Dragonkind Dragon Colors & Approach Protocols

Unofficial fan guide · Last updated October 3, 2026

◆ Why color matters in dragonkind

In the Empyrean series, a dragon's color is never just cosmetic. Dragons are organized into dens by color, and each den carries its own ancestry, reputation, temperament and even a prescribed way of being approached. Riders are expected to know these rules cold — misreading a dragon's den can get you killed before Threshing even starts. Consider this your dragon colors reference: every den's temperament, its approach protocol, and how the dragon colors carry over into the dragonkind.com game.

For fans of the dragonkind.com experience, the same lore appears to shape the game: knowing each den's protocol is widely believed to influence which dragon bonds with you. Keep this dragon colors guide open while you play, and it will tell you which approach fits each den.

◆ Every den, at a glance

Here's the full dragon colors roster at a glance — seven dens, and the named dragons we know in each so far:

◆ Each den, in depth

Black dragonkind

The rarest, smartest and most dangerous of all dragons — and the most discerning about riders. No black dragon had been born in a century before the story begins, which makes the two we know feel almost mythic. Tairn — Tairneanach in full — is a Morningstartail of the cunning Dubhmadinn line, bonded to Violet Sorrengail and mated to the blue Sgaeyl. Codagh, a Swordtail, is bonded to General Melgren and is the only dragon in active service larger than Tairn; Melgren's signet lets him foresee the outcome of battles, a power that suits a black dragon's cold pragmatism. Getting a black dragonkind match in the game is the community's holy grail — see the black dragon guide.

Blue dragonkind

Ruthless, powerful and among the most dangerous in the series, blues descend from the Gormfaileas bloodline — the coldest line of dragonkind, by the lore's own account. The rarest blues are the Daggertails, whose blade-tipped tails are said to be able to open a foe in a single strike. Sgaeyl — bonded to Xaden Riorson, with her gold eyes and blue horns — is the most powerful blue in active service; her previous rider died some fifty years ago, and she is Tairn's mate. Notably, no blues were willing to bond during Violet's Threshing year; they are choosy, and they do not forgive weakness.

Green dragonkind

The intellectuals of dragonkind, prized for tactical minds and siege work. Greens descend from the honorable Uaineloidsig line and are considered the most rational of all dragons. The approach rule is strict: lower your eyes and wait to be acknowledged — and never back down, because greens respect strength and will test you. Known greens: Teine, bonded to Violet's sister Mira, whose signet extends wards, and Feirge, a Daggertail bonded to Rhiannon, whose signet can pull objects through space. Green riders tend to be the planners of the quadrant, and their dragons back them up with patience rather than fire.

Red dragonkind

The quickest to anger of all dragonkind — especially the red Scorpiontails among them, whose venomous stingers make their tempers a practical problem, not just a personality quirk. The approach protocol is precise: never look a red dragon in the eye, and approach from the left, from the front. Once bonded, however, they are fiercely loyal. Known reds: Deigh, a Daggertail bonded to Liam with a far-sight signet; Sliseag, a Swordtail bonded to Sawyer, whose signet shapes metal; and Aotrom, a Clubtail bonded to Ridoc. Between them, the reds cover nearly every tail type — a reminder that color, not tail, is what defines the den.

Orange dragonkind

The most unpredictable den, descended from the Fhaicorain line. Orange dragons come in shades from apricot to carrot, and fans debate an old theory that their riders tend toward the untrustworthy — a rumor the series has fun teasing and refusing to settle. Known oranges: Baide, the only scorpiontail in the orange den, bonded to Jack Barlowe; Marbh, a Daggertail bonded to Brennan Sorrengail; and Glane, bonded to Imogen. If you pull an orange in the dragonkind game, the fandom will tell you to watch your back — which is, of course, exactly what an orange would want you to think.

Brown dragonkind

The least written-about den in the series — and one with real weight behind it. Aimsir, bonded to General Lilith Sorrengail, is a brown dragon whose rider's signet controls the weather; storms answer to her, which makes her one of the most dangerous women on the continent. Brown dragonkind riders tend to be steady, powerful people the story relies on — the kind of bond the series mentions in passing, as if to say the less glamorous dens are quietly running the war.

Gold / feathertail dragonkind

Not a den but a stage: every dragon is born a small, gold feathertail and only takes on its adult color and tail type as it matures. Feathertails can't carry riders; instead they can gift their full power to a bonded human. Andarna — Andarnaurram in full, meaning "second honor" — bonded Violet as a feathertail, making her one of the youngest bonded dragons in living memory. Her parents died before she hatched, and the elders of the Vale raised her; the mystery of her future adult form is one of the series' biggest questions. See the Andarna profile for the full story.

◆ Tail types of dragonkind

The dragon colors get most of the attention, but a dragon's tail type is a second layer of identity, independent of den color. The books name six types, and together they read like a weapons catalogue:

Tail type and color are independent: reds alone account for clubtails, daggertails, swordtails and scorpiontails. When fans describe a dragon, they usually give both — "the black Morningstartail," "the blue Daggertail" — because the two together pin down exactly which dragon they mean.

◆ Bloodlines across the dens

Beneath the colors sit the bloodlines — the family lines the lore traces back through generations, each with its own character.

Gormfaileas blues

The blue den descends from the Gormfaileas line, described as the coldest of all dragonkind. It shows: blues are the most detached, the least impressed by human courage, and the rarest blue Daggertails pair that coldness with a tail that can open a belly in one strike. Sgaeyl is the line's living proof.

Dubhmadinn blacks

Tairn's line, the Dubhmadinn, is remembered as cunning — a reputation that fits a den smart enough to be picky about riders for a century. When fans talk about black dragons out-thinking everyone in the room, Dubhmadinn is the bloodline they mean.

Uaineloidsig greens

Greens descend from the Uaineloidsig line, honored for their integrity. The lore treats them as the most trustworthy den — rational, steady, and slow to anger, which is exactly the temperament you want in a tactical asset.

Fhaicorain oranges

The Fhaicorain line produces the most mercurial dragons in the series. Unpredictability is the point: no two oranges behave the same way, and the "untrustworthy orange rider" theory has kept fans arguing since Fourth Wing.

Brown is the odd one out: the books never name its bloodline, which only deepens the air of mystery around the den that quietly carries two of the story's most powerful riders.

◆ Colonel Kaori's Field Guide to Dragonkind

Much of what fans "know" about dens, tail types and approach etiquette comes from a book inside the books: Colonel Kaori's Field Guide to Dragonkind. Kaori, Basgiath's dragon expert, is the series' walking authority on dragon behavior, hierarchy and rider-dragon relations, and his manual is the text cadets study before they ever meet a dragon face to face.

It's a fictional book — there is no real-world official field guide you can buy (yet) — but it explains where the series' vocabulary comes from: why a den matters, what a tail type implies, how a dragon chooses a rider. If you've searched for "field guide to dragonkind" expecting a real manual, this site is the closest honest answer: a fan-built field guide, updated as the series grows, with every fact cross-checked against the books and the official dragonkind.com experience.

◆ Approach protocols — the rules riders live by

Each den has an approach protocol, taught at Basgiath, and the rules are strict:

• Green — lower your eyes in supplication and wait for their approval. Never back down: greens respect strength and will test you.
• Red — never look a red dragon in the eye. Approach from the left, and from the front.
• Black — the most discerning of all. Bonding one is an extraordinary event; they choose almost no one.
• Blue, orange, brown — less codified in the books, but each carries its own reputation, and riders tread carefully around all of them.

Read the protocols as character notes, not just safety rules. A green demands you hold your nerve; a red demands you show respect on its terms; a black demands you be worth its attention. The books never say the words "approach protocol" without reminding you that the dragon is the one setting the terms — and the approach is your first and only chance to make the right impression.

◆ How this carries into the Dragonkind game

If you're playing dragonkind.com, the dragon colors above are exactly the pool you're drawing from — plus the now-famous black dragon battery trick. A few practical notes for players:

• Black is the prestige match, and the community's method for landing it is the battery trick (76–90% at entry).
• Follow the book protocols in your approach choices where the game lets you — players believe it moves the odds.
• Know your dens' reputations before you answer anything: the game leans on the same lore, so the choice that fits a green's expectations may be exactly the wrong one for a red.
• Replay is free, so treat each run as a data point: the fandom is mapping the full mechanics in real time.

Not sure which den fits you? Take the which-dragon-are-you quiz first, then walk into the Valley with a plan.

◆ Frequently asked questions