Now Nex Playground + Play Pass holders can train, fly, and defend in the epic world of How to Train Your Dragon.
But it’s no easy task to become a dragon rider. This new game is a skill-based adventure, best suited for players ages 8 and up. Why?
You could say it takes training to become the best dragon rider these Vikings have ever seen.
But you won’t do it alone. Hiccup, Astrid, and Stoick serve as your guides. And we’re also here to share tips and tricks to get you off the ground and into the air.
Are you ready to conquer the skies?
If you’re a Play Pass holder, navigate to How to Train Your Dragon: Riders of the Skies in the Action Adventure category. If this is your first time playing, only the Tutorial will be available. Select it with your remote, raise your aiming hand (this is the hand you’ll use to direct your dragon’s blasts), snap a quick pic, then follow Hiccup’s instructions.
TIP #1: Before you can play the Challenges and choose your own dragon, you must successfully complete the tutorial.
If the tutorial is challenging, don’t give up. There is a bit of a learning curve (even Hiccup can tell you that). Just keep practicing, using controlled & deliberate movements. Before you know it, you and Toothless will be speaking the same language.
TIP #2: Remember, you’re playing as the dragon rider, not the dragon. So grab hold of those invisible reins and raise your arms up or down, keeping your fists together, to adjust your pitch.
And don’t forget, you can always repeat the tutorial to work on your skills. It’s the best place to practice sheep delivery and target blasting, especially if later challenges become frustrating.
TIP #3: There’s more than one way to ride a dragon. When you aren’t adjusting your pitch, you can either drop your arms by your side or leave them straight out. Give both styles a try and see which works best for you.
After completing the tutorial, you’re ready for a real challenge. Use your remote to choose 1 or 2 Player, raise your aiming hand, and choose your difficulty.
TIP #4: If you’re not a fan of using motion controls in the menus, you can also make your selections with your Nex remote.
Next up, choose your dragon — Toothless or the Deadly Nadder. Use your hand to select your dragon, toss it a fish with a gentle, underhanded motion, then raise both hands to confirm your choice.
TIP #5: Did you accidentally throw a fish to the wrong dragon or change your mind? You can reselect and throw your new dragon a fish before raising your hands to start the round.
Final step — choose your challenge map. Two are available to start, with more to unlock as you play.
If you collide with a few too many rock faces (been there, done that), your challenge may be in jeopardy. Don’t let your health bar drop to zero — fuel up with fruits to keep flying.
You can find fruits in trees throughout the maps. They’re often hidden in tricky spots (like at the edge of cliffs or on shorter trees), so keep an eye out to keep your dragon in the air.
TIP #6: Not only does fruit improve your health, it also boosts your score. So even if your flying skills are on point, grab a few snacks to climb that leaderboard.
The key to higher scores is good flying. As you soar, you earn points. Even better, if you fly without taking damage, you’ll earn a score multiplier.
TIP #7: Your multiplier will increase if you steer clear of damage. Having a really good run? You can view your current multiplier next to your score in the bottom left corner of the screen.
In addition to your score going up the longer you fly, you also get points for blasting targets, delivering sheep, shooting hostile dragons, and eating fruit.
TIP #8: Some enemy dragons can be difficult to spot, so stay alert. Hold your aiming hand steady over the target, and the blasts will fire automatically. It may take a few shots, but don’t give up. Persistence is the key to victory.
There are 24 total challenges to complete in How to Train Your Dragon: Riders of the Skies. This includes 3 Training Trial maps and 3 Defend Berk maps, each offering 4 difficulty levels: Rookie, Intermediate, Veteran, and Viking.
As previously mentioned, two challenge maps are available once you complete the tutorial — Training Trial 1 (Outer Bank) and Defend Berk 1 (Coast). Make your choice, then take to the air.
TIP #9: You can choose any difficulty on either map to start, but we recommend going with Rookie until you get a handle on those basics.
Want to unlock more challenge maps? Prove your mastery by landing a place on the daily leaderboard.
Once you show that you have what it takes, the next map in your chosen game mode and difficulty level will unlock.
TIP #10: Feel like a true Viking? Beat a map on a high difficulty level to unlock the next map, along with the conquered map at all lower difficulty levels. This is a great way to help your kids unlock new maps without sacrificing the challenge for yourself.
I don’t know about you, but I’m here for the dragons. In How to Train Your Dragon: Riders of the Skies, you start with 2 dragon options: Toothless and the Deadly Nadder. But there are 3 more waiting to be unlocked: the Gronkle, Monstrous Nightmare, and Hideous Zippleback.
Want to ride that Zippleback? Then you’ve got some work to do.
First, unlock the Gronkle by placing on the daily leaderboard in every challenge map with any dragon on any difficulty level.
Then unlock the Monstrous Nightmare by making the daily leaderboard on every challenge map with the Gronkle on any difficulty level.
Unlock the final starter dragon, the Hideous Zippleback, by placing on the daily leaderboard in every challenge on any difficulty level with every dragon.
TIP #11: Curious where you stand? Look for the dragon icons on the Challenge Selection screen. If a dragon is in black & white, they have not yet completed that challenge.
Great news — if you place on the daily leaderboard on Training Trial 1, Rookie level today, you don’t have to repeat it again tomorrow. Your progress is saved and cumulative for your household.
If you’ve made it this far, we already know you’re dedicated. You have all the knowledge you need to take to the air.
So what are you waiting for? Jump into Universal Pictures and DreamWorks How to Train Your Dragon: Riders of the Skies. Train, fly, defend, and conquer the skies!
Universal Pictures and DreamWorks How to Train Your Dragon: Riders of the Skies is only available on Nex Playground with Play Pass. Want to become the ultimate dragon rider?
