Dragons are a major part of the Dragon Age series, which is evident from the name of BioWare's franchise. From Dragon Age: Origins to Dragon Age: Inquisition, players can find everything from fire and cold-breathing creatures to more exotic variations like poison or spectral dragons. Such fights are manageable only for high-level characters and can take a while due to the dragons' strength. However, fighting dragons usually means substantial rewards.
Dragons in the Dragon Age series vary in appearance and elemental power. Determining the size of each dragon creature can be tricky. According to fan measurements, most high dragons in Dragon Age: Inquisition are around 18 to 21 meters long and 4 to 6 meters tall. These approximate measurements also hold true for both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, where dragons appear to be of a similar size when compared to character models. With that in mind, while we can't accurately rank the dragons by size on this list, we can consider the difficulty of each confrontation and the dragon's level. Generally, the harder the fight and the higher the dragon's level, the larger it is assumed to be.
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8 Fire High Dragon (Dragon Age: Origins)
Level 15
Dragon Age: Origins
One of the first high dragons players can encounter in the series is the large dragon found at the Mountain Top during the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest in Dragon Age: Origins. Some fans might also remember the lengthy 'Sacred Ashes' cinematic that essentially features this exact high dragon. This fight itself is mostly optional, as players can choose whether to awaken the sleeping creature or leave it be.
This classic fire-breathing high dragon has a standard appearance, with a long neck, narrow head and legs, and a pair of huge wings. It is a formidable opponent that can eliminate the entire party if players are not careful. During the fight, the dragon uses its tail and legs to attack those who try to hit it from behind, and takes occasional brief flights that give players time to heal and buff the party.
7 Fire High Dragon (Dragon Age 2)
Level 20
Dragon Age 2
- Released
- March 8, 2011
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The only high dragon encountered in Dragon Age 2 is found in the Bone Pit during the Mine Massacre quest. This fight is potentially one of the toughest and longest in the entire game. Apart from the dangerous dragon boss, there are plenty of other enemies the dragon will summon that players need to kill quickly during the encounter. It is vital to keep an eye on your healing potions to avoid running out before the fight is over.
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This huge unnamed high dragon behaves similarly to its counterpart from Origins, with faster movements and more varied attacks. To succeed, players will want to have some cold spells, weapons, or abilities in their arsenal. The creature's appearance is also quite similar to the design established in the first game, with a classy and elegant sharp silhouette, narrow jaws, and huge wings.
6 Archdemon Urthemiel (Dragon Age: Origins)
Level 22
Technically not a high dragon, but rather the draconic Old God manifested in the form of one, Archdemon Urthemiel is the main antagonist in Dragon Age: Origins, featuring a unique 'undead dragon' appearance with huge teeth. What makes it far more dangerous than any other dragon is its intelligence and its evil nature. Unlike other dragons, the Archdemon will not let the player leave when facing it; it will try to kill them on sight if they interfere with its master plan.
During the final battle, Archdemon Urthemiel uses all the attacks from a base fire high dragon's arsenal, in addition to several Darkspawn magic abilities and exclusive powerful attacks that can be hard to avoid. However, despite all the buildup for this standoff, for prepared players, it isn't the toughest fight against a dragon-like enemy in the series.
5 Red Lyrium Dragon (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Level 22
Dragon Age: Inquisition
A one-of-a-kind dragon on this list, the red lyrium dragon from Dragon Age: Inquisition is a high dragon corrupted by red lyrium and used by Corypheus and his army. This unique bond gives Corypheus near-complete control over the creature, resulting in its appearance at key points in the story to wreak havoc on the Inquisition and its allies. Contrary to some beliefs, it isn't another Archdemon, but a twisted version of a regular high dragon, with a terrifying 'undead skeleton' appearance, even more so than of Archdemon from Origins.
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Near the end of the game, players get a chance to finish off a weakened red lyrium dragon after it fights another huge dragon. The battle is still tough, as in addition to attacks borrowed from other high dragons, this enormous creature can use a powerful red lyrium-infused lightning attack.
4 The Highland Ravager (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Level 23
Dragon Age: Inquisition boasts the most dragon fights among the three games. Players can find and challenge about a dozen huge dragons of various levels, appearances, and types. The game is believed to have three distinct dragon models, with other variations being the dragon's color scheme. For example, the Highland Ravager features a model with a huge head and a pair of large vertical horns. This appearence is common among high dragons in Inquisition, including the first enormous Fereldan Frostback dragon found in the Hinterlands.
High dragons in Inquisition are tough and aggressive opponents, so players should prepare accordingly. With large health pools, devastating elemental attacks, and a tendency to fly away to change their position, these fights are both exciting and unpredictable. This is more than true for this clash with the high-level fire dragon found at Leontine's Ring in Emprise Du Lion.
3 Hakkon Wintersbreath (Jaws of Hakkon DLC)
Level 25
Hakkon Wintersbreath is one of the biggest and most dangerous high dragons that players can fight, found in the Frostback Basin in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC. Given how much more difficult the fights are in the DLC compared to the base game, Hakkon Wintersbreath can pose a significant challenge even to a well-equipped party. This cold dragon uses a hornless model with a unique color scheme, similar to other dragons in Inquisition, such as Kaltenzahn and Hivernal.
Another enormous dragon of comparable size, level, and danger in the game is Ataashi, encountered in the Trespasser DLC. Ataashi is a poison dragon captured by the Qunari, and players can choose either to kill her or free her to wreak havoc on her enemies.
2 Queen Of The Blackmarsh (Awakening DLC)
Level 28
While not exactly a high dragon anymore, but rather a spirit, the Queen of the Blackmarsh is a spectral dragon comparable to a large adult female dragon. Players can choose to fight it during the Lost Dragon Bones quest in Awakening. This unusual spectral form was created by a spell intended to banish the dragon's essence to the Fade, but the enchantment went awry, strengthening the bond between the spirit and the dragon's physical body.
The Queen of the Blackmarsh uses lightning breath attacks in addition to the usual dragon moves and has two different phases she switches to upon reaching certain HP thresholds. As one might expect, this dragon spirit looks the part, reminiscent of the glowing ghost dragons seen in other games.
1 Great Dragon
Have Not Appeared So Far — Will The Veilguard Change That?
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Released
- October 31, 2024
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Great dragons have yet to be seen in any Dragon Age game. The great dragon is the rarest and most ancient form of dragon in the Dragon Age series, said to be much larger than the high dragons encountered in the games. It is speculated that great dragons could be twice the size of high dragons, which would make them about 40 meters long and 10 meters tall, though this is just an assumption at this point.
There are few great dragons still in existence in Thedas, so players may finally face one in the upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard. According to lore, one such beast is known as the Queen of Dragons, currently alive and at large somewhere in Thedas. Another great dragon is believed to be sleeping within the Hall of Sleepers, and can only be awakened by the blood of the line of Calenhad Theirin.
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