We go on a tour through the closed beta with Senior Producer Todd Carson

With the dragons – both diseased and otherwise – dispatched, the social quest moved onto the final phase. A giant red dragon emerged, with everyone in the area suddenly converging on it. Surrounded by a mass of adventurers, the crimson beast was quickly slain, with calm returning to the shores once more. Everyone who took part gained a reward, with the value depending on the level of participation.

Although further blue alligator dragons appeared, all of these appeared to be fit and healthy. With such fine specimens presenting themselves, Carson suggested that it would be an excellent time to try dragon taming. This ability is partly based on character Charisma, with a higher value giving more time to bond with the dragon.

The bonding process is itself a mini-game; while your character rides the dragon like a bucking bronco, you have to mash keys in order to keep the dragon’s soul within a targeting circle. At early levels the process is quite straightforward, but becomes more complex as you try to tame more powerful beings. Taming is also balanced out by your character’s own level, which mushes the difficulty level down. Either way it’s something worth practicing, as you’re likely to be doing a lot of it as you explore Auratia.

You’ll also be expected to make hard choices about the dragons you want to keep and those you want to abandon. Your inventory can only hold two dragons at the start, with another four slots purchasable through Station Cash, Sony’s real money currency. Dragons can also be stabled in your Lair, with two slots available by default and an additional four purchasable.

Besides cities of opportunity and an open world laden with promise, Dragon’s Prophet will also offer a range of dungeons. After completing the social quest we ventured inside one, the group of four on a mission to slay a powerful water dragon. Dungeons will offer three levels of difficulty on launch, with increasing rewards available. Every dungeon will also have quests, with a lot of the available experience coming from these.

In order to use the Dragon Lair our guide returned us to the nearby town and introduced us to the Lair Manager. Besides being a tool for keeping track of your stored dragons, it’s also possible to use the Lair to send your dragons out on missions. Pick anything from training up to gathering resources, and the amount of time it should spend doing it, and your dragon will take care of the rest. Even if you’re logged out, the scaled companion will carry out your instructions.

Even though each dragon can have a varied set of abilities, it’s also possible to transfer some from one creature to another using the Lair. Carson explained that not all abilities can be transferred and the dragons have to be of a similar level, but it does mean that your favourite pet can learn a few new tricks.

It’s because of the triple role that dragons have in being mounts, assisting in combat and gathering resources, that the Lair is crucial for getting the best out of them. Even something as simple as having a flying mount is critical, as some areas are only accessible while airborne.

Dragons can also wear certain types of gear, with three dedicated item slots available for the perfect equipment. Carson described how most sets of gear would be available through crafting, but some would drop from dungeon bosses as well. We’re told that all characters will have access to all six crafting skills (including weaponsmith, armorsmith, chef, alchemy, tinkerer and carpenter), with recipes for each discipline being gained from levels, found in the open world and bought from vendors.

With different dragons providing a different rate on resource gathering (and being the primary source for raw materials), your pets can have a significant impact on what you make. In order to get the most out of your materials, Dragon’s Prophet also offers catalyst tokens that increase the possibility of crafting a rare or ultra-rare item. These catalysts will be available for Station Cash, but can also be found in the open world. Crafted goods can then be stored in your bank or traded with other players on the Auction House.

As we wrapped up the tour, Carson explained that Dragon’s Prophet is still in the early stages of beta. Not all UI elements have been translated yet, with placeholder labels and Mandarin still present in several areas. But don’t be fooled into thinking that this is a simple port – the MMO is still very much in development, with SoE supporting Runewaker’s development and recommending improvements. As a result, the partners are hoping for a near-simultaneous release sometime in 2013.

Even at this early stage, Runewaker has put together a solid foundation on which to build. With a strong dragon-centric theme that’s sure to appeal to a core audience and a social drive that should make it accessible to a range of players, Dragon’s Prophet is definitely worth keeping a close eye on. If this has stoked your interest in giving the beta a try for yourself, sign up over on the official site.

Gareth “Gazimoff” Harmer, Senior Contributing Editor