Dragons don't care about your stamina.
At the start of 2001, players were introduced to the world of RuneScape. However, 2001 is also considered one of the best years in all of gaming. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Final Fantasy X, and Halo: Combat Evolved, are only a few of the titles that made their debut that year. And yet, despite those juggernauts of gaming taking over the conversation, RuneScape nonetheless became this massive success that fans would continue to play for decades. Not bad for something that started out as a browser game..
While players have been enjoying RuneScape for the past 25 years, joining in on quests, and making their mark in the world of Gielinor, RuneScape has evolved through official sequels, or enjoyed via the Old School RuneScape that is a very community driven experience. Regardless, RuneScape is beloved by millions of players across more than two decades, so it only makes sense that the series would continue to evolve, and make something new of itself. And thus, Dragonwilds was born.
Timing has always been important when it comes to how successful a game's launch can be, and Dragonwilds has seen its 1.0 launch hit multiple platforms on September 15th, 2026. However, one week prior, another game, one equally anticipated over the course of five years in Early Access, has also seen its 1.0 launch final bear fruit, and that is the Viking survival game, Valheim. As someone who has played both, to varying degrees, they are very similar but have drastically different approaches to the survival genre of living-off-the-land.
Now, this review is by no means a comparison between the games, but it is very interesting that two games in the same genre, that had pretty lengthy early access periods, one drastically more so than the other, have released within a week of one another. Still, while both certainly can scratch that itch, I personally have enjoyed Valheim more, and that is largely due to the procedurally generated worlds, terrain alteration, and its mysterious world. Don't get me wrong, RuneScape Dragonwilds is pretty damn fun, but Valheim has that spark of wonderment that really pulls you in, given you are not exploring a predetermined world. You are in uncharted territory, and you're the first to ever explore it.
Now, comparisons aside, RuneScape Dragonwilds does check all the boxes you expect out of the genre. Combat, exploration, discovery, food and armor crafting, keeping yourself hydrated and fed, and being able to build massive lodgings for you and your mates. Mix in the appeal of RuneScape, and you have a recipe for success. Mostly.
Now, as I continue to find my way through the bulk of this world, I've noticed that playing solo and playing with a squad are vastly different experiences. Playing with friends as you all work towards the harvesting, collecting, and procurement of wood, metal, and food, will remove a lot of off your plate, giving you more time to utilize what you've crafted. On your own, there is a calming solitude, but the game feels far too harsh to go it alone. And that is due to the game's stamina system.
Stamina systems are built into games to give limitations to just spamming skills, mobility, or attacks. This has been a common mechanic that varies in success from game to game. Some allow movement to be removed from consuming it, to others that have every single action eat away at it. While I've never loved the system, I can respect why it's there.
Now that said, I find that when playing solo, that you'll often be at its mercy, largely due to how you approach encounters, enemy placement, and those pesky hunters. As a melee player, it only takes a few swings to completely empty the gauge, often leaving me little stamina to dodge out of the way of an arrow. And, I'll stress that those hunters rarely miss, even across wide distances.
However, add in a co-op partner or two, with dedicated servers allowing for six players, and you'll find that these encounters lessen their need of draining your stamina, provided you work as a team, lay down traps, and a good mixture of ranged and close quarters combat. Still, having a bow at the ready as a swordsman is a good thing, especially as your weapon can break down in quality fairly quickly, not to mention your armor.
Playing solo felt like I was doing something wrong. It rarely felt like I had a handle on much of anything with so many plates spinning. Now, that can be the point of these games, feeling like you're losing every battle until you put in the work to make yourself stronger and more capable. On your own, this is a lot of work, but as a team, well, that is where Dragonwilds thrives.
Myself and my co-op partner would each have set goals. I'd retrieve wood, food, and hides, and they would mine away at bronze, tin, and iron, to start production on new armor, weapons, and more. We would fashion up soups and meals, as well as potions that would drastically reduce our stamina consumption. Now, I want to stress how important that last part is as these potions were game-changers. Having a 30% reduction in stamina consumption may not feel like a lot, but when you can get in another 3-4 swings in on an attack combo, it is life-changing. Well, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but here we are.
Dragonwilds takes place during the Sixth Age of Gielinor, for those who appreciate the lore of RuneScape. The Continent, Ashenfall, has been plunged into ruin, and you are tasked with tracking down a previous adventurer, Cathan, who was sent ahead to explore this ruined land. However, you find that Cathan is dead, and the whole region is being terrorized by a dragon, Veigar. While there are certainly plot points to follow, old wise men to talk to, and plenty of NPC’s to receive quests from, your main mission of Dragonwilds is to track down and kill Veiger, at least initially.
However, to do that, you'll need to toughen up, craft gear to withstand their attacks, and weapons that can puncture their dragonflesh. That, or wield powerful spells or fire off expertly crafted arrows, as those are generally the three base classes you can adopt, with a lot of flexibility to swap between them. However, you may not want to be a jack of all trades and master of none.
As you perform attacks, skills, and even just running round, hunt, harvest, and collect, you'll earn experience for those actions. So, if you rarely use spells, then swapping to being a spellcaster isn't going to pay off at first. If you are primarily a melee fighter, then the more you hack and slash, the higher your gains will be. As you perform these actions, you'll become more proficient. For example, if you want to stop burning steaks for food, you need to level up your cooking. While you can find scrolls that do that for you, making dishes, and even failing them, will result in growth for your cooking skill. You basically learn by doing.
This becomes the crux of how you'll eventually track down these dragons and vanquish them. Dragonwilds is a game about patience and baby steps to get where you need to go, even if my patience often ran thin on more than a few occasions. Still, goblin blades turned into great swords, and eventually into iron great axes, and before long, the scraps of fabric that adorned my character were swapped out with bulky and stronger armor, even if those blasted hunters and their bows didn't give a flying fu.. Ahem, well, let's continue.
Dragonwilds, like those that have come before it, is a survival game. You start by collecting rocks, wood, animal skins, and start fashioning those into crude weapons and eventually a place to call home; you do need a bed, afterall. And, as you collect those resources, you'll start to unlock more options on a variety of tech trees. Various workstations will need to be constructed in order to craft the likes of better armor or new bows for your archer. These stations; however, require the likes of rare wood or metal, so you'll craft your pick-axe and woodcutting axe, and track down those specific trees and mineral deposits. They also require a rare object called a Vault Core, which are one-time finds in the various dungeons you'll explore, that can also be used to craft your fast travel network, so you'll have to weigh your options if you want convenience or utility.
While you can certainly play your own way, sticking to either melee, ranged, or magic, especially in team-play, will ensure success. Your melee attacks want to keep agro, with your ranged and magic then attack at a distance. What is nice about magic casters is that your resource for your magic isn't dropped upon death, so you need only snag another wand or staff and hoof it back to your grave stone and collect your dropped loot.
Enemy encounters can often be a mixed bag, depending on the assortment of foes. My biggest issue is the accuracy of the ranged attackers, especially the Garou Hunters. Unless you specifically dodge at the right moment, they WILL hit you. While my companion would look to target them, or the druids, it can be nearly impossible as a melee attacker to keep an ear out for the bow while dealing with three or four Garou soliders or the Thanes that sport a bit shield and bigger range of attack. Trying to balance those, and keep your limited stamina meter in check is far more frustrating that it should be, especially if you don't have the stamina to dodge the arrow.
Honestly, their accuracy, or that of any ranged creatures, is my only major gripe, as they simply don't miss. Sure, you can block or dodge, but if your immediate attention is the two or three other threats that are approaching you, you'll see your health destroyed by ranged attackers before you can even deal with what else is in front of you.
Stamina can be dealt with, to a point, as you can craft drinks that perform a variety of things, some that reduce stamina costs of dodging, attacking, or the action of harvesting resources. This has you often crafting two to three drinks for every major encounter.
While you'll eventually find a way to manage your stamina, via those drinks or through the types of armor you craft, you don't directly increase your stamina through leveling. Dragonwilds uses a dynamic system where the action you perform grants experience points. So, running, harvesting, or attacking, will level up that skill. However, unlike most games, you don't actually earn skills or buff your stats naturally, any boost is via your armor or weapons, or the temp buffs you earn through food and beverage, whether it be drinks or potions.
Now, while you can opt to choose the type of class, or mixture that you see fit to use, you'll all have access to a variety of skills to use. From laying down a trap to mobilize your foe, enhance your weapon to apply a shield for protection, you can lay down temporary shelters to sleep, or even cast a powerful jump to clear massive gaps. Just be warned that your double jump won't be included in this jump. These spells or skills will unlock as you progress and level up certain traits.
All your skills, spells, and equipment will then be used for a pretty sizable grind. That said this genre is built for it, so don't expect Dragonwilds to just be an action adventure game. Like Valheim, Sons of the Forest, or ICARUS, and those before it, the survival genre is built around a repetitive gameplay loop of collect, kill, craft, and repeat. This is where having a group is paramount to progressing at a good pace, as tackling all this on your own can take a very long time, especially due to weight and inventory size. You may want to collect all that clay, stone, or iron, but carrying it back to base can be a chore when you hit your limit.
Dragonwilds is a game about crafting what you need to get to the next goalpost. You'll see your objectives, tackle quests, but everything you do is meant to push toward that next sword, that new staff, or that shiny new set of armor. You're only as strong as your weakest piece of equipment, so while being a strong hitter is good, if you are a glass cannon, then you'll be downed in no time, especially against some of the dangerous bosses that can roam around wild areas.
RuneScape Dragonwilds has a great look to it, especially the game's lighting. Certain times of day, especially in foggy areas, can look great. There is a rich variety of biomes here, with some great spots that feel like there is history there. Wildlife is present almost anywhere you go, making the procurement of meat and fleece to be readily available.
Character models look great, as do the variety of foes you'll engage with, whether they be wolves, goblins, or the beast warriors in the Garou, all have set ways they engaging in battle, and tactics that they rely on. This is especially true of the game's dragons, who are devastating creatures that look fantastic. And, with the proper score to accompany battle, it makes the presentation really stand out.
While my overall experience has been fairly steady, I did have a few issues with the current build of the game. Some workstations lock my controls, apart from being able to exit them. However, once I re-enter them, I have full control. Teleporting times also seem to oddly vary, sometimes it is instant, and other times it is nearly 20 seconds. My co-op partner, who is running on PC has issues where they were unable to aim their bow until they were hit. This was something that continued on for each of the play sessions we had.
Dragonwilds is a slow and steady grind that while can be rewarding, still feels a bit rough around the edges, making me wonder if more time in Early Access could have refine certain parts of the whole experience. Still, if you've been itching for a survival game that isn't built around more realistic visuals, or you are fan of RuneScape, Dragonwilds does offer a compelling and fairly faithful conversion to the survival genre, just make sure you play with friends, and watch out for those blasted hunters.
Developer - Jagex Ltd.
Publisher - Jagex Ltd. Released - September 15th, 2026. Available On - PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC. Rated - (T) - Blood, Mild Language, Violence. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X/S.
Review Access - A review code for RuneScape: Dragonwilds was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.