Calling all LoL dragons slayers and champions of Runeterra! If you want to climb the League of Legends ranks and get a leg up on your opponents in Riot Games’ ever-popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) title, you must learn every detail of the vital neutral objective, Dragons, also known as “Drakes.”
To quote Dragon Trainer Heimerdinger in LoL lore, “Dragonology is a truly fascinating field.” Let’s swoop in and discuss how all seven Dragons work, the critical buffs players can earn, and their spawn timings.
LoL Dragons Table of Contents
What Do The Dragons Do In League Of Legends?
In Summoner’s Rift, you’ll find powerful neutral enemies to slay in the Dragon’s Pit area. Killing these Dragons is a neutral objective of critical importance.
There are six Elemental Drakes in League: Mountain, Cloud, Hextech, Infernal, Ocean, and Chemtech. Each Elemental Dragon type provides a unique, permanent team-wide buff when slain, alongside XP and Gold.
The first LoL Dragon spawns at the five-minute mark. Once it is killed, the second one spawns five minutes later. It is important to note that the first two Dragons are random, so you never know which ones will spawn in the Dragon Pit.
Following the first two Dragon spawns, one of the four remaining elements will dominate Summoner’s Rift. For example, if Cloud and Ocean spawned as the first two Dragons, then Chemtech, Hextech, Infernal, or Mountain will randomly become the dominant element.
When you take down a Dragon, it provides your entire team with a stackable Dragon Slayer buff based on its element. Once a team acquires four stacks of Dragon Slayer, they will earn permanent and powerful Dragon Soul buffs, which brings us to the next section of this guide.
All LoL Dragons Buffs & Souls
We’ll explain all the Dragon Slayer and Dragon Souls buffs in LoL that players can earn for their entire team by taking down these powerful neutral monsters. We’ll also discuss the unique Elder Dragon, which provides a game-changing Aspect of the Dragon buff that can help you win teamfights with ease.
Chemtech Drake
Slaying the Chemtech Dragon unlocks the Chemtech Blight buff to all champions in your team, adding 6/12/18/24% Tenacity, Heal and Shield Power. When your team earns four stacks of the buff, the permanent Chemtech Soul is activated.
- Chemtech Soul: While below 50% maximum health, gain 11% increased damage and damage reduction.
As the Chemtech aspect takes over Summoner’s Rift, several robust jungle plants appear with unique effects, including Scryer’s Blooms, Blast Cones, and Honeyfruits.
Cloud Drake
If you kill the Cloud Dragon, you get 5/10/15/20% Slow Resist and out-of-combat bonus movement speed. Get four stacks of Cloudbringer’s Grace for the Cloud Soul permanent buff.
- Cloud Soul: Gain 20% out-of-combat movement speed, increased to 60% for six seconds after casting your ultimate ability on a 30-second cooldown.
When the Cloud Dragon dominates Summoner’s Rift, air currents appear that grant movement speed bonuses. Plus, Scryer’s Blooms spawn at the Blue and Red team bases.
Hextech Drake
Taking down the Hextech Dragon earns your team the Hextech Prowess buff, which adds 5/10/15/20% Ability Haste and Attack Speed to all friendly champions. The Hextech Soul is a powerful permanent buff earned at four stacks of Hextech Prowess.
- Hextech Soul: Dealing damage to an enemy with basic attacks or Ability Damage causes them to be struck with electricity. This deals 25 to 50 bonus True Damage and slows them, decaying over two seconds. It also chains the effect to up to three enemies near the primary target.
When the Hextech Drake dominates Summoner’s Rift, Hextech Gates spawn in the Red and Blue team bases and their respective jungles, allowing champions to teleport once every 30 seconds.
Infernal Drake
Defeating the Infernal Dragon grants teams the Infernal Might buff, which provides champions with 3/6/9/12% Attack Damage and Ability Power. Four stacks of this Dragon Slayer buff provide the powerful Infernal Soul for the rest of the game. Your ADC carry will love this buff!
- Infernal Soul: Damaging basic attacks and abilities trigger an explosion around the target, dealing 100 adaptive damage to the target and nearby enemies with a three-second cooldown.
Blast Cones spawn on the map for both sides, and team walls are demolished to create new angles of attack when the Infernal Drake dominates the game.
Mountain Drake
Slaying the Mountain Dragon unlocks the Mountainous Vigor buff, instilling champions with 5/10/15/20% Armor and Magic Resistance. After you earn four stacks, you unlock the Mountain Soul buff.
- Mountain Soul: Champions get a Shield of 220 points after not taking any damage for five seconds.
New heaps of rocks form in the jungle when the Mountain Dragon appears, allowing tactical height advantages.
Ocean Drake
The Ocean Dragon grants the Oceanic Will buff once slain, restoring 2/4/6/8% of a champion’s missing health every five pushes. Slay the Ocean Drake four times to get the Ocean Soul buff.
- Ocean Soul: Dealing damage to enemies heals your champion for 150 and restores 100 mana over four seconds with this passive, permanent buff. Damage to minions and monsters regenerates with 30% effectiveness.
More Honeyfruits spawn in the river area when the Ocean Dragon dominates, replenishing Mana and Health, while Brushes grow in the Dragon Pit and jungle area and are enlarged.
Elder Drake
Once a team obtains a Dragon Soul, no more Elemental Dragons will spawn. Instead, an Elder Dragon will respawn once every six minutes in the Dragon Pit. The Elder Dragon is the final Drake boss and one of the most crucial neutral monster objectives, alongside Baron and Rift Herald.
Slaying the Elder Dragon for the first time provides champions with the Aspect of the Dragon buff for 150 seconds or until a champion dies (300 seconds for the second kill and beyond). The Aspect of the Dragon adds 45 True Damage burns to each attack for the first buff (135 for subsequent kills), 45 extra True Damage per Drake on the first kill, and 90 additional True Damage on successive kills.
The elemental Dragon Slayer buffs are also 50% more effective on the first kill of the Elder Dragon and 100% more effective on subsequent kills. That’s game-changing, because the Aspect of the Dragon can turn a match on its head and help you decimate the enemy team.
Looking for more LoL Guides? Have a look at our guide to the best duos to use in Arena mode.
Harness The Power Of LoL Dragons
Now that you know how vital these neutral objects are in LoL matches, you can set your sights on harnessing their powers from the early game to the late game. It is generally up to the League Jungler role to keep track of the Dragons and use the Smite ability effectively.
In live betting, knowing the types of dragon buffs can help teams either make a comeback or extend their lead is advantageous. At Thunderpick, you can use crypto such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin to bet on League of Legends. Don’t forget to check out our beginner’s guide to LoL betting.
Remember to practice Responsible Gambling and check out our latest promo offers. T&Cs apply.
