Ferelden Frostback at level 4 as ANY MAGE.
Playing as a KE and taking down bosses is just as cheesy-faceroll of a strat as just exploiting the awful AI.
I did neither use any cheesy strategy, like abusing range, or be a KE.
Just an average of 15-30 minutes of pure tactical playstyle on nightmare. 
For lightening dragons, the electricity circles that are applied to individual party members can be removed with dispel.
Yes, this is a good tip. Make sure you wait until the large circle fully forms though. If you jump the gun you waste the spell.
Yeah. I killed the Ferelden Frotback on my mage, and recorded it.
That **** took 25 minutes! Felt so good when I won!
What makes it intersting is the idiotic AI. Early on the fight I had a double facepalm moment:
Dragon flaps wings, I get everybody close taking no damage.
- Solas Fade Step out of the ring into damage.
- Solas runs back in, stepping into fire.
- As the wing stops, both Solas and Varric get hit by tail swipe.
- They both run through fire afterwards.
Luckily I have denied both Solas and Varric from drinking potions. I'll revive them If I find them worthy of it.
I definitely lol'd at this. It is essentially how my dragon fights go too. 
Same culprits too, haha. I just let them all stay dead for the dragon in the Exalted Plains and basically did 2/3 of the fight with my main character (who is the tank). I'm playing on Normal though, so I'm not bragging, just mentioning the shenanigans.
There was this one bit, during my first playthrough as a two-handed warrior, where I accidentally wound up on Vinsomer's island on the Storm Coast, and decided to try my luck anyway. Vinsomer was Level 19, I was level 16 (and most of my party was Level 15 or thereabouts; Cass might've been 16, but I don't remember).
Needless to say, this was the hardest dragon fight of the entire game for me, but it was also hands-down the most rewarding and exhilerating. Because it could basically two-shot everyone but Cass (whose AI cleverness and survivability as the Resident Tank has yet to be equaled by any other companion, even Blackwall with full Champion), I needed to rely far more on reading patterns and using Block and Strike (or whatever it's called; the Two-Handed counterattack that can be upgraded to build guard). Varric and Solas died so often, I almost ran out of health potions before I decided to save the last two for Trevelyan and Cass. So it was just us, frantically hacking and slashing away while trying not to get wiped by a single kick or spew of lightening, and it only got worse the longer it went on and the closer we got to killing it, because we would loose even more time and progress if we wiped further in. But, somehow, we managed to kill it. It was probably the most momentous, exhilerating experience of the game for me, and all other dragons seemed like child's play by comparison. Especially because, after the Vinsomer, I knew exactly what to do as a Two-Hander to safely beat them with minimal risk to myself. And that was before I even GOT the Reaver specialization, at which point the game became a self-destructive-Clawed-Fist-of-Vengeful-Holy-Fury-of-Pwnage affair, and nothing was ever fair for any enemy, ever again.
I also stayed up to three in the morning killing Vinsomer in this case. I'd meant to go to sleep over half an hour earlier, but as the fight went far better than I expected it to at the outset, and transformed into an incredible tale of triumph as it went on, I couldn't walk away.
So, yeah. Maybe try and tackle something the game says you're not ready for once in a while. You can sometimes beat it, and come out far better/wiser for it in the end.
Ferelden Frostback is one of the toughest dragons early on because she constantly calls for reinforcements throughout the whole battle. Ironic since it's one of the first dragons you will face.
The key is researching the dragons ahead of time to learn their resistances and have the proper elemental resistant gear for your party. And to have a specific "dragon slaying crew" party set-up specifically for dragons. For my first play through it was Cassandra for her whole-party guard focus skill, Iron Bull for lol reasons (and having that second tank is nice), Vivienne for barrier spamming and myself as a dps rift mage with the occasional barrier help when needed.
A note on elemental resistances: if you do the shrine quest in the Oasis, each door pathway nets you permanent resistances for fire, ice and spirit. This is invaluable for your dragon fights. Not sure if those resistances just apply to whoever is in your party as you go through the doors or all of your companions though.
It took me a while to figure out that being within meele range during the wing attack nets 0 damage. That wing attack would kill me more often than the elemental attacks.
The electrical damage based dragons are also annoying because they are most vulnerable to spirit attacks and there are few weapons/spells that provide spirit damage.
I'll also note that when I take Vivienne to a fight, I have to make her spirit blade inactive on the AI. I always hear KE is OP as well, but apparently that is only when you are controlling the class yourself. If you leave Vivienne to her own devices, she tends to get herself killed.
A note on elemental resistances: if you do the shrine quest in the Oasis, each door pathway nets you permanent resistances for fire, ice and spirit. This is invaluable for your dragon fights. Not sure if those resistances just apply to whoever is in your party as you go through the doors or all of your companions though.
On that note, is it possible to figure out what element each dragon is before fighting it?
I know that for some, it's easy: the Hinterlands dragon is in a valley full of burning stuff, for example. But IIRC one of the Emprise dragons is fire also, and there's no hint about this before you actually meet it.
Yeah, I know you can always reload afterwards, and it doesn't matter as much on 2nd playthroughs, but it would be nice if it wasn't necessary.
http://www.idigitalt...g-thedas-397372
tells you the locations, the element of the dragon, their weakness, and their total hp.
To be fare part of the reasons DR are so powerfull is dagger drops are so much better than other weapons. At least in the two playthoughs I have done.
For instance in my DR palythough I have two daggers doing over 300 damage each and found serveral in the 200. The highest damage other weapon I have found is arond 150 (bow - bought in skyhold) -180 (2H).
To balance that hearvy armour drops seem to be much better than other armour. For instance my DR's formal outfit has better armour than any medium armour found or makable.
The best daggers do have the highest DPS (the highest I've found/made is 340 + rune). Bows can get fairly high though - my archer is using a bow at 245dps. And an archer can fire non-stop throughout the fight and has higher burst damage alongside better survivability. Archer also needs less skills to be at their most effective (important because for some daft reason there's only 8 slots). Archers can 1-shot non-elite baddies on Nightmare (or close enough to) and for bosses and elites, Mark of Death -> Full Draw -> Hidden Blades will kill 95% of them instantly also.
On the flip side, if you can keep them in the battle (which is possible if you play tactically and manage all of your party members), the pure dps of the DW is pretty crazy. If you can't keep them stabbing or using abilities for >80% of the fight though, archers are better.
On topic: once you learn how to kill dragons, you should be able to take them out once you get your specialization. It can be done before that (at level 10ish), but it's very tough. Once you have your specialization and focus abilities, killing dragons becomes a hell of a lot easier. I'm in my second playthrough (as a Mage - KE, which is not as powerful as my DW/archer - multiple re-specs there) and have killed I my 3rd dragon and leveled up to 15 after that fight. Hinterlands, Crestwood and Storm Coast (the one I just killed and by far the toughest, but not that tough).
vs the Storm Coast dragon I used Cole, Sera, Bull (running as sword and board, not as good as Blackwall or Cass, but I didn't take him anywhere last playthrough) and Inky (Mage KE). Opening of the fight was Cole: MoD, Sera: Full Draw, 1000 cuts.
A few tips:
- Have your tank attack the dragons head, she seems to move less that way.
- Have your rogue attack a back leg, of course from behind.
- When the dragon lifts her leg, she will try to kick you, so move out to the side.
- When she turns her head all the way back, she will do a tail swipe, so run out.
- Do your research on each dragons elemental resistance and vulnerability, and switch staves and spell tactics pre-fight.
- When she flies up, keep an eye on her, and be ready to move out when she fires a fire/frost/electric ball.
- When she lands, have your tank meet her as quickly as possible, so she stops throwing balls.
- For lightning dragons, when you see a lighting circle at your feet, spread out so that the circles do not intersect.
Thanks, this sounds useful to anticipate the dragon's movements,
For lightening dragons, the electricity circles that are applied to individual party members can be removed with dispel.
Ah, great, I wish I knew that before. Between this and killing the fade rift daemons before they even appear, it looks like dispel is one of the most useful spells in the game.
http://www.idigitalt...g-thedas-397372
tells you the locations, the element of the dragon, their weakness, and their total hp.
This should make things a hell of a lot easier. Feels a bit like cheating, though. But I would have probably come close to learn this and re-load, so I guess checking the list is just saving time in the end.
Any level after 10 Dragon's can be defeat on Nightmare.
Tank having defensive talents that generate their armour quickly, like unbowed, warcry, wearing a good set of armour.
Range to be close to the Dragon during the Dragon's wing bluff attack, when the Dragon draws the party towards it, having active Barrier's ready for this attack, or having some regen potions if late and the party takes damage. Moving any range away from head and tail, flanking from the sides. Move them far enough away from indirect attacks.
Don't group up, have barriers ready for aerial phases otherwise the Dragon's range attack can one shot.
Make sure that any weapon enchants actually do damage to the Dragon. No point in taking an Ice mage to an ice dragon
Tank attacking the head is nonsense, the head is a manual target, often in the air, preventing melee tank attacks. However If upon attacking the legs the Dragon topples, stunned, and is then killed off quickly.
Rogue attacking the back legs and watch the tail one shots them
Thanks everyone for your advice. I came back at level 14, after getting the Assasin specialization, and it was WAY easier. MOD is great to fight big enemies.
I got rid of the dragon with Sera and Dorian (trying to get them away from the circle as much as possible) and Blackwall tanking. And BTW, Blackwall seems to be a better tank than Cassandra, since those passives in the "Champion" skill tree give him so much guard/armor bonus. I don't think he was lower than 80% health at any point (and no potions on him, and he revived Dorian and Sera at one point).
This should make things a hell of a lot easier. Feels a bit like cheating, though. But I would have probably come close to learn this and re-load, so I guess checking the list is just saving time in the end.
You can see all of this information in tactical mode from relative safety.
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