I was just wondering if it was possible for dragons to come into cities. I'm about 250 hours in and for the first time I encounted a dragon (not part of a quest) in solitude. I was doing one of delvin's special quests just outside solitude and there was a dragon circling above the general area of the city. It wouldn't attack me and it seemed too high up for me to even get it's attention. It was a lot higher up than most dragons usually appear or it might be that it just seemed that way because I was near the water and it was flying above the arch that solitude sits on. So after i finished planting a stolen item on a ship outside solitude I fast traveled to the blue palace and the dragon started swooping down. it was an ancient dragon btw(if that matters). It flew all around the city but didn't land on any buildings, just the ground. So i'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Is this supposed to happen?

That is actually the only city proper in which I've seen a dragon attack/land, but others have said that they can attack any city.

They do enter cities, yeah. I've never had one in Solitude myself.

I've seen them happen in Solitude, Whiterun, Windhelm, Markarth, and Riften. Actually <.< i think that makes all of the walled cities. So yeah, while INCREDIBLY rare, it's very possible.


Worst place though? Markarth. You can kill the dragon (zero health), but the gorram thing won't land until you leave the city and have it follow you. Then it'l spontaneously fall to its death on open ground.

That's my most feared dragon attack. I suspected it would be a pain because there is no place large enough for them to land - plus, with all the pathways being so narrow I'd be concerned with the lack of hiding places and escape routes for the NPCs. Riften concerns me in the first regard, as well.

I saw a dead dragon in Markarth before.....I never attacked it and I never saw it when I was there before. Really weird.

In that one dragon attack, almost every NPC in the city was killed. It happened right as people were leaving the tavern there too...it was the worst dragon attack I've ever experienced, and no matter how many reloads I did, nearly everyone died. Needless to say, if you run into a dragon in Markarth, Dragonrend and immediately leave the city. >.<

My question is this: if dragon attacks are random at what point does the system 'make up it's mind'?

When I was doing the quest where you have to meet at the stables when you don't have your best gear a dragon attacked (yes, I know the name - I'm trying to no spoil any more ). I kept reloading hoping that eventually the dragon wouldn't attack, but, ultimately, I had to hide in the grain mill until the NPCs finished it off.

In my games they seem to love attacking Winterhold and the College. Dawnstar's gotten it's share of attacks too.

Yeah, in my dude's game (waayyy more hours after A Blade in the Dark than my chick's game) the College of WInterhold has been attacked more than any other single location and I rarely go there on either character because neither are Mages.

I've had them in every city but Riften and Markarth.

I havent had Dragon attacks inside walled cities, like Markarth or Whiterun. But I did have one in Riverwood, another just outside Solitude, and one at the College. Couple of screenshots on the link in my sig.

Yes it happened the same thing to me. I had only my nice clothes on. He landed on a roof and I shout at him. Then a horse attacked me as well as a few guards.LOL... So I reloaded it and run away until they took care of it.

I've had 2 appear, both in Whiterun, on successive evenings. Never anywhere else.

Damn.

I was leaving the Blue Palace when suddenly a dragon landed just in front of me. It was easely done. Now, very often, those ancient dragons land just near you. The frost dragons fly at lenght and sometimes disappear.

I have had them appear in cities repeatedly, but for me they have all been in Riften.

They annoying part is: once the dragon corpse (bones) are in town, all the NPC's gather around them and say the "i can't believe it." line. They no longer function as merchants/questgivers/ect until you leave and come back.

I have only killed them in Whiterun and Solitude.

Yeah, I had that happen with the one in Riverwood. Didn't try buying anything, cause I was on my way to Solitude for the Diplomatic Immunity quest. Also ran into a hunter on my way to ilinalta's Deep when a dragon attacked, but I never bother with hunters since they sell so little and have no gold to buy things.

I remember while doing a few animal exterminations for Aela that I arrived at a small farm. The lady outside told me that she was scared blabla... So I entered and killed the animal (bear or sabre cat). I opened the door to leave and right in front of me there was a dragon. I killed him and looked at the woman. She was staring at this big skeleton, her mouth shut...

Edit: I run away before she asked me to clean that mess.

All but 2 of my dragon encounters occurred out in the open. The other two both happened at the Winterhold college and both ended up with me killing the dragon on top of one of the towers.

When she was scared of the lesser beast you could've given her the old, "Shut up, or I'll give you something to be scared about." line.

I've had dragons attack in Whiterun, Riverwood, Falkreath, Morthal, and Solitude.

Yeah...You really make me laugh Buckom.

For sure it was not her lucky day.

I've only ever seen them in Winterhold, never a walled city.

I did kill one on the beach near Dawnstar, it looked like the skeleton of some huge sea monster had washed up on the shore.