How Drakes and Lesser Dragons Relate in Dragon’s Dogma 2 Explained

The following article contains spoilers for
Dragon’s Dogma 2
.

Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s lore is so complex that it can be challenging for casual fans to keep up with it. This complexity begins with cryptic characters like the Pathfinder and trickles all the way down to the monsters that inhabit the game’s world. In fact, it could be argued that Dragon’s Dogma 2 might have benefited from a bestiary, just so players would know what to look for and where to find it. Unfortunately, much of the interpretation of Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s lore and accurate descriptions of its monsters comes down to internet conversations and Google searches for those who wish to know more, and the game’s Drakes and Lesser Dragons are not excluded from this.

Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s Drakes and Lesser Dragons can seem so alike that typing “Dragon’s Dogma 2 Lesser Dragons” into a search bar tends to pull up Drakes as a result. This is because the differences between Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s Drakes and Lesser Dragons are very easy to spot, but only as long as players know what to look for. The two fierce monsters are indeed closely related in that they are both the lesser kin of the Dragon at the heart of Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s cycle, but they nonetheless differ in many ways.

How Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Drakes and Lesser Dragons Compare

Lesser Dragons Are Larger Than Drakes and Differ in Their Appearance

The most noticeable difference between Drakes and Lesser Dragons is their appearance. Firstly, Lesser Dragons are larger than Drakes, though not by much. Furthermore, Drakes are more normal-looking than their Lesser Dragon kin, as Lesser Dragons are covered in large boils that burst after sustaining enough damage. The Lesser Dragon’s boils are its primary weak spots, and when all of them are destroyed, the dragon is staggered for a moment to allow players an opportunity for an onslaught. Drakes, on the other hand, have one weak spot in their heart that will glow red when it is vulnerable.

A Drake’s heart isn’t always exposed, but players certainly have the advantage when it is.

Drakes Are More Prominent Than Lesser Dragons

Drakes and Lesser Dragons aren’t the most prominent monsters in Dragon’s Dogma 2, but Drakes still outnumber Lesser Dragons by a long shot — before Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s endgame, anyway. Before reaching Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s Unmoored World, players will only encounter two Lesser Dragons, one of which they can’t even fight. One Lesser Dragon is encountered at Dragonsbreath Tower, whereas the other is summoned by Lord Phaesus but is quickly eliminated by the Dragon. Unlike Lesser Dragons, Drakes are scattered throughout the world before Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s endgame, but players should encounter more Lesser Dragons in the Unmoored World.

Drakes and Lesser Dragons Have Different Attack Strategies

Another notable difference between Drakes and Lesser Dragons can be experienced firsthand when fighting them. Drakes primarily rely on breathing fire and grabbing the Arisen and their Pawns to incapacitate them. They will also occasionally let out a loud roar that can stun those caught in the blast. Like Drakes, Lesser Dragons can breathe fire, but they also spew pools of acid out of their chest that can deal damage over time to anyone who gets caught in it. Whether Drakes or Lesser Dragons are the more challenging Dragon-kin is entirely subjective, as they can both prove difficult to overcome.

Despite their common relationship with the Dragon, Drakes and Lesser Dragons differ in many ways. No one knows why Lesser Dragons take on the corrupted appearance that they do, but it is suspected that they are fake dragons created to fend off the other dragons threatening the world. On the contrary, Drakes have always been the Dragon’s real kin, even to the point of being one of the most dangerous monsters in Dragon’s Dogma and Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen.