The Frost Dragon is one of the mid-tier dragons of Skyrim, usually showing up around the time the Dragonborn reaches level 30. It is bigger than the brown dragons and Blood Dragons that come before it, and its icy breath is strong enough to finish off an unprepared adventurer before they have even identified what is attacking them. The good news: for all its extra muscle, it fights exactly like its smaller cousins.
Appearance
Frost Dragons are mostly white, with black and purple patches on the head, neck, wings, tail and legs. Their icy blue eyes glow from deep, dark sockets, black jagged frills crown the head, and rows of long black spines run down the back. The wings look ragged, and the tail ends in a broad, spade-like tip.
How it fights
A Frost Dragon opens every fight in the air, sweeping over the ground and blasting it with Frost Breath. Its breath is noticeably stronger than that of other dragons and can empty your stamina bar in one go, which leaves warriors unable to power attack or sprint for cover. It can also fire the Frost Breath shout as a long-range bolt of cold, reaching much further than its normal breath. Once it lands, it switches to bites and close-range breath, and from that point on it can be staggered and worn down like any other dragon. Its big weakness is fire, which deals 50% extra damage to it.
Where to find them
Frost Dragons are a random dragon type rather than tied to one lair, so they can appear at dragon lairs, word walls and in the open across Skyrim once you reach their level. Weaker dragons with frost attacks and spined backs can show up earlier: the dragon at Sky Haven Temple, met by those who arrive before Alduin’s Wall, is sometimes simply called “dragon” and sometimes explicitly “frost dragon”. Sources are not fully certain about this.
Notes
- Like all dragons, a slain Frost Dragon gives up its dragon soul to the Dragonborn, used to unlock words of power.
- Female Frost Dragons reportedly exist but are rare. The other dragon types said to have females are the Blood Dragon, the basic dragon and the Revered Dragon.
- Stronger breeds that appear later include the Elder Dragon, Ancient Dragon and, with Dawnguard, the Legendary Dragon.
