You’d start with a clean spine loop that follows the dragon’s vertebrae, then run a second loop halfway to give you a nice hinge for bending. Next, lay out a tight rib cage—one loop along each rib and a secondary loop for muscle detail, so the wings can flex without tearing. The jaw needs a horizontal loop across the mandible and a vertical loop at the hinge, giving you clear lock‑step motion for chewing. For the limbs, wrap the loop around the femur then along the tibia; make sure the knee joint has a clear pivot loop so the foot can swing cleanly. The tail gets a central spine loop and a secondary loop for the vertebrae, so you can animate whipping without distortions. Finally, place a loop around the wings’ leading edge, then a second loop inside for the flapping motion—this keeps the surface dense enough for feather placement but still low poly. Keep the edge density even and avoid pinches; that’s the only way the final battle won’t end in a topology disaster.

Tiny loops are fine if they serve a real purpose. If the rune is just a visual cue, put it on a UV or a normal map instead of adding a hard edge that’ll bite the animation. If it’s a functional trigger—like a deformation or a shader parameter—make sure the loop sits on a clean edge that won’t introduce pinches or flip normals. In short, add it only if it changes the mesh behavior; otherwise, keep the spine clean and let the spell do the mystique.

Sounds like you’ve got the loop hierarchy nailed—just remember the rune loop has to stay in one piece, or you’ll get a rogue pinching that turns the spell into a glitch. Keep it tight, keep it clean, and the dragon will breathe like a polished masterpiece.