Dragon Genetics 101: Recessive, Dominant and Incomplete Dominant

Dragon genetics in Dragonbred follow one rule underneath everything: every gene comes in two copies, one from each parent. A recessive gene needs both copies to show, an incomplete dominant gene shows with one copy and turns into a stronger super form with two, and a dominant gene shows with one copy and looks the same with two.

Learn those three behaviors and you can predict almost every clutch in the game. This guide covers each one with the crosses you will actually make.

Two copies of every gene

Each dragon carries two copies of each gene, and each parent passes on one of its two at random. That coin flip happens separately for every gene and every egg, which is why siblings from one clutch can look so different.

Dragonbred hides the genotype. You never see the two copies directly. What you see is the dragon's look, plus what the game knows about what it carries, such as "het Albino" or "67% het Albino." The tutorial's two carriers come with known genes; dragons from crates come with percentages. The rest you work out by breeding.

The gene's inheritance mode decides how those two copies turn into a look. Every gene in the game uses one of three modes:

Other breeding games also talk about co-dominant and dominant-lethal genes. No released morph in Dragonbred uses either one.

Recessive genes: Albino, Striped, Piebald and Lava

A recessive gene needs two copies to show. One copy is invisible: the dragon looks Normal but carries the gene. In keeper language that dragon is a het, short for heterozygous.

The released recessive morphs are:

• Albino, a color gene, graded Rare.
• Striped, a pattern gene, graded Rare.
• Piebald, which adds white patches, graded Mythic.
• Racer, racing lines along the back and flanks, graded Rare.
• Cobalt, which turns the face's markings and any second markings blue, graded Rare.
• Masked, a dark face, graded Rare.
• Bone Horns, ivory horns and claws, graded Rare.
• Regal, gold horns, claws and antlers, graded Mythic and only available from the Lava Crate.
• Lava, an element, graded Legendary and only available from the Lava Crate.

Here is what each kind of recessive cross produces, per egg:

The het × het line is the one every new keeper meets first, because the tutorial pair is two proven het Striped. One egg in four hatches Striped. The other three look Normal, and two out of three of those carry the gene. That is where the "67% het" label comes from, and hets and possible hets explained shows how to turn those percentages into certainties.

Incomplete dominant genes and super forms

An incomplete dominant gene shows with a single copy. Two copies make a stronger, named look called the super form. Most of the released morphs work this way:

There are no hidden carriers here. A dragon with one copy of Golden looks Golden; one with none looks Normal. That makes incomplete dominant genes the easiest to work with:

• Golden × Normal: 50% Golden, 50% Normal.
• Golden × Golden: 25% Pale Gold, 50% Golden, 25% Normal.
• Pale Gold × Normal: 100% Golden.
• Pale Gold × Golden: 50% Pale Gold, 50% Golden.
• Pale Gold × Pale Gold: 100% Pale Gold.

The super is the prize. Pale Gold is graded a step above Golden, Super Blue Dots a step above Blue Dots, to Epic, and Midnight Wings jumps two steps, to Epic as well. Because a super always passes one copy to every baby, it also makes the gene easy to spread through your pen.

Dominant genes: Ringtail, Blue Belly and Firetip

Three released morphs are dominant: Ringtail, Blue Belly and Firetip.

A dominant gene shows with one copy, and two copies look identical. That means you can't tell a one-copy dragon from a two-copy dragon by looking. Only its babies tell you: a two-copy parent passes the gene to every egg.

No gene in the game is lethal, so two copies of any gene are always safe. An egg that does not develop was lost to inbreeding; inbreeding explained has the odds.

Genes stack in layers

A dragon usually carries more than one gene, and each gene belongs to a layer of the look: body color, pattern, white, accent, and element. Genes on different layers combine freely, so a dragon can be Golden, Spotted and Blue Dots at once, and each gene is inherited separately.

Two cross-layer rules are worth knowing:

1. 1Patternless hides things. Patternless removes the markings, so it hides other pattern genes and any element. The game shows those covered genes as "hidden X" rather than claiming the dragon lacks them.
2. 2Elements fill the markings. An element like Lava paints the markings while the body keeps its own color, which is why an Albino Lava looks different from a Normal Lava. Piebald's white patches cover the fill.

Because every gene rolls separately, two-gene odds multiply. Pair a Golden het Albino with a proven het Albino, and each egg has a 50% chance of Golden and a 25% chance of Albino, so 12.5% of eggs show both. The breeding odds guide works through more of these.

What genes don't decide

Morph genes control color, pattern and markings. They don't control a dragon's build. Size, wingspan, wing length and breadth, head spikes and antlers come from a separate, hidden physique that is inherited in small steps from both parents.

Physique is independent of morph. A Normal can carry the best antler rack in your pen, and big racks take generations of deliberate breeding.

Grades are tied to genes, though. A single simple look keeps its own grade, two looks together grade one step higher, and three or more grade two steps higher, capped at Epic (Piebald stays Mythic). Any element makes a dragon Legendary. Rarity grades explained covers the full ladder.

With the three main modes in hand, the rest is practice. Pick a target look from the morph guide, then open Dragonbred and plan the pairing that gets you there.

Frequently asked questions

What is a het in dragon genetics?

A het is a dragon carrying one copy of a recessive gene. It looks Normal but can pass the gene on, so two hets paired together make visual babies 25% of the time.

What is a super form?

A super form is the look of a dragon with two copies of an incomplete dominant gene. Pale Gold is super Golden, Speckled is super Spotted, and Patternless is super Sparse.

Is Albino recessive in Dragonbred?

Yes. Albino needs two copies to show, so normal-looking dragons can carry it hidden. Striped, Piebald and Lava are recessive too.

Can two Normal dragons make a morph?

Yes, if both carry the same recessive gene. Two het Albinos look Normal, and each of their eggs has a 25% chance of hatching Albino.