Red Dragon and Black Dragon

Dungeon creatures
Level 1
Troglodyte
Infernal Troglodyte
Level 2
Harpy
Harpy Hag
Level 3
Beholder
Evil Eye
Level 4
Medusa
Medusa Queen
Level 5
Minotaur
Minotaur King
Level 6
Manticore
Scorpicore
Level 7
Red Dragon
Black Dragon
Towns

Red Dragons and Black Dragons are the level 7 creatures of Dungeon. They are recruited from the Dragon Cave.

"Red and black dragons with their great mobility, flying ability, and powerful breath weapons are among the most effective units in the game. Red dragons are immune to spells below level four. Black dragons are twice as durable, do 150% damage to... titans, and are immune to all spells." ^{RoE manual}

Special Abilities

Magic Immunity

This spell immunity is a double-edged sword, though, as it makes both Red and Black Dragons immune to most beneficial spells, and Resurrection has no effect on Black Dragons. Placing Red or Black Dragons (as well as any other living Dragons) in the Skeleton Transformer will give you Bone Dragons instead of regular Skeletons.

Both dragons are affected by Dispel.

Hating Titans

Though it is stated in the manual, Black Dragons do not hate Giants. Red Dragons don't hate anyone.

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Alongside the Titan, the Black Dragon has cemented its place as an emblematic figure in the Heroes series, making its first appearance in Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars.

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In a head-to-head combat with no stats bonuses, a Black Dragon marginally overcomes a single Titan. However, a mere difference of 1 point more in attack or defense for the Titan would tip the balance in their favor.

Tactics

Beware of breath attack which may kill your own troops as well.

Black Dragons, due to their spell immunity, are ideal for a tactic commonly known as Dragogeddon. In this strategy, a hero with preferably high power skill and the Armageddon spell launches an attack with an army solely comprised of creatures either immune or highly resistant to the Armageddon spell. This tactic can be employed in a "hit-and-run" strategy, to bypass wandering creatures, or even to defeat enemy heroes. In the Restoration of Erathia series, Black Dragons were the prime choice for Dragogeddon. Remember that Red Dragons aren't suitable for Dragogeddon as they are only immune to level 1-3 spells!

The advantage of deploying Black Dragons in this tactic is their swift initiative or speed. Only Phoenixes and Gold Dragons are faster creatures immune to Armageddon. High initiative allows the hero to act first in combat, potentially securing victory before the enemy can flee, surrender, or retaliate.

Black Dragons are excellent fighters, capable of reaching enemy shooters in the first turn. However, they may not endure long against an army of similar strength due to their inability to be resurrected normally, necessitating support from other friendly troops.

Red Dragons, though not as formidable as the Black Dragons and vulnerable to powerful spells like Armageddon, Implosion, Chain Lightning, Meteor Shower, and Berserk, can still be exceedingly potent. Led by Alamar or Jeddite, they can be easily resurrected: with 180 HP, Red Dragons are almost twice as easy to resurrect as Titans, and with sufficient mana, they are virtually indestructible. Furthermore, they inflict nearly as much damage as Black Dragons and can benefit from spells like Counterstrike, Fire Shield, Prayer, and Clone, allowing them to deal potentially more damage than Black Dragons, while still maintaining immunity to Blind/Slow spells and the option to resurrect them. They are also 40% cheaper than Black Dragons and are typically available as early as the second week of the game.

In light of the above, if you lack the Armageddon spell, it might be prudent to keep the Red Dragons unupgraded deliberately to minimize losses and save them for later in the game. Even at the end stage of the game, one might prefer to maintain most dragons as "Red," only upgrading a portion of them to ensure speed in the first turn.

The primary strategy against Red and Black Dragons is to launch a full-scale assault and overpower them, primarily using magic to eliminate other troops. Be cautious with your troop placement to prevent them from striking two of your units simultaneously, and try to coerce them into attacking their own units (e.g., by provoking them with a small and weak stack, leading to a retaliation and significant damage to allies).

Defense

With an impressive health value of 300, the Black Dragon stands as one of the most resilient creatures in the game. In the original Restoration of Erathia, it was the hardiest among the dragons, with its health equal to the Titans' and Ancient Behemoths' (and Haspids' in Horn of the Abyss). It also boasts a higher defense than both these creatures, albeit not by a significant margin. The Armageddon's Blade expansion introduced four new dragon types, Faerie Dragon, Rust Dragons, Crystal Dragons, and Azure Dragons, all neutral creatures with greater health than the Black Dragons.

Offense

Although Black Dragons don't possess the highest damage for a level 7 creature, they still outperform most in this regard, coupled with the Breath Attack ability, allowing them to strike two units simultaneously. They command a decent attack value, but it falls short of the Gold Dragon's by 2. Black Dragons inflict 150% damage against Titans. This multiplier applies even when Black Dragons attack a different stack with Titans positioned behind; however, caution is necessary if both Titans and Black Dragons are on your side, as friendly Titans will still suffer 150% damage if attacked by Black Dragons.

Cost and Efficiency

To establish this creature's base dwelling, all other base creature dwellings along with Mage Guild level 2 are required. Unlike their rivals, the Giants and Titans, the dragon's base dwelling necessitates more valuable resources, typically leading to acquiring Red Dragons later than Giants and also having fewer of them to upgrade in subsequent weeks.

Maintain a steady supply of sulfur . Utilizing a Resource Silo can be beneficial.

Skill Bonuses

While they do not receive the immense bonuses from skills like the Titans do, there are still beneficial skills to consider. The Armorer skill is a useful choice to sustain the dragons' numbers, while Tactics enables more friendly troops to aid the dragons easily - a significant advantage for a Dungeon army launching an initial powerful strike. As expected, the Offense skill is a great addition, particularly in tandem with the dragons' Breath attack.

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See Also:

• List of creatures

• Comparison of Level 7 CreaturesTemplate:Keywords