Dragonkin: The Banished News

[p]Hey Dragon hunters! Welcome to our second Community Spotlight![/p][p][/p][p]It’s been a little over a month since we released our first major update, and we really enjoy seeing how you receive these changes, especially regarding the progression, combat feel, and the new City features.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The new skills sparked a lot of interest, so we thought this would be a great time to highlight some of the builds that are making use of them, along with a few creative ones.[/p][p][/p][h3]Dragonkin: The Banished data collection sheet (by Mumpitz)[/h3][p]Before we get into some of our favorite builds from the community, we want to give a quick shoutout to Mumpitz, one of the most active members on our Discord, who’s been putting together a data sheet for Dragonkin: The Banished to help the community.[/p][p][/p][p]Check it out: Dragonkin: The Banished date collection sheet[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Now, let’s take a look at your builds![/p][p][/p][h3]Community Builds[/h3][p][/p][p]We love seeing how players approach the Ancestral Grid in different ways, especially when new skills shake things up. So, here are a few community builds that caught our attention this patch.[/p][p][/p][h3] Ice Cyclone – A Starter-Friendly Oracle Build (from Mumpitz)[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]Once again, Mumpitz delivers a very detailed build![/p][p]This time sharing us a Starter-friendly Ice Cyclone build for the Oracle using Psychokinesis and Writhing Cyclone to deal massive amounts of damage. [/p][p][/p][p]Here their reasoning behind the build:[/p]

[p]“My goal was to make use of new skill Psychokinesis as well as the new wyrmling skill Frigid Wind that supports damage over time skills, which fits to Writhing Cyclone. So the target skills were selected. Anything else just evolved naturally on the journey.”[/p]

[p][/p][p]If you’re interested, we highly recommend checking the full guide on Discord.[/p][p]You’ll find gear tips, stat priorities, and more.[/p][p][/p][p]Check the full guide[/p][p][/p][h3]Toxic Whirlwind - A Gold Farming Barbarian Build (from hr31)[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]Barbarian Whirlwind certainly is one, if not, the most popular build for the Barbarian. That said, hr31 slightly revisits the classic Whirlwind Barbarian.[/p][p]One of the key additions is the use of the Ancestral Totem introduced in the last update.
Its area-of-effect damage and reliable attack bonus naturally complement the build.[/p][p][/p][p] A few words from hr31 on their approach:[/p]

[p]“After trying out three classes, I concluded that Whirlwind offers the fastest movement, including when defeating monsters. I hadn't been using the Toxic Wyrmling before, but after the patch update, I started utilizing it. Moving forward, I plan to make use of lightning.”[/p]

[p][/p][p]It’s worth noting that while Electric Wyrmling skills offer higher raw damage, the Toxic Wyrmling provides better sustain and energy regeneration, giving the Barbarian more resilience.[/p][p]The intent with that build is pretty clear: complete quests and activities such as Dungeon Purification as efficiently as possible. With an itemization focused on +1,871% bonus gold gain, this build wants to get golds![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p] Check the full guide[/p][p][/p][h3]Electric Axe of Toriel + Meteoric Projection Barbarian Build (by Bunzine)[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]Bunzine proves there's still plenty of room to explore with the Barbarian.[/p][p]This build centers around Axes of Toriel as the main skill, and uses Meteoric Projection to deal massive damage by stacking projectile modifiers.[/p][p][/p][p]In their own words:[/p]

[p]“This build focuses on using Axes of Toriel and Ultimate Meteoric Projection to quickly clear dungeons and defeat bosses. Axes of Toriel are thrown forward and return like boomerangs, dealing damage twice — once on the way out and once on the way back. Meteoric Projection is your ultimate skill, dealing high AoE damage.[/p][p]In principle, this can be done with any wyrmling. However, you will need to adjust everything to match that wyrmling’s damage (including gear) and use different Wyrmling skills and attributes. The most important requirement is that you have the Dragon Wisdom (6) talent."[/p]

[p][/p][p]Check the full guide[/p][p][/p][h3]Electric Scarlet Thrust – A Wyrmling Focused Knight Build[/h3][h3](by MorkeX)[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]MorkeX surprised us with a clever Knight build that relies on Wyrmling skills to deal damage instead of character skills.[/p][p][/p][p]Here’s the core concept explained by MorkeX:[/p]

[p]“No energy or fuel consumption, one-button gameplay, excellent tankiness, high armor stats, medium clear speed, prone to missing mobs, RNG-dependent damage (since it relies on chance-based triggers) – perfect for fun-seeking players! It can breeze through all in-game content with ease.[/p][p][/p][p]In this build, Wyrmling skills trigger randomly, so maximizing their proc rate was crucial (they’re the main damage source). Trigger chance directly dictates one dimension of attack frequency, which in turn relies on basic attack speed. These two factors form the final damage frequency. Projectile Tag Synergy: Dragon skills carry the "projectile" tag, so boosting projectile count not only amps up damage but also improves AOE coverage. then squeezed out damage potential through gear, talents, and Ancestral Fragments."[/p]

[p][/p][p]The approach leans into synergy between basic attacks and projectile-triggered effects, making it both sustainable and surprisingly strong.[/p][p]
For talents, MorkeX prioritized defense and survivability by maxing out Armor of the Eternal and Divine Avatar as early as possible, making the build extremely tanky while still dealing solid damage.[/p][p][/p][p]Read the full guide[/p][p][/p][h3]Community Events[/h3][p][/p][p]As you probably already know, we love running community events on our Discord and sharing sneak peeks behind the scenes.[/p][p][/p][p]Recently, we hosted Choose the Next Sneak Peek! – Founder Pack 3, and with your votes, we revealed the Dracomondus Priestess armor for the Oracle.[/p][p]Since you seemed to enjoy that event, we’d like to do it again, this time, for the Tracker![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Event Duration:[/h3][p]From NOW until Tuesday, July 1, 2025[/p][p][/p][h3]What’s this about?[/h3][p][/p][p]We’ve got 3 unique Tracker customization options, and we want you to decide which one we reveal next week on our Discord server. Cast your vote for option 1, 2, or 3![/p][p][/p][p]To help you decide, here’s a little flavor behind each look:[/p]

1. [p]“An outfit made from Dragonkin that lets you move among them without raising suspicion.”[/p]
2. [p]“Armor worn by the ultimate defenders of the lost civilization deep in the jungles of Ja’Ksara.”[/p]
3. [p]“Legends say stray spirits from the Mangerika Springs seek new hosts...”[/p][p][/p]

[p]The customization with the most votes will be featured in our upcoming sneak peek.
[/p][p][/p][p]Votes started already![/p][p][/p][h3]What’s To Come[/h3][p][/p][p]We're still continuing our work on bug fixing the issues you have brought to us. We are also listening to your feedback so far and will be implementing some changes![/p][p][/p][p]We know many of you are wondering which areas we’re focusing on for the next update, and we want to let you know that a Dev Blog is planned in the coming weeks to go over the major points we are working on and address.[/p][p]We ask for a bit of patience as it takes time to wrap it all up properly, but in the meantime, here’s a quick look at a few key things we’d like to talk about:[/p]

• [p]Prologue & Onboarding[/p]
• [p]Overall progression (loot adjustment)[/p]
• [p]Getting one-shot out of nowhere & Death penalty[/p]
• [p]And more...[/p][p][/p]

[h3]That's it for today[/h3][p][/p][p]Feel free to share more of your builds, which might be featured in a future community spotlight! And as always, if you encounter any bugs, join our Discord server to report them.[/p][p][/p][p]See you soon![/p][p] [/p]

[p]Hey Dragon hunters,[/p][p][/p][p]After last week’s DevBlog giving a first look at the highly anticipated Tracker, this time we’re back but to show other features we’ve been quietly working on, yet crucial in sharpening the endgame loop of Dragonkin: The Banished.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Expect these changes to come as part of the Erde-nòr update![/p][h3]Introducing the Draconic Tarot[/h3][p]As of now, Chaos Hunts already offer a fair amount of flexibility, you can choose how long they are, where they take place, the final enemy, and the activity.[/p][p][/p][p]But one thing has always been a bit of a pain: modifiers[/p][p][/p][p]Right now, modifiers are randomly set once the hunt begins. If you didn't get the modifiers you were hoping for, you'd have to quit and start over. Which, we understand, can be quite tedious.[/p][p][/p][p]That’s why we’re going to introduce the Draconic Tarot in our next update, designed to give you more control over the Chaos Hunts and tailor your experience.[/p][p]
[/p][h3]How does it works?[/h3][p][/p][p]In the Chaos Hunts tab on the Hunting Board, you'll be able to select one or multiple Fate Cards.[/p][p]
Each of them grants:[/p]

• [p]Positive modifier(s) and / or increased loot quality[/p]
• [p]Negative set of modifiers[/p]

[p]Some Fate Cards can also have:[/p]

• [p]Neutral modifiers (e.g. increased critical rate and damage for both you and enemies) [/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]There are 15 Fate Cards total and you can stack them up to 11 Fate Cards (this number may change in the future), making your Chaos Hunt more challenging but increasing Loot Quality for those willing to take the challenge.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Some of you may notice that we're being more transparent with the stats.[/p][p]
That’s why, in the future, we’ll try to display more percentages in our tooltips to give you a better understanding of the odds, even though it sometimes requires making technical or localization choices that demand extra work.[/p][p]
We hope that this new addition will not only provide an extra challenge for hardcore players but make the Chaos Hunts more fun![/p][p][/p][p]Please note that this system still is work in progress![/p][p]As such, the visuals of the UI, Fate Cards, modifiers, requirements, and limitations are subject to change.[/p][p][/p][p]Now, let’s take a look at a new service coming to the City of Montescail: the Draconic Atlas.[/p][p]This new service can be unlocked in the Old Town. There you’ll be able to visit the librarian.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Draconic Atlas is designed to help you learn more about the enemies you encountered during your hunts, while also providing passive bonuses that apply to all characters tied to the same City.[/p][h3]
How does it works?[/h3][p][/p][p]The Draconic Atlas automatically logs enemies you’ve defeated and gradually unlocks information about them. As usual, progress is shared across all characters tied to the City.[/p][p][/p][p]If you’ve already defeated enemies before unlocking the Atlas, they’ll be counted, meaning the Atlas is retroactive! So you don’t have to worry about unlocking it as soon as possible.[/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, each time an enemy’s analysis rank increases, it grants experience to your City, with bosses granting even more experience than regular enemies.[/p][p][/p][p]Enemies in the Atlas appear in one of 2 states:[/p]

• [p]Unknown[/p][p]You haven’t encountered this enemy yet, thus no entry appears in the Atlas
  [/p]
• [p]Encountered[/p][p]You’ve defeated this enemy at least once, and its name and model become visible[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]Enemy Analysis[/p][p]Once an enemy is marked as Encountered, you can increase its analysis rank (Bronze > Silver > Gold) by defeating more of that enemy. Each rank unlocks a permanent damage bonus against it.[/p][p][/p][p]Biome Completion[/p][p]By Encountering ALL enemies of a biome and increasing their rank  (Bronze > Silver > Gold) unlock a permanent elemental resistance bonus.[/p][p]Note: These bonuses from each tier are cumulative, and apply to all characters in the City.[/p][p][/p][h3][/h3][h3]Founder Pack 3 Preview[/h3][p][/p][p]We recently ran the "Choose the Next Sneak Peek!" event on Discord to let the community decide which preview we should reveal from the upcoming Customization Pack.[/p][p][/p][p]The event has now concluded, and the community has spoken! The Oracle was chosen![/p][p][/p][p]Take a look at the Dracomondus Priestess armour for the Oracle, designed by Agathe Dhondt.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Share your builds on Discord![/h3][p][/p][p]We want to see the creative builds you're running and the ideas you've come up with.
Also, next week, we would like to highlight some of our favorites in a Community Spotlight.[/p][h3][/h3][p][/p][h3]That’s it for today![/h3][p][/p][p]We often share previews of what we’re working on and host events, so if you’re interested, feel free to join us on our Discord server![/p][p][/p][p]See you next week! [/p]

[p]Hey Dragon hunters,

We know you've been eager to learn more about the Tracker, so here we are with a new DevBlog! As a reminder, she is coming with the 2nd major Dragonkin: The Banished update. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We're excited to give you a proper look at her! She will be launching with a total of 17 skills and today we’ll showcase 3 of them that you didn't see in the Prologue.[/p][p]
Let’s take a look![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Qara Tani, The Tracker[/h3][p][/p][p]As a Tracker, she uses the deadly techniques of archery and hand-on-hand combat learnt from her clan, enhanced by her knowledge of poisonous plants and fauna.[/p][p]She is able to wield all the martial techniques, ranging from formidable close-combat skills to powerful ranged attacks.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Innate Ability: Targeting[/h3][p][/p][p]When the Tracker hits an enemy with any ability, she applies a Mark.[/p][p]Enemies can have up to 4 Marks (subject to change). When activated, Qara Tani throws a knife at every marked enemy, consuming all Marks on each target for a lethal burst attack.[/p][p]Enemies then take damage that scales with the number of Marks applied to them and Qara Tani refunds energy for every enemy killed that way or if they had the maximum of Marks (4).[/p][p][/p][p]The green gauge displays how many enemies are currently marked. When full, Qara Tani can’t Mark additional targets until some are cleared.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We wanted the Tracker passive to reflect Qara Tani's background as a disciplined hunter; someone who’s always watching, waiting, and preparing for the perfect strike. Targeting creates a flow of combat that lets her choose when to burst down an enemy or when to restore energy and follow up on her next target.[/p][h3]
Gathered Gales[/h3][p][/p][p]Qara Tani charges her bow up to 2 seconds to increase Gathered Gales' damage and repels enemies hit by the projectile(s).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Dance of Daggers[/h3][p][/p][p]Qara Tani channels, throwing toxic daggers in all directions, hitting nearby enemies.[/p][p]
[/p][h3][/h3][p][/p][h3]Noxious Star[/h3][p][/p][p]Qara Tani fires a large toxic projectile that ricochets off walls. If an enemy is affected by damage over time, Noxious Star deals additional damage.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]That’s it for today’s DevBlog![/h3][p][/p][p]And that was a quick summary of what the Tracker can do and what you can expect from her when our 2nd major update drops. As per usual, things may change slightly as we're still working on her.

That Said, we'd like to ask:[/p][p]Which of the Tracker’s skills are you most excited about? We're genuinely curious to know your thoughts![/p][p]And of course, once she’s released, we’d love to get your feedback.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for following along and we hope you continue to enjoy Dragonkin: The Banished.[/p][p]Until next time![/p][p][/p]

Hello Dragon hunters!

Today, we’re giving you a first look at a new biome coming to Dragonkin: The Banished: Erde-nòr.



Being a volcano region, it definitely tells you a lot already: scorched volcanic wasteland where molten rivers, buried ruins, and the remains of a forgotten stronghold collide.

Of course, you’ll run into new dragonkins you certainly want dead.

Also, as part of our ongoing effort to make Dragonkin: The Banished a better game each day, we want our DevBlogs to follow that same process and make them more interesting for our readers.

That’s why, we’d like to take you behind the scenes, by not just going to preview the new environments but also talk about the “World & Narrative” design of our game, and the process behind creating the world of Dragonkin.

[h3]So, what exactly Is World Design & Narrative Design?[/h3]

Before we walk you through the upcoming biome, let’s take a moment to explain what we mean when we talk about “World Design” and “Narrative Design” and how these two concepts shape the player’s experience.

At first glance, they might seem like the same thing, but they serve different roles:

• World Design focuses on the physical space: the design, the layout, traversal, landmarks, and how the world reacts to the player
  

Meanwhile…

• Narrative Design is about: the lore, emotional implications & triggers, motivations, context, and storytelling tools used to bring that world to life
  

Both of these aspects work together to answer a few and varied questions:

Where is the player? What are they doing or fighting? Why are they doing this? How is this communicated to the player?

One of the very first goals of the Narrative Design is to induce a narrative tension in the viewer through curiosity, suspense, and surprise. World Design then works in tandem to shape the environment and create the atmosphere.

That’s the kind of experience many games aim to create and Dragonkin: The Banished isn’t an exception.

In this DevBlog, we’ll take a look at how these concepts apply in our game and specifically for that new biome: Erde-nòr.

[h3]The Volcanic Plains of Koleos[/h3]

This new zone is the first area you’ll step into when arriving in Erde-nòr.



From the beginning, our goal in designing the Volcanic Plains of Koleos was clear: to create a zone that feels dangerous and unwelcoming (like most of our biomes, to be honest).

As players progress further into the region, a series of questions should naturally come to their mind: Who made this place? Why are they here? And what are they hiding?

Here we try to spark the player’s curiosity and create a sense of mystery. We want the player to feel that something happened here… but not sure what, not yet…



The answer to who made this place is pretty simple: Saur Iknog, the red dragon, or at least the one who gave it its current shape.

As to why the dragonkins live here is explained by the fact this is the place where the cult began its efforts to bring Saur Iknog back into the world, resulting in a corrupted land, now volatile, volcanic landscape players can now witness.

If you did the prologue, some of what’s waiting here might feel… familiar. That area is raining fireballs! Here comes the environmental hazards! Your Wyrmling may protect you though!



And that, in essence, is the Narrative Design behind this region.

With that in mind, how does World Design help build that sense of pressure and danger? How do we communicate to the player through exploration and combat?

One way to create a sense of oppression, stifling, and ultimately kinda claustrophobic is by shifting how the environment and space feels over time.

The Volcanic Plains open with wide, and rather flat terrain, cracked earth, and burnt trees. There’s space to move and fight.

By venturing further, that feeling of openness gradually begins to fade. Lava flows start to segment the ground. What was once a broad plain breaks into isolated rock formations and ledges, with dragon-bone bridges spanning molten rivers that thread between them, just below the player’s feet.



Naturally, this type of design pushes us in a direction where we create more corridors and some tighter spaces.

However, such cramped environments aren't always enjoyable in ARPGs. For that reason, and to maintain a smooth gameplay experience, we made sure our players would also find larger, arena-like areas where the environment opens up again.



These larger spaces also are a perfect way for Narrative Design to use them through World Design. The cult’s presence becomes unmistakable here. Built structures, markings, and layout all work together to make these areas feel claimed and important.

To reinforce that, we shift the visual tone, moving away from the red-orange lava palette into cooler purples and darker hues. It’s a subtle but deliberate signal to tell the player this place is different and worth visiting.

That way, we try to keep building the player's curiosity.

At last, players reach a stronghold entry in the volcano, where the real descent begins…



[h3]Meet the Wyvern[/h3]

One of the enemies you’ll run into in the Volcanic Plains of Koleos is the Wyvern, a pretty nasty mix between a dragon and a scorpion.

The Wyvern’s core threat is its Tail Strike, a forward sting that embeds into the ground, leaving the Wyvern momentarily stuck and creating a temporary toxic AoE around the impact.




[h3]Resurgence Stronghold[/h3]

Deep beneath the volcanic wastes lies a buried stronghold.



World Design wise, the scale is much larger than the surface suggested, tall vertical shafts, layered platforms, and carved structures that go far deeper than expected.

That contrast is intentional. We wanted the reveal to feel surprising, like you’ve just stepped into something hidden and built for a very different purpose.



It’s now clear that the cult lives here and that’s why you’ll be able to find cult banners, prayer rooms, and dragonkins structures. But structurally, the fortress feels too refined to have been built by them alone. That disconnect is part of the Narrative Design intent: the stronghold doesn’t look like something the cult would have created..

Here, we want the player’s feelings to turn from curiosity to suspense and wonder: “who built this?” turns into “what lies at the bottom?”



While this zone may look even more narrow than the previous one, you’ll find very large areas as you go deeper in the depths of the mountain.





[h3]Meet the Dark Sorcerer[/h3]

In the depths of the fortress corridors, you’ll undoubtedly cross paths with the Dark Sorcerer.
Players who completed the prologue might recognize this ominous figure from the cinematic, but never had the opportunity to meet them in combat and see Its kit.

The Dark Sorcerer is a slow-moving, almost static, ranged enemy who uses elemental forces to damage and disrupt the player. His kit includes: An Ice Tempest, which conjures a protective ring of frost around him that blocks incoming projectiles Fireballs that fire in all directions; and a Lightning Beam,dealing electric damage at short charge.






[h3]The Catacombs of Fire (Dungeon)[/h3]

While delving in the dungeon, walls start to feel like ribs, everything feels… organic, darker, and closer, and strangely alive, as if you’ve slipped into the belly of a beast that shouldn’t exist. All this to give a claustrophobic atmosphere. That’s definitely a hellish pit.

We’ve previously built up suspense, and now we want our players to be surprised and feel uncomfortable. We won’t tell you more about the Dungeon as we want you to explore it yourself.







[h3]That’s it for today![/h3]

That wraps up our DevBlog on the environments of Erde-nòr.

We hope you enjoyed this new approach, and we’d love to hear if you'd like more DevBlogs like this, giving you a closer look behind-the-scenes.

Next week, we’ll be talking about the major points we are already working on, as well as what we plan to address based on the feedback you've shared with us.

Of course, many of you are eager to learn more about the Tracker and specifically her kit and gimmick. In the meantime, we dropped a small sneak peek of one of her upcoming abilities (not shown in the prologue!) on our Discord, if you’d like to check!

We’ll be back soon with more updates, so stay tuned!

See you!

Hello everyone,

We have just deployed a hotfix! Please report any issues in the #bug-report channel on Discord.

Thanks for your patience, and we appreciate your continued support.

🐛Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue preventing from storing equipment in the Private Chest
  
• Fixed an issue with the Dark Merchant being unavailable in some story groups
  
• Fixed 2 crashes that could occur during combat
  
• Fixed 1 crash that could occur when loading specific maps