After working on titles like the Battlefield series and Star Wars: Battlefront, a few developers decided to dedicate themselves to a completely new project: Wyldheart, a cooperative action RPG that feels like the first Tabletop sessions of friends playing D&D. MeinMMO editor Caro spoke with the team and has already gained some initial insights into Wyldheart.
A few former DICE developers, primarily known for AAA shooters like the Battlefield series, shared a side hobby: tabletop RPGs.
Wyldheart, from Studio Wayfinder, is a new co-op action RPG for PC, developed by veterans from DICE, Mojang Studios, and Embark Studios. Among them is studio co-founder Dennis Brännvall, who has worked as Creative Director for Star Wars: Battlefront.
Together with his partner Fia Tjernberg and other motivated colleagues, the team is now turning away from firearms and gunfights toward something entirely different: a rustic fantasy experience for friends who want to embark on their own virtual tabletop campaign in co-op.
I’ve already had a chance to get a first look at Wyldheart and chat with both Dennis Brännvall and Marketing Director Erin Bower about their game and their shared love for TTRPGs. My takeaway so far: Wyldheart could be a great fit for those who are tired of min-maxing and just want a relaxed evening with friends and a casual tabletop session.
Say goodbye to the idea of being “the chosen one” with the ultimate build
Wyldheart blends various genres like dungeon crawling, sandbox gameplay, and a player-driven RPG experience. You can start a campaign alone or with up to three friends to embark on adventures together. Solo players are also meant to have a balanced experience, though the game is primarily designed for the shared co-op experience.
During character creation, RPG veterans will notice right away: there are no traditional classes. Instead of class progression, you use earned XP to unlock more skills related to adventuring, survival, dungeon exploration, combat arts, and magic.
Right from character creation, it quickly becomes clear: You aren’t meant to start as daredevil heroes here—at first, you’re just some random, perhaps even slightly underqualified, folk.
Players can choose from various fantasy races as well as a background, with a total of 18 variants available. These include more classic examples like an outlaw or a mercenary, but also some more unusual candidates like the butcher, the drunk, or the rat catcher.
In Wyldheart, it’s less about finding a powerful build and becoming increasingly formidable. Yes, there are level-ups and better equipment and weapons to be found in the game. But anyone longing for intense powergaming and min-maxing will find themselves in the wrong place with Wyldheart.
Instead, Wyldheart prioritizes the shared experience among friends—a collective gameplay experience that isn’t just about tactical combat. Alongside the dungeon action, Wyldheart simply feels deeply reminiscent of gathering around a table for a tabletop session:
- There is no minimap. No matter where you go, you simply head out and explore.
- The camp isn’t just a place to skip the night; it’s a spot to prepare meals together, repair gear, and simply chat—with appropriate emotes, of course.
- If a character dies permanently because their Hope has completely vanished (yes, that’s an actual mechanic), it doesn’t mean game over for the player. You can create a new adventurer and—if you so choose—look for a way to revive the fallen hero with your party, or simply move on.
- Alongside combat and exploration, skills like eavesdropping, deciphering rumors, and interacting with NPCs are also vital.
- The design also leans into this: When traveling long distances, the characters hop across the map as tiny, miniature-style figures.
Wyldheart shines in co-op and aims to be accessible accordingly
A campaign works like a shared save that the group continues to progress through. However, not all participants need to be present to keep playing the campaign. This allows someone who typically has more time to go on solo exploration tours and gather XP in the campaign, even if the rest of the group isn’t there.
When the others eventually rejoin, they also benefit from the diligent player’s motivation and receive the same experience points. This is a huge help for groups of friends with different work schedules, hobbies, or other commitments who still want to be part of a shared story.
In the same way, everyone can pursue the activities they enjoy most—be it dungeons, chatting with NPCs, or looting as many bodies as possible. No player has to sacrifice their preferred playstyle, and they can even complete the tasks that others might not really feel like doing.
Tabletop role-playing games have many facets, and these in particular play a vital role in Wyldheart
I wanted to ask studio co-founder Dennis Bränvall what he especially loves about role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and how that translates into Wyldheart. I was surprised by just how much his perspective aligned with my own:
Well, personally, I enjoy the role-playing aspect the most. I’d say tactical combat and overcoming tough challenges come next. But above all, I love the spontaneous craziness of tabletop RPGs and the fact that anything can happen. I usually play very thematic characters, not necessarily highly optimized ones.
[He laughs as I joyfully throw my hands in the air.]
I also love it when I have to manage my food, keep an eye on the condition of my armor, and things like that. And I think you’re going to see a lot of that in Wyldheart.
Despite the rather down-to-earth and relaxed-sounding approach of a “rustic” RPG, Wyldheart still offers plenty of challenges. However, these aren’t always found in combat.
“For us, ‘rustic’ doesn’t just mean playing as a simple peasant rather than ‘the chosen one,'” Bränvall explains when asked about the exact definition. “It also means your gear breaks, you run out of food, and your Hope fades—and it’s raining, which really sucks. But that’s exactly what I love about it! It’s not just the monsters that can hurt you, but other things as well.”
Even though I’ve already gathered some initial impressions with the developers, I’m excited to see how Wyldheart feels in co-op with my own friends. That should be a completely different experience.
During our conversation, however, it sounded like the team has plenty of other ideas they could implement in the future, such as various campaigns, potential one-shots for shorter sessions, and more. For now, the focus is on the actual release and a bit of polishing before Wyldheart can become a new regular hangout for groups of friends.
Even though I refer to D&D throughout this article, there are many other tabletop RPG systems whose players might enjoy Wyldheart. Here on MeinMMO, we’ve introduced the top 9 front-runners to you: According to developers, D&D is the most played system in the world, but there are 9 other leaders
