6/4/23:
Nearly another whole year and we have returned yet again. I'd like to thank everyone for getting involved and reaching 10,000 views and 1000 favourites, really means a lot to me. It's been over 4 years since I started this guide, and a lot has changed for me in this time. More news to come, friends.

24/5/22:

Wow, nearly 2 years later and we're back again. Small change: The web link for the interactive map has since been taken down, so I have replaced it with an Internet Archive link via the Wayback Machine.

14/06/20:

Its been a while and I think its about time I update the project, getting 15 dragons finished and moving on to work on the list (see previous update)

Changelog:
- Added full descriptions for all 15 dragons
- Added trust bonus abilities for some dragons
- Added default keybindings for all dragon abilities

14/12/19:

I am in the process of finishing off the dragon info, there is still a lot of concept work to do. Thank you for all your support and if you have thoughts, ideas or any possible way to help out, please leave a comment! I apologise for not replying to all the comments more recently, I suppose the increased attention means that it can be a bit overwhelming. I ensure you I read all the comments and am delighted about how everyone feels about this. The next step, since mod creation is out of the question, is to focus on more specific details like stats, biomes and more technical data. I will use this section to detail what I plan to add to the page, though I intend to cap the dragons at 15 as they are so I can flesh out the rest of the concept. See below:

To be added:

• Dragon stats, level up bonuses
  
• Triple stryke venom mechanics
  
• Biomes and found dragons + materials
  
• Detailed Berk map with areas labelled (interactive?)
  
• Discussion as to Zippleback dual player mount
  
• Gronckle forge development
  
• Trust taming details
  
• Item crafting costs
  
• Advanced item crafting bench? (Hiccup's shield etc)
  
• Endgame content (tek tier haha jk, unless?)
  
• Environmental storytelling - worth it?
  
• Breeding, colour variations (discuss new dragons short with crossbred light/nightfuries)
  
• Underwater areas
  
• Cave fights
  
• Diseases/Cures
  
• Utility of titans
  
• Tribe gameplay, co-operation (Red Death fight?)

Dragons, quite obviously, are a pivotal part of the environment and provide safety in a hostile world. Each and every one provides a feature previously unseen in ARK, utilities that are sorely needed for balancing what is already a drastically unbalanced game. Dragons in all their types, species and rare varieties will inhabit the world as an alternative to dinos (it is a total conversion after all) Taming methods vary in difficulty, and an in depth understanding is needed in order to counter and pacify dangerous dragons.

Note: This list will be updated as more concepts for dragon utilities are developed

Dragon #001- Gronckle


The gronckle is a tough boulder-class dragon that sports a bulbous spiked tail (much like ARK's ankylo), tiny wings and incredibly strong bite power (alike to most boulder class dragons). It possesses a high amount of flight control, albeit to the disadvantage of speed and agility. This allows the gronckle to hover in a controlled way, as well as dropping straight down on command, with reduced fall damage when doing this. A gronckle called Meatlug is owned by Fishlegs in the franchise

The gronckle is one of the most versatile dragons in terms of its diets, as it can eat meat, fish as well as different kinds of rocks (see environmental mechanics) although rocks are the most useful as when the gronckle digests them it can make the molten fireball attack; spewing up the molten rocks in its stomach as a fiery blast. For the molten fireball attack to work, the gronckle has to have eaten (or been force fed) rocks in the last 10 minutes.

As an alternative to this, if the gronckle has not eaten or has already fired the rocks it had eaten in this period, it will take rocks from its inventory to use instead. It is because of this that repeatedly using your attacks is not recommended as it can waste materials you may have collected. To conclude, make sure your gronckle eats thoroughly if you mean to defend yourself.

In terms of utility, the gronckle is imperative for armour making, as the gronckle can be fed combinations of rocks (see environmental mechanics) to spew out lava that, when combined with metal, can make different kinds of alloys, the most famous and prominent of which is gronckle iron, a strong metal based alloy that is lighter and stronger than normal metal (so is a slightly higher tier than flak when made into armour and tools) and it has a special ability to withstand dragon attacks especially well.

It is made with three parts limestone, two parts sandstone and one part metal ore (as well as gronckle lava). If a survivor wanted to make gronckle iron they would have to tame a gronckle, feed it the amounts of limestone and sandstone for the amount of gronckle iron they want, then sit on the gronckle and order it to fire a spew attack (left click) into the custom "gronckle forge".

After this they would access the forge's inventory and craft gronckle iron (much like the smithy, the engram is needed) with normal ARK metal to craft. (see weapons and armour for more uses) Gronckle iron can be used also to upgrade protection on saddles and even full scale dragon armour!

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Shift [double tap]- drop
  
• Left click- Lava spew attack
  
• Right click- Molten fireball attack
  (consumes rocks from dragon inventory if rocks have not been eaten in the last 10 minutes)
  
• C- Roar

Dragon #002- Monstrous Nightmare


The Monstrous Nightmare is a large stoker class dragon that is both formiddable and dangerous, with extreme firepower and endurance. Though not extremely fast, the Monstrous Nightmare is able to fly for long distances and at a reasonable pace. It is big enough to break out of bolas, although it is quite a large target. It is considered one of the most highly armed dragons, with sharp teeth and strong muscles letting it deliver devastating melee attacks. It can climb on walls,much like Ark's rock drake, albeit with a stamina drain. Snotlout owns a Nightmare called Hookfang in the franchise.

In terms of utility, it can set itself on fire by secreting kerosene gel on its scales (a substance harvestable as a green goo) and this is what powers the Ferocious Nightmare's fire blast. This gel, when harvested off a tamed nightmare or by killing a wild one, can be used as a quickly dissapating way to fuel campfires, forges, etc.

It can also be used when put into a jar as an alternative to oil jars (used as a trap in Scorched Earth) the difference being that it is sticky and dramatically slows down the victim to the point of standstill. It can be set alight with a flame arrow, flamethrower, or by a dragon's fire attack. Unlike the oil jars it is not as effective doesn't last as long. It is dangerous for the victim, but it requires a lot of gel, gel that is very difficult to get if you don't have a nightmare tamed.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Shift [double tap]- dive down
  
• Left click- Fire Blast attack
  
• Right click- Ignite skin
  
• (consumes kerosene gel supplies)
  
• X- Wing blast
  
• (must be airborne)
  
• C- Roar

Dragon #003- Hideous Zippleback


The hideous zippleback is a medium sized Mystery-class dragon, green and yellow with a serpentine appearance. They have a good stamina stat and are good at sustaining flight over long distances as well as a respectable endurance from dragon attacks. Its health is above average, but is by no means a tank.

The combat utility for the zippleback is by far the most exciting part. One head belches out gas, the other lights it, making the gas explode when ignited. The gas can be belched out in a stream, and can float above water, on land, and even on enemy structures! This means the player can make rings of gas and deal explosive power at will, without much of a stamina drain. This explosive power is useful for taking down structures, but by no means is it as good as old-fashioned ark explosives (c4, rocket launcher etc). Unlike the monstrous nightmare, the gas is not collectable, and the zippleback cannot self-ignite.

The two heads are, in essence, two different dragons, so the zippleback can be ridden by two players at once, requiring synchronisation between the two players. The two players can look around with the mouse, moving the head they are on to that direction, making the heads entirely independent, as well as acting as an indicator to the other player of where to go. This would make it the first creature, modded or official, to have the ability to have two riders, each being able to use a different creature utility, instead of the normal. rider > passenger format.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Shift [double tap]- dive down
  
• Left click [hold] (on gas head only)- Belch gas
  
• Left click (on spark head only)- Emit sparks
  
• C- Roar

Dragon #004- Deadly Nadder


The Deadly Nadder is a tracker class dragon, said to be one of the most beautiful dragon species there are. It has high manouverability and speed, rivalled only by the nightfury, and has high stamina for long hauls also. Surprisingly, its carry weight is fairly good also, allowing for it to be used as a combatant mount and pack animal, although lacking the resource gathering capabilities of the gronckle. Its spiky tail that can shoot spines at will provides a quick and deadly medium range attack.

In terms of the spikes, the attack can be used by wild and tamed nadders, the interesting part being that the spikes not only regenerate over time, but can be either collected from the spot they hit (they will decompose over time much like item caches) or collected from the inventory of dead nadders. These spikes can be used to make a higher tier of spear and arrow, making it above normal arrows and spears, but below pikes or bullets.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Shift [double tap]- drop
  
• Left click- Magnesium Fire attack
  
• Right click- Spine shot (scatter)
  
• C- Roar

Dragon #005- Nightfury


Indubitably, the nightfury is the figurehead of the franchise, and in many respects it is the most powerful and balanced dragon there is. It is medium-sized with a streamlined, dark body with black scales. It is a solitary creature, only one living in a large territory, although the films suggest the species may be almost extinct, Toothless may be the last living nightfury. It sports small, non-lethal back and tail fins, increasing streamlining and as a result, speed. Nightfuries also have an above average health (although speed makes up for the fact nightfuries aren't very tanky)

The nightfuries fire attack, plasma blast, can deal serious damage, while being quick and effective at damaging enemy structures, the manouverability allowing the rider to deal serious blows on larger targets without being hit. This firepower is what separates the nightfury and the deadly nadder, for example, speed doesn't always mean low attack power ands in the case of the nightfury, it makes a deadly combination. Also, the nightfury can use an adapted form of the plasma blast as echolocation, which can help navigate through cave systems with ease. Nightfuries also have the ability to split their fins to gain increased manoeverability, albeit this ability in the mod will only last a short period time, after which it has a cooldown, making it useful for quick escapes, while it needs to be used wisely. The nightfury also can dive down for a speed boost much like the griffin, and is able to attack while doing so, making it devastating when used effectively.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Shift [double tap]- Dive (Griffin style)
  
• Left click- Plasma Blast
  
• Right click- Multi- plasma blast (depletes stamina more)
  
• C- Echolocation shot (lights up cave systems to show routes for a short period)
  
• X- Split fins (increased manouverability for a short period - cooldown)

Dragon #006- Terrible Terror


The terrible terror is a small stoker class dragon with a low-damage but accurate fire blast, it has medium health but high stamina, about the size of most ark shoulder-mounts. They are quite agile and are able to get out of tight spots and away from predators quite well. They travel in small packs ranging from 3-6, and much like compies will judge threats and only attack if they are in large enough groups.

In terms of utility, the terrible terror is not rideable, and serves as a shoulder mount. It will squeak and growl when a dangerous creature is nearby, much like the jerboa's weather event detection.
Most interestingly of all, is the adaption of Terror Mail, where a note with text on can be placed into the terrible terror's inventory, and using the radial wheel the player can select a player on the server to send the note to. Alternatively, a small item (costume, artifact, foodstuff) can be put with the note as a gift. As the terror will actively seek out the target player as long as the player is online (if the intended recipient goes offline the terror will return to the owner) players can place a terror-mailpost. This pillar acts as a substitute for the target player, where the terror will land and wait for the target player to come online and retrieve the item and if they reject it, they can send the terror back on the radial wheel. This pillar can be placed outside a players base and will only be a substitute for the player that placed it, not the tribe that the target player is in.

Dragon #007- Changewing


The Changewing is a mystery class dragon, with camouflage abilities and unnatural strength they make strong predators. They are very maneuverable over any surface, spitting burning acid at foes. Though above all they stick with a pack format, with females the main hunters. However, they are not tameable, the only way being to retrieve an egg from Changewing Island, something they are very protective of.

Changewings are very deadly, with wall-climbing and cloaking much like the rock drake, though much smaller. They spit acid with the same function as the arthropleura's acid attack.
Changewings are not tameable in the wild, and serve as the mod equivalent of Wyverns. They spawn rarely in many islands, though it is only on Changewing Island (where they are the almost only spawning dragon) that you can capture their eggs. Beyond this point the eggs can be incubated and hatched, and the resulting changewing can be ridden without a saddle. When riding/ in proximity to a tamed changewing, you gain the Changewing Pack Respect buff, which makes all changewings in aggro range neutral to you (they will still attack if you attack them or if you take their eggs). Building up a group through breeding can be a very powerful strategy.
The attacks and cloak mechanic work the same when tamed, making for a weak but powerful mount.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Left click- Acid shot
  
• C- Invisibility [Become cloaked for a short period, but cannot move while cloaked, cooldown applies]

Dragon #008- Razorwhip


The Razorwhip is a sharp-class dragon with metallic scales incredibly sharp talons and high speeds. It resides in mountain forests and is very reclusive, making it very hard to find. It is said the razorwhip's spines are as sharp as a viking's sharpest axe. The males are very hostile to their new offspring and eat their children soon after birth. The whole species would have gone extinct if wasn't for the Wing Maidens, who rescue and raise baby razorwhips.

In terms of utility, the razorwhip has high wood and stone gathering rates with its razor sharp prehensile tail, as well as dealing high melee damage to wood and stone structures. Melee attacks can be used while on land and airborne, making the razorwhip invaluable for aerial fights. Its flame attack is a bright blue low damage beam, with minimal stamina drain. The razorwhip can shoot its spines with a long cooldown but high damage. The metal spine shot is single shot, and once shot can be collected and crafted as a substitute for flint to make razor arrows. Finally, baby razorwhips can be rescued from their parents in the wild (with great difficulty) or bred from tamed razorwhips. Once rescued they can be equipped as shoulder mounts and used as a glider (which takes up no stamina) and the baby can flap its wings to increase altitude (this takes stamina). They can function in this way until they reach adulthood, where they are automatically tamed.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Left click- Blue Flame Beam
  
• Right click- Metal spine shot
  
• C- Tail slash (melee)
  
• X- Split fins (increased manouverability for a short period - cooldown)

Keybindings (default) - Baby

• Space - Flap wings (Ascend)

Dragon #009- Thunderdrum

The Thunderdrum is a tidal-class dragon, known for its sonic waves and extreme roar. Thunderdrums can dive to the deepest parts of the ocean and subsequently can fly to high altitudes. They inhabit sea caves and dark tide pools, and have a fairly balanced mix between sea and land living, though stick to coastal regions. They have an ability which allows them to expel air from their lungs to flatten their bodies, streamlining them to cut through water. Other than their sonic boom, they can use a flame blast but this is not their preferred attack.

The Thunderdrum's utility is vast as it both has high health and is a substantial land and sea mount, but they thoroughly excel underwater with their flattening ability. This allows them to sacrifice stamina for a short boost of underwater speed, making them invaluable for deep sea exploration. Their combat ability is unconventional - the sonic blast is multiple target and damages targets near it and stuns enemies in its outer range.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Left click- Sonic Blast
  
• C- Flatten (Increases underwater mobility for 10 seconds - cooldown applies)

Dragon #010- Skrill


The Skrill is a Strike class dragon, notorious for its control of electricity and lightning, and its elusive nature. It excels in speed and firepower, said to be one of the few dragons able to face a Night Fury. They gravitate to lightning storms and their one weakness is water, as they cannot channel or expel electricity while underwater.

In terms of utility, the Skrill is almost unparalleled in terms of firepower, and close to equal in speed to the nightfury. The Skrill will only spawn during electrical storms, otherwise they are extremely rare in snowy regions. It is a very able war mount, as it has an ability that allows it to ride a lightning bolt and gain altitude very quickly from land. This could be used to escape from predators quickly and could even deal a small AoE damage at the point of take off. The Skrill can get a buff during a thunderstorm, reducing the stamina drain on its lightning breath and increasing movement speed temporarily. As a trust bonus for the few who are able to tame a Skrill and spend a good amount of time refining a bond with it, the Skrill can create a localised thunderstorm, changing the weather to a thunderstorm at its location. Not lasting as long as a regular thunderstorm, but still giving the same buff, this ability is very useful even with its lengthy cooldown. Skrills cannot spawn naturally in these thunderstorms, however.



Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Space [hold] (from ground) - Lightning Leap
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Left click- Lightning breath
  
• X- Localised Thunderstorm

Dragon #011- Typhoomerang


The Typhoomerang is a large stoker class dragon, known for its vast wingspan and tornado like fire attack. Its vast strength and firepower makes it revered, and as young they are surprisingly friendly and open-minded, though it is difficult to get to a baby typhoomerang without inevitably aggravating its parents. They are one of the only dragons to be able to eat eels, and their only known weakness is their poor turning circle and low maneuverability due to size.

The typhoomerang's utility will be great, as there will be a late-game platform saddle, enabling the player to gain decent mobility and power with their mobile base. However, the drawback is that this does not reduce the typhoomerang's speed but rather increases stamina drain, meaning one would have to make more stops. Also, since the typhoomerang is a stoker class, furnaces or heatpowered appliances take less time to smelt when on their back. Its attacks include a It can be ridden with a saddle, but the vast cyclone powers of wild typhoomerangs are only available as a high trust bonus. At this point the typhoomerang is able to fly up to a high altitude and dive down, igniting itself in a cyclone on descent. On impact it deals flaming damage to a target and anything in an area of effect. Upon impact the typhoomerang gains a limited buff granting reduced cooldown on its flame attack and can use its flaming lunge attack, albeit while being unable to fly for the duration. This cannot be done with a platform saddle, however, so players will have to choose later on whether it is better used as an advanced mobile base or a damage tank. During this buff, the typhoomerang is vulnerable to enemy attacks while still gaining a boost on top of what is already a formiddable battle mount. Another attack it has, possibly as a secret ability, is creating a circle of fire in an area, trapping in its foe, although the credibility of this against anything that can fly is dubious. Even then, it would only deal damage but not be impenetrable.


Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Left click- Flame Tornado attack
  
• Right click- Fire Cyclone Lunge
  
• C- Roar
  
• X- Ignition Dive (when trust bonus is active)
  
• Z- Circle of Fire

Dragon #012- Timberjack


The timberjack is a vast sharp-class dragon, known for its huge wingspan and extreme endurance through its sturdy wings. They dwell in forest areas and are able to slice through wood extremely easily. Because of their long wings, they are unable to scratch their back, meaning any trainer that can scratch their back will earn their trust.

In terms of utility, the timberjack is possibly the most versatile dragon to have. They act as a great wood harvester and are able to wrap round their wings and form a tent, which provides great weather, heat and cold resistance, counting as a home area. They can carry multiple passengers on their saddle and are great for tribes in this way. However, taming one is difficult because they are viciously aggressive when disturbed. The best way to tame one is to scratch its back when it is distracted, achieving this greatly increases trust and makes the taming process easier.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Left click- Oil Fireball attack
  
• C- Roar

Dragon #013- Stormcutter


The stormcutter is a noble and powerful dragon, known for its rotatable head and four wings, generally docile and friendly. Stormcutters are versatile and share many owl and bat like traits, much like the nightfury. It is very maneuverable and sturdy, though it shares a weakness with the nightfury, its tail is its weak point and it struggles to fly when part or all of its tail is disabled.

In terms of utility, the stormcutter is an able pack animal and war mount, with decent agility and power. Its flame attack , a swirling fiery ring, is adept at damaging structures with its intense heats. It is viable mid to late game and has a reliable amount of health, it is much like the nightfury but with less speed at the advantage of increased base weight and stamina. It uses its two wings normally, but its secondary wings can be brought out as a cooldown ability, much like the nightfury's split fin ability. The extra wings act as a speed and maneuverability boost.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Left click- Fire Torus attack
  
• C- Roar

Dragon #014- Triple Stryke


The Triple Stryke is a medium sized strike class dragon, known for its arachnid/scorpion like appearance and three braided tails. These three tails are its main forms of attack and each delivers a different venom: The first numbs enemies, the second gives the target mild hallucinations and the third makes the opponent feel like their blood is burning, with painful consequences. The tails are also very strong and prehensile so can be used for multiple purposes. They are regarded to be ruthless and aggressive, an apex fighter.

In terms of utility, the Triple Stryke is fast and very maneuverable, though heavily relying on its melee attacks and as a result getting up close to targets. The venoms can be used individually to give a certain debuff to players and dragons (though it is less effective to dragons: Numbing venom - decreases speed reduces melee/tool damage for a short period, Hallucigenic Venom - Gives the
hallucigen debuff (much like the ARK Dizzy Spores but purely the vision distortion and nothing else, the distortion uses the dark red/yellow color palette of the Triple Stryke) for a short period. Finally the Burning Blood Venom, which causes a steady ticking health loss over a short period. The effects of these venoms can be partially negated by medical brew, and while under the effects of medical brew the effects are lessened. The Triple Stryke has a 30 second cooldown on each venom attack, though they can be used simultaneously but with the equivalent stamina drain of using all three.



Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Left click-
  
• Z- Numbing Venom Jab (30 second cooldown applies, only when attack hits)
  
• X- Hallucigenic Venom Jab (15 second cooldown applies, only when attack hits)
  
• C- Burning Blood Venom (1 minute cooldown applies, only when attack hits)

Dragon #015- Light Fury



The Light Fury is a very rare dragon, similar to the Night Fury. It resides in the Hidden World and has the defining trait of the ability to turn invisible at will by heating up its mirror-like scales. They prioritise stealth in many situations, perhaps even more than the Night Furies do.

In terms of utility, the light fury purely acts as a tactical mount that plays upon the strengths of the Night Fury along with increased skills in certain situations such as stealth. This is particularly applicable in the Hidden World, as it is darker so the cloaking works more effectively as a getaway tactic. Although, using it on the surface at night should give the same benefit. Also, light furies can use a timed plasma blast that travels slightly slower, allowing for tactical moves for adept riders.

Keybindings (default)

• W- Forward
  
• A- Strafe Left
  
• S- Backwards
  
• D- Strafe Right
  
• Space [hold]- Ascend
  
• Shift [hold]- Descend
  
• Left click- Plasma blast
  
• Right click (Once to shoot, again to explode)- Timed Plasma blast
  
• C- Dive

It has been shown multiple times in the franchise where a dragon is able to unlock secret abilities. For instance, when Astrid swapped dragons with Snotlout, Snotlout was able to teach Stormfly to fire a single more accurate spine shot. When a player rides on a dragon, attacks enemies while mounted, feeds their dragon, their personal trust rating goes up. If you think of this in terms of levels, around level 30 the dragon gains the secret ability, and around level 60 the dragon achieves titan wing form. In titan wing form dragons change their looks and gain a stat boost, this is pivotal for late game progression. Titan wing forms will be an interesting new mechanic, as it means that using the same dragon for long periods of time and grinding the trust levels will stop mounts becoming worthless, and make the player feel more bonded with their own dragon. The general levels will still apply, but will simply dictate base stats. The aim is that your favourite and strongest dragon will achieve Titan Wing form as a reward for your continued support of that dragon. Max level is 100 and if a player reaches that level, they are given a decorative statue

The Barbaric Archipelago and the Edge: A Map Concept

(All images for locations from interactive map site, found here[web.archive.org]. I do not claim the rights to these images)
Even though it can be argued that the mod could easily be based on the traditional ark maps, something that I understand and agree with; I think that one of the greatest things about the films and tv series is the detail put into the locations, and the careful thought put into the symbiotic relationship between the dragons and nature itself. So I think if a custom map could be made, as accurate to the map of the archipelago, it would make the experience vastly better, so that we as fans can truly live in this world.


Location #001- Isle of Berk

The Isle of Berk is the centerpoint of the franchise, and the primary base location for the films and series (with the exception of Race to the Edge, which is based on Dragon's Edge), notable for its diverse ecosystem and harmony between dragons and humans. Based on the fact it is in the center of the map and is the most well-known island on the map for most, it makes sense for it to be the primary starting location, its many beaches and cliffs the spawnpoints, much like the island. Whether other islands will have respawn points I don't know, but I think not because I like the idea of building bases and outposts for your tribe on as many islands as possible to help exploration. The town of Berk will be on the island to explore, including the Great Hall, to all the more enhance the experience. Berk will have a diverse range of dragons, though limited to more well-known dragons. This will help as fans will spawn in and immediately see the dragons they recognise.

Location #002- Dragon Island

Dragon Island, most well-known as the home of the Red Death, and the finale of the first movie. It will serve as a hostile challenge island, where the dragon population is scarce but all dragons there have a buff which increases their aggro range and makes them increasingly aggressive, making this a challenge for players. However, in the center of the map, their is a boss terminal in the Dragon's Nest, where the Red Death boss can be summoned: Much like the first movie, this requires a vast amount of food to summon, as well as trophies. (See- Bosses) Other than this, the Dragon's Nest also has a lot of mountain resources such as metal and obsidian, so the Red Death is not the only purpose of this island.

Location #003- Changewing Island

A small island, inhabited only by Changewings (See- Changewing), It serves as a region for finding and capturing Changewing eggs, as wild Changewings are not tameable. It is especially dangerous to traverse by night, as their camouflage makes them experts at ambush. Besides this the whole island, though small, is abundant in resources, if you have the firepower to fend off the Changewings. Having a bred Changewing makes this much easier, however.

One of the most challenging but most rewarding parts of this project is working out the exact scale of how big the map would be in-game. It seems difficult but based on several tricks it is possible to calculate. According to the promotional google maps demo for Race to The Edge, (link[www.dreamworkstv.com]) the archipelago can be scaled to be next to Greenland. However, through testing this is not accurate, as some islands can be calculated (according to the resulting formula) as thousands of km in area. Thanks to this deviant art project[www.deviantart.com], I am able to find the definitive size of berk, use the pixel size in the map and find a conversion:

DA Berk size = 9km²
Pixel dimensions = 1020p
1 pixel = 9000/1020 = 8.82m²

Using this conversion in an excel spreadsheet, we can work out every island's area by multiplying the pixel area by 0.00882. This is an estimate, and is purely to work out the rough scale of the project in comparison to existing ARK maps. Many islands are unnamed on the map, so I will calculate these anyway as an added value.



If we make this into a pie chart with the ocean size, we get a land/ocean comparison.



However, using the deviantart project would be a great starting point as unlike the official maps, as it uses professional detail, even altitudes etc. This makes it invaluable to use to make a Berk map to expand out from.

Environmental Mechanics play a huge part in this mod, the largest of which being the advanced stone system. Different kinds of stones can be used with a gronckle to craft different tools and metals. There are two main mechanics:

Sandstone:
Sandstone can be found on beaches and in the sand, mixed in amongst normal sand. It is important in the composition of Gronckle Iron.

Limestone:
Limestone can be found in deep waters, it is important in the composition of Gronckle Iron.

Gronckle Iron can be crafted with 3 limestone + 2 sandstone + 1 metal ore. By putting the metal ore in the Gronckle forge and using a tamed gronckle who has limestone and sandstone in their inventory to spew lava into it, then accessing the forge and crafting 1 gronckle iron from there. The sandstone/limestone lava has to be refilled every 5 uses.

It is pivotal because it can be used to craft various items, including enhanced versions of tools and weapons, shields armour and even dragon armour.

Weapons, tools, armour and other items will be pivotal as they will provide a new feel to the game, restyling is key! As of now, concepted items include:

• Gronckle Iron Sword - 50 x Gronckle Iron, 1 x Wood, 15 x Hide.
  
• Gronckle Iron Pick - 50 x Gronckle Iron, 1 x Wood, 15 x Hide.
  
• Gronckle Iron Hatchet - 8 x Gronckle Iron, 1 x Wood, 10 x Hide.
  
• Gronckle Iron Sickle - 18 x Gronckle Iron, 4 x Wood, 16 x Hide.
  
• Gronckle Iron Pike - 10 x Gronckle Iron, 10 x Wood, 20 x Hide.
  
• Gronckle Iron Helmet - 10 x Gronckle Iron, 7 x Wood, 3 x Fiber.
  
• Gronckle Iron Chestpiece - 13 x Gronckle Iron, 10 x Wood, 4 x Fiber.
  
• Gronckle Iron Leggings - 16 x Gronckle Iron, 12 x Wood, 5 x Fiber.
  
• Gronckle Iron Gauntlets - 6 x Gronckle Iron, 5 x Wood, 2 x Fiber.
  
• Gronckle Iron Boots - 8 x Gronckle Iron, 6 x Wood, 4 x Fiber.

Taming will be a pivotal part, as you might expect. I intend to expand upon the passive taming experience in order to make a more realistic feel. Knockout taming will still feature, but will be discouraged as it is not the intended method. "Trust" taming, will have the highest efficiency and consist of multiple quest-like activities over a period to tame a dragon. The difficulty of this will vary by the dragon and its level. Completing actions like sneaking up behind the dragon and feeding it, all the way up to petting it among other things. One mechanic I would like to implement is when the dragon you are trying to tame, at about 40 - 60% taming, will follow you around, and if a wild dragon/player aggros onto them and you kill the aggressor, the dragon gains extra taming percentage, regardless of whether you have completed the current quest. However, this would be difficult as it could be manafactured by the player to tame dragons easily. The activities the dragon requests vary on the dragon, for instance where a dragon would request to be fed fish, a Deadly Nadder would request chicken. As the taming percentage goes up, the dragon gradually becomes less hostile and becomes less likely to aggro onto you if it faces you (much like the Gigantopithicus). Bosses cannot be tamed, though titan dragons can be tamed but only for a short time, much like the ARK titans.

Right now, this is only a concept. I am by no means associated with the creators of the Dragons franchise and I do not have the time or resources to make this a reality right now. All I can do is gather support for this and maybe even draw the attention of the creators so I can hopefully make it. But what can you do? You can favourite this, share the word, anything you can do would be very appreciated, and I will continue to update this to make the concept as fleshed out as possible.

Thank you,
Peppery Salmon.