LE More Dragon Shouts

[charlesbhepin]

Dragons are the main selling point of Skyrim. While there are already mods to make them harder to fight, such as Deadlier Dragons, it remains that they have a very limited moveset that leads to mindless repetitive fights. Prior to gaining Dragonrend, a player has to try and plug away at a circling dragon with arrows or spells just for something to do while waiting for it to land. Once it does land, there are pretty much only three attacks and hit locations - head snaps, wing flaps, and tail swing. Dragon Shouts typically only consist of Fire or Ice breath.

 

It's a common complaint. Even Draugr Death Lords are harder fights than Dragons. The Dragons just have more XP.

 

Dragons in Skyrim Lore are supposed to be intelligent and prideful beasts. In Skyrim they're just lizards with wings. As enemies, they don't act particularly intelligently. Even sadly predictable bandits at least try to seek out the fastest path to cleave you in half with an axe. Dragons have the pattern of fly around, land, fly around again.

 

The things that make combat varied and fun when dealing with Deathlords, such as Unrelenting Force to stagger them and get some distance to chug potions, Whirlwind Sprint to escape or get a few quick Power Attacks in, or Slow Time/Become Ethereal to, again, get away. As Vivec puts it; the [player character] cuts holes in time. The many Shouts collected through the game actually serve a purpose.

 

Against Dragons, it's simply chug elemental resist potions, Dragonrend, then once the dragon is down to mindlessly click away the attack button. Rinse and repeat. All dragons act the same way. All fights are the same. Terrain, what about terrain? Cover is nice, but sometimes the Dragon just doesn't want to land nearby, ensuring that a lengthy stalemate that requires a reload from an earlier save.

 

Worse than a worthlessly easy fight from what is supposed to be an epic enemy, is one that isn't even a fight at all.

 

Even Alduin isn't much better. That it can make the sky rain flaming rocks is at least a nice change of pace from other Dragons, who seem to be utterly unable to even comprehend Storm Call. The FUS RO DAH thrown now and then does... nothing. It's just Ice/Flame Breath, fly, Breathe, land, just sit there waiting for the Dovahkiin to start bashing its face in. Alduin has one qualitative difference in its moveset from any other Dragon, that's it.

 

That was not an epic boss fight, Bethesda. That was pathetic. That was a serious let-down. It's like the worth of this game is in its side-quests, which is a really nonstandard business model, I tell you (even if it seems to work, somehow). Just adding more HP and raising the damage output doesn't make for any real difference between early and late dragons, or even Alduin.

 

To sum it up, in Skyrim: Dragons are dumb.

 

Therefore, while I am sure this issue has been raised before, please let me ask it again. Someone, please, make a mod that enables Dragons to use more and different Dragon Shouts in combat. This will serve to heighten the difficulty, obviously, but also make every fight suitably epic as if against an intelligent adversary instead of just big flying lizards.

 

For instance, a late-game Dragon shouting Call Storm at the start of a fight instantly makes the experience vastly distinct from every other fight in the game. What other battle has the sky itself roll with thunder at the fury of your battle? Also, it forces the Dovahkiin to actually use Clear Skies now and then.

 

Second, shooting at a flying dragon should occasionally have it use Become Ethereal. At least it adds a little something to the frustration of trying to hit a moving object and little by little chip away the health bar. While technically this wastes a few arrows, it at least acknowledges that the player is doing something instead of tediously working away like a hamster on a wheel.

 

Another problem is ground-side behavior. Just sitting there is highly sub-optimal. We know from Ohdaviing's capture in Dragonsreach that the animation for Dragons walking is there. Dragons on the ground very rarely do this. They prefer using breath attacks which, while a defining characteristic of dragons in popular culture, does not paint their aggressiveness or intelligence in any good light. Imagine, instead if they could use Whirlwind Sprint to land, then all of a sudden they're at the Dovahkiin's face and chomping down. Even if affected by Dragonrend, they're not utterly helpless.

 

Or more to the point, when they land, why is it they should act as if affected by Dragonrend? Why just remain there? Dragonrend is supposed to be special because it can bring down Dragons. But, if in the course of a proper battle, Dragons land on their own anyway, all Dragonrend does is to reduce the time that Dragons spend in their air. That they're flying and out of reach is simply an annoying delay to actual fighting. Dragonrend acquires a greater, more appreciable component, in that it is now actively shown to inhibit Dragon movement - which is only apparent because during normal fights, Dragons may be more proactive in ground-side attacks and can use the movement-affecting Shouts.

 

Dragon attacks don't even cause noticeable stagger. Giants can fling you to the sky like Team Rocket, but Dragons aren't even so amusing. FUS RO DAH that actually does something, then followed by YOL TOOR SHUL provides the illusion of wanting the Dovahkiin to remain at range, because Dragons really have rather sucky physical attack animations.

 

The player's FUS RO DAH, in turn, should actually do something to Dragons, instead of washing off harmless against their bulk. Perhaps being able to interrupt a Breath Attack... which means that Dragons can use other Shouts becomes even more important as a combat mechanic.

 

If possible, this could be a triggered response - shoot a particularly powerful spell at a Dragon, and it would shrug it off with Become Ethereal. Try and attack its sides because wing flaps are less dangerous than head chomps or tail bash, then it might use Unrelenting Fury now and then to rapidly deal damage or use Slow Time to circle around or Whirlwind Sprint to be elsewhere fast and turn around to deliver Fire Breath. As if punishing the Dovahkiin for being too predictable too.

 

Even without buffing health and elemental damage, TES Dragons can be lethal and challenging opponents where fighting them repeatedly can be a delight, rather than a chore to get through just to travel anywhere in the late game. They become suitably epic fights and make the player worthy of being called the Dovahkiin - Dragonborn - the only one who can really kill such fearsome creatures. Without the three plot-enforced Shouts - Unrelenting Force, Clear Skies, and Dragonrend - it appears really difficult for just anyone to defeat them.

 

Dragon fights should be epic fights, fitting their fearsome reputation in Elder Scrolls Lore.

 

 

 

If it has been already incorporated to certain difficulty-altering mods or it's just not possible, I apologize in advance for this post. I already have the Creation Kit, so I'd be willing to do even most of the work myself, if someone could just please instruct me how.

Edited April 1, 2012 by charlesbhepin

[Cipherthe3vil]

This needs to happen. *nod*.

[ASCLKA]

Yeah you are totally right.

[IrksomeDude]

OH yeah, we need this.

 

 

Also, hi Cipher.

[behughes]

This is a fantastic idea. I was always disappointed at how dragon battles were advertised as "shouting matches" when it reality, a decent archer can take one down like he was skeet-shooting. I would go so far as to say that high level dragons should be IMPOSSIBLE to kill without the use of shouts.

 

As for dragons using a more diverse arsenal of shouts, nothing would be more terrifying than a dragon using Whirlwind Sprint. It would also be interesting be on the receiving end of Slow Time... would you slow down or would the dragon move really fast?

 

I'm also curious if its possible to add another move to the dragon arsenal... grabbing the player and lifting them off the ground. They could pick you up and drop you from higher altitudes, requiring you to use Become Ethereal break free and survive the fall. Alternately, you could even do some damage to the dragon as its carrying you off using Frost and Fire shouts, or bring the dragon crashing down with you in tow using the Dragonrend.

 

Anyway, cool idea, hope you can make it happen!

[charlesbhepin]

I can't -make- it happen. I don't know how! That's why I'm here begging. :(