Dragon

The Dragon is the second most powerful neutral monster on Summoner's Rift in League of Legends.

Gameplay
Killing the dragon grants 125-260 gold to each player on the killing team and gives experience to killer and nearby allies. The killer receives 25 bonus gold. It is described in-game as "a powerful and dangerous monster who can blow fire on its enemies causing damage over time and reducing damage dealt. Slaying this foe grants global gold to your team". If the Dragon is slain, it will respawn after 6 minutes.
 * If the killing team is lower average level than their opponents, the Dragon grants a bonus XP of +25% per average level difference.
 * Bonus XP is sharply increased for the lowest level members of the team, +15% per number of levels behind the Dragon squared (max total +200% extra).
 * The Dragon's basic attacks deal additional physical damage equal to . This increases by per level after level 9, to a maximum of  per basic attack.
 * The debuff from the Dragon deals 60 true damage over 4 seconds and reduces damage dealt by 20%. The debuff refreshes as the Dragon attacks.

Background
''The scent of chaos fuels the flames in the heart of the Dragon. Drawn to this war-torn land, the mightiest of beasts has settled deep within the Summoner's Rift, awaiting the next great war. To those who wake this slumbering ancient, beware: for his sharp teeth and suffocating breath have been tempered by the bravest of champions, and yet it is he that still thrives in the depths of the Rift.''

Strategy

 * Controlling and killing the Dragon can lead to a gold advantage for your team.
 * The 125-260 global gold is equivalent to approximately 5-20 minion kills for everyone on your team, depending on the stage of the game. So killing the Dragon is roughly equivalent to killing 38 creeps (~ 6 whole waves) and distributing the gold equally. It is generally considered to be worth as much as 1-2 champion kills, making it a very high value target.
 * When killing the Dragon, check that the enemy team has not warded the area to avoid ganks.
 * Ganks at the Dragon are in fact pretty frequent, as your team will be weakened by it and with limited escape paths. A good gank at the Dragon may result in a lot of deaths for your team, with the Dragon kill being stolen by the enemies.
 * Try to keep a ward in the river near the Dragon to know if it has spawned or is being killed.
 * This ward also provides vision of enemy champions switching between the middle and bottom lanes.
 * Consequently, you should consider using a or Sweeping Lens to check for wards before attempting dragon.
 * Killing the Dragon is one of the jobs of the jungler. He may require help from the team, especially from the bottom or the mid lane.
 * This is one of the reasons why there are usually 2 champions in the bottom lane, with the top lane being solo, when there is a jungler on your team.
 * , and  are examples of junglers that are capable of killing the Dragon alone at early levels.
 * Trying to kill the Dragon before level 5 as a jungler is generally a bad idea. Try enlisting the help of your mid lane and/or bottom lane allies temporarily for an earlier and easier kill.
 * "Pulling Dragon" (attacking it and then backing away to lead it out of its lair) can be vital, as if it remains in its lair it is possible for an enemy champion to from across the back wall and steal the last hit if they realize that your team is attempting to defeat the Dragon.

Trivia

 * The Dragon is the only neutral creep in the game with magic resistance higher than its armor.
 * The Dragon is the only neutral creep in the game whose attacks apply a DoT debuff

Patch History
Smok Dragon