“ | It was vicious, relentless, and impossible to see in the white out. The Snow Wraith. [src] | ” |
— Gobber translating Gothi's text |
The Snow Wraith is a medium-sized Strike Class dragon that first appeared in Dragons: Race to the Edge.
Quick Answers
What is the class of the Snow Wraith dragon in Dragons: Race to the Edge?
Why was the Snow Wraith originally known as the Snow Fury?
What made the producers decide against having multiple 'Fury' dragons?
How did the Snow Wraith originally resemble the Night Fury?
What changes were made to differentiate the Snow Wraith from the Night Fury?
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. | ” |
— Dragons: Race to the Edge Interactive Map |
“ | 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 has also said 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.[1]
Richard Hamilton has since revealed that the Snow Wraith's name and design had to be changed in order to keep Night Furies and Light Furies unique.
Physical Appearance[]
Egg[]
In Rise of Berk, a Snow Wraith's egg is pale white in color. It has little protrusions on the sides and larger ones on top, all of which 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 bone (arm 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 presumably 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.
Snow Wraiths living in warmer climates tend to have more color variation. Wood Wraiths and Wild Wraiths are generally shades of green. Yellow is also possible, as seen in the Furtive Fleetsleet.
About 1,300 years later, the two Snow Wraiths of the Ice Realm seem to be larger than the three Snow Wraiths of the Glacier Island.
Titan Wing[]
Titan Wing Snow Wraiths have a grayish blue body color with some gray 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.
Abilities[]
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, similar to many snakes. Cold temperatures appear as green or blue 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 out 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.
Snow Wraiths can also see dragons that can camouflage themselves such as Featherhides.
Firepower[]
The Snow Wraith's fire type is frost fusillade, which can blast objects multiple times in succession. Their frost is emitted in thick, concentrated blasts that seem to glow as it emerges from the dragon's 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 three charges, as shown in School of Dragons. They are short-ranged shots but they are still extremely powerful, capable of blasting through thick layers of ice. The Snow Wraith's frost fusillade looks similar to a Night Fury's plasma blast but instead of heat it is cold that is being fired at a fast rate. After the blast hit its target it will freeze and the victims will remain a short time immobile.
After 1,300 years, the Snow Wraith's shot limit seems to have increased greatly as seen in "The Night Lights, Part 2" (possibly to that of the Dramillion), given the two individuals who attacked Thunder and his family, and then Tom and the others, repeatedly and relentlessly fired their blasts and didn't run out of shots so quickly.
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 |
Snow Wraiths are said to have incredibly acute senses of hearing and touch. They can sense the slightest shifts in their environment, from the fall of snow to the fluctuating temperatures of the island, and they utilize this to hunt their prey.
Speed, Agility, 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 had failed in "Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 2". They can fly through powerful blizzards with ease with being able to dodge a Night Furies' plasma blast. It is also shown they are fast enough to take down two people very quickly. In the arctic regions their speed possibly rivals a Night Fury in flight. Snow Wraiths are also quick to hide in a snowstorm because their snowy white scales allow them to blend in well with their surroundings, making it nearly impossible to see in a white-out. They can walk on the snow before ambushing without being noticed. Even sleeping, the Snow Wraith was able to hide within the snow of Glacer Island with neither of the Dragon Riders noticing that the Snow Wraith was near them all along.
Strength and Combat[]
A Snow Wraith is shown to be able to grab another one of its kind and fly through a tunnel with no difficulty. 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. They also use their sharp claws and spikes to help combat opponents. Snow Wraiths appear to have incredible jaw strength as Gothi's Frostfright was able hold and drag Gothi for a long amount of time, and leave large puncture wounds from his teeth. He was also able to grab her staff and sink his teeth so far in, he lost one. 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 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. Gothi's Frostfright was quickly able to tell that the decoys were decoys after attacking one of them. Though normally solitary, a family of Snow Wraiths is shown to be able to operate as a team as shown in "Snow Way Out". They will retreat when a member of their own is hurt and will carry the injured Snow Wraith away from harm. Snow Wraiths are also highly intelligent when it comes to hunting, as they use the blizzard snow to help hide and attack.
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 a Snow Wraith out. Since the Snow Wraith also has better firepower according to the stats, this would mean that a Snow Wraith could probably take out a Night Fury when in an arctic region. Gothi's Frostfright was able to endure several hits from her staff, several plasma blasts to the head, and the other dragons' firepower in "Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 2" and continue to battle with minor injury, until it decided to retreat from being outnumbered.
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.
Social Nature[]
Snow Wraiths are sociable and intelligent creatures that can cooperate in a pair or more members to take down multiple targets. Thanks to their speed, quick shots and burrowing they can cover easily multiple angles and take even the most experienced Riders and their dragons by surprise. Also they can keep fighting with other Strike Class dragons like Night Lights and keep them at bay.
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 during an infiltration like the invasion in "Snow Way Out", as they can navigate around these complex tunnels easier than their enemies.
Riding Winter Winds[]
As evidenced by the description of the Skrill Chiller, it is possible that all Snow Wraith can "ride the winter winds." If taken literally, it resembles a Skrill riding lightning. The wind may be used to boost its speed while flying similar to how Skrills boost their speed with lightning.
Weaknesses[]
Poor Eyesight[]
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 because his body temperature dropped significantly.
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, similar to various snakes. This makes the Snow Wraith close to being blind.
According to Titan Uprising, warmer climates decrease the effectiveness of a Snow Wraith's thermal vision ability. Despite this, Wood Wraiths and Wild Wraiths do make their home in sub-arctic areas.
“ | Although their thermal vision is diminished in warmer climates, their serrated teeth still send chills down the spines of their prey! | ” |
— Dragons: Titan Uprising |
Pack Dependency[]
Even if one Snow Wraith is a formidable foe in the snow, one individual can be defeated easy when outnumbered. This weakness also applies to them in the summer where they hibernate and where their snowstorms aren’t present. Despite being in a pack, one Snow Wraith can easily be defeated, forcing the others to retreat.
Echolocation[]
The Snow Wraith is a predator that relies on its stealth, camouflage, and speed to hunt amidst the harsh conditions of a snowstorm. Its skin coloration allows it to blend seamlessly with its wintry surroundings, providing a tactical advantage. However, the Snow Wraith's vulnerability is exposed when confronted by the Night Fury, which has demonstrated the ability to detect them through echolocation. This leaves the Snow Wraith momentarily stunned, providing an opportunity for enemies to launch an attack.
Toxic Substances[]
Snow Wraiths have common dragon weaknesses, such as dragon root arrows or their own teeth concocted with that, as shown in the episode "The Night Lights, Part 2".
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. [src] | ” |
— Astrid, about the Snow Wraith |
The elusive Snow Wraith is tough, highly aggressive, and a relentless hunter, known for its vicious and predatory nature. This 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 on 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 within a small familial social 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. They seem to have a particular enmity for unruly Skrills, with Skrill Chiller going so far as to be willing to die attacking one.
In "The Night Lights: Part 1" and "2", two giant Snow Wraiths (one Titan Wing possibly) followed Thunder, Shadow, and the riders from the Ice Realm, into the King's Realm where, after Tom released Thunder and left the realm with the other riders, they viciously and relentlessly attacked Thunder and his whole family, seeking to kill them, which forced them to retreat to a cave.
Through the combined efforts of Tom, the Elder Night Light and Thunder, the two individuals were defeated, and retreated back to the Ice Realm of the Hidden World.
Training[]
Despite the fact that it has been stated that Snow Wraiths are impossible to train, the description of the Skrill Chiller proves that a Snow Wraith can be trained, as the Skrill Chiller had been trained by Eret. However, it is unknown how Eret was able to train the Skrill Chiller.
Comparataive Statistics[]
Ultimate Book of Dragons |
Guide to Dragons Books |
Dragonpedia | Dragonpedia Stat Cards |
World of Dragons |
School of Dragons |
Other | |||||||
CLASS | Strike | Strike | |||||||||||
SIZE | 30 feet | 30 feet | |||||||||||
WINGSPAN | 48 feet | ||||||||||||
WEIGHT | 900 lb | ||||||||||||
ATTACK | 18 | 18 | |||||||||||
SPEED | 18 | 18 | 9.2 | ||||||||||
ARMOR | 22 | 22 | |||||||||||
FIRE POWER | 24 | 24 | 9.4 | ||||||||||
SHOT LIMIT | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||||||||||
VENOM | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
JAW STRENGTH | 8 | 8 | |||||||||||
STEALTH | 30 | 30 |
Appearances[]
Dragons: Race to the Edge[]
Season 1[]
Main article: Gothi's Frostfright |
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 gases). 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 finally 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 navigation ability to find the Snow Wraith. As he was emitting soundwaves 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[]
Main article: Frostfright's Big Bro |
Main article: Frostfright's Lil Sis |
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 discover that there were three Snow Wraiths 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: The Nine Realms[]
Season 4[]
In "The Night Lights: Part 1" and "2", two giant Snow Wraiths (one possibly being a Titan Wing) followed Thunder, Shadow, and the riders into the King's Realm. After Tom released Thunder and left the realm with other riders, they viciously attacked Thunder and his family, and forced them to hide in a cave.
When Tom and the other riders came back to find Thunder and his family, one of the Snow Wraiths attacked them, immobilizing the dragons (except Thunder, who managed to save Tom), and forcing the riders to retreat. Tom and Thunder then lured the latter into a tripwire trap, where it was hit with a numbing agent, which knocked the dragon out. But their victory is short-lived when the second Snow Wraith suddenly shows up, knocks the duo unconscious, and then wakes its fellow Snow Wraith companion up to continue their attack on the Night Lights. While they tried to search for the rest of the Night Lights, the two Snow Wraiths were then attacked by Tom riding on the Elder Night Light. Using his lightning sword to absorb the combined lightning from Thunder and the Elder, Tom directs the powerful lightning blast to the two Snow Wraiths, and knocks them both to the ground. Accepting their defeat, the pair retreated back to the Ice Realm.
Games[]
Dragons: Rise of Berk[]
Several Snow Wraiths appeared in Rise of Berk, along with several individuals.
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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 and Zipplewraith, 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".
DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms[]
Wild Snow Wraiths appear as enemies in this game, staring with the Ice Realm. The player must defeat them using Thunder, Plowhorn, Wu and Wei, and Feathers in order to receive crystals and advance in the game.
Trivia[]
- The Snow Wraith resembles the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise owned by Seto Kaiba.
- The Snow Wraith's roar is similar to that of a Flightmare, only 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 might be similar to a snake since it has poor eyesight and relies on thermal heat to navigate its surroundings.
- Snow Wraiths have a mild resemblance to Polar Serpents in the book series.
References[]
- ↑ Forden, Kajsa Rain. Exclusive Look: 'Dragons: Race to the Edge'. (June 22, 2015). Rotoscopers.
Snow Wraith uses Creative Commons Licensed content from the Rise of Berk Wiki page Snow Wraith. The list of authors can be found on the page revision history (view authors). |
Snow Wraith uses Creative Commons Licensed content from the DreamWorks School of Dragons Wiki page Snow Wraith. The list of authors can be found on the page revision history (view authors). |
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