I am having a dreadfully hard time killing this dragon -- been fighting for about 25 minutes (real time not Skyrim time). I don't have a lot of power, being a level 5 mage. Some questions:

1) At first I couldn't see a red dot in my compass bar. Does this mean he was too far away to hit?
2) I now can see the red dot, but I can't see any bar indicating the dragon's health. Does this mean he is too far away to hit?
3) The most powerful spells I have are Firebolt and Lighting Bolt. I figure a fire spell against a fire-breathing dragon probably would be ineffective, so I've been concentrating just on the Lightning Bolt. Any suggestions?
4) He flies and flies. Is there any way I can get him to land? My bow might be more effective then.

Anything else anyone else can think of to help?

1. If you can't see a red dot, he is behind you.
2. He won't get a red bar until you hit him the first time for damage.
3. Use arrows when he is flying, when he lands get behind a rock to avoid most of the breath weapon damage, then pop out and electrocute him, then hide again. Think of it like guerilla warfare, not the old school firing line type of fighting.
4. Get out in the open to get him to land (but stay close to your rock!).

Not to be rude, but do you mean Kynesgrove? Kynareth is in Oblivion

The dragon you have to kill with Delphine?

@CA QUIXOTE, good suggestions, all, and I will follow them. But, since I don't see the red bar, it means I haven't even hit him ONCE! (I've been firing arrows as well as lighting bolts.) Little Old Lady getting a bit discouraged ...

@purehatred99, right you are! No wonder it sounded so very familiar ...

I have heard Fire is the best against all types of dragons.

Considering how far you have to go and how much you have to do before getting to that stage I take it that you are purposely not levelling your character up.

Quite simply hang around the area where you find him, avoiding his breath attacks then pelting him with ranged attacks when he lands. Dragons can only land in certain places so if you move too far away then there might not be anywhere around there for him to land.

if it gets too much, you can always turn down the difficulty. he needs a nice open place to land, which he will eventually do. do you have arrows? theyre your best shot IMO.

Thanks, all! No, I'm not holding back on levelling, I'm just making slow progress. (Very poor hand-eye coordination is slowing me way down). We have been fighting in the mountains, so I'll try backing down where there's more open space. Glad for the tip on using flames. By this time I've shot most of my arrows, so I'll back up to an earlier saved game and try again, putting all this good information to use.

Yeah Fire is good against any dragon and most enemies except the flame atronachs. As a mage I suspect you aren't wearing any armor? You can if you want to as it does not impact your ability to cast spells even though I still prefer to role play as a cloth mage myself.

As others have said try to get into the open where he can land but also have something to hide behind. Don't forget about your other shouts. Unrelenting Force will stun a dragon and stop his breath attack. So If nothing else run out into the open so when he hovers above you, do your force shout then while he is stunned. Try to get in a couple arrows.

Yes! Finally got him, following these lovely nuggets of information you all have given me!


I didn't even think of using Shouts, so that news will certainly help me out next time -- thanks!

(Yes, my mage only wears robes and hoods, but I must admit that -- as a tenderfoot, she does wear sturdy Imperial boots.)

GreenMyEyes, I can empathize. I'm decades older than most people playing it seems. Already on SS, not that far from Medicare.... and hand-eye coordination isn't great. Only reason it approaches "okay" is because I've played WoW for nearly 6 years.

Once you get some good damage-type shouts, you'll be better able to deal with the dragons. I know people who think FusRoDah is the be-all and end-all of shouts, but personally I prefer Fire Breath.

I'm joining in the chorus of the "older ladies" here. I just wait and wait for them to land or get close. I know it seems forever, but really you'll get him down. Just dodge and aim.
Upping your skill in archery using the trainer doesn't hurt either.