Elemental dragon

For the storm dragons of the Broken Isles, see storm dragon.

Elemental dragons
Domain	Storm, Earth
Breath	Lightning, Fire, Sand
Major leader(s)	Thunderaan (Storm drakes)  Aeosera (Stone drakes)
Formerly	Al'Akir † (Storm drakes)
Racial capital	Throne of the Four Winds Pale Roost
Area(s)	Uldum, Deepholm, Skywall
Homeworld	Elemental Plane
Affiliation	Independent, Skywall
Formerly	Old Gods' forces
Status	Active

“In Deathwing's mad quest to forge new dragons, he ignored amazing breeds never before seen on Azeroth.”

— Thrall

Elemental dragons are, as the name implies, dragonkin that are made from the various elemental planes. Of these creatures, two types have been witnessed, being that of air and earth, with the former native to Skywall while the latter is native to Deepholm.

Background

“Gentle as a summer breeze, but that says little considering where it came from.”

— Itesh

 [Reins of the Phosphorescent Stone Drake]

The origins of the elemental dragons are largely shrouded in mystery. though Brann Bronzebeard uncovered evidence, corroborated by reports from adventurers in Deepholm, that proto-dragons and dragons may have origins in these — and other — elemental drakes. The inhabitants of Deepholm, the Skywall, the Firelands, and the Abyssal Maw are less than talkative on these matters, however, and most of them were not around when the elemental prisons were created. Though they retain much in the way of their original draconic form, it appears that the volatile forces of each elemental plane's environment altered their physiology.

Those known as storm dragons inhabit Skywall, the portion of the Elemental Plane that serves as the domain of air elementals and command the powers of wind and lightning in defense of the Plane of Air. It appears they are quite tightly connected to the element of air, and served Al'Akir, mostly found in Vortex Pinnacle. The storm wyrm, Altairus, defends the Vortex Pinnacle alongside several others of his kind. Harnessing the elemental powers of the storm, these majestic beasts crackle like lightning and roar like thunder.

A storm dragon in the Vortex Pinnacle.

The mighty stone dragons are mysterious creatures that inhabit Deepholm, the elemental plane of earth. Their origin is unknown, as before Shattering no one had seen them (or lived long enough to tell the story). Their draconic appearance, however, may not indicate their true nature. It appears they are quite tightly connected to the element of earth, although they are not aligned with Therazane. As stated by the Kor the Immovable, the stone dragons are fickle, and bend only to strength and the strongest of them is Aeosera, their broodmother. They seem much like early primal dragons, in that they value raw strength and aggression over cunning or intelligence. When Deathwing arrived into Deepholm after suffering his defeat many years before the Shattering, he quickly gained control over the stone dragons. The Stonemother has shown little concern for the rebellious Aeonaxx, even allowing his spawn to be taken from her realm.

Both the stone and storm dragons seem to be sapient beings, albeit most of them are not very talkative or friendly. Despite Archmage Khadgar's note about them not being capable of speech, instances of speaking are seen with the Slate Dragon and Storm Rider from the Halfus Wyrmbreaker encounter, who both commend the adventurers on their bravery, offering to lend their aid in exchange for being freed.

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

After Deathwing's destruction, Aeosera was put firmly back in her place, under Therazane's protection. When the Burning Legion's invasion sent fel fire into the Needlerock Chasm, it drove the stone troggs to attack the stone drakes at the Pale Roost. As Aeosera refused to abandon her eggs, Therazane sent the new Farseer of the Earthen Ring to come to her aid and elementals to carry her eggs to safety. Once her clutch was safe, she and her brood took revenge on the troggs.

Notable

•   Altairus
•   Ishak of the Four Winds
•   Zaurac
•   Aeosera <Stone Dragon Broodmother>
•   Aeonaxx <Mate of Aeosera>
•   Slabhide

Types

•   Storm Riders
•   Young Storm Dragons
•   Crystalspire Stone Drake
•   Crystalwing Stone Drake
•   Slate Dragon
•   Stone Drakes
•   Stonescale Drakes
•   Stonescale Matriarch

As a mount

Main article: Elemental drake mounts

Storm dragons

•  [Drake of the North Wind] drops from Altairus in the Vortex Pinnacle on both Normal and Heroic difficulty.
•  [Drake of the West Wind] can be purchased from  Quartermaster Brazie /  Pogg at a cost of 200 upon reaching exalted with Baradin's Wardens / Hellscream's Reach.
•  [Drake of the East Wind] is a reward for completing  [Glory of the Cataclysm Raider].
•  [Drake of the South Wind] drops from Al'Akir in the Throne of the Four Winds on both Normal and Heroic difficulty.
•  [Drake of the Four Winds] drops from Ishak of the Four Winds in Uldum.

Stone dragons

•  [Phosphorescent Stone Drake] drops from the rare spawn Aeonaxx in Deepholm.
•  [Vial of the Sands] (Sandstone Drake) can be created by Alchemists using a recipe found very rarely through Archaeology.
•  [Vitreous Stone Drake] drops from Slabhide in the Stonecore on both Normal and Heroic modes.
•  [Volcanic Stone Drake] is a reward for completing the Dungeons & Raids meta-achievement  [Glory of the Cataclysm Hero].

Notes

• Fire hawks, while not listed as dragonkin themselves, share similarities to the elemental dragons. Unlike those of Deepholm and Skywall, the fire hawks look more akin to proto-dragons, sharing the same framework for their animations. Their clutches also are laid in rookery-like areas, akin to dragons. The dragon Alysra was transformed into a fire hawk upon betraying her flight to the Firelands, becoming Alysrazor; thus furthering the link.
  • Many scholars seek to link the phoenixes of the Firelands to a similar path of the elemental dragon development, but an in-depth study of the fiery creatures has proven both highly dangerous and quite flammable.
• While no known elemental dragon species exist within the plane of water, the Abyssal Maw is notoriously difficult to explore.
• Odyn's storm dragons are extremely similar to the storm dragons of Skywall, but were made from his empowerment of normal dragonkin. Any relation between the two is unknown.
  • Hearthstone blurs the lines further by making cards such as the Squallhunter and Storm Dragon part of the Brood of Nithogg, despite using the appearance of the elementals.

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

While not elemental dragons themselves, the Primal Incarnates effectively emulated the concept of these dragons by infusing themselves with the Elemental Plane. It is possible that, due to their opposition to the forces of the titans, some of the inspiration behind their infusions was to return to their original states.

Gallery

• 

  Squallhunter in Hearthstone.

• 

  Stone Drake in Hearthstone.