D&D's New Warlock Game Ditches Handholding for a Denser Open World

Ever feel like modern open-world games hold your hand a little too much? You know the drill: follow the waypoint, climb the tower, repeat. Well, the team behind the new D&D game Warlock is right there with you.

In a recent interview with Edge magazine, Invoke Studios head Dominic Guay explained why Warlock's open world won't be as massive as something like Skyrim. The reason? They want you to actually explore, not just chase icons on a map. "Because we wanted this to be exploration-driven, we didn't want the player just to follow a waypoint around," Guay said.

So instead of a sprawling, empty landscape, Warlock will offer a smaller but denser world. As Guay puts it, "By having a bit more density, we can afford to pull back a little bit on the handholding." That means fewer yellow-paint trails and more genuine discovery. And that's not all – the game is packed with cool spells, and you might not find them all in one playthrough. "Maybe you won't find them, and that's ok, because you'll find others," Guay added. Sounds like a recipe for multiple runs, right?

But don't worry, the combat won't suffer. Guay describes Warlock's magic system as a "real-time expression of magic instead of something that feels a bit slower." That should make the world feel more alive and action-packed, which is always a win.

For those who loved Baldur's Gate 3 – and let's be honest, who didn't? – the devs are quick to point out that Warlock is a "very different" experience, even though they call Larian's RPG "a great game." Size isn't everything, after all. Baldur's Gate 3 proved that, and it wasn't even open world.

Warlock was first unveiled last year, featuring Tasha, the famous archmage and demonologist from D&D lore. We got a 10-minute gameplay demo in August that showed off its Dragon's Dogma-esque action. Now, with Guay's comments, it's clear the team is prioritizing depth over breadth.

So, are you ready for a D&D game that trusts you to find your own way? What do you think about smaller, denser open worlds? Let us know in the comments!