Moldruffle

The Moldruffle is a Stoker Class dragon that made its debut in the game, School of Dragons. At a later date, this School of Dragons original dragon appeared in the game, Dragons: Rise of Berk as an individual (exclusive) dragon named "Moldruffle" which was identified as a Common Rockstomper, a Tracker Class Dragon. It is unknown why there is such a large discrepancy between the two games.

Official Description
"Rockstompers have a tradition of burying hidden caches of supplies under the sand, including the belongings of Vikings, much to their riders' dismay. There's no hiding from this Dragon! Rockstompers can track down anything, including their enemies in the heat of the battle."

- Rockstomper description in Dragons: Rise of Berk

"This Rockstomper's tracking skills came in handy when Snoutlout and Hookfang landed on its island. Moldruffle found them fresh water deep underground by using its horns as a divining rod."

- Moldruffle description in Dragons: Rise of Berk

Egg
The Moldruffle's egg is shaped much like a regular bird's. It has several curved ridges that slop towards the base of the egg. The color of the egg determines the color after the dragon hatches.

Hatchling to Adult
The Moldruffle looks a lot like the Snafflefang in terms of appearance and build. They are talented flyers. The Moldruffle is a dragon that actively and effortlessly hunts prey other than fish. Its head is shaped to be like a hunter, rather than a scavenger or fisher. The spikes on its back are unusual, since most dragons with spikes have a neat and smooth pattern. The Moldruffle has a random pattern of varying spikes. These spikes can be effective weapons for defensive purposes. They also seem to have talons at the tips of their wings which they ignite during their special ability, these talons may also be used for an offensive purpose.

In Rise of Berk, the Rockstomper looks similar to the original design, however, is purple in color with lilac spots.

Titan Wing
Titan Moldruffles are red in color with blue and red stripes on their wings and blue stripes on their back and tail. They have more spikes on their backs.

Hunting
The Moldruffle is an excellent hunter, and it has sharp, long-range vision to help spot its prey. They are intelligent cat-like dragons in their natural behavior, with keen hunting senses. They are also described as being 'wonderfully curious'. They are quick and precise, and can glide through strong winds.

Speed and Stamina
These dragons have an aerodynamic build, making them quick and extremely agile hunters. They also have a lot of stamina and are known to travel great distances.

Horns and Talons
The Moldruffle also has quite a unusual way to communicate with others of dragons of its kind. The Moldruffle's sharp horns resonate a pure sound when struck against objects and this is used to send a message to its dragon kin. It can also use its horns as a deadly weapon. It has talons at the edges of its wings which it can use as an offensive weapon.

Firepower
The Moldruffle is able to shoot a huge, powerful fireball, which is known to have immense strength.



The Moldruffle's signature ability is when they gather fire on the edges of their wings and tail, using their fan-like tail to strengthen the blazing flames. Imagine the terror of seeing a fiery inferno diving at prey with incredible speed and precision! Since they are able to travel great distances, this would mean their ability would be extremely powerful over time as it strengthens the blaze with its fan-like tail.

Tracking
As a Tracker Class dragon in Rise of Berk, these dragons are said to have superb tracking skills, including tracking enemies. Apparently in Dragons: Rise of Berk, the individual named Moldruffle can 'track' water as well, by using his horns as a divining rod.

Behavior and Personality
The Moldruffle is incredibly catlike in nature. They are intelligent and curious. Its keen senses are quickly distracted, and it switches it's focus from one thing to another. They are also mentioned to have a quick and fiery disposition.

Weaknesses
The Moldruffle's number one (and so far its only) weakness is the fact that it is easily distracted, so some of the Berk Dragon Riders could distract a Moldruffle while the others captured it if it ever became a problem.

School of Dragons
The Moldruffle is an original dragon of School of Dragons, and is classified as a Stoker Class dragon.

In addition to the dragons the player may obtain, Moldruffles appear on the explorable location The Tempest in the Expansion "Rise of Stormheart". They, along with a Titan Gronckle, do not have a known purpose as yet, but appear to be generating the energy to steam-power the ship.

Dragons: Rise of Berk
Following its debut in School of Dragons, the Moldruffle appeared in the game as an exclusive Rockstomper. The Rockstomper, however, is purple in colour. The Rockstomper, however, is a Tracker Class dragon.

Trivia

 * They are one of the fewer dragons that favor land creatures over sea food.
 * Its head resembles the figurehead for the Outcast ships, though their skulls are shorter.
 * With the exception of their heads, the Moldruffle's design is nearly identical to the Shovelhelm's. They even have the same fan-like tails.
 * In the book Dragons: To Berk and Beyond, the Rockstomper is classified as a Tracker Class dragon.
 * Moldruffle is the fourth dragon species that had a specific individual appear in Rise of Berk before the dragon itself did, the first was the Catastrophic Quaken (Spikeback), the second was the Gobsucker (Muddlehunt) and the third was the Triple Stryke (Sleuther).