Dragonwilds:Guide for new players
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New to RuneScape: Dragonwilds? This guide introduces the core gameplay systems, survival mechanics, and activities you'll encounter in Dragonwilds:Ashenfall. It provides an overview of essential topics – including Dragonwilds:quests, Dragonwilds:skills, exploration, combat, crafting, and progression - to help new players get started and build a strong foundation.
Getting started
To get started on your adventure, you must first purchase the game from your preferred platform. Here is a list of places where you can buy the game:
| PC/Desktop | Console |
|---|---|
| Jagex Launcher | Xbox Store |
| Steam | Playstation Store |
| Epic Games Store | Nintendo eShop |
| Also available on... | |
| Xbox Game Pass
(Premium and Ultimate) |
Playstation Plus
(Plus Extra and Premium) |
All links, unless otherwise specified, automatically link to the UK storefronts.
Once you have purchased the game, launch the game and you'll be able to create your character, create a new world save, and modify settings. To create a character, go to "Characters" and decide which character mode you want to be. Know that you will be able to still create a character if you first clicked on play and entered whether on solo or online. Currently, there are three character modes:
- Normal: A standard version of the game where you can play the game in a normal mode, access hard mode versions of the game, and play in public or dedicated servers.
- Custom mode: A version of the game that lets you customize the world to fit how you want to play. It allows you to scale health, stamina, resistance, and even become invulnerable.
- Creative mode: A version of the game that allows you to play in a world without any restrictions, granting unlimited resources.
After creating a character and world, or joining a friend's world, you'll automatically begin the tutorial quest Dragonwilds:First Steps. Now, you can skip the tutorials, and the quest will have you meet the Dragonwilds:Wise Old Man in Dragonwilds:Bramblemead Village, but it is advised that new players go through the tutorial to learn the basics of the game. Once you complete the tutorial (or skip it), you will then be able to start the first primary quest, Dragonwilds:Dragon Slayer.
The basics
RuneScape: Dragonwilds is a game built on Unreal Engine 5 developed by Epic Games. Unlike its older predecessors, who use a custom game engine, this game uses real-time mechanics to run everything. Every in-game day is roughly 24 minutes, with a majority of that time (~19 minutes) being daytime. Actions in the game take different lengths of time to accomplish. For instance, freshly cut trees (if the stump remains) take roughly three in-game days (~72 minutes) to respawn.
To navigate the continent, there is a Dragonwilds:compass in the top-middle section of your HUD/UI. This will show you nearby dragonkin vaults, kebbit burrows, claimed beds, and player markers (both placed on the World Map and player indicators). All distances in the game are indicated as "meters" or "XXXXm" to inform you of how far you are from specific points, including your claimed bed.
To access your World Map, use the (default: M) key or (default: view) button. This shows all the locations you have discovered while leaving the rest covered in grey fog.
To travel fast throughout the continent, and even access newly discovered regions, players must unlock the building recipe for lodestones. To unlock this recipe, players must first acquire a vault core in a vault.
Starting out
After creating your first character and world, you will appear inside of a ruined temple in the temple woods sub-region of Dragonwilds:Brynmoor. The lodestone behind you is inactive until you either place your first lodestone or discover another lodestone. Aside from you in this temple, there is one other person there: the Dragonwilds:Wise Old Man. Speak to him to continue the tutorial quest or skip it entirely and meet him in the nearby Dragonwilds:Bramblemead Village. It is highly recommended for first-time players of this game to continue the tutorial instead of skipping it as it will help you get used to the game mechanics.
For combat, there are small kebbits, swift deer, violent goblins, and beefy cows in this region that you can kill. For skilling, interact with special hotspots (Fishing/Agility), build plots (Farming), or chop trees (Woodcutting) to gain experience.
Quests
Dragonwilds:Quests can help you understand the game's story and explore, like First Steps and Dragon Slayer, which help you adventure deeper into the continent of Ashenfall or unlock special mechanics like Dragonwilds:The Wild Hunt. There are three types of quests that can be completed in the game: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. Both Primary and Secondary quests offer tutorials (ex: First Steps and Dragonwilds:Shrimp Catcher, respectively), but Tertiary quests can only be completed during Primary quests. The only quest, before the full release, to feature Tertiary quests was Dragonwilds:Icthlarin's Little Helper.
Lore Scraps
Dragonwilds:Lore Scraps help you understand and learn Ashenfall's history, as well as Gielinor's. These scraps can be found in the Dragonwilds:Journal interface, where you can read all the items and lore scraps you find.
Skills
Dragonwilds:Skills are essential in the game as they give the character passive buffs (ex: less stamina used during sprinting), unlock skill-specific recipes (ex: angler's hat), or enable usage of powerful skill spells (ex: Dragonwilds:windstep). While skills do not actively allow you to gain access to specific regions of the game (like Fellhollow), they do allow you to access fast travel outside of lodestones.
Exploration
Players will start with the basic Dragonwilds:adventurer's tunic and Dragonwilds:adventurer's leggings as their armour and a simple Dragonwilds:torch as their off-hand.
The tutorial gives players their own weapons and starter tools made from loose stones and teaches them what they must do. In Brynmoor, the starting region, players can only acquire up to power level 2 gear before needing to head northward towards Ghornfell and unlock bronze and iron (power level 3 and 4, respectively) gear. Players who greatly explore the continent of Ashenfall will also come across sanguine urns, which can be interacted with to increase the player's total health pool by 10 points. While exploring the continent, you will learn over time the stories that take place here, or, if you like skipping dialogue, all the various monsters Ashenfall has to offer.
Building
Template:Main Template:Youtube To start building, players will need a form of lumber as their primary resource, as well as any other Dragonwilds:basic items that building structures, furniture, and decorations will require. Certain structures cannot be placed due to certain restrictions mentioned below.
Players cannot build:
- Inside vaults
- Either outdoors or indoors (depending on the structure)
- With no supporting structure below
- Higher than the structure's limit
- In most of Dragonwilds:Dowdun Reach, save for places like The Courtyard.
Build health
Structures built with Dragonwilds:ash logs as the primary ingredient have 100 building health, whilst structures built with oak and Dragonwilds:willow logs have higher building health. Defensive structures, such as the Dragonwilds:pallisades gates and Dragonwilds:pallisade walls, have at least 2000 and 6000 health, respectively.
Combat
Ashenfall is full of creatures, some hostile, others friendly. From Dragonwilds:kebbit to dragons, killing monsters provides Dragonwilds:combat Dragonwilds:experience and useful loots. Certain monsters have a Dragonwilds:power level tied to the region they are in. For example, Dragonwilds:Ghornfell is a power level 3 - 4 region, where monsters, such as the Dragonwilds:garou, have a power level of 3 or 4. Here, you also have your own power level that greatly depends on the Dragonwilds:armour you are wearing. During and after the tutorial, your character will start with power level 0 armour and power level 1 weapons, like the Dragonwilds:Adventurer's Tunic and Dragonwilds:Stone Club, respectively.
Killing monsters will level up the specific combat skill you used to kill, which is Dragonwilds:Attack, Dragonwilds:Magic, and Dragonwilds:Ranged. Here, the combat system relies on your movement (default: W,A,S,D) keys or joystick (if using control), your primary action (default: primary left button) mouse or controller (default: RT) button, secondary action (default: secondary right button) mouse or controller (default: LT) button and evade (default: CTRL) key or controller (default: B) button.
Staying safe
This game, while not purely multiplayer like its predecessors, does allow multiple players (4-6 players) to play the same world. Players can open up servers to the public, and some who join may not be completely good actors, so here are some tips to help you stay safe:
- Enable locked/private chests.
- Use totems to protect your builds.
- Set up passwords for your server if you want only trusted friends online.
- Make sure Gravestone protection is enabled, which will prevent players from looting it.
- Be cautious of trading in another world; be sure you are certain that the player you are exchanging items with can be trusted.
What's next
Now that you have the basics down, here are some next steps to enhance your RuneScape: Dragonwilds experience:
- Set a goal, decide what you want to achieve, whether it is completing the first Dragonwilds:Saga, building a structure or town, or gathering all the vestiges.
- Complete quests to explore new areas within Ashenfall, level up your skills to better gather resources!
- Experiment with the game; see how the game functions with different methods of builds, travel, or playstyle!
- Stay updated by keeping an eye on official RuneScape: Dragonwilds updates, patch notes, and announcements!
- Most importantly, have fun! RuneScape as a whole is about enjoying yourself, whether it be the survival game RuneScape: Dragonwilds, its MMO precursors - Template:RSL or Template:OSL!
Conclusion
There is so much to explore in Ashenfall, from quests to skilling and combat. Set goals, build smart habits with refilling on food, drinks, and potions, whack a few goblins if you can, and enjoy the tales to come. Remember to follow the rules of the game and respect other players. See you in Ashenfall and Happy scaping!