Greater Mistral

The Greater Mistral is one of twelve high dragons encountered in Dragon Age: Inquisition. It can be found in the Southfinger Watch region, in the north area of the Emerald Graves.
== Background ==
In 9:20 Dragon, a great flight of Greater Mistrals emerged from the Emerald Graves. They have been described as "showy" for the colorful scales and for taking extended flights at dawn near human settlements with bellowing shrieks.
== Quests ==
:
== Locations ==
:
== Stats ==
: Level 17 Boss
: 166748-188840 HP
: 47–52 Armor
: Greater Cold Resistance
: Fire Vulnerability
: Immunity: All Disabling Effects
: Immunity: Slowed
: Perceptive
== Strategy ==
The Greater Mistral breathes ice instead of fire, dealing cold damage. The dragon is resistant to cold damage, but vulnerable to fire. Bringing Cold Resistance Tonics is a must on higher difficulties, particularly for your tank. Regeneration potions can also help, as can Antivan Fire grenades. Equip your mage or mages with a fire staff. Dragon-slaying and fire runes can also help somewhat, but it's not required. Completing The Cold Endured side-quest in the Forbidden Oasis will permanently increase the Inquisitor's cold resistance stats, which may be useful if you are having difficulties.
The Greater Mistral will generate a full guard bar that you will have to wear down. She will do this multiple times, often just after you have worn the guard down so be prepared for a long fight. Abilities that do extra damage against guard, such as upgraded Shield Bash, will help.
The Greater Mistral will stay on the ground for most of the fight. She will make small jumps to cover distance at times. During the battle, at 75%, 50%, and 25% health, she will take off. Shortly after, she will return at high speed, breathing ice at party members along her path, which will chill (slow) and damage them. Shortly after she will land, knocking any party members off their feet and doing high damage to them. Spreading your party out when she takes off is a good idea. Abilities like Evade, Fade Step and Combat Roll will be useful to keep your party members out of harms way.
All dragons will use melee attacks on party members close to her. She will broadcast her attacks by raising the leg closest to the party member she is targeting. Avoid attacks with Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll. Getting close to her tail will often make her raise her tail up and to the side in preparation to swipe the whole area behind her. A tail swipe is harder to avoid than an attack with her legs since it will cover a larger area, so the best thing to do is to stay away from her tail.
Every time the dragon lifts her wings high up over her body, she's about to use her vortex ability. She will flap her wings four times, and on each flap, she will suck your party closer to her and do high damage to them. The ability has an extremely long range so it's doubtful you can outrun it. There are three ways to deal with this ability:
# With high enough dps you can just weather it, since you will see this ability no more than a couple of times. Keep fighting the dragon and use potions when needed, although you will burn through them quickly.
# You can hide behind obstacles. This can be difficult because of poor AI pathfinding, AI unwillingness to stand where ordered even when "holding position", and the dragon constantly moving and destroying obstacles.
# Lastly, and the best way, is to get into melee range (inside the vortex). Inside it you will take no damage. As soon as you see the dragon's wings rise high, use Evade (rogues) and Fade Step (mages) to help get them inside the circle as fast as possible. Having your ranged party members stand not too far from the dragon at all times will help prepare for the vortex. When the dragon stops flapping her wings, get your ranged party members out again quickly so they don't get hit by her melee attacks. 
The Greater Mistral will also launch an ice ball if a party member that is not in melee range generates threat. She will shoot a ball of ice in a straight line which will explode on the ground and leave a cloud of frost for a while. Any party member that walks over this will take damage and be chilled (slowed). Sometimes she will jump away from the party intentionally to use this attack. Avoid this ability with Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll.
The Greater Mistral will also use her ice breath at times. She will signify this ability by raising her head back and up, and then spray the ground in front and to the sides, trying to hit any party members that are standing close enough. The breath will leave party members chilled as well as doing damage to them. Avoid this ability with Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll.
Focusing your party's damage on the dragons legs can make the dragon fall to the ground helplessly for a short while when you have sufficiently damaged all four legs. A dragon with a damaged leg will be bleeding severely and will also show a pain animation and jump away if you have damaged a leg enough. Focus your damage on one leg at a time and after you see that leg start to bleed, change to another leg. When the dragon is lying on the ground, it is a very good time to use many of the party's ground-targeted focus abilities, like the Inquisitor's Mark of the Rift or Solas' Firestorm, since you know the dragon will not be able to move for a short while. Typically it will take a very long time to damage the dragon's legs enough for it to fall, often taking almost the whole battle for it to occur.
== Rewards ==
Killing the dragon yields:
* 2,220 XP plus 10,152 XP
* Influence 3000
* Power 5
== Notable loot ==
:
:
:
: (50% chance)
: (3-5)
: (2-3)
: (5-10)
: (5-10)
: (6-10)
== Notes ==
* As of Patch 5, the intended for Sera can no longer be looted from the Greater Mistral.
== Trivia ==
* "Mistral" is the French name of a strong, cold, northwesterly wind that blows from southern France into the Mediterranean.
* In Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 2, Greater Mistrals are instead referred to as "Greater Minstrals".
== Gallery ==
Greater Mistral Front Profile.png
Greater Mistral Flying.png
Greater Mistral Side Profile.png
Greater Mistral Head.png|A close-up on the dragon's face.
Greater Mistral Snarl.png
Great minstral in flight.png|Greater Mistral in flight
Promotional Greater Mistral.jpg|Artwork of the Greater Mistral in Heroes of Dragon Age
HoDA_Greater Mistral.jpg|The Greater Mistral in Heroes of Dragon Age (Tier IV)
== References ==
Category:Creatures
Category:Dragon Age: Inquisition creatures
Category:Heroes of Dragon Age creatures
Category:Dragons
de:Höherer Mistral