Online game "Dragon Contract"

Dragon Contract - a free browser-based MMORPG, where there are fights with monsters and capture the lands of the virtual universe, and all the adventures are divided into hundreds of chapters. The game is distinguished by high-quality design and mechanics IDLE, that is, the battle is automatic, and pumping the hero is happening even when the user is not at your computer. The project has only recently gained popularity, because at the end of 2021 publisher Esprit Games, also responsible for Demon Slayer and World of Chaos, announced the beginning of its beta testing. Today is a good time to discuss Dragon Contract in detail.

The action of this MMORPG unfolds in a fantasy universe where gods, demons, goblins and other mythical creatures live next to humans. Unlike most browser-based entertainment of this format, there is a story. And not the most banal: once a thriving fairy-tale world seized the devils of hell, most celestials have gone over to the side of evil, and for ordinary mortals stand up only dragons and some gods. Their power must be used by the heroes to prevent Ragnarok - the end of the world and the destruction of all things. It looks like this: you capture locations on a global map, moving from one chapter to the next. The conquest of one domain lasts ten chapters, including a fight with the boss at the end of each, and there are over two thousand of them. So the heroic expedition lasts a long time.

And it all starts with the choice of character. Here everything is simple: there are only male and female characters, with no classes or additional appearance settings. Later on you will be allowed to change some things, up to the hero himself, if you collect a new one from the splinters. But right from the start you get a riding dragon, which helps in battles. In addition, over time the hero gains the support of various spirits and acquires a retinue of three creatures that wander the map with him. Do not write off other players. By joining a clan, you get bonuses, trade in a special store, correspond in chat, arrange duels in the arena, help your community resources and go to beat the group bosses.

All battles, as already mentioned, take place in automatic mode. The hero himself scurries around the location and destroys all the bad guys he sees. As the battle fills a special scale, which allows you to call the main monster of the chapter. Defeating him wins you a piece of the map and provides passage to the next chapter. And so on, time after time. Accompanying the action are beautiful effects, including sound. The soundtrack here - our reverence, it's high time to add it to your personal playlist. But if you want to play in silence or listen to some podcast in the background, you can turn off the audio in the settings. Just keep in mind: the music will be allowed to be removed only after the end of the prologue.

Of course, each victory brings rewards in the form of experience points, bonuses, and items. You can melt down the items you don't need, and use the items you do need. The harder the battle, the higher the reward. And the most dangerous monsters in the world of Dragon Contract are the evil gods and archidemons, which, according to the storyline, must be defeated to win the good. If you use bonuses, timely change of equipment and pay attention to improvement, fights do not create any difficulties, and they last a few seconds. But sometimes the character under your control still get to the nuts - for example, if you overestimate their strength in the Tower of Trial, where you have to kill a series of bosses. However, the loss from defeat in this case is small: you will be rewarded for completed levels and without any penalty sent to the same location where you were before.

To get unique rewards there's no need to get ahead of the game - just follow the icons like "Dungeons" and BOSS on the right side of the screen. If a red mark appears there, it's time to move on to the campaign, because it's easier to get some things. The same runes that allow you to enhance some characteristics of the hero are knocked out of the guards runes, to which you can click on the BOSS icon.

Progression in the game is deep and varied, so for convenience we'll divide it into two parts - role-playing and story-playing. Let's talk about the first one first. The hero has a set of basic characteristics, such as attack, defense and health. These can be increased in several ways: by increasing the level with experience points, by getting new armor and weapons as trophies, by upgrading items of equipment, as well as by using runes. Only they enhance a particular trait - for example, one rune gives a bonus to penetrate the enemy's defense, another improves marksmanship, the third strengthens health, and so on. Cells for runes are opened gradually, so that the bonuses can be changed according to the situation - you can't use them all at once.

As the hero is not acting alone, you need to train his assistants: a riding dragon, an entourage, as well as spirits that help in battle. About the latter is worth mentioning separately, because it is an original feature of Dragon Contract. The fact is that the character under your control uses special techniques not by himself, but at the expense of special creatures that are on the side of people in the fight against evil. And it turns out that for some superstrokes the spirit Guardian of Faith is responsible, and for others, for example, the Bloody Swordswoman. There can be many such entities up your sleeve, but they are not represented as separate characters - the game simply shows them when the associated skill is triggered in a fight.

The second major part of the progression, the story part, has to do with chapter progression. Not all of the content is available to the newcomer from the start. Even the one about the hero - only chapter 21 unlocks wings and superweapons, which, of course, can also be pumped. The Tower of Trial appears from chapter 32, the group dungeons from chapter 53, and the personal estate from chapter 51. To be clear, there are activities in the game that are only available from chapter 500 or even 1000. That's why there is always something to do here.

As is customary in the browser-based MMORPG genre, Dragon Contract offers paid upgrade methods. You can, say, from the start buy a spirit with special skills, pieces of amber to exchange for a pass to the dungeon, resource kits or options for decorating the characters. But such purchases do not have any critical effect on the balance of power - it's rather a reason to show off in front of other players and immediately get what can be obtained over time. So everyone decides for himself whether to pay or not to pay.

The player does not kill demons alone - there are always other users on the servers. The first thing to do is to join a clan. This instantly gives a lot of bonuses, and also opens up additional activities related to the community. Academy is a great boost for boosting the hero, the Clan Warehouse can get the necessary resources, the Store - to buy rare items, and Test and Monster Hunt allow you to show yourself, and get the prize. Everyone is free to go on a campaign against the group boss, to participate in the fight against another clan or support your own.

The rule is simple: put into the common treasury what you don't feel sorry for, and your whole group will become stronger. And the higher the status of the clan, the more bonuses its members get. Around the hundredth level of development of the hero he will only be able to extract high-quality equipment in a team. Duellists traditionally fought in the arena, but for those who prefer to live peacefully, open more diverse perspectives. You can, for example, to declare a friendship with some of the inhabitants of the server, to make it easier to communicate and exchange items. Or even become partners - it's something like creating a family, and a picture of a heart as if hinted at.

Each chapter not only gives you a piece of land, but also imposes certain obligations. In particular, you have to defend your possessions - some of the resources gained in battle are used to defend them. And given a personal estate, you can not only look after its facilities, but also to grow dragons in it and collect useful bonuses. The developers have added a few mini-games to Dragon Contract. They are calculated more on luck than on skill, but nothing prevents the beginner to try his luck, because the first attempt is free. But the reward is something valuable - for example, a card with an element of armor or a chest with crystals.

The Events section is never empty, either. There's always something going on, whether it's a holiday quiz or just another collection of activities, like the Wild Hunt, launched in May 2022. Participants can assemble the Chattering Goose, the Owl, and the Bully Goddess from fragments for their entourage or a new hero to replace their current one, but to do so you have to replenish amber, and it either costs money or is extracted by the teaspoon a day. On the other hand, there are daily gifts available in the special section of each event - you just have to click to get them.

Dragon Contract is a colorful and undemanding game that will run even on a weak computer. It, unlike most representatives of this format, has a story and a set of free content for more than 2000 chapters. Despite the modesty of the starting choice, later you can unlock a new hero and decorate it in your own way, which is also a definite plus. At the same time "lazy" gameplay eliminates the need to win at the expense of skill - all do for you algorithms, and you just have to allocate items, apply experience with runes and participate in time available activities. In general, once you should definitely try it, and then look on the mood.

Zarium. December 2022