Dragons are powerful neutral objectives in League of Legends that spawn in the river and provide significant, permanent buffs to the team that slays them. Each dragon type offers a unique bonus, encouraging teams to contest these objectives and adding a strategic layer to the game. Understanding the benefits of each dragon and prioritizing them based on your team's composition and win condition is vital for success.
Infernal Dragon
The Infernal Dragon grants a percentage increase to your team's Attack Damage (AD) and Ability Power (AP). This buff is excellent for teams that rely on dealing damage and can significantly amplify their offensive capabilities, making them more potent in skirmishes and team fights.
- Buff: Increases AD and AP.
- Strategic Value: Favors aggressive teams and champions who scale well with raw damage.
Mountain Dragon
The Mountain Dragon provides a percentage increase to your team's Armor and Magic Resist. This buff is invaluable for increasing your team's survivability, making them harder to kill and allowing them to withstand more damage in prolonged engagements.
- Buff: Increases Armor and Magic Resist.
- Strategic Value: Benefits teams that want to engage and sustain fights, or those facing heavy poke and burst damage.
Ocean Dragon
The Ocean Dragon restores a percentage of your team's missing Health and Mana over time. This buff significantly enhances sustain, allowing your team to stay in lane longer, recover faster after fights, and exert more pressure on the map.
- Buff: Restores missing Health and Mana over time.
- Strategic Value: Excellent for teams that want to maintain map presence, push objectives, and endure longer fights without returning to base.
Cloud Dragon
The Cloud Dragon grants a percentage increase to your team's Ability Haste and grants bonus movement speed when out of combat. This buff improves your team's ability to cast spells more frequently and move around the map more efficiently.
- Buff: Increases Ability Haste and grants out-of-combat movement speed.
- Strategic Value: Benefits champions with high cooldowns, teams that rely on map mobility, and those who want to engage or disengage quickly.
Hextech Dragon
The Hextech Dragon grants bonus Ability Power and Attack Damage, and also provides a unique Hextech line that slows enemies and deals damage. This dragon offers a blend of offensive power and crowd control.
- Buff: Grants AP, AD, and a damaging, slowing Hextech line.
- Strategic Value: A strong all-around buff that enhances both damage and team fight control.
Chemtech Dragon
The Chemtech Dragon grants bonus Tenacity and Heal/Shield Power, and also empowers your team with a Chemtech effect that grants increased damage and damage reduction when below a certain health threshold. This dragon is particularly strong for survivability and sustained fighting.
- Buff: Grants Tenacity, Heal/Shield Power, and a damage/damage reduction buff when low health.
- Strategic Value: Excellent for teams that want to survive longer in fights, especially against heavy crowd control or burst damage.
Dragon Soul and Elder Dragon
After a team secures four dragons, they will receive a powerful Dragon Soul, which is a permanent, potent buff specific to the type of dragon that spawned last. The first team to secure a Dragon Soul gains a significant advantage. Following the Dragon Soul, the Elder Dragon spawns. Defeating the Elder Dragon grants a temporary but incredibly powerful buff that executes low-health enemies, making it a game-ending objective.
Contesting dragons requires strong vision control around the Dragon pit, coordinated team movements, and often the assistance of the jungler. Prioritizing dragons that synergize with your team's composition and win condition is a key aspect of strategic objective control in League of Legends.