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The First Brood

In millenias past, when the world of Hydaelyn was still young, a great wyrm descended on the planet, carrying seven eggs. These would become the First Brood, who would give birth to all dragons that followed, forming their own broods in different lands. These great, intelligent, ageless beings become stronger as they age, and their power and size would make them object of both fear and respect in mankind through the ages.

Two great Hordes are currently known:

The Dravanian Horde is a loose confederation of dragons, divided into two major factions: Nidhogg's brood and Hraesvelgr's brood, living in lands currently occupied by Ishgard. The history of their conflict with Ishgard began, so the latter's annals read, a thousand years ago when Nidhogg attacked the first settlers, driving King Thordan and his Knights Twelve to defeat him, making off with one of his eyes, which he and his brood swore to reclaim ever since. While most Ishgardians are aware, and wary, of Nidhogg's brood, few are aware of Hraesvelgr's, who'd much rather stay out of the war and are willing to entreat with mortals who can prove themselves worthy of their damaged trust.

The Meracydian Horde was united under the rule of broodfather Bahamut and broodmother Tiamat, and acted as protectors of the southern continent of Meracydia. However, after the Allagans invaded the continent in their bid for world conquest, the Meracydian Horde was destroyed and its remnants enslaved by the conquerors. To this day, still-living Meracydian dragons under the control of Allagan technology exist, despite their masters being long gone.

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General Tropes

The Ageless: Dragons are functionally immortal and will only die if sufficient violence is done to their bodies.
Ancient Astronauts: Dragons originate from Midgardsormr, who came from space carrying the seven eggs that are the progenitors of the entire species.
Bizarre Alien Biology:
- Dragons are effectively mana elementals in a tough scaly shell, and most of their biology seems to subvert or defy the known rules of how aether on Hydaelyn functions. The majority of their power is in their eyes, which seem to grow and self-sustain and just create aether instead of pulling it from anything (which given how everything ties back to aether, should be metaphysically impossible). They also start as hatchlings small enough to fit in a human's hand, but many times over their lives will find a taste for a certain element, linger near crystals, and metamorphose into any of the different kinds and shapes of dragon, eventually in theory becoming as gigantic as Midgardsormr himself. Given that they're actual aliens who came to Hydaelyn from a different Star, the rules of their world and how aether works may have been entirely different, hence their strange relation to the Mothercrystal and the planet.
- In addition, dragons' bodies will develop in accordance with their experiences. For most dragons, war and violence will have them develop powerful, quadrupedal forms to better fight back against invaders or wyvern-like bodies better suited for soaring across the Dravanian wilderness and the Churning Mists. But in the case of Ehil Tou, her passion for crafting resulted in her gaining much more dexterous front limbs and the ability to walk on two legs. This is noted to be the first time a dragon has metamorphosed in such a way in a thousand years.
- In 6.1, it's said that dragons don't have genders in the same sense as mankind does. They can procreate regardless, and "male" and "female" don't exist to them even if they have gendered voices. While they still seem to settle on gendered pronouns even when not speaking about each other to mortals, we don't get any additional explanation as to what makes them choose which.
Bizarre Alien Reproduction: Touched on slightly in expanded lore fluffs. While dragons can mate the traditional way to create an offspring of both parents, they can also to no ill-effect reproduce asexually, meaning both males and females are capable of laying eggs with no second parent, that hatches into a perfectly normal hatchling. This also has the benefit/consequence of making falling in love and claiming a mate matters of true, deep, and nearly impossible-for-mortals-to-fathom spiritual love instead of carrying on the species. Bonus points for them literally being aliens, as revealed in 4.2.
Brainwashed and Crazy: In the Ultimate Trial reimagination of their battle, King Thordan uses the eye of Nidhogg and his nature as a primal to temper defeated dragons to his will.
Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": When addressing the spoken races, they generally call them "child/children of man" as reference to them being the children of their ancestors (which said ancestors was the first time dragons came into contact with man).
Compelling Voice: If the leader of a brood "sings" a command to those who follow him, they have to listen. This is why every dragon of Nidhogg's comes across as Always Chaotic Evil, they're more or less controlled into it. The Stormblood Dragoon quest chain delves into what happens when a dragon refuses their leader's call; They struggle internally before eventually going completely insane, and after that settles, they become little more than a feral beast surviving off instinct. Indeed, this song is so powerful that while some of them are still so far gone they need to be put down, Tiamat's song is strong enough to call tempered dragons back to sanity during the raid on Paglth'an. In Endwalker, Zero mentions a full belief that if Vrtra calls strongly enough, it could even bring Azdaja back from having turned into a voidsent, a completely unheard of occurrence. According to some optional dialogue, dragons actively lace their roars with trace amounts of their own aether, which is why the brood leaders can have such immense power of their brood, and even lesser dragons can roar with enough force to cause physical harm.
Conlang: The dragons possess their own language simply referred to as "Dragonspeak", with its own rules and syntax. Due to being constructed for creatures with no written language, some sounds in Dragonspeak cannot be made by non-dragons. It's also described as "economical", with words having multiple meanings depending on context. For more information, check out this abridged dictionary of Dragonspeak terms and this guide to Dragonspeak grammar. This also has the effect of giving each dragon character who speaks just in Dragonspeak only one voice actor across all languages, since there's no need to re-dub Dragonspeak more than once.
Fantastic Racism:
- The dragons not with Nidhogg's brood are on the light version of this. At worst, they look at man with contempt and at best, they see them as flawed and/or inferior, but some do warm up to the player after they prove themselves to the dragons.
- Compared to the non-evil dragons, the dragons in Nidhogg's brood hold absolute hatred against man as they see them as either selfish beings that will never learn from their mistakes while their future children are doomed to repeat the same mistakes, or nothing more than food to hunt in the wild.
Forced Transformation: Part of Nidhogg's forever war with Ishgard. Because of the dragon blood in every Ishgardian, partaking in this blood has the chance of turning the people into a dragon themselves.
Foreign Queasine: There is a side quest where a dragon wishes to sample different types of meat. They surprisingly do not like the taste of roasted chocobo and wonder how humans can enjoy such things.
Healing Factor: Regeneration. Combined with a dragon's very high durability, a wounded dragon can easily recover (though it takes some time) from its injuries by simply sleeping it off.
Leitmotif: "Misconception" is often used as the theme for dragons during cutscenes with them throughout the game.
Lightning Bruiser: Elder wyrms are each a force to be reckoned with, as they're massive with the strength to match while also being capable of flying at incredible speeds. These wyrms also tend to be masters of magicks, raining hell from the skies when angered.
Magical Eye: A dragon's power and lifeforce is located in their eyes. If both eyes are removed the dragon will eventually die. The eyes of more powerful dragons can also become Artifacts of Doom, as they are massive wellsprings of aether that can be used to power all sorts of nefarious plots, and the dragon who lost it can exhibit a measure of control over its wielder—even if the dragon is dead. They can also bequeath their eyes to other beings for various purposes.
Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: Unlike Nidhogg's brood and the transformed Ishgardians that actively take part in the Dragonsong War. Other dragons just want to live in peace and have quests that can be done in Heavensward. In fact, due to their distorted sense of time, many elder dragons you meet on good terms remember the time when human and dragon lived together fondly, and hope that those days will eventually return.
Our Dragons Are Different: Dravanians form a large and varied list of dragon types, from small dragonets to giant turtles. Ironically, there's a monster called a Dragonfly that doesn't count as a dragon and is instead a scalekin.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Each of the First Brood are named after mythological creatures, mostly serpents or dragons. The origin of the name is correlated to where the dragon ruled or was most active:
- Midgarsormr, Nidhogg, Hraesvalgr and Ratatoskr are taken from Norse Mythology: Midgardsormr is the serpent that encircles the world, Nidhogg the dragon that gnaws at the root of Yggdrasil, Hraesvalgr an eagle-giant and the origin of wind, and Ratatoskr is a squirrel who acts as a messenger for people across Yggdrasil. All four are found in Eorzea.
- Bahamut and Tiamat are taken from middle eastern mythology: Bahamut is the fish who holds the world on its back, and Tiamat is the primordial goddess of water in Mesopotamian Myth. Both had taken root in the southern continent of Meracydia.
- Vrtra is named after the drought-bringing serpent-demon of Hindu myth. He took root in the India-inspired island of Thavnair.
- Azdaja is named after an entity in Slavic mythology that has alternately been referred to as a dragon or a demon. She has been a prisoner in the Void since before the fall of Allag, and feeding on her aether turned four voidsent of Golbez's choosing into the Archfiends.
Shared Signature Attack: Midgardsormr and dragons of the First Brood all share the Signature Move Akh Morn, a Pillar of Light Spam Attack that requires the entire party to tank it together to survive.
Stronger with Age: It's implied that dragons get stronger and tougher as they get older and the really old dragons are massive in size.
- Word of God has it that a dragon never stops growing stronger, and though there aren't many that hit that point before being slain somehow, any dragon that lived sufficiently long could be as strong as the great wyrms.
Telepathy: All dragons seem to have the mental speaking version of this trope as an inherent ability, even newborn hatchlings. Nearly every dragon still vocally speaks Draconic, yet the words translate perfectly to the Spoken language in listeners' heads. Alphinaud notes this rather jarring phenomenon when he meets Vidofnir for the first time, confirming that it's not just the player's Echo translating Draconic for them.
Time Dissonance: Due to how long dragons live, their perception of time is dilated so that events from a thousand years ago are as fresh in their minds as last week is to mortals. As such, feelings of anger and grief rarely subside on their own, as the dragon has nearly an eternity to stew in their rage. This is the reason why Nidhogg wages his Forever War with the Ishgardians, as his grief and anguish from the murder of his sister Ratatoskr are as fresh now as when she was slain. Conversely, Hraesvelgr's love for Shiva persists even after a thousand years of watching man's treachery, preventing him from joining his brother's rampage and merely withdrawing to grieve.
Transhuman Treachery: Among Nidhogg's horde are Elezen followers known collectively as Heretics, though interchangeably referred to as the Harriers as well. These people betrayed home and country and happily kill their kinsmen until eventually they get to drink the blood of the dragons they worship. This transformation will either destroy their mind, effectively turning them into a clone of the dragon they drank the blood of, or they resist the mental break and become a new dragon. They normally only become one of the three types (Wyvern-like Aevis, top-heavy humanoid Syricta, or beefy tanky, dangerous Diresaurs), but if they survive long enough will metamorphose until they're indistinguishable from a dragon that hatched from an egg. In reality, this is true of any Ishgardian due to Ratatoskr's blood being passed down through the generations.
The Unseen: After Heavensward, two of the seven great wyrms are still not accounted for, Vrtra and Azdaja, the Encyclopedia Eorzea gave us their names and appearances, but no guesses about where they could currently be calling home, or if they're even paired off together or living alone with their broods.
- Vrtra is now confirmed to appear in Endwalker as the King Incognito of Radz-At-Han. Before the finale, he also confirms that he touched base with Azdaja, confirming that she's still alive and in touch with her family, but doesn't mention where she might be. 6.1 reveals she is trapped in the Void.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Zig-zagged. According to Ishgardians, transformed heretics of adequate age and power can return to their original forms, which is why Witchdrop was considered an effective execution ground. However, it's left ambiguous if they can actually do this or if every circumstance we see of a heretic turning back to normal is illusion magic (which they tend to be skilled in), as most circumstances of a heretic that transforms then and there ends with their death (and they remain a dragon as corpses, no This Was His True Form here).
- Adding to the confusion are cases like Baroness Melisie of the Machinist questline, who consumed dragon blood in the heat of battle and transformed instantly but was able to change back upon her defeat; and on the flip-side, Marcelloix of the Firmament questline took so long to transform that the war was over when he awakened as a dragon, and he is now unable to transform back, ever.
With Us or Against Us: Nidhogg's brood has recently started attacking other dragons during the Warrior of Light's time traversing Ishgard for standing idle during the Dragonsong War. This is most likely your fault as you had recently killed Nidhogg's prime consort.
You Can't Go Home Again: During a conversation with Omega, Midgardsormr reveals that the planet where all dragons originated from was destroyed by Omega. Once Midgardsormr brought his seven eggs to Hydaelyn, he had to agree to make a pact with the Mothercrystal in order to be allowed to stay. Endwalker shows in detail what happened to the Dragonstar in Ultima Thule, and its end was... unpleasant, to put it lightly.

Great Wyrms

The title given to the Father of Dragons and the First Brood, the most ancient and powerful of dragons.

Midgardsormr

Voiced by: Taketora (JP), Allan Corduner (EN), Emmanuel Bonami (FR), Tino Kiessling (DE)

Race: Dragon
Epithets: The King of Kings,
the Father of Dragons,
the Keeper of the Lake,
the Bane of the Fourteenth

"Men die, and their children forget. But we are everlasting."

This dragon, ancient beyond all memory and reckoning, has been many things... but today, he is dead. Eorzean myth says that Midgardsormr was charged with the protection of Silvertear Lake and its abundant aether by the heads of the Eorzean pantheon, Althyk and Nymeia, at the dawn of time itself. Whether or not that is true, Midgardsormr has been around as long as anyone can remember or find record of, and always protected Silvertear... which is why he called down a massive host of Dragons to confront the Garlean Empire when they tried to take Silvertear for themselves, ten years prior to the beginning of Legacy. The ensuing battle destroyed a huge portion of the Garlean Air Force, including their super-dreadnought, the Agrius... and with it seemingly died the ageless dragon himself.

A Form You Are Comfortable With: Midgardsormr seems remarkably unconcerned with the state of his physical body at any given time, and will change form to suit his needs. He first reappears in a spectral version of his old body to battle the Warrior of Light, then when he accompanies the Warrior he takes on the unassuming form of a dragonling, later turns into a larger but still reasonably sized form to give the Warrior a ride into and out of the Aetherochemical Research Facility, and later still returns to his dragonling form during the investigation into Omega's activities. He is also fully capable of hiding his presence from anyone, and will appear and disappear without warning.
Against the Setting Sun: Seemingly invokes this imagery when still inhabiting his "old" body and conversing with the Warrior of Light.
The Ageless: Nobody can remember a time when he wasn't there, even in records going back millenia, which has led to common wisdom being that he's as old as the world and knows the very gods. He hasn't commented on this directly, but in person he sure does seem familiar with Hydaelyn-the-entity and speaks as if he sired and remembers the first dragons besides himself to even come into the world. It comes to light during the Omega raid series that he is even older than that, having flown through space for thousands of years to escape Omega who was out to kill him.
Ancient Astronauts: It is implied from his child, Tiamat, that she, her father, and the rest of the brood had come to Hydaelyn from another planet thousands of years ago, which may also imply that all dragons are not native. It is confirmed during the Interdimensional Rift raid, where one of Omega's memories reveals a bizarre world called Dragonstar, where everything is covered in green fog, with pillars of light reaching up into the sky, and black snow are ash raining below.
Arch-Enemy: Omega. Some millennia ago, Omega launched an alpha strike on the dragon's homeworld, Dragonstar, wiping out all but the seven eggs that he could flee with, then destroying the world itself to leave them without a home, forcing him to seek refuge on Hydaelyn, which came at the cost of sacrificing his near-infinite might to become the mothercrystal's servant so his children could thrive and repopulate. When Omega resurfaces, Midgardsormr is... apparently furious at the mere sensing of his aether, and decides to aid the player directly in a combat role for the first time.
Badass Boast: When first encountered, and first revealed to still be alive, atop the Keeper of the Lake.
"Thou hast forgotten the face of thy lord. Remember, mortal, and fear me."
Blue-and-Orange Morality: Being a deathless dragon, his take on events is rather different than all of the mortals around him. This comes to particular light with the death of Moenbryda; while everyone else is deep in mourning:
"Life for death. A fair exchange. [to the player] Other bargains will be struck."
Brought Down to Badass: While he is pretty damn powerful in the present, Omega's representation of him at his prime eons ago show that the dragon was a lot more powerful in his youth and had a flaming mane. The battle against Omega and the very long trip through outer space to reach Hydaelyn weakened him considerably as well as causing his mane to disappear. In a way, Midgardsormr was brought down from "unbeatable" to "weakened, but still badass enough to not be taken lightly."
Brought Down to Normal: Does this to the player, when he strips away Hydaelyn's protection, and the power of the Elemental Crystals. Of course, compared to the vast majority of Eorzea, and the fact that the player can still fight extremely deadly foes with their own combat abilities, this is more Brought Down to Badass.
The Bus Came Back: Midgardsormr is absent from 3.5 until after Stormblood. He decided to sleep after the Dragonsong War, but sensing Omega woke him from his slumber. He joins the party as part-advisor and part-exposition device when the Warrior and Garland Ironworks investigate the site where Omega crashed following its battle with Shinryu.
Big Damn Heroes: At the of the Sigmascape storyline, Omega traps the Warrior of Light in a crystal and warns that he will kill them if they can't break free in three minutes. Midgardsormr uses his energy to transform into his old self, as in the huge city sized dragon body he used to inhabit and chews on the barrier until it shatters, freeing the Warrior of Light.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Seems to take this attitude toward the Battle of Silvertear Skies. For mortal Eorzea and beyond? One of the most important events in modern history, one which shaped the entire world and the course of the whole plot and entire lives. For Midgardsormr? Apparently an excuse for a twenty-year nap and a mild inconvenience concerning his old body.
Dare to Be Badass: Seems to be one of his goals by forming a covenant with the Warrior of Light. He wants to see if anything you accomplish is of your own skills, and not while safely protected by Hydaelyn.
Composite Character: His name comes from the recurring Midgardsormr enemy (mistranslated as "Midgar Zolom" in VII), but his role as an extremely powerful interworld-traveling dragon and especially his history with Omega call to mind how Shinryu is normally portrayed in the series.
Dead All Along: Midgardrsormr has technically been dead since he first arrived on the Source, having offered up his life to Hydaelyn to serve her as a spectre in exchange for her allowing his children to remain. While he admits to Omega that he is not as powerful in this form as in life, it is what allows him to be functionally eternal, simply needing to rest and recover his aether when he is "killed" or otherwise expends it.
Deadpan Snarker: He's got some moments. Especially aimed at the Warrior of Light.
"Hmph. Trickery is thy shield. This frail, ignoble creature is not gifted, but merely chosen."
"Art thou a pawn, or master of thy fate? What hast thou wrought by thine own hands, mortal?"
Everyone Has Standards: Nidhogg's obsession with vengeance eventually reaches the point where even Midgardsormr realizes that his son is out of control and must be stopped, leading him to warn Ishgard that Nidhogg is about to return.
Faking the Dead: Maybe? Sort of? It's more that everyone assumed Midgardsormr was dead and gone forever without actually understanding what he was (and/or he just didn't bother stirring anyway until the Warrior of Light showed up). It's also played with a bit further in that his old, famous body does seem to be beaten and burned to the point that it can't biologically function any longer, which is why he needs to construct the dragonling body to tag along with the WoL.
Forgiveness: Midgardsormr, who would be justified as any of the other dragons to destroy Ishgard in anger for killing his daughter Ratatoskr, was one of the first dragons to accept Ishgard's apology and vow for peace. Not only that but by seeing how much the Warrior of Light fought for peace, and the sacrifices that were made in pursuit of it he advocates forgiving Ishgard to his other son Hraesvelgr.
- The final Tales from the Shadows story shows that, after having observed that Omega has finally gained a soul after having come to truly understand and appreciate life, Midgardsormer is even willing to bury the hatchet with his oldest and greatest enemy in order to help protect the survivors of the Eighth Umbral Calamity. Though not without having a bit of a chuckle at Omega's current toy-sized state.
Gameplay and Story Integration: By the end of Heavensward you will have a minion of Midgardsormr's dragonet form and a larger rideable mount of him. Both are created from his aether and are basically fully sentient copies of himself that can appear and disappear in cutscenes whenever he wants. During Stormblood, Midgardsormr uses all his available aether to save the Warrior of Light from Omega's trap, which would put him back to sleep for an indefinite amount of time. He notes that after doing so the minion and mount you have can still be used but would no longer have his consciousness making them effectively just a regular toy and mount respectively.
Godzilla Threshold: For most of the story post-1.0, Midgardsormr is content to sit back and watch the Warrior of Light's struggles and occasionally lend some words of wisdom. When the WoL gets involved with Omega however, he makes an exception, becoming a lot more vocal and even helping in the solo instance preceding the raid tier.
Guest-Star Party Member: He appears in the solo instance that leads into the Omega raid in Stormblood, although he doesn't do anything other than cast Cure on you.
Hidden Agenda Villain:
- Assuming he is a proper "villain", of course; but either way, his motives are unclear and he seems to like keeping it that way. He definitely did command the Horde to defend Silvertear when the Empire came... but was it due to a covenant with Althyk & Nymeia, as Eorzean scripture teaches? Was it maybe a pact with Hydaelyn-the-entity Herself, as Minfilia speculates later? Something else entirely? And what exactly did he show or do with Iceheart, who said we'd understand everything if we paid Midgardsormr a visit? He is, currently, silent on all of this, and we sure didn't get the answers Iceheart seems to have implied we would.
- He's also really vague about just why he stripped the Blessing of Light from you (aside from some obvious distaste that you were "chosen", rather than earning your gifts), and what exactly this "covenant" is that binds the two of you together now. At one point he's talking to Hydaelyn, not you. That alone is a big deal considering that you or Minfilia hadn't heard from her since you defeated Lahabrea. That's five patches worth of story where she's been eerily quiet.
- The Japanese version of the cutscene is significantly less vague, and though the meaning behind the words are the same, the added clarity changes the impact of the dialogue entirely:
  - Midgardsormr is significantly more polite and interested in you once he's unable to temper you, realizing it as the Echo. It also confirms he doesn't entirely "destroy" the blessing of light, but seals it away, and said the darkness would do it anyway. He also explicitly states that he let you keep the Echo. And indeed, this was at Hydaelyn's request. At the end, he mentions breaking away from his claw, implying that he will give you the blessing of light back eventually, but you'll have to earn it.
  - Apparently Ishgard committed some terrible sin in the past, and Dravania is moving to attack them because they sense they haven't learned from it. There's also an implication he knows the Ascians are controlling the Holy See.
  - He forms his bond with you because he wants to know What You Are in the Dark; are you truly a hero, or are you as foolish and capable of sins as Ishgard was?
  - He talks of your legacy, and more or less encourages you to involve yourself in the war, saying that there's a chance that you can change the course of it entirely.
It's Personal: Is very invested in the Omega storyline due to the machine destroying the dragon's home planet prior.
Kneel Before Frodo: Midgardsormr and the Warrior of Light return to Ishgard together at the end of Heavensward after Thordan was slain. The people witnessing the dragon landing in their city react with fear and hostility as one would expect. When Midgardsormr introduces himself as the father to all dragons and aided the Warrior of Light, everyone begins to kneel before him out of respect and the start of mending the broken relationship between man and dragon.
Last of His Kind: He's the last dragon born on the Dragonstar that is still alive.
Large and in Charge: Literally as long as a city. Also the dragon all others will pay heed to, although actual "command" of Dravania seems to have been left to his son, Nidhogg.
Leitmotif: "Primogenitor", which plays both during the boss battle with him and during the conversation with him afterward, and which also shares notable similarities with the song used in the Heavensward teaser. This song is also used when fighting both Nidhogg and Hraesvelgr, his sons, and when you fight the virtual copy of his younger self in the Alphascape.
Lucky Seven: He came to this world from space and carried with him seven eggs, which became the first blood and the progenitors of the dragon race.
Magical Eyes: As with all dragons. Midgardsormr is first shown to still be alive when the eyes on his otherwise lifeless body flare up.
Meta Guy: Not blatant, but there in a way. Really, what Midgardsormr seems annoyed at with regard to Hydaelyn's blessing, your Chosen One status and whatnot is the fact that you're the protagonist in a Final Fantasy/RPG story, and he doesn't really think you've done anything to earn all the special powers or adoration you've been on the receiving end of, having been led by the nose to your victories to date, and seems to be nudging the character to make their own choices and really deserve to be The Hero. Your actions throughout the 3.0 main story serves as proof to his eyes of your worthiness of Hydaelyn's blessing.
Mr. Exposition: Midgardsormr has a long history with Omega and so he feels obligated to offer information about his old foe to the Warrior of Light and the Ironworks.
Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Played With Midgardsormr was considered the mightiest enemy of Omega and likely the strongest dragon in the Dragonstar, but he wasn't the near-divine being and father of all dragons he's considered in the present. The Become Stronger With Age trait meant that Midgardsormr, who spent an unknown REALLY long amount of time traversing through space and several thousand years on Hydaelyn, is one of the most powerful beings in the setting, to the point of being functionally immortal beyond having to take occasional centuries-long rests if he 'dies'.
Not-So-Imaginary Friend: Although the Warrior of Light seems to have told Alphinaud and Minfilia about him, he makes a point of appearing (at least in 2.5) when only you can possibly see him, and it's inferred that only you can hear him. In Stormblood during the Omega side story, he appears in front of Biggs, Wedge, Nero, and Cid and they can all see him.
Not So Stoic: While it is very subtle, you can hear the sadness in the dragon's voice when he sees his child, Tiamat, is bound by chains and had chosen to stay that way until the end of the world because she's punishing herself for consorting with the Ascians, whom had given her the power to bring her brother, Bahamut, back as a primal. Midgardsormr also displays a hint of sadness when he sees Nidhogg comes back from the dead and wonders what had happened to his child that caused him to still be full of hatred.
Only Mostly Dead: Thanks to the Agrius exploding, his original, millenia-old body is basically done for. Thanks to him having an ability like the Echo wherein his essence isn't necessarily tied to his body, however, he's able to make a new body for himself with some unwitting help from the Warrior of Light. (This new body is, of course, about the size of a housecat, but hey, one step at a time.)
- Falls into this again after his Heroic Sacrifice. After using up too much aether to save the Warrior of Light from Omega, his spirit is forced into a state of hibernation until he can recover, which could take a very, very long time. His minion and mount forms remain available to the Warrior, but he explicitly states that these will merely be empty shells until he revives.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Midgardsormr is cold if not indifferent towards humanity and barely recognizes the Warrior of Light as worthy; however when it comes to his own children he is notably more open when it comes to his emotions. Showing concern and sorrow towards Nidhogg and Tiamat both of whom are suffering in completely different ways; and when it comes to Hraesvelgr even Midgardsormr is moved by how less of damn Hraesvelgr gives about ending the Dragonsong War. It really says something when Midgardsormr tells Hraesvelgr that if he keeps being indifferent then he would just be causing more suffering.
- When Hraesvelgr comes to the rescue of the Warrior of Light and company after Omega's death he said that he only agreed to it after Midgardsormr himself asked him to. Hraesvelgr notes that in his entire lifetime Midgardsormr never once asked for anything, and that his doing so meant that whatever he asked for was important enough for him to even ask for help. Sure enough it's to save the Warrior of Light from certain death in the rift.
Our Dragons Are Different: Quite. Most dragons aren't effectively wholly immortal, for one. Physically he's very much a "serpentine dragon", as befits the name, though in temperament he is very much like the classic taciturn "Western" dragon.
Put on a Bus:
- After the end of the Dragonsong War, Midgardsormr doesn't show himself for some time. He claims that he decided to sleep for a while.
- And then goes back on the bus after preforming his Heroic Sacrifice, taxing his body's aether more than he should have been, which results in his conscious mind falling back into slumber for an indeterminate amount of time, in the final few cutscenes Hraesvelgr mentions that it could be a few months, or it could be well after the Warrior of Light dies a death of old age, effectively shelving him unless he's needed for the plot.
  - ...Until the final Tales of the Shadows reveals that he eventually regained his strength and commandeered his original body 200 years after the Eighth Umbral Calamity. Having watched Garlond Ironworks' tireless devotion to saving a world they'd never see, he vowed to protect the Ironworks as they now rebuilt civilization toward a new Astral Era in the Bad Future timeline.
Red Baron: The King of Kings, the Father of Dragons, the Keeper of the Lake, the Guardian of Silvertear, The Bane Of The XIV Legion.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Norse Mythology, and like his children that had names from that same mythos, he is a key figure in the events of Heavensward.
Required Party Member:
- You don't have a choice about getting him as a minion. Dragonling-Midgardsormr forces his way into your minion list when you first beat the Keeper of the Lake dungeon, and there's no way to remove him.
- Happens again in Heavensward when he allows the Warrior of Light to use him as a mount out of respect for their accomplishments; he is automatically added to the player's mount list without requiring any item to be used, and the player is already riding him after the cutscene where his mount form is gained (conveniently, this is also the point when flying is unlocked for that area).
Royals Who Actually Do Something: He's a king amongst kings who commands the unquestioning loyalty of an entire race of beings and is the greatest dragon who ever lived or shall live; he's also perfectly willing to throw down with the largest airship on modern Hydaelyn and make it look as effective as an oversized blimp, and only "die" in retaliation because he underestimated how big the explosion would be when it crashed. He also tags along with you without much hesitation, once he decides to invoke whatever this "covenant" is.
Serial Escalation: Done in an interesting way. Primals are presented as potentially-murderous gods who can kill the land just by existing, can create armies of zealous thralls by breathing on them, and come back again and again when beaten. The Ascians are immortal wizards who seek to unmake the world and command weird, spooky voodoo you barely understand. And then Midgardsormr comes along and, despite being ostensibly a "living" being, does stuff the primals and Ascians only dream of doing. He, while mostly dead, resurrects fallen kin, fights you on equal terms, strips you of your Hydaelyn-given blessing and drains the crystals of light, and reconstitutes himself using the aether from this while holding a conversation.
Secret Test of Character: His purpose in joining the Warrior of Light and stripping them of their blessing is to see if they can accomplish their goals without constantly relying on a power that they were blessed with and also seeing if they are willing to endure many hardships and trials to accomplish said goals. He eventually sees that the Warrior of Light is worthy of taking Hydaelyn's essence and he becomes an adult-sized dragon (though not to his former size) for the Warrior of Light to ride on through the skies.
Shoulder-Sized Dragon: He turns into one to tag along with the player.
The Stoic: A major character trait of his. He doesn't really seem surprised by anything, he maintains a very even, calm vocal tone in all languages and what unexpected things do come up are more disappointments than anything.
- He's so stoic, the names of his attacks in his boss battle are all feelings of annoyance and disapproval. He's basically sighing at your attempts at fighting.
- He also doesn't seem to be all that broken up about "dying"; see But for Me, It Was Tuesday above. Once the player shows up, he gets back to business with a little help from your aetherial blessing.
- In his minion form, he is capable of perching on your shoulder (or head, if you're a Lalafell). Other minions with this ability will do so on command, with a /beckon emote. Midgardsormr will do it when and only when it pleases him to, and will get off when it also pleases him. Slash commands have no effect at all.
- He'll even hop a ride when you're in the middle of combat, seemingly without caring, and will remain calmly perched on your shoulder even if you fight world raid bosses or S-rank hunt targets (and survive).
Telepathy/Psychic Link: Apparently communicates in this manner (the only time we see him open his mount in any of his form is to attack, not speak) and seems to have formed something like the latter with the Warrior of Light, given how nobody else can hear his otherwise-seemingly-loud voice.
Vocal Dissonance: Played with. At first his deep, booming voice makes perfect sense for a dragon the size of a city, but then he makes his little, about-as-big-as-a-Hyruan-head dragonling body for himself and his voice doesn't change at all. It might sound almost comedic, if he wasn't so deadly serious all the time.
Walking Spoiler: It is essentially impossible to create an entry for this character without discussing his meeting with the player/Warrior of Light and his subsequent joining of your "party". As a result, this entire entry has no spoiler tags, because basically everything past "the WoL went to check the wreck" would have to be blanked out. In particular, we only get to see a lot of his character traits once we get to talk to him, and a lot happens all at once. His only previous appearance was in Legacy's opening movie, and the subsequent repeat of the scene during Gaius's speech early in ARR.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: After reaching the size needed for the WoL to ride him, Midgardsormr can freely take that form or his broodling form depending on whether he is summoned as a mount or a minion.
What the Hell, Hero?: When Hraesvelgr digs his heels in on not helping mortals fend off Nidhogg's attacks in 3.3, Midgardsormr finally has enough of his son's indifference and angrily lambasts him for sitting there refusing to help out of a misguided belief that the Nidhogg that's about to destroy Ishgard is his reincarnation, instead of a shadow of his hate, and for acting so lofty and superior when the Warrior of Light and his allies have busted their asses trying to make amends with dragonkind. This is probably the most frustrated we see him, and one of the only time his opinion falls in with the player character over another dragon.
Who Needs Their Whole Body?: Midgardsormr sure doesn't. He can put himself into a tiny body or make a pure aether form at will. It's even hinted at that his body is technically dead, but his spirit is still alive and kicking. Whatever the case may be, the dragon having a corpse doesn't mean he's not still dangerous.
Wowing Cthulhu: Midgardsormr isn't convinced that the Warrior of Light earned the right to be Hydaelyn's champion and he strips them of their blessing to test their ability and determination to pursue their goals in defending Eorzea with their own merits. After the Warrior of Light proves that they can kick as much ass as they did before and influence others to change their stances on the Dragonsong War, Midgardsormr is impressed and he gains a new adult body to allow them to ride on his back into the final battle.
Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: He speaketh in this form in the English script, if the quotes didn't make it obvious. It seems to be intended to make him sound much older and more archaic than the other characters, which is saying something when most Eorzeans already get a little baroque in the English script.

Bahamut

One of the First Brood and the lover of Tiamat, leading the Meracydian Horde that protected the southern continent in ages past. When the Allagans invaded, Bahamut was captured and killed. The Ascians then tricked the captured Meracydian dragons to summon a Primal of Bahamut, creating the Dreadwyrm known in present times.

For tropes regarding the Primal version of Bahamut, see here.

Brother–Sister Incest: His mate, Tiamat, was also his sister. Due to the different morality and view of what a 'mate' even is for the dragons, this didn't seem to have any problems, morally or otherwise.
Posthumous Character: The true Bahamut has been dead for millenias, what is known today as Bahamut is nothing more than a primal simulacrum with little resembling him except the name.
Reasonable Authority Figure: All known information about Bahamut when alive describes him as the de-facto ruler of Meracydia, where he and his brood was treated with respect, and in turn they acted as protectors of the continent against outside forces.

Hraesvelgr

Voiced by: Steven Hartley (all languages)

Race: Dragon

"Hark thee, mortal, to the naked truth... then tell me thou deservest forgiveness!"

The other member of the "First Brood" currently active in Eorzea, Hraesvelgr doesn't seem to take as active a part in the war with Ishgard as his brother Nidhogg. He plays a large role in Heavensward.

Adaptational Villainy: Due to a miscommunication between the cinematics and modelling team, Hraesvelgr appears in the original Heavensward trailer attacking the Warrior of Light on the Steps of Faith before being driven back (it was originally meant to be Nidhogg). He never attacks the heroes at all in the proper game, save as the final boss of Sohr Khai, which is a challenge he posed to see if you have the skill to fight Nidhogg.
The Aloner: He spends his life in isolation from others rather than take part in the Dragonsong War or end it. Awaiting the day oblivion comes for him. Even his brood rarely sees him, with Vidofnir - a firstborn daughter - being the only one to speak to him semi-frequently and enacts his will with matters concerning his children.
An Ice Person: Uses powerful ice magic in combat, most notably, his primary area attack is a stronger version of Shiva's Diamond Dust called Diamond Storm.
Awful Truth: He reveals the truth behind the Dragonsong War and Primals to the Warrior of Light, Iceheart, Estinien, and Alphinaud. Namely, that it was Ishgard's King Thordan I and his Knights Twelve that committed the betrayal of peace by slaying Ratatoskr and consuming her eyes for greater power. Then, when Nidhogg fell upon them for revenge, he slew Thordan and about half the Knights Twelve, before losing his eyes to the remaining knights. He also reveals to Iceheart that the "Shiva" she calls forth is but simply a phantom of her beliefs manifesting itself.
Berserk Button: Do not say something that presumes you know anything about Hraesvelgr's fallen beloved where he can hear it. You might get away with your life if you immediately apologize and placate his fury as best you can. But outright insult her, and you're as good as dead. Lady Iceheart presuming she knows something about how Shiva might have thought or felt prompts Hraesvelgr to say that if Iceheart "presumes" such a thing again, he might just forget about his vow to not kill people. But when Hraesvelgr attempts to talk down Nidhogg in the final battle of the Steps of Faith, Nidhogg mocks Shiva, calling her a "vile maid" and saying that "her cloying perfume hath made thee forget the stench of our brood-sister's lifeblood" as a result. The look of unbridled rage on Hraesvelgr's face after this insult to Shiva marks the point where the words stop and the fighting starts.
Big Damn Heroes: Along with Wedge and Biggs, he saves Cid, Alpha, and the Warrior of Light as Omega's pocket dimension begins to collapse. He says that his father, Midgardsormr, asked him to.
Big Fancy Castle: His home is apparently that enormous, airy, wing-styled castle in the Churning Mists. Its main spire appears to be as tall as all of Ishgard combined.
Brainwashed and Crazy: In the Ultimate Trial reimagination of their battle, Nidhogg uses an Allagan neural link to enslave Hraesvelgr and forces his brother to attack Ishgard with him.
Bystander Syndrome: He initially refuses to help out the Warrior of Light and the rest of the party because he feels that the war is not his problem and he doesn't care about man anymore. And from his exchanges with the heroes, Hraesvelgr thinks they're lucky to get away even with that, because it's only his promise to Shiva that prevents Hraesvelgr from acting.
Catlike Dragons: Hraesveglr has a mane of either feathers or fur that extends from his head down his back to his tail and a carnivoran face, evoking this, especially in comparison to the more reptilian appearance of his brother Nidhogg.
Cynicism Catalyst: It was bad enough that he had to endure the fact that his love, Shiva, had a limited lifespan, but seeing man commit sin once again by killing his sister, Ratatoskr, left him completely devastated. Since Shiva's soul is keeping his rage in check, Hraesvelgr resorts to being completely cynical and apathetic by not caring what happens between dragon and man. It isn't until the Warrior of Light, Aymeric, and Alphinaud pass their trials that the dragon is willing to give man one more chance at redemption.
Dual Boss: He is forced to join Nidhogg in attacking the party for the penultimate phase of The Dragonsong's Reprise (Ultimate) against his will, courtesy of an Allagan neurolink.
Feathered Dragons: He has feathery wings, unlike his father and siblings.
Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: After completing his trial Hraesvelgr explicitly warns Aymeric and the Warrior of Light that he will allow himself to believe in mortals once more, and if that they should ever fall again then his trust would be forever extinguished.
Heartbroken Badass: He was the dragon that the original Shiva fell in love with and he loved her in return, and he's never truly moved past her sacrificing herself for peace, much less the fact that he devoured her (at her request) to do so. This is reflected a lot in his face, at their most open his eyes are still half-closed like he's just finished crying, only opening fully in moments of intense emotion like when he got angry at Iceheart for making herself out to be Shiva's reincarnation or when Nidhogg insults Shiva's memory. Though at the end of the Ishgard storyline when the Warrior of Light flies next to the recovered Hraesvelgr, his eyes are more open than usual, suggesting he's finally found hope in the repaired relationship between man and dragon.
Holy Hand Grenade: A number of Hraesvelgr's powers are holy in nature, such as holy pillars of light or Holy Sprites appearing to attack on his command.
Hypocrite: He does not involve himself in the Dragonsong War out of respect of his beloved Shiva, but when Nidhogg first arrived at his doorstep missing both of his eyes he guilt tripped Hraesvelgr saying that everything that had happened was his fault, demanding one of his eyes as recompense. Hraesvelgr folded and gave Nidhogg an eye knowing full well he would start the Dragonsong War, betraying the wish for peace that he and Shiva tried to create together. Once the Warrior of Light's group learns the truth, Hraesvelgr's hypocrisy infuriates even Ysayle.
If I Wanted You Dead...: Several conversations with Hraesvelgr make it clear that his promise to Shiva that he would never take another life from mankind is all that's stopping him from tearing the heroes asunder. Especially once someone claims to know more about Shiva than he does. Hraesvelgr even says that his patience is getting close to its limit, and testing him any further is likely to prove fatal.
I Gave My Word: He's not exactly fond of mankind, either. He even admits that he wants revenge, especially for what happened since the event that started the Dragonsong War. But, Hraesvelgr promised Shiva that he would never take another life from mankind, so he won't. That being said, Hraesvelgr makes it clear that testing the limits of his patience would be a fatal mistake, so the heroes still have to be careful.
Interspecies Romance: The elder Wyrm Hraesvelgr was, and still is, in love with the Ishgardian woman Shiva, who loved him just as much back.
Just a Flesh Wound: He doesn't seem to react much to Nidhogg tearing off one of his wings after the battle is over and even flies off with only a little bit of lack of balance. Given that he has seraphim-like wings, just losing a singular one out of the multiples he has doesn't seem to affect him all that much, as he can be seen flying in the closing of 3.3 having learned to balance himself without much difficulty. Thanks to dragons' natural regeneration, his wings are fully repaired by the time of his Big Damn Heroes moment in the Omega raids.
Meaningful Name: His name means corpse eater in old Norse. Alluding to the original Shiva being swallowed by him at her request.
Morality Chain: Hraesvelgr makes it very clear that where it not for Shiva's calming influence on his soul, he would be just as wrathful and vengeful as Nidhogg.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Subverted. Everyone takes Hraesvelgr's lack of involvement in the Dragonsong War to be a sign of either distaste or disinterest and believe he can be made to help the war stop. In actuality, while he has no care for the war, he's most decidedly not on humanity's side because he's every bit as angry at humanity as Nidhogg for their transgressions and, were it not for Shiva's love and spirit keeping him soothed, more than likely would have joined his revenge-crazed brother. In fact, pre-storyline he gave Nidhogg one of his eyes and thus half of his power, knowing exactly what Nidhogg would do with it.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His name means corpse eater in old Norse and he's named for the giant eagle whose wings cause the winds to blow. Ironically, however, most of the promotional material he features in shows him being quite civil.^note
"Not So Different" Remark: Hraesvelgr compares Shiva to Bahamut in this manner. Whereas most primals are creator-deities in the worshipping tribe's mythologies, Bahamut and Shiva were real individuals summoned by an Ascian-manipulated group (Tiamat and her brood for Bahamut, Ysayle and the heretics for Shiva) in an attempt to bring them back. Their loved ones (Tiamat and Hraesvelgr) saw the deception for what it was, but that's cold comfort in the face of the desecration of their memory.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Norse Mythology and as mentioned in the Names to Run Away from Really Fast Entry above, he has a part to play in the Dragonsong War. It's also an Ironic Name; Nidhogg and Hraesvelgr were Arch Enemies in the Norse myths, but this Hraesvelgr granted Nidhogg one of his eyes so that he could live and start his Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Ishgard. He also notes that were it not for his love for Saint Shiva, he would have likely joined Nidhogg in said rampage.
Took a Level in Kindness: In the short story From Azure Ashes, Hraesvelgr shows how the renewed hope in post-war humanity has affected him when he cordially holds a conversation with Estinien and urges him that though his dragonslaying days are over, it doesn't mean his days helping people also have to end. He then escorts him to ruined barracks where he expressly gifts Estinien a suit of Trueblood Dragoon armor from the days when Dragoons were those who fought with dragons, not against them. When Estinien names it Iceheart in memory of Ysayle, Hraesvelgr is visibly pleased at the memorial to his fallen friend.
Neutral No Longer:
- He aids Iceheart by letting her ride upon his back as she goes to Azys Lla to aid the Warrior of Light. He makes this clear in 3.1, where he sends a message to Vidofnir of how they will walk alongside man once again after seeing Iceheart's noble intentions and sacrifice.
- In patch 3.3, After hearing Aymeric's heartfelt plea for aid, Hraesvelgr tests you, him, and Alphinaud. You come out victorious and he puts faith in humanity and fights Nidhogg for their side. While he doesn't defeat Nidhogg himself, him gifting the Warrior of Light with one of his eyes is ultimately the reason he was beatable.
Sibling Yin-Yang: With Nidhogg. Not only are they literally black and white, Nidhogg is usually shown being violent or threatening in most promotional materials, while Hraesvelgr is quite a bit more civil.
- It even extends to the way they fight - Nidhogg predominantly uses darkness and fire attacks, spells, and his Breath Weapon, while Hraesvelgr uses light and ice.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Hraesvelgr's eyes are gold in color, and the source of his power like all dragons.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: Before Shiva passed on, Hraesvelgr promised he would never kill another member of mankind again. However, this vow of patience has its limits, so he makes it clear that the heroes shouldn't go pushing their luck on this matter. In The Dragonsong's Reprise (Ultimate), this also gets some integration into the fight. Hraesvelgr is forced to battle the player thanks to an Allagan neurolink, making it clear that he doesn't want to. If any player dies during his phase of the fight, Hraesvelgr's defense drops and his attack increases, out of despair that his vow was inadvertenly broken.
When He Smiles: Seeing his vengeful brother finally defeated and seeing that there's hope in mankind yet has him give a small smile at the end of the war.
Your Soul Is Mine!: Possibly. Given the dragons' nature as beings of aether and the fact that spoken souls are also made of aether, it's entirely possible that him devouring Shiva so their souls would be entwined is meant literally, and she still exists inside of his mind and body in some form. If this is the case, it makes it a rare willing version of the trope, and an even rarer benevolent version. However, this is left vague enough to go either direction, as we have only his own archaically phrased words (and the fact he uses ice magic, including an improved Diamond Dust) to support this.

Ratatoskr

Race: Dragon

"The way to peace is paved with understanding. We must not cling to our secrets so tightly!"

Nidhogg's and Hraesvelgr's sister. She was killed by the original King Thordan and his Knights Twelve, starting the Dragonsong War.

Eye Scream: She had her eyes gouged out and consumed by the Ishgardians. This had the effect of placing her power in the blood of all their descendants, and being the reason the Heretics can become dragons.
Magical Eye: Like all dragons, her eyes were the source of her powers. Because of this, she became the target of Ishgard's Envy, and after the Ishgardians ate her eyes, they gained the ability to become dragons.
Morality Chain: Ratatoskr was the only one of the great wyrms who truly understood Nidhogg and could soothe his anger. So Nidhogg's rage became unquenchable after she was slain by man's treachery, resulting in him beginning a Forever War to make mankind suffer for the sins of its ancestors even at the cost of the rest of the horde.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: According to the Encyclopaedia Eorzea, Ratatoskr shared a lot of information with the Elezen in the spirit of understanding, including the fact that the eyes of a dragon are the source of their power. Thordan I made her his first target to claim draconic power for himself.
- More than that, in the level 80 dragoon quest you learn the specific reason why she died. Thordan asked for the brood leaders' opinions on humanity and she spoke plain about the opinion of Nidhogg - the de-facto leader to suceed Midgardsormr - that he didn't believe humanity had the will or strength to protect Hydaelyn. Thordan and his knights saw this as a declaration that Nidhogg would attempt to steal the world away from humanity and in a panicked frenzy over the thought of dragons turning against them slew her then and there.
Plot-Triggering Death: The Dragonsong War began after King Thordan I murderered Ratatoskr after taking one of her statements in the worst way possible. This drove Nidhogg insane with grief, his thirst for vengeance only growing after Thordan's knights ripped out Nidhogg's own eyes.
Poor Communication Kills: According to the level 80 Dragoon quest, Ratatoskr told Thordan I and his Knights Twelve about Nidhogg's apprehension to trusting mankind. While Ratatoskr meant that mankind still could prove him wrong after all this time, Thordan I thought this meant that an attack by the dragons was inevitable, so he had to act now. This led to Ratatoskr's death at the hands of Thordan I and the Knights Twelve right then and there, which set the stage for the Dragonsong War when Nidhogg swore vengeance on mankind for his brood-sister's slaying.
Posthumous Character: She's dead long before the beginning of the game, but her murder at Thordan I's hands cast a large shadow over Ishgard and Dravania, and is Nidhogg's Cynicism Catalyst.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Norse Mythology, and her death marks the beginning of Ishgard's checkered history. It's also worth nothing that her namesake is the squirrel that acts as a messenger between Hraesvelgr and Nidhogg, both being the names of the wyrms hurt by her death the most.
- Encyclopaedia Eorzea extends her messenger role, noting she was a keeper of songs and often travelled between all her siblings bringing news, and that many of her own brood shared her wanderlust.
Walking Spoiler: What is known about her is tied to plot twists throughout the expansion, with the biggest being the revelation that Ishgard, not Nidhogg, attacked first.

Nidhogg

Voiced by: Simon Greenall (all languages)

Race:Dragon

"Champions of man! Hearken to my fury! Thy final verse is sung!"

The eldest of the First Brood and the current king of the Dravanian Horde. The Dragonsong War began when Nidhogg attacked King Thordan and his Knights Twelve, killing half of their number including the king himself, before he was driven off with the loss of his eye. He has led the efforts of the Horde against Ishgard ever since.

Alas, Poor Villain: Despite everything's that happened and all the suffering he's caused, Estinien comes to the conclusion that most of Nidhogg's grief and rage stemmed from the fact that Nidhogg had no one to set him on the right path, and if Estinien were in the same situation, they would have likely turned out not so different. Even talking to Vidofnir once Nidhogg is defeated, after he had stabbed her to send a message, hopes Nidhogg's soul finds peace.
Animate Body Parts: The fourth phase of The Dragonsong's Reprise pits the players against Nidhogg's disembodied eyes, which attack the party with powerful magic while trying to regain control of Estinien.
Artifact of Doom: His eye, which each successive Azure Dragoon has possessed. It grants them the power to be the strongest Dragoon in existence, but also slowly and subtly works its way into the Dragoon's mind by making them feel admiration towards the dragons and sympathy to their cause.
Badass Boast: "I am of the first brood... I am vengeance incarnate... I am Nidhogg! Thou shall die by my hand!"
Big Bad: Double subverted. Nidhogg is this in Heavensward after the introductions, as it's mentioned that his rage and vengeance are what drive the conflict. While this is not incorrect, the story sidelines Nidhogg to focus on the backstory of how things got to this point, including changing the villain focus to Archbishop Thordan and the Knights Twelve, who are keeping Ishgard in a Forever War because of their refusal to admit the mistakes of their ancestors. After that's dealt with, Nidhogg resumes his role as the Big Bad of the expansion.
Bishōnen Line: Zigzagged. While he does assume Estinien's human form during a conversation and his final battle's second phase, which is harder than the first, ultimately he spends most of the fight, the ending of it included, in his original dragon body.
Body Horror: His eyes fuse to Estinien's right forearm and left shoulder when he takes over Estinian's body. The trailer for patch 3.3 also shows that he can also take a form that merges his own features with Estinien's.
Defiant to the End: Even after being defeated to the point where he can barely stand and Estinien is capable of combating his influence, Nidhogg utterly refuses to give up, continuing to struggle and fight Estinien for control right up until the Warrior of Light and Alphinaud tear his eyes from Estinien's body and kill him for good.
Detrimental Determination: Nidhogg has been waging the Forever War against Ishgard for the past thousand years and has no intention of ever stopping, believing that all of King Thordan's and the Knights Twelve's descendants deserve to suffer for eternity for Thordan's murder of Nidhogg's sister, Ratatoskr. No one, not even his brother wyrm Hraesvelgr or his sire Midgardsormr, are able to convince him to stop his rampage. By the end, the heroes are forced to kill Nidhogg for there to be any hope of peace between man and dragon.
Dual Boss: He forces an unwilling Hraesvelgr to join him in attacking the party for the penultimate phase of The Dragonsong’s Reprise (Ultimate).
Dying as Yourself: Zigzagged. His dragon form dissipates after his final battle with the WoL and he resumes the form of his mortal body. Estnien's consciousness then resurfaces, struggles for control of his body, and poises it to receive a fatal blow while Nidhogg is defenseless. However, when Nidhogg's eyes are prised from his host and the wyrm is killed for good, his spirit rises from the body in its natural dragon form.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- It's revealed that the reason for his vengeance is Nidhogg loved his sister Ratatoskr, and her murder helped transform him into the vengeance fueled monster he is today.
- Dragons don't take reproductive mates, so a dragon's mate is someone they're intrinsically, spiritually bound with. This makes the players distracting Nidhogg from the Dragonsong War by killing Tioman take on a different meaning.
- Late in Shadowbringers, Estinian comments how even in his darkest moments of madness, Nidhogg still felt very protective of his other sister Tiamat and apparantly would try to keep an eye on her during her self-imposed exile.
Evil Takes a Nap: Nidhogg's campaign against Ishgard are only broken up if Nidhogg's injured enough to enter the dragon's sleep to heal. Because dragons are The Ageless, they can take decades or even centuries to sleep off their wounds. Nidhogg had been asleep for twenty years before renewing his assault just before Heavensward.
Eye Scream: A thousand years ago, his eye was pulled out of his skull by the early settlers of Ishgard. Twenty years ago, the Azure Dragoon rammed his lance into Nidhogg's empty eye socket. The dragon's got reason to be so furious.
Fantastic Racism:
- Always disliked mortals even before his sister's death, believing them to be shortsighted and greedy due to their short lifespans and that they pass off responsibility for the actions of their ancestors while eventuallly repeating their mistakes at some point. When he and Hraesvelgr finally meet face to face again, Nidhogg calls his brother a fool for suggesting that they ever treat spoken as equals instead of prey, implying that even before peace was made, they were just above-averagely intelligent food to him.
- The level 80 dragoon quest gives this a bit more context: Nidhogg wasn't hostile to humanity, but as the one who would inherit Midgardsormr's pact of protecting Hydaelyn from various threats, he was less than impressed about humanity's capabilities to be the planet's saviors. Ultimately his dismissiveness of humanity was what lead to Ratatoskr's death when she shared his opinion to Thordan verbatim - which caused him to kill her in fear of the dragons deciding humanity wasn't worth existing, leading to the beginning of the Dragonsong War.
Fate Worse than Death: He doesn't seek to kill all Ishgardians like most people thought, rather he wishes to make them suffer as their punishment for their crimes and the dragon's blood that runs through their veins due to their treachery. Killing them, causing them to defect and become dragons themselves, or simply by letting vengeance consume them to continue the eternal punishment against Ishgard is Nidhogg's real plan. Estinien has a "Eureka!" Moment about this during a conversation with Hraesvelgr, who confirms it outright.
Freudian Excuse: Losing his eye only enraged him further. It was the unprovoked murder of his sister at Thordan I and his knights' hands that started his desire for vengeance.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Nidhogg's face is covered in deep scars from where the Twelve Knights attacked trying to gouge out his eyes. They are no longer present on Nidhogg's face after he takes Estinien's body for his own.
Good Wings, Evil Wings: Nidhogg's wings are black and leathery compared to the feathered wings of his brother.
Grand Theft Me: When Estinien took both of Nidhogg's eyes while still covered in the wyrm's blood, Nidhogg was able to possess Estinien, and convert his body into a new body for himself.
Hoist by His Own Petard: It is one of Hraesvelgr's eyes that allows him to begin the Dragonsong War in the first place, and ultimately proves to be his downfall after Hraesvelgr bestows it to the Warrior of Light.
If I Wanted You Dead...: Discussed. Between A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, the dragon-warding barrier surrounding Ishgard falls thanks to Lady Iceheart and her heretics. With this barrier gone, Nidhogg could now attack Ishgard at any time and wipe the Ishgardians out in one fell swoop, yet Nidhogg does nothing. When the heroes wonder what Nidhogg is waiting for, Estinien has a "Eureka!" Moment where he realizes that Nidhogg isn't waiting for anything; his ultimate goal isn't wiping Ishgard out. Instead, he intends to keep Ishgard locked in a Forever War so that they will never know peace and constantly be driven towards despair with how they can never win. Hraesvelgr eventually confirms outright that this is what Nidhogg's ultimate goal is, which shifts the mood of how to deal with Nidhogg considerably.
Irony:
- The level 80 Dragoon quest reveals that the reason the original king Thordan killed Ratatoskr was because of Nidhogg's own distrust of man led his sister to say Nidhogg did not think men worthy inheritors of the world. Thordan took this to mean the dragons of Dravania judged man unworthy and meant to cull them and so slew her right there out of panic, his own misgivings leading to his sister's death.
- In an even bigger irony, while Thordan misjudged the intent behind Ratatoskr's words, that exact sentiment Thordan presumed the dragons to have is the reason revealed in Shadowbringers to be why Ascians mean to kill everyone for the Rejoining, seeing the current fractured Spoken races as wholly unworthy of carrying on the world's future. In the sense of the Ascian boogeymen feared throughout history, Thordan's immediate panic to the idea makes a bit more sense.
Final Boss: While King Thordan is effectively the Final Boss of the Heavensward main scenario, the final fight with Nidhogg is what brings an end to the Dragonsong War.
Jerkass: Far from a pleasant fellow, filled with anger and hate with a desire to spread suffering. He even blamed Hraesvelgr for Ratatoskr's death because he had sought peace with man and guilt trips him into giving him one of his eyes.
Killed Off for Real: He "dies" at the Arey and comes back when Estinen hold's both of the wyrm's eyes at the end of Heavensward. Later on, the dragon "dies" again when Alphinaud and the Warrior of Light remove the eyes from Estinien's armor, destroying the dragon's link to his host, but the eyes are later recovered and used by Illberd to create Shinryu. At the end of Stormblood, Nidhogg's eyes are almost completely dried up of their aether due to being used to summon and maintain Shinyru's form. Estinien stabs both eyes and they disappear in a small red mist, permanently killing off whatever remained of the great wyrm.
Living on Borrowed Time: Phase 3 of his boss fight at the Final Steps of Faith opens with him admitting that he's now doomed thanks to his brother's actions. He then powers himself up for one last hurrah, because if he's going to die, he's going to take you and all of Ishgard with him.
Meaningful Name: His name is derived from the dragon of Norse Mythology whose name means "Malice Striker". The Nidhogg of myth would gnaw at the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil and drank the blood of sinners who waded into his domain. The Nidhogg of the story was driven to war with Ishgard over the murder of his sister, Ratatoskr and the removal of his own eyes. The Nidhogg of myth also regularly spoke with the squirrel Ratatoskr, who ferried messages up and down the world tree, much like how Nidhogg was devastated by Ratatoskr's murder.
Mind over Matter: During his battle with Hraesvelgr on the Steps of Faith, Nidhogg fires a laser beam that cuts across the bridge. The beam then travels toward a watchtower before tearing it off and hurling it at the other dragon.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- In patch 3.2, his attack on Vidofnir at the end of the questline was meant to sabotage the peace talks between Ishgard and the neutral Dragons. Instead, it ended up uniting both parties in an attempt to stop Nidhogg once and for all, as Nidhogg was the only thing left standing in the way.
- Nidhogg trying to turn an ally against Ishgard ultimately does more harm to his vengeance than good. Him using Estinien's body as a vessel ultimately taught the Azure Dragoon to tap into the power of the dragon blood that runs through his veins more completely than any other Ishgardian. And it allowed Estinien to do so while retaining full control of his body and senses, effectively making him one of the most powerful beings on the planet.
Not Quite Dead: While the Warrior of Light and Estinien slay him during Heavensward, his rancor lives on through his eyes and towards the end of the main story where Estinien holds both eyes and is still covered in Nidhogg's blood, he lets down his guard for just a moment, which was enough for Nidhogg's hatred to consume him and allowed the dragon to be reborn.
Oh, Crap!: When he finally fights and defeats Hraesvelgr near the end of the 3.3 story, he's reasonably shocked when he realizes his brother is missing one of his eyes. And then has cause for serious worry that it's in the hands of the Warrior of Light, the same person who defeated him the last time they had a dragon's eye at their disposal.
The Power of Hate: His desire for vengeance and hatred of mankind is so powerful that it's kept him going through grevious injuries, even losing one of his eyes. Even being killed in the Aery doesn't stop him long, as Nidhogg possesses Estinien's body to keep his campaign going. And during the final battle with Nidhogg, his hatred is so fierce that the Warrior of Light has to beat him in three different forms before Nidhogg actually dies. And even then, Nidhogg outright said he was on the brink of death, yet he kept coming with attacks more powerful than in his battle in the Aery, all out of a desire to kill as many people as possible when he kicked the bucket.
Psycho Pink: His Battle Aura along with those of his associated raid weapons are magenta, fitting his hateful and vengeful personality.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: His Battle Aura is a frightening black and red, in stark contrast to Hraesvelgr's almost holy blue and white.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: The eye of Nidhogg is blood red, befitting an incarnation of rage like Nidhogg. Red eyes are his natural color.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Nidhogg is named after the wyrm from Norse Mythology and the one leading the Horde in the Dragonsong War.
Revenge Before Reason: This is Nidhogg's entire shtick. He refuses to listen to reason or any attempt to meet him halfway, and only wants to cause as much pain and suffering to man as possible ever since he lost an eye to them a thousand years ago. While Nidhogg could have destroyed Ishgard many times over, he chooses to prolong the war as much as possible so that all of Ishgard and its future generations can suffer his wrath. By the end of the main story, even Midgardsormr — having seen just how deep Nidhogg's rage and hatred runs first hand — seems to realize that Nidhogg is completely out of control and needs to be dealt with. Midgardsormr ends up going so far as to warn the Ishgardians of his resurrection at the end of the story, and telling them to be ready for him.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Nidhogg is a black reptilian nightmare of a dragon who loathes the Ishgardians and made it his life's mission to destroy them. Hraesvelgr is white and more mammalian in appearance, who would rather distance himself from it all in grief.
Signature Move: Massacre. A searing breath of flame that will consume everything.
- In the form of Estinien, he has Final Chorus, a diving strike from above, empowered by his broodlings, that bathes the battlefield in darkness.
- He shares the very powerful Akh Morn with Midgardsomr and the rest of his First Brood.
Smug Super: Nidhogg is the mightiest of the Dravanian Horde and its fiercest protector, valuing strength above all. Only the other great wyrms are ever worthy of his attention and he treats mankind as an annoyance at best and a pest to be exterminated at worst. His belief that man is too frail to protect the star as per the dragons's pact with Hydaelyn terrified Thordan. This convinced Thordan to slay Ratatoskr and use her power against the rest of the dragon hordes, starting the Dragonsong War.
Spikes of Villainy: He's covered in the goddamn things. They go down his neck and back, ring his wings, frame his limbs..
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Nidhogg's remaining left eye is a striking yellow and a source of strength. It's actually one of his brother's.
Taking You with Me: When pushed into his final phase he admits that the actions of his brother have doomed him. But if he's going down he's taking the Warrior of Light and all of Ishgard with him.
Turns Red: He quite literally does this in the final battle with him as you wear him down, giving the impression that he's on fire.
Unstoppable Rage: Nidhogg has been enraged and hostile over the loss of his eye and murder of his sister for over a thousand years. To quote Midgardsormr, "No mortal mind could comprehend the depths of his rancor". After stopping the Knights of the Round, Midgardsormr realized that even he underestimated how deep Nidhogg's rage burned. He even shifts from defending it as a justified response to viewing it as his child going way too far off the deep end.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: After taking over Estinien's body Nidhogg can freely transform between his great wyrm form, a twisted version of Estinien's, and a third form shown in patch 3.3 which resembles Estinien with Nidhogg's wings and horns. Of course, this shapeshifting is voluntary for Nidhogg only. Not so much for Estinien.
Villainous Legacy: The Ascians recovering his eyes and gifting them to Ilberd, who used them to birth Shinryu, has guaranteed that even though Nidhogg's spirit has been forcibly passed on to the next life, his legacy of Revenge Before Reason will continue, and worse, has widened to the entire world instead of a single country of humanity. Nidhogg's legacy is finally put to an end when, after Shinryu's defeat, Estinien finds the depleted eyes and destroys them for good.
With Us or Against Us: This seems to be his opinion on Hrasevelgr's brood, as many of the FATEs and sidequests in the Churning Mists has you preventing his brood from attacking Zenith, the moogles that look after it, or the friendly dragons that inhabit the area. It's implied that this is a recent development, and might be because you killed his mate Tioman during the ascent up Sohm Al.
- This is made more blatant in 3.2. Nidhogg, in Estinien's form, impales Vidofnir for working towards peace with the Ishgardians. He leaves her alive as a message to all Dravanians who would ally with Thordan's lineage.
Worf Had the Flu: When he's fought as the final boss of The Aery, he's severely weakened as he only has one eye (the source of dragons' aether) and that eye wasn't even his. And an eye that was his was used against him by Estinien.
You Are What You Hate: Downplayed, but for a being that detests mortals, he takes quite well to Estinien's mortal body, using it to its full potential and coming to consider it his own.

Tiamat

Race:Dragon

One of Midgardsormr's first brood and Bahamut's lover. Both she and her brother Bahamut traveled to Meracydia and lived there together. After the fall of Allag, she spends the remainder of her life sealed in Azys Lla.

Adaptational Heroism: Most depictions of Tiamat in Final Fantasy feature her as a powerful opponent to the heroes, such as being one of the Four Fiends in the original Final Fantasy or serving as one of the guardians of Ultimecia's Castle in Final Fantasy VIII. Here she has long given up any desire for vengeance against man, having been consumed by feelings of guilt and self-loathing over the fate of her beloved Bahamut long ago. Once she's cured of her tempering, she joins the heroes in the battle against her tempered children and Fandaniel's Lunar Bahamut at Pagl'than.
The Atoner: She has chosen to remain imprisoned on Azys Lla until the end of the world as atonement for reviving Bahamut.
Brother–Sister Incest: With Bahamut, of the "Adam and Eve" variety. Nearly all of the countless dragons living in Meracydia were born from their union, and the two genuinely loved one another.
The Bus Came Back: After two expansions and almost three patch cycles worth of content since her last appearance, she comes back into play in 5.5 due to suspicions that she may be linked to the appearance of Lunar Bahamut.
Dark Is Not Evil: She's a dark scaled dragon with red eyes, but is not malevolent.
Deal with the Devil: In a moment of weakness she agreed to the Ascians' plan to revive her brother. Only after his revival as a Primal did she see that he was nothing but a mockery of the brother she loved.
Guilt Complex: Completely blames herself for bringing back her brother in a bastardized form and has held onto her guilt for over five thousand years.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Part of her bindings. Her hind feet and tail are nailed to the ground, and an additional giant spike pierces her torso.
Leave Me Alone!: She'll sometimes converse with the Warrior of Light if they visit her, and helps guide Ohl Deeh in the Heavensward Allied Beast Quests so that he doesn't face a similar tragedy that she had, but she'll soon demand that they leave her alone so that she may resume her penance.
Mercy Kill: In the Pagl'than 4-man instance, she considers killing the Meracydian dragons tempered under the Telophoroi this than spend one more minute in service to the Ascians.
My God, What Have I Done?: She was the one who summoned the Primal version of Bahamut, and immediately regretted doing so upon witnessing how unlike the true Bahamut it was.
My Greatest Failure: She's been in chains since the Third Astral Era for summoning the Primal Bahamut.
My Greatest Second Chance: Shadowbringers allows her to finally right this wrong when she learns that Fandaniel has warped her surviving Meracydian descendants into his personal army to tear apart the world, especially when they make a mockery of her consort, Bahamut. After Alisaie cures her tempering and Estinien gives her a "The Reason You Suck" Speech along with a Dare to Be Badass, she joins the Scions in fighting against the Telophoroi in Pagl'than.
"Not So Different" Remark: After learning of Nidhogg's death and the end of the Dragonsong War, she admits that had Ancient Allag not destroyed itself through their own hubris, she would likely have gone on a similar vengeance fueled rampage. With them gone, she finally reflected on her own sins rather than those committed by the Allagans leading to her seeking penance rather than vengeance.
Physical God: She is a great wyrm on par with the likes of Nidhogg and Hraesvelgr, who are both feared as indomitable forces of nature able to raze the land from the skies. This same power and force of will has also allowed her to resist the effect of being tempered by Bahamut, whom she loved as an equal rather than someone to be subservient to.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Babylonian myth, the Odd Name Out as she did not influence Ishgard's history unlike her brothers. Her lover Bahamut shares a similar distinction. Both also share the distinction of sharing their names of characters of prior Final Fantasies, with Bahamut being a frequently seen Summon in prior games, and Tiamat being a major boss in the original Final Fantasy
Sealed Good in a Can: Was imprisoned on Azys Lla by the Allagan Empire.
Self-Restraint: It's hinted that she could free herself from her bindings with little effort, but refuses to do so out of penance. Shadowbringers later notes that her restraints do actually keep her in check, but she shuns any attempt to help free her due to the aforementioned penance. She finally drops this after learning that the Ascians created another bastardized copy of her beloved.

Azdaja (Unmarked Endwalker Spoilers)

Voiced by: Anna Rust (all languages)

One of the First Brood and the final member introduced in the story. Her whereabouts remained unknown for a long time, till Endwalker revealed she has been missing for millennia, after flying into the great Voidgate created by the Allagans during their war of conquest.

And Your Reward Is Infancy: After her soul was freed from Zeromus, Vrtra gave up one of his eyes and the energy within to grant Azdaja a new body - one that happens to be an adorable little dragonling, with the implication that she will have to grow back up to her original size with time..
Cool Big Sis: To Vrtra in particular, who saw her as protector and guide due to being the youngest. This is part of the reason why Vrtra is so focused on saving her.
Deal with the Devil: Her imprisonment and Living Battery status are because of a bargain she struck with Golbez. After endlessly fighting against voidsent who kept reviving, Azdaja was badly wounded and being corrupted by the ambient darkness aether. Golbez found her and offered to shield her from the void's influence so she wouldn't become a voidsent herself. Her restraints also protect her from corruption, though now she is completely at Golbez's mercy.
Eye Scream: One of her eyes was stolen by Golbez and given to Cagnazzo to fuel a stable voidgate into Garlemald for Cagnazzo's forces to invade.
Face–Monster Turn: After the Scions and Vrtra find Azdaja and rekindling her hope to return to the Source, Golbez destroys her restraints, letting the void corrupt and transform her into a voidsent. He casts an additional spell to brainwash the newly created Shadow Dragon to serve his will and attack the heroes.
The Ghost: Her existence and name have been known for a while, especially in out-of-game lore tidbits, but her location or current state of affairs remained unknown untill patch 6.1, where it's revealed she's been stuck in the Void for thousands of years. She makes her first proper appearance in an Echo flashback in 6.2, where it's revealed she's held captive by Golbez in the Void.
Heroic Sacrifice: Endless Allagan-controlled Voidsent poured out of the great Voidgate, so she decided to bring the fight to their home turf directly, entering the Voidgate in an act of selfless heroism. Though her current status is unknown, millennia spent in the Void probably did not do her any good.
Living Battery: Golbez captured Azdaja and keeps her prisoner to siphon her vast stores of aether for himself and his four Archfiends.
Mythology Gag: She's the XIV incarnation of Golbez's Shadow Dragon.
Not Quite Dead: Golbez feeds Azdaja to Zeromus to prepare the voidsent for invading the Source. But because Azdaja had become a voidsent herself before being devoured, her soul is still active inside Zeromus. If they can kill Zeromus on the Thirteenth, Azdaja can still be saved.
Promoted to Parent: Before Vrtra was hatched, Midgardsormr fell into a long sleep to recover his strength. It fell to Azdaja to tend to Vrtra's egg until it hatched and then to raise him as a proper dragon.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Named after the aždaja dragons (or demons, depending on the source) of Slavic Mythology, which are further derived from the demonic serpent king of Persian Mythology, Aži Dahāka. Her having the Odd Name Out taken from a demonic source fits her current status as a prisoner of the Void.

Vrtra

See his entry here.

Other Dragons

Vidofnir

Voiced by: Yu Sugimoto (JP), Gemma Whelan (EN), Marie Zidi (FR), Kim Pfeiffer (DE)

Race:Dragon

"Our sire bade us hearken unto the whispers of our hearts. They spoke to us of a paradise lost—of bonds of brotherhood which they yearn to see restored."

A child of Hraesvelgr tasked with keeping the Gnath and their primal Ravana under control and serves as the guardian of Anyx Trine. Due to Hraesvelgr's distance from the world due to his lingering hearbreak, Vidofnir seems to serve as the unofficial leader of Hraesvelgr's brood below Sohm Al, dealing with any issues that don't outright require Hraesvelgr's input on, and being a direct bridge to him when it is. Vidofnir serves as a representative of the dragons in 3.1 to the people of Ishgard.

Affectionate Nickname: Fondly refers to Ysayle as "Little One".
Berserk Button: Vidofnir was furious upon seeing Estinien since he has a dragon's eye on him.
Big Damn Heroes: In 3.1, she saves an Ishgardian girl called Maelie, after she's pushed off the Vault by the leader of the True Brothers of the Faith.
The Bus Came Back: Due to her role as a guardian of Dravania and Anyx Trine, Vidofnir leaves the story following the end of Heavensward. She returns in Tribe Quests in Endwalker when Jammingway and N-7000 consult her for advice on how to lift the spirits of her despondent brethren in Ultima Thule.
Friend to All Children: Her fondness when she refers to Ysayle as Little One and "child" when she meets, plus defending Anyx Trine where most brooding dragons and their hatchlings are paint her as this. This is also more or less confirmed in 3.1 when she rescues the child hostage the clergy took, she mentioned that she had been circling Ishgard for some time scared of being killed if she approached to land, but put all those fears away when she saw the girl falling from the vault to save her as fast as she possibly could.
Gentle Giant: As one of Hraesvelgr's oldest children, Vidofnir dwarfs most non-dragons but is unfailingly kind to those who have earned her trust. The only person she reacts with immediate hostility toward is Estinien, a famed dragonslayer carrying the eye of Nidhogg, one of the great wyrms and her sire's brother.
Make an Example of Them: Nidhogg brutally attacks her in the middle of a peace conference between Ishgard and Dravania, spraying her blood all over the symbol of harmony the Ishgardians had just unveiled. Through this act Nidhogg makes it clear that no one, whether they be man or dragon, shall be spared from his wrath. Thankfully she survives the attack, but talking to her at Anyx Trine has her tell you that her heart hurts much more than her body because of the derailment of the peace talks, not to mention her own uncle was the one who attacked her.
Number Two: She seems to be the highest ranking dragon in Hraesvelgr's brood next to her father, and due to his grief keeping him isolated from the world and even his kin is the one who often handles matters of protection and politics, while being one of the few who can directly seek him out if counsel is required.

Vedrfolnir

Race:Dragon

Another child of Hraesvelgr, Vedrfolnir stands out among his kin for both his power and nobility, being among the strongest of Hraesvelgr's brood besides his father himself and more than willing to stand against Nidhogg's servants in the Churning Mists. Though originally a part of a protracted FATE chain in the Churning Mists, he later gets a small role in the main story quest as the one who tests Aymeric during Hraesvelgr's trial, and appearing to have formed a friendship with the Lord Commander after the war's end.

Ascended Extra: Originally a FATE boss, he was low-key promoted to one of the three leaders of Hraesvelgr's brood in 3.3 and challenged Aymeric as part of Sohr Kai's trials, after which he bore him into the final battle against Nidhogg. And given the epilogue after the war's end, he and Aymeric have apparently formed a kinship, enough so that they often fly around the city and other parts of Ishgard. He also shows up at the finale of the Stormblood Dragoon quest chain, being Orn Khai's father and the one who requested you track down and bring back Faunehm.
Big Damn Heroes: In the level 70 Dragoon quest, Orn Khai's song fails to bring the insane Faunehm back to her senses and Estinien is starting to fear she may be beyond salvation, when Vedrfolnir slams down from above and restores her sanity with his much stronger call.
Blow You Away: Tornado is one of his most powerful abilities, if a player stumbles over the vortex, the explosion of wind causes enough damage to one-shot every player in range.
Good Colors, Evil Colors: From head to toe his body is a blindingly beautiful shade of snow white, even more vibrant than his father and sister's more muted colors, representing his more active stance against Nidhogg's brood compared to his father's apathy and his sister's defense-first approach.
Papa Wolf: One of the FATE chains he's involved has him show up to protect a hatchling from being attacked by one of Darkscale's lieutenants.
Palette Swap: Vedrfolnir strongly resembles a deep white palette-swapped version of Twintania, a member of the Meracydian horde sired by Bahamut.
Star Crossed Lover: With the dragon Faunehm, it was at his request that the Dragoon player character and his son Orn Khai go to seek her out. Their love was genuine, but when Nidhogg started the Dragonsong War he pleaded that she not join the fight and possibly die for her father's vengeance, and instead flee as far as she could. She listened, but went insane in the process due to resisting Nidhogg's Compelling Voice and a thousand years of isolation from her kindred.
Superboss: One of the hardest FATE bosses in the game to spawn, getting Vedrfolnir to challenge you requires players to complete three different FATEs around the Churning Mists, one being possible to fail, before drawing out the high-ranking Horde dragon Darkscale. Darkscale himself is a long, 3-part chain that if Vedrfolnir at any point dies or is forced to flee fails, restarting the timer over. Fittingly, despite being a world FATE boss Vedrfolnir is arguably one of the hardest enemies in the game and is more than capable of wiping masses of players.
Worthy Opponent: Sees the players as one which leads him to challenge them to a non-fatal duel as a boss fight. He also considers Aymeric one, which leads to a lasting friendship.

Vishap

Race:Dragon

A greater dragon within the Dravanian Horde, Vishap leads the assault on the Steps of Faith with the intent to break Daniffen's Collar, the protective ward that guards Ishgard proper. His assault is what eventually leads to the Holy See to make the decision to open Ishgard to adventurers to shore up the city-state's now weakened defenses.

Acrofatic: Don't let his gargantuan size fool you: although he may fall for the first dragonkiller he'll wise up and dodge the second and third ones without even blinking if you don't chain him down first.
Advancing Boss of Doom: In the original version of his fight, Vishap advanced down the Steps of Faith without stopping for anyone or anything, threatening to trample the party underfoot as he attacked the wards of Daniffen's Collar. If the party couldn't slay him before he brought down all the wards, it was a Non-Standard Game Over.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Vishap was by far the largest boss the player could face at the time of his release, and remains among the largest. He's even bigger than the (living) First Brood dragons you meet.
Dishing Out Dirt: He can make rows of stalagmites erupt from the ground in his revamped solo fight.
Final Boss: Vishap is the last major boss that the player faces before the storyline for A Realm Reborn is brought to its tragic close. Befitting his status when he was first released he regularly made quick work of randomly assembled groups of players and was later toned down.
Flunky Boss: Vishap pays little attention to the party, instead relying on waves of lesser dragons to harass them while he focuses on bringing down the city's wards.
Permanently Missable Content: Vishap was reworked from an 8-man Trial boss into a solo fight in patch 6.2, with the original version of his fight being removed from the game.
Playing with Fire: He can breathe torrents of fire in his revamped solo fight.
Trampled Underfoot: Vishap's feet make up the main danger of his boss fight. They inflict heavy damage to anyone caught underfoot as the dragon marches inexorably forward.
Use Your Head: Vishap will sweep his long neck across the field to knock out your cannon defences.

Tioman

Race:Dragon

"You dare intrude upon this sacred mount?! My jaws shall run red with the blood of men!"

Nidhogg's consort and the final boss of Sohm Al.

Lean and Mean: She's very thin to the point of being skeletal compared to other dragons and has a nasty temper.
Meteor-Summoning Attack: She casts "Comet" to bring down meteors from the sky that deal immense proximity-based damage at the target area.
Unholy Matrimony: Tioman is Nidhogg's consort and was extremely close to the point of him appointing her as the guardian of Sohm Al. He's devastated when she's killed by the Warrior of Light's party and shrouds his nest in wind and lightning when he senses her death.
Unstoppable Rage: She is highly offended that mortals are walking their sacred land and is out to kill you for the offense.

Ehll Tou

^{Click here to see her appearance post-"An Ode to Unity"}

Race:Dragon
Discipline: Weaver, Culinarian

A curious dragonet who found her way into Ishgard’s Firmament after leading Marcelloix back home. A descendant of Ratatoskr and daughter of Gullinbursti, she desires to learn everything there is to know on being a crafter.

Like Parent, Like Child: Much like her father, Ehll Tou has an interest in crafting that makes her stand out to the rest of her fellow dragonet friends.
Little Miss Snarker: She’s rather blunt, especially when dealing with Marcelloix’s angst or Hautdilong’s timid nature.
Nice Girl: Despite her self-important personality, Ehll Tou is remarkably open when it comes to developing friendships with non-dragons, and her interactions with Marcelloix had clearly had his best interests in mind.
Plot-Relevant Age-Up: The end of her Custom Delivery series sees her grow into a considerably large dragon, albeit one with much more dexterous hands than before.

Associated

Ysayle Dangoulain

Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (JP), Salli Saffioti (EN, Los Angeles cast), Siobhan Hewlett (EN, London cast), Laurence Crouzet (FR), Sonja Firker (DE)

Race: Wildwood Elezen
Epithet: Lady Iceheart
Discipline: Oracle of Frost (Gladiator, Thaumaturge)

"I am neither a saint nor a savior—just another sinner. Yet I will not forsake this cause. I cannot. I will see this cycle broken and peace restored."

An Elezen woman who leads the Harriers, a heretical group of defectors that left the Holy See of Ishgard in favor of their sworn enemies the Dravanian Horde.

Always with You:
- In Heavensward, like Haurchefaunt, Ysayle appears to help you and Alphinaud remove Nidhogg's eye from Estinien's body, freeing him from his rage. Afterward, she and Haurchefaunt Go into the Light.
- In Endwalker, Ysayle's spirit appears at the last boss of the level 89 dungeon to summon an Iceberg that protects the party from the boss' party-wipe attack.
Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: A woman named Iceheart has icy-pale white skin with white hair and blue lipstick.
The Atoner: Her attack on the Steps of Faith was particularly sobering for her, as she got to see firsthand just how out of control and beyond reason an enraged dragon is. The civilians killed in the attack weigh heavily on Iceheart's mind, and the aftermath of this attack becomes one of the reasons she begins to work with the Warrior of Light. According to the Tales from the Dragonsong War, she seeks to atone towards Hraesvelgr for using dragons and Saint Shiva in her selfish cause by wanting to aid the Warrior of Light in Azys Lla.
Category Traitor: Iceheart, tired of the blind obedience her people have for the Dragonsong War (and apparently clued in to more of the history than her kinsmen thanks to the Echo), defects to the side of their sworn enemies, the Dravanian Horde.
Characterization Marches On: In A Realm Reborn, she's portrayed as being devoted to the cause of destroying Ishgard for the dragons, even busting out an Evil Laugh as the dragons lay siege to the Steps of Faith. In Heavensward, her personality is softened considerably, and she's horrified when she learns of the civilian casualties of the dragons' rampage, as wanton murder was never her intention.
Cult of Personality: She has formed one around herself to unite the scattered heretics of Ishgard under one banner.
The Chosen One: Like the Warrior of Light, she too possesses the Echo as one of Hydaelyn's Chosen Many.
Cuteness Proximity: Her initial reaction to seeing moogles for the first time, almost to the degree of Terra. She hides it well enough when her friends are watching, but when she thinks it's just her and the moogles she remarks in disbelief that they make her heart feel so "fluffy." Just as the Warrior of Light walks up.
Ysayle: What sorcery is this...? That my heart should stir at mere... fluffiness...
Defensive "What?": When looking for a moogle they spotted in the Churning Mists, Ysayle remarks how she finds them adorable, to the Warrior of Light's apparent shock. Ysayle gets defensive that she apparently can't find something adorable, remarking that her heart isn't literally made of ice.
Didn't See That Coming: She genuinely believes herself to be Shiva reborn, thanks to her ability to transform into the primal without losing herself, and an obstinately firm consideration that Shiva was a genuine god and deity she was calling for support. Then she meets Hraesvelgr thinking this connection will be able to help her speak with him. He coldly brushes her off and points out that the primals are nothing more than man's imagination and embellishment upon historical figures; the Shiva that Ysayle became was effectively fiction made manifest and she was all but fantasizing herself being the tragic heroine reincarnated. Combined with the rest of Hraesvelgr's revelations such as his enabling of Nidhogg's vengeful genocide, this one is among the biggest that sends her into a mental breakdown.
Evil Laugh: Lets out an absolutely psychotic one after dispelling the wards around Ishgard and yelling to the dragons that they can now invade.
Fatal Flaw: Presumption. She has a bad habit of thinking that since she knows more about the history and origins of the Dragonsong War than everyone else does, she also knows better than everyone else. Despite the attack on the Steps of Faith playing out exactly how centuries of Ishgardian tradition and history would suggest, Ysayle is horrified at the destruction and defends her enabling said attack by saying it wasn't supposed to happen that way. She also believes that her ability to manifest Shiva as a primal into herself means she is Shiva's reincarnation, only to have a rude awakening when Hraesvelgr explains the primal is simply the manifestation of Ysayle's own beliefs, nothing more. The fact that she presumes to know Shiva better than Shiva's lover only adds to Hraesvelgr's anger at her, and it's part of what causes Ysayle to enter a Heroic BSoD.
For the Greater Good: She continually justifies her actions by stating that they're for the greater cause of ending the Dragonsong War. This viewpoint of hers is continually challenged throughout the story before her ideals come crashing down upon her when Hraesvelgr reveals to her that her "Shiva" is nothing more than her own fantasy and idealization of the real Saint Shiva manifest as well as how he lent his eye to Nidhogg to cause 1,000 years of suffering upon the Ishgardians.
Four-Temperament Ensemble: Forms one with the player (Apathetic), Estinien (Cynic), and Alphinaud (Realist). She's the Optimist, intent on ending the war between Dravania and Ishgard, and has the most faith and determination that they can do it.
Ghost Memory: She is blessed with the Echo, much like the player characters and Minfilia.
Guest-Star Party Member: As of 6.2, she becomes a Duty Support party member in the Heavensward dungeon Sohm Al alongside Estinien and Alphinaud (both of whom were already party members as Scions), being able to serve as either a Thaumaturge (damage dealer) or Gladiator (tank).
Heel–Face Turn: She joins the Warrior of Light during the Heavensward scenario, but as a person with a common goal rather than truly being on the Warrior of Light's side. After her faith and beliefs get shaken up by Hraesvelgr, she eventually regains her composure and fully join's the Warrior of Light's side of the fight.
The Heretic: Leads the heretical faction known as the Harriers.
Horrible Judge of Character: She genuinely believed that Nidhogg and his horde are pursuing a righteous retribution against Ishgard and gives them access to the city so they can pursue exactly that, only to be shocked and appalled when the dragons indiscriminately slaughtered the city's residents until driven off. When she later claims Nidhogg is attacking the city to reclaim his stolen eye, Estinien points out that the eye is not in Ishgard, he has it in his possession, yet the dragon is ignoring him in favor of attacking Ishgard. She also considers Hraesvelgr a wise and compassionate person due to his role in the history of Dravania and relationship with Shiva, only to be shocked to learn he directly and deliberately enabled Nidhogg's bloody campaign and is content to sit on his mountain brooding while both man and dragon tear each other apart.
An Ice Person: Aside from transforming into Shiva, Ysayle prefers the use of ice magic while fighting as a Duty Support, even having a unique Limit Break that is essentially a smaller-scale Diamond Dust. Her official class is "Oracle of Frost". Ironically, she nearly froze to death in Coerthas when the Calamity plunged it into eternal winter. Her real dream is to create a future where no child will freeze alone in the snow.
An Ice Suit: She wears only a light robe while coordinating the heretics in Coerthas and makes her base in an enormous cavern of ice. Unlike Alphinaud though, she's likely better acclimated to it.
I Did What I Had to Do:
- She channels Shiva knowing full well that she drains the land's aether by doing so, which she views as a necessary evil to bring about peace between human and dragon. She thus draws a line between herself and the likes of the Gnath, who summoned Ravana out of a selfish lust for conquest, ignorant to the consequences of their actions.
- This is how she justifies siccing the dragons on Ishgard, believing that it will bring an end to the war between dragons and mankind. Then, she learns the Awful Truth: Hraesvelgr not only isn't interested in ending the war, he hates humanity and Nidhogg is going to keep killing indiscriminately. And Ysayle helped Nidhogg do this by removing the barrier around Ishgard. In short, her quest has been All for Nothing at best, and at worst has made the entire war drag on even longer. After that, Ysayle has a Villainous BSoD.
Lady of Black Magic: A regal and skilled thaumaturge who can even summon Shiva into her own body.
Magic Knight: While Ysayle prefers to fight as a thaumaturge when not channeling Shiva, she can also act as a frontline tank in Sohm Al, manifesting Shiva's sword and shield to defend herself while still using ice magic to blast her foes.
My God, What Have I Done?: Early into Heavensward, she's found for the first time since the attack on the Steps of Faith by the WoL. She mentions that the Echo has shown her fragments of the truth to a time when dragon and humanity were not at war with each other, and that her goal is working towards restoring that peace. The Warrior questions Ysayle how killing innocent civilians is going to accomplish that — those who died during the assault on the Foundation section of Ishgard were innocent men, women, and even children. Ysayle's voice trembles as she expresses her guilt, and how she never meant for that to happen.
Red Baron: Her real name is Ysayle, though everyone refers to her as Iceheart until the cast gets to know her better.
Spanner in the Works: She completely derailed Thordan VII's plan of accruing more faith, and thus power, for his primal summoning (by instigating war with the heretics and allowing them inside Ishgard's walls) when she returned with the Warrior of Light and Estinien to Ishgard. Whereas Thordan and the Heavens' Ward would have expected Iceheart to adamantly rally her invading heretic forces against the Temple Knights, she instead, being hot on the heels of the truth behind the Dragonsong War, goes throughout the city convincing her people to stand down, acknowledge the truth of the matter, and leave Ishgard in peace. This, coupled with Nidhogg's apparent death and Aymeric's public challenging of the lies that the Holy See perpetuated for centuries, prompts Thordan to hastily accelerate his primal summoning plans.
Taking You with Me:
- A sightseeing log of the massive Garlean airship she died fighting, the Gration, (equal to the one Midgardsormr "died" fighting against) reveals her aetheric ice has sealed its ceruleum engines, effectively grounding it. As it is located too far away from a dock in a severely dangerous area, it is unfeasiable for the Garleans to repair it especially after the escalating events of following expansions which making it increasingly unlkely it will ever fly again.
- On top of which, a primal's aetheric ice is permanent unless you have the right expertise in aetheric manipulation and Garlean's cannot manipulate aether (and anyone who has that level of expertise is not going to cooperate with them).
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: At first, she joins up with the Warrior of Light, Alphinaud, and Estinien to try and convince Hraesvelgr to end the Dragonsong War. The entire time, she's bickering with the group, especially the dragon-slaying Estinien. Alphinaud has to tell them multiple times to knock it off, and a dialogue prompt for the Warrior of Light can have them reply with just an annoyed grunt over how the two of them won't stop arguing.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: After the horrific loss of life during the attack on the Steps of Faith she engineered, she swore she would never kill again. This is why when facing the Agrius she only freezes the ships engines and forces it to halt rather than attack or damage the craft itself.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Iceheart wants to end the Dragonsong War due to the sorrow it's inflicted on her, and she doesn't care what cost to herself or anyone else it comes at, even if it means becoming a primal.
Willing Channeler:
- Ysayle summons Shiva by using her own body as a vessel. Remarkably she remains in complete control, even after Shiva is defeated. This is because like the player and Minfilia, she's blessed with the Echo and thus immune to tempering. She quotes both the opening theme and "Hear. Feel. Think." to clue you in. The whole affair is quite horrifying in its implications.
- She summons Shiva again to take on Ravana in single combat. There weren't enough crystals to bring out Shiva's full power however and Ravana was able to break free before she could use Diamond Dust.
Villainous BSoD: While she had softened up in 3.0, Ysayle was still on the side of dragons until a huge reveal shook up her beliefs. After she finally meets with Hraesvelgr, the dragon reveals that Ysayle's summoning of Shiva was just Ysayle using her beliefs to give the primal an image; she never actually summoned or had bonded with the real Shiva. Hraesvelgr also reveals that he actually hates mankind and the only reason he isn't joining Nidhogg in the slaughter is due to Hraesvelgr's bond with Shiva. Thus, he doesn't want to help Ysayle end the Dragonsong War. After the Warrior of Light and Estinien kill Nidhogg, Estinien figures out that the mismatched eye he yanked out of the dragon had belonged to Hraesvelgr, who had given Nidhogg said eye to restore some of his power after he was nearly killed by the knights of Ishgard, which also explains why the vengeful dragon was able to keep up his crusade for a thousand years. Ysayle completely shuts down after learning about Nidhogg's second wind on top of everything else she learned previously. She eventually gets over it and seeks to aid the Warrior of Light and Estinien in ending the war for good so that the bloodshed on both sides can end.

Characters / Final Fantasy XIV - Dragon Hordes

Great Wyrms

Voiced by: Taketora (JP), Allan Corduner (EN), Emmanuel Bonami (FR), Tino Kiessling (DE)

Voiced by: Steven Hartley (all languages)

Voiced by: Simon Greenall (all languages)

Voiced by: Anna Rust (all languages)

Other Dragons

Voiced by: Yu Sugimoto (JP), Gemma Whelan (EN), Marie Zidi (FR), Kim Pfeiffer (DE)

Associated

Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (JP), Salli Saffioti (EN, Los Angeles cast), Siobhan Hewlett (EN, London cast), Laurence Crouzet (FR), Sonja Firker (DE)

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Characters / Final Fantasy XIV - Dragon Hordes

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Great Wyrms

Voiced by: Taketora (JP), Allan Corduner (EN), Emmanuel Bonami (FR), Tino Kiessling (DE)

Voiced by: Steven Hartley (all languages)

Voiced by: Simon Greenall (all languages)

Voiced by: Anna Rust (all languages)

Other Dragons

Voiced by: Yu Sugimoto (JP), Gemma Whelan (EN), Marie Zidi (FR), Kim Pfeiffer (DE)

Associated

Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (JP), Salli Saffioti (EN, Los Angeles cast), Siobhan Hewlett (EN, London cast), Laurence Crouzet (FR), Sonja Firker (DE)

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