assumes as in ‘required to understand the plot’ or as in ‘has some small references to events in them, easter egg style’? I would expect the latter
If you have trouble with just Chronicles and Legends, I would be surprised (haven’t read the new trilogy yet)
Trying not to spoil anything for anyone... read at your own risk...
In Dragons of Summer Flame, Dougan Redhammer is revealed to be Reorx, and his interactions with the mortal world are pivotal. He plays a key role in manipulating events around divine intervention, and the fate of the world during the Chaos War.
In Dragons of Deceit, Dougan shows up again, still using the same name and personality, involving himself in the time-travel plot. The book never really explains who he is in depth—it just assumes the reader already knows he's Reorx from Summer Flame. So if you haven’t read Dragons of Summer Flame, Dougan's presence can seem random or overly convenient, when in fact, he's a major divine player returning from a previous pivotal story. So yes... Dragons of Deceit ASSUMES you've read up to Dragons of Summer Flame.
In Dragons of Deceit, when Destina Rosethorn mission to save her father (and ultimately prevent a certain event from happening), the story references details that are expanded upon in the Lost Chronicles—particularly Dragons of the Highlord Skies and Dragons of the Hourglass Mage. These books fill in the gaps between the original Chronicles trilogy and give deeper context to this particular event.
So if you haven’t read the Lost Chronicles, some of the time-travel implications and character motivations might feel a little underdeveloped or confusing in Dragons of Deceit, since it leans on knowledge from those books to enrich the emotional weight and timeline details. So yes... Dragons of Deceit ASSUMES you have read through the Lost Chronicles.
In Brothers in Arms, Immolatus is introduced as a cunning and dangerous red dragon who allies—albeit temporarily and uneasily—with Raistlin Majere during his time in Sanction and his deeper involvement with the Dragonarmies. That book gives you the full background on who Immolatus is, his personality, and his past dealings with Raistlin.
In Dragons of Fate, Immolatus returns, and the story just drops him into the plot as if you should already recognize him and understand his connection to Raistlin. There’s no real exposition about his history or motivations—it’s assumed knowledge. If you haven’t read Brothers in Arms, you might just think he’s another powerful red dragon, but if you have read it, you immediately catch the significance of his reappearance and the tension between his and Raistlin. So yes... Dragons of Fate ASSUMES you have read the Raistlin Chronicles