Drakantos is one of those indie MMORPGs that immediately gives off strong retro vibes the moment you start playing. At first glance, a lot of players expect a traditional open-world MMO with grinding spots, custom characters, and large-scale social systems. After spending time with the beta though, it becomes clear the game is actually built much more like a tactical dungeon-based online RPG with MMO elements layered around it.
That difference is important to understand early because your enjoyment of the game depends heavily on what kind of MMO experience you expect going in.
Despite advertising itself as an MMORPG, Drakantos currently plays more like:
- A dungeon-focused co-op RPG
- With MMO hubs and overworld zones
- Mixed with tactical combat progression
The biggest thing new players misunderstand is the role of the open world.
The open world is NOT your main leveling method.
Instead, it mainly exists for:
- Questing
- Gathering materials
- Finding chests
- Farming upgrade resources
- Unlocking side content
Your real progression comes almost entirely from running instanced 3-player dungeons.
Once you understand that, the game’s loop makes much more sense.
Character Selection And Classes
One of the first surprises for many players is that you do not create your own custom character.
Instead:
- You select preset heroes
- Each hero represents a specific class archetype
- Tanks, DPS, and support roles are all pre-designed
This feels closer to hero-based RPGs rather than traditional MMORPGs.
Initially this can feel restrictive, especially for players expecting something like:
- RuneScape
- MapleStory
- World of Warcraft
- Albion Online
However, after a few hours, the class identity actually starts feeling pretty solid because each hero develops differently through:
- Skill upgrades
- Orbs
- Artifacts
- Gear setups
Class Progression Improves Around Level 12
One major criticism during early testing was that classes felt incomplete for too long.
The developers improved this by making core class-defining abilities unlock earlier.
Around level 12:
- Tanks gain defensive tools
- Supports unlock stronger healing
- DPS classes gain important offensive abilities
Before that point, many classes feel somewhat similar.
Combat becomes noticeably more enjoyable once your full toolkit begins unlocking.
Combat And Movement
Combat Is Slower And More Tactical
The combat is NOT fast-paced action MMO combat.
Instead, it feels:
- Deliberate
- Grid-based
- Tactical
- Cooldown-focused
A lot of players describe the movement as:
- Clunky
- Janky
- Stiff
But honestly, “stiff” is probably the best description.
It feels intentional rather than broken.
The movement style resembles older tactical online RPGs where:
- Positioning matters
- Dodging matters
- Timing matters
- Pulling enemies carefully matters
If you expect hyper-fluid combat like modern action MMOs, it may feel awkward at first.
After several hours though, the slower pace starts making sense once:
- More skills unlock
- Your cooldown rotations improve
- Group synergy becomes important
Controller Support Is Surprisingly Good
One thing that stands out immediately is how controller-friendly the game is.
The dungeon gameplay especially feels very smooth on controller.
Honestly, controller may actually feel better than mouse and keyboard for many players.
Understanding The Main Gameplay Loop
Most of your playtime revolves around this cycle:
- Queue for dungeons
- Clear enemies
- Gain experience
- Obtain gear
- Collect orbs
- Upgrade skills
- Gather overworld materials
- Reinforce gear
- Unlock harder dungeons
- Repeat
The loop sounds simple, but it becomes satisfying once builds begin coming together.
Dungeons Explained
Dungeons are where:
- Experience comes from
- Most gear drops
- Progression happens
- Build upgrades happen
You can queue:
- Solo
- With friends
- From anywhere in the world
This means the overworld mostly acts as downtime between dungeon sessions.
Dungeon Types
Current dungeon objectives include:
- Escort missions
- Extermination runs
- Item retrieval objectives
There’s a decent amount of enemy variety too.
Enemies behave differently depending on biome:
- Ranged attackers
- Chargers
- Burrowing enemies
- Multi-hit attackers
Combat becomes much more enjoyable when enemy mechanics start mixing together during larger pulls.
Clearing Entire Maps Matters
One major beginner mistake is rushing objectives.
To maximize:
- Experience
- Loot
- Efficiency
You generally want to clear as many enemies as possible.
Full clears noticeably improve rewards.
Death Penalties Exist
If you die:
- You lose a portion of earned experience
The penalty appears to be around 5% per death during dungeon runs.
This makes positioning and teamwork important, especially during larger mob pulls.
Gear Score Is Extremely Important
Gear score is basically the backbone of progression.
Higher gear score means:
- More survivability
- Better progression access
- Higher-tier dungeons
- Stronger stats overall
Even higher-level players can feel weaker than lower-level players if their gear score is behind.
This is one of the most important things beginners need to understand.
Gear Slots
Current gear includes:
- Weapon
- Hat
- Chest
- Shoes
- Two artifact slots
The gear system itself is simple, but artifacts and orbs add much more customization.
Artifacts Explained
Artifacts are one of the coolest systems in Drakantos.
They function almost like:
- Supplemental abilities
- Build modifiers
- Tactical tools
Examples include:
- Damage-over-time effects
- Enemy crowd control
- Defensive tools
- Healing abilities
- Aggro manipulation
One artifact mentioned in the beta:
- Makes enemies attack each other
Another:
- Creates damaging wasp nests
Artifacts refresh between dungeon runs, encouraging active usage rather than hoarding.
Artifacts Add Build Variety
Even if two players use the same hero, artifacts can make them feel quite different.
This system helps compensate for the lack of traditional character creation.
Orbs And Skill Enhancement
Prioritize Orbs Early
If there is one progression tip every beginner should remember:
Always prioritize orbs.
Orbs permanently enhance abilities.
Examples include:
- Holding attacks for bonus damage
- Improving defensive tools
- Increasing utility
- Strengthening survivability
Some abilities can consume multiple orbs for even larger upgrades.
This system becomes a major source of long-term character power.
Orbs Are Character Bound
Once used:
- Orbs stay attached to that character
Similarly:
- Equipped gear cannot be transferred directly between characters
So choose carefully before heavily investing into a hero.
Open World Systems
The overworld mainly supports:
- Resource gathering
- Mining
- Woodcutting
- Chest hunting
- Side quests
- Material farming
You can find:
- Trees
- Mining nodes
- Lockpick chests
- Upgrade materials
- Guild tickets
The issue many players currently have is:
- Overworld activities do not feel rewarding enough
You do not gain meaningful experience from overworld enemies.
This makes dungeon grinding feel vastly more efficient.
Side Quests Feel Optional
Currently, many side quests mainly provide:
- Minor rewards
- Story
- Utility unlocks
One notable unlock:
- Donkey mount
But overall, many players end up ignoring side content once dungeon progression becomes available.
Reinforcing Gear
Materials gathered from the open world are primarily used to:
- Reinforce gear
- Increase gear score
This creates the connection between:
- Dungeon farming
- Open-world gathering
Even if the open world feels secondary, you still need materials eventually.
Guild Coins And Tickets
Dungeon activities reward guild-related currency.
These can purchase tickets that improve:
- Loot gain
- Material acquisition
- Experience rewards
- Vanity rewards
This becomes an important efficiency system later.