Where to find dragons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

It takes more than just looking up to the sky to find dragon locations in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The creatures are quite rare in Hyrule, but there are plenty of good reasons to track all of the elusive dragons down. Each of these mythical beings comes with its own peculiarities, flight path, elemental hazards — and rewards. Even if you’re well-versed with the dragons from Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there are multiple differences in their paths and route patterns in the sequel, as well as a new fourth dragon to find.

Dragon locations and paths in Tears of the Kingdom

There are four dragons in Tears of the Kingdom: the three you encountered in Breath of the Wild, and a fourth dragon that’s new to the series.

• Farosh: Often seen around Lake Hylia and Gerudo Canyon.
• Naydra: Often seen around East Necluda and Mount Lanayru.
• Dinraal: Often seen around Eldin Mountains and Deep Akkala.
• Light Dragon: Circles the exterior of Hyrule.

The locations above for Farosh, Naydra, and Dinraal are listed in-game as the common spots for each dragon. That being said, they only serve as a general reference. Each dragon follows its own looping route, which we’ve broken down in more detail below. But there are times when dragons might be slightly outside their corresponding regions.

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If you’re searching for a dragon along their flight path but don’t see them on the surface, it’s likely that the dragon is in the Depths. As part of their flight path, Farosh, Naydra, and Dinraal will fly in and out of chasms within their corresponding region. The Light Dragon, however, can always be found on the surface.

Unlike in Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom dragon locations aren’t tied to times of day. Instead, the dragons continuously circle their route. So if you don’t see a dragon on the surface, it’s because they’re probably in the Depths. The best bet is to either wait in place or try to catch them on the other side of the chasm.

Dragon materials in Tears of the Kingdom

A big incentive to track down the four dragons is to farm materials. You get dragon scales when you hit them in the body, and you’ll receive dragon claws and dragon horn fragments when you hit those respective spots. Shard spikes, a new material type introduced in Tears of the Kingdom, can be found on the backs of dragons, and you can simply pick them up. They make for a great Fuse combination, as they add a ton of damage and also imbue the weapon with the elemental power of the dragon. You’ll also need to find the Light Dragon if you want to get the Master Sword, which you are able to do fairly early into the game.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

If you want to try and get specific parts, remember to use homing arrows. In order to know whether a dragon will drop an item or not, pay attention to its body: If it’s glowing, it means the creature can still drop items. If not, you’ll have to wait until the glow returns.

How to jump on a dragon in Tears of the Kingdom

The first step in mounting a dragon isn’t surprising: you need to gain some altitude. Thankfully, there are usually at least two Skyview Towers around each dragon path, which you can use to quickly move between the areas and lift yourself up, allowing yourself to easily spot the dragon and glide over. Other options, such as using Recall on any sky rocks on the ground, or just building a vehicle to take flight using Zonai Devices, will also get you close to the dragons.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Lastly, keep in mind that aside from the Light Dragon, the rest will attack you with their corresponding element — lightning for Farosh, frost for Naydra, and fire for Dinraal. Also, each dragon will have extreme weather conditions related to its element, so you’ll need to prepare accordingly beforehand. Details about how to resist each condition, as well as specific locations to find each dragon, are listed below.

Farosh, lightning dragon location

Farosh circles Gerudo Canyon, Mount Nabooru, Mount Hylia, the River of the Dead, and Scout’s Hill before entering the Depths. Then, the dragon re-emerges to the surface from the chasm south of Gerudo Canyon.

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Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

To make it easier to spot Farosh, you can lift yourself up using the Gerudo Canyon Skyview Tower and the Gerudo Highlands Skyview Tower.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Farosh shoots lightning bolts at those who approach it, and it’s constantly surrounded by an electrical storm. In order to resist Farosh’s lighting, craft elixirs or meals that can grant you resistance to electricity. For extra protection, get your hands on the Rubber Armor set, which provides Link with shock resistance. You can grab the chest piece inside a chest in Whistling Hill Cave — it’s located southeast of Hyrule Field, north of the Teniten Shrine at the coordinates (-0073, -1045, 0019).

Naydra, frost dragon location

Naydra circles Mount Lanayru, Walnot Mountain, Kitano Bay, Ebon Mountain, Meda Mountain, Cliffs of Quince, and Kakariko Village before entering the Depths in the East Hill chasm. Then, the dragon re-emerges to the surface from the chasm west of Mount Lanayru.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

To make it easier to spot Naydra, you can lift yourself up in the Mount Lanayru Skyview Tower and Rabella Wetlands Skyview Tower.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Naydra shoots balls of ice at those who approach them, and they freeze the air surrounding themselves. There are several things you can do to resist the Naydra’s frost. Crafting the right elixirs and meals, as well as decking yourself out in the Snowquill Armor set are great starts. Check out our dedicated guide for all the best ways to get cold resistance, all of which will help you prepare to get on and farm materials from Naydra.

Dinraal, fire dragon location

Dinraal flies around the outer areas of the Death Mountain, circling East Akkala, North Akkala Beach, Akkala Wilds, Skull Lake, Eldin’s Flank, Darunia Lake, and Thyphlo Ruins. Then, the dragon descends to the Depths, and re-emerges from the East Akkala Plains chasm.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Dinraal can be tricky to spot, as the Death Mountain impedes visibility depending on your location. To make it easier to find Dinraal, you can lift yourself up in the Ulri Mountain Skyview Tower and Thyphlo Ruins Skyview Tower.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Dinraal shoots fireballs at those who approach it, and the air surrounding them is dangerously hot. There are several things you can do to resist the Dinraal’s fire. Again, it’s all about taking the elixirs, eating beneficial food, and decking yourself out in strategic armor, like the Desert Voe set. Check out our dedicated guide for all the best ways to get heat resistance, all of which will help you prepare to get on and farm materials from Naydra.

Light Dragon location and path

The Light Dragon is the most elusive of the bunch, as the creature’s route encompasses the entire outskirts of Hyrule. Among the places the Light Dragon flies are Goronbi Lake, Zora’s Domain, Hateno Village, Lindor’s Brow, and Thyphlo Ruins. The upside is that once you do find the Light Dragon, it won’t attack you when you get close to it.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

But if it’s taking a long time to track down, we gathered all of the information you need to find and track the Light Dragon’s path, allowing you to mine precious materials — and gain the Master Sword.