Dragon Nest is officially launching next week! We sat down with Producer Davy Garaix to talk about all of the new content that's coming to the action MMO.

ZAM: The official launch is adding a whopping 500 new quests to the game! Will we be advancing along in the main storyline that's currently stopped at level 24 in the open beta?

Garaix: Yes, definitely! Up to now the storyline has been focused on introducing players to the world and the Ancients and the quest to save Rose, the key to the future. Players will soon get to enjoy more hands-on battles against the corrupt dragons. As Saint’s Haven was the heart of resistance against the corrupt dragons long ago, players will interact with people in town who have been directly involved with those battles, as well as face foes in the one-time home of the Black Dragon. A variety of new cut scenes will play out during quests and dungeons to bring the epic storyline to life and illustrate to the player just how heroic and critical their mission is.

ZAM: We obviously can't go over all 500 quests here, but are there any interesting or unique ones that you'd like to mention?

Garaix: The quest ‘The Dragon Raid’ is definitely one of the more unique quests. The player gets to join a battle against the Black Dragon with one of the heroes, Gerrant, which is a really cool experience. The player feels like she or he is becoming one of the key heroes actively involved in the mission to vanquish the ultimate evil and save the Goddess Althea.

ZAM: We're also getting 250 new achievements at launch. Are they all tied to the dungeons, or will players have some new general achievements to earn as well?

Garaix: The new set of achievements will center around the ten new dungeons, and they’re designed to challenge players with the new content. There will be a wide variety of achievements for each of the new dungeons, such as hitting 80-100 combos, earning high ranks, clearing the dungeon at a specific difficulty level in a certain amount of time, defeating bosses, clearing dungeons without any player deaths and more. Since Dragon Nest boasts frenetic combat action, the combo challenges are always what players really pride themselves in achieving.

ZAM: Will more items be added to the Dragon Vault in-game store at launch? If so, what types of items?

Garaix: There will be a variety of new costumes for each class next week with the official launch. While the new costumes can be worn as a full set, players can also mix and match different pieces to create their own unique look. We’re also going to offer bundles of some of the more popular functional items, as well as offer earrings for the first time and new varieties of wings, a player favorite.

ZAM: Gold spammers have been an issue in the Dragon Nest beta. Will this problem be further addressed at launch and beyond?

Garaix: Definitely. We are continuously working on improving our spam filters, as we recognize that spammers are a big annoyance to everyone. We have a system that we’re currently working on to further reduce chat spam, as well as upping the amount of account bans issued for spamming.

ZAM: What's next for Dragon Nest in North America post-launch? Any estimate on when players can expect to reach their second specialization?

Garaix: Once this launch content is live next week we’ll be working on preparing some challenging new Nest encounters. As the title of the game indicates, Nests are a big part of the game, as the challenges they present are unparalleled. Nests also let players obtain the best loot, such as epic quality gear sets. After launch, we’ll also be focusing on our award-winning PvP content to provide new game modes and variety for PvP lovers. With the new skills, we are expecting to see a lot of excited PvPers work to master new tactics and combos, and we want to provide the new maps and game modes to keep things fresh and interesting. As the second class specialization takes place at level 45, we still have a lot of content to enjoy before then.

ZAM: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions! Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Garaix: We couldn’t be more excited to fully launch after the close of a great beta testing period. With the help and interest from our growing fan base we were able to optimize the gameplay experience both technically and content-wise. We’re confident that players will be excited about the full game experience with the addition of Saint’s Haven and the other collection of new content. Dragon Nest represents a new quality bar for a free-to-play game, and we’re looking forward to welcoming a whole new batch of players into the world.

Kevin Wallace, Staff Writer

Christopher "Pwyff" Tom, Senior Staff Writer

Whether you're playing Dragon Nest in open beta now or waiting for next week's launch, head over to our Dragon Nest Armory to search through our databases and check out our skill calculator!