- Dragonwilds walkthrough order: Temple Woods → Bramblemead Valley → Whispering Swamp → Fractured Plains → Bloodblight Swamp → Stormtouched Highlands
- Upgrade tools first when entering each new region so you can gather its materials
- Craft Lodestones in every major area for fast travel back to base
- Weak Antipoison Potions are required before exploring Bloodblight Swamp safely
- General Velgar falls easily with an Antipoison Potion and ranged attacks from the Crystal Bow
Dragonwilds Walkthrough Overview
This Dragonwilds walkthrough follows the natural progression loop of Ashanfall: new regions unlock stronger materials, tools determine what you can gather, skills determine what you can craft, and crafting stations turn materials into upgrades. Push through regions in order and your power level will keep pace with the threats ahead.
Video Highlights:
- Progression is driven by regions, materials, skills, and crafting stations working together
- Your displayed power level is based on equipped armor, with diamonds showing zone difficulty
- Some recipes only unlock when you bring new materials back and interact with crafting stations
- Tools should be your first upgrade priority in every new region
The full region progression is summarized below:
| Order | Region | Key Materials | Priority Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temple Woods | Wood, Stone, Animal Bone | Tutorial quests, meet Wise Old Man |
| 2 | Bramblemead Valley | Animal Hide, Leather | Build first base, Tannery, Lodestone |
| 3 | Whispering Swamp | Clay, Harralander, Swamp Tar | Kiln, Furnace, first Vault raid |
| 4 | Fractured Plains | Copper Ore, Tin | Bronze tools, Smithing Anvil |
| 5 | Bloodblight Swamp | Blightwood, Snapdragon | Antipoison Potions, Abyssal Spine |
| 6 | Stormtouched Highlands | Iron Ore, Granite | Iron Armor Set, Abyssal Whip |
Some recipes only unlock after you bring a new material back to base and interact with the matching crafting station. Always check your benches whenever you pick up something unfamiliar.
Prologue and Chapter 1: Temple Woods to Bramblemead Valley
Start by speaking with the Wise Old Man in the temple. The tutorial is optional, but it teaches core mechanics worth learning.
Complete Temple Woods quests
Find Doric and finish Getting Started, then talk to Vannaka for Ratcatcher and Zanik for Rune Mysteries.
Establish your first base
In Bramblemead Valley, build a bed roll with a roof, a Spinning Wheel for Coarse Thread, and an Ash Shortbow with arrows to hunt deer.
Craft starter gear
Make a Wooden Shield and Bone Dagger, then hunt deer and cows for Animal Hide and Animal Bone.
Build a Tannery
Process Animal Hide into Leather, then craft the Reinforced Armor Set, Leather Shield, and Bone Club.
Raid the South Temple Woods Vault
Use blunt weapons like the Bone Club against vault guardians to get a Vault Core, then build a Lodestone near your base.
Progress the Dragon Slayer quest by reading the lore book at the goblin castle before leaving the valley.
Mid-Game Regions: Whispering Swamp to Bloodblight Swamp
The middle stretch of this Dragonwilds walkthrough sets up your base infrastructure and unlocks alchemy.
| Region | Build | Farm | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whispering Swamp | Kiln, Furnace | Clay, Harralander, Bittercap Mushrooms | Adhesive, Charcoal, potion ingredients |
| Whispering Swamp Vault | Second Lodestone | Spitfoot, Dragonkin Effigy | Anti-Dragon Shield recipe |
| Fractured Plains | Smithing Anvil | Copper Ore, Tin | Bronze Bars and Bronze tools |
| Bloodblight Swamp | Third Lodestone | Blightwood, Snapdragon | Anti-Dragon Shield, stronger healing |
Key checklist for the mid-game:
Mid-Game Essentials:
- Craft Weak Antipoison Potions before Bloodblight Swamp
- Smelt Bronze Bars and craft Bronze Pickaxe and Logging Axe
- Interact with the Dragonkin Effigy for the Anti-Dragon Shield recipe
- Gather at least 12 Blightwood for the Anti-Dragon Shield
- Defeat the Abyssal Demon for its Abyssal Spine
- Stockpile Harralander, Bittercap Mushrooms, and Swamp Tar
Camp on top of the nearby ruins where the Abyssal Demon cannot reach you to defeat it safely for the Abyssal Spine.
Stormtouched Highlands and the Final Battle
The Highlands prepare you for General Velgar with the strongest pre-endgame gear in this Dragonwilds walkthrough.
Iron Armor Set
- 20 Iron Bars
- 6 Padded Cloth
- 14 Hard Leather
- 6 Vault Shards
Abyssal Whip
- 12 Vault Shards
- 1 Vault Core
- 8 Hard Leather
- 1 Abyssal Spine, 4 Ram Horns
Consumables
- 10+ Attack Potions from Granite
- Healing Potions from Snapdragon
- Antipoison Potions
- Food and clean water
Craft the Challenge Horn at the Smithing Anvil using 5 Bronze Bars, a Dragon Tooth (mined from the dragon skull in the southwest highlands), and a Bloodwood Sap.
Dodge Velgar's homing earth attack and attack from range with the Crystal Bow, or close in with the Abyssal Whip. If you drink an Antipoison Potion beforehand, its poison attacks deal no damage.
Power Level, Skills, and Vestiges
Your power level comes from equipped armor, averaged and rounded down when mixing tiers. Zone difficulty is shown as colored diamonds:
| Symbol | Meaning | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Green diamond | Player above enemy zone | Safe |
| Yellow diamond | Equal power level | Fair fight |
| Orange diamond | One level below zone | Challenging |
| Skull diamond | More than one level below | Very high risk |
| White diamond | Neutral zone | Safe, common in Temple Woods |
Mining, woodcutting, cooking, crafting, construction, farming, and combat styles all level naturally through use. Skills unlock recipes, perks, and abilities, so keep your main skills progressing alongside the regions you explore.
Vestiges are endgame gear items found through exploration. They unlock weapons, armor, and tools beyond the normal material tiers. You do not need every vestige to advance, but they provide strong build options for your character.
FAQ
Q: What order should I follow in the Dragonwilds walkthrough?
Move from Temple Woods to Bramblemead Valley, then Whispering Swamp, Fractured Plains, Bloodblight Swamp, and finally Stormtouched Highlands before the General Velgar fight.
Q: What should I upgrade first when entering a new region?
Upgrade your gathering tools first. Your pickaxe, logging axe, and shovel determine which resources you can collect, and without the right tool tier you cannot gather a region's stronger materials.
Q: How do I unlock recipes from new materials?
Collecting a material for the first time usually starts unlocking recipes, but some only appear after you bring the material to base and interact with the matching crafting station.
Q: How do I beat General Velgar?
Stock food, healing and antipoison potions, craft the Challenge Horn, and drink an Antipoison Potion before the fight so his poison attacks deal no damage. Use the Crystal Bow at range or the Abyssal Whip up close while dodging his homing earth attack.