From Mod Dutch (Executive Producer)
Hello adventurers,
I want to thank you for your overwhelming support for RuneScape: Dragonwilds since our release. Seeing your enthusiasm and excitement at our work has been incredibly motivating and we are excited to share more with you today.
Honestly, we did not expect that the game would immediately do as well as it did—it took us by surprise and, straight talk: we were generally expecting things to move at a much slower pace of uptake after our shadow drop in April. This meant that communication-wise, we were a bit too slow in catching up with the hype and the discourse, and what we learned from this is that we should have spoken to you a lot sooner.
With today's blog it is our aim to start on a road of comms improvement. Expect regular comms from now on, and increased clarity about the progress we’re making.
WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE (EXCEPT DEEPER INTO ASHENFALL, AND BEYOND)
Important to understand is how much the development team loves this game and how committed they are to do right by it. A lot of hours were lovingly spent on building the experience that players enjoyed when the game became available in April, and we are going to create more game, more content, more survival for you to enjoy. We will not say goodbye to this project (even if our silence suggested otherwise,) and all of us at Jagex stand behind our conviction that there is more Dragonwilds to build. More RuneScape adventure, more skills, more dragon-slaying, more quests and equally, further evolution of the game itself. At this point I cannot give everything away, but the intent is for Dragonwilds to be around for many more years, and to grow into a hobby game worth your time.
We set out on this journey several years ago with a clear vision of what we wanted to make: a survival game that concentrated the RuneScape experience into something that could be experienced with friends, shared together cooperatively or alone, within a more compact, accessible way. Our vision hasn't changed, and we've not compromised on that. We're committed to shaping this experience into something truly worthy of the RuneScape name, while also making something that brings a fresh take on the Survival genre.
We're listening to you (wherever you post your opinions,) asking questions when we can (player surveys,) and taking on your feedback.
Sharing our thoughts on future development this early will mean that you need to wait some time to play them, however, it is important we talk about them now for two reasons:
1) You know we're actually working on things.
2) We can hear your thoughts on them.
On that point, let's talk development.
WILL THEY, OR WON’T THEY?
We’ve seen a fair few comments online that expressed a worry from players that we kicked this game out of the door and sent it out into the wilderness to get PK’ed, or worse, forgotten. The worry that we’d abandon Dragonwilds without improvement to the experience, without shipping additional, meaningful content, and that we’d instead just bank our gold like vile treasure goblins, is not a weird conclusion if you don’t hear anything to the contrary. So, allow me to set the record straight:
Because we did so well, we ARE going to be growing our team meaningfully to deliver updates and content to the game.
More hands will soon touch code, design, art, in order to expand the game. What does that mean? We will be significantly expanding the team and look to enlist development partners we’ve relied on in the past, to help us.
We ARE going to be further expanding the game so that when we get to our version 1.0—late 2026—it will be amazing, and all of its rich goodness will be included in the price of your EA copy.
Internally, our mantra is:
Meaningful Content Every Quarter.
We are also set to ship onto more platforms and into territories (languages) that will be new to RuneScape. All of that is very exciting, but the core of what will make any of that work is that we Deliver On The Promise, and we build a Top Tier 1.0. And that is what we’re going to be focusing on from hereon.
How fast will that happen? You will need to give us some runway to get the magical carpet into the sky. First, we’re going to be releasing two updates that each contain a new skill, going up to level 50:
The Magic Skill is coming on June 17, together with additional content. (VLOG here)
The Ranged Skill is coming on September 9, together with additional content.
Then, in December we will release our first bigger update: Fell Hollow, together with the Farming Skill and Steel Gear Tier / Crafting. Mod Rook will talk more about that further below in this blog.
But what comes thereafter? Have a look at the roadmap below.
We will invest heavily in our team’s size and skillset to deliver on these updates, and we want to secure a stable, reliable foundation for how we take on the development of all of our updates for the foreseeable future. That means we're sticking to our original plan of quarterly updates. That means roughly every three months, we'll be delivering an update. That does not include patches, hotfixes, and the like, which will typically follow these updates at regular checkpoints, every few weeks. In the downtime between those, we're aiming to continue to talk, share our working and keep you updated. Mod Doom will be curating the highlights of the month, including behind the scenes looks at what is going into the game.
Beyond our 1.0 full launch, this cadence may change, but we're holding ourselves to this structure for this chapter of our timeline. This is the start of our journey, we understand your fears and we share your hopes for our success.
We're committed to this game, and its potential to bring RuneScape to fans new and old alike.
We'll be sharing more of our work towards that Q3 release closer to the time. 0.10 will be launching at the end of the year, with Fellhollow. But 0.10 is just the beginning for us.
Over to Mod Rook!
From Mod Rook (Creative Director)
Adventurers,
Since the launch of Early Access, players have begun their journey across Ashenfall. This is a dangerous, untamed continent far from the lands you once knew. Here, dragons rule.
At the heart of Dragonwilds is Queen Kuldra. She is an ancient black dragon with five heads, known as the Godeater. Kuldra claimed this continent in fire and blood (and by literally eating a god). She rules it with an iron claw. Her dragon overlords strike without warning, attacking any who dare set foot in her domain.
So far, you’ve faced the first of these Dragon Lords: Velgar. A powerful opening chapter in a much larger saga.
Each region you explore brings you closer to Queen Kuldra. Along the way, you will face more of her dragon vassals, uncover lost history, and meet key characters who guide your journey. With every new chapter, the stakes rise.
Dragonwilds is built to evolve. Each expansion introduces new regions, new skills & level cap increases, survival mechanics, gear tiers, enemies, creatures, and questlines that expand the world and drive the story forward.
What’s Coming Next: The Road to Version 1.0
Expansion 1 – FELLHOLLOW
Releasing December 2025
The dead don’t rest here, and neither can you. Imaru, an undead blue dragon overlord, has drenched the land in wither-rot. Fellhollow is a place of bones (skeletons!), spooky winds, and the stench of forgotten conflicts.
Guided by Death himself (yes, Harold), you’ll begin to unravel the corruption at the heart of this blighted land.
New status effect: Soul-rift
Lesser Green Dragon mini bosses
Core Gear Progression: Steel armour, Green Dragonhide, Splitbark Armour
New weapon type: Scimitars make their deadly debut
Death introduces a new questline
New Skill: Farming
Coming in Expansion 1, Farming lets you grow your own crops using raised soil beds, proper tools, and a bit of patience. It will be fully integrated into the survival loops and base-building. Farming is retroactive and fully viable from Brynmoor onwards, so you can start growing the moment you arrive in Ashenfall.
Tend your plants with watering cans, fight off crop disease, and harvest everything from useful herbs to decorative greens. It’s practical, satisfying, and slightly more forgiving than a dragon.
Expansion 2 – DOWDUN REACH
This mountainous region bridges Fellhollow and the sands beyond. Dowdun Reach is jagged, harsh, and full of secrets. A place where the Black Knights built something they hoped the world would forget.
You’ll uncover a lost Black Knight stronghold, mine rare resources, and navigate ancient battlegrounds carved into cliff faces.
Lesser Blue dragons mini-bosses
Core Gear Progression: Mithril armour, Blue Dragonhide Armour, Mystic robes
Vault-based exploration with both interiors and exteriors
Packed with lore tied to Zamorak and the fall of the continent’s Black Knights (and their Fortress)
New Skill: Fishing
Fishing is coming to Dragonwilds! Travel to rivers and lakes, cast your rod or net, and reel in something tasty.
Catch fish for cooking, crafting or just showing off with base trophies. Simple tools at first, magical techniques later.
Relaxing. Rewarding. Occasionally smelly.
Expansion 3 – UMBRAL SANDS
Sunlight is lethal. Shade is survival. The Umbral Sands test more than your skill, they test your patience, your preparation, and your will.
Warped by a cursed Dragonkin tower, this desert bends light and reality. Fuzan, the red dragon overlord, has fused with the fire and madness within.
Lesser Red dragons mini-bosses
Heat mechanic: survive in shade, suffer in sun (inspired by painful summer holiday sunburns)
Core Gear Progression: Adamant Armour, Red Dragonhide Armour, Infinity Robes
Narrative arc expands ancient Dragonkin history alongside another iconic RuneScape character.
New Skill: Prayer
The Prayer support skill brings rituals, blessings and base empowerment. Build altars, make offerings, and channel effects that boost you and your base defences.
You’ll bury bones, sacrifice relics, and recharge prayer points through ritual. Blessings boost your character and your base, with effects that grow stronger as you level up.
It’s spiritual power, survival-style. And yes, bones still matter.
Expansion 4 – SCORNED WILDERNESS
A broken land for a final stand. This shattered domain is ruled by Queen Kuldra, the five-headed black dragon: the Godeater. Her brood gathers. The sky blackens. The end looms.
Dragons of every kind roam the Scorned Wilderness, and the land itself is hostile.
Story NPCs offer guidance, but the choices, and the cost, are yours alone.
Elite “brutal” dragons of all types, including lesser black dragons
Core Gear Progression: Rune Armour, Black Dragonhide Armour, Wild Knight Robes
Rare resources, base-building, and the race for runite
A climactic narrative finale told through NPCs quests, including the debut of another iconic RuneScape character.
New Skill: Agility
Agility will turn movement into mastery. Sprint, leap, and challenge yourself across the world to earn XP and unlock new ways to move.
Improve stamina, unlock magical movement spells, and take on agility routes for big rewards.
No tools. Just legs. Use them.
Honing the Core: Survival, Systems and Stability
While expansions bring the world to life, we’re also committed to refining the foundation. Here’s some of what we’re actively improving:
Improving Early Survival Flow
Iterations to cooking and food to feel more useful in the opening hours, with better pacing and less punishing hunger and thirst timers.
Combat and Event Tuning
Ongoing balance passes to improve feel and challenge, especially around Velgar and base raid events.
Quality of Life Upgrades
Including the ability to craft directly from nearby chests, making your base feel more seamless and functional.
Better Tutorialisation
A reworked Journal to include more information and onboarding and improved notification systems to help surface important mechanics and features more clearly.
Performance Optimisation
Better frame rates, lower-spec support, and more customisable graphic settings: including lighting, contrast, and exposure options.
Bug Fixing
Always ongoing, always a priority.
Bringing More RuneScape Feel
We’ve always aimed to build something that feels true to the world of RuneScape, while also creating a survival game that stands on its own. Not every MMO system translates directly to the kind of experience we’re crafting in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, but that doesn’t mean we’re not listening. Your feedback is helping us find the right balance between familiarity and fresh ideas, and we’re committed to getting that feel just right.
Here are just a few of the bigger items we’ve got lined up:
Power Progression
Ensuring existing and new enemies, gear and weapons feel properly placed within the game’s pacing to feel more akin to RuneScape.
Skill Cap Increase to 99
We’re bringing every skill up to level 99 and introducing more iconic skills with familiar gameplay loops along the way.
Helmet Plumes
Yes, the plumes are coming. Originally planned for Mithril, but you made it clear, you want them now. So, soon™.
More RuneScape-flavoured Quests
Expect a bit more humour, a bit more heart, and a lot more to sink your teeth into.
World Events with Classic Chaos
Think Evil Chicken. Think random madness. More of that energy is on the way.
Music That Feels Like Home
We’re working on more remastered classics. And yes, Sea Shanty 2 is officially in the works.
AND BEYOND!
Our immediate focus is delivering on the promise we made to you and to ourselves. We set out to create a compelling cooperative survival game, full of rich content, shared adventures, and dragons to slay along the way.
We want you to experience the story we call the Kuldra Saga. It’s a tale with a beginning, a middle, and an end. A full arc that leads to a true conclusion.
But RuneScape: Dragonwilds doesn’t end there.
While we will continue to support the game with future sagas and new stories, we are also working on something bigger. We are exploring ways to expand the core Dragonwilds survival experience with higher player counts, larger worlds, exciting new ways to engage with dragons, and a focus on social interaction, trade, and sandbox fun. All of it built on the tools and systems you have helped us shape so far. We’re codenaming it “Shadows of Ashenfall.”
It is still early days, and we are not quite ready to share more. But what we are looking to build is bold, ambitious, and incredibly exciting.
We will tell you more when the time is right. Until then, thank you for your support, your feedback, and all the conversations that continue to shape the game. Every comment, bug report, survey completed, (and meme shared) help us make this the best game it can be.
Mod Doom
