Drakensang Online

[Greybeard]

Drakensang online can be downloaded free from the internet, some 20 mb. I think it is originally German but is available in many languages (some 20 of them), just click the one you want. There are a number of different skills for your character to play. Ranger with a bow, Dragonknight (melee), or Sorceror (magic) are the main categories. 

You get to start off with a quest, in which there are a number of routes to success. There are many more that you can access by clicking on a major NPC.

There are several sub-worlds, of different degrees of difficulty, so there is a lot of choice, including several dungeons. Although the game is free, the quality of the game is good, so can be quite atmospheric.

There is a forum which is well-worth reading. You are encouraged to start off with two, three, or four characters as there is a game-based currency (copper, silver, gold and andamant. The latter can be pooled between your characters, and it is clear that many do, to be able to afford upgrading their equipment. I have not done this yet, though I may do so in the future. This video can be visited on u-tube. to get a feel for the game.

[Greybeard]

I have been playing Drakensang Online for several weeks now, and it get better and better. There are several levels of play, with the emphasis on new players. PVE and PVP are separated from each other. Swerdfield Pastures on Heredur (European server) is a good place to start, and you can still make gains in skill up to about level 13 (max at the moment is 50). But the various dungeons cater for any to try. You get to be on your own in the dungeon, so it is a lot less crowded than Swerdfield Pastures - no other players at all! The Old Tomb is a good introduction to the game (level 9-10).

My best character is a Level 19 Ranger. This is my preferred type of position, strong constitution and with a bow that gives decent range of attack. In addition there is Spellweaver (mage but physically weaker than Rangers) and Dragonknight, a strong melee character. There is also a fourth type Steam Mechanicus a dwarven position. I have not tried this one.

In my next post I will include a study of the Wild Forest, where I have been using my Ranger.

[Greybeard]

The Wild Forest is strange and mysterious. It is very atmospheric, but very easy to get lost in if you wander off the route you have to the goal of the quest. I have a quest in here to discover the secret exit from this place, though I am still a long way from achieving it.

Clicking on the map icon brings up the small map which just shows the route to the quest goal. This is also marked out on the floor of the forest for the quester to follow. A second click of the map bring up an enlarged version, marking the exit/entry points and other features. This map shows Slifmoor, the Imperial Ruins, and the Wildherz Caverns, plus the entrance I used from the town of Kingshill. There is also a Woodfolk Settlement. I have no idea where or what these are, but once my Ranger has improved a couple of levels or so I hope to be able to explore these.

My Ranger is Level 18, and the Wild Forest is classed as being 17-20, but it is tough. There are Wildherz Hunting Hounds here and they have Wildherz Hunters (humanlike) which summon the hounds with a trumpet call to drive intruders out. There are also creatures called Wildherz Agitators, which are even more serious a challenge. Basically 3 or 4 hounds or 2 agitators are enough to deter me from going further and I leave the forest in haste, before they kill me.

In short, I could easily explore more widely and push on to the ruins to complete the quest. But it is risky to probe too far, especially because of how easy it is to stray.

My next post will explore the wider aspects of the game.

[Greybeard]

The Wild Forest is strange and mysterious. It is very atmospheric, but very easy to get lost in if you wander off the route you have to the goal of the quest. I have a quest in here to discover the secret exit from this place, though I am still a long way from achieving it.

Clicking on the map icon brings up the small map which just shows the route to the quest goal. This is also marked out on the floor of the forest for the quester to follow. A second click of the map bring up an enlarged version, marking the exit/entry points and other features. This map shows Slifmoor, the Imperial Ruins, and the Wildherz Caverns, plus the entrance I used from the town of Kingshill. There is also a Woodfolk Settlement. I have no idea where or what these are, but once my Ranger has improved a couple of levels or so I hope to be able to explore these.

My Ranger is Level 18, and the Wild Forest is classed as being 17-20, but it is tough. There are Wildherz Hunting Hounds here and they have Wildherz Hunters (humanlike) which summon the hounds with a trumpet call to drive intruders out. There are also creatures called Wildherz Agitators, which are even more serious a challenge. Basically 3 or 4 hounds or 2 agitators are enough to deter me from going further and I leave the forest in haste, before they kill me.

In short, I could easily explore more widely and push on to the ruins to complete the quest. But it is risky to probe too far, especially because of how easy it is to stray.

My next post will explore the wider aspects of the game.

[Greybeard]

I have been playing Drakensang Online for several weeks now, and it get better and better. There are several levels of play, with the emphasis on new players. PVE and PVP are separated from each other. Swerdfield Pastures on Heredur (European server) is a good place to start, and you can still make gains in skill up to about level 13 (max at the moment is 50). But the various dungeons cater for any to try. You get to be on your own in the dungeon, so it is a lot less crowded than Swerdfield Pastures - no other players at all! The Old Tomb is a good introduction to the game (level 9-10).

My best character is a Level 19 Ranger. This is my preferred type of position, strong constitution and with a bow that gives decent range of attack. In addition there is Spellweaver (mage but physically weaker than Rangers) and Dragonknight, a strong melee character. There is also a fourth type Steam Mechanicus a dwarven position. I have not tried this one.

In my next post I will include a study of the Wild Forest, where I have been using my Ranger.

[Greybeard]

Drakensang can, by the way, be played on any computer (and so far it is free!), so with my middle of the range apple computer I manage quite well with it. There are not so many games accessible with a macbook pro retina, especially not quality games like Drakensang. Microsoft and other kinds of software also work.

The Wild Forest has levels (levels 17-20 for its monsters), so with a level 19 ranger it is just about manageable. I have for the most part been so far conducting short raids, retreating when my ranger's health starts to get dangerously low.

I have so far only met wildherz hunting hounds and a hog-like creature called a wildherz agitator, which are more formidable than the hounds but slower. My ranger can take on 2 or 3 hounds but only 1 agitator at a time. There is also a sort of hunter type who can summon hounds with a bugle call. But yesterday I managed to get to the target - the Imperial Ruins - but there was no wildherz shaman assistant there for me to take the symbol from that was my task. I was to take that to the priest in Kingshill. Odd that. But I persevere.

There are two maps the can be accessed for each location, a general one and a more specific one. On the more detailed map there are more gates; one leading to Slifmoor, one leading to the Wildherz Caverns, as well as a location within the forest called the Woodfolk Settlement. I would like to visit the settlement one day, it sounds interesting. I wonder if the village head will co-operate?

There are many other locations that can be reached for a small in-game fee (money is in coppers, silver, gold and andamant. But I am saving for more important things, especially a better bow.

[Greybeard]

Between raids into the Wild Forest I go to the Catacombs in Kingshill, a level 15-16 dungeon. 15-16 is more my natural level, and skill gains can be made there more easily than in the Wild Forest. You can often pick up minor goodies in there, like a number of lockpicks and small sums of cash. A Nefetari snooper haunts down there, quite powerful but as long as it is not significantly supported by ghost archers and risen soldiers and as long as ranger health is in it can be defeated.

[Greybeard]

My ranger is now at level 20, and each new level adds a new more powerful attack or other skill to his repertoire. The maximum is level 50, but to there it is a long way. I have been exploring new areas, using the maps to help me open them up. The complexity of the game grows with this exploration. At the moment I am exploring how jewels embedded in the weapon of your choice can enhance your attacks. This can best be done by the help of a jeweller in one of the urban areas. The game map is being extended to include more options, like guerrilla warfare, stealth, ambush and so on.

[Greybeard]

This is my 100th post on the forum, so cause for some satisfaction.

Drakensang continues to surprise. There are many merchants in the main city of Kingshill, selling a astonishing variety of goods. There is a giant animal tamer as tall as a building, from whom any tamed creatures can be bought, ranging from a plain brown horse up to dragons and rainbow-coloured unicorns, armoured polar bears, and giant apes moving on two feet and with the rider astride its shoulders.

Quests abound and can can be obtained from NPCs in Kingshill. This is a good way to earn cash and to rise quickly in skill, but takes careful planning so as not to over-extend your character. This is the wording of one of these:
"Take the symbol from the Wildherz Shaman Assistant new the Imperial Ruins". Others involve solving a number of sub-quests, perhaps as many as five.

[Greybeard]

Drakensang prides itself in its advertisements for being free-to-play. And so it is, but a planned change is to charge the in-game currency of andermant for characters to be raised from the dead:

Inventory expansion by 28 slots
Free travel
Free revival in same location
Free reshuffling of daily challenges
Additional big surprise chest with daily login bonus
A Crown icon next to your character name
Mystic Cube drops
Access to the special trader NPC Emilia in Kingshill
Pre-selection of talents
A bonus 25% increased honor in PvP on top of all other bonuses
+10% to earned experience
25% reduction to Andermant crafting costs at the workbench
Daily login bonus of 100 Andermant per account
Tempest Phoenix pet to accompany you on your travels!
Access to your locker any where you go
How much does a Premium Account cost?
Premium Accounts cost €9.99 per month (30 days)
Players based in Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Argentinia and Brazil have different pricing

Yes, sure it is still technically free but I am sure the dedicated Dakensangers will pay the premium rate of 9.99 euro for each 30 days.