A couple of weeks ago, Jagex unveiled RuneScape: Dragonwilds, an open world survival crafting game set in its beloved fantasy universe. The UK developer said back then that the Steam Early Access launch would launch sometime in Spring but did not provide a specific date. It was, therefore, surprising to see the game become available without any further announcements on Valve's store a few hours ago, priced at £24.99 GBP / $29.99 / €29.99.
Jesse America, Executive Producer of this game, said in a statement:
We’re so excited to surprise players with our Early Access launch today and invite them to discover the magical world of RuneScape: Dragonwilds right now. We’ve been working hard to develop an entirely new type of RuneScape experience that ignites fans’ passion, creativity and love for questing, and provide them with an all-new RuneScape adventure to discover. And this is just the start of our development journey. Throughout Early Access, we’ll be updating the game regularly with new content and features, while listening closely to the community to deliver an iconic open world survival crafting game that is loved equally by our biggest RuneScape fans and new players alike. Our community is at the heart of everything we do at Jagex and we look forward to seeing how they shape RuneScape: Dragonwilds throughout our Early Access journey.
So far, early user reception seems quite positive. The average user review score is 79% for the time being. Jagex also outlined the Early Access roadmap. There will be constant improvements to the following areas: combat, performance, multiplayer, difficulty, lighting, weather, messaging, and tutorials. New magic, ranged, and farming skills will be introduced, as well as new quests, gear, lore, music, animals, and a new enemy type, the lesser dragons. Moreover, the base building mechanics will be expanded, and the Hardcore and Creative modes will be added. Last but not least, a whole new region called Fellhollow will be introduced.
This zone is said to be suspended between life and death. A twisted dragon called Imaru is its overlord, and various undead enemies will populate Fellhollow. Players will be guided here by Death, a well-known character to RuneScape fans.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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