Sun, Sea And Sand. Well, Two Out Of Three, Anyway

Today's the day Noah's Heart closes down but I already said my goodbyes there. Rather than log in for one last look I decided to spend some time in a game that's still around - although, if I was going to bet on it, not for much longer.

Unlike Noah's Heart, Dawnlands did get a relatively recent, very substantial update. Just before Christmas, developer Seasun added the following:

1. New Biome
2. New Enemies
3. New Outfits
4. New Followers
5. New Events

And now you know as much about it as anyone. That is literally the entire patch note for the update, apart from a couple of lines about network performance. 

They did post a video on YouTube.

The full and complete supporting text for that reads "Dawnlands new version update - Desert biome". It's almost like they don't want anyone to know they're working on the game, isn't it? 

Dawnlands is multi-platform, available on mobile and PC. It's possible that there are channels available to mobile users, where Seasun is communicating with players like, oh, I don't know... a company that wants to sell stuff and make money. On PC, though? Tumbleweed, appropriately.

Still, that video makes the new biome look pretty spiffy. I found myself wondering if you needed to progress in the game to open it up or if you could just up and go there. 

If it was the former, I was going to skip it. I've looked at the next big Boss fight I need to do for the level cap raise and the next tier of crafting and I don't much fancy it. Looks tough. And long.

Thinking back, though, I was pretty sure all the other biomes were accessible purely through travel and exploration, just as they are in Dawnlands' spiritual ancestor and inspiriation, Valheim. You might get your ass handed to you in a sack by the mobs in a new biome but there's nothing to stop you trying to play tourist if you don't mind taking the hits.

So I got on my horse and went looking. I packed the makings of a raft in case I needed to cross water but that turned out not to be necessary. I figured Desert would most likely be to the south of the map and since the Plains biome, which I'd already explored, is hot and dry, chances were the desert connected to it at some point.

Which it does. In Dawnlands you can teleport to various points of interest, once you've visited them and gotten them marked on your map. I ported to the most southernly spot I'd opened, which happened to be a dungeon of some sort. Then I got on my trusty horse and started riding. South.

It didn't take long. A few hills and the landscape began to change. More sand. Or, I should say, even more sand. 

I spent about an hour exploring and most of what I saw was... sand. And sun. Other than the lush oases dotted here and there, it's a barren, austere, beautiful region, full of emptiness and pain. By day the sun blazes down from a blank, blue sky. By night bitter cold chills the bleached bones of monsters, half-buried in the sand. 

And night or day, the sandstorms rage. It's a cheery place. I looked out for that cute little rodent from the video but I didn't spot him. 

I did see plenty of cute foxes, although one tried to bite me in the leg when I got too close. Also plenty of wizened mummies and altogether more sand worms than I was hoping for. To my surprise, the mobs were all quite manageable. Once again, taking its cue from Valheim, it seems that top-end armor from the previous biome is plenty good enough to get you started in the new one.

One of the many positive things I'd say about Dawnlands is that the biomes are H.U.G.E. I spent a good hour exploring the desert and barely made a mark on the map. I kept going south and eventually hit the "Turn back now" barrier that tells you you've reached the end of the known world. I tried to make it back to where I started but in the end I had to log out to go do something, so I ported home.

In all that time I hadn't found a settlement or a city or any sign of civilization. I did run across a few ruins, a couple of massive Mausoleums that needed a special item to enter, (An item I didn't have, naturally.), a teleport tower and a very interesting mini-dungeon full of traps. And scorpions. Of course there are scorpions.

I even found the spot where you summon the Desert Biome Boss, whoever and whatever it might be. I was feeling reckless enough to do it, too, just to see what came up out of the sand but when I tried I got one of those warning that goes "Are you sure you want to do this now? Wouldn't you like to think about it? Maybe come back another time, when you're a bit better prepared? Because, I mean, just look at you..." and I let myself be talked into behaving sensibly, for once.

Mostly what I did was take a lot of screenshots, some of which are in this post but none of which really do justice to the visuals in the game itself. For a start, you can't see the sandstorms that swirl up and whip across the desert, lowering visibilty and making the whole place feel claustrophobic despite being open to the horizon in every direction. Or the ever-changing color of the sky as day fades into night.

According to the big World Wheel there are supposed to be three more biomes to come. I'm not counting on the game lasting that long but based on the quality of the ones I've explored so far, I really hope it does. 

Meanwhile, I plan on going back and riding around the desert some more. May as well see what else there is to see. While it's still there...