Ur-Dragon

Legend tells of an immensely powerful undead dragon that appears in the Everfall beneath Gran Soren.

In New Game+ the Ur-Dragon can easily be accessed via a purple riftstone on the beach within Cassardis.

Overview
The Ur-Dragon encounter in Dragon's Dogma takes the form of an asynchronous, ongoing online encounter, where players and their parties from around the world compete online to take down the Ur-Dragon. The effect and damage done by of each of these parties is combined until the creature is defeated. This will take multiple encounters, but all players who inflict damage on the Ur-Dragon can receive great spoils. The Arisen that inflicts the final blow will receive the greatest reward of all, and all slayers of the Ur-Dragon have their names and play times recorded in the hall of fame. Offline players will still be able to take on the Ur-Dragon alone, but receive different rewards. The Ur-Dragon is essentially an optional end-game boss, located Beyond the Rift.

Multiple Arisen can inflict the "final blow" to the same online dragon.

Defeating the Ur-Dragon unlocks "The Messiah" trophy.

Stats
Immune to Petrification

Immune to Exequy

Item Drops

 * Ascalon
 * Heaven's Key
 * Volant White
 * Dragon Claw
 * Wakestone
 * Dragon Horn
 * Dragon Scale
 * Great Dragon Alula
 * Great Dragon Claw
 * Putrid Dragon Scale
 * Wakestone (x20)

Drops from Broken Heart

 * Dragon Scale
 * Dragon Horn (head only)
 * Dragon Claw
 * Great Dragon Claw
 * Great Dragon Alula
 * Putrid Dragon Scale
 * Rotten Ambrosial Meat
 * Sour Ambrosial Meat (stomach only)
 * Wakestone Shard (head only)

Online Only Drops
(These have a small chance of being rewarded as part of a significant contribution to its death. If the killing blow is struck, it is a 100% chance)
 * Lambent Shield
 * Dwells-In-Light
 * Angel's Fist
 * Talarian White
 * Lustrous Greatshield
 * Totem Mace

Online Killing Blow Drops
(Rewarded only to those who struck a killing blow. Slayers of the Ur-Dragon receive one of the four masks.)
 * Abyssinal Coat
 * Abyssinal Bracers
 * Abyssinal Greaves
 * Siegfried's Mask
 * St. George's Mask
 * Beowulf Mask
 * Apollo Mask

Rumors

 * The health bar of the online Ur-Dragon isn't fully accurate
 * e.g. if you deplete 1/8 of his total health online it might not represent 1/8 of his total health according to the server which tracks his status
 * A theory has been proposed that his total health is devided amoung the number of players fighting him at one time. e.g. If he has 100 health and 10 players are fighting him then 10 health will be displayed on each player's game. Whereas if only 5 players are fighting him 20 health will be displayed on each game.
 * A seperate theory has been proposed that when you destroy a heart the damage is somewhat devided amoung his others hearts. This would give the illusion that he is being healed when in reality all damage is being accounted just not all on one heart.

Confirmed

 * With each new generation the Ur-Dragon grows stronger.
 * Being killed or fleeing from the Ur-Dragon will restore a heart. (Which in essence is your heart, remember how pawns comment on how the Dragon is wraught with hearts of Arisen.)
 * A Maker's Finger will instantly kill a heart. (Need to test to see if damage inflicts remaining health of the heart hit or set amount. I.e. test Maker's finger on a weak heart and on a strong heart to see if health removed is different.)
 * Dying - 100% of YOUR health restore to the Ur-Dragon. The more health YOU have, the more he gets if you die.
 * Wakestone - 75% of your health. Not as bad, but still damned bad if you use several thinking its okay.
 * Runaway - 125% of your health given to the Dragon. They call it the coward's penalty. ONLY applies if you kill the three pawns, so you can pop in and check the leader board without penalty.
 * Ur-Dragon has an ability to petrify enemies It is shown as a black spell being cast from the dragons left hand. Used rarely but it can be devastating so keep two panaceas or two cockatrice liquors handy.

Tactics

 * It is recommened to practice on the offline Ur-Dragon before attempting the Online version. You'll learn where its weak spots are, and get used to the Ur-Dragon's moves.
 * Each encounter with the Ur-Dragon will last around 8 minutes. This applies to both online and offline encounters. For the offline Ur-Dragon, this simply means your battle with it may span several different encounters. For online encounters, this means you should aim to inflict as much damage as possible in that short period.
 * Pawns will make it very clear that blows to darkened areas are useless. Focus your attacks on the brightly coloured hearts spread throughout its body. They will be slightly hidden purple spots at first, red when exposed, and upon being destroyed will glow white temporarily and then vanish, depositing some item drops on the ground. Many of these spots will require climbing on to the Ur-Dragon to reach them, so be prepared to do this.
 * Make sure to check the colour of the blood that comes out when you attack. If it is purple, you are doing damage, if it white/greyish then you are NOT doing any damage. Manoeuvre yourself to a different spot if you are not drawing purple blood.
 * Attacking the jointed structures (knees, elbows, etc.) will attack multiple spots of the Ur-Dragon at the same time, exploit this to do much more damage per second.
 * Destroy the tail and wing hearts earlier on for an easier time later when it becomes frenzied. Avoid the frontal right arm while frenzied as you can still be hit while grappling it.
 * The Ur-Dragon's attacks are fast despite its size, and deadly even at high levels. Be sure to have your health at a constantly high level so you are not killed by a surprise attack. Staying alive is as important as maintaining a steady damage output, or you will undo most of your work.
 * Items are very important. Buffs granted by items such as the Conquerors Periapt or Salomet's Secret will allow a greater damage output within a small period. Incidentally, items such as Angel's Periapt and Steel Nut Salve will provide some defense against its physical hits. Mage's Periapt and Decoction of Bandlily are recommended to provide magickal defense, as its spells will probably be one of the most dangerous things it uses - particularly Holy Furor is not a spell you want to find yourself fully exposed to or it will probably kill you.
 * The Left Arm can stagger easily. If you see the Ur-Dragon incanting a spell, blows to the left arm are an easy way to stop his casting.
 * Sometimes mid battle the Ur-Dragon will take off and perch on a ledge, at which point it is fairly difficult to damage it. At this point it may be best to simply avoid its attacks until it either returns to the ground or leaves.
 * Wakestones can be used, but it is highly unrecommended, as their use will only heal the Ur-Dragon. Do not rely on them when regular healing items will serve.
 * If you wish to get a final blow on the online Ur-Dragon, refrain than running in and out to check, as this will simply heal it. Pay attention instead to online forums who can confirm it is on low health or dead.
 * After the online Ur-Dragon is killed, it will be set to a dead status. He will have no health and attacking his weak points once or twice should be enough to destroy them. Once all his remaining weak points are broken, you have technically delivered a killing blow. This "grace period" is short, and when it is over, a new generation is spawned.

Online Ur-Dragon Strategies
The online Ur-Dragon, especially after many generations, has an extremely large amount of health to the point that its health bar won't even visibly move to most attacks, even when it is clear damage is being inflicted. Making a significant amount of damage on the Ur-Dragon will grant you decent rewards even if you don't land the killing blow, so it's worth putting together a build that will inflict a good amount of damage to it.

Assassin (InVIMsible)
A lone Assassin is probably the most effective vocation to choose when wanting to make a significant effect on the online Ur-Dragon. Pawns should not be used.
 * Primary Weapon: Daggers (Heaven's Key is recommended)
 * Secondary Weapon: Bow (Fey Whisper is recommended)
 * Dagger Skills: Invisibility, Hundred Kisses, Gale Harness
 * Bow Skills: Any
 * Items: 10+ Liquid Vims, some stamina-restoring items, Conqueror's Periapts, Demon's Periapts, Maker's Finger.

The Dagger skill "Invisibility" will make you invincible to practically everything the Ur-Dragon throws at you, including magick attacks. Combine this with Hundred Kisses and it gives you the ability to find a heart unimpeded, and then grab hold and damage it relentlessly without interruption. The key to being able to do this is Liquid Vim, which will mitigate the extreme stamina drainage that a combination of Invisibility, Hundred Kisses and Ur-Dragon's attempts to shake you off would otherwise cause. Stamina restoration items such as Mushroom Potages can also work, and it's worth having some with you, but you would need a very large amount to match the efficiency that a few Liquid Vims can provide.

The Maker's Finger is not absolutely necessary, but it will add a decent amount of damage on top off your dagger attacks - if you do intend on using it, use it at the beginning of the battle to stun the Ur-Dragon, at which point you can locate a heart and begin Hundred Kisses as soon as possible. For a third dagger skill you can use Gale Harness, for an extra boost of speed at the beginning of the battle. The two Periapts (Salomet's Secret and Tagilus's Miracle will also work) should be used as soon as you begin attacking, and renewed as soon as their effects run out. You should only use magick boosters if you're using magick daggers.

For Daggers, the best choice is the Heaven's Key, obtainable from the offline Ur-Dragon, since Ur is weak to holy magic. Dragon's Pain can also work, Chilling Razors are not advised. Whichever Daggers you choose, they should be enhanced to three stars, or better, Dragonforged. Your choice of Bow is unimportant, as it has little use outside of firing the Maker's Finger. If the Ur-Dragon flies off, then you do have an option to do some more damage, in which case a dragonforged Fey Whisper is the best bow you can have.

Most of the augments you choose are based around increasing damage output: The key to this strategy is keeping a close eye on the bottom-left of your screen, making sure to renew Liquid Vims and Periapts the moment their effects run out. You should also pay attention to your battle too, to make sure you're drawing purple blood and so you can immediately climb back on to the Ur-Dragon should you fall off. With a simple combo of Invisibility and Hundred Kisses, properly supported with items and augment, you should do a visible amount of damage to the Ur-Dragon in a single encounter, whilst safely out of harm's way. NDenizen 07:20, June 15, 2012 (UTC)
 * Bloodlust, Autonomy - the foundation of this build. They increase damage output immensely. Be sure to rest til nightfall before challenging the Ur-Dragon, and obviously don't bring pawns.
 * Exhiliration - when low on health, this will boost your strength even more. You really shouldn't take any damage with Invisibility, so you can reduce your health to critical before entering the Chamber of Lament and remain relatively safe. Just be sure your Invisibility never runs out.
 * Equanimity - the same as Exhiliration, but with Magick. Only use with Magick Daggers.
 * Clout, Ferocity, Vehemence - For extra strength.
 * Acuity, Attunement - For extra magick. Only use with Magick Daggers.
 * Entrancement, Sinew, Efficacy, Potential - if you plan on using Stamina restoration items instead of Vim, these will increase the amount you can carry, or extend the limits of your stamina

Assassin (Dire Gouge)
A similar build to above, though it forgoes the Dagger's Invincibility for the Sword's Dire Gouge skill, which is designed to do large amounts of damage to foes you climb on. Obviously the best choice for this approach would be Ascalon, which can be won from the offline Ur-Dragon. The next best option would be Carnation.

Warrior
Warriors possess the weapons with the highest base damage output, so they make a good choice against the Ur-Dragon. Specifically Dwells-in-Light and Angel's Fist at their highest enhancement are excellent choices against the Ur-Dragon, due to their holy enchantment. Obviously the main issue is that these two weapons need to be won from the online Ur-Dragon, in which case Wounded Heart or Bloody Thistle are the next best option. The DLC weapon Dragon's Flight can also do a decent amount of damage, though at this point it is somewhat outclassed by the weapons mentioned previously.

The only problem with this class is that it has difficulty in hitting the hearts on the wings and doesn't do much damage while climbing.

Trivia

 * This is, by far, the single strongest creature in the game.
 * As the Ur-Dragon takes damage to each location on it's body, those locations begin to look tattered and eventually rotted out. Additionally, the Ur-Dragon can be disemboweled, dropping pieces of Ambirosinal Meat and dragon pieces onto the ground.
 * The Ur-Dragon has been killed 72 times. (as of 6-14-2012) on the PS3, 33 times on the Xbox (as of 6-14-2012)