We were one of the first to see Dragonwald, at the stage of internal studio testing. This is when developers and producers are running through the forests, birds are singing in debug mode, and a dying dragon is scrupulously logging his feelings. We saw what will become a reality for mere mortals in two weeks – a new map, and with it a new game mode in Prime World.
What does Dragonwald stand on?
The recent history of computer games remembers the case when a single add-on became a full-fledged game, and then an entire genre. The mechanics inherent in DotA Allstars, reproduced countless times – ten heroes, three offensive lines, two bases and an endless stream of monsters grinding each other on an oncoming attack. Projects like Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends went further and over time introduced new maps (essentially game modes) – “Three on Three”, “Domination” and the like. The time has come and Prime World. And if the base map strictly follows the genre canon, then Dragonwald is the author’s and very unusual development. Most of all, it resembles a dungeon in an online role-playing game: a group of heroes moves towards a big “boss” through a string of smaller “bosses,” alternating tactics and helping each other, while the raid leader marks targets and screams heart-rendingly into the voice chat.
Where the bomb is about to fall, a warning circle flashes. Those who didn’t make it in time were killed or severely crippled.
There’s no place for weaklings here
There are no weak soldiers or monsters in Dragonwald. Few local inhabitants huddled in groups and guard the paths, so there is no direct path to the enemy. Dokts and Adornians enter the game from opposite bases and move towards each other, clearing the way. At the beginning of the game we are faced with a pure PvE mode, and quite difficult. Those who have managed to get used to the fact that wild monsters are in Prime World – frail cannon fodder, will inevitably face a few painful surprises.
Experience accumulates slowly. If on the https://mpbetcasino.co.uk/bonus/ standard map it was enough to meet the attackers, gaining one level after another, then here you just have to run, choosing the next group that you can already defeat. Solo tactics for many classes are unprofitable: the chance of going to the base is too high, and unkilled monsters will not bring a drop of prime. We have to group ourselves and try to separate the enemy squad as best we can. The latter is not so simple: the enemy will not chase you across half the map. You just have to break the distance and the monsters will come back and at the same time restore their health.
So, clearing paths and growing in levels, teams approach the center of the map. On the way there are birds, whose leader destroys enemies with a piercing cry; pyromaniacs armed with powerful bombs; flocks of dragons; squads of lizard riders; broods of ghosts; a green beast that paralyzes enemies with a flashlight on its head; ficus oozing poisonous green gas… and a dragon. One. In the very center.
Egg tugging
The dragon is the closest relative of the Serpent Gorynych, but his role in the gameplay is completely different. He is no longer a side “boss” on which the team, seizing the moment, can quickly raise a couple of decisive levels. Here this is the main and only key to victory. For most mortals, Prime means death, but for dragons it is a source of strength and health. The dragon itself is the focus of the prime, and the dragon egg is the same thing, only in a square. And if you bring such an egg closer to mining installations, the units will fail from overload.
The offensive strategy of both factions is based on this. Kill the dragon, grab the fallen egg and take it to enemy territory. The closer it is to the enemy base, the faster the strength of the building decreases, and within one or two minutes the base explodes, bringing victory to the aggressor team. The player carrying the egg is especially vulnerable: all talents of invisibility, acceleration, fast movement are disabled, and teleport does not work. In a word, everything that would allow you to escape from your pursuers. Therefore, at the moment of killing the dragon, the game abruptly changes the genre from PvE to aggressive PvP with elements of “Capture the Flag”. The only difference is that you need to take the “flag”, that is, the egg, not to your own territory, but to the very heart of the enemy’s. Opponents, naturally, try to kill the egg-bearing hero, take away the burden and drag it in the opposite direction. It turns out something like a reverse tug of war.
A couple of hits for the last hero, a couple of hits for the dragon. Now everything is decided by milliseconds… and the probability of a “crit”.
Differences and nuances
Each team has four heroes (instead of five, as in the main mode). There are no mini-games: with so many participants, sending someone to Zoom would be too wasteful. Compared to the classic map, the games are more fleeting, so you shouldn’t bet on the top line of talents – the game usually ends earlier, within 20 – 26 levels. Since there are few monsters, “cumulative” talents that increase their effect from mass killings are also less effective.
Tactically, the party can be divided into three phases: gaining experience, fighting the dragon and the decisive battle. Moreover, the last stage is almost completely predetermined – whichever team “pumped up” better and killed the dragon first will emerge victorious in a series of final conflicts. And although we saw an exception (the team with the egg got carried away with the attack, was killed near the base and ultimately lost), victory in Dragonwald is based on competent PvE development. The final PvP serves more as a wrap-up.
It’s also equally important to guess the moment when it’s time to go after the dragon. Overestimate your strengths – you will lose time and fall behind, underestimate – the opposite team will take the initiative. The local dragon has less health than the usual Gorynych, but it bites more painfully and brings in several times less prime. It is optimal to beat him with a team of levels 19 – 23 – depending on its class composition.
This is how Dragonwald appeared before us. It would be useful to remind you that all of the above may still change, because right now the final fine-tuning of the balance and individual details of the game mechanics is underway. The launch of the mode is expected within the next couple of weeks.
The developers warn that Dragonwald will not be available all the time: additional maps are planned to be rotated over time. That is, the base map Borderland will always be open, and the side maps will cyclically replace each other as part of regular rotation. True, here is the principle and frequency (on Tuesdays, on holidays, on days of total lunar eclipses?) not yet disclosed. We’ll try to keep you updated.
