Developed by Korean studio Eyedentity Games, World of Dragon Nest was announced by Nexon Thailand last month. This subsidiary of Nexon will be publishing this new mobile MMORPG in SEA countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. Please read our interview with Nexon Thailand for more details! We recently had the chance to try out a Pre-Closed Beta build of the game, and were given the “OK” to talk about our first impression. We decided to have the article in a FAQ format, so read on!
• World of Dragon Nest: Interview with Nexon Thailand
• World of Dragon Nest: Pre-Closed Beta FAQ Part 2
• World of Dragon Nest: Pre-Closed Beta FAQ Part 3
General
Q: Is the game 100% ready for launch?
A: This is not a 100% version of the game, but just an early Pre-Closed Beta version.
Q: Do we know the system requirements yet?
A: We have not asked Nexon Thailand about the requirements, but we are guessing it is still being finalized. So no, we do not have a confirmed requirements yet.
Q: Why does the game seem so empty? Is this really a mobile MMORPG?
A: Well, not many were invited for this Pre-Closed Beta testing, so the world seems empty. We played the game 100% solo, even the nests! Which is really great since we do not have to fight over boss spawns for quests… So yes, we expect the maps to be filled with characters running around during Closed Beta.
Q: Is there a Closed Beta or Open Beta date yet?
A: Not that we know of. If the build we tested on is the most current version, we think it might take at least 1 month for Closed Beta to be ready. But we might be wrong, so follow the official World of Dragon Nest Facebook page for the latest updates!
Game world
Q: Is World of Dragon Nest really an open world mobile MMORPG?
A: Yes, the PVE maps are now open to all players to farm and hunt monsters and bosses for quests. This is not a seamless open world, loading is required moving from one map to another. Hence, each map is like an instance with many players. We expect the game to have many different channels for players to switch around finding boss monsters (just our assumption). We are not sure how many players can each map hold, this will be a question for Nexon Thailand another time.
Q: How do instances work?
A: There are instanced dungeons as well, such as the daily activity dungeons (for gold, EXP, etc) and the nests. In the open world, players might enter the story-instances as well for big boss fights. This should be a familiar system for more MMORPG players.
Q: Other than story quests and farming monsters, are there any other functions in the open world?
A: Gathering resources such as iron ore, herbs, etc! This is more important than you can imagine, and we would advise players to gather these resources after getting tired of all the fighting. They are essential for crafting useful items and equipment! There are also skill levels as well which will bring about permanent bonuses for your character.
Combat
Q: Is there auto combat?
A: For a mobile game, of course there is auto combat. And auto questing. BUT, for certain really tough boss fights, auto combat is turned off. We are not sure if the casual gamers will like this, but the hardcore Dragon Nest fans will really love this function. Besides, even if auto combat is turned on, it is not feasible to use against the stronger bosses, since active dodging is required. We are on the fence about this, but we shall see how the wider community reacts during Closed Beta.
Equipment
Q: How do players get new equipment?
A: According to our gameplay experience, the ONLY way to get new equipment now is to farm the nests for materials and craft them. We have only obtained 2 rings from the nests, no weapons, no armor, nothing. This might be an issue since there are only so many times you can enter the nests each day. For those looking for a Diablo-like experience where loot drops like everyday is Christmas, this is not for you.
Q: Wait, so open world monsters do not drop anything good?
A: They do drop upgrade materials for equipment (and Dragon Jade), which is awesome. But yeah, so far none has dropped a full equipment for us. Before we forget, we did get some extra nest tickets to drop from open world monsters, so it might be worth farming them! But once again, this is a Pre-Closed Beta build, so things might change later.
