues and mages could never survive the "wing beat" at all, with barrier sure, but without? 2-3 pulses = dead
did they have protection gear on? whats the element if so?
at lvl 16 is when I was able to beat this dragon, then it was more survivable the wing attack but honestly its the easiest attack to avoid, and line of sight is NOT the only way to avoid it, being within the aoe range (mid-close range) nullifies the attack.
in fact I found a neat trick about it, if you keep going in and out with a high mobility character, you can make the dragon use the attack more, he will be stuck in the animation while using it and not causing any dmg or doing any sprint attacks at all, which was a huge help.
2 things, 1 you can actually completely avoid the damage in 2 ways, but either running up into melee, the inside circle I talked about is actually a safe area or getting behind cover. 2, yes this is nightmare, I'll always play my DA games on that difficulty. Patience and tenacity are the key mate.
Also no, no "Protection gear" as you called it but my party is always well equipped, I am doing a psuedo completionist run so I have very good gear. The Astrariums (sp?) give phat loot for just doing puzzles. I'm very much a fan.
my lvl 12-13 rogues and mages could never survive the "wing beat" at all, with barrier sure, but without? 2-3 pulses = dead
did they have protection gear on? whats the element if so?
at lvl 16 is when I was able to beat this dragon, then it was more survivable the wing attack but honestly its the easiest attack to avoid, and line of sight is NOT the only way to avoid it, being within the aoe range (mid-close range) nullifies the attack.
in fact I found a neat trick about it, if you keep going in and out with a high mobility character, you can make the dragon use the attack more, he will be stuck in the animation while using it and not causing any dmg or doing any sprint attacks at all, which was a huge help.
The wing beat is a pain in the ass, but as long as you stay within the circle around the dragon while it vacuums the party towards the center, there should be no damage dealt to you. I manage only to survive most wing beat by blinking into the circle itself or by just using invincible skills like Fade Cloak.
But general rule of thumb, I think attacking in melee range and from the sides is the safest.
lv13 Assassin Inq, lv12 Blackwall, Madame de Fer, Horned butch (got level-up during the fight from dragonlings). On hard.
As it should be fought, no cheesing with broken OP builds or AI bugging. Main tank should target the Frostback itself (it's head), not any of his appendexes otherwise it'll maneuver constantly making you have to maneuver your dps constantly. Stick to it's flanks and within melee range to avoid wing-buffet damage, run around in barrier during flight-bombing phases, pull dragonling aggro with IB when they pop mid fight, if dragon is on the perch, go under it to kill the adds. Tactical cam all the way and keep maneuvering your dps when the dragon moves around / jumps to change spot.
Retour en haut
.
. If you want to cheese it I'm not really gonna stop you, but that's not really the point of this thread. It's intention is to help people beat it who may be struggling. What I will say is this, my sense of accomplishment after beating this beastie was very high. The feels were strong.
