Ice and Fire Dragons — Guide

The Three Dragon Types

There are three great dragon species, each tied to an element:

Pale, frost-colored dragons that breathe freezing ice, chilling and shattering their targets.
Found in cold and snowy regions and icy caverns.

All three grow enormous, hoard treasure, and can be raised and ridden - only their breath weapon and coloring differ.

A dragon grows through several age stages, getting larger and stronger at each one:

Egg - the starting form. Eggs are found in dragon dens and dungeon loot, and hatch under the right conditions (fire eggs need heat/lava nearby, ice eggs need cold/water, lightning eggs need their own trigger).
Hatchling - a tiny, fragile baby that follows and bonds with you. Keep it safe and well fed.
Juvenile - larger and tougher, starting to fight but not yet rideable.
Adult / Ancient - a massive flying dragon. Once big enough it can be saddled and ridden, carry a full breath attack, and devastate enemies.

Growth is driven by feeding - the more you feed a dragon, the faster it advances toward its next stage.

To get a dragon of your own:

Obtain an egg from a dragon den, roost or dungeon, or from a wild dragon's hoard.
Hatch it by placing it in the matching environment for its element (heat for fire, cold for ice, and so on) until the hatchling emerges.
Bond with the hatchling - feed it meat and food so it imprints on you and treats you as its owner.
Feed it to grow - keep feeding as it advances through the juvenile and adult stages.
Once it is an adult, place a dragon saddle on it to ride.

A tamed dragon is loyal to its owner, will defend you, and can be commanded to behave (sit, follow, wander, attack).

Start with an egg, not a wild adult - hatching and raising your own dragon is far safer than trying to tame a full-grown one.
Hatch eggs in the matching environment - fire eggs near heat/lava, ice eggs in cold/water; the wrong setting won't hatch them.
Keep feeding your dragon to speed its growth toward the rideable adult stage.
Carry a dragon horn so you can pack your dragon away safely before risky travel and re-summon it later.
Never look a gorgon in the eye - approach with your view averted, or you'll be turned to stone.
Blind the cyclops and stay out of deep water near sea serpents; each creature has a weakness to exploit.
Raid dragon roosts for the fastest supply of scales and bone to build a full dragonsteel armory.

Dragons drop valuable parts you forge into a full equipment tier:

Dragon scales, dragon bone and dragonsteel (smelted from scales/bone) are the base crafting materials, and come in fire, ice and lightning variants.

Dragonbone sword and other dragonsteel weapons deal heavy damage, with elemental bonuses matching their variant.
Dragonbone bow and dragonbone arrows for ranged elemental attacks.

Dragon-scale armor in fire / ice / lightning sets, offering strong protection and element resistance.
Dragonsteel tools (pickaxe, axe, shovel and more) that outclass diamond-tier gear.

Dragon horn to store and re-summon your bonded dragon.
Dragon flute to call your dragon to you from afar.
Various magical artifacts and trinkets found in dungeons that grant special effects.

Beyond dragons, the world is populated with legendary beasts:

Gorgon - a serpent-haired horror whose gaze turns you to stone; avoid looking directly at it and use its severed head as a weapon.
Hippogryph - an eagle-lion hybrid you can tame and ride as a faster, lighter flying mount.
Cyclops - a towering one-eyed giant that guards caves; blinding its eye is key to beating it.
Cockatrice - a hen-lizard whose stare weakens and can petrify.
Sea Serpent - a huge ocean predator that lurks in deep water and attacks boats.
Death Worm - a burrowing desert monster that ambushes from beneath the sand.
Troll - a big, tough brute found in caves and mountains, dropping weapons and loot.
Hydra - a multi-headed beast; cut a head and more may grow back.
Amphithere, Stymphalian Birds, Pixies and other smaller creatures round out the ecosystem, each with their own behavior, drops and dangers.

New generated locations give you places to explore and loot:

Dragon Roosts & Caverns - the lairs of wild fire, ice and lightning dragons, piled with treasure hoards, dragon parts and eggs (guarded by the resident dragon).
Gorgon Temples - dungeons haunted by gorgons, hiding artifacts and loot behind their petrifying gaze.
Graveyards & Mausoleums - eerie sites with undead and buried treasure.
Myrmex Colonies - underground insect hives with their own hierarchy and rewards.
Other ruins and dens scattered across the world hold artifacts, magical items and dragon eggs for those brave enough to clear them.

Most of these are high-risk, high-reward - the tougher the guardian, the better the loot.