I've always been fond of survival games. During the pandemic, my friends and I bonded over Valheim and Don't Starve Together, and while the learning curve for me was a big one, I fell in love with the genre. So when I had the chance to review Version 1.0 of RuneScape: Dragonwilds, I was both excited and intrigued.
RuneScape: Dragonwilds has been in Early Access for over a year, and after refining its survival mechanics and world-building, it's finally making its 1.0 debut. The full release brings a wave of fresh features, quality-of-life overhauls, and more content to shake up the experience for long-time players and newbies. I'll be deep-diving into everything this brings to the table, from the core gameplay loop to the survival magic.
When you enter the game, you're given the option to create your character. Dragonwilds provides a great starting foundation, allowing you to change hairstyles, face shapes, and more. However, while there are plenty of choices to build your own look, it could still use some work.
One thing that irritated me slightly was the fact customization options are numbered buttons. You don't get a visual of what these choices are unless you click on them individually, which means going through all of them until you find the one you want. It's a small UI hurdle, but an inconvenient one nonetheless.
Once I'd finished creating my character, I finally spawned into the world and was thrown into some tutorials. This is where things start taking a turn. The quest system became my biggest obstacle very quickly. I learned early on that Dragonwilds loves telling you what to do, but forgets to tell you how to do it.
The tutorial quests tasked me with finding and gathering resources like materials and food. Gathering these resources is vital in Dragonwilds, as you need them to build your base, craft weapons, and strengthen your items. Managing food is also critical, as eating maintains health and buffs up your overall stats.
One of the tutorial quests saw me creating rune artifacts. I gathered the materials, created a rune altar, and crafted the artifacts as requested. But when I went to hand them in, the NPC claimed I still hadn't done it. So I went through the process all over again, spending a good 10 minutes pacing around, opening and closing my inventory, mashing buttons - yet still nothing. I don't even remember how I finished the quest. I just spoke to the NPC again, and suddenly I had accomplished it.
What really tested my patience, though, was another tutorial quest where I had to get rat meat. As someone who has a fear of rats, being tasked with fighting a swarm of them with my club sent a shiver down my spine. I bravely gathered the rat meat and cooked it over a fire as the instructions stated. But once again, there was a catch.
Here's the thing: burnt meat is still edible in Dragonwilds, so I thought this would be okay. I was wrong. I approached the NPC, and they didn't accept the burnt meat, so I had to fight even more rats, burn even more meat, and repeat the cycle until I produced a perfectly cooked skewer.
While it can sometimes be rewarding to figure things out by yourself, I think Dragonwilds could do with clearer instructions. Players shouldn't have to rely on trial-and-error for basic objectives during a tutorial phase, especially when they're new to the game and playing alone.
This brings me to my next point. Throughout my time with Dragonwilds v1.0, I played it solo, and although it was fun to begin with, I was quickly reminded why survival games are best played as part of a team.
As I ran away from mobs, I couldn't help but think that the stamina bar in this game was stingy. You sprint for a few seconds, and before you know it, your character is gasping for breath. Normally, that's fine - except the enemies are extremely aggressive, and this includes low-level mobs who like to gang up on you.
I can handle one or two goblins, but when a whole swarm of them are after you with clubs and bows, it becomes extremely difficult. Sometimes, you can't walk anything more than five feet past your base until you're chased by enemies. You try to run away, but your stamina depletes in a snap, which also means you can't fight back.
Suddenly, you respawn with none of your items and need to punch your way through enemies to reach your gravestone and retrieve your things. I felt the full weight of this as I was building my base. I tried so hard to farm ash logs and build while avoiding attacks from left and right. I was overwhelmed, to say the least. That was the moment I realized this game wasn't built for the lone player.
Thankfully, Dragonwilds is fully cross-playable after its Early Access phase and becomes the first title in the franchise's history to launch on console. I imagine playing with more people, even if it's just one additional teammate, will make the game much more enjoyable.
If there's one thing that makes Dragonwilds stand out compared to other survival games I've played before, it's the magic. Spells are easily the best part of the game, regardless of whether you're part of a team or not. They serve a huge variety of purposes, from streamlining resource gathering to improving your chances in combat. You unlock spells by siphoning power from energy geysers, harvesting rune essence, and forging them at rune altars, opening you up to over two dozen spells to experiment with as you explore.
Once you get past the learning curve of making runes, it's pretty fun. Shield spells became my lifesaver. When the enemy NPCs started chasing me, I would pop a shield spell to prevent dying immediately and would often survive long enough to retreat.
Another one of my favorite spells allows you to slice down a tree to get wood. Instead of sitting there, swinging your axe until the tree falls, you can use a spell, line up a row of trees, and get a huge amount of wood at once.
My only real gripe with spells is that the cooldown feels a little long, especially when enemies aggressively push you. Also, casting a spell sometimes takes you away from the combat, since you have to bring up the radial menu, then select your spell. It takes time, and you might die before you can cast it.
When it comes to the story, Dragonswild actually features robust lore. It centers on an expedition team that gets stranded on Ashenfall, a forgotten continent in the fantasy world of Gielinor from the RuneScape universe. These heroes are prominent RuneScape figures, so if you're a fan of the original MMO, you'll appreciate this little detail.
I arrived on the continent with nothing and gradually fought my way up to defeating a major dragon in the overworld. There are journals scattered around Ashenfall to help piece together the lore, which helped make the journey feel even more personal. It's a story that can keep a player hooked, though I just wish my progress wasn't occasionally bumped off course by vague instructions and quest markers.
In terms of visuals and performance, everything felt extremely polished during my time with Dragonwilds v1.0. I played on my ASUS TUF Gaming A15 laptop while connected to a monitor, and it ran smoothly. I didn't experience any framerate drops or bugs that dragged down my experience. As for the graphics, they are easily a 10/10. The environment is vibrant, and the way the lighting hits the mountains is just breathtaking.
RuneScape: Dragonwilds has the potential to become a legendary survival game. The world is huge in depth and scale, and the magic system gives it its own flair to stand out. Additionally, the core gathering and crafting cycle is addicting once you get into the groove of it.
Admittedly, it is still rough around the edges. The vague quests, the fragile weapon durability, and the enemy aggro system can make progression feel like a chore.
If you have a group of friends who are ready to hop on, then give Dragonwilds a shot. Lining up spells, siphoning energy geysers, and building a base sounds more fun with a team, and Dragonwilds is guaranteed to give you a magical adventure.
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