Picture this: You’re chilling in your cozy base, crafting away, and feeling pretty good. You step away for a snack. You come back, and boom—your base is toast. That’s been my RuneScape: Dragonwilds experience with the game’s many random events, and it’s become an absolute thorn in my side. But honestly? Part of me loves it for the chaos.
The random events come in two primary forms: one involves a dragon that suddenly appears in the sky, while the other brings a horde of goblins charging in. I can’t decide which one I despise more since they both have a talent for showing up when you least want to see them.
The dragon scenario usually starts with a deafening roar that fills the air. It doesn’t matter where you are; this majestic menace can appear out of nowhere, greeting you with a fiery, toxic breath. While I’ll admit there’s something undeniably cool about having a dragon to contend with, it does put a damper on travel. Sometimes, all I want is to wander, enjoy the scenery, and collect materials at my own pace. But alas, the dragon swoops in, leaving circular attack points on the ground for you to dodge, shattering those serene moments with no time to catch your breath. And let’s not forget, everything else in RuneScape: Dragonwilds is out to get you, so your chances of surviving are already looking slim.
The worst place for the dragon to show up has to be the Stormtouched Highlands, a region where you’re also contending with deadly lightning strikes. This happened to me more than once, with the terrain littered with blasts from both lightning and the dragon’s breath. I found myself dodging left and right, almost like I was performing a messed-up dance routine with life-and-death stakes. Besides, it’s not like you can slay the beast. You can’t even see the darn thing in the sky. All you can do is run in circles for who knows how long, hoping it forgets you exist before you drop dead from exhaustion.
Even when you try to flee home after a dragon encounter, peace is far from guaranteed. That’s when the goblins strike. Unlike the dragon, the game actually gives you a heads-up before their raids begin, and you may be able to get rid of them in a few minutes with a bow or sword, at least if you’re in a Level 1 difficulty area. But if you’ve placed your base in a more dangerous region, you’ll almost certainly be overwhelmed by the goblin hordes.
However, the true problem lies with going AFK. I learned that the hard way during my early days in RuneScape: Dragonwilds. I stepped away to write something, and when I returned, my base was wrecked, with only a lonely tombstone beside it to mark my character’s untimely death. Now, every time I step away and hear the dreaded blare of goblin war horns, I sprint back to my computer as if my life depended on it—because it does—desperate to save my camp from the goblins’ unruly reign. Nevertheless, taking them down sometimes feels glorious, letting me settle the score for what they did to me at the start of my run.
Although the random event experience has been infuriating, there’s some comfort in knowing other RuneScape: Dragonwilds players, including fellow writer Madison in her Early Access review, are suffering right alongside me. In one post, a player points out how the game needs to tone down the dragon attacks, especially for those going solo. A major issue is that the creature’s toxic breath blasts straight through rooftops, turning so-called safe zones into poison-filled coffins.
Another Reddit post suggests that these random events should happen less frequently in the Level 2 difficulty zones, as their frequency is becoming downright brutal. One user even claims they can trigger nearly every five minutes. After testing this myself, I can confirm it’s spot on. Whether it’s a dragon or a goblin, you’re thrown right into the action again before you’ve had time to regroup.
Given the growing chorus of players speaking out on the issue, there’s a good chance a much-needed debuff is coming soon. I’m not suggesting the random events should be entirely removed, but perhaps a gentler touch with their frequency would strike the right balance, just enough to keep things challenging without overwhelming us. RuneScape: Dragonwilds is still in Early Access, after all, and with the promise of regular updates, there’s potential for a fix.
Thankfully, recent patches have already addressed a few pressing concerns, including the long-awaited resolution to gem drop inconsistencies. Here’s hoping the next update targets those relentless dragon and goblin encounters; maybe then, I’ll finally be able to enjoy some peace at my home base.
