Drake

"I must feed... slake my hunger!"

'''Drakes are an astoundingly hardy and powerful adversary, possessing many mighty physical attacks, the means of flight, and the ability to breathe Fire to roast their foes. All lesser dragonkin can seize control over the will of Pawns for a brief period and then use them against the Arisen. The Drake bears a glowing chest where its heart resides and serves as an exploitable weakness.'''

Description
The Red Drake is one of the smaller cousins of the titular Dragon in Dragon's Dogma. The Drake is one of the lesser dragonkin encountered in the game. The Drake will most likely be the first dragonkin encountered by the Arisen, as it is the only dragonkin to exist in Gransys prior to The Final Battle.

Drakes are similar to its cousins, the Wyrm and the Wyvern, bearing many of the same abilities and characteristics, however it is instead related to the Fire element. As such the Drake bears a natural weakness to Ice based attacks.

Defeating a Drake has a small chance of dragon forging the player's equipment, provided it has at least one level of enhancement.

Rewards

 * Killing the Drake gives a percentage chance of dragon forging equipment depending upon enhancement level of the equipped gear.
 * Even after the Drake dies, 2 Dragon horns (if not already dropped) from the head and a Dragon Alula from its back (where the wings intersect) can still be obtained from the Dragon's corpse if the Arisen continues to attack those areas before the Drake disintegrates. The pawns will declare  The horn is destroyed!  when a horn part drops, and declare  On solid ground, the advantage is ours  or  T'is grounded, master  when the Alula part drops from the wing area of the back. Up to 8 various Dragon parts can be extracted from the Drake in a single fight.
 * After a reload or retry the dragon's horns regenerate. This effectively means that after a save and reload more horns can be broken off allowing for multiple Dragon Horn drops in one fight.


 * Having all three dragon tears in your inventory guarantees the drake will drop a Wakestone (Post-Game Only and you must be in The Everfall.), and improves the chances of receiving the above drops.
 * The Drake's Tear item drop rate increases substantially in Post-Game.

Tactics (Offensive)
WARNING: When knocking it out of the sky by the main pathway, be careful how often attacks hit the Drake, especially as it gets up. It may decide to break the loop and come over onto the hill. A quick dash away from it without engaging will send it back to its grove but it is best not to risk it if the player's party are under-leveled for this fight.
 * The heart on the front of its chest is the weak spot. When the Drake is nearly dead the exposed heart MUST be struck by the Arisen in order to kill it.
 * Strong against Fire enchanted weapons and spells.
 * Weak against Ice elemental attacks by 150% (use High Frigor, Almace sword, Dragon's Glaze longbow, Chilling Razors, High Gicel, etc).
 * To increase the chance of successful debilitation, use multi-strike skills like Fivefold/Tenfold Flurry, Thousand Kisses, Brain Splitter, Corkscrew Arrow, Sheltered Assault, Cymbal Onslaught, or Great Windmill.
 * All vocations: Simply climb up to its heart and attack the heart (Thousand Kisses and the Assassin's Dire Gouge kill the quickest).
 * CLIMBING TIPS: When climbing the Drake, equip the augments Arm-Strength (for stamina), Opportunism (+30% strength), Adhesion (for grip), Dexterity (for climbing speed) with Gloves of Might (for even more grip and climbing speed) for best results. Bring stamina curatives (like Liquid Vims, Large Mushrooms, Kept Sour Ambrosial Meat or Giant Fish) as a backup, as climbing can quickly exhaust the stamina bar.
 * Assassins, Striders & Rangers : First, shooting the Drake with a Gold Rarefied Rusted Bow/Rusted Longbow will inflict the Drake with Torpor, slowing it down and make this fight much easier. You can then switch to another bow like Dragon's Glaze (Ice element imbued) and kill it in seconds since shooting its heart is easy in slow motion. Note that the higher the enhancement of the Rusted weapon, the higher the chance it will inflict Torpor with each strike. If attacking with Thousand Kisses from a standing position, use Instant Reset to interrupt and re-position when the Drake moves away.
 * Striders & Rangers: Fivefold Flurry or Tenfold Flurry combined with Blast Arrows make short work of this battle. Simply hitting the Drake's heart at close range with two of these attacks will make it drop and writhe in pain, allowing for further attacks. This can be done again as soon as it gets up, effectively stun-locking it and preventing it from retaliating, all while exposing its heart for more attacks.  The Ranger's Dragon's Glaze longbow is the ideal weapon for this technique.
 * Striders & Rangers : Mighty Bend or Deathly Arrow with an Ice enchanted bow will instantly cause the Drake to hit the ground. This can be pulled off every time the drake is using its fire attack or holding a pawn. In fact it's more important to inflict heavy damage in a single shot as opposed to doing multiple low damage hits if trying to take it out of the air.
 * Fighters: Consider using an enhanced Rusted Sword and/or shield to inflict Torpor (slow) on the Drake, then switch weapons mid-fight. (The higher the enhancement of the Rusted Sword, the higher the chance it will inflict Torpor with each strike). Then, spam Sheltered Assault and/or Dragon's Maw to the Drake's heart with an Ice enchanted sword (like Almace). Use the Proficiency, Endurance, and/or Potential Augments to stretch out the number of times the skill can be executed before being exhausted. Obviously, stamina curatives like Giant Fish, Staminal Drench, Mushroom Potage, Liquid Vim and Ambrosial Meat can help.  The Drake's charge attack can be Perfect Blocked in order to stagger it.
 * Warriors: Indomitable Lash can make short work of a downed Drake, more so if the Warrior is wielding Malignance, a permanent Ice enchanted weapon ideal for this battle. It can also render a Drake's wings useless with only a few basic slashes.
 * Assassins: Follow the above climbing tips and employ Dire Gouge to the heart. Use Rusted weapons to inflict Torpor to slow it down, then switch to the Almace sword (permanently Ice enchanted).  Great Windmill and Thousand Kisses are the Assassin's best multi-strike attacks to the heart while standing. The Drake's charge attack can be blocked or countered with Masterful Kill or Clairvoyance for massive payback. A Perfect Block of the charge attack will do the same.  If attacking with Thousand Kisses from a standing position, use Instant Reset to interrupt and re-position when the Drake moves away.
 * Mystic Knights: Abyssal Anguish and Great Cannon are both separately extremely effective against the Drake, provided you have an ice enchanted weapon like Almace equipped (or enchanted via spell). With Great Cannon, have the pawns distract the Drake long enough for you to cast at least two sigils and fire away, the amount of shots are enough to generate a fair amount of continuous damage and also hit almost every part of the Drake's body. This also causes most if not all of the body parts to break off. It is also possible to use the Cannon to deliver the killing blow on the heart, so there's no need to move in close for the finishing blow, which must be executed by the Arisen. Other augments such as Acuity, Attunement, Clout and Vehemence will achieve better results. The Wyrmking's Ring and the Articulacy augment help shorten charging times. If done right, the fight can be finished without taking even a single point of damage. Also, the MK's Ruinous Sigil (ice enchanted of course) does MASSIVE damage to the heart when it's knocked down. Just stand close to the heart and spam away until he gets back up.
 * Magick Archers: Clear out the hill opposite the grove where the Hobgoblins and Cyclops are. Once that hill is clear go into the grove just far enough to shoot the Drake and get its attention. Quickly run back to the cleared hill and stand in front of a chest by a tree. Stay there and use long range skills to shoot the Drake every time it cycles back towards the player's party. It will go in a loop towards the player, get to main path, turn around, go to the woods, turn around and come back to towards the player again. It may take you a long time but it is possible to defeat the Drake this way. Save the game every time it goes back to the groves. If attacking with Thousand Kisses from a standing position, use Instant Reset to interrupt and re-position when the Drake moves away.
 * Sorcerers: High Maelstrom works well against the Drake as it has a wide attacking radius and can easily hit the heart without having to aim accurately, the multiple hit from this spell can sap away the Dragon's health quite quickly and keeps it staggered often. A whole team of Sorcerers, spamming High Maelstrom can fell a Drake very quickly.
 * When the Drake takes to the air, attacks to its heart, head or wings will bring it down when enough damage is dealt, or if it is staggered by a single strong attack. Oftentimes, this can be used to put the Drake in a cycle, as when it recovers from the fall, it will likely try to fly up again. Repeated attacks to the wings will eventually disable the Drake's ability to fly.
 * Because of the area layout and computer AI an effective way to kill the Drake in Devilfire Grove is to climb onto one of the nearby rock formations. As long as the low side isn't nearest to it, it will attempt to charge to no avail, leaving the player vulnerable only to its roar, fire and flight attacks. While the first one is unavoidable, the second usually is also ineffective, more so depending on the height of the rock ledge. Its AI will most likely cause it to jump into the air in this situation, making it a sitting duck for most ranged classes. Simply let it fly towards the player, shoot its heart/head/wings (whichever preferred, although enough shots to the wings will stop it from flying, which might be preferred) to cause it to fall back to the ground. Attack making sure to save enough stamina for when it jumps into the air again, repeat until it is dead. If attempting to revive pawns it is best to wait for it to be shot out of the air and stunned momentarily before rushing off the perch to attempt rescue.

Tactics (Defensive)

 * The most important defensive strategy in Dragon's Dogma is to first eliminate all lesser, distracting enemies before engaging the biggest threat. From the start of the battle, shoot down the flying creatures, snipe the magic users from afar, chase down the wolf packs, and defeat the small, weak enemies that can weaken or debilitate the Arisen and pawns while they engage the large, strong enemies. Even if the Arisen has to run all the way up and down the map to accomplish this objective, KILL THE SUPPORT ENEMIES FIRST, TACKLE THE BIGGEST THREAT LAST.
 * Standing behind a thick tree is a good defensive position. It can render the Drake's Fire Breath and the Roar harmless.
 * The Stability augment is very useful against all Draconic enemies (including the Ur-Dragon). All wind attacks are nullified against the Arisen, meaning that one cannot be blown over backwards or interrupted while casting spells or charging skills. Wing buffets can also be blocked or Perfect Blocked by a shield or magick shield.
 * The application of one Sobering Wine will clear all status effects from the party and provide an additional 90 seconds of party immunity. This includes On Fire (from its Fire breath), Possession (from its grab attack) and Skill Stifling (from its roar), the three most common debilitations inflicted by the Red Drake.
 * Beware that after a Dragon Horn drops from the Drake's head (2 maximum), it will always rear up and Dragon Roar to instantly kill your pawns. Pawns will declare  The horn is destroyed!  . The only way to disrupt the Dragon roar is to quickly inflict enough damage to its heart to stagger it out of the roar animation.
 * Destroying a wing will also always make it roar afterwards. Pawns will declare "T'is grounded, Master!" or "On solid ground, the advantage is ours!" when the wings are disabled. In addition, Great Dragon Alula will drop.
 * After the Drake grabs the player and slams him/her to the ground, it will follow up with a charge attack.
 * If the player and his/her Pawns dashes behind the Drake as it rears up to roar, it will have no effect. If far enough away from the drake at the time of the roar (a considerable distance if in front of it) the roar will also be ineffective.
 * The Drake usually uses a grab attack after using Roar. If there are any Pawns near the Drake, do not revive them first or they will be grabbed. Move out of the way and revive Pawns that are further away first.
 * Bring some Empty Flasks so a player can bottle the Spring Water in the Healing Spring southwest of the Drake's spawning area in Devilfire Grove. Pawns carrying Spring water will use it as needed, simultaneously restoring 330 HP to the entire party with a single application.
 * The Drake can knock out the Arisen's lantern at night and make fighting difficult since it can only be seen by the glow from its mouth and chest.

Tactics (Pawn-specific)

 * For offensive pawn tactics, consider using a Strider pawn with a Scather inclination and high or full bestiary knowledge of this enemy as they are likely to climb the Dragon and do all the work for the Arisen by shredding the Drake's heart (check to see if the pawn has the Adhesion and/or Opportunism augments as these are very helpful for climbers). Gloves of Might will also improve a pawn's climbing speed and grip.
 * A powerful Ranger pawn will shoot the Drake directly in the heart from a distance, which is very effective. Check for the Challenger inclination and high bestiary knowledge of this enemy when hiring.
 * Defensively, consider using a Mage pawn with the Legion's Might staff, since that special staff auto-resurrects its bearer from the Dragon roar and conventional deaths. This staff has one of the lowest attack strengths when compared to other staffs, but its special function allows the Arisen to not worry about the distraction of reviving this particular pawn.
 * A pawn equipped with a Rusted weapon can inflict Torpor (slow) on the Drake. This makes the fight MUCH easier, as the Drake moves in slow motion and its attacks are easy to avoid, and its heart easy to shoot/attack. Torpor can be inflicted by hitting ANY part of the Drake (not just the heart), and pawns often attack the other body parts anyways. Note that the higher the enhancement of the Rusted weapon, the higher the chance it will inflict Torpor (slow).
 * CAUTION: A higher level support pawn CAN annihilate the entire party if they become possessed. One can avoid this problem entirely by hiring pawns with Possession resistance equipment such as the Hellfire Cloak (100% resistance), or giving pawns Panaceas, Placative brews, or Nostalgia dust. One Sobering Wine clears ALL status effects from the party but and provides an additional 90 seconds of debilitation immunity.
 * When the Drake grabs a Pawn and begins possessing them, the move can be interrupted by directly attacking the claw holding the Pawn. Inflicting enough damage to the Drake until it staggers will release the captured Pawn.
 * Pawns with 100% resistance to Possession (by wearing a Hellfire Cloak, for example) can no longer be affected by the grab attack. They simply free themselves at the end of the grab animation, buying a lot of extra time to the Arisen. If the pawn lacks immunity but already has a Panacea, Placative brew, or Nostalgia dust, the pawn will immediately cure themselves.
 * The longer a Drake takes damage without inflicting any, the higher the chance that it will Dragon roar and kill all pawns within range (the area behind the Drake is safe for pawns).

Pawn Bestiary Knowledge
Enemy Specific - Weak to Ice.
 * Draconian Strategy Vol. 1 - Knocking a Dragon off balance and to the ground will expose its heart.
 * Draconian Strategy Vol. 2 - A Dragon is vulnerable to being staggered or knocked down when it is preparing its breath attack.
 * Destroy the wings to ground them for the remainder of the fight. After knowledge is triggered Pawns will state "'Tis grounded, Master!" or "On solid ground, the advantage is ours!"
 * Destroying the horn drops it as loot which can be picked up immediately. Pawns will yell "The horn is destroyed!"
 * While a Dragon is hovering, attacking its head, heart or wings will knock it to the ground.
 * When a Dragon grabs a pawn and tries to possess it, a strong hit to the paw will stagger it and release the pawn, grants knowledge.
 * These techniques are common to all Dragonkin and once performed or if the scrolls are used will grant knowledge stars for every Dragonkin's bestiary.

In addition to witnessing these techniques, it may be necessary for Pawns to participate in killing 15 Drakes either with their own Arisen or while travelling with others.

Trivia

 * The Drake is lesser kin of The Dragon, and it is the Fire-based counterpart to the Wyrm and the Wyvern.
 * The Drake is also the only one of the dragon's lesser kin to be available before killing The Dragon.
 * As of Dark Arisen, it seems that Drakes found roaming the overworld have a chance to flee from the Arisen if the situation grows dire; much like monsters found in another Capcom series, Monster Hunter.
 * After defeating The Dragon, a special version of the Drake can be found in the Conqueror's Sanctuary. It has more HP than the common drake, and unlike most Dragonkin, this particular one speaks in English rather than Latin.
 * When the Drake uses its Roar attack, it may shout: "Arisen!" This indicates the Drake has the upper hand in the fight. Act accordingly.
 * During the game start-up a Drake can be seen drinking water from the river that serves as a natural border between the Wilted Forest and the Cursewood. However in the actual game, no Drake is found in this area.

Quotes

 * Latin Quotes:
 * "Arisen!!" (Battle Start)
 * "I am your master." (when possessing a Pawn)
 * "Slay your master!" (when possessing a Pawn)
 * "Aye, that is the way, chosen one!" (indicates approval of tactics)
 * "Show me your power!"
 * "Such power!"**
 * "The seat of god lies beyond..." (death throes)
 * "Am I to die...?" (death throes)
 * "You are not the vessel..." (upon killing the Arisen)


 * English Quotes:
 * "Arh..Ah! ... Who are you?"
 * "I must feed...slake my hunger!"
 * "Your heart, give it here!"
 * "What have I? Ngh? Wauuugh!"
 * "Aye, that is the way, chosen one!"
 * "Show me your power!"


 * Generic versions of the Wyvern share dialogue with the standard Drake and Wyrm.