Event Dragons

The Zombie Dragon in DragonVale: Breeding Guide (Meteor + Pollen)

Illustration: a cracked tombstone under a green moon

The short answer: breed a Meteor Dragon with a Pollen Dragon while the Zombie Dragon is in an event. Breeding takes 20 hours (16h upgraded) at about 3% per attempt. As of late October 2026 it is in Whitbee’s Candy Bash XIII until 4 November 2026, listed at 6,080 gems.

The Zombie is a Halloween fixture with one of the biggest price gaps in DragonVale: it has cost over three times less in Dragons Week. Here is how to decide between breeding, buying now and waiting.

Quick facts

Rarity Epic · event
Element Apocalypse
Level required 18
Combination Meteor Dragon + Pollen Dragon
Breeding time 20h · 16h upgraded
Incubation 20h · 15h upgraded nursery
Odds per attempt About 3% (wiki estimate)
Current event Whitbee’s Candy Bash XIII, 8 Oct – 4 Nov 2026, 6,080 gems
Quest Plaaaaaaaaains (16 hours)
Released 14 October 2013 for Halloween

About the Zombie Dragon

A crowd-pleaser with a warning attached: the wizards insist zombie dragons are fed only Dragon Treats, “lest they develop other… appetites.” It arrived for Halloween on 14 October 2013 and was the first dragon whose animation shows body parts coming loose. It shares the Apocalypse element with the Ouroboros.

How the recipe works

A fixed pair: Meteor + Pollen. The Meteor Dragon carries Air and Metal; the Pollen Dragon carries Plant and Air. Both are permanent hybrids, so you can prepare them at any time of year.

Getting the parents ready

Breed both outside event season so they are levelled and waiting.

Parent Elements How to get it Breeding time Level
Meteor Dragon Air + Metal Any pair carrying Air and Metal 14h 18
Pollen Dragon Plant + Air Any pair carrying Plant and Air 7h 16

Both parents must be level 4 or higher before they appear in a breeding cave, so feed them a few treats as soon as they hatch.

Step-by-step plan

  1. Reach level 18.
  2. Breed a Meteor Dragon (Air + Metal, 14h) and a Pollen Dragon (Plant + Air, 7h).
  3. Level both to 4+.
  4. During the event, run Meteor + Pollen in every spare cave.
  5. If you miss it, watch for Dragons Week — it has been far cheaper there.

The odds: how many attempts should you plan for?

The DragonVale Wiki lists the Zombie Dragon at about 3% per attempt. That number is a community estimate, but it is useful for planning. On average you would expect to need around 33 attempts — and because every attempt is independent, some players need far more and some get lucky on the first try. The table shows your chance of having at least one success after a given number of attempts, and how long that many attempts takes with one cave working non-stop.

Attempts Chance of at least one One cave (20h each) Upgraded cave (16h each)
10 26% 8 days 7 days
25 53% 21 days 17 days
50 78% 42 days 33 days
100 95% 83 days 67 days
150 99% 125 days 100 days

Two caves running the same pair halve the calendar time. Results here assume you clear or hatch the other eggs promptly so the cave is never idle.

What fits inside the current Halloween event (8 Oct – 4 Nov 2026)

Assuming you start on day one and keep the cave(s) busy for the whole window (about 27 days):

Caves on this pair Attempts → chance (standard) Attempts → chance (upgraded)
1 32 → 62% 40 → 70%
2 64 → 86% 80 → 91%
3 96 → 95% 120 → 97%

Reading the timer

20 hours (16h upgraded) is close to the Apocalypse Dragon’s 20h 12m — check the minutes. See our Egg Timer.

Breed, buy now, or wait?

In Halloween events the Zombie has been listed at 6,000–6,080 gems. In Dragons Week it was 1,932 — in February 2023, April 2025 and late May 2026. If you are not in a hurry, waiting for Dragons Week saves over 4,000 gems. If you breed, the table above shows what the remaining event days can realistically give you.

When it has been available

From To Event Price
10 Oct 2024 27 Nov 2024 Whitbee’s Candy Bash XI 6,080
24 Apr 2025 1 May 2025 Dragons Week 1,932
9 Oct 2025 26 Nov 2025 Whitbee’s Candy Bash XII 6,000
28 May 2026 4 Jun 2026 Dragons Week 1,932
8 Oct 2026 4 Nov 2026 Whitbee’s Candy Bash XIII 6,080

What it earns and why it is worth having

It earns DragonCash: about 43 per minute at level 1, 274 at level 10 and 531 at level 20.

The Zombie Dragon is also a required parent for: Greymatter, Macabre, Vampir. Owning one, levelled past 4, keeps those combinations open to you.

Common mistakes

  • Buying at 6,080 when you could wait. Dragons Week has been 1,932.
  • Breeding parents during the event. Prepare them earlier.
  • Confusing 20h with 20h 12m. The second is Apocalypse.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a Zombie Dragon?

Meteor Dragon + Pollen Dragon, during an event offering it.

Is it cheaper at other times?

Yes — 1,932 gems in recent Dragons Weeks versus 6,080 in Halloween events.

When does the current event end?

4 November 2026 according to the event listing.

What level do I need?

Level 18.

Facts checked on 26 October 2026 against the in-game rules as documented by the community DragonVale Wiki. Breeding odds are community-documented estimates, event dates and prices change, and the odds tables are simple arithmetic from those estimates — not guarantees. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.