Highland Ravager

Highland Ravager
Rank	Boss
Location	Emprise Du Lion
Quests	Breeding Grounds Dragon Hunter
Affiliation	Dragons
Appearances	Dragon Age: Inquisition Heroes of Dragon Age

The Highland Ravager is one of the eleven high dragons encountered in Dragon Age: Inquisition. It can be found in the east area of Emprise du Lion, in the northernmost ring, called Leontine's Ring, accessed via a small cave on the west side of the ring. To access the area requires completing the Restore Judicael's Crossing war table scouting operation.

Note: It is recommended to pick up the quest Breeding Grounds before going after the Highland Ravager, as the quest cannot be started if one of the 3 dragons involved has been killed before obtaining it.

Background

In contrast to other High Dragons, the Highland Ravager can be surprisingly social, occasionally willing to share her territory with other High Dragons. Ravagers are known for their especially disastrous rampages, in which they consume entire herds and incinerate whole settlements, which increase in destructive enthusiasm if the Ravager is sharing her territory, possibly akin to "showing off to one's peers" or a way of establishing dominance.

Stats

Level 23 Boss

286187 HP (Normal) / 311541 HP (Nightmare difficulty)

72 Armor

Greater Fire Resistance

Cold Vulnerability

Immunity: All Disabling Effects

Immunity: Slowed

Perceptive

Strategy

• The Highland Ravager is the second highest level of the eleven dragons that count towards the Dragon Hunter quest. It has many abilities, including the many dragonlings she summons towards the end of the battle, and the relatively small area in which the battle is fought, which limits the party's movement.
• The Highland Ravager breathes fire, dealing fire damage. It is therefore resistant to fire damage, but vulnerable to cold. Bringing Fire resistance potions is a must on higher difficulties, particularly for your tank. Regeneration potions can also help. Equip your mage or mages with an ice staff. Dragon-Slaying and ice runes can also help somewhat, but it's not required.

• The Highland Ravager will stay on the ground for the entirety of the fight, except for some small "jumps" to cover distance at times.

• Regularly, the Highland Ravager will generate a full Guard bar that you will have to wear down. Abilities that do extra damage against guard, such as upgraded shield bash will therefore help in this battle.
• The Highland Ravager has a unique Fire Mine ability which she will use regularly throughout the whole battle. You will see when the mines are coming when the Highland Ravager rises up on her back legs, and then slams her front legs to the ground, doing high damage and knocking down any party member close to her. All party members will then get an orange circle around the spot they are standing, and after about 3 seconds (she stomps again to trigger the mines), the area inside the circle will erupt in flames, doing high damage and knocking down any party members still standing inside it. As soon as you see the circles, move your party members out of it, in a direction away from other party members. Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll will help greatly with this.
• All dragons will often attack any party member close to her with melee attacks. She will signify a melee attack by raising the leg closest to the party member she will try to hit. Avoid it with Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll. Getting close to her tail will often make her raise her tail up and to the side in preparation to swipe the whole area behind her. A tail swipe is harder to avoid than an attack with her legs since it will cover a larger area, the best thing to do is to stay away from her tail.
• Every time the dragon lifts its wings high up over her body, she's about to use her "Maelstrom" ability, an ability all or nearly all dragons in the game have. She will flap her wings 4 times, and every time, she will suck your party closer to her and do high damage to them. The ability has an extremly long range so it's doubtful you can outrun it. There are 3 ways to deal with this ability:

1. With high enough dps you can just weather it, since you will see this ability no more than a couple of times. Nuke the dragon down, popping potions, although you will burn through them quickly.
2. You can hide behind obstacles. This can be difficult because of poor Ai pathfinding, AI unwillingness to stand where ordered even when "holding position", dragon constantly moving and destroying obstacles.
3. Lastly, and the best way, is to get into melee range inside the maelstrom circle. Inside it, you will take no damage. As soon as you see the dragon's wings rise high, use your Evade (Rogues) and Fade Step (Mages) to help get them inside the circle as fast as possible. Having your ranged party members stand not to far from the dragon at all times will help prepare for the maelstrom. Your melee companions will already be where they should. When the dragons stops flapping its wings, get your ranged party members out again quick, so they don't get hit by the dragons melee attacks.

• At half health, the Highland Ravager start to summon Dragonlings regularly for the rest of the battle. It will let out a loud scream and stun the whole party for 3–4 seconds. This will summon 2-3 Dragonlings to help it attack the party. The dragonlings will attack with both fireballs at range and melee attacks; killing them quickly is important as they can inflict a lot of damage. They can be frozen, panicked and put asleep. They have fire resistance like their mother, but not the "Greater " kind. The Dragonlings will enter the arena from the west path the party used to enter the arena.
• The Highland Ravager will also use its fireball ability if a party member that is not in melee range gets aggro. She will shoot a ball of fire in a straight line which will explode on the ground and set it aflame for a while. Any party member that walks over this, will get the "Burning" damage-over-time debuff. Sometimes she will jump away from the party intentionally to use this attack. Avoid this ability with Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll.

• The Highland Ravager has a Fire Breath ability that she will signify by raising her head back and up. She will then spray the ground in front and to the sides of her, trying to seek hitting any party members that are standing close enough. The breath will leave party members with the "Burning" damage-over-time debuff, as well as doing direct damage to them. Avoid this ability with Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll.
• Focusing your party's damage on the dragon's legs can make the dragon fall to the ground helplessly for a short while when you have sufficiently damaged all four legs. A dragon with a damaged leg will be bleeding severely. It will also show a "pain" animation and jump away if you have damaged a leg enough. Focus your damage on one leg at a time, after you see that leg start to bleed, change to another leg. When the dragon is lying on the ground, it is a very good time to use many of the party's ground-targeted focus abilities, such as the Inquisitor's Mark of the Rift, since you know the dragon will not move for a short while. Typically it will take a very long time to damage the dragon's legs enough for it to fall, often taking almost the whole battle for it to occur.

Rewards

• 20,412 XP plus 1,324 XP
• 3600 influence
• 7 power

Loot

• Duke's Mane
• Keeper Robe Schematic
• Superior Guard Belt
• Walking Death
• Masterwork Battlemage Armor
• Pure Dragon Blood (6-10)
• Dragon's Tooth (2-4)
• Dragon Webbing (14-20)
• Dragon Scales (15-20)
• Dragon Bone (14-20)

Gallery

Highland Ravager asleep

Highland Ravager in Heroes of Dragon Age