High dragon

High dragons are fully mature adult female dragons, one of the rarest types of dragon. At the end of the Blessed Age, many in Thedas believed that all of the dragons had vanished. . The return of dragons to Thedas, starting in the Frostback Mountains caused Divine Faustine II declared the next age to be that of the Dragon.^[1] The sight of a dragon's rise was thought to be a good omen for Loghain Mac Tir and his rebels, who went on to defeat the Orlesian army at the River Dane.^[2]

Behavior[edit | edit source]

High dragons hollow out massive lairs for themselves; as an abundance of space is needed to house their harem of drakes, raise their dragonling offspring, and shelter their eggs. Living for more than a thousand years, they are seldom seen and spend most of their time sleeping and mating, living off the prey produced by the drakes.

High dragons are extremely territorial and will typically attack anything on site that trespasses within its claimed vicinity. Even larger creatures such as giants will be attacked, as The Inquisitor witnessed Vinsomer's combat with a giant on the Storm Coast.

Once every hundred years or so, the high dragon prepares for clutching by emerging from her lair and taking wing. She will fly far and wide eating hundreds of animals, most often livestock, over the course of a few weeks and leaving a path of devastation in her wake. During this time entire villages and forests can be reduced to ash. She will then returns to her lair to lay her eggs and will not appear in the skies again for another century.^[3]^[4]

Involvement[edit | edit source]

There is one high dragon encounter in Origins, one in Awakening, one in Dragon Age II and ten in Inquisition.

The Abyssal High Dragon

The Urn of Sacred Ashes

Dragon Age: Origins[edit | edit source]

Mountain Top Dragon[edit | edit source]

The Warden is given the option to battle a high dragon during or any time after The Urn of Sacred Ashes quest. After optionally battling Kolgrim and emerging onto the Mountain Top, a short cutscene of a dragon flying above the Warden is seen. The Warden can summon the dragon by using Kolgrim's Horn pc, or by hitting the gong seen shortly after emerging on the Mountain Top ps3. A third option is to simply attack the dragon on her perch directly with some form of ranged attack. If the Warden decides to help Kolgrim and his followers, the party will not be able to confront the dragon until Kolgrim and his followers have been slain. To do so, speak with Kolgrim again and select the option stating he is too dangerous to be left alive. Afterwards, the horn can be looted and the gong can be interacted with to commence a confrontation.

See High dragon (strategy) for details on fighting this high dragon..

Dragon Age: Awakening[edit | edit source]

A high dragon is encountered near the entrance to Drake's Fall in the Dragonbone Wastes during the quest, Depths of Depravity.

Dragon Age II[edit | edit source]

A high dragon may be fought in the Bone Pit during the Act 3 quest Mine Massacre.

See Mine Massacre (strategy) for details on fighting this high dragon..

Dragon Age: Inquisition[edit | edit source]

There are a total of twelve high dragons found across Dragon Age: Inquisition and its DLCs. All twelve have greater resistance to the elemental damage they produce. This in turn can allow for strategic planning from the vulnerability of the opposite element: Fire breathers are vulnerable to cold, cold breathers to fire, and electricity breathers to spirit. Eleven of them count towards the Dragon Hunter collection, the twelfth, Ataashi, does not. Ataashi is also the only poison-based dragon.

Name	Location	Breath Element	Level
Fereldan Frostback	Hinterlands	Fire	12
Northern Hunter	Crestwood	Electricity	13
Abyssal High Dragon	Western Approach	Fire	14
Gamordan Stormrider	Exalted Plains	Electricity	15
Greater Mistral	Emerald Graves	Cold	17
Hivernal	Emprise du Lion	Cold	19
Vinsomer	Storm Coast	Electricity	19
Sandy Howler	Hissing Wastes	Fire	20
Kaltenzahn	Emprise du Lion	Cold	21
Highland Ravager	Emprise du Lion	Fire	23
Hakkon Wintersbreath	Frostback Basin	Cold	25
Ataashi	The Darvaarad	Poison	25

Corypheus' Red Lyrium Dragon is revealed to be a high dragon that has been corrupted by red lyrium and augmented by Corypheus's magic. It apparently works as a tribute to an Archdemon or Old God. The war table mission Learn More about Dragons reveals that all dragons possess a high resistance to the darkspawn taint though they are not immune. Ultimately the Inquisitor will slay this dragon at the end of the main quest Doom Upon All the World.
If the Inquisitor drinks from the Well of Sorrows, a high dragon named the Guardian of Mythal must be fought to complete the main quest The Final Piece. Afterwards, the dragon will side with the Inquisitor against Corypheus and will challenge the Red Lyrium Dragon. The Guardian of Mythal is killed during the final confrontation.
During the events of the Jaws of Hakkon DLC, Ameridan states that the Avvar god Hakkon was bound to the body of a high ice dragon frozen in time his prior efforts. The Inquisitor must then slay Hakkon Wintersbreath as Ameridan's magical hold over Hakkon is fading.
During the events of Trespasser, the Qunari tried to use poison extracted from the high dragon called Ataashi to destroy the Inquisition and all of the southern noble houses of Thedas. In order to stop them, the Inquisitor either kills the dragon or sets it free.

Other Dragon Age Appearances[edit | edit source]

A High Dragon is used to allow Avexis to control others of its kind by the Blood mage cult.
Several high dragons are used by Frenic and his followers in the attack on the Ten Year Gathering at the Grand Cathedral.
Another high dragon guards the Silent Grove in the Tellari Swamps and its mistress; Yavana.
Sten recounts how a mysterious Witch of the Wilds leads a simple dog handler to a cave where an ancient high dragon lays dying, after which the man slits the beast's throat and drinks its blood in order to gain its power.^[5]

Trivia[edit | edit source]

Some people and other entities take the form of a high dragon, though they are not truly dragons.
- In Origins, Flemeth will change into high dragon form to fight the Warden for her grimoire. Flemeth the Shapeshifter has details on fighting Flemeth.
- Flemeth uses her high dragon form to save Hawke, their family, and Aveline Vallen from a darkspawn ambush while they are attempting to flee from Lothering during the prologue to Dragon Age II. This high dragon form is unique compared to other high dragons, as it is larger in size, it has a dark red/purple tint, and has multiple spikes on her head.
- Archdemons take the form of corrupted high dragons.^[6]
- The Queen of the Blackmarsh is a ghost or spirit of a former high dragon that retained its shape in spectral form.
- In the Legacy DLC, Malvernis' final form is revealed as a spectre in the form of a high dragon.
- If Morrigan drinks from the Well of Sorrows she, just like Flemeth, will gain the ability to shapeshift into the form of a high dragon. She will then confront the Red Lyrium Dragon. Midway into the battle, Morrigan will be knocked unconscious rendering her and her dragon form unavailable.
The Cult of Andraste at Haven believed the high dragon located at the Mountain Top area is Andraste.