ARK Dragon Boss (How to Summon, Fighting, Variants, Rewards…)

One of the fiercest and strongest bosses you may face on The Island is the Dragon boss, who you encounter in a volcanic arena.

Not only do you face the Dragon, who can breathe out the scorching fire and is capable of prolonged flight in the area, you also face Pteranodons and Dimorphodons.

The Dragon has the form of mythical beasts of legends, a reptilian creature with large wings that is gigantic.

Check Out Our Other ARK Boss Guides

• Ice Titan Guide
• King Titan Guide
• Manticore Guide
• Forest Titan Guide
• Desert Titan Guide
• Megapithecus Guide
• Broodmother Guide
• Rockwell Guide
• Crystal Wyvern Queen Guide
• Master Controller Guide
• Rockwell Prime Guide

How to Summon Dragon?

To summon the Dragon, you will need to head to the Green Obelisk on The Island map, requiring a certain set of tributes.

Dragon Tributes

The Dragon may be encountered in the Ragnarok Arena and Valguero Arena, partnered with other bosses depending on which map you are on.

Fighting Dragon

It is important that when fighting the Dragon to keep an eye out for the other creatures that spawn in the area, the Pteranodons and Dimorphodons.

While it is possible to deal a lot of damage with rarer items such as Mastercraft and above, it is also best to have mounted with you.

An army of Rexes or Therizinosaurs can make quick work of the Dragon and the other creatures that fight alongside it and can make it much safer as they tank the damage.

Bringing strong (a higher rarity) ranged weapons is good for when the Dragon is in the air and resorting to your tamed creatures when it lands will be a good strategy.

Look out for the Dimorphodons as they are capable of attack you on your mounts, but these can easily be dealt with using your tames.

The Dragon will mainly fly around, land, spit out fireballs and summon Pteranodons and Dimorphodons to attack you throughout the whole fight.

Dragon Variants

1) Gamma Dragon

The Gamma variant of Dragon has a body that is colored purplish and blue, along with orang wings that expand widely from its body.

Dragon Gamma Stats

Engram Unlocks

• Behemoth Tek Gate
• Behemoth Tek Gateway
• Megalodon Tek Saddle
• Tapejara Tek Saddle
• Tek Leggings
• Tek Replicator

2) Beta Dragon

The Beta variant of Dragon retains its widely spread orange wings while having an orange body instead of the purplish-blue color.

Dragon Beta Stats

Engram Unlocks

• Behemoth Tek Gate
• Behemoth Tek Gateway
• Megalodon Tek Saddle
• Tapejara Tek Saddle
• Tek Dedicated Storage
• Tek Double Door
• Tek Double Doorframe
• Tek Fence Support
• Tek Forcefield
• Tek Leggings
• Tek Replicator
• Tek Stairs
• Tek Transmitter
• Vacuum Compartment

3) Alpha Dragon

The Alpha variant of the Dragon had a dark-red-colored body along with its orange wings that seem to have a slightly darker shade.

Dragon Alpha Stats

Engram Unlocks

• Behemoth Tek Gate
• Behemoth Tek Gateway
• Cloning Chamber
• Megalodon Tek Saddle
• Tapejara Tek Saddle
• Tek Chestpiece
• Tek Dedicated Storage
• Tek Double Door
• Tek Double Doorframe
• Tek Fence Support
• Tek Forcefield
• Tek Leggings
• Tek Replicator
• Tek Stairs
• Tek Teleporter
• Tek Transmitter
• Vacuum Compartment
• Vacuum Compartment Moonpool

Dragon Rewards

Dragon Gamma

• 80 Element
• Dragon Trophy Gamma
• Dragon Flag

Dragon Beta

• 220 Element
• Dragon Trophy Beta
• Dragon Flag

Dragon Alpha

• 440 Element
• Dragon Trophy Alpha
• Dragon Flag

Tips

• The Dragon can become an easy target for a swarm of larger creatures, making an army of Rexes, Spinos, Therizinos, and other high damage-dealing creatures.
• Once the Dragon lands, it’s best to mount one of your tamed creatures before it can attack you up close, especially with its fireball.
• Be sure to dispatch Dimorphondons as they can attack you while you are riding your tame, other creatures in the arena will be unable to do so.
• As the Dragon takes off and flies, you can attack it with ranged weapons (watch out for other creatures) and revert to using your tamed creatures when it lands.