For lovers of dark fantasy and action-RPG games, BioWare's 2015 Game of the Year winner Dragon Age: Inquisition offers a unique escape from the real world. Thanks to a few well-timed PC and PlayStation 4 game sales from EA and Origin, the full Game of the Year version of the popular RPG, which includes all DLC content, is now available for just $12 on PC and $10 on PS4, leading to an influx of new players. With announced Dragon Age 4 still some time away, fans and newcomers can explore the land and the lore before its release. Whether a player has just begun their first journey through Thedas or has spent hours exploring, the game changes each time and is always based on a player's choices. With Dragon Age: Inquisition's unique open-world style, players can choose to accomplish side quests in any order and at any time. Their experience becomes uniquely their own, making it extremely replayable.
Despite the initial barrage of demons spawning from Rifts and rebel Templars and Mage Apostates, as the name suggests, Dragon Age: Inquisition tosses players into several dragon battles, each with their own unique difficulties. Players may happen upon one such battle early in the game before they have enough power to do much more than put up a small fight against a dragon. As players advance the main story, increase their power, and add members to their party, the fight against dragons is more easily won. For beginners and old pros, here are some tips for a much smoother dragon battle.
Where to Encounter Dragons in Dragon Age: Inquisition
Ten high dragons appear throughout Thedas in Dragon Age: Inquisition and have powers in one of three possible elements: fire, ice, or electricity. The best way to counter these, as with certain Magical Barriers, is through the use of its magical opposite: for fire dragons, ice powers; for ice dragons, fire powers; and for electricity dragons, spirit powers.
The first dragon a player is likely to encounter will either be the Fereldan Frostback in the Hinterlands in Lady Shayna's Valley by Dusklight Camp and the World Map or with Corypheus in Haven during the In Your Heart Shall Burn main quest. The Hinterlands Dragon and its two Dragonlings are bosses to be defeated immediately, while Corypheus' Dragon cannot be battled until the end of the game and does not count as one of the ten dragons in Thedas.
It is not advisable to try to fight the Fereldan Frostback until a player has reached Level 12. In fact, it is not advisable to try and fight any dragon until at least Level 12, or they may make quick work of a player's party.
The other nine dragons can be found in the following places and should be fought at the following player skill levels:
- Crestwood near Three Trout Farm Camp and south of the dam: Northern Hunter (Level 13)
- Western Approach near Nazaire's Pass Camp in "The Wastes" (south of Nazaire's pass): Abyssal High Dragon (Level 14)
- Exalted Plains near Fens Camp in the Crow Fens in the far North-East: Gamordan Stormrider (Level 15)
- Emerald Graves near Din'an Hanin in the Southfinger Watch region: Greater Mistral (Level 17)
- Storm Coast just north of Driftwood Margin Camp by the beach, west of the Blades of Hessarian camp, or on Dragon Island: Vinsomer (Level 19)
- Emprise du Lion east in the first ring after the bridge: Hivernal (Level 19)
- Hissing Wastes north of The Cove Camp and near the Tomb of Fairel: Sandy Howler (Level 20)
- Emprise du Lion east in Judicael's Ring: The Kaltenzahn (Level 21)
- Emprise du Lion east in the northernmost ring called Leontine's Ring: The Highland Ravager (Level 23)
Suggested Party for Dragon Battles in Dragon Age: Inquisition
As with any other battle in Dragon Age: Inquisition, the suggested party build is left to player preference. Players most often choose one party member in each class, as their different skills, weapons, and armor can work well together against a single threat. This party style would include at least one Warrior, one Rogue, and one Mage (not counting the player's character).
Depending on the player's class and abilities (and weapon type), they may wish to choose a party companion of a different type. For example, a Rogue dual dagger player may wish to bring along a Rogue archer like Varric. Meanwhile, a Warrior player with weapon and shield may bring along another Warrior with a two-handed weapon, like Iron Bull. Still, this is a matter of preference.
It is also advisable to bring along at least one mage, though more may also help win the fight. All high dragons have a resistance and a weakness, often tied to magic abilities. As a bonus, mages with the Barrier Spirit ability can help protect the party. However, this is not required if members of a player's party have equipped their weapons with Runes.
Two potential companions, Blackwall and Cole, have powerful abilities a player can get for points that make it difficult if not impossible for an enemy to kill them, so there is a chance they would be good choices.
Some fans suggest bringing along a romanced character (with the exception of Cullen and Josephine, who are not companions), as this can sometimes help raise approval ratings with the romanced character and build their bond with the player's character. This tends to be truer for main story quests than specifically dragons, however.
Tips for Better Dragon Slaying in Dragon Age: Inquisition
There are some things a player can do to ensure a better fight with a dragon in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Players can use these tips for any of the high dragons in Thedas.
Do Research
Nothing beats preparation when it comes to battling dragons. Players should research the dragon, especially to find out what power they are resistant to, as that is the power they have. This can help them select the proper armor and weapons to best protect against dragon attacks and keep the party alive longer. If a player still has ability points, they can also select the attacks and special attack upgrades for mages that will most benefit a dragon fight.
Change the Difficulty Setting
This may be less popular among more seasoned players, but for those players just starting out or for those who want to play more for the narrative and less for the fights, players can change the difficulty setting at any time during the game, and it is possible for players to use every difficulty setting multiple times in one playthrough without penalty. The options are Casual, which uses the Easy AI; Normal, which uses the Moderate AI; Hard, which uses the Full AI; and Nightmare, which also uses the Full AI.
Players who want to do this should enter the Hero Menu and choose Settings, then select the difficulty setting they want to use. The Casual setting will make it somewhat easier to fight dragons (as well as easing the difficulty for other battles), and players who aren't interested in besting dragons can always switch to Casual for those fights and then switch back to their mode of choice.
Equip Runes
Runes are added to weapons in Dragon Age: Inquisition and can be obtained in several ways. Players can purchase them using the Buy/Sell option, earn them as rewards from war table missions or side quests, or craft them. When crafting or modifying weapons, once a player has made it to Skyhold and unlocked the Arcanist at the War Table, they can add runes for their weapons. Often these imbue the weapons with certain powers that can aid in slaying dragons.
The best runes for dragon fights are the Dragon Slaying Rune, Fire Rune (for high dragons with ice abilities), Ice Rune (for high dragons with fire abilities), and Spirit Rune (for high dragons with electricity abilities). While none of these can be added to armor, having weapons with runes equipped strengthens the force of each blow, which is important given dragons tend to have the highest HP numbers in the game.
Equip Resistance Tonics
Party members can protect themselves from the effects of a dragon's powers by equipping Resistance Tonics that guard against those specific powers. Players must obtain the recipe for each of these, which can then be crafted using specific ingredients. Initially, tonics provide 40% resistance against the effect for 120 seconds. Upgrading the tonic will add time or potency to this resistance. These are especially beneficial for the member of the party who attacks the dragon head-on, though everyone in the party can use them.
Position the Heaviest Hitter in Front of the Dragon
Dragon Age: Inquisition offers players a Tactical Camera to plan attacks and position party members. This ability becomes especially important when slaying a dragon, as certain positioning works best during a fight. The member of the party with the most brute strength and armor (the "tank") should always stay in front of the dragon. Frequently, this will be Iron Bull, who just so happens to love fighting dragons, but it can be any member of the party who can deliver the heaviest hits and withstand the hardest blows.
The other party members should remain at the dragon's flanks to attack from behind. This can take a bit more tactical positioning to accomplish, as other party members tend to move around to the front of the dragon on their own.
Keep the Party Close to the Dragon
Having the rest of the party, even the members with ranged attacks, attack the dragon from a distance is actually a bad idea, as it opens them up to attacks and prevents them from dealing the most possible damage. Players should keep their rogues and mages in particular near the tips of the dragon's wings to avoid direct attacks from the dragon's claws and tail.
Target Specific Areas of the Dragon First
Dragons have multiple attack zones, meaning it is difficult if not impossible to succeed when trying to attack the entire dragon. Party members at the dragon's flanks should aim for the legs, while the heaviest hitter should aim for the head.
Additionally, dragons may summon dragonlings when they become weakened by enough hits. One key tactical method to dealing with these is for the party members with ranged attacks (often archers and mages) to continue fighting the high dragon while the party members with close-range weapons take care of the dragonlings.
Remember to Revive Fallen Party Members
Because the dragons will fly, there will be opportunities to revive fallen party members safely. Players should wait for those opportunities and revive party members to ensure they continue to fight the dragon at full strength. Reviving will only give the party member a small amount of health, so they will need to use a healing potion immediately upon revival.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is available on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.