Snow Wraith

"It was vicious, relentless, and impossible to see in the white out. The Snow Wraith."

- Gobber translating Gothi's text.

The Snow Wraith is a medium-sized Strike Class dragon that first appeared in Dragons: Race to the Edge.

Official Description
"Snow Wraiths have no known vulnerabilities, making them a supremely formidable force to be reckoned with during battle. The Snow Wraith has proven to be crucial to the Dragon Riders, as their teeth are the sole tool that can unlock the informative Dragon Eye device. These dragons were first discovered by Gothi during an expedition to Glacier Island, the only known habitat of the Snow Wraiths. Over time, Snow Wraiths have adapted to these desolate conditions in surprising ways, such as their all-white coloration that allows for natural camouflage in snowy conditions and an ability to grip ice using claws on their wings and tails. Thermal Vision: Snow Wraiths have thermal vision that allows them to track prey even in the most blustery blizzard."

- Dragonpedia

"The Snow Wraith is to winter what the Night Fury is to night. It senses the fall of each snowflake. It hears the glacial movement of every iceberg. It feels the slightest change in even the most frigid of temperatures. The Snow Wraith is the sole and uncontested denizen of its island. And when the chill wind roars, it might be the weather, or it might be the Snow Wraith descending upon its next victims."

- Dragon: Race to the Edge Google Maps Experience

"This dragon has notoriously poor eyesight and uses thermal sensors to locate its prey. It camouflages itself in the snow because if it can't see you, it doesn't want you to see it! The Snow Wraith uses its thermal vision to find its prey. So if things get heated, find some snow to take cover and cool off!"

- Dragons: Rise of Berk

Development
The Snow Wraith was originally known as the Snow Fury because the producers wanted it to be related to the Night Fury. However, they decided that having multiple "Fury" dragons would not be a good idea, according to Douglas Sloan. Producer Art Brown also says that the Snow Wraith had originally resembled the Night Fury much more and they had to change it such that the Snow Wraith was more unique.

Egg
In Dragons: Rise of Berk, a Snow Wraith's egg is pale white in color. It has little protrusions on it and larger ones on top. They are tipped with dark brown. The egg looks as if it was carved out of wood. Those in School of Dragons, however, are smoother though a little rough.

Hatchling to Adult
The Snow Wraith has a snowy white body and blue eyes. It possesses two legs and broad wings. The Snow Wraith is the only Strike Class dragon to have significantly different types of teeth. Sharp, pointy teeth that are used for biting and tearing cover most of its mouth, while two prominent tusks used for grabbing protrude from its lower jaw. The teeth that are the key to open the Dragon Eye are known to be found just in front of the large tusks. Also, this dragon has a long ledge under its chin and what resembles thick eyebrows. The Snow Wraith has a long tail covered with spikes and a thick, fleshy tongue with bump-like features on it. It has two claws and toes on its feet. The Snow Wraith's wings are unique in terms of structure. The humerus (part of bone connected to the body) is the only part of the wing connected to the body, with the rest of the wing structure is hanging outside of the body. This allows the Snow Wraith to easily walk on four limbs as the wing fingers that stretch to the back of the wing are placed in a very unique way, some of them are close to each other, while the next one would be further apart. This also makes its humerus very strong; while most dragons require extra support from the rest of its wings for speed and stability, the Snow Wraith is still able to fly at very high speeds.

Titan Wing
Titan Wing Snow Wraiths have a grayish blue body color with some grey spots and stripes on its back. Large spikes protrude from its back and down to its tail. The ledge under its chin has developed into two sharp horns and this titan has developed some protuberances near its chin. Two longer canines protrude from its lower jaw and it has massive large claws.

Thermal Vision
The Snow Wraith has a thermal vision that allows it to track prey even during the most blustery blizzard. It has the ability to detect body heat in the form of heat signatures, which is similar to a pit viper. Cold temperatures appear as green while warmer ones appear yellow to dark pink. Snow Wraiths can also distinguish shapes from their thermal vision, similar to seeing visually, which helps it identify objects. This is shown when it singled out Hiccup and Toothless amongst a group of burning effigies, despite them all having a similar temperature.

The reason that the Snow Wraith has to rely on thermal vision is due to the fact it has notoriously poor eyesight and can't see very well visually.

Firepower
The Snow Wraith's fire type is frost fusillade, which can blast objects multiple times at one succession. Their frost is emitted in thick, concentrated blasts that seem to glow as it emerges from the dragons' mouth and is ejected rapidly. When having a fusillade in its firepower, the Snow Wraith hardly ever misses. These blasts have been known to eject in 3 charges, as shown in the School of Dragons. They have a short range but are extremely powerful.

Speed and Stealth
Snow Wraiths are incredibly fast and are one of the fastest dragons. Snow Wraiths are able to circle the entire perimeter of Glacier Island at high speed after one attack attempt has failed in "Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 2". They can fly through powerful blizzards without much resistance.

Its snowy white scales allow it to blend in well with its surroundings, making it nearly impossible to see in a white-out. They can walk on the snow before ambushing without being noticed.

Sharp Claws and Spikes
The Snow Wraith has sharp hooks on its wings and a tail full of spikes that allow it to cling onto the ice without falling or slipping.

Burrowing
The Snow Wraith is able to burrow through ice and snow with its claws. They are able to burrow very fast, as fast as a Whispering Death, even through solid ice. It is a very effective method and can be used for flanking enemies in an ice cave. Snow Wraiths dig up an ice cave in order to hibernate during the summer.

These ice caves are formed by a series of intricately connected tunnels with numerous chambers, as well as openings and exits. These exits are often covered by snow on the outside. As Snow Wraiths know their tunnels well, these caves serve as a useful defense mechanism during an infiltration like the invasion in "Snow Way Out", as they can navigate around these complex tunnels easier than their enemies.

Acute Senses
"It senses the fall of each snowflake. It hears the glacial movement of every iceberg. It feels the slightest change in even the most frigid of temperatures."

- Dragons: Race to the Edge Google Maps Experience The Snow Wraith is said to have incredibly acute senses of hearing and touch. It can sense the slightest shifts in its environment, from the fall of snow to the fluctuating temperatures of the island, and it utilizes this to hunt its prey.

Strength and Combat
The Snow Wraith is shown to be able to grab another one of its kind and fly through a tunnel with no struggle.

This dragon is known for being a powerful hunter. In Gothi's recount in "Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 2", a Snow Wraith had single-handedly taken down her search party. According to Dragons: Rise of Berk, the Snow Wraith might be powerful enough to take out a Skrill, as shown by the premium dragon Skrill Chiller.

Intelligence
Like all Strike Class dragons, Snow Wraiths are highly intelligent. Though normally solitary, a pack of related Snow Wraiths is shown to be able to operate as a great team. They will retreat when a member of their own is hurt and will carry the injured Snow Wraith away from harm, as displayed in "Snow Way Out".

Endurance and Stamina
According to the dragon statistics, the Snow Wraith has stronger armor than the Night Fury, but it has been shown that a plasma blast from Toothless is able to take Snow Wraith out. Since the snow wraith also has better firepower according to the stats, this would mean that a snow wraith could probably, without too much struggle, take out a Night Fury when in an artic region.

The Snow Wraith has high stamina just like any other Strike Class dragon. It has been shown to be able to fly at high speeds for long periods of time to hunt their prey.

Weaknesses
Even though it is stated that the Snow Wraith has no known vulnerabilities, it does have a weakness: it is unable to see its prey if it is at the same temperature as the environment around it. For example, Snotlout could not be seen when he was buried in snow and his body temperature dropped significantly. In the Snow Wraith's point of view, Snotlout would blend in with the green receptors that indicate a cool temperature.

In addition, they are said to have incredibly poor eyesight and have to rely on the heat signatures of their prey and opponents to tell where they are. This makes the Snow Wraith close to being visually blind.

Behavior and Personality
"Last time we were here, the Snow Wraith was on us right away. Remember? Why not this time? Maybe because it's hiding out or hibernating or something in that cave."

- Hiccup, about the Snow Wraith The elusive Snow Wraith is tough, highly aggressive, and a relentless hunter, known for its vicious and predatory nature. This elusive dragon was recorded in the Dragon Manual but had no information until the events of "Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 2". It likes to attack when it cannot be seen. As such, it often strikes when a snowstorm approaches, which are quite frequent in Glacier Island. Snow Wraiths also attack in ice caves. It can burrow through the ice to flank enemies or take cover. Snow Wraiths are very adapted to this kind of attack; they are very fast at firing, flanking and burrowing. They can also work efficiently in a group.

In "Snow Way Out", it is revealed that Snow Wraiths hibernate in the summer as a pack. They are also shown to be willing to help each other, abandoning a fight if one of them is injured, but they are usually solitary creatures that seclude themselves from humans and other dragons.

Season 1
When Hiccup asked Gobber to open the mysterious Dragon Eye in "Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 2", some traps on the device were deployed, and Tuffnut was the only one affected by them, e.g. toxic dragon gasses. They then took him to see Gothi. While they were talking about the Dragon Eye, Gothi saw the key marks and thought for a moment. When Hiccup asked Gothi about the problem, she showed him her scars on her arm. Hiccup stated that they exactly resembled the holes of the key lock. Gothi then departed, and Hiccup and the others followed her. Soon after, Gothi started to tell her story about her encounter with the Snow Wraith on Glacier Island. Gothi said that she would never want to see that dragon again. But Hiccup pleaded with her to show them the way to the island. Gothi then agreed, and Gobber took over her role on Berk while she was gone. They flew to Glacier Island, and soon after they arrived, a snowstorm covered the island. The group split up to find the Snow Wraith, and as they left, the dragon awakened.

As they regrouped, the storm became stronger and the Snow Wraith attacked the campsite. After a few attempts to defend themselves, Toothless shot three blasts at it. Though the Snow Wraith dodged all of them, one made a chunk of snow to fall on its head, and the dragon retreated for the time being.

Hiccup then thought of the idea that the Snow Wraith sees body heat and thought of a plan to distract the dragon. The dragon riders built "statues" of themselves and placed them in an open area. Toothless then lit them on fire. In a few moments, the Snow Wraith returned to the area. The Snow Wraith snatched Snotlout's statue first, which made him angry, causing him to fire up Hookfang. The ice from the ceiling that they were hiding in started to melt. Toothless quickly grabbed Hiccup out of the area before the ceiling could collapse.

As the ceiling collapsed, the other Dragon Riders and Gothi were stuck in the cave. Hiccup and Toothless were out in the open, forced to face the Snow Wraith alone. The Snow Wraith nearly hit Hiccup and Toothless but missed and it circled the island. Hiccup and Toothless went to the flaming statues to obscure their body heat with the heat of the fires. Hiccup then told Toothless to use his echolocation to find the Snow Wraith. As he was echolocating in different areas towards the sky, the Snow Wraith detected them and landed silently behind them. The Snow Wraith then stalked toward them slowly. As it revealed itself, Toothless was about to fire at it, but Gothi had broke out of the cave, and she ran to the Snow Wraith and started to smack it with her staff. The Snow Wraith bit the staff and shook it.

Hiccup told Toothless to fire at the dragon but not at "the crazy little woman with the staff." Toothless fired three multiple blasts at the Snow Wraith, which made it throw Gothi away. Soon after, the dragons broke out and the Snow Wraith was outnumbered by five dragons to one. The Snow Wraith panicked and flew away. Gothi showed them that there was a Snow Wraith tooth implanted on her staff. They then flew back to Berk with the Snow Wraith tooth.

Season 2
In "Snow Way Out", the Dragon Hunters set out to Glacier Island to capture a Snow Wraith to get one of its teeth. Heather told Astrid of their plan, which she told the Dragon Riders, who soon traveled there as well to relocate the dragon.

At the Snow Wraith's cave, the Dragon Riders are sealed inside by the Hunters to deal with the wild dragon. They soon discovered that actually three Snow Wraiths were in the cave. Due to Tuffnut's talking, the dragons woke up and attacked the Riders. Toothless managed to stun one of the Snow Wraiths, causing the others to retreat. While they tried to burrow out to safety, this led to the Snow Wraiths being captured by the Dragon Hunters. Before they got to their ship, the twins caused an avalanche to distract the Hunters, giving the Dragon Riders a chance to grab the Snow Wraiths and hide them on another island.

Dragons: Rise of Berk
Several Snow Wraiths appeared in Rise of Berk, along with several individuals.

School of Dragons
The Snow Wraith became available in School of Dragons in the summer of 2015.

Dragons: Titan Uprising
Several Snow Wraith individuals, like Frostfang, Furtive Fleetsleet, Wood Wraith, Wild Wraith, and Coldreign, and hybrids, like the Hushbogle, appear in this game.

Dreamworks Dragons: Dawn of New Riders
Though the Snow Wraith dragon doesn't appear in this game, a Snow Wraith tooth does. It is an artifact Scribbler finds on the island of Malhalla. He can use it to upgrade his sword at Gobber's "pop-up" forge on Havenholme to the 'Freezing Whipfang'.

Trivia

 * The Snow Wraith is the second addition to the Strike class since the first film, with the first being the Woolly Howl.
 * The Snow Wraith is the first dragon that resembles the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise owned by Seto Kaiba, with the second being the Light Fury.
 * The Snow Wraith is one of the eight dragon species that doesn't have forked tongues.
 * The others are the Flightmare, the Woolly Howl, the Razorwhip, the Death Song, the Triple Stryke, the Dramillion, and the Snaptrapper.
 * The Snow Wraith's roar is similar to that of a Flightmare, just deeper.
 * The Snow Wraith's tail looks very similar to that of the Deadly Nadder and the Hackatoo.
 * The Snow Wraith makes a sound that resembles a baleen whale's song when it uses its thermal sensing.
 * The Snow Wraith has green eyes and tan scales in Dragons: Rise of Berk. This is done to differentiate it from Gothi's Frostfright in the game.
 * It is unknown how Eret managed to train Skrill Chiller, given the fact that it has been stated that Snow Wraiths are impossible to train. It is possible that it is just extremely hard to train one, like a Skrill or a Speed Stinger.