High dragons are fully mature adult female dragons, one of the rarest of all dragonkin. At the end of the Blessed Age, many in Thedas believed that all the dragons had vanished until one went on a rampage in the Frostbacks. Divine Faustine II declared the next age to be the Dragon Age.[1] The sight of the dragon's rise was thought to be a good omen for Loghain Mac Tir and the rebels, who went on to defeat the Orlesian army at River Dane.[2]
Behavior 
Edit
High dragons hollow out massive lairs for themselves, for they need the space to house their harem of drakes as well as their eggs and the dragonlings. Living for more than a thousand years, they are seldom seen and spend most of their time sleeping and mating, living off the prey their drakes bring back.
High dragons are extremely territorial and will typically attack almost anything that trespasses near its lair. Even creatures as large and powerful as giants (and even other high dragons) must be cautious when a high dragon's lair is nearby.
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 smoldering devastation in her wake. During this time entire villages and forests can be reduced to ash, leaving hundreds dead or displaced. She then returns to her lair to lay her eggs and will not appear in the skies again for another century.[3][4]
Involvement Edit
There are two (optional) high dragon encounters in Origins and two in Awakening. Please see the relevant quests for details.
The Urn of Sacred Ashes
Flemeth's Real Grimoire
The Lost Dragon Bones
Depths of Depravity
Dragon Age: Origins Edit
Mountain Top Edit
- See High dragon (strategy) for details on defeating this high dragon.
Notably, this could be the dragon which the Dragon Age was named after since the dragon which rampaged in 8:99 Blessed was from the Frostback Mountains.
Abilities Edit
Breath
Buffet
Fire Spit
Grab
Massive Attack
Roar
Slap
Sweep
Loot Edit
Dragon Scale
Antivan Longbow
Deadhead Charge
Crow Dagger
Grandmaster Flame Rune
Heavy Infantry Helmet
Heavy Plate Armor x2
Heavy Plate Boots
Heavy Plate Gloves
Maetashear War Axe
Metal Kite Shield
Pure Bitch Braid
Qunari Siege Gauntlets
Storm Talons
The Long Sight
Secret Edit
- See Flemeth the Shapeshifter for details on defeating Flemeth.
Dragon Age: Awakening Edit
A third high dragon is encountered near the entrance to Drake's Fall in the Dragonbone Wastes. It has a chance of dropping minor random loot.
The Queen of the Blackmarsh is a spectral high dragon that can be encountered at Blackmarsh after completing the main quest of that area.
Dragon Age II Edit
- Flemeth uses her high dragon form to save Hawke, their family and Aveline Vallen when they were fleeing from Lothering (Act 1).
- A high dragon is fought in the Bone Pit during the quest Mine Massacre (Act 3).
- See Mine Massacre (strategy) for details on defeating this high dragon..
Dragon Age: Inquisition Edit
There are ten fixed place high dragons in Dragon Age: Inquisition plus an eleventh in Jaws of Hakkon. For all eleven of these dragons, they have greater resistance to their breath element and this also determines their vulnerability: Fire breathers are vulnerable to cold, cold breathers to fire, and electricity breathers to spirit.
| 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 |
See also Breeding Grounds and Dragon Hunter for related quests.
Other Dragon Age: Inquisition Appearances Edit
- Corypheus's 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. Additionally at the War table can be revealed that all Dragons possess a high resistance to the Darkspawn Taint though are not immune.[5].The Inquisitor kills the dragon at the end of the main storyline.
- If the Inquisitor drinks from the Well of Sorrows a high dragon named the Guardian of Mythal must be fought to complete The Final Piece. The dragon then battles Corypheus's dragon, but is killed during the fight.
- If Morrigan drinks from the Well of Sorrows she, just like Flemeth, gains the ability to shapeshift into a high dragon. She will battle with the Red lyrium dragon. In the middle of the battle she is knocked out for the remainder of the fight.
- During Jaws of Hakkon, the Avvar god Hakkon is revealed to have been bound to the body of a high ice dragon and frozen in time by the efforts of Inquisitor Ameridan. The Inquisitor must slay Hakkon Wintersbreath (level 25, breath element cold) when Ameridan's magic fails.
Other Dragon Age Appearances Edit
- A High Dragon is used to allow Avexis to control others of its kind by the Blood mage cult.
- Several High Dragon 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.
Trivia Edit
- The Archdemons take the form of corrupted high dragons.[6]
- The Cult of Andraste at Haven believed the high dragon located at the Mountain Top area is Andraste.
- To become a true Reaver a ritual must be done using dragon blood, although, wyvern blood may be used to unlock the Reaver powers, as possibly done with the Warden.
- In Dragon Age II, Flemeth's high dragon form is unique compared to other high dragons, being of a larger size with a dark red/purple tint, and having many spikes on her head.
Gallery Edit
