RuneScape: Dragonwilds, the survival RPG from Jagex, is a bold reimagining of the beloved RuneScape universe. As someone who sank countless hours into the RuneScape MMORPG during my early teens, I approached Dragonwilds with excitement, as it’s been so long since I’ve entered the world of Gielinor. After 20 hours in early access, I can say it’s a fun, nostalgic experience that captures the spirit of RuneScape while carving its own path as a survival game. However, it’s not without its share of bugs, clunky mechanics, and areas begging for polish during this phase. While it translates many of RuneScape’s iconic mechanics beautifully, Dragonwilds is a work in progress that needs refinement to reach its full potential.
A Well-Crafted World
Stepping into RuneScape: Dragonwilds feels like returning home. The continent of Ashenfell showcases a modern, vibrant take on the RuneScape aesthetic. Your first areas of interest are Temple Woods and Brambleweed Valley, with lush foliage, dynamic lighting, and a painterly art style that prioritizes charm over hyper-realism. It’s a far cry from the browser-based graphics of the MMORPG, and exploring this world is a visual treat. Forests teem with life, rivers glisten under the sun, and the environments feel alive while the renditions of classic tracks spark nostalgia for Gielinor’s early days.
Then, you venture into Whispering Swamp. You’re enveloped by a dark, foggy, and brooding atmosphere, a stark contrast to the vibrant starting areas. Devoid of sunlight, the murky waters and withered trees create a hauntingly impressive aesthetic, showcasing the game’s diverse visual range. This eerie, captivating region sets high expectations for the uncharted locations awaiting in Ashenfell.
Character and NPC models are a significant upgrade from even the modern RuneScape MMORPG. They’re detailed and expressive, benefiting from the game’s standalone engine, which doesn’t need to accommodate browser limitations. That said, character creation is barebones, offering minimal customization options—a forgivable flaw in early access, but one I hope Jagex expands upon in future updates.
A Familiar Yet Underwhelming Narrative
Dragonwilds kicks off with a voiced narrative recounting the fall of a once-thriving haven, razed by dragons. Survivors—humans and goblins alike—now fight for survival in Ashenfell, dodging draconic threats. Your character, starting with nothing but tattered rags, is tasked with rising from obscurity to become a dragon-slaying hero.
The story is serviceable but doesn’t grip you. Conversations with NPCs feel like a means to an end, lacking intriguing enough dialogue or writing to keep me invested. There are bits of lore you can find while exploring that can have a bit more substance to them, but I just wish they would tie into quests. For RuneScape veterans, the inclusion of familiar characters like the Wise Old Man and Zanik adds a layer of nostalgia, and lore connections to the MMORPG are plentiful. However, if you’re not already a fan of the franchise, the narrative and characters are unlikely to resonate.
Dragons, as the title suggests, are central to the story, and the promise of eventually confronting these beasts is a compelling hook. The quests, which guide you through Ashenfell’s landscapes and introduce you to its dangers, feel like a natural extension of RuneScape’s questing system. And while the dialogue has that same quirky charm, for a modernized take, the storytelling feels dated so far.
Definitely Built For PC
As a predominantly controller player, I was pleasantly surprised to find Dragonwilds—a PC-only survival game—offering controller support right out of the gate. When it works, the controller feels intuitive, with smooth movement, combat inputs, and menu navigation. However, bugs plague the controller experience.
Crafting menus occasionally refuse to register controller inputs, the A button would randomly stop functioning (preventing jumping, spell-casting, or menu navigation), and crouching, mapped to right-stick click, simply doesn’t work. These issues became so frustrating that I switched to mouse and keyboard halfway through my playtime. Thankfully, the mouse-and-keyboard controls are excellent, with intuitive mappings and no noticeable issues. For now, I’d recommend sticking to mouse and keyboard until the controller support is polished.
Survival Done Light
Unlike hardcore survival games like ARK: Survival Evolved or Rust, Dragonwilds takes a lighter approach to survival mechanics. Food and resources never spoil, and you can’t die from starvation or thirst—you’ll simply drop to 1 HP if you neglect your needs. You do need to rest occasionally, as your max stamina will decrease if you stay for too many days. Resources are abundant, with chickens, cows, deer, and giant rats roaming the world, ready to be harvested for meals. Water is almost too easy to come by, and your inventory has generous storage space from the start, with carry weight only becoming an issue later in the game.
Crafting follows a familiar survival game formula but feels streamlined. You don’t need to unlock engrams or blueprints; picking up a resource automatically teaches you what you can craft with it. Building a house is a highlight, offering robust customization options that make your base feel personal. However, crafting progression feels sluggish, and the pace of unlocking new items can drag, especially compared to other survival games.
Combating the Combat
Combat in RuneScape: Dragonwilds is functional but rough around the edges. Melee combat revolves around spamming attacks (X or left-click) and dodging (B or Ctrl) at the right moment. Shields allow you to block or parry if timed correctly, stunning enemies and negating damage—a mechanic I love when it works. Unfortunately, bugs sometimes prevent shields from functioning, leaving you defenseless. Stamina management is critical, as depletion leaves you vulnerable, but the system feels overly punishing, especially in prolonged fights.
Ranged combat, particularly with a bow, is a standout. Quick shots come with stylish dodges, while aimed shots reward precision with critical hits. The magic staff, which can knock down groups of enemies, is great for crowd control or escaping overwhelming odds. The club, a slower but hard-hitting melee option, adds some variety, but the lack of weapon diversity is noticeable. 20 hours in, I’m still stuck with a dagger and club for melee, which feels absurdly limited but may be a skill issue on my end.
Enemies—mostly goblins, giant rats, and confusingly hostile animals like chickens and cows—lack variety. Goblins come in runt, archer, and warrior variants, but you’ll fight them 80% of the time. One-on-one encounters are manageable, but facing multiple enemies can quickly turn deadly, as they pursue you relentlessly. Some melee and ranged attacks lock on with unrealistic precision, making combat feel unfair unless you spam dodges. This, combined with slow progression, has pushed me toward ranged combat with bows or staves, as melee feels increasingly ineffective against stronger foes.
The Road Less Traveled is Not That Exciting
Quests are a cornerstone of Dragonwilds, blending RuneScape’s narrative-driven progression with survival gameplay. Main quests involve interacting with NPCs like the Wise Old Man and tackling objectives that eventually lead to dragon-slaying. Side quests, like helping a trio of ghosts move on to the afterlife, add some flavor as well.
The game heavily ties progression to questing, which can frustrate players like me who prefer to explore and grind independently. Going off the beaten path slows progression to a crawl, while sticking to quests feels like the “intended” way to play.
Because of this, exploration is a mixed bag. Quest-driven exploration often leads to exciting discoveries, like trap-filled vaults or goblin-infested fortresses. Vaults, in particular, are a highlight, with engaging layouts, new enemies (Vault Guardians), and challenging bosses. Caves, like one housing a tough Goblin Garou, also break up the monotony.
However, open-world exploration feels unrewarding. Chests and enemy camps are scattered throughout, but their loot—mostly runes, rune essence, or redundant crafting scrolls—is disappointing. Potions and tomes are rare finds and a bright spot, but the repetitive enemy types and lackluster rewards make exploration feel like a chore outside of quests.
The Real Magic of RuneScape: Dragonwilds
The skill leveling system in Dragonwilds is a love letter to RuneScape’s skill-based progression, and it’s easily the game’s most compelling feature. Mirroring the MMORPG, skills improve through use: chop trees to level woodcutting, cook meals to boost cooking, or fight goblins to enhance combat.
Each level-up typically grants a small stat boost, but the real rewards come at milestone levels, which unlock spells that transform how you interact with the world. This system feels rewarding and intuitive, capturing the grind-heavy satisfaction of RuneScape while adapting it to a survival context.
Magic, in particular, is where Dragonwilds shines, offering a suite of spells that prioritize utility over combat. Spells are powered by runes, which you craft from abundant rune essence, tying them neatly into the survival loop. For example, the Axtral Projection spell, unlocked after significant woodcutting progress, costs 10 Wind and 5 Astral runes to conjure an astral axe that fells trees instantly in a straight line.
It’s a game-changer for resource gathering, but the process still requires you to manually chop felled trees into logs. At higher levels, the Splinter spell takes this further, instantly converting all nearby trees into logs with an area-of-effect burst, saving time and effort. The progression from manual labor to magical efficiency feels incredibly satisfying, echoing the RuneScape ethos of earning your power through dedication.
Spells Galore
Other spells enhance different aspects of survival. Fire Spirit summons a floating flame that lights up dark areas. This frees your left hand for weapons or tools—a small but appreciated quality-of-life improvement when exploring caves. Rocksplosion instantly mines boulders or ore veins in an area, drastically speeding up mining compared to swinging a pickaxe. Windstep, my personal favorite, uses air magic to boost jump height and slow descent, allowing access to high ledges or safe drops from cliffs. These spells don’t just make tasks easier; they make you feel like a master of the elements.
Combat spells, while less common, can be very useful. Enchant: Fire and Air imbue melee weapons with elemental effects, boosting damage or attack speed, respectively. However, the limited selection of combat spells feels like a missed opportunity, especially given RuneScape’s rich catalog of spells to choose from. I’d love to see more offensive options, like Fire Bolt or Snare, in future updates to diversify combat.
The magic system’s biggest strength is how it rewards your investments. After 20 hours, I’ve almost uncovered all there is to offer, however, I hope future updates will continue to add useful spells to learn. The skill and magic systems are what make Dragonwilds feel special compared to other survival games.
An Eventful Ashenfell
Random events in RuneScape: Dragonwilds are a dynamic highlight, injecting unpredictability into the survival grind. These moments range from dangerous ambushes to heart-pounding spectacles, keeping you on your toes whether you’re exploring or tending your base.
Goblin raids are the most common random event, occurring both at your base and in the wild. At your settlement, goblins will spawn in packs, intent on destroying your structures. In the wild, goblin hunting parties will stalk you, often spawning when you’re already low on resources. These attacks are intense, with grunts, archers, and warriors coordinating to overwhelm you. They feel like a test of your survival skills, and defending solo can easily result in death.
The standout random events are dragon attacks, which are as terrifying as they are exhilarating. From a distance, you’ll hear a bone-chilling roar, followed by a dramatic musical swell as a dragon swoops into view. These beasts unleash elemental attacks based on their type, forcing you to dodge frantically or seek cover.
These events capture the awe and danger of Ashenfell’s apex predators, making every dragon sighting a pulse-pounding spectacle. The dragons don’t stick around long, but their brief appearances leave a lasting impression, reinforcing the narrative’s stakes.
A Few Loose Ends
Most of my gripes with balancing and combat difficulty stems from my time playing solo. The single-player experience honestly feels like an afterthought, with the game feeling designed for co-op multiplayer. Solo players will find combat and progression more punishing, which dampens the fun.
Co-op significantly enhances your Dragonwilds experience, balancing combat against groups and speeding up resource gathering. It also makes for a more enjoyable experience, running through Ashenfell with up to 3 of your friends and wreaking havoc. Random events and vaults went much differently when I had a friend to help, but it quickly made me realize how unbalanced the solo experience was.
As an early access title, Dragonwilds is predictably rough. Missing quality-of-life features—like quick chest deposits, crafting from nearby storage, or easier structure deletion—are glaring omissions for a survival game. The roadmap promises combat revisions, new enemies, a creative mode, and additional vaults, which could address many of my above gripes. However, even in its current state, Dragonwilds is a fun survival RPG with a strong RuneScape flavor that I would still recommend.
Final Thoughts
RuneScape: Dragonwilds, now available in early access, is a nostalgic love letter to fans of the MMORPG, blending familiar mechanics with a vibrant survival RPG framework. Its beautiful world, rewarding leveling system, and magical flair are highlights, but bugs, repetitive combat, and unrewarding exploration hold it back. With polish and content updates, it has the potential to be a top-tier survival game, but for now, it’s a fun and promising work in progress best enjoyed by RuneScape fans or a group of friends willing to overlook a few flaws.
Note – A key was provided for the purpose of this early access impressions post.
