Dragons appear in many real-life mythologies, so it is no surprise these mighty leviathans have become a staple in fantasy settings sinceSmaug inLord of the Rings. Their impact on human culture is exceptionally evident in the market of popular MMORPGs, with games likeWorld of Warcraft,Final Fantasy 14, andGuild Wars 2all prominently featuring dragons in their stories and worldbuilding.
Considering how popular they are, it is no surprise dragons have been featured heavily in these games recently. Last year,World of Warcraftreleased Dragonflight,Guild Wars 2released End of Dragons, andFinal Fantasy 14began its post-Endwalker storyline with a heavy focus on dragons. Though they share some similarities, these dragons are as different from one another as their respective games.
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The Dragonflights of World of Warcraft
The dragons of Azeroth are mighty creatures empowered byWorld of Warcraft’sTitans. Though young dragon are around the size of a large cat, they can grow to tremendous sizes. The Aspects - leaders of the five dragonflights - are some of the largest dragons, with Deathwing being the biggest known at around 500-feet long. The dragons ofWorld of Warcraftare separated into Black, Blue, Bronze, Green, and Red dragonflights, each of which is charged to earth, magic, time, nature, and life, respectively. An ability unique toWorld of Warcraft’sdragons is their visage form - a humanoid guise they adopt while interacting with mortals.
Dragons have been a big part of Azeroth since they were introduced inWarcraft 2. InWorld of Warcraft, Aspects have played major roles in several expansions including Wrath of the Lich King, Legion, and Shadowlands. In particular,Cataclysm revolved directly around Deathwing’s betrayalagainst the other Aspects, while Dragonflight has been focused on learning the hidden history of the dragons while trying to restore the Aspects to their former glory.
There are other types of dragons withinWorld of Warcraftas well. Storm Drakes, Stone Dragons, and Cloud Serpents are dragon-like creatures with ill-defined connections to the dragonflights, while Nether and Twilight dragons come from eggs that are exposed to magic. Likewise, proto-dragons are dinosaur-like predecessors to modern dragons. The Primal Incarnates are a group of proto-dragons who worship Galakrond - an ancient dragon who even larger than the Aspects - and leadthe Primalists in Dragonflight.
The First Brood of Final Fantasy 14
Dragons inFinal Fantasy 14are the most alien of the bunch in that they literally come from another planet. Midgardsormr came to Etheirys after the dragons' homeworld was conquered by a hostile species of robots called the Omicrons. There, he made a deal with Hydaelyn to protect the star in exchange for asylum to raise his seven children, who would go on to become the First Brood.
At first glance,Final Fantasy 14dragons seem pretty typical for fantasy settings, but their biology has some significant differences. These dragons reproduce asexually and go through drastic metamorphosis during their lifespans. A dragon may lose wings or limbs, gain a shell, or swell to larger sizes. Their bodies also interact uniquely with the world around them - their scales are magic-repellant, and their blood can permanently transform people into dragons. Their eyes are also loci of power, and allow them to exert their will remotely, even to control humanoid vessels.
The Heavensward expansion was the first to feature dragons as a major story point. Since then, the First Brood have appeared in side stories, like Hraesvelgr and Midgardsormr in the Omega raids.Endwalker’s major patchessaw the First Brood return to the spotlight thanks to Vrtra’s search for his sister Azdaja.
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Midgardsormr himself is comparable in size to the Aspects ofWorld of Warcraft, but the dragons ofFinal Fantasy 14are the smallest on average. By contrast, the primal form of Bahamut in the trailer for A Realm Reborn was literally the size of a small moon. Though he is a magic entity rather than a true dragon, players estimate this false Bahamut was roughly four miles in length, allowing him to easily devastate multiple continents during theSeventh Umbral Calamity inFinal Fantasy 14.
The Elder Dragons of Guild Wars 2
The Elder Dragons inGuild Wars 2are the most powerful and terrifying of them all; more akin to natural disasters than monsters. Like theAspects ofWorld of Warcraft, Elder Dragons are intrinsically tied to the world. In fact, the Elder Dragons are so fundamental to nature that their deaths can cause world-ending calamities.
Six Elder Dragons are the apex lifeforms inGuild Wars 2, so players can only defeat them with fleets of siege weapons, clever tricks, or with the help of other dragons. What’s worse, the power of an Elder Dragon is absorbed by the others when they are slain - if the imbalance caused by their death doesn’t destroy the world, the other Elder Dragons become stronger. These behemoths also radiate magic that can transform creatures into mindless minions.
There are other dragons found inGuild Wars 2. These beings have ties to the Elder Dragons, and some - like the Shatterer and Drakkar - are transformed into powerful minions called Heralds. Kuunavang, a saltspray dragon, chooses to serve as the Elder Dragon Soo-Won’s Herald freely, and even has a rare ability to shapeshift into ahumanoid form like dragons inWorld of Warcraft. Meanwhile Aurene, the spawn of an Elder Dragon Herald, goes on to become an Elder Dragon herself.
Guild Wars 2’sstory has revolved around Elder Dragons for the last decade. Every expansion and Living World season ties back to them in some fashion, and even though End of Dragons brought a conclusion to the saga, its aftermath will continue to affectGuild Wars 2storylines in the future.
Among these different dragons,Guild Wars 2’sElder Dragons are by far the largest and most powerful. Most of the Elder Dragons dwarf even Deathwing in size, and only the primalBahamut fromFinal Fantasy 14could hope to compare in strength. Even so, from the smallest whelp to the greatest wyrm, these creatures make for excellent characters, bosses, and stories in any universe.
World of WarcraftandGuild Wars 2are available now for PC.Final Fantasy 14is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
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