RuneScape: Dragonwilds Leaves Early Access After 17 Months
An early access launch that held over a million and a half buyers and then more than doubled its peak concurrent Steam count at 1.0 is the outcome a paid early access run is meant to produce, and Jagex is now carrying a live-service survival game on its main franchise rather than an experimental side project.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Jagex released RuneScape: Dragonwilds on September 15 following roughly 17 months in early access. The open-world survival game, set on the continent of Ashenfall, supports solo play and online co-op for up to four players. It sold over 1.5 million copies during early access, and its Steam peak concurrent player count rose from 8,982 in August to 22,611 after launch. Version 1.0 adds the Trampled Wilderness region and the boss Kuldra.
The 1.0 build opens the Trampled Wilderness, a new region with buildable ground and a raid area holding a giant dragon, plus a quest called Kingslayer and the god-eater Kuldra as the endgame boss. Equipment expands to rune weapons and armor, black dragonhide gear, ancestral robes, and dragon pieces including the Dragon Scimitar and Dragon Crossbow. A new wand weapon category trades damage for mobility and applies knockdown, burn, and slow. Dash attacks are in, and dodging or blocking can now cancel attacks, gathering, and spellcasting mid-action. Parries restore 50 percent of maximum stamina, while special attacks draw on a dedicated gauge.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.