The ancient blue dragon was ranked third among the ten best high-level 4th Edition monsters by the authors of "Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition For Dummies". The authors described the ancient dragons as "the most powerful versions of these majestic and deadly creatures, and the ancient blue dragon approaches the pinnacle of all dragon-kin", surpassed only by the red dragon. The authors concluded that "Few single challengers can stand long against the fury of this terrible dragon as it unleashes lightning and thunder."