Given the game's title, it's no surprise dragons play an integral role in Dungeons and Dragons. But which prove themselves the most powerful?

One of the most iconic creatures in all of fantasy, and half of the game's namesake, it's no surprise dragons remain some of the most deadly creatures in Dungeons & Dragons. Epic, powerful creatures with immense physical strength, elemental breath, and often magic, they've proven iconic villains and monsters.

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Boasting more variety than most creatures in the game, D&D has no shortage of dragons DMs can throw at the players. While their threat levels range, most surpass the threats presented by D&D's other monsters, making dragons one of the most dangerous foes a D&D party will ever come across.

Updated 18th of August, by Isaac Williams: Fifth Edition continues to release more dragons for players to test their mettle against. With the release of Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, the ranks of powerful dragons have further increased, and so, this list has been updated to include more deadly, draconic threats.

Ancient dragon remains the highest status most dragons can get, achieved by living and growing for a long time, becoming more dangerous with every year. Ancient white dragons are the most powerful of the primal and predatory white dragons. Immensely dangerous and cunning threats, they devastate parties with their high-damage cold breath.

White dragons are often the least dangerous of the chromatic dragons, due to lower intelligence and a tendency to focus on aggression. Nonetheless, there are few threats in any Dungeons & Dragons world that can comfortably match an ancient white dragon.

Metallic dragons tend towards good alignments, rather than the chromatic dragons' evil or the gem dragons' neutrality. Simply being more benevolent than their kin doesn't make metallic dragons any less dangerous. There are various reasons an adventuring party may end up on the wrong side of an ancient dragon, and if they do, they're in for a tough fight.

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Ancient copper dragons have all the traits that make ancient dragons a serious threat, including all-round high stats, a devastating breath weapon, and Legendary Resistances to ignore spells. However, they also wield a unique slowing breath that can reduce any character's ability to fight effectively, making them a significant threat despite their good alignment.

Fizban's Treasury of Dragons goes beyond the power scale of the Monster Manual in terms of its dragons, and many approach divine levels of power. One classification that reappears is the "greatwyrm," a type of ancient dragon that merges its form with "echoes" of itself from other worlds, gaining a huge amount of power from doing so.

Metallic dragons do this as often as other kinds, and the resulting metallic greatwyrms are dangerous indeed. Although primarily good creatures, they're a keen threat to any party. Aside from their vastly amplified abilities, they are "Mythic Monsters," capable of returning to full health after a would-be deathblow and gaining even more dangerous abilities.

All ancient dragons are threats thanks to their impressive statblocks, but some prove more dangerous than others. Powerful, poison-spewing foes that can hold their own in combat, ancient green dragons remain some of the few dragons that are equally dangerous on or off the battlefield.

Green dragons are cunning and manipulative by nature, living to trick, betray, and collect other living creatures. Moreso than the rest of their kind, they're likely to bait the player characters with false deals and lies before springing a trap. While they can fight, they prefer trickery to combat.

One thing that sets dragons apart from most other creatures is that they're intelligent. Player characters can negotiate with most evil chromatic dragons, and many have goals beyond simply destroying other creatures. On the other hand, Black dragons crave devastation and relish tormenting others, flexing their power, and crushing any hope before moving in for the kill.

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Black dragons possess a more threatening presence than many of their kin and have the combat prowess to back that up. With their immense strength, powerful acidic breath weapon, and ruthless intellect, black dragons are one of the least pleasant creatures to fight.

Although they tend towards the noble, metallic dragons have the same tendencies towards vice, arrogance, and violent delights as any other dragons. Bronze dragons, in particular, have an interest in war. Living to join the fight against injustice and tyranny, they lend their immense power to good causes.

By the time they reach ancient status, bronze dragons are masters of war. More powerful physically than most, they also wield unique propulsion breath in addition to lightning. By breathing a blast that flings creatures up to 60 feet away, ancient bronze dragons can disrupt any formation or plan, leaving their foes on the back foot.

Gem dragons are the neutral equivalents to chromatic and metallic dragons introduced in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, notable for their use of psionics. As with the other two categories, they boast a greatwyrm, and it's every bit as dangerous as the others.

As well as being a campaign-ending Mythic Monster, the greatwyrm takes the natural abilities of gem dragons and amplifies them dramatically. Their psionics remain unmatched by any creature, using their telekinesis to hold aloft and simultaneously restrain an entire party.

All chromatic dragons tend towards villainy, but blue dragons are unique in that their instincts urge them towards lawful, hierarchical societies with themselves at the top. Rather than murderous devastators, blue dragons are far more likely to keep those beneath them alive and in servitude, tormenting them at will.

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The blue dragon's threat doesn't just come from its considerable might, but also from its influence and servants. Coupled with an innate gift at making their lairs hard to assail and the ability to grind adventuring parties down with summoned dust devils, parties should fight blue dragons with utmost caution.

Fizban's Treasury of Dragons brings the goddess of dragons into Fifth Edition as a combatable enemy, in the form of the aspect of Tiamat. Rather than being the god herself, it's a fragment of Tiamat's physical form — summonable by her followers — which rampages across the world in search of treasure and foes.

When the aspect of Tiamat finds them, it simply devastates them. The aspect of Tiamat has become one of the most physically hardy foes in all of 5e, boasting a huge number of hit points and high defenses, as well as breath weapons that can nearly kill most characters in one hit. Killing her once isn't enough; since the aspect of Tiamat is a Mythic Monster, she simply comes back more powerful than before.

Silver dragons are some of the most innately benevolent dragons, and among the most likely to ally with adventuring parties. Their nature tends toward decent, and they're drawn to assuming humanoid shape and blending in with the local populace. If the party angers one, however, silver dragons are a force to be reckoned with.

An ancient silver dragon is the second most-powerful of the base metallic dragons. In particular, they can stop any attempt to attack them with paralyzing breath that can rob a party of their ability to fight and leave its members vulnerable.

Few monsters are more iconic in all fantasy than the red dragon. The most powerful of the chromatic dragons, red dragons are physical powerhouses. While they often lack tricks or unique abilities, they carry the day with their immense might and devastating fire breath.

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Red dragons believe themselves to be the superior breed of dragon, and ancient red dragons do much to back up that claim boast. They're one of the most dangerous foes an adventuring party is ever likely to face. Obsessed with acquiring treasure at all costs, the reward can be worth the risk, but only if the party prevails.

The deity of metallic dragons, Bahamut is one of the most powerful and well-known gods in Dungeons & Dragons. Much as Tiamat can send aspects to the Prime Material Plane, so can Bahamut, as of Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Combining the physical features of all other metallic dragons into one form, Bahamut's aspect proves a divine force to be reckoned with, taking the shape of a platinum dragon.

Aspects of Bahamut have immense capabilities in combat, able to outlast almost any assault with their immense hit points, Mythic Monster status, and the ability to generate huge numbers of temporary hit points for themselves. However, aspects of Bahamut shine with allies, as their unique breath weapon is hugely restorative, making them a force multiplier as well as a force in and of themselves.

More powerful than any other metallic dragon, or even their chromatic kin, ancient gold dragons are one of the mightiest creatures in the Monster Manual. Creatures that tend towards lawful good, they're distant and grim arbiters of justice, often keeping to themselves until they need to right a great wrong.

When they decide to do so, however, ancient gold dragons do so with force. They have a staggering number of hit points, high Armor Class and saving throws, and devastatingly powerful attacks with extremely high bonuses to hit. An ancient gold dragon is more than a match for most D&D parties, mollified only by its tendency to be on their side.

With the release of Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, there can be no questioning that one of the biggest draconic threats to appear in a campaign is the chromatic greatwyrm. An ascended form of an ancient chromatic dragon that's merged with other forms of itself, it ranks as far above an ancient dragon as ancient dragons are above wyrmlings.

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The danger presented by chromatic greatwyrms comes from their immense elemental powers, more so than their dangerous breath weapons. Once they unlock their full potential as Mythic Monsters, chromatic greatwyrms can create elemental explosions, causing ruinous damage to anything that approaches them.

Characters in Dungeons & Dragons rarely fight gods outright. In the climax to the Rise of Tiamat premade campaign, however, there's a chance the party will fight the titular goddess herself on the Prime Material Plane. If this comes to pass, Tiamat will prove the challenge of the party's lives.

With over 600 hit points that regenerate every turn, every breath weapon available to chromatic dragons, and the ability to use her five heads to their fullest effect in combat, Tiamat is a truly godly threat. Even at the end of a lengthy campaign, parties will be hard-pressed to survive against her.

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Staff Writer, Paul DiSalvo is a writer, comic creator, animation lover, and game design enthusiast currently residing in Boston, Massachusetts. He has studied creative writing at The New Hampshire Institute of Art and Otis College of Art and Design, and currently writes for CBR, ScreenRant, GameRant, and TheGamer. In addition to writing, he directs and produces the podcast, "How Ya Dyin'?" He enjoys collecting comics, records, and wins in Samurai Shodown.

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