Dreadnought is currently inviting players to the open beta, and I grabbed my keyboard and mouse to gain some early insights. Whether this tactical action game is worth it like World of Tanks/Warships and what I managed to take down with my big spaceship, you’ll find out in my preview.
This text is from our guest author Dennis Zühlke.
Ah yes, spaceships. I love them. Flying constructs with big laser guns – what could be better? I am afraid because I have to fly this big colossus through the asteroid belt, and there I already saw my first enemies. I unleashed my laser cannons on the foes and watched as the enemy cruiser turned to rubble. For a brief moment, I forgot that I was actually sitting on a regular office chair in my living room and not the commander of a huge spaceship.
With Dreadnought from the developer Yager, you want to evoke just that feeling in you. The studio is currently working on a new game in which you give each other the eye with spaceships. Many fans compare the game with World of Tanks and other genre representatives like World of Warships or the very similar Cloud Pirates. Instead of tanks on the ground, there are big spaceships with powerful laser shots and missile silos.
Refueling and Destroying Ships
Dreadnought currently offers three different game modes. First, the classic team deathmatch, in which you receive 4 points for each destroyed spaceship. The team that reaches 100 points first wins the round. In the elimination mode, you only have a limited number of ships and may return to gameplay only with small fighters or bombers after your last death. In this mode, virtual death is punished much more severely than in the other modes. Lastly, there is the 8vs8 variant called Onslaught. There, you will also be supported by AI ships.
From Dreadnought to Small Racer
As with the models from Wargaming, your ships are divided into five classes. Each ship type has different strengths and weaknesses:
- Dreadnought: The titular dreadnoughts are very large and heavily armored. They have impressive armament and can take a lot of punishment. Therefore, they are optimal for use as tanks. However, dreadnoughts are sluggish and slow and can be easily outmaneuvered.
- Destroyer: These ships are well-armed, nimble, and adequately armored. They are good all-rounders that operate ideally in conjunction with dreadnoughts. However, they cannot withstand concentrated fire for long.
- Tactical Cruiser: These ships are not great offensively, but their strength lies in supporting their team. Tactical cruisers are the healers in Dreadnought and can quickly get their allied ships back into action with a repair beam. A well-played tactical cruiser is a guarantee for victory!
- Corvette: Corvettes are small and very fast ships. However, these little racers are hardly armored and can burst after a few hits. But if you find yourself in prolonged exchanges of fire with a corvette, you’ve already made a mistake. Ideally, you scout the enemy with corvettes, capture unguarded points, or clean up defenseless or damaged foes in the rear.
- Artillery Cruiser: These ships are essentially just gigantic cannons with engines. An artillery cruiser has no place in close combat; rather, it is a “sniper” that shoots from long distances with powerful railguns. Since these ships are hopelessly outmatched in close combat, you should frequently change positions and use your cloaking device.
Each of these ship types is divided into various tiers. The higher the tier, the stronger the ship, and the higher it will be placed by matchmaking. This ensures that Dreadnought provides as fair battles as possible.
Game Modes for Every Taste
In the main menu, you have your hangar, where you further upgrade your ships and also choose your commander. Here, the game is somewhat reminiscent of World of Tanks, where you also select different crew members and make upgrades to the tanks. In addition to PvP modes, there is also a co-op version called ‘Havoc,’ which is currently only available for owners of a Playstation 4. In this variant, you play with up to 4 teammates and defend yourselves against waves of enemy ships – basically a horde mode like you know from games like Killing Floor.
Between the waves, you can switch your ship at any time and also spend earned points for special bonuses – such as thicker shields or higher weapon damage. Switching ships is also an option after each death. So if you’re constantly getting blown up with your destroyer, you might find happiness with the big dreadnought or the helpful tactical cruiser.
A Beautiful World
Once you have chosen your ship and are ready to take down some enemy spaceships, you start on the various maps that take place in space or on planetary surfaces. There are several maps with fallen city ruins or swarms of asteroids, which give you enough space to also launch a stealth flank attack. Here, Yager provides a lot of variety, but the question remains, what is the story of Dreadnought. Currently, no single-player campaign is planned.
I’m a bit surprised that there are no other factions from the depths of space. I think the developers should add a bit more and offer more story elements. The cool sci-fi setting would certainly be enough. The different maps look coherent, and some giant spaceships do leave a big impression. You also have the option to style your ships with skins, which you can purchase in the game’s shop.
I Don’t Have a Pilot’s License
Now let’s talk about the controls, and I must say that this was a bit complicated for me at the beginning. But maybe that’s also because I’m not used to games like ‘World of Warships’ or ‘War Thunder,’ which are more for realism fans. But again, it counts: the more you play, the quicker you get the hang of the horizontal and vertical axes and deal some solid hits to the enemies.
An additional feature of the controls is the energy control. You can temporarily redirect your ship’s energy from shields to engines or weapons. Then you will steadily lose shields, but fire much stronger or zip through space much faster. You can even overload your shields in this manner and absorb a lot of damage. However, afterward, you will have no protection at all. A valuable tactical component that should be used wisely.
Fair FreeToPlay Model
Dreadnought is set to be released as a FreeToPlay title in the future. It will be completely free for players to access. However, there will be the option to purchase various items such as skins for your spaceships or new skills through microtransactions. Alternatively, you can also acquire these things with a bit of patience using the in-game currency. According to the developers, the game should not turn into a pay-to-win title. But which studio would openly say, “with us, pay-to-win is super”? For now, it remains to be seen how Dreadnought will develop at the time of its release.
Conclusion
I must say the game runs smoothly and is fun. While you have to get used to the controls a bit, that’s more of a minor issue. If you enjoy games like “World of Tanks” or “War Thunder” and are into sci-fi battles, you should definitely check out the game. As already mentioned, nothing stands in the way of registering for the open beta, and with a click, the game along with its launcher will land on your PC. Playstation 4 players, however, will have to wait a bit longer or hope for a key, as the PS4 version is still in closed beta.
This text is from our guest author Dennis Zühlke.
