1. Dragonkin: The Banished
  2. News

Dragonkin: The Banished News

A step into the City of Montescail - Dragonkin: The Banished DevBlog

“Built in the heart of the mountains, sheltered from Dragons and their voices, lies a huge city and bastion of humanity.”

Hello Dragon Hunters!

This time, we’re bringing something special to the table, as we finally unveil one of the most important aspects of Dragonkin: The Banished ; The city of Montescail.

But before that, we're excited to reveal that we're going to launch a demo for Dragonkin: The Banished on February 20th.

But back to the topic at hand, welcome to Montescail!

[previewyoutube][link of the video][/previewyoutube]


[h3]Multiple Heroes, One Town[/h3]

If you read our previous DevBlog that featured the single-player and multiplayer, you already know that before you create your first character, you’ll need to create an offline or online city or simply join a friend's existing online city.

If you want more details on how multiplayer works, please check our previous DevBlog:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1863430/view/508445172204306551



Not only, Montescail contains various buildings that allow the player to craft various potions, train against dummies, manage their Wyrmlings, and much more, this city also serves as a hub for all characters created within it.

Each character has access to a Personal Chest, a private storage space where you can put your equipment.

All characters tied to the same city have access to a Shared Chest, a storage where you can put the equipment you gathered during your adventure.



Each character in the city benefits from the improvements and features unlocked within that city. With the group system, independent of your characters, you can progress the story or endgame hunts alone, together simultaneously, asynchronously, or even across different characters.

[h3]A City That Evolves With You[/h3]

The city of Montescail is divided into several districts, each representing a unique civilization from the world, Montescail will evolve alongside your characters.



The more you progress in the story or complete endgame content, the more Prosperity (XP) you earn. Each time your city levels up, you receive City Upgrade Points, which can be spent to unlock and enhance Services and Buildings. These upgrades improve the efficiency of Services, grant passive bonuses to your heroes, and sometimes unlock unique perks.

Though you'll need to prioritize which aspects to focus on, you'll have the opportunity to unlock everything as you progress.



[h3]So, what exactly can you do in Montescail?[/h3]

You will unlock a wide variety of merchants, each offering unique Services. This can be as simple as a Dark Merchant to buy items or sell your junk, a Memorialist to modify your equipment pieces, an Ornamentalist to craft ornaments for each armor type, an Arsenal allowing you to save and change your equipment presets.



You can also unlock various perks such as larger city storage, experience bonuses, damage, movement speed or even additional slots for your Ancestral Grid.

Green indicates upgrades you have already unlocked, while yellow show upgrades that are available but require City Upgrade Points to be unlocked. Some buildings have prerequisites that must be met to reveal the next bonus and unlock further upgrades.



Here an exemple with the Jeweler able to craft rings.



You can customize your ring by always selecting the desired attribute between courage, Intellect, Resilience, and Agility, followed by a primary (offensive) stat such as Cooldown Reduction, Life Drain, Summon Damage, then a secondary stat (defensive), such as Maximum HP, Barrier, or X Resistance.

As the ring's rarity increases, the values of these stats improve. Additionally, starting at Legendary rarity, you gain the ability to improve your ring further by adding a talent, which can stack with your itemization:


  • Common: 1 attribute + 2 stats
  • Uncommon: 1 attribute + 2 stats
  • Rare: 1 attribute + 2 stats
  • Legendary: 1 attribute + 2 stats + 1 Talent (1 point)
  • Mythic: 1 attribute + 2 stats + 1 random stats + 1 Talent (2 points)

You may wonder what the Talents are! In short, these are earned and obtained via a points system. Each talent has several ranks with stacking effects and some even offer exclusive bonuses at the highest rank. You’ll get to know more in a dedicated DevBlog that covers itemization.

Now let's talk about the Apothecary to create special healing potions.



Here, you can customize your potion by first selecting the desired effect(s). The rarity of the potion determines the amount of healing it provides and the number of effects you can add:


  • Common: No additional effects.
  • Uncommon: Adds 1 effect
  • Rare: 2 effects
  • Legendary: 3 effects
  • Mythic: 3 effects + 1 random effect


All these services and perks are meant to participate in the improvement of your character and itemization as much as possible.

[h3]A city that visually changes as you progress[/h3]

Montescail evolves visually with every improvement, each building subtly transforms as you upgrade them. Upgrading a merchant enhances their shop, improving the training camp introduces new types of mannequins, and unlocking certain Services result in the development of entire streets.







[h3]For the players that participate in our Early Access[/h3]

You will have access to exclusive customization options for Montescail. Here is a sneak peak of one of the city customization we plan to add at the Early Access launch.





To give you a bit of behind-the-scenes insight, our Environment Artist, Pierre, wanted to share with you more about his design process and how he shaped the look and feel of this exclusive Early Access customization DLC:

Originally posted by author
“Hi, my name is Pierre Huot, and I've been an Environment Artist at Eko Software for three years now. I've worked on several in-game environments, including the game's main hub, the city of Montescail.

For this first customization DLC, my inspiration came from imagining how the people of Montescail would celebrate and honor the heroes who sealed the Rift decades ago, preventing one of the dragons, Saur Iknog, from coming back.

The main idea was to decorate the city with various elements, such as banners, statues, and rooftops using a palette of white and gold, along with a unique color for each district. White symbolizes unity and neutrality among Montescail’s diverse inhabitants, while gold represents the Eternal Scales, central artifacts in the Dragonkin story that hold deep significance in each culture.

That said, I also wanted to highlight the individuality of each district through certain details, particularly the statues. Their styles and symbolism are more closely tied to the experiences of each civilization and how they perceived the great Rift War against Saur Iknog."


[h3]Navigating Montescail with Ease[/h3]

Given the vast size of the city, we understand that walking between the different buildings can take some time. That’s why we’ve designed a system to help you quickly access all of the city’s key locations and services. Just open the menu and click where you want to go, you’ll be able to move instantly between districts or interact directly with the merchant or store you want to engage with.

[h3]That’s it! For now…[/h3]



As we wrap up this DevBlog, some of the features displayed will be implemented throughout Early Access.

We are interested to know which aspects of the town caught your interest. Share your thoughts in the comments or hop onto our Discord server to discuss with our team!

As usual, stay tuned for more updates and reveals about our game consider adding Dragonkin: The Banished to your wishlist.

And don't forget next week, you'll be able try Dragonkin: The Banished when our demo drops on February 20th.

See you in Montescail next week fellow hunters!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1863430/Dragonkin_The_Banished/

A Closer Look at the World of Dragonkin: The Banished



Hello Dragon Hunters,

This week, we’re diving into the worldbuilding of Dragonkin: The Banished. In a world ravaged by powerful dragons, these once enlightened beings, transformed by countless aeons in exile, are trying to make their return.

As their blood seeps into the earth, corrupting everything it touches, and their voices ring out, influencing the minds of man. It will be up to a group of heroes to turn the tide against this draconic onslaught.

This is the world of Dragonkin: the Banished.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]If you want to know more…[/h3]

We’ve been regularly writing DevBlogs that give a deeper look at the systems in Dragonkin. If you’re interested, then check out our previous DevBlogs.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1863430/view/508445172204307116
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1863430/view/508445172204306551
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1863430/view/508444538590724447
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1863430/view/516325296815734848

[h3]What’s next week?[/h3]

We’ll share more about Montescail, your hub city, how it evolves... while giving a sneak peek at the itemization.



If you want to stay in the loop on all our news and updates feel free to join our Discord, we try to reply to everyone and answer any questions you may have. We’re building a really cool community over there and would love to have you involved!

And yeah, we’ll keep saying it, but wishlisting our game helps us a ton. If you’re excited, spread the word and let us know in the comments!

See you next week !

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1863430/Dragonkin_The_Banished/

Frequently Asked Questions - Dragonkin: The Banished

Hello Dragon Hunters,
As you know, Dragonkin: The Banished will launch in Early Access on March 6th.

No doubt, you’ve got questions. Well, we’ve got answers! We’ll be updating our FAQ before and throughout Early Access in response to any questions you may have.



Don’t forget, you can submit your questions to our development team directly on our Discord or over in the Steam Discussions.

[h2]Frequently Asked Questions[/h2]


[h3]What type of game is Dragonkin: The Banished ?[/h3]

Dragonkin: The Banished is a Hack’N’Slash ARPG, set in a universe where humanity lives under the fear of Dragons. Trying to now escape the place they were banished to, these creatures corrupt minds with their voices or leave permanent scars on the land with their blood shaping the world of Dragonkin: The Banished.

[h3]Will Dragonkin: The Banished release on other platforms? [/h3]

Yes, after the Early Access has ended, we’ll be releasing Dragonkin: The Banished on other platforms (including console) with all the updates, changes, and additions that will have been made throughout the Early Access.

[h3]Is Dragonkin compatible with Steam Deck? [/h3]

We’re working to ensure that the game works on Steam Deck. We’ll be submitting the Early Access build for review to ensure compatibility. Expect to hear more closer to EA launch on March 6th.

[h3]Why is Dragonkin: The Banished coming out in Early Access?[/h3]

Dragonkin: The Banished will launch on Steam Early Access so that players can experience all the game already has to offer, as we work towards the full release, we’ll be using as much as we can player feedback into our updates to make the game the best it can be at full release.

However, the best part of being in Early Access is that it’s a collaborative process. We know how passionate the Hack’N’Slash community is and we want to use that feedback to finetune and improve the game. Lastly, Early Access allows us to invest more into the development of the game, giving us the room to expand beyond what we have planned in our roadmap.

If you want to read our full thoughts on Early Access, check out our DevBlog on the topic!

[h3]When does Early Access start? [/h3]

Dragonkin: The Banished will enter Early Access on March 6th. We’ll share the exact launch time in different regions closer to EA launch.

[h3]Where can I play Dragonkin in Early Access?[/h3]

During Early Access, Dragonkin will only be playable via Steam.

[h3]How much will Dragonkin: The Banished cost in Early Access?[/h3]

Dragonkin: The Banished will be priced at €24.99€/$24.99$/£20.99 at Early Access launch. We’ll also be running a 20% off campaign at launch, so there will be an extra saving for early adopters.

Any potential price increase at the full release will be determined at a later time.

Note: price may vary depending on your region.

[h3]Will there be Microtransactions in Dragonkin: The Banished? [/h3]

Microtransactions and in-game purchases are not part of Dragonkin’s design. Dragonkin will never be a pay-to-win or pay-to-progress-faster.

During early access, we will be giving cosmetics that will be exclusive to early access owners. After the full release, paying cosmetics and/or DLCs may be added if we think they might be of interest to players as well as free updates.

[h3]How long will Dragonkin: The Banished be in Early Access?[/h3]

We expect Dragonkin: The Banished to remain in Early Access for around one year, with regular updates and new content planned along the way. We’ll be sharing our roadmap shortly, so stay tuned for that!

[h3]What is in Dragonkin: The Banished Early Access?[/h3]

We’ve built a solid foundation for the launch of Early Access, this includes a prologue, the chapter one of the story, the city of Montescail, 3 playable heroes, 4 wyrmlings acting as character specialization and endgame content to keep players busy as they build out their Ancestral Grid and while we’re working on the next update.

We also have a roadmap for things we have planned to bring into the game during Early Access, such as a 4th hero, extra character skills, more end game content, multiplayer and more…

[h3]Is Dragonkin: The Banished playable in multiplayer?[/h3]

Multiplayer is planned, and we’ve been working on it for a while. For the development of Dragonkin, we switched to a new engine. We’ve been working on the multiplayer implementation for a while now, and will continue to do so throughout early access. This feature will be rolled out in one of our future updates.

Check our DevBlog dedicated on multiplayer if you want more information.

[h3]Is Dragonkin: the Banished always-online? [/h3]

Dragonkin: the Banished is not always-online. Dragonkin is designed to be fully playable offline whenever and wherever you want. This will be true even after multiplayer co-op is introduced.

We have planned some shared elements, your city state for example. But for those who prefer to hunt alone, you will be able to enjoy Dragonkin: The Banished completely independent and without the influence of any other players if you wish.

You will, of course, still receive all the updates and improvements we will bring to the game throughout its development.

[h3]Can I stream or make content about Dragonkin? [/h3]

You are free to make content or stream the game. We appreciate the thought and look forward to seeing what the community creates.

[h3]Is MyNacon Necessary? [/h3]

MyNacon is not required to play Dragonkin, if you do not wish to make an account, skip the process when opening the game. If you wish to opt-in later, you can sign up on the MyNacon website.

MyNacon offers you special discounts on all of Nacon’s products and games. You can also stay up-to-date with Dragonkin and your favorite games with the latest news.

[h3]How are you planning on involving the Community in the development process?[/h3]

As you may know, we recently invited players to participate in a closed playtest!

In a similar vein, throughout Early Access, we will sometimes conduct surveys on our Discord server. We’ll also have dedicated channels where players can share their feedback directly. You may have also noticed that we’re regularly monitoring the Steam forums.

We’re eager to take as many opportunities to interact and collect feedback from the community. Ensuring that no matter where you leave your feedback, your voices are heard!



[h2]Thank you for supporting Dragonkin: The Banished![/h2]

Your encouragement really motivates us to go forward as we continue to work on Dragonkin.
As always, we invite you to follow us on social media, join our Discord, and check out our Steam page for the latest news and updates.

How Singleplayer & Multiplayer works and when to expect Multiplayer in EA

Hello everyone,

We’d like to provide you with more details about the single and multiplayer modes in Dragonkin: The Banished, the latter of which will be added as an update during Early Access.


[h3]About Single-Player[/h3]

Dragonkin is designed to be fully playable offline whenever and wherever you want. This will be true even after multiplayer co-op is introduced.

We have planned some shared elements, your city state for example. But for those who prefer to hunt alone, you will be able to enjoy Dragonkin: The Banished completely independent and without the influence of any other players if you wish.

You will, of course, still receive all the updates and improvements we will bring to the game throughout its development.


[h3]About Multiplayer[/h3]

Now, let's talk multiplayer!

Multiplayer is planned, and we’ve been working on it for a while. For the development of Dragonkin, we switched to a new engine. We’ve been working on the multiplayer implementation for a while now, and will continue to do so throughout early access. This feature will be rolled out in one of our future updates (you’ll learn more about the release window when we publish our roadmap).

Here are some details about what we’re planning:


  • Online multiplayer: With up to 4 players cooperating online and hunting dragons, either through the story or in endgame hunts.
  • Montescail City: A shared hub where you’ll meet your friends and develop the city together. The number of friends who can share a city is still to be defined.
  • Couch co-op: The local two-player co-op mode will be available upon the full release of the game. You’ll be able to play couch co-op both offline and online, and you can join other players only if your characters were created in an online city.
  • Matchmaking: It will be possible to play with other hunters online by temporarily joining a city or inviting them to yours. As a guest, you won’t directly benefit from the improvements of the city you visit, but from your own city’s upgrades, which will continue to evolve.



[h3]Offline mode and online mode[/h3]

Before you create your first character, you’ll need to create or join a friend's existing online city. If you create one, you’ll have to choose whether your city, Montescail, will be in offline or online mode. You can create up to 8 characters per player in each city, but you can also create multiple cities, both offline and online.

This hub serves as the operational base for all characters created within it. Meaning that each character in the city benefits from the improvements and features unlocked within that city. With the group system, independent of your characters, you can progress the story or endgame hunts alone, together simultaneously, asynchronously, or even across different characters.

An offline city does not require an internet connection. It’s designed for those who prefer a solo and/or local co-op experience.

Beware: A character or city created offline will not be able to join the online game, and this choice is final. However, we are considering the possibility, in the future, of transferring your cities and characters from online mode to offline mode.

An online city requires a constant internet connection. It’s designed for those who prefer to play with other hunters or friends online.

  • You can play Dragonkin: The Banished offline whenever you want, without an internet connection, even after the multiplayer mode arrives.
  • Multiplayer is coming and will be rolled out in one of our future Early Access updates.
  • Couch co-op is coming and will be available at the full release of the game.

[h3]Development is progressing well, and the next steps are coming soon[/h3]

The last few weeks have been very intense and crucial for us, especially with all the high-profile releases surrounding our launch window.

That’s why, if you’d like to support us, the best way is to leave a comment on our YouTube videos, let your friends know about the game, and add the game to your wishlist on Steam.

Next week, you’ll be able to learn more about the world of Dragonkin: The Banished.

Thank you again for all the kind comments; we hope you’re excited for Dragonkin: The Banished!

[h3]Feel free to join our Discord[/h3]
We’ll be increasing our presence on Discord over the next few days to gather your feedback and answer your questions. Don’t hesitate to come chat with us and share your thoughts before the Early Access release.

See you soon !

Exploring the Ancestral Grid - Dragonkin: The Banished DevBlog

Greetings, Dragon Hunters!
It's time for another Dragonkin: The Banished DevBlog!

As we edge closer to the Early Access launch on March 6th, our team is busy preparing to ensure the best experience possible!

Part of that experience is the systems that the game is built on. Today, we’re sharing EVERYTHING you need to know about the Ancestral Grid, Wyrmlings, and most importantly, our vision and intentions for Dragonkin: The Banished!

Check out the trailer for a quick introduction and then scroll down for the deep-dive :

[previewyoutube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id1aqsWQhS8[/previewyoutube]

[h3]Our Philosophy Behind Dragonkin: The Banished[/h3]

The Ancestral Grid system is the result of 2 ambitions. The first: move away from the classic concept of a skill tree, where each player has the same experience. The second: make skill progression just as important and rewarding as equipment progression.

To do that, skills are obtained in the form of Fragments, generated randomly, which depend on your progress in the game. The higher you play at a higher difficulty level, the more powerful, larger and more complex the Fragments will be.

This random generation occasionally allows each player's experience to be different, even if they have similar characters, and to be able to say "that's MY grid!".

These Fragments will need to be placed in a grid as you will discover in this DevBlog. Our intention is to provide a skill system that is both fun and accessible, but maintains depth to satisfy players passionate about optimization.


[h3]Obtaining Fragments and Improving Your Skills[/h3]

Throughout your adventure, you’ll find Fragments of varying rarities (commun, uncommon, rare, legendary and mythic).

A Fragment is made up of one to five hexagons. Each hexagon can contain:

A character's skill or Wyrmling's skill : One per Fragment (a fragment can come without any skill)
One or more modifier(s): which enhance skills using a “Keyword” system.



[h3]Keywords, Placement, and Compatibility[/h3]

Each class has a unique Ancestral Grid, which expands as you level up. Certain slots are subject to specific conditions, which we will reveal in a future DevBlog. Fragments must be placed in the Ancestral Grid strategically, considering their shape and potential synergies.



The Fragments you obtain are automatically stored in a dedicated drawer, organized into four tabs. However, during development, we quickly realized that it would be helpful to temporarily place Fragments around the Ancestral Grid when strategizing their placement or keeping "important" or "favorite" Fragments within easy reach.

To address this, we added the ability to position Fragments "floating" next to the Grid. These Fragments remain in place even when you close the menu.



You can equip and combine up to 5 Active skills and 5 Wyrmling skills in your skill bar.



Each skill and modifier is based on specific Keywords, such as Melee, Offensive, Projectile, Damage Type, and so on. These Keywords determine the compatibility of modifiers with the skills they enhance.

A skill is always enhanced by the compatible modifiers of its own Fragment. Additionally, any Fragment with compatible modifiers can enhance a Skill Hexagon on another Fragment, as long as the two Fragment are touching. It is not necessary for the relevant hexagons to be adjacent on the grid—only the contact between the Fragment is required, as illustrated below:



Here, the active skill Fragment of the Oracle touches one of the edges of a Fragment containing only modifiers.

The interaction of modifiers between Fragment is not limited to minor enhancements. By accumulating enough compatible modifiers, you can reach tiers that allow you to significantly customize a skill or apply multiple minor modifications. The rarer the Fragment and the more powerful the modifiers, the easier it will be to reach these thresholds.



A Fragment containing a skill with the "Projectile" Keyword can be placed next to another Fragment that provides a modifier to increase the number of projectiles. This interaction will immediately enhance the relevant skill.





The more hexagons your Fragment contain, the more modifiers you can apply to your skills by placing them adjacently. However, larger Fragments are both rarer and more difficult to strategically place in your Ancestral Grid.

It will be up to you to find the right combination for positioning your Fragments, considering their importance and compatibility, in order to optimize your skills. Finding the ideal Fragment will be a real challenge. Fortunately, a future crafting mechanic will allow you to make limited modifications to your Fragments.

The possibilities for enhancement, here are a few examples of available modifiers: adding a projectile, increasing the area of effect, generating shockwaves, intensifying a damage type, gaining movement speed, reducing the cost of a skill, and more.


[h3]More than a companion![/h3]

“Stolen Dragon eggs raised and turned into pets—Wyrmlings, weapons that will battle their kin and augment your powers."

From the beginning of your adventure, you will be accompanied by a Wyrmling. This creature also has an influence on the Ancestral Grid! Each Wyrmling has unique skills corresponding to its respective element: Fire, Electric, Toxic, and Ice, which can be combined with your character's active skills.



You can change your Wyrmling at any time by visiting a tamer in the city of Montescail.



Our goal is that each Wyrmling brings something new to the table, allowing you to customize your skills with various effects. You can think of it as a specialization for your character, one that allows further refinement of your playstyle.

Since each Wyrmling has their own abilities and influence on the gameplay, it’s worth experimenting to find out which one works best for you (or just picking the one you think is coolest)!

[h3]Wyrmlings Fragments[/h3]

As you explore the world, you will discover other fragments containing Wyrmling Fragments.
Unlike your hero’s active skills, Wyrmling skills cannot be assigned to a direct key. To use them, you must trigger them by connecting them to a compatible skill of your character on the Ancestral Grid. Once this connection is established, the skills can trigger automatically.

A character skill can trigger multiple Wyrmling skills, and the same Wyrmling skill can be triggered by multiple character skills!





Just like your character’s skills, your Wyrmling’s skills can be enhanced with modifier fragments. For example, for the "Lightning" skill of the Electric Wyrmling , you can increase the amount of lightning summoned, expand the area of effect for each bolt, or amplify the electrical damage. The possibilities are vast, and each enhancement can change how the skill impacts your gameplay, depending on your playstyle.



If a Wyrmling skill is in Active Compatibility with the Shattering Shield character skill. When you cast Shattering Shield, your Wyrmling has a chance to send a projectile towards the affected enemy.

Since both skills have the “projectile” keyword, they can be upgraded to have more projectiles with “projectile” modifiers.

[h3]Symbiosis with Your Wyrmling[/h3]

But that’s not all about your Wyrmling!
By placing and optimizing your Fragments in the Ancestral Grid, you can achieve a state of symbiosis with your Wyrmling. A skill in a symbiotic state adopts the element of the Wyrmling you’ve chosen, altering its visuals and damage.

This symbiosis can be achieved through modifiers on a character's skill.



The active skill Fiery Bow of the Knight, in symbiosis with an Ice Wyrmling, deals both fire and ice damage.

Without symbiosis:



With symbiosis:



Finally, here’s what an optimized endgame grid for the Oracle might look like.



This covers the essentials of how our Ancestral Grid and skill system in Dragonkin: The Banished work.

Tell us what you think about it and which Wyrmling are you most interested in! (Personally I like ice the most)

[h3]What’s next?[/h3]

Next week we'll be back with more information about Dragonkin: The Banished.

In the meantime, join us on our social media and Discord for discussions and exclusive reveals!

If you’d like to support us, spread the word and wishlist Dragonkin: The Banished is the best thing you can do! Your support means a lot, and we can’t wait to build this world with you.

See you!