When you think of basic dragon traits, “breathes fire” is always near the top of the list. So it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the first dragon we’re previewing for Dragons of Elanthia is the Fire Drake. But before we break down its abilities, let’s talk a little bit about the mechanics common to all of our dragons.
Every dragon in the game has some basic stats that determine how it flies, both in terms of maneuverability and speed. The most important is the dragon’s Endurance, which represents the energy it has to activate abilities and keep flapping. Endurance recharges over time, and the more of it you have, the more forward motion you can get from flapping. So sometimes it’s just best to glide for a while and let your dragon recover, so that you can get back to the fight at full strength.
"...it's important to keep your dragon pointed at your enemies"
The Fire Drake’s endurance is doubly important, because its primary attack uses a lot of it. But if you ever get hit by its Fireball, you’ll feel it. Much like you’d expect, Fireball launches a projectile towards a locked-on enemy, exploding in a small radius when it impacts or reaches its range limit. Like most dragon attacks in Dragons of Elanthia, you can only aim as far as the dragon’s neck can reach, so it’s important to keep your dragon pointed at your enemies.
Still speaking of endurance, the Fire Drake can restore endurance for itself and nearby dragons with the secondary ability, Primal Surge. This outpouring of draconic might sends out tendrils of energy that restore endurance to any allies within range. There’s an initial burst of healing, then the rest is doled out over time to anyone who stays within range (including you, of course).
Last but not least, we have the Fire Drake’s passive ability, Demoralize. It doesn’t directly tie into today's theme of endurance, but it can force enemy dragons to spend a whole lot more of it. Whenever the Fire Drake or its rider hits an enemy with any attack, it scares the enemy into slowing down a little. And of course, the more damage you deal, the more they slow down.
So when it comes to endurance, the Fire Drake has the situation pretty much covered. It may use a lot, but it has a lot, and can recover more on demand. Oh, and there’s that whole “lighting you on fire with super-fast fireball explosions” thing. That part’s pretty awesome too.
Don't forget to check out the other dragons we've revealed over here! And of course, what good is a dragon without one of our riders to fly it?
