Horizons (Hz) lets you create and play a Dragon that can fly. Dragons gain a lot of abilities with each level but they also have a LOT of quests to do in order to get additional crafting and adventuring abilities. See the Dragon Sheet for basic Dragon information and trainer locations.
Now I have mixed emotions about Hz and dragons. Hz was the first MMORPG that allowed a player to play a dragon. All D&D based games before this had the dragons as vile npc creatures that everybody fought and Hz is not a PvP so it doesn't fit the genre. But it fits the plot line of Hz where the evil is the Withered Aegis (WA) and all races including dragons are enemies of the WA. In truth, I think it was a gimmick to lure more players with a toon that could fly.
One neat thing about dragies are they need to only level one crafting school to make everything they need/can use, namely Dragon Craft, except plot construction. As opposed to any of the biped classes that separate the items they need/can use into 19 different schools, 15 less construction schools. Another neat advantage is that dragons can wear scales based on craft level, so a level 100 dragon craft can wear maxed out scales for adventuring at adventure level 1. And of course their ability to fly, go point to point without regard to terrain is a big benefit to crafting. This all translates into much faster leveling.
Dragons wear 10 scales as opposed to a biped that wears 11 pieces of armor. The difference is a biped can wear all 11 pieces from level 1 where the dragy cannot wear all 10 pieces until level 90 but can increase their armor rating by increasing their hoard value. But most of the biped armor cannot be worn based on craft level, the one exception is cloth armor. Bipeds can wear 7 pieces of jewelry. But the dragons armor rating is very comparable, actually higher than the bipeds armor rating at level 100, its just the biped needs more items and the dragy needs to be higher in craft levels and hoard for all adventure levels prior to level 100.
Much whining from dragons has been done about this and that all with the same basic scheme that they are not uber. Well having a maxed out biped and dragy gives me a unique perspective. And that perspective is the whining is BS. Dragons are very powerful and capable toons. If anything, they need to be nerfed, although I am not suggesting they do that. They seem to be quite balanced overall, its just the approach and variation with level is different. But that is expected. My dragon has done things my biped (who is multiclassed) could never do, flying aside. Dragons get 2 tremendous abilities, breeze and spike scales, which is a good thing they stop at VII. Those two abilities coupled with max scales from crafting allow a dragy to solo mobs at a level way earlier than any biped not using any special abilities that use hoard. This translates into faster and easier leveling. At max level the dragy is comparable to a multiclassed warrior/cleric biped in solo fighting.
But since I play a draggy toon, I intend to use my Hz given right to bitch moan and complain! Yes its true, from all the whining in the early days of Hz, dragies have that reputation. In truth, dragon development was behind biped development in the early days and as we allknow, games are released too early, Hz was no exception. Now however, I am quite pleased. The game is almost ready for release (21 months later).
One drawback of a dragy is they cannot multiclass, which to me is a good thing. If dragies could multiclass like a biped then they would be way too powerful. Dragies have a form of multiclass built in, kind of like crafting. In adventure you get healing, attack skills and abilities with each level.
