So I've been slowly making my way through Skyrim, level 47 now playing on master difficulty, and just fought my first of many Elder Dragons. I happened to save within seconds of the Dragon landing in front of me and it took me three tries to kill him. That is with Shadowmere, and Lucian both helping. I have 330 armor rating, and only 3 perks into the light armor tree. The Idea got into my head at how easy it would be for this dragon to pummel me if I was trying this solo. One breath almost kills me, and I am in constant fear of losing any health because the dragon could then simply pick me up in its jaws and toss me like a rag doll. Had that happen twice in the battle just now, both times I had 3/4 (285/380 hp), or more, of my health.

I understand Dragon's are supposed to be difficult, and I enjoy the challenge. But how does everyone else go about killing them with out getting womped on? I usually rock dual daggers/swords, light armor, and a bow.

They really aren't that tough. Your armor value is more than a bit low than you should optimally have for your level. If you have marked for death shout, use that and when they land approach towards the side/back. It should die within maybe 2 - 3 dual wield power attacks even on master with 51 dmage daggers.

Hmmm you are perhaps the only person who feels that dragons are poweful.
Everyone else rages about how they do no damage and acn be one-shotted

I'm at the cap for both Magic Resistance and Armor Rating, that's how.

Let me guess... You never invested in magic resistance?

Get spellbreaker, and the shield perk that halves magic damage. Use bash attacks to interrupt the dragon casting (it works with mages too). If your character is not a melee tank, don't stay in front of the dragon when it bites. Use the same tecniques to fight giants and mammoths: never stay in the same spot, try to outflank him.

Right. I don't have any. I am still wearing the Nightingale Armor (minus the head and gloves) that I got 20 or so odd levels ago. I've read that smithing is slightly OP so I have shied away from it, and my enchanting isn't high enough to grant me bonuses of equal or greater value than the items I'm finding through adventuring. I do play an assassin/thief character so kiting and flanking are really what I have had to rely on.

I rather not use a shield. Would people suggest that I max out smithing and enchanting and make some really BA armor? I should have all the necessary items around.. like 60+ dragon scales/bones and over 80k to buy whatever materials I do not have.

If you don't want to use a shield, then get Savior's hide (light armor, +15% resistance to magic) one of the temple quests (was it Mara or Kyne?) that adds something like +25% of constant magic resistance and one of the guardian stones that gives you an additional 25% in magic resistance.

I never used smithing or enchanting for fear it will make my game too easy but I never had problem with dragons either. One hand and block skill trees are truly useful for any melee character, be it a ranger, a true fighter or a skirmisher. Even if your character don't use shields for normal combat, against magic users that cannot be killed in one shot it's almost a must, unless you find other ways like the ones I explained.

Mara's quest gives passive +15% and The Lord Stone gives +25%.

Lightly armoured, eh? Yes, dragons can be tough SOBs. I usually use a bow, get a shot in, run like fun for cover, heal up, do it all again.

Smithing isn't OP, as such, you just don't go stupid on it, and there is plenty of challenge.

I use a Mod that makes Dragons tougher.

How I kill them.

Actually i don`t really kill them, they usually appear over a city with guards in and I always put myself with them, so our collectve hits damage it. If i`m alone, i`ll usually run and avoid until I find friends or something to occupy it. Just feels like how it should be. But here`s a break down...

1. I get back up in guards or a follower or incidental travellers. They keep it occupied.
2. Knock down the Dragon. There`s a process I`m beginning to discover.
3. Hit it with Magicka Poison tipped arrows and that sometimes forces it to stop breathing fire or cold and melee attack, if it don`t fly away.
4. Hit it with Stamina poison tipped arrows- That can also force it to go into melee, if it don`t fly off.
5. Use that Speed Shout to get to the Dragon fast. Dilly dallying is dangerous- he either burns you while you`re running at him or just takes off before you get there.
6. Attack the sides of the Dragon.
7. Try to avoid head and tail. On master level, almost every time I attack its head it either vamps me with fire to almost death or just grabs me and chews me like a chocolate bar, which is instant death. It`s tail can hit you for a wallop too.


It can take a while to kill him, but I find once he lands, bloodied, it doesn`t take much to wipe him out once I get on his sides and just keep chopping into him.

p.s. Oh yea, and don`t be afraid to run and hide if he focuses on you.

if you have decent alchemy skill it's easy to make potions who protect 85% against fire or frost, you can also find potions who give 50% protection.
This make magic attacks far less lethal.

My tactic is to enchant my armor with frost and fire resistance (Lydia's too). And you can drink potions you buy or make. Once you do that, especially if you have a couple of items with cold and fire protection you switch between depending on the dragon, you can let them breath on you and just laugh.

What skills do you have? What kind of character are you? You should wear an amulet of Talos and click on a Talos shrine. That gives you a 40% faster refresh on shouts. Use become etherial during breath attacks. Stack level 1 versions of marked for death on him when you get the chance to lower his defense so that each melee attack or bow attack deals more dmg.

If you're going to face to face melee a dragon, you better use stagger abilities like unrelenting force and shield bashes. Otherwise melee when his attention is drawn somewhere else so you can attack from sides or back.

Marked for death level 1. With Talos buffs you can hit him every 12 seconds. 3 stacked shouts and even ancient dragons are seeing a plummeting life bar.

Strange about dragon types. At level 41 I've faced several ancient dragons. Maybe because I beat the MQ? My other character at level 43 had only faced the one ancient dragon from the MQ with the forsworn. Without the MQ completed the highest he faces is elder.

Oh yeah. Find some frost and fire gear. Wear appropriate gear. Find the priest mask that gives 37% resist to all. Use the lord stone or atronach stone to help with magic resist.

<sup>Always engage a Dragon either from range or from the back or side. Risking coming face to face with it iis quite a risk indeed. They WILL use their finishing move pretty often when you start fighting Elder Dragons...

If you can try to distract them with summoned familliars and atronachs, then run arround the side to attack them. But it's risky letting your ACTUAL follower be the distracttion. They can be 'finished' just as easily as you.</sup>

Impact is way overpowered here. It's the only crowd control that works on dragons that you cam spam to keep them stunned indefinitely.

Further expanding on this: At the OP's level Magic Resist jewelry from the shops will be 20% resist. Get a ring and an amulet + Agent of Mara + Lord Stone = 80% Magic Resist. No need for enchanting or smithing.

I really wish Skyrim had more dragons. Maybe getting attacked by 3 or so at a time would be a blast! This should be representing the end times and getting attacked occasionally by a lone dragon that you can kill all too easily just doesn't cut it. I want to feel terror when I see a dragon, I don't want the first thing to be "Oh yay, another soul to devour!"

I thought after the main quest the dragons were gone. I was wrong, I got attacked by a ancient dragon. When I killed it, I didn't absorb its soul. Anyone know why that happened? I had fun throwing its carcass around with my reanimate corpse spell though.

My thief/assassin wears a combination of Nightingale/Thieve's Guild/Dark Brotherhood stuff, is pretty much strictly a bow user with dragons (he breaks out his best arrows for the occassions), mixed with the Marked For Death shout. He's only about lvl 36, but hasn't had too much trouble with dragons since before joining the DB (teen levels).

Sounds like I will have to do some potion making! Ha, maybe even carry around an extra set of light armor for the occasions I do face these winged beasts. Interesting.. how everyone has a slightly different way of defeating dragons.