Dragonwilds:Community Campfire

The Community Campfire is a Q&A video series created by Senior Community Manager Dragonwilds:Mod Doom and Executive Producer Dragonwilds:Mod Dutch, where they answer questions asked by players on the official RuneScape: Dragonwilds Reddit and Discord social media platforms. The series features members of the development and leadership team answering questions submitted by the community, offering insights into the game's development, future content, and design philosophy. The videos listed below are in reverse chronological order, starting from the most recent episode at the top.

Episodes

Episode 6 - ft. Dragonwilds:Mod Pointy

For the transcript, see: Dragonwilds:Community Campfire/Episode 6 Transcript. Template:Youtube

Summary

The upcoming Dragonwilds:Agility skill will introduce new traversal and Dragonwilds:combat movement options, potentially including double jumps. Sprint attacks are also being added, allowing players to initiate combat fluidly.
Visceral attacks are being added to capitalise on staggered enemies. Mod Pointy clarified that performing a visceral attack is entirely optional; players can still parry to secure a guaranteed critical hit or use the opening/initial attack to retreat.
Throwing rings (like the "lava frisbee" from Dragonwilds:Umbral Sands) were planned but cut due to time constraints. However, the team hopes to revisit them during a future Dragonwilds:Ranged update. Iconic weapons like spears, halberds, and gauntlets, and off-hand weapons are frequently discussed, but are not currently in development.
To solve the issue of players out-leveling hard-earned gear (like the Dragonwilds:Abyssal Whip), the new Dragonwilds:Masterwork system will allow Dragonwilds:vestige and Dragonwilds:quest-reward weapons to be upgraded using Dragonwilds:Ascension Cores. This ensures your favorite unique weapons can stay viable in late-game regions.
A dedicated special attack bar is being added to the HUD, completely detached from the Dragonwilds:stamina bar. This is designed to prevent players from endlessly spamming powerful moves (such as the greatsword's whirlwind attack), while still increasing the damage of the special abilities.
The effects and duration of melee attacks are being heavily tuned, where special effects like knocking down enemies to the ground will feel heavier during battle.
Different sets of armour should have upgraded stats based on their rarity, tier, and type (Melee, Ranged, and Magic). This is currently being discussed and will take time to implement correctly.
Earth Dragonwilds:Magic is currently in active development to round out the core elemental spellcasting experience.
Casting Dragonwilds:spells whilst moving is being addressed and will be supported by a new radial wheel quick-access system, making it easier to swap ammo and spells on the fly.

Episode 5 - ft. Dragonwilds:Mod Osborne

For the transcript, see: Dragonwilds:Community Campfire/Episode 5 Transcript. Template:Youtube

Summary

Dragonwilds:Mod Osborne shares that he returned to Jagex to give back to the company that gave him his start in the gaming industry. He often mentions Jim Henson (Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal) as his biggest influence for world-building and the mysterious/ominous elements of the Dragonwilds:Dragonkin.
UI development is currently at a bottleneck. The UI team is prioritising tasks like Runecrafting and attunement rework coming with Dowdun Reach, as well as Treasure Trails-styled Dragonwilds:chest hunting to ensure that elements of RuneScape can properly fit into a survival game like RuneScape: Dragonwilds.
Environmental storytelling in terms of quirky ambient events (like fighting goblins/garou/zombies) should be considered when designing a survival game. Mod Osborne stresses that unusual occurrences (such as a bunch of monsters in a specific area) should mean something and lead to a reward or a quest trail, rather than being purely incidental.
Although currently viewed as standard enemies, the development team plans to explore the Garou deeply as a culture in the coming months for Dragonwilds:Dowdun Reach and Dragonwilds:Umbral Sands.
Dragonwilds:Rasthin is confirmed to be permanently dead, but the Dragonwilds:Wild Knights are frequenrly discussed for future content.
Most of the Dragonwilds:gods ignored the events of Ashenfall during the Template:RSL due to being busy with the war, and the veil over Ashenfall. The veil would alter a person's memory forget Ashenfall if they were in it, and moved away.
While the moon gods Dragonwilds:Lougrim and Dragonwilds:Elidinis are distinct entities, their thematic similarities will factor into future storytelling, especially as the game leans into the Desert Pantheon in the upcoming Umbral Sands.
Mod Osborne praises the Lore Council for maintaining narrative consistency across all 25 years of RuneScape, making sure the different games remain cohesive and don't write each other into corners.

Episode 4 - ft. Dragonwilds:Mod Aaart

For the transcript, see: Dragonwilds:Community Campfire/Episode 4 Transcript. Template:Youtube

Summary

The art team uses Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter/Designer, Photoshop, and Unreal Engine for asset creation, animation, and VFX, with Perforce for version control.
Assets are blocked out in Maya, detailed in ZBrush, baked onto game meshes, and textured using Photoshop or Substance Painter; SpeedTree is used for foliage.
Animations combine motion capture for realistic combat and bipedal characters, and hand-key animation for creatures like dragons.
Recreating the Abyssal Demon and whip involved linking the whip's design to the creature's protruding spine for visual cohesion.
Mod Aaart is excited about the Tier 5 Ranger green dragonhide armour, marking a shift to more fantastical, achievement-based designs.
The game visually tracks player progress from crude, survival-based outfits to intricate, magical armours crafted from advanced materials.
The art team balances RuneScape familiarity with DragonwildsTemplate:' unique style, often referencing Old School RuneScape and adding a "grounded medieval twist."
Art direction is heavily inspired by RuneScapeTemplate:'s vibrant, magical world, with creative freedom to enhance fidelity in Unreal Engine while maintaining key visual elements.
The intuitive building system, designed for player creativity, will soon include Tier 3 stone structures for building castles.
Mod Aaart balances artistic aspirations with technical limitations through continuous dialogue with experts to ensure visual fidelity and smooth performance across diverse hardware.

Episode 3 - ft. Dragonwilds:Mod Raven

For the transcript, see: Dragonwilds:Community Campfire/Episode 3 Transcript. Template:Youtube

Summary

Ashenfall is canonically to the north of the RuneScape (Gielinor) mainland. The anima in the continent creates a magical effect that allows a variety of flora/fauna and different climates to exists, unlike most locations in Gielinor.
Character names like Hokistix are not direct references but follow RuneScape's traditional naming conventions, incorporating silly puns and ending in X for Druids.
The Elder Gods filtered out "tainted" or "resonant" anima through the anima vent on Ashenfall. This rejected anima is what makes the continent's magical properties unique, but it is not poisonous or corrupted.
Brassica Prime will be referenced in journals and dialogue, but they are not planned to be a major character due to the more serious survival tone of the game, although their physical presence is not ruled out.
Armadyl himself was not on Ashenfall, but a group of his followers was. They did not get involved in the conflict between Bandos' forces and the Garou, choosing instead to explore the mainland.
The veil on Ashenfall does not affect the memories of the gods, who were aware of the continent after their return in the Dragonwilds:Sixth Age, but chose to ignore it as they had "bigger fish to fry."
The developers plan to adhere to both RuneScape lore as closely as possible, primarily following the RuneScape 3 storyline. They will deviate only when necessary if it would require a hefty rewrite of the game.
The Wise Old Man joined the expedition to Ashenfall as a cash grab to find treasures and riches, but also to protect Ashenfall as a whole.
Developers choose characters for Dragonwilds based on several criteria, including whether they are alive or usable, if they serve a useful purpose for the plotline or gameplay, and if their presence makes sense for the setting.

Episode 2 - ft. Dragonwilds:Mod Dutch and Dragonwilds:Mod Rook

For the transcript, see: Dragonwilds:Community Campfire/Episode 2 Transcript. Template:Youtube

Summary

Slayer skill: The developers are planning to introduce the Slayer skill to the game in a future update.
Building and item placement: More building decorations are planned, including a "castle kit," and the team is working on allowing players to move placed items.
Crafting and resources: New regions will introduce higher tiers of materials like wood and metal, and rare crafting components will be added as drops from enemies.
Combat and controls: The team is expanding weapon attack types and developing a spell hot bar/quick wheel for faster access. Full controller support is planned for version 0.9.
Steam achievements: Achievements are confirmed and will be implemented with the full version 1.0 release.
Hardcore mode: The development of a hardcore mode is currently on hold and will be revisited after the game's full release.
Server player count: The long-term goal is to support 100-player servers, with upgrades planned to arrive after version 1.0.
Future world content: The team is considering adding random world events and integrating more puzzles with quests, but procedural map generation is a low priority.
Farming skill features: The upcoming farming skill will introduce systems for gathering and storing water.
Bug fixes: A solution is being actively developed to prevent enemies from spawning inside player-built bases.

Episode 1 - ft. Dragonwilds:Mod Dutch

For the transcript, see: Dragonwilds:Community Campfire/Episode 1 Transcript. Template:Youtube

Summary

Developer background: Mod Dutch provided some personal background.
Team size: The development team consists of approximately 30 people at the time of the recording.
Project status: The team affirmed its long-term commitment to the project.
Monetisation: Expansions currently in development, such as Dragonwilds:Fellhollow, are not planned to be sold as separate paid content.
Modding: The team is exploring the use of Steam Workshop for official modding support.
Character customisation: Options for character customisation will be expanded.
NPCs: The developers are improving the design of bosses and NPC settlements.
Quests: The team discussed plans for future quest progression.
Building: The building system is planned to be expanded along with pet systems and mounts.
Future content: Includes world expansion, new combat upgrades to spells, Dragonwilds:Ranged, and lore/equipment/music.