Hatchlings and Striders

Author’s Note: So many people have various ideas on the best way to level a Hatchling up to Strider. I hope this guide helps new and veteran dragon owners continue to level their pets to be more than a "fast ride at 55."

Contribution/Feedback: I do not claim to be the “be all/end all” of dragon rearing. I simply enjoy the challenge as many have before me. You'll come across info you've "heard before" and if I borrow any tips/advice from anyone, I will attempt to fully credit their contributions. Of course, feedback is always welcome so leave some and I'll update the guide accordingly.

Chapter 1 - Why get a dragon?

When I first heard about dragons in L2, I couldn't imagine not having one. The idea of flying around on a Wyvern motivated many to grab a Hatchling flute and attempt to level it. Reality is very few people will level a Hatchling to Strider, then in Chronicle 3, own a castle and turn it into a Wyvern. In Chronicle 4, certain Clan Halls will give the ability to make a Strider into a Wyvern, but again that's not a high number of your average players.

So why bother? I won't attempt to post dozens of reasons why dragons make good pets. Everyone who wants to raise one must find that for themselves. I'm a fan of interesting challenges. With three types of dragons available as pets and all with different abilities, it's the simple desire to see them evolve that drives me.

Benefits

• Dragons can be good hunting partners. For some classes (ex. healers) it would be better to have the dragon take the damage than you. You can use the dragon to control your XP gain thus keeping a scavenger or bounty hunter within range of good spoils a bit longer without deleveling on town guards.
  
  
• At level 55 a Hatchling can become a Strider. After this you can ride your dragon all over the map. If you enjoy pulling several mobs for your group hunt (or if you want to train others), then the additional speed of a Strider under you can turn the tide when running from possible death. On the same token, you can jump on a Strider to get out of harms way during PvP or to get to a PvP situation a bit faster.
  
  
• If money is your objective then you can sell dragons and make millions in adena.
  In C3 the most popular dragons (Hatchling and Strider form) were Twilights (Dusk Striders). Most owners have these as Twilights remain the fastest dragons to level (explained later). On Gustin you could sell a Dusk Strider for about 20-30 million; the flutes went for around 1-1.5 million. It was RARE to see a Star or Wind Strider for sale in C3, but flutes usually sold for a mere 100k-250k. In C4, this has changed. I recently saw someone selling a Star Strider (unnamed) for 90 million because Star and Wind dragons received new skills in C4. That price is mostly inflated but it gives you an idea of what range you could seek.
  
  
• Speaking of Chronicle 4, the Wind and Star dragons get new skills, but not Twilights. Wind dragons get a Ultimate Defense-type skill along with their stun-type skill. Star dragons get an Aura Flare-type skill and the ability to heal itself, but they lost the Hate skill and a ton of HP. Twilights are supposed to be the fastest dragons and in C3 they had no other ability but speed. It seems this isn't the case, as all Striders appear to have the same run speed. All pets in C4 get "beast soulshots, spiritshots, blessed spiritshots," which makes their damage output and skill ability stronger.

Drawbacks

• It's not cheap to raise a dragon overall, and some are more costly than others. In order of expense, you can expect to pay more to raise a Star, a little less to raise a Wind, and even less to raise a Twilight. The primary cost is food. It takes more food to keep a Star/Wind fed than it does a Twilight. You can manually feed the dragon or simply keep food in the pet's inventory and it will auto feed itself at 50%.
  
  
• Continuing on the not-cheap angle, I must mention that Hatchling and Strider gear is pricey. You'll drop about 5 mill for decent armor and weapon, which is why many go without. Not a smart idea as the weapon and armor make raising a dragon considerably easier.
  
  
• I can't say enough about dragon stats. They're not what you would think. Dragons are mean looking but their physical attack and magic attack power is pitiful when you think about it.
  
  
• Raising a dragon takes patience. Getting it from Level 35 to 55 won't happen overnight. Depending on how much you play with it, what gear it has, etc. it can take anywhere from a few weeks (hardcore) to a few months (casual).
  

Chapter 2 - Dragon Info

I've mentioned their names a few times but it's time to break down the different dragon pets available in the game.

Star Hatchling/Star Strider

• Classification: Mage
• C4 Special Skills: Bright Burst (hits mob with an aura flare) and Bright Heal.
• Comment: Nice additional damage dealer for tank classes.

Wind Hatchling/Wind Strider

• Classification: Tank
• C4 Special Skills: Wild Stun (basically it's Hammer Crush and does damage) and Wild Defense (Ultimate Defense).
• Comment: Nice little tank for mage classes.

Twilight Hatchling/Dusk Strider

• Classification: Transportation (“Scaly Taxi”)
• C4 Special Skills: None
• Comment: The Twilights have no special attacks and are now considered to exist for ornamental purposes only. They have low P. Atk. and P. Def, which makes them almost useless in combat. The only two strong points of these guys are it’s an economical form of transportation, and its food usage, which can fill up its entire food gauge with 1 unit of food.

Striders are the next evolutionary step for a Hatchling. When a Hatchling reaches level 55 you can do "Little Wing's Big Adventure" quest to turn it into a Strider. You don't have to do the quest at level 55 (you can wait). Whenever you complete the quest the Hatchling will turn into a Strider of that level. For example, if the Hatchling was level 65 it will become a level 65 Strider.

Penalties are applied if you and your Strider are considerably different in levels. If a player is five levels or more lower than his Strider, the Strider will have its physical attack cut in half. Each additional level difference will cut another 5% or so from the patk. If a player is 10 levels lower than the Strider the speed will be cut in half.

Another penalty comes if the Strider's hunger bar falls below 50%. The starving dragon will slow down about 50% and you'll have trouble mounting and dismounting.

On a positive note, as you level your Strider his stats will improve - more P. Atk, M. Atk, etc.

Chapter 3 - Leveling a Dragon

Many people have different ideas on the best way to level a Hatchling, but few in C3 bothered to level their Striders beyond level 55. With the new skills dragons have, that will change.

I'm not saying there's a perfect way to level a dragon, but there's common sense tips you may want to follow.

First of all, dragons do not gain ex