RuneScape Dragonwilds: Is This The NEXT Big Survival Game?!

While Dragonwilds bears a resemblance to the DNA of Jagex’s RuneScape MMOs, it’s not this similarity that leaves us in awe.

Many survival games, especially those released on Early Access, often don’t reach their complete potential. Games like Last Oasis and Rust Legacy, with the latter being sustained mainly by an enthusiastic fanbase, are incomplete projects.

Survival games that come out early often don’t become as good as they could be. Last Oasis and Rust Legacy, which stay alive due to fans, aren’t yet fully finished.

Dragonwilds adopts the same approach, yet Jagex is not content to leave things as they are. Initially offered content appears almost self-contained, offering a rich and promising foundation for further development.

RuneScape Dragonwilds screenshots

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What is RuneScape Dragonwilds about?

Dragonwilds is an upcoming standalone survival game derived from Jagex’s MMOs, RuneScape 3 and Old School RuneScape. Its goal is to transition from Early Access to full release in the year 2026. Although all three games take place within the same universe, this new title unfolds on an uncharted landmass that has not appeared in any previous RuneScape games.

Reaching the shores of Ashenfall Island, you find yourself stranded with only the clothes you’re wearing. Your mission is to meet up with individuals from a prior expedition team.

Once it’s clear that this new world isn’t particularly friendly towards humans, you find yourself needing to search urgently for supplies to prevent dehydration and hunger.

Abilities, similar to those seen in the MMO games from Dragonwilds, play a vital role in advancement. They provide access to stronger survival magic spells and better equipment that gradually makes gameplay more manageable.

Welcome to Ashenfall

Regardless of it being in Early Access, the game world of Ashenfall, which serves as your character’s new home in Gielinor, does not give off the vibe of an ongoing construction site or experimental playground. Instead, it presents itself as a fully-fledged environment.

On the island, there are five diverse ecosystems, each boasting distinctive magical decorations. These distinct areas conceal rare resources, adversaries, and hidden mysteries to challenge you and ready you for your final mission: defeating Velgar, a dragon who thrives on causing environmental nuisance.

Besides Velgar, you’ll encounter various threats that need your attention as well. Factors like thirst, hunger, and stamina, which are common in this type of game, require careful management while dealing with other hazards. Handled separately, they can be controlled, but when combined, maintaining the balance becomes more of a nuisance than an exciting challenge.

Without much notice, either Velgar or groups of wandering Goblins might decide to pursue you or attack your settlement. Initially, these occurrences can add depth to the storyline. However, once their novelty fades, they’ll transform into unnecessary hurdles in your path.

Instead of facing the attacker and risking potential harm, it was sometimes more convenient to allow him to eliminate me immediately so that I could respawn, reclaim my lost items, and continue building up my in-progress abode using materials collected from my journey northward into the Fractured Plains.

There’s no place like home

Prior to launch, I was informed by Dragonwilds’ Executive Producer, Jesse America, that Jagex focused on developing a construction system which would be user-friendly and attractive for those not particularly fond of the usual survival game building aspect.

As a gamer, I must admit that Jagex hit the mark with Dragonwilds’ construction system in Early Access. The building aspect of the game, fully covered under its Construction skill, is remarkably solid and robust.

For an architectural novice like myself, grid snapping and transparency features are lifesavers, as they alleviate the exasperation of spending numerous minutes trying to perfectly align a sloping roof edge.

Instead of becoming a simple, almost cubic house, it unexpectedly morphed into a bustling industrial facility for manufacturing goods using the vast quantities of natural resources I painstakingly collected from Dragonwilds. And I relished every moment of it.

Dragonwilds’ building systems are tied directly to a dedicated Construction skill.

Magical gathering

The standout feature of Dragonwilds lies in its management of magic. In battles, this magic can be utilized, but its primary function is to enhance the overall user experience.

In many survival games, tasks like chopping trees and mining minerals are common chores. However, in this game, these tasks can be enhanced using spells linked to the specific skills they require, effectively transforming them into mini-games of their own.

Looking at the forest nearby, I enjoyed finding the maximum number of trees in a row that I could cut down with one cast of Axtral Projection, which made resource collection feel like an intriguing game of optimization all by itself.

Certain spells are crafted to boost your attacking power. However, their effectiveness can be limited due to the inherent incompleteness of combat, as both ranged attacks and magic remain in a partially developed stage.

If they acquire charms and upgrades similarly to Attack (Dragonwilds’ close-combat ability), future battles could have a wider range of options compared to what they offer now.

Verdict

Dragonwilds’ main gameplay mechanics may not revolutionize the genre, but it effectively captures the essence of what keeps survival games engaging. Simultaneously, it introduces innovative concepts that help combat the feeling of repetition often associated with the genre.

Jagex’s blueprint indicates regular improvements across all aspects of the game, which, given its robust base, has a high potential to stand out among similar games.

As a dedicated enthusiast, I must express my concern about our excessive reliance on formulaic, partially scripted activities that unfortunately tend to stir up more irritation than enjoyment at the moment.

Jagex aims to listen closely to the community’s feedback, which should allow them to correct any issues and position themselves well for collective growth of Ashenfall, surpassing its existing boundaries together.

Since Dragonwilds is currently an Early Access title, our review will undergo regular updates as the game receives further updates and enhancements.

2025-04-22 19:20