If there is something you can’t escape in Skyrim, then that would be an encounter with a scary dragon. You are bound to have one, so why afraid when you know, it will happen, one way or another. Dragons are also the most challenging aspect of Skyrim and being random, they have tendency to surprise you and some of the most unusual places.
The protagonist in Skyrim is Dragonborn, a dragon hunter in the making and main villain conveniently happens to be an elder dragon. Although you won’t face any of the dragons till the main quest “Dragon Rising”, there can be plenty of them waiting to pounce upon you, while you move through different areas in Skyrim.
Don’t be afraid of their size, they might be intimidating but you have powers and skills to take them down. For more help on Skyrim, read our Skill Books, Spell Books, and Standing Stones Locations guide.
How to Kill Dragons in Skyrim
There are a couple of points you need to keep in mind for your encounter with dragon:
- If you face a dragon that is not the part of main story, you can choose to fight or run away. Again, it will depend whether you want to fight or not. If you manage to defeat these dragons then most of the times, you will get something special from their dead remains. So the time you spend fighting them is well worth it.
- The most important weapon against the dragons are the Dragon Shouts. You will acquire or learn these powerful spells throughout the game till you defeat the last dragon. These shouts have different effects on dragons like fire-breathing, ice breathing etc.
- Dragons usually fly over you and use their ranged attacks. You can either force them to ground (using Dragon Shouts) or wait till they land.
- Your followers will be of great help as they will draw dragon’s attention towards them and fight alongside. You can use this time to attack the flying beast.
- Make sure you have some resistance potions and other related auxiliary items (against fire, ice etc) with you. It will increase your survival chances.
- Sometimes, you may have a situation where you can lure dragons to fight against other enemies. You can then pick enemies up from distance without any trouble.
If you want to slay more dragons for achievement, read our Dragon Hunting guide – it also contains several strategies you can use against different dragons.
