April 16, 2025, 8:50am PST: Jagex has confirmed to PCGamesN that players do not require an Epic Games to play Runescape Dragonwilds. Instead, you can create a dummy "empty ," which can be removed at a later date.
I love a shadow drop. There was Hi-Fi Rush, then The Finals, and now there's Jagex's highly anticipated Runescape Dragonwilds, which adds some survival flair to the MMORPG's sprawling fantasy universe. Despite only being revealed earlier this month, it's live right now in early access, meaning you can step into the next chapter of Gielinor's ongoing saga as soon as you've finished reading this article.
You are part of a merry band of misfits that have been shipwrecked in Ashenfall, a realm teeming with exotic fauna, lush green foliage, and some bone-crushing, life-ending dragons. Most of your party are dead, and the few stragglers that remain are busying carving out lives for themselves and trying to stay in one piece. At a glance survival game, but that isn't the case.
When I spoke to Jagex at RuneScape earlier this year, community manager Jake Blunt insisted that Dragonwilds isn't just "Valheim with party hats," and he's right. You can change out your rusty old wood axe for a spectral 'axetral' spell which, when thrown, chops down multiple trees as long as they're in a straight line. You can use your internal mind palace to build the perfect refuge with ease, or zip around using the power of Ashenfall's mysterious air runes. Not only does all of that hopefully trim down a bit of the grind, it looks really, really cool.
But Ashenfall's resident wyrms aren't exactly happy to see you. As they overhead the trees shake and their cries reverberate off of the mountains, making you feel very small. You'll have to face off with these airborne terrors in an attempt to free the land from their corruption, so sharpen your spears and get ready for the fight of your life.
As part of the game's early-access period, we can expect a brand-new region, Fellhollow, and associated draconic regent, Imaru, alongside various new skills. Perhaps the most exciting thing of all is the hardcore mode, likely inspired by the success of Runescape's Iron Man mode. While this is just a roap (the dates aren't set in stone) Dragonwilds' early access is stacked.
Jagex has released Runescape Dragonwilds today, Tuesday April 15, and it's available for £24.99 / $29.99. You can get it here.
Initially, there was some confusion over whether or not players require an Epic Games to play online with friends. Speaking to PCGamesN, Jagex has confirmed that you do not require an Epic Games , or its launcher, in order to play online. Instead, you'll be able to use an "empty ," which adds a Dragonwilds-specific tag to your Steam . You can read more about the process here.
If you're excited to dive into Ashenfall, check out our rundown of the best fantasy games to let you live out your wildest, magic-filled dreams.
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