Dragon
Dragon
Dragons are the great winged predators of Britannia — wise, ancient, and tremendously powerful, the iconic apex creatures of the realm since launch in 1997. The classic red Dragon roams the depths of Destard, the Fire Temple, and a dozen other dark places; its kin span a wide bestiary, from the modest Drake to the colossal Greater Dragon, the spectral Skeletal Dragon, and the noble Serpentine Dragon. Some are tameable companions, others lethal opponents only the most prepared adventurers should engage. All carry the same iron rule: their hoards are guarded with absolute ferocity, and the would-be looter dies far more often from his own greed than from the dragon's wrath.
Lore of Dragons
Dragons are a wise and ancient race. They are terrible indeed in their anger, but they are neither cruel nor rapacious in their own nature. Any who says otherwise speaks not the truth. It is true that dragons, like all other creatures of free will, have the power to choose, and that some, succumbing to malice or madness, have descended in wrath on helpless humans, and been put down in consequence. When a man dies beneath a dragon's claws, however, it is far more often the case that he has succumbed to his own greed, and gone foolishly seeking to rob the dragon of his fabled hoard.
The blood of dragons is also coveted, for it is potent in the creation of magical spells. The potent magicks intrinsic to the draconian physiology are amply shown in their ability to fly adroitly, though their weight is many hundred stone, and in their ability to belch forth mighty streams of consuming flame. No other creature is as terrible in war as the dragon.
Jointly, dragons dwell in caves and in dungeons, untroubled in their might by the evil creatures who may dwell therein also, and they guard their hoards and their eggs with all ferocity. Solitary beasts roam the surface, wherein they seek their sustenance. Their natural lifespans are measured in millennia, and they never stop growing, so that the wisest and most ancient of dragons are also behemoths of vastness unequaled.
The Dragon
The standard red Dragon is the entry point to the family — itself far from a casual fight. Dragons attack on sight, hit hard in melee, breathe fire at range, and cast Magery spells from the First through Seventh circles (excluding the summoning and area effect spells, but including Mass Curse). They auto-dispel summoned creatures, so Blade Spirits and Energy Vortices are useless against them. They have a tremendous pool of hit points and high resists; a tamer who manages the 93.9 Animal Taming threshold gains one of the most dangerous pet companions in the realm.
Combat Profile
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Points | 478 – 495 |
| Strength | 796 – 825 |
| Dexterity | 86 – 105 |
| Stamina | 86 – 105 |
| Intelligence | 436 – 475 |
| Mana | 436 – 475 |
| Base Damage | 16 – 22, 100% Physical |
| Wrestling | 90.1 – 92.5 |
| Tactics | 97.6 – 100.0 |
| Magic Resist | 99.1 – 100.0 |
| Magery | 30.1 – 40.0 |
| Evaluating Intelligence | 30.1 – 40.0 |
| Detecting Hidden | 75 |
| Special Attack | Fire Breath, Magery |
| Speed | Medium |
| Body Type | 59 |
Resistances
| Element | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Physical | 55 | 65 |
| Fire | 60 | 70 |
| Cold | 30 | 40 |
| Poison | 25 | 35 |
| Energy | 35 | 45 |
Reputation
| Fame | 15,000 (Level 5) |
| Karma | −15,000 (Level 5) |
| Alignment | Evil |
| Slayer Vulnerability | Reptile, Dragon |
Loot and Carving
A felled Dragon yields:
- Gold: 1,000 – 1,200
- Gems: 8
- Magic Items: standard drop
- Special: Level 4 Treasure Map
- From the corpse (carving): 19 Raw Ribs, 20 Barbed Hides, 7 Red Dragon Scales, 7 Yellow Dragon Scales, 8 Dragon's Blood
The hides and scales are reagent-class crafting materials in their own right — Tailors prize Barbed Leather for high-end armour, while Dragon Scales are the base for Dragon Scale Armor (also tailoring) and a number of imbuing recipes. Dragon Blood is consumed in several alchemy and Tinkering recipes.
Spawn Locations
- Cold Blood Champion Spawn
- Covetous Level 5
- Destard Level 1
- Fire Temple
- Ki-Rin Passage
- Montor
- Terathan Keep Underground
- Valor Jungle
- Wind
Taming a Dragon
A Dragon requires 93.9 Animal Taming and 93.9 Animal Lore to begin attempts; control demands four Pet Slots, leaving most tamers with only one Dragon at a time. The reward is a pet that out-damages most creatures in the realm and casts Sixth Circle Magery on its targets.
A first-year Veteran Reward turns the slain dragon into a Dragon Statuette — a deeded house decoration. Tamers who lose a Dragon to PvP or accident can console themselves: the statuette persists.
The Dragon's Kin
Britannia hosts a wide variety of dragon-family creatures, ranging from the Swamp Dragon (mountable but feeble) to the Ancient Wyrm (one of the strongest spawns in the game). The table below summarises every named dragon-kin variant.
| Variant | HP | Fame | Karma | Tameable | Taming | Slots | Damage | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake | ~155 | 5,500 | −5,500 | yes | 84.3 | 2 | 11–17 | Dragon Breath |
| Wyvern | ~? | 4,000 | −4,000 | no | — | — | 8–19 | poison strike |
| Swamp Dragon | 121 | 2,000 | −2,000 | yes | 93.9 | 1 | 3–4 | mountable |
| Frost Drake | 258 | — | — | yes | — | 2 | 17–25 | Cold Wind |
| Crimson Dragon | 258 | — | — | no | — | — | 13–15 | Dragon Breath |
| Cold Drake | 495 | — | — | yes | — | 3 | 17–20 | Dragon Breath |
| White Wyrm | 455 | 18,000 | −18,000 | yes | 97 | 3 | 17–25 | Magery |
| Bane Dragon | 648 | 18,000 | −18,000 | yes | 107.1 | 3 | — | Magery |
| Dragon | 487 | 15,000 | −15,000 | yes | 93.9 | 4 | 16–22 | Fire Breath, Magery |
| Serpentine Dragon | 480 | 15,000 | +15,000 | yes | 108 | 3 | 5–12 | Dragon Breath, Magery |
| Skeletal Dragon | 564 | 22,500 | −22,500 | no | — | — | 29–35 | Dragon Breath, Magery, Necromancy |
| Shadow Wyrm | 597 | 22,500 | −22,500 | yes | — | 5 | 29–35 | Dragon Breath, Magery, Necromancy |
| Reptalon | 927 | 20,000 | −20,000 | yes | 101.1 | 2 | 21–28 | Dragon Breath, Paralyze, Paralyzing Blow |
| Ancient Wyrm | 1,474 | 22,500 | −22,500 | no | — | — | 29–35 | Dragon Breath, Magery |
| Greater Dragon | 1,819 | 22,000 | −15,000 | yes | 104.7 | 4 | 24–33 | Bleed, Dragon Breath, Magery |
Notable Variants in Detail
Drake — the youngest and most common dragon-kin, found in dungeon shallows and overland in Destard and Compassion Glacier. Two pet slots, modest damage, the easiest dragon to tame.
Swamp Dragon — a unique low-tier dragon: small, weak, and the only mountable dragon in the game. Equipped with optional barding for added resists, it is a common transport choice for newer players who prefer dragon flair to a horse.
White Wyrm — pale serpentine kin from Ice Level 1; one of the early-game tamer's prestige mounts before access to the Greater Dragon.
Bane Dragon — a Lost Lands Desert spawn associated with the Bane Chosen story arc. Three pet slots and Magery casting make it a useful step between the Drake and the Greater Dragon for less experienced tamers.
Greater Dragon — the apex tameable dragon. Spawns alongside ordinary Dragons in the Cold Blood Champion Spawn, Destard, the Fire Temple, and Ki-Rin Passage. With 1,819 hit points, 24–33 damage, and the rare Bleed special, it is the dragon of choice for experienced tamers who can afford the four control slots.
Ancient Wyrm — untameable, found in the deepest dragon strongholds (Destard Level 3, Volcanic Lair, Wyrm Mountain, Wyrm's Lair). At 22,500 fame and karma it is among the most prestigious solo kills in classic Britannia.
Skeletal Dragon and Shadow Wyrm — the undead dragons. Both are Necromancy casters in addition to Dragon Breath and Magery. Skeletal Dragons spawn in Doom and the Ratman Mine; Shadow Wyrms in Destard Level 2.
Serpentine Dragon — the unique good-aligned dragon: positive karma, gentler classification, found in the Forest Lord Champion Spawn and the Serpentine Passage. The only dragon that does not lower a tamer's karma when fought alongside.
Reptalon — a hybrid dragon-raptor from the Labyrinth, distinguished by its Paralyze and Paralyzing Blow specials.
Crimson Dragon and Cold Drake — special drops from named events and Treasure Maps respectively. The Cold Drake is the tameable reward for completing high-level Trammel and Felucca treasure maps; the Crimson Dragon descends from a Stratics-era event.
Special Attacks
Dragon Breath
The signature ranged attack of the family. The dragon exhales a cone of flame that strikes for substantial Fire damage, scaled by the dragon's strength. Most dragons breathe Fire; some — the Cold Drake, Frost Drake, and a handful of variants — breathe Cold instead. The breath has a several-second cooldown and is normally used at the start of an engagement and after melee disengagements.
Magery
The standard Dragon casts spells from First through Seventh circles, omitting summons and most area-effect spells. Notably, Dragons do cast Mass Curse — a meaningful debuff in extended fights. Greater Dragons, Skeletal Dragons, Ancient Wyrms, and Shadow Wyrms cast more aggressively and at higher tiers.
Bleed
Unique to Greater Dragons: a melee-triggered effect that causes the target to bleed hit points over several seconds even after retreating. Stacks with the dragon's substantial direct damage.
Auto-Dispel
Every dragon-kin reflexively dispels summoned creatures within range. Blade Spirits, Energy Vortices, and Summoned Daemons cannot be used as fodder against a dragon — they are dismissed instantly. Combat strategy must work around this: real pets, real characters, or direct damage are the only viable approaches.
Combat Strategy
Dragons reward methodical play. Their resists are uneven — Cold and Poison are notably lower than Physical and Fire — so a Cold-damage weapon or Poison Field exploits the gaps. Their Magery is interruptible by sustained damage, but their auto-dispel forecloses the easier "drop a Vortex and run" strategies.
A solo mage relies on Energy Bolt or Explosion + Flamestrike chains, kiting the Fire Breath, and tank pets. A solo dexer brings a Dragon Slayer weapon (the most efficient damage type against any dragon variant), Spell Channeling for self-heals, and a healer pet or Veterinary skill. A small group with one tamer, one mage, and one healer disposes of standard Dragons in seconds.
Trivia
- Dragons have been in Ultima Online since the very first day in 1997 — the firstseen tag in the Codex's data is "1997: Day One" for both the Dragon and the Greater Dragon.
- The Dragon's body type (graphic 59) was reused by every later dragon variant; differentiation is by colour and by stat block, not by sprite.
- Dragons are the only creatures that receive an in-world poetic introduction in the official manual ("Dragons are a wise and ancient race…"). The lore passage above is the canonical Britannian view.
- A Dragon is one of the few creatures in the game that is Unloreable — Animal Lore can identify it but yields a fixed information set rather than the creature's actual current values.