What medieval weapons would dragon riders really use? FANTASY RE-ARMED

I was sad that you didn't say crossbow. I mean, you have the time to reload (unless facing another dragon) the bolts are normally heavier, less space needed and so less wind resistance. Would love to see people test this from something like a Gotha G bomber.

Nostalgia Critic: "But what about Dragons?!"
Dragons will live
NC: 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

There is the his majesty's dragon / temeraire series which is set during the napoleon's era were most countries have a dragon airforce.. and the heavy weight dragons due indeed have whole crews and participate in bombing runs and like "broadsides" attacks with muskets..also pistols and swords for boarding other dragons ( the crew and borders use carabiners to latch onto the dragon harnesses)

If DRAGONS are real, than it is not a stretch that some riders would have MAGIC

A dragon could also be used for rapid infantry deployment. Being on top of the dragon would provide protection from missile weapons, the dragon could clear the LZ with literal cover fire, then an entire infantry platoon could disembark and sweep up the survivors

I think a crossbow would bei best

The reason why there is typically just one rider on the back of a dragon is because the dragon upon hatching only bonds to one human. the dragon and rider are pair-bonded in mind.

what happens when you run out of projectiles?

You should do a video on what would be the best medival weapons for riders of other flying mounts-like pegasi, perytons, hippogriffs, griffons, or giant eagles.

A point worth keeping in mind, is that in many stories, dragon riders are not JUST "dragon riders".
Case in point, the Dragoon from Final Fantasy. They ride Dragons, and they wield a lance/spear, but the lance makes sense for them because they can leap like 90 feet into the air and make a plunge attack that cracks the Earth, or spring forward and pierce through other dragons with it.

So, why not ballista? Also nets.

The dragon is the weapon. A good saddle is what matters

"How to make dragons MORE unfair in combat"

My thought on this with regards to adding more people is the following.

The main rider is called the Dragon Knight, they are the one who controls the Dragon and is likely to be the one who has raised/tamed/trained the Dragon. Then we have the Dragon Guard, these are a squad of about half a dozen warriors, all armed with small war bows or short bows, with backup weapons like swords just incase the Dragon is grounded by something. Perhaps even add in a couple of Dragon Squires as well, apprentices to the Knight, who are in charge of handing out ammunition and using the Flechettes.

For the Dragon Knight’s own armament, same as the Dragon Guard but higher quality due to their station, also their job is more to direct where the Dragon is going/doing, and calling out targets to his men.

Flasks of Greek fire would be great for high altitude bombing runs I'd reckon. Also cross bows might be good since they dont need as much vertical space. And of course a small sword could be useful in case your dragon goes down behind enemy lines and you survive (or if you need to land for some reason).

BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS ?

Sniper/mounted archer maybe? 🤔

Depending on the dragon and the material maybe placing a cabin under the dragon could be better as long as it isn't encumbering to the dragon or at risk of being crrushed under the dragons weight.

Im creating a dragon riding wizard. My first , think it will make a good combo .while my dragon fights I'll be blasting with spells

Congratulations on successfully turning a dragon into a B-17.

I would hesitate to put more people on the dragon - while dragons can carry stuff they typically heavily flap their wings instead of gliding, maybe some version of a rear gunner bit no more than 2 people to keep maneuverability as dragon needs to dodge as much as possible - one good javelin stuck between a bone means dragon falls down the sky like a sack of potatoes while f.e. pegasi or other gliding fliers could attempt to keep the wing steady to at least land safely. With that in mind rider is often strapped to the saddle as dragon does barrel rolls and stuff which limits direction in which ranged weapon can reliable be aimed with 2 hands.
Since we're talking fantasy we need pretty much something aimed one hand, meaning flachettes, javelin, maybe some magic bombs as equivalent to gunpowder bombs.

Flachets sound similar to the darts Romans used.

What about weapons to be used against other dragon riders. Would melee be effective or is that just cinematic like in Eragon?

Just use a cross bow on the dragon at then you can cover the dragon’s blind spots

just use its fire, teach it a command to breathe fire maybe

I imagine the point of having a sword as a dragon rider is mostly in case you get dismounted.

And a lance seems like the most effective way to take out other dragons or other large creatures as it allows you to put the full weight and speed of a dragon mid flight into a tiny point.

What would a Dragon do when ITS rainy? Firebreathing and rlying. is Not an Option.

I would've just stuck to a carbine and pile of rocks to strafe.

What about a canon? Or a catapult or idk you know?

Crossbow

I was just thinking of the concept of a dragon rider the other day and wondering why they aren't depicted using bows, because that was the only weapon I could think of that kind of made sense on a flying creature 😂 Glad to see I'm not the only one! Great stuff :)

Question; what weapons would gryphon riders use?

Sword or lance if you need to dismount the dragon, because the dragon could be hurt.

Pilum, flechettes, smoke bombs,and some kinda impact "grenade"

My brain during the intro', "depending on how you choose to pull out, it could go badly. . . "
I'll see myself out.

I imagine that if you're taking a dragon out of the garage to take for a spin, you're not fighting a single unit. Flechettes seem too directed and are useless after they've landed. Instead, opt for dropping caltrops in the line of approach or retreat of your enemy.

For the rider, I wouldn't bother trying to out dps the dragon with anything the dragon can deal with. Instead, cover it's weaknesses. Specifically griffons + riders targeting the dragon's wings to try to ground it. Bows, maybe nets, and if they come close enough, a spear.

@Shadiversity thoughts?

I honestly though of musket but forgot how hard it is to load on a animal or in general

wat if Dragonriders could axes magic throu ther weapons ore just throu there band with the Dragon???

I was thinking having Muljnir/Thor Hammer with you on a dragon would be pretty useful as it can fly and defend and protect and assist you and your dragon by taking out incoming enemies from the sky . Other dragons, also can go attack navy ships to . Stormbreaker too .

I think a mage shooting area effect spells from atop a dragon would be terrifying. It also keeps the mage away from melee fighters trying to hit them with a sword. Imagine a team, consisting of a dragon, the dragon rider who pilots the dragon, and a couple of powerful mages throwing fire nets or lightning from on high, or casting fear or confusion spells at the enemy command post from outside bowshot.

Using a melee weapon from dragon back is like using a melee weapon from an Apache helicopter. It’s useless and stupid and defeats the entire purpose of the helicopter dragon.

Resuming the journey through the whole catalogue of videos to comment, like, and fully watch each video for engagement and channel growth.

The two main examples I think of are ASOIAF and Eragon. In ASOIAF the dragons aren't as intelligent as a human, so require the telepathic bond with their rider to even be used as weapons instead of just chilling on a mountaintop. And in Eragon, by bonding with a dragon, a dragon rider is granted powerful magical potential, so they can cast spells from the dragon's back, giving a much more versatile range of weaponry according the the magician's skill, allowing the rider to still be useful despite the dragons in Eragon being intelligent and so perfectly able to direct themselves. Additionally, since in Eragon magicians are limited to being only able to perform magic according to the energy they can draw from in their own bodies, most mages aren't capable of anything particularly crazy by high fantasy standards, unless they find a way to draw their energy from somewhere else. Dragon Riders in Eragon can draw on their dragon's energy. So the dragon bond feels crucial as a weapon, despite conventional weapons being almost entirely useless from dragonback.

Rocks,nets,cross bow, javelins, clay jar Molotov cocktails, hornets nest, grappling hooks.

Dragons could be used as fortified mobile command posts. Commanders would get a big benefit from having an aerial view of the battlefield and being able to quickly move around to relay information or help their troops wherever its most needed. A dragon would basically be like cavalry on steroids. A commander could also fire arrows with different colored smoke bombs attached to signal orders from afar. Also, wizards! A wizard could fly around the battlefield, casting auras and environmental spells to influence the battle. That would be useful. Since the dragon is enough of a weapon in itself, i think utilizing the rider for another purpose, like i suggest here, would make the most sense.

Also guided missile if you have a word a golem and you have the means to make rockets okay now you just have your dragon put the rocket in pretty much do you have a dragon that can get a missile to its Target a very low frequency the rocket will fall pretty much think a 21st century hellfire but in a fantasy so you have a guided missile in a fantasy setting having cannons ballistics and they also don't forget to carry conventional horses like a mustang weighs about 1,000 to 800 lb even how even how to train your dragons can carry a mustang in the writer into battle now you have dragon riders dragon supported horses and Calvary that would be insane if a dragon is down you have regular conventional horse archery it take to them that would be a pretty even dragons like toothless can be used against tanks how to train your dragons definitely can knock out tanks I sure toothless can take out tanks sure no doubt

@Shadiversity Years late, but why just one weapon? I'd have a few weapons for different avenues of attack and defense. One of the biggest weaknesses of a Dragon with a Rider, is the rider themselves.

So a shield to protect the rider from being sniped by arrows is a must. Next, for ranged weapons I'd have three of these options both against other dragon riders and against those on the ground from high altitude. A bow designed for mounted archery would work great for use against enemy dragonriders, same with crossbows. Another weapon I could think of would be Javelins, which were designed to be thrown and would be pretty good weapons against either enemy dragons, dragonriders, or infantry especially if they had weighted tips to put more force into the point.

Its actually funny Shad brought up Flachettes because there actually was a weapon similar to them called Plumbatae or martiobarbuli were lead-weighted darts carried by infantrymen in Antiquity and the Middle Ages that can be used in the same manner as what he is describing by dropping them from above on formations or even used in sieging castles you don't want to destroy with your dragon.

And lastly as a secondary weapon in those rare situations where someone actually manages to get close enough to attack you while mounted is either a sword or a long dagger. Likely another Dragonrider who jumps off their own dragon to get to you either while the Dragons themselves grapple or by them deciding to dive off their dragon from a higher elevation to strike from above if they are only seeking to get rid of the rider while sparing the dragon, or because they ran out of arrows, darts, or javelins to throw or drop on you and their dragon is injuried or too small to directly engage another dragon. Or because some guy was crazy enough to jump off a high position to get to the rider so that they can remove the dragon from battle. In any case, you want to have something their to defend against an close quarters battle if needed.