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Like in other media, dragons are the epitome of mythical creatures in high fantasy in video games. Being generally larger than most characters in whatever video game they appear in, they may tower over the player character, providing a sense of humility or appear as a challenge, depending on players' outlook on life.
While many games have dragons that are non-hostile and even friendly, it is the non-friendly variety that provides the best entertainment as, more often than not, it ends in a spectacular boss fight, giving players the satisfaction of going toe-to-toe with a dragon.
Here are five of the most epic dragons in video games that players can tackle and possibly even defeat to gain useful regards, but more importantly, the knowledge that they have bested a dragon.
5 of the coolest dragon bosses in video games
1) Alduin - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
At the very start of Skyrim, it is made very clear who the main antagonist is. A large dragon interrupts the execution of a player to burn down a village of relatively innocent people out of sheer spite. It is, of course, Alduin, The Devourer.
Players might assume the Devourer in the title refers to him munching on humans as, over the course of the game, they might witness other dragons chomping up NPCs. However, it is later revealed that Alduin is actually the Devourer of souls, gaining power through them and becoming strong enough to hunt even in the afterlife.
The Dragonborn's quest leads them to Sovngarde, to the hall of the slain, where they call upon the heroes of old for aid and together battle Alduin at the end of time itself. Using the dragon's power, players must take on Alduin to slay him a final time, fulfilling their role as the Dragonborn and delivering the entire world from ending. It is one of the best endings in a fantasy video game ever.
2) Bahamut - Final Fantasy Series
Bahamut is a video game character existing throughout the Final Fantasy Universe as a transdimensional being (sometimes even outside the Final Fantasy universe). He is one of the strongest summons available in most games, although certain criteria must be met to summon him. Appearing in several forms, sometimes traditional four-legged dragon, while at times in a more humanoid stance, he is the legendary Dragon King of the series.
In his latest appearance, Bahamut is seen in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, where he can be obtained as a summon. However, as in past video games, players must first defeat him in a battle to obtain him as an ally. Appearing in the humanoid form here, he is a tough boss to beat, although the reward is worth all the trouble.
As an ally, his non-elemental magic attacks deal tremendous damage to opponents, while his ultimate attack, Megaflare, makes a return. While he is too huge to be summoned in every boss battle, he may change the tide in Cloud and Co.'s favor whenever he is on the battlefield.
3) Black Dragon Kalameet - Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss DLC
While going through the main story of Dark Souls, players may meet a few dragons, but none really feel like a proper fight. The Hellkite Dragon on the bridge constantly flies in and out to be considered an actual battle, while the Gaping Dragon and Seath the Scaleless don't even feel like dragons at all.
All that changes when players venture into the DLC area and are greeted in a scripted encounter by Black Dragon Kalameet. After this, players may ask the help of a friend to shoot down the dragon from the air, following which an optional boss fight will become available.
Then starts the Soulsborne tradition of optional bosses being harder than those in the main story. Kalameet gives players their first proper dragon battle in the game, with an entire melee moveset, complete with tail swipes and occasional flying charges, as well as a couple of different fire breath attacks.
Through determination and hard work, players may defeat him to obtain a large number of souls and the Calamity Ring, which can double the damage taken by players. It seems that FromSoftware does have a sense of humor.
4) Ender Dragon - Minecraft
Initially, Minecraft didn't have an end-game boss as the objective of the video game wasn't really to progress any story or plot. But all that changed when update 1.0 dropped on December 19, 2016, now famously known as The Ender Update. This update literally introduced an endpoint area of the game simply titled The End.
While there was no mandate for players to ever go to The End, the lure was always there for people who wanted something of a final chapter to the game. Once players arrive at The End, they will be greeted by the Ender Dragon.
The largest enemy in the game, the Ender Dragon, puts up quite a fight in a video game where building is the core mechanic, and combat plays a very small role. The dragon can dive and spew fireballs at players, which they must avoid and destroy the crystals nearby to defeat the boss. Upon death, the dragon drops a dragon egg which acts as both a trophy and a small light source to be decorated in players' Minecraft homes.
5) Fatalis - Monster Hunter World
This creature in the Monster Hunter World video game is a legendary Elder Black Dragon accessible only after completing the Iceborne storyline and meeting a few other requirements. Players will then obtain The Black Dragon quest, which will take them to Castle Schrade.
Here, players can face off against Fatalis, generally considered to be the hardest fight in the video game. The dragon has some high damage melee moves and firebreath attacks. It may even take to the air and rain down fire upon players. About halfway through the fight, Fatalis gains new attacks and abilities.
For the first time that players attempt this, it is locked for single-player only till 22% of the dragon's health is reduced. Then the fight opens up to multiplayer, even for successive attempts. The arena has some siege weapons which can be used to deal large damage, such as cannons, ballistae, and a Dragonator. Upon defeat, players are rewarded with some rare item drops and access to bragging rights.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
