What will they look like? Will you be able to ride them?

Ummm... The game was just announced?
Wait a month or two until some screens are released, although I doubt they will show pictures of dragons, at all, leave it as a suprise during the game.

Edit:Mistake.

Ummm... The game hasn't released?

No, you probably won't be able to ride dragons. They're intelligent beings, very powerful, and far more likely to squish you like an insect if you even so much as attempted to ASK to ride them. Dragons are not stupid creatures in TES. They are very powerful, and very, very rare (usually).

For all we know, they may not actually be dragons....it may refer to the enemies from Akavir, the Tiger-Dragon Empire who are said to have had a great war with actual dragons in the long past and who have invaded Skyrim before but been forced back by the Empire.

Time will tell what the 'Dragons' actually are.

Haha, oopsy. Fixed.

I hope we can't ride the dragons, they are as(or more) intelligent as any beast race, mer or human (as far as I know), and don't think they take kindly to a random person walking up to them and throwing a saddle and reins on them. Maybe if you were favored by the dragons and the felt the need to assist you they'd let you, but if they ever want you off they could probably do so quite easily. And thats just logical thinking, then comes in gameplay mechanics.

I know I didn't explain but this is intended as a speculation thread.

Actually it was confirmed that there wil be dragons. They tweeted it.
But yes they are very intelligent, and well respected by citizens untill the Cliff Racers drove them away

But Dragons symbolizing what, exactly? Do they mean the actual intelligent species of Dragon? Do they Mean Tosh'Raka, the Ka'Po'Tun trying to become a Dragon? Or do they mean some relation to Akatosh/Alduin, dragon-god of time? All three have very different repercussions for what the dragons shall be and do and represent.

Ah poppycock. If I can ride Shamoo the whale, I can ride Herby the dragon.

Dragons can just be symbolizing destruction and chaos. I do not think that Akatosh is going to save the world just so he can destroy it himself. I also don't believe it's dragons or the Ka Po Tun. But that is just me and another thread.

be good if there was an option to side with the dragons and they are not directly rideable but more like a fast travel system

Falmer?

Also, the Dragons were pushed out of Morrowind, so from their they could go to Black Marsh, Cyrodiil or Skyrim. I doubt they went to Black Marsh, and it'd be pretty hard to hide in Cyrodiil (how big are they anyway) I suspect they went to Skyrim and are living in the mountains, but I don't think the Tamrielic Dragons are the hostile ones, they have never really bothered Tamriel before and are quite peaceful. I think that the Akavir attack and you or Dovahkiin request the help of the dragons (maybe they made their presence known only to the king), as the humans cannot defeat them on their own.

Personally, I think Alduin would argue that he is saving the world by eating it, never mind the potential interpretation of Aka as bat-[censored] crazy.

He saved it in Oblivion is what i'm saying. Akatosh just saved it and next game, oh no i'm going to just destroy it now.

that's a point, who is to say the dragons are hostile at all??

maybe they have a "live and let live" attitude

I meant the Tamrielic dragons are non-hostile, the trailer certainly implies atleast one kind of dragon to be hostile, which I suspect are the Akaviri dragons.

The saving in Oblivion can be seen as the preservation of the order of things, of the preservation of the structure of the world in relation to the void. The Eating and Rebirth of the world in the perspective of Kalpas can also be seen as the preservation of the order of things. It is, according to Nordic interpretation (and since we're playing a Nordic game, in a universe where mortals have more influence over their gods than they realize, that's rather important), http://www.imperial-library.info/content/seven-fights-aldudagga

edit - Bah, wrong link. Fix'd.

OMG thank you! Another that think it may be the Falmer.
The Falmer were the only ones really defeated by the Nords. The empire beat the Akiviri. And the Falmer were defeated at High Hrothgar, which some people say that they hear it in the trailer, and see it in the stone tablet somewhere. Dragons were pushed out of Morrowind and went closer to Skyrim and Cyrodiil. The empire thought of dragons as sacred. Also, it is known that dragons had nests on mountain tops and never attacked cities or anything. Like i said Skyrim or Cyrodiil didn't try to get rid of them, Cliff Racers did. So really even if the Akiviri came back why no go throu Morrowind? It just got slaughtered.

I think that it would be redundant to use Akatosh in whatever form twice in a row. And as i stated above, why go throu Skyrim when Morrowind just got riverstomped? Cyrodiilic armies beat them before, not Skyrim's if i remember right? Also, as far as we know there is only one tiger/dragon. And that happened how long ago 1st era? He probably isn't even alive anymore.

Nahh, I just saw your post in the Trailer Speculation thread.


As far as we know dragons could be immortal or atleast have a life span of hundreds or even thousands of years.

And yet there's already symbolism present to suggest Aedric links:

The use of the Imperial Dragon insignia in the trailer, a direct reference to the bloodline of Talos as blessed by the Dragon God of TIme.
The rising of a "Dragon-born," which just so happens to be the same name given to Talos/Ysmir (Dragon of the North), further accenting the Empire/Septims and the connection to Aka.
The old man in the center of the stone carving can be perceived as the human portrayal of Akatosh, with the dragon head above him highlighting the duality.

Obviously we're all grasping at the barest of straws, but I'm envisioning a plotline where Tiber/Talos/Ysmir, and the requesite connection with Akatosh, will be extremely important.

I hope they'll be intelligent and we get to speak to them, instead of them being overweight fire spewing cliff racers with an urge to destroy all that moves.

Yes but the Ka Po Tun are not dragons? He can transform into a dragon, but that does not mean he IS a dragon.




And oh :/ Falmer do seem to fit thou...


But yes i do think Akatosh is much more likely than Akaviri.

Dragons are intelligent
"Little is known about them beyond their remarkable intelligence and ability to communicate"

I'm under the impression that Dovahkiin (Dragon Born) will be able to understand dragons. At the same time dragons will more than likely be the antagonists of the game, so I wouldn't expect them as transportation/mounts.

According to King Edward, Part XI:
"The two dragons politely pvssyd with the humanoids as they enjoyed their repast"

So the dragons can communicate with humanoids, but i do not believe that true dragons will be the antagonists considering humanoid creatures never hunted them or tried to get rid of them, and are often considered sacred.


EDIT: Also the Septim crest, also the sign of the empire was inspired by the Akaviri. So yes the Septims used it but it isn't like they were the first to use it. So saying that is a sign that it will be Akatosh destroying Skyrim because of the crest goes both ways. Also, i can just be referencing the fact that the dragonborn is coming back?