Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • God of War Laufey
  • PlayStation State of Play
  • Summer Game Fest 2026 schedule
  • New Games 2026
  • Summer Game Fest
  • Best gaming tech
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. RPG
  3. Skyrim

Skyrim dragon hunting guide

Guides
By Daniel Acaba published 4 September 2019

Take down Skyrim dragons with ease using our guide

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

If you want to take down the huge scaly beasts you see circling in the sky, then having a Skyrim dragon hunting guide will stand you in good stead. Killing a dragon is a rite of passage for the Dragonborn, and it's something that you'll need to master as your proceed on your Skyrim adventure. Initially you'll only have rare encounters with dragons in specific locations, but eventually they'll start randomly turning up all over the place. When you arrive in an area and hear that familiar roar accompanied by the ground shaking, you'll know it's time to do battle with a draconic foe once again. Dealing with them is tricky, so follow our Skyrim dragon hunting guide for tips and tricks on becoming a slayer.

Every time that you think that the dragons are getting simpler to handle, a new variation will come out, bigger and scarier than the last. However there are some tips and tricks for making the ordeal of slaying these foul beasts easier and that’s what we’re here for. Do take note that there are some spoilers for the storyline in the coming guide. Very few of them will occur in the first three sections, but once you enter the last two then there are some minor spoilers. With that said, onward to slay the beasts!

Skyrim dragons: basic information

Fighting the dovah is simple enough in theory, but actually performing it can be very difficult. Dragons aren’t going to pull any punches or take any crap from you once they’re aware of your presence. There’s a long list of things that can’t be done to these beasts and that’s going to restrict your combat choices. This will be complicated by your choice of playing style but more on that later. However the rewards for slaying them are well worth it – dragons carry a large amount of gold leveled for your character as well as Dragon Scales and Dragon Bones that sell for a good bit of money or can be used to make powerful armors.

Dragons don’t seem to be affected by having their stamina or magicka drained so cold and lightning magic are only marginally useful. Their breath attacks seem to be governed like a Shout, which makes sense, but it stops you from being able to do anything to slow those down. So you’ll want to keep a few potions to help you resist fire or ice so you’re prepared for either of the attacks they will use.

To start, dragons can’t be frozen, paralyzed or otherwise rendered immobile. It is possible to cause them to recoil away by hitting them with hard enough attacks but they won’t actually be staggered. They recoil briefly before attacking again, giving you barely enough time to raise your shield. This means that melee combat with them can become a big ol’ slugfest. Even if you have a bunch of NPCs helping you the dragon can lash out with its mouth, wings and tail to ensure that everybody in a radius around it suffers for coming close.

You may like
  • A black dragon roaring with a manor house behind it and lighting in the sky during Skyrim. Skyrim mod has you slay dragons "by debating them on the geopolitics of Tamriel"
  • Bethesda From Arena to Skyrim, Elden Ring streamer beats Bethesda's entire RPG series "first try" with 0 damage
  • Elder Scrolls 6 The Elder Scrolls 6: Everything we know so far

That doesn’t mean that you should never try to fight dragons with a group. If you have a follower, the two of you can circle around the dragon and try to confuse it. It will lash its head back and forth, unable to decide on who to attack, which means it will only attack each of you once or twice at best before getting distracted. At about the midway point of the game there is a chance to bring a trio of dragon hunters with you to dragon roosts to slay them; this will make killing them in these specific locations much easier.

With this in mind there is an “ideal” method for hunting dragons as well as methods specific to each of the three character types. These are the most important parts to bringing these behemoths down.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Skyrim cheats | Best Skyrim mods | How to install Skyrim mods | Best Skyrim companions | Skyrim armor | Skyrim perks | Skyrim enchanting guide | Skyrim alchemy guide | Skyrim hidden chest locations | Skyrim hidden quest locations | Skyrim Black Books guide | Skyrim Daedric Quest guide

Jump to Section:

Skyrim Dragon combat Strategies
Skyrim Dragon Types
Skyrim Dragon Storyline Encounters
Skyrim Dragon Roosts & Other Encounters

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Current page: Introduction

Next Page Skyrim dragons Combat Strategies
CATEGORIES
Nintendo Switch Xbox One PS4 PC Gaming PlayStation Xbox Platforms Nintendo
Daniel Acaba
Freelance Writer

Daniel is a freelance games journalist, but is also the Editor-in-Chief at Gaming Excellence. 

Read more
A black dragon roaring with a manor house behind it and lighting in the sky during Skyrim.
The Elder Scrolls Skyrim mod has you slay dragons "by debating them on the geopolitics of Tamriel"
 
 
Bethesda
The Elder Scrolls From Arena to Skyrim, Elden Ring streamer beats Bethesda's entire RPG series "first try" with 0 damage
 
 
Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls The Elder Scrolls 6: Everything we know so far
 
 
A screenshot of Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, one of the best RPGs you can play in 2026
RPGs The 35 best RPGs of all time
 
 
Grounded MIXR modules defend javamatic
Survival Games Grounded MIXR modules and Javamatic defense guide
 
 
In Cyberpunk 2077, V leans against a car and looks out towards the bustling Night City
RPGs 10 Best open world RPGs to play in 2026, from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 to Elden Ring
 
 
Latest in RPG
Geralt frowning, looking at a fire
The Witcher CD Projekt Red veteran answers for the crime of The Witcher 3's Skellige and its question marks
 
 
A man swings his arm towards the player in Cyberpunk 2077.
RPGs Like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, CDPR's new IP Hadar is "an emotional, open-world experience"
 
 
Kenshi character with dark skin and white hair
RPGs Retro RPG promising "the largest single-player RPG world since Daggerfall" sells 3 million copies
 
 
Avowed screenshot showing a corpse-like figure's face with glowing purple mushroom/spore growths
RPGs After 26 years of RPGs, Obsidian's Josh Sawyer admits he's still trying to make a good armor system
 
 
Elden Ring Rykard
RPGs Elden Ring player achieves "the hardest one-shot kill" in the game after 8 brutal hours
 
 
TBH: Task Bar Hero
RPGs RPG devs apologize to "Steam staff and all of our players" after they break Valve's marketplace
 
 
Latest in Guides
Marathon flashlight illuminating attacking UESC in night marsh
FPS Games How to turn on your Marathon flashlight on Night Marsh
 
 
Far Far West codes
FPS Games Far Far West codes (June 2026) and how to redeem them for Gold, Souls, and more
 
 
How to grab rush enemies in 007 First Light
Action Games How to grab rush in 007 First Light
 
 
007 First Light
Action Games All safe codes and door codes in 007 First Light
 
 
Build A Ring Farm codes
Simulation Games Build A Ring Farm codes (June 2026) and how to redeem them for seeds, cash, sprays, and more
 
 
James Bond looking serious in glasses in 007 First Light
Action Games How to get every Outfit for James Bond in 007 First Light
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. GTA Online
    1
    GTA 5 is still selling millions a year, letting Rockstar do whatever it wants with GTA 6
  2. 2
    Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis is the OG "reimagined in ways that weren't possible 30 years ago"
  3. 3
    How to turn on your Marathon flashlight on Night Marsh
  4. 4
    After Silent Hill f combat discourse, Silent Hill Townfall goes all-in on stealth
  5. 5
    Marvel's Wolverine lets you turn off the extreme blood and gore proudly shown at PlayStation's State of Play

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...