XrayRuneScape: Dragonwilds drops you onto Ashenfall with nothing but your wits and a dream of confronting the Dragon Queen. Whether you’re a RuneScape veteran or completely new to the franchise, this beginner’s guide covers everything you need to survive your first hours on the continent.
Understanding the Core Loop
Dragonwilds is a survival crafting RPG at heart. You’ll spend your time gathering resources, leveling skills, crafting better gear, building a base, and gradually pushing into more dangerous regions. The twist that sets it apart from other survival games is the RuneScape skill system — every action you take levels a skill, and higher skill levels unlock better recipes, spells, and abilities.
Your First 30 Minutes
- Gather basics — Punch trees for wood (levels Woodcutting), pick up stones, collect plant fiber
- Craft a workbench — This unlocks basic tool recipes
- Make stone tools — Pickaxe for Mining, axe for faster Woodcutting, and a basic weapon
- Find food and water — Your Hydration and Sustenance bars drain constantly. Berries, mushrooms, and river water keep you alive early on
- Build shelter — Night on Ashenfall is dangerous. Even a basic structure with a door keeps threats out
The 10 Skills — What to Level First
Every skill in Dragonwilds goes up to level 99, and they all level by doing the associated activity. Here’s a priority guide for beginners:
Priority 1: Survival Skills
- Woodcutting — Wood is the most versatile early resource. Level this by chopping trees.
- Mining — Stone, ores, and eventually precious metals. Essential for tools and weapons.
- Cooking — Raw food restores less and can make you sick. Cooked meals at a Cooking Range give significant stat buffs.
Priority 2: Combat Skills
- Attack — Levels from melee combat. Higher levels unlock better weapon recipes and deal more damage.
- Ranged — Bow combat is safer than melee for many encounters. Level this alongside Attack.
- Magic — Unlocks powerful utility and combat spells. Spells like Windstep (movement speed), Eye of Oculus (scouting), and Rocksplosion (area damage) are game-changers.
Priority 3: Building & Crafting
- Construction — Better base pieces, defenses, and structures.
- Artisan — Crafting at specialized stations (Smithing Anvil, Loom, Tannery, Jeweler’s Bench). This is where your best gear comes from.
- Farming — Sustainable food production. Plant crops and harvest them for reliable nutrition.
- Runecrafting — Creating runes at Rune Altars for your magic spells. Essential once you start using Magic regularly.
Crafting Stations Guide
As you progress, you’ll unlock specialized crafting stations that produce increasingly powerful items:
- Crafting Table — Basic recipes, available immediately
- Smithing Anvil — Metal weapons, armor, and tools
- Cooking Range — Cooked meals with stat buffs
- Tannery — Leather armor from animal hides
- Loom — Cloth items and magical robes
- Kiln — Bricks, pottery, and building materials
- Rune Altar — Runes for spellcasting
- Jeweler’s Bench — Rings, amulets, and enchanted accessories
The Magic System
Magic is one of Dragonwilds’ most unique features, bringing RuneScape’s runic magic into a survival context. You’ll need runes (crafted at Rune Altars via Runecrafting) to cast spells. The game currently features 13 spells ranging from utility to combat:
- Windstep — Increases movement speed, great for exploration
- Eye of Oculus — Remote scouting ability
- Rocksplosion — Explodes ore deposits and deals area damage
- Tempest Shield — Defensive magic barrier
- Surge — Quick dash for combat mobility
As your Magic and Runecrafting skills increase, you’ll unlock more powerful spells and be able to craft higher-tier runes.
Exploring Ashenfall’s Regions
Ashenfall is divided into distinct regions, each with increasing difficulty:
- Brynmoor — Starting area. Relatively safe with basic resources and low-level enemies. Explore thoroughly before moving on.
- Ghornfell — Mid-game region with tougher creatures including Garou. Better ores and resources.
- Fellhollow — High-level area with dangerous wildlife and valuable materials.
- Dowdun Reach — The newest region (added in update 0.11). Endgame content with the toughest challenges.
Dragon Boss Encounters
The ultimate goal in Dragonwilds is confronting the Dragon Queen, but you’ll face other dragon bosses along the way. General Velgar is the first major dragon boss encounter and requires:
- Good gear (at least mid-tier weapons and armor)
- Prepared potions and cooked food
- A coordinated group (recommended 3-4 players)
- Understanding of the boss mechanics
Playing with Friends — Dedicated Servers
Dragonwilds is best experienced in co-op. With dedicated server support, up to 6 players can share a persistent world that stays online 24/7. This means your group can play at different times without losing progress, and your base, skills, and world state persist between sessions.
XGamingServer offers Dragonwilds hosting starting from $7/month with instant setup, DDoS protection, and automated backups. Check out our complete server documentation for setup guides.
