Review for RuneScape: Dragonwilds (First 4 Hours of Gameplay)

[wei]

After spending around 4 hours in Dragonwilds, here are some major issues I ran into — and honestly, they killed the fun pretty fast.



1. Dragon in the Tutorial Area
The dragon somehow always knows where you are, no matter what. Even if you’re indoors or hidden behind multiple walls, his attacks still hit you — through floors and walls — like they completely ignore terrain or line of sight. It feels broken and unfair. What makes it worse is that his attacks don’t seem to affect other mobs, so while you’re dodging dragon fire, you’ve still got goblins chasing you nonstop. It's chaotic in the worst way.

2. Ambush System
I get the idea — surprise enemy encounters can be exciting — but the execution is a mess. Ambushers teleport directly to you regardless of where you are. There’s no real way to prepare or escape. You're just instantly surrounded and overwhelmed. I’m all for a challenge, but when enemies phase through everything and appear out of nowhere, it stops being fun and starts feeling cheap.

3. Base Attack Mechanic
In theory, this sounds great — defending your home from raids. But in practice? It’s a nightmare. The enemy goblins teleport an entire army right next to your tiny 2x2 block home. You can’t build real defenses, there’s no room to fight, and the best strategy seems to be unequipping your gear and letting them kill you so they eventually leave. That shouldn't be a valid tactic. It’s just bad design.

If we could actually build functional defenses, traps, or walls that enemies respected, this could be an amazing mechanic. But right now, as a solo player, you just get punished for trying to base build.

Final Thoughts:
I wouldn’t recommend this game to anyone who enjoys base building or structured survival mechanics. Enemies ignore terrain, teleport into your base, and the dragon punishes you constantly even when you’re not engaging him (It was cool at first but got repetitive as he kept knowing where i was and attacked). It feels like the game is actively working against any effort to create a safe or stable home or a way to counter it unless you drag yourself to do stuff you don't want to do.

I don’t mind a tough game — I actually enjoy a good challenge — but these events aren’t challenging, they’re just badly designed. Every 10 minutes or so, you're hit with an event that feels more like a punishment than gameplay. Either a dragon shows up and spawn-kills you repeatedly, blanketing your base in toxic sludge that lingers for what feels like an entire in-game day, or a warband appears and floods the area with endless enemy waves until you inevitably die. It’s not a test of skill or strategy — it’s a test of how long you can tolerate mechanics that ignore player agency. There’s no real counterplay, no way to prepare, and no sense of fairness. It’s not hard — it’s just frustrating.

There’s potential here, but the balance and mechanics desperately need fixing.

[SAF]

On the fence about buying but I love the base raids, gives you a reason to actually build, because if you're not defending your base, it's just pointless, boring af lego base. Maybe they can make a timer or a day/time it happens like 7 days to die does, or make options to where you can set random raids or timed ones, and add traps/defenses like OP said, but without base raids, this game is a no go, as base raids are an evolution to the survival genre.

[Mediocre Milton]

Diposting pertama kali oleh PocketYoda:

My review 3.5 hours..

No way is this game worth it.. Its buggy the whole game flickers when i run around. plants trees and everything.. On my Core i5 7500 32gb ram RX6700XT 12gb.

The game is pointless as there is zero story, the gameplay is really hard in 3.5 hours i died about 8-10 times, when you die you lose everything and cannot get your stuff you grinded for back without dying again..

Stamina is a bane, its gone after about 4 hits and then the enemies chain attack you to death, constantly out of stamina, if you block with a shield stamina gone..

Building is pointless as enemies just destroy it over and over, The dragon literally spewed poison onto my house killing me twice in a level 2 zone.. You do not get time to breath or craft anything as things attack you constantly, i ♥♥♥♥ you not chickens, rodents, cows all constantly attack you. If you die you lose everything and must run back again and again.

Food and Water is terrible its gone in less than 5 mins and you must eat constantly.. Each time you die the bars diminish/get smaller until you rest if you can even rest..

The games brightness is all messed up and the game looks like you've smeared oil all over your screen, blurry as which helps motion sickness.. On that topic there are zero options in the game to remove motion blur, depth of field and chromatic abomination.. the game is literally horrible for motion sickness.

I'd avoid and play Enshrouded or Valhiem..

Are we playing the same game? How have you died 8-10 times in under 4 hours? Have you never played a survival game or any game with combat in it? The combat so far in my 4 hours has been way too easy.

How did you die to the dragon? All you have to do is avoid the green and red circles that appear on the ground. You have plenty of time to move out of them. Also my house took a direct hit from the dragon and it didn't damage or destroy anything.

Hunger and thirst are almost negligible so far. There's water everywhere and the plants and animals respawn so fast you can't run out of food.

The game does have some visual issues but everything else you said points to either a major skill issue or you trying to facetank everything. Learn how to parry or just use ranged weapons.

[PocketYoda]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Mediocre Milton:

Diposting pertama kali oleh PocketYoda:

My review 3.5 hours..

No way is this game worth it.. Its buggy the whole game flickers when i run around. plants trees and everything.. On my Core i5 7500 32gb ram RX6700XT 12gb.

The game is pointless as there is zero story, the gameplay is really hard in 3.5 hours i died about 8-10 times, when you die you lose everything and cannot get your stuff you grinded for back without dying again..

Stamina is a bane, its gone after about 4 hits and then the enemies chain attack you to death, constantly out of stamina, if you block with a shield stamina gone..

Building is pointless as enemies just destroy it over and over, The dragon literally spewed poison onto my house killing me twice in a level 2 zone.. You do not get time to breath or craft anything as things attack you constantly, i ♥♥♥♥ you not chickens, rodents, cows all constantly attack you. If you die you lose everything and must run back again and again.

Food and Water is terrible its gone in less than 5 mins and you must eat constantly.. Each time you die the bars diminish/get smaller until you rest if you can even rest..

The games brightness is all messed up and the game looks like you've smeared oil all over your screen, blurry as which helps motion sickness.. On that topic there are zero options in the game to remove motion blur, depth of field and chromatic abomination.. the game is literally horrible for motion sickness.

I'd avoid and play Enshrouded or Valhiem..

Are we playing the same game? How have you died 8-10 times in under 4 hours? Have you never played a survival game or any game with combat in it? The combat so far in my 4 hours has been way too easy.

How did you die to the dragon? All you have to do is avoid the green and red circles that appear on the ground. You have plenty of time to move out of them. Also my house took a direct hit from the dragon and it didn't damage or destroy anything.

Hunger and thirst are almost negligible so far. There's water everywhere and the plants and animals respawn so fast you can't run out of food.

The game does have some visual issues but everything else you said points to either a major skill issue or you trying to facetank everything. Learn how to parry or just use ranged weapons.

If three goblins attack me i'm dead, i get maybe two dead before i'm dead, i parry but the other two just hit you as the third is stunned, shield drains stamina, no stamina equals death, special attack is useless, does the same damage as a standard attack for more stamina drain, Some deaths were occasionally me afk but i didn't realise this game has zero pause feature.

The dragon hit me while i was crafting in my house, the poison goes right through the building and kills you in seconds, i never had chance to get out side as the poison blocked the door..

The game literally kills you for no reason other than to stomp you because it can..

[icantsee]

The game is very barebone sadly

[floopscoop]

Diposting pertama kali oleh PocketYoda:

My review 3.5 hours..

No way is this game worth it.. Its buggy the whole game flickers when i run around. plants trees and everything.. On my Core i5 7500 32gb ram RX6700XT 12gb.

The game is pointless as there is zero story, the gameplay is really hard in 3.5 hours i died about 8-10 times, when you die you lose everything and cannot get your stuff you grinded for back without dying again..

Stamina is a bane, its gone after about 4 hits and then the enemies chain attack you to death, constantly out of stamina, if you block with a shield stamina gone..

Building is pointless as enemies just destroy it over and over, The dragon literally spewed poison onto my house killing me twice in a level 2 zone.. You do not get time to breath or craft anything as things attack you constantly, i ♥♥♥♥ you not chickens, rodents, cows all constantly attack you. If you die you lose everything and must run back again and again.

Food and Water is terrible its gone in less than 5 mins and you must eat constantly.. Each time you die the bars diminish/get smaller until you rest if you can even rest..

The games brightness is all messed up and the game looks like you've smeared oil all over your screen, blurry as which helps motion sickness.. On that topic there are zero options in the game to remove motion blur, depth of field and chromatic abomination.. the game is literally horrible for motion sickness.

I'd avoid and play Enshrouded or Valhiem..

tbh you just gott step up your game get a little better and my 700$ laptop runs this just fine high settings 120fps constantly

[KillerTitan2670]

I haven't had these issues you are all having.. Skill issue?

[Elit3b3ast]

Dude the biggest setup is, the Wise Old Man says yeah right out in the yard here build a base. So you proceed to build as the quest suggested, you get super excited that you are actually building your first home/fortress/etc, then bam dragon poison while youre crafting/cooking, then bam youre hunted, them bam your're running for your life yet again all because the main story put you in the most dangerous position and you barely have a dagger.

[Akrimus]

Frankly, at first I was very annoyed by the dragon's attacks and raids on the base, and then I just adapted.

1. Dragon. It attacks a certain area and there is no place to hide from this attack. So just leave this area and continue doing your business, the dragon will not pursue you. If it caught you at the base, just die, resurrect on the bed and pick up your items, there is no punishment for this. With your death, the dragon instantly loses interest in further bombardment and flies away.

2. Raid. Get special stones from the dungeons and build lodestones. Teleport and wait a few minutes, the raid will be canceled. Or buff and return to the battle. If the base is in the starting zone, and your equipment is at least bronze, you will quickly deal with a bunch of goblins. Or, as in the case of the dragon, just die, the raid will end, you will not lose anything. Of course, the game lacks traps or some kind of automatic ballistas, but still, this is not such a big deal.

[NeoN]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Jondalf:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Kankaku:

This sounds like what I was wanting from a survival game. Something actually challenging. Thinking about purchasing, so I hope they don't change this.

I don't think it's challenging, honestly. It's just unfair and annoying. Like imagine playing Valheim, but every so often, your character just explodes. It's not that it's harder, it's that there's a cheap death every now and then.
When they say a dragon attacks, they don't mean a dragon lands and engages in combat with you. They mean a dragon does a fly-by and drops a poison bomb or three into your house through the roof and walls, leaving behind little poison blobs you have to avoid for a minute or so. You don't get to fight back, you just die.

Totally disagree.. either you are noob or you cant play at all..
Game isnt easy but aint hard.. It is well ballanced.. Once you THINK and use magic.. Wind Shield + Wind Sword and you can take down every single enemy nohit.. Is that hard? You just need to THINK and plan...
And as for dragon you just need antitoxic (antipoison) potion and you are fine, you can run on his acid without dmg..
Raiders are pretty easy 1-2 hit kils and you deal with them in like 10 seconds, they are just annoying not hard... So either you are noob or you cant play survival games

[spiritpells]

I couldn't disagree more with all the negativity about the dragon attacks, general gameplay, and aesthetic.

The game is beautiful. Unreal engine 5 does wonders for the handcrafted biomes. If you've played Valheim, this is the same engine so many objects in the world, especially at a distance look similar. Where this game outshines Valheim on the graphic component are the game models. All of the character / NPC details are significantly better than Valhiem. Same with the weapons, enemies, and the built environment. The smelter is a great example of the detail that has been added to this game whereas the smelter in Valheim is a big grey blob.

Everyone upset about the dragon attacks being "unfair" and "destroyed my house" I would say the simply...LEAVE YOUR HOUSE. If you have played other survival games with raid mechanics, this shouldn't be a surprise. I haven't personally been attacked while I was inside my house but I did get attacked while working right outside, and I simply ran away (just 5 seconds) from my house, to ensure that the incoming goblin warband and the asteroids of dragon poison didn't destroy my stuff. If you are unfamiliar with this type of mechanic, then I don't think you have much experience with survival games.

**The Ashlands in Valheim is 1000x harder than anything I've experienced in the few hours I've played so far, I feel many of the Valheim biomes are more challenging.**

Please note that when you die, you should just go retrieve your headstone to automatically transfer all of your items into your current inventory. Super easy, if you aren't doing this...you are seriously playing the game incorrectly. Sometimes, you will have to death run to get your stuff out of the danger zone and into a place you can safely retrieve it, but that is also nothing new after Valheim.

To me, much of the game has felt overall too-easy but when I made a mistake and launched myself with magic off a cliff deep into and enemy stronghold, I had to spend at least 15 minutes and some anti-poison food getting my headstone out. But that's a good lesson to learn, and it really humbled me to the power of the magic in the game.

The general gameplay that I have experienced so far has been truly enjoyable. I started thinking about the game in the wrong way at first. I was playing it like any other survival game with my bare hands, and crude tools but this is where Dragonwilds really shines. All survival games have monotonous tasks like chopping wood, mining boulders, and other boring repetitive "upkeep" chores but in Dragonwilds these tasks have been completely reimagined.

My suggestion to anyone starting or struggling would be to prioritize runecrafting immediately because many of the spells that you unlock will dramatically change the way you interact with the environment ie: chopping, mining, and moving. And most importantly make these tasks not only fun but FAST (not to mention satisfying). So even if my house was destroyed, using the cool "ghost build" feature (free blueprint build) and a couple of spells. I would have my house back up in minutes.

That being said, I'm certain that everyone complaining about the home destruction is still using the most basic building materials...should those shotty walls made from sticks really repel an aerial bombardment from a massive screeching dragon? I would say not.

All in all, I think it's a great, entertaining, and inexpensive addition to my survival game collection. And BTW I have logged hundreds of hours in Valheim and think it is still hands down one of the best survival games on the market.

[Akrimus]

The dragon's poison attack does not affect buildings. I watched it in repair mode - everything is 100%. Only goblins can destroy your hut, and only if you try to hide.

[PocketYoda]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Akrimus:

The dragon's poison attack does not affect buildings. I watched it in repair mode - everything is 100%. Only goblins can destroy your hut, and only if you try to hide.

The goblins destroy your house in seconds..

[kenithehated]

Just a reminder. It's a " day 1 " early access game. Things will be balanced . And if the warbands are troubli y'all, flee the base, find a bridge or tight spot, and fend them one by one. A nice defense post when you hear the horns, is the wise man's place. Just jump up, and pick the goblins with your bow.

The dragon does ♥♥♥♥ tho aheuaheuahua

[Ivins]

Diposting pertama kali oleh floopscoop:

Diposting pertama kali oleh PocketYoda:

My review 3.5 hours..

No way is this game worth it.. Its buggy the whole game flickers when i run around. plants trees and everything.. On my Core i5 7500 32gb ram RX6700XT 12gb.

The game is pointless as there is zero story, the gameplay is really hard in 3.5 hours i died about 8-10 times, when you die you lose everything and cannot get your stuff you grinded for back without dying again..

Stamina is a bane, its gone after about 4 hits and then the enemies chain attack you to death, constantly out of stamina, if you block with a shield stamina gone..

Building is pointless as enemies just destroy it over and over, The dragon literally spewed poison onto my house killing me twice in a level 2 zone.. You do not get time to breath or craft anything as things attack you constantly, i ♥♥♥♥ you not chickens, rodents, cows all constantly attack you. If you die you lose everything and must run back again and again.

Food and Water is terrible its gone in less than 5 mins and you must eat constantly.. Each time you die the bars diminish/get smaller until you rest if you can even rest..

The games brightness is all messed up and the game looks like you've smeared oil all over your screen, blurry as which helps motion sickness.. On that topic there are zero options in the game to remove motion blur, depth of field and chromatic abomination.. the game is literally horrible for motion sickness.

I'd avoid and play Enshrouded or Valhiem..

tbh you just gott step up your game get a little better and my 700$ laptop runs this just fine high settings 120fps constantly

let me guess with DLSS on ? LOL

[PTKDWA]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Kankaku:

This sounds like what I was wanting from a survival game. Something actually challenging. Thinking about purchasing, so I hope they don't change this.

Get Yourself Vintage Story