ZAM attended an introductory session for the dragon taming MMO at GDC

Left, Left, Right…Fight!

Though there is a hotbar for abilities, much of the combat I undertook was centered on the mouse buttons. Using a dual wielding ranger, there is no reticule to speak of and instead you face the general direction of your opponent and a combination of aiming and auto targeting keeps things focused but not so locked in that there isn’t a good sense of freedom.

The mouse based abilities change depending on the previous click. My single left click changed my right click ability. Right click alone was a Head Shot ability with a cool but unspectacular particle effect, but the more left clicks I did (which in turn ramped up that ability’s power) my right click attack changed until it hit Recklessness, a volley of four swirling orbs of destruction.

Though this simple three click progressive combo is very straightforward, it does add a nifty level of choice to combat and adds a touch of fighting game involvement that should be fun. I didn’t spend an exhaustive amount of time playing the game, but I found myself relying more on the mouse combat options than the hotbar as it just felt more enjoyable, though the hotbar did house some of the more graphically eye catching moves, such as those made possible by your dragon.

The Wild, Not Quite Finalized, Frontier

Player housing looks pretty impressive, with a large range of options to tailor your abode to your heart’s content. Head on up to the massive floating island and you can choose what kind of plot you would like, how big you want your area to be and so on; all dependant on how much cash you have, of course.

You can buy furniture, much of it will come from crafting, as well as invite friends over to regale them with tales of just where you picked up that quaint ottoman and set limits on who has access to your house (no solicitors allowed).

Each island will most likely be owned by a large guild, giving a good reason to stay friendly with the locals.

Though not ready to be in at launch (the Frontier system was only incorporated in the build we were seeing), the floating islands that comprise the Frontier area will be where you will also engage in PvP. That system is cross server, so at level 50 (max level) you will then move up to the Frontier and begin interacting with players game-wide.

If defending your home ends up being part of that whole battle, it could make for some very engrossing play; which could add a big hook for Dragon’s Prophet, though I have to stress that wasn’t confirmed.

No Second Chance at First Impressions

For completionists and pet enthusiasts, Dragon’s Prophet will be a smorgasbord that you will lose many hours to. Some of the dragons do genuinely look rather cool and once you have the stable of pets that look the way you want, you’ll most likely spend your time finding the individual versions of those species that will give you the best statistical and ability combinations for your character.

There are a lot of customization options to play with (including four unlockable slots to switch between different skill builds as well as the dragon combinations).

Combat had the potential for decent variety, with the mouse combo attacks and hotbar abilities, but some tuning needs to be done to add some heft to the conflict; something that is often the case at early stages of development. I didn’t get to play with a melee character like the guardian, but it does feel a little light at the moment.

Questing is standard MMO fare from what I saw; for example, my initial quests were focused on taming my first dragon and learning my abilities and followed the typical pick up and turn in routine.

What could distinguish Dragon’s Prophet for many players is the Frontier system and subsequently just how far PvP will be pushed. That won’t be in at launch, as mentioned before, so the housing system might be the hook for those who are fans of interior decoration and personalizing their game space.

So far Dragon’s Prophet looks like it has some potential to garner interest for a specific MMO enthusiast. If you fancy yourself a master of dragons and like the collection game that sits at its heart, Dragon’s Prophet is one to keep an eye on.

We will, of course, be following the game’s development closely and bringing you news as it breaks right here at ZAM.

Scott “Jarimor” Hawkes, Editor in Chief