E3 2011: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -- Dragon Born

Dragons have never really been done right in video games. But Skyrim developer Bethesda has pulled off what others thought impossible. Dragon battles are intense, challenging, and rewarding.

You are dragon born. The creatures of Skyrim should fear you. The dragons that have recently returned to terrorize the citizens should flee from you. But they will test themselves against you and, most assuredly, you will win. Because you have skill with weapons, powerful magic, and the gift to speak the dragon language to perform devastating shouts. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim gives you immense power, enough to destroy every dragon you come across.

Dragons serve as roaming boss battles and there may be dozens throughout Skyrim's story. They aren't just an extra creature in a world full of trolls, skeletons, and mammoths; dragons are the core of Skyrim's story. After all, you are dragon born. Your destiny is tied to theirs.

Bethesda has created multiple avenues to upgrade your character in Skyrim, which should introduce an incredible level of diversity. Standing stones are found throughout the world, each offering a choice of power – you can activate the Warrior Stone for an advantage in hand-to-hand combat, for example. Your hero's skills improve based on how you play. Every kill with a one-handed sword improves your one-handed sword skill. Each experience level gained nets you one of 280 perks. And, most importantly, there are shouts. To take down dragons, you'll have to speak in a language they understand. 

The language of dragons -- these shouts -- are hidden throughout Skyrim, often carved into stone in the various dungeons of the world. Each dragon shout is formed by three words, each learned separately. The more words you know in a shout, stronger the effect. Knowing all three words of the shout can be immensely powerful. Discovering a word isn't enough. You still have to unlock its power in order to shout it. The key to unlocking the power of these words is in taking the lives of dragons. 

You absorb the soul of every dragon you slay. One soul is strong enough to empower one word from any shout you've uncovered. Will you increase the potency of Fire Breath? Or Slow Time? Maybe you prefer the tornado style of Whirlwind Spirit. Just remember that this is the language of dragons, meaning that whatever you can shout, a dragon in Skyrim can shout right back at you. Good thing dragons can't hold battle axes or you might be in trouble. 

Though certain dragons may patrol a certain area, all are unscripted. The dragons' artificial intelligence is designed to utilize their strengths both in the air and on the ground, and battles can play out differently depending on how they're approached. And some dragons are bigger, fiercer, and tougher than others. So kill the weaker ones first before tackling something as strong as a Frost Dragon. 

Coming out of a dungeon where you'd just destroyed a giant spider, it might be easy to take a Frost Dragon lightly. That would be a mistake. Dragons are meant to require your full resources to defeat. The tough part about this particular dragon? He waited until right after the defeat of a smaller fire-breathing dragon (who was still large enough to toss a giant several hundred yards) before attacking. 

Fortunately, you have learned all three words to the Storm Call spell. Atop a stone watchtower, with the Frost Dragon circling overhead, our hero shouts Storm Call. The lesser version might be a lightning bolt or something equally efficient, but unspectacular. The full shout brings black clouds across the valley. A heavy rain falls, followed by numerous lightning strikes, which batter the Frost Dragon. It crashes to the ground, the body burning away as its soul is absorbed by Skyrim's savior. And one less dragon is one more word in a shout learned.