Description
Cursed Dragons are enemies in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen.
Encountered on Bitterblack Isle, these undead dragons from origins unknown bear a striking visual similarity to a near death Ur-Dragon, however Cursed Dragons are smaller and less powerful. Instead of a heart, they have a single purple crystal in their chest, which the Cursed Dragon accompanying the Dark Bishop also lacks.
They breathe a vile and foul gas, which can inflict multiple debilitations and rots any time sensitive items in the party's inventory.
Like the Ur-Dragon, the Cursed Dragon can indeed be slain by a pawns if they strike the final blow to its crystal.
Overview
Type | |
---|---|
Experience gained |
Base Experience of 66,000
Can be more or less depending on a few factors such as:
|
Location |
|
Cursed Dragons not lured with Rancid Bait Meat may also give:
Killing a Cursed Dragon also provides a high chance of dragon forging equipment. | |
Accursed Errand - acquire 3 Cursed Dragon Horns |
Stats
| |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Sources: Dragon's Dogma - ドラゴンズドグマ & Dark Arisen (www10.atwiki.jp) and in-game testing. |
- ↑ The Dark Bishop's Cursed Dragon has only 12,500 Health.
Attacks
Attack | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
Poison Breath | Mag/Spec | A massive stream of poison is let loose from its mouth. Can cause Poison. The Cursed Dragon can use this move while moving forward or backing away from its target, and may also attack whilst hovering.
The poison breath has a chance to rot any perishable items. |
Cursed Breath Assault | Mag/Spec | If under 50% health and grounded, the dragon will rear up and inhale, slowly turn to face the Arisen, and prepare a massive poison bomb attack. It will then roar, knocking back pawns and the Arisen who are not under cover including climbers.
The dragon then spits a poison bomb, which explodes after a few seconds into several small poison bombs which can inflict Curse, Poison or Torpor in addition to heavy damage. This attack may also rot perishable items. |
Dive | Phys | Hovers, then performs a gliding lunge from the air. |
Charge | Phys | Charges at a target on the ground. |
Grab (Arisen) | Phys | The Arisen is grabbed and then slammed into the ground. |
Grab (Pawn) | Spec/Status | A Pawn is grabbed and then slammed into the ground. The Cursed Dragon will rarely try to seize control over the pawn. However, if done, it causes Possession, which turns the Pawn against the Arisen. |
Stomp Attack | Phys | A powerful attack with its feet, staggers targets. |
Sweeping Backhand | Phys | A backhanded slap with either one of its front claws. |
Tail Sweep | Phys | A powerful spinning attack with its tail, knocks targets off their feet. |
Tail Lash | Phys | If the Arisen or pawns linger near or under the tail, it may whip back and forth for high damage with knockback. |
Dragon Roar | Spec/Status | A mighty roar that may inflict Possession on all pawns within range. |
Biting Assault | Phys | An onslaught of three powerful bites meant to catch fleeing enemies. |
High Lassitude | Mag/Status | One or more area-of-effect sigils are created, inflicting Torpor on those who remain within it. |
Dragonforging
Slaying Cursed Dragons offers the amongst highest odds to Dragonforge equipment, and greater than any other of the minor dragonkin.
Initial state | Dragonforging chance |
stars enhancement | 40% |
stars enhancement | 55% |
stars enhancement | 65% |
stars enhancement | 75% |
Tactics
Offensive
- The heart crystal on the chest is its weak spot, though blows and arrows to the head can stagger it.
- All melee vocations: Simply climb it and attack - for climbing tips see Climbing.
- Weak to Fire, and highly susceptible to Burning.
- Weak to Holy.
- Vulnerable to Torpor.
- Cursed Dragons are resilient to, but may be inflicted with Lowered Defense, Lowered Magick, Lowered Magick Defense, and Lowered Strength.
- Ice based attacks may partially inflict Frozen but the dragon cannot be shattered.
- Poison may be readily inflicted.(verify)
- Attacking the heart at close quarters makes it difficult for the Dragon to retaliate. The Cursed Dragon's only effective attack at this point is trying to grab its attacker or performing a spin attack or biting which can be blocked or dodged.
- Immune to Drenched, Tarring, Blindness, Curse, Petrification and Sleep
- Whilst hovering, strikes to the tail have a high chance to cause knockdown.
Defensive
- The Cursed Dragon's breath can inflict multiple debilitations simultaneously, including Cursed, Poison, and Torpor. Arisen and pawns may become debilitated even while climbing onto the Dragon's chest during its breath attack.
- The safest or most effective place for a melee vocation to be when faced with a Cursed Dragon is either grabbing onto its chest or standing directly underneath its heart.
- If the Arisen takes up a position above ground level, such as is possible in the Midnight Helix the Dragon will spend most of its time in the air, with limited offensive options except the poison breath. As the crystal heart is exposed it is easy to repeatedly down the dragon with ranged attacks.
- Spellcasting from a distance is best accomplished from the Dragon's flanks, out of reach of its sweeping backhands.
- A Cursed Dragon's attack patterns can be more easily learnt in "slow motion" by observing a torpored dragon.
- Determine "safe" areas of the battlefield to escape from the breath attack. For example, in the Duskmoon Tower the Arisen can run behind the large tree, behind rock formations, around corners, or into any opened treasure chest chambers.
- Alternately, grabbing onto the Cursed Dragon's chest is a generally safe position from the breath attack. Take the opportunity to reposition while the dragon is rearing up.
- The most dangerous place to stand is directly in front of the Dragon, as its Bite is its single most powerful attack. The Cursed Dragon has a long, craning neck and a far reaching forward lunge, so avoid frontal assaults.
- Running towards, and not away from the Dragon's underbelly when it begins its biting lunges may be a more effective way to avoid being chomped.
- After being knocked down and reeling, with its health is past the halfway point, the dragon will initiate its massive breath attack. Once the Dragon has fully reared up onto its hind legs, there appears to be no technique capable of interrupting the breath attack. The breath attack will predictably be followed by its Possession roar. This attack has significant stagger.
- The Cursed Dragon in The Fallen City can cast High Lassitude to slow the party down, either prepare in advance with resistant outfits, or suitable potions, or inflict Silence to prevent the spell being cast.
- Mage pawns can hold the Cursed Dragon in place with High Grapnel, temporarily nullifying the physical attacks upon which it relies.
Pawn specific
- Unlike other Dragonkin, excluding the Ur-Dragon, pawns can land the final killing blow on a Cursed Dragon.
- Unlike other Dragonkin, the Dragon Roar can inflict Possession, forcing pawns to attack the Arisen. Prepare suitably.
- Pawns with low Possession resistance who climb the Cursed Dragon's back can also become Possessed but they typically remain helpless on the Cursed Dragon's back until either restored to sanity, forfeited, or the fight ends.
- Take care with high level pawns who could can potentially annihilate the entire party if they become possessed.
Pawn Bestiary Knowledge
For full information, refer to the Bestiary page or the according section on the Drake page.
Enemy Specific:
- Weak to Holy
- Weak to Fire
- Let the poison breath attack hit you making time-sensitive items rot instantly. This may have to happen several times. Pawn's comment, "Augh...our meat and vegetables rot" or "His putrid breath spoils our belongings" is not an indication that they learned this already.
- Let the Dark Bishop revive his pet Cursed Dragon after it dies. May need to be witnessed a few times.
- Let the Dark Bishop possess its pet Cursed Dragon. May also need to be witnessed a few times.
- Avoid head-on rushes.
- Perfect Block a lunge/bite attack.
- Witness the Cursed Dragon in The Fallen City cast spells.
In addition to witnessing these techniques, it is necessary for pawns to participate in killing over 15 Cursed Dragons with their own Arisen or while traveling with others.
It is thought that the Cursed Dragon accompanying the Dark Bishop and the Cursed Dragon in the Fallen City each generate unique knowledge flags that the standard Cursed Dragon spawning as a necrophagous beast does not.
Pawn Chatter
- "The walking corpse of a wyrm...?!"
- "That dragon's near rotted through!" (no bestiary knowledge)
- "There, a cursed dragon!"
- "This must be the work of the darkest magick."
- "Stay clear of its putrefying breath!"
- "The wings, Master! Strike it from the sky!"
- "There! The point of light upon its chest!"
- " 'Tis like the crystal in its breast animates it!"
- "Augh?! Our meat and vegetables rot!"
Notes
- The Cursed Dragon does not use wing flap attacks like other Dragons. As a consequence Stability is only of use against the Cursed Dragon's aerial fly by.
- The Cursed Dragon's breath may rot meat and vegetables, but its breath can be oddly beneficial as well. An Egg or Ambrosial Meat can be turned immediately into a Golden Egg or Sour Ambrosial Meat when exposed to Cursed Dragon's breath. Store such items in an Airtight Flask to preserve, as further breath attacks will rot the egg or meat.
- Randomly appearing necrophagous Cursed Dragon can spawn in mid-air and fall, which may be sufficient to kill a low levelled or badly equipped character by crushing them.
- If the Cursed Dragon is encountered together with another dangerous enemy, such as in Midnight Helix or Tower of Treasons Repaid, they may fight each other - although the other foe won, they sometimes fail or are unable to hit the underchest crystal needed to finish off the Dragon, which then requires the Arisen to step in. Experience is not awarded for creatures killed by the Cursed Dragon, though loot can still be gathered.
- If the Cursed Dragon is engaged in the Duskmoon Tower prior to Barroch being removed from the area (possible by using a Rancid Bait Meat), Barroch might catch the aggro of the Cursed Dragon randomly. It's recommended to bring a Fighter with Shield Drum or a Warrior with War Cry, or equip any weapon or skill that can be used to knock it down the sky.
- Barroch is invulnerable and even if he is constantly hit or poisoned by the Cursed Dragon, he cannot die.
- The Cursed Dragon is more supple than might be supposed. It is able to enter areas that appear impossibly small. For example, it can climb all the way to the top of the stairs in the Midnight Helix leading to the Ward of Regret. It will immediately slide down unless it is staggered by a critical blow that causes it to writhe. In that case, it will remain at the top of the stairs.
- (Exploit) It is possible to "farm" Cursed Dragons, for details see Farming Exploits § Cursed Dragons.
Gallery
External links
- Official website (archived)