SO I got this feedback asking for some tips on racing and here we are. I sent a reply but I don't know whether she got it so I'm making this post for her and for anybody else. I'll be honest, I don't actually know what improved my racing skills and got me to 1k+ trophies in the span of a week, but I have a feeling my boredom had a big part in it. Be noted, I'm not saying you'll be getting 1k+ trophies within a week, I literally had nothing to do and would play SoD all day long. But I will share some tips that I've learnt.
TIP 0 - Controls
I don't know how beginner this is going to sound, but I thought I'd put it up there anyway as tip number 0. I personally race on my computer because I feel I have more control on there so I only know those best and will brief you on those (sorry :/).
Space bar: Acceleration
Use this to speed up on your dragon
Hold it down for continued acceleration
Shift: Brake
For some reason I never found this out until a couple months ago but this works as a brake
Very important in turns
WASD/Arrow keys: Navigation
These will navigate your dragons up/left/down/right (in order of WASD)
4567 Number keys: In-game features
These will hold the stuff you get from the wooden boxes in the race
Also hold ones you can buy
TIP 1 - Know Your Dragon
This is so important friends, such a huge part of racing depends on this and I suggest using single player racing (SPR) for this. It's a chance for you to improve your skills secretly and in your own time with no pressure of a race. I first went into SPR with the goal of collecting sheep in the race track. I guess in a way I went through the track so many times that I got used to my dragon. What I'm talking about here is sensitivity. Every dragon has their own pitch and turn rates and it's important for you to be accustomed to them. Sometimes I race with Boreas, a Woolly Howl which has a much slower turn rate, and then racing with Anatolia, my Sand Wraith, who has a lot higher turn rate. Switching takes a bit of adjusting since I had adjusted to Boreas first and need time to adjust to Anatolia. This is why you do single player racing. Racing on your dragon requires that you know how to control them properly. Use the SPR to find out how sensitive your dragon is. How sensitive is the turn rate? What about the pitch rate? Can you handle your dragon at its top speed (keeping the space bar pressed down)?
TIP 2 - Familiarize Yourself with the Track
This is also a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the track and this is just as equally important. Take the time to explore the tracks, find little shortcuts and routes. I know a good handful myself, some learnt from watching the players in front of me, and some that I discovered on my own. If you want me to show some that I know, let me know by commenting and I'll see into making a video on it!
TIP 3 - Racing Gear & Saddles
Okay, yeah, I know these are e x p e n s i v e but hear me out. These will greatly help you in your racing. I raced twice with Anatolia (Sand Wraith) against a Shockjaw and they won both times. The racing gear really boosts your speed/pitch rate/turn rate whatever it is that the gear does. I didn't keep this in mind when I bought my gear (I was more focused on aesthetic whoops) but getting gear to match your racing dragon might be a good idea. For example, a shirt that increases turn rate might best suit a Woolly Howl who has a low turn rate, etc.
TIP 4 - Levels
(Sorry for the link, I couldn't resist) but anyway the level of your dragon is probably important too. I raced with a Skrill on my second account, and the supposed great racing dragon didn't do so great. I have yet to get any confirmation but I definitely feel that the higher the dragon grows the more they grow into their highest speed (at least it would make sense for it to be like this). So bond with your racing dragon a lot! You can also straight up just race with your dragon, that will give XP for your dragon too.
TIP 5 - Race with Similar Players
This is probably a no brainer, but I suggest racing with players who are at a similar level as you. Now, I'm not saying "no racing against players at a higher level at all" because it's always good to challenge yourself. Can you imagine how great it would feel to suddenly be racing against someone at a higher level and then manage to win? But for beginners sake, start with the beginners. If you think you can't handle a race, just leave, nothing wrong with that. Also don't be intimidated by Toothless. Toothless is admittedly the best racing dragon. Because of SoD's pay to play nature, no dragon can beat Toothless in terms of speed. But the rider is also very important. I've seen beginner players with a Toothless and managed to beat them simply because they weren't used to controlling Toothless or the race tracks.
TIP 6 - Farm For Boosts
You can save up coins (or gems) to buy a cauldron for your farm. The cauldron is kind of like Johann's Job Board except instead of money, you get a mystery box of game boosts. This includes not only boosts for TRR but also ones for Alchemy Adventure. This can be a good alternative to spending gems to buy speed boosts. Though, speed boosts continue to be rare even in the chests.
TIP 7 - Use the Right Dragon
There are definitely racing dragons and non-racing dragons. Sand Wraiths, in my opinion at least, make great racing dragons and you'll see them around a lot too. Great thing is, these are one of the starter dragons so if you're lucky, you get a Sand Wraith. Other than that, I know the Skrill is also supposed to be a great racing dragon. I've seen a couple people race with a Woolly Howl, and I've always wanted to ask them advice because Woollys have such low turn rate, like what gear do they use?? As for others, you can easily find many other forum threads with each their own evaluation of which dragon is a good racing dragon. I didn't mention Toothless because obviously he's the best racing dragon if you know how to race with a Night Fury. The pay to play nature of the game makes it like this.
Those were all the tips that I can think of at the moment! I really hope I've helped people out with this. Share any racing tips of your own in the comments if you want, or any feedback and experiences.
- Yaxmi