I just left Rorikstead and passed a shack. I started to walk down the road and got ambushed by some bandits. While I started to run towards them and start spillin some blood, I heard a dragon. I quickly turned my attention to the dragon, figuring that the bandits would also. But they didn't. I decided to forget the bandits and go after the dragon ( the bandit weren't doing much damage to me anyways). But I couldn't see the dragon on my radar (no red dot) and then I see him spitting fire on the bandits and not me. I started to sprint and chase the dragon, but I couldn't keep up. I eventually spent a good 30 minutes looking but couldn't find his hiding spot. Has anybody seen this dragon and/or know if he is a "good" dragon? It would be cool if there was a dragon I could go see and talk to that was not hostile to me. It was cool seeing a dragon come to my rescue, I just want to give thanks to him

Just a regular hostile dragon that didn't notice you.

Dragons are not choosy about their targets, I've had multiple fights where I was doing damage and they still flew off to attack someone else, then left.

For some reason, some dragons just won't notice you. Even if they're in range. That's all it really is. I think that some dragons are simply designed to not aggro until attacked. Or maybe they're bugged so that they don't.

But I've seen the phenomenon. Silver Moon camp just a couple of days ago. Dragon too high for me to get the attention of. Some Silver Moon did it just fine. The dragon and me fought side by side, then it just flew away.

isnt this dragon suppose to be alduin flying around? Ive had several experiences with a dragon flying around in the area and Ive always thought it looked like Alduin and it was just a subliminal ingame message that a bigger foe was still to be dealt with.

After a certain point in the main quest, you will see Alduin circling dragon burial sites. He resurrect the dragon inside then fly off to find another while you fight the one he woke up.

i used to think that but now i don't. try looking for horns and black color. alduin is very different looking from other dragons. if it is a blacked, spiked dragon, it's not alduin.

Yeah I think it's bugged. What's worse is, I've seen dragons that not only ignored me, but fled from me! This was after the main quest for me and I had Dragonrend, and it didn't work. In particular this was during the civil war quest; I'd chosen the Imperial side, and this dragon was hanging out near the camp. No matter what I did, this mongrel fled, but because he was in the area, I couldn't fast-travel. I spent 15 minutes trying to get close to this dragon and he kept flying off. I even got frustrated and tried to console cheat to fly to him, and he still flew away (and then the game crashed). Some dragons aren't meant to be kill-able, perhaps?

Before some of the patches, I've seen:

• Invisible dragons (nope, I'm not on a PS3; I'm on a PC)
  
• a skeleton dragon (and not the one in the tomb)
  
• Dragons flying backwards
  
• Dragons flying after they were killed because it was scripted that they would take off from their perch (I saw this on Youtube)

I think they've deliberately made some dragons non-hostile.

There have definitely been times when one has noticed me and still flown off.

Makes sense really, given the scene at the end of the MQ (we're in the spoiler section, I'm not putting that in those little brackets or whatever they are).

I like it, gives a sense of atmosphere

That explains the numerous fights I had when a Dragon is half way down on his health, then flies away and the moments when I get close to one or use Dragonrend, but they do not attack me.

It goes with the game though, as at the end of the MQ:


I tried looking for a video of it on YouTube, but most of the "Skyrim ending" videos skips dialogue.

"Dragons flying after they were killed because it was scripted that they would take off from their perch (I saw this on Youtube)"

Heh, I've seen this too, I will kill a dragon just as he is started his "takeoff" animation, and then, with 0 health, will fly up, make a circle, then come crashing down.

I run into non-hostile dragons many times. I don't know if it's a bug or intended. I KNOW they notice me because I had one come and he was fighting a giant. He landed, killed the giant, but was to low on health to get up. So I walked next to him and he was following me with his gaze, so he was clearly aware that I was there. Then I tried to heal him and he went aggressive instantly....