Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons won’t have waypoints, so that players can figure things out without ‘blindly trusting’ a UI
Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, an upcoming third-person action RPG, will not feature traditional quest markers or waypoints to encourage organic exploration. The game will include a disableable compass, but developers are intentionally omitting the waypoint systems common in modern games.
General manager Dominic Guay explained to IGN that this design choice aims to preserve player curiosity and engagement. Quest markers can diminish the sense of discovery by allowing players to follow UI guidance passively rather than meaningfully engaging with the game world. By removing this safety net, developers want players to feel motivated to explore and discover objectives naturally, rather than blindly trusting directional UI elements.
The game generated positive reception at Gamescom, where attendees praised the spellcaster mechanics and combat systems. This philosophy of player-driven exploration aligns with a broader design approach that prioritizes agency and the satisfaction of discovery over conventional hand-holding, positioning Warlock as an experience where players must actively engage with the world to progress.