Building defenses against dragon attacks in RuneScape Dragonwilds

RuneScape: Dragonwilds, launched into early access on April 15, 2025, immerses players in the dragon-infested continent of Ashenfall, where survival demands resourcefulness, crafting, and strategic base-building. Among the game’s most thrilling yet frustrating challenges are dragon attacks—unpredictable aerial assaults that can devastate your carefully constructed base. Unlike goblin warbands, which you can fight head-on, dragons in Dragonwilds are currently unkillable, dropping poison bombs or fire that ignore terrain and roofs, leaving players scrambling to survive. This blog post explores how to build defenses against dragon attacks, drawing on community insights, gameplay mechanics, and the game’s early access limitations to help you protect your base and thrive in this unforgiving survival crafting game.

Understanding Dragon Attacks in Dragonwilds

Dragon attacks are a core mechanic in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, reflecting the game’s title and central theme. These assaults are not traditional boss fights but rather environmental hazards akin to magical weather events. When a dragon strikes, a warning appears: “You are being hunted.” The dragon then flies overhead, dropping poison bombs, fire, or other area-of-effect attacks that persist as hazardous blobs on the ground for about a minute. Key characteristics include:

Unpredictable Timing: Attacks occur randomly, sometimes repeatedly in the same area, with no clear trigger like a quest or building milestone.
Terrain Ignorance: Dragon attacks ignore walls, roofs, and terrain, hitting players even indoors. This is likely a bug, with Jagex promising fixes in future patches.
No Counterattack: As of early access, players cannot fight back against dragons during these fly-bys, though the roadmap hints at future dragon-slaying mechanics, such as battles against General Velgar or Imaru in the Fellhollow region.
Increased Frequency in Multiplayer: Attacks seem more frequent or intense in co-op sessions with multiple players.

These mechanics make traditional defenses like walls or turrets ineffective, forcing players to rely on strategic building, positioning, and survival tactics. Community feedback on Steam and X highlights frustration with the lack of defensive options, with players reporting bases destroyed even when they’re not present. Below, we outline the best strategies to mitigate dragon attack damage, based on current gameplay and player discoveries.

Building Strategies to Mitigate Dragon Attacks

Since dragon attacks bypass conventional defenses, protecting your base requires a mix of clever building choices, strategic location selection, and survival tactics. The Dragonwilds building system, praised for its snapping mechanics and flexibility (e.g., roof valley pieces and ghost mode), offers tools to experiment with base designs, but no structure is fully dragon-proof. Here’s how to optimize your base against dragon assaults.

Location Selection

Choosing the right spot for your base is the first step in minimizing dragon attack damage. While no location is completely safe, certain areas offer partial protection:

Location	Pros	Cons
Near Wise Old Man (Temple Woods)	Community reports suggest standing near the Wise Old Man NPC may reduce poison damage, possibly due to a restricted attack radius. Ideal for early-game bases.	Limited space for large bases; still vulnerable to full attacks if not close enough to NPC.
Caves	Provides partial shelter from aerial attacks; natural walls may block some effects.	Caves don’t fully protect against dragons (attacks clip through terrain); limited building space; risk of enemy spawns inside.
Open Fields (Bramblemead Valley)	Easier to spot dragon warnings and flee; ample space for large bases.	No natural cover; fully exposed to poison and fire effects.
Cliffside or Elevated Areas	May reduce goblin warband spawns, indirectly helping during dragon attacks by reducing simultaneous threats.	Still vulnerable to dragon attacks; harder to access resources.

Tip: Build your starter base near the Wise Old Man in Temple Woods to leverage potential protection while you gather resources. For secondary bases, prioritize open areas for mobility, as fleeing is often the best defense. Use the Windstep Spell (unlocked via Runecrafting) to access high ledges for safer base spots.

Base Design and Materials

The Dragonwilds building system allows for creative structures, but dragon attacks render most walls and roofs useless due to their terrain-ignoring nature. Instead, focus on designs that minimize downtime and resource loss:

Small, Modular Bases: Build compact 2×2 or 3×3 structures to reduce repair costs. Large bases are harder to rebuild after destruction.
Elevated Foundations: Use the Construction skill to place foundations (unlocked at Construction level 5) to raise your base slightly. This won’t stop dragon attacks but can deter goblin warbands, reducing chaos during simultaneous assaults.
Durable Materials: Upgrade to Stone Walls (12x Stone, Construction level 10) over Ash Log Walls (4x Ash Logs). Stone is more resistant to damage, though not immune to dragons.
Multiple Bases: Establish secondary bases with Lodestones (crafted with Vault Cores from dungeons) for fast travel. If one base is destroyed, you can retreat to another.
Ghost Mode Planning: Use Ghost Mode to blueprint structures without consuming resources, ensuring efficient designs before committing materials.

Tip: Craft a Personal Chest (Construction level 10, requires 8x Ash Logs, 4x Stone) to store critical items like runes and potions. The Personal Chest spell lets you access storage remotely, reducing losses if your base is destroyed.

Defensive Furniture and Crafting Stations

While traps or turrets aren’t available, certain furniture and stations can indirectly aid survival during dragon attacks:

Item	Purpose	Crafting Requirements
Campfire	Provides warmth and a quick cooking spot to restore health/hunger after fleeing an attack.	4x Ash Logs, 2x Stone
Bedroll	Sets respawn point; place in a safe secondary base to recover quickly after death.	6x Hide, 2x Ash Logs (Construction level 5)
Crafting Table	Allows crafting of Ward Stones (1x Stone, 5x Rune Essence) to recharge armor shields, boosting survivability.	4x Ash Logs
Rune Altar	Crafts Air and Fire Runes for spells like Tempest Shield, which blocks damage during chaotic attacks.	12x Stone, 4x Rune Essence (quest reward from Zanik)

Tip: Place a Bedroll in a secondary base far from your primary one. If a dragon destroys your main base, you can respawn safely and reclaim items.

Survival Tactics During Dragon Attacks

Since you can’t fight dragons directly, surviving their attacks requires quick thinking and preparation. Here are key tactics:

Flee the Area: When the “You are being hunted” warning appears, sprint away from your base to avoid poison blobs. Open fields allow easier dodging.
Use Tempest Shield: At Attack level 11, unlock Tempest Shield, a magical air shield that blocks all damage briefly and ends with a knockback burst. Cast it to survive poison or fire while escaping.
Stock Healing Potions: Craft Healing Potions (1x Harralander, 1x Clay Vessel, Herblore level 5) at a Brewing Cauldron to restore health after taking damage. Loot chests in vaults for extra potions.
Die Strategically: If overwhelmed, unequip gear and let the dragon kill you near your Bedroll. You’ll respawn quickly, and enemies may despawn, allowing you to reclaim items. This is a controversial tactic but effective for solo players.
Avoid Multi-Threats: Dragon attacks often coincide with goblin warbands or ambushes, which teleport enemies to your location. Clear nearby enemy spawns (e.g., goblin camps) before building to reduce simultaneous threats.

Tip: Practice Parry (unlocked at Attack level 5) on weak enemies like giant rats to master timing. While useless against dragons, it helps fend off goblins during combined attacks, preserving health.

Skill Synergies for Dragon Defense

Leveling specific skills enhances your ability to withstand dragon attacks by improving base durability, mobility, and survivability:

Skill	Key Unlocks	How It Helps
Construction	Foundations (level 5), Personal Chest (level 10)	Elevates bases to deter goblins; provides remote storage to safeguard items.
Attack	Tempest Shield (level 11), Parry (level 5)	Blocks damage during attacks; staggers goblins to manage multi-threats.
Runecrafting	Windstep Spell, Tempest Shield Runes	Accesses high ledges for safer bases; powers defensive spells.
Herblore	Healing Potion (level 5), Antipoison (level 5)	Restores health; counters poison effects from dragon attacks.
Cooking	Mushroom Soup (level 10)	Restores hunger and provides a crafting buff to rebuild faster post-attack.

Tip: Prioritize Construction and Herblore early to build durable bases and stockpile potions. Grind Attack by fighting rats or goblins to unlock Tempest Shield for critical defense.

Community Feedback and Limitations

The Dragonwilds community, active on Steam, X, and Reddit, has voiced significant frustration with dragon attacks, citing their unfairness and lack of counterplay. Key complaints include:

Terrain-Ignoring Attacks: Dragons hitting through walls and roofs feels like a bug, with players reporting deaths inside bases. Jagex has acknowledged this and promised fixes.
No Defenses: The absence of traps, turrets, or anti-dragon mechanics makes base-building feel futile, especially for solo players.
Frequent Destruction: Players report bases destroyed multiple times daily, particularly in multiplayer, discouraging investment in elaborate structures.
Repetitive Chaos: The randomness and frequency of attacks, combined with goblin ambushes, overwhelm players, with one Steam user stating, “The dragon punishes you constantly even when you’re not engaging him.”

On X, players like @Jade_Playsgames have shared combat guides, suggesting spells like Tempest Shield for survival, while others call for Jagex to add defensive mechanics or difficulty settings. A Reddit post noted, “Dragon attacks are a bit OD right now, and needs some tweaking,” reflecting widespread sentiment.

Jagex’s early access roadmap, detailed in a developer deep-dive, promises new biomes (e.g., Fellhollow), skills, and dragon fights, with the first major update expected in July/August 2025. While no specific defensive mechanics are confirmed, the roadmap mentions Dragon Slayer gear and new weapon upgrades, hinting at future counterplay. Community-driven development means player feedback on Steam, X, or Discord could push for traps, reinforced walls, or difficulty sliders.

Comparison to Other Survival Games

To contextualize Dragonwilds’ dragon attack mechanics, here’s how they compare to base defense in other survival games:

Game	Base Defense Mechanics	Threat Counterplay
RuneScape: Dragonwilds	No functional defenses; attacks ignore terrain; limited to fleeing or dying.	Flee, use Tempest Shield, or build near Wise Old Man for partial protection.
Valheim	Walls, moats, and turrets; enemies respect terrain; repairable structures.	Fight or fortify against raids; terrain manipulates enemy pathing.
Ark: Survival Evolved	Turrets, traps, and dino guards; robust building options.	Active defense with weapons or tamed creatures; structures withstand attacks.
V Rising	Reinforced walls, blood altars; enemies target structures strategically.	Fight or use castle defenses; repairable with resources.

Dragonwilds’ lack of active defenses makes it harsher than Valheim or Ark, aligning more with the relentless threat of V Rising but without equivalent countermeasures.

Future Outlook for Dragon Defenses

Jagex’s commitment to player feedback suggests hope for improved defenses. The roadmap includes:

Fellhollow Region: Introduces Imaru, a new dragon, potentially with fightable mechanics.
New Skills: Magic, Ranged, and Farming skills may unlock spells or tools to counter dragons.
Dragon Slayer Gear: New armor and weapons could reduce damage or enable dragon combat.
Community-Driven Updates: Jagex’s focus on feedback means vocal community demands for traps, reinforced structures, or difficulty settings could shape patches.

Players can influence development by posting on Steam, X, or the official Discord. For now, monitor patch notes for bug fixes (e.g., terrain-ignoring attacks) and potential defensive additions.

Final Thoughts

Building defenses against dragon attacks in RuneScape: Dragonwilds is a daunting task, as the game’s early access version offers no true countermeasures. Dragons’ terrain-ignoring assaults and random frequency challenge even seasoned survival players, but strategic base placement, modular designs, and spells like Tempest Shield can mitigate losses. By building near the Wise Old Man, crafting durable stone structures, and stocking potions, you can weather Ashenfall’s fiery storms. Community feedback is driving Jagex’s roadmap, with promises of new skills, gear, and dragon fights that may introduce proper defenses. Until then, embrace the chaos, flee when hunted, and rebuild stronger. Stay updated via Jagex’s site, Steam, or X, and let your voice shape Dragonwilds’ future. Happy surviving!