DragonSword : Awakening is primarily a single-player open-world RPG with optional online PvE in specific activities. The current multiplayer menus are Hunt and Raid. Official and release-build sources support two players for the smaller Battle or Hunt tier and three players for Raid, but the terminology changed across development. Story and ordinary open-world exploration are not current shared-world modes. [S04] [S05] [G21]
Multiplayer overview
Hound13's early FAQ describes a story and exploration-focused single-player game with invite-code cooperation in selected Battle and Raid content. A later roadmap uses Hunt and Raid when discussing launch multiplayer. KeenGamer's release guide also observes Hunt and Raid as the two available multiplayer menus. This evidence supports limited optional co-op, not an MMO-style world where other players are always present. [S04] [S05] [G21]
The Steam store carries both Single-player and Online Co-op features. Those store labels confirm that both forms exist, but they do not define the scope. The official FAQ and release guide provide the narrower boundary: co-op is attached to particular boss activities, while story and open-world play remain single-player. [S01] [S04] [G21]
Co-op is not required to obtain the 19 launch heroes. Hound13 says characters come through quests or quest-related materials. Multiplayer rewards and optimal farming are separate questions, and no collected official source says a launch character is locked behind an online party. [S03] [S05]
Hunt and Raid
The current mode names are Hunt and Raid. KeenGamer reports Hunts as boss activities for up to two players and Raids for up to three. Its version 1.0.3 table marks Dungeons, Story Mode, open-world exploration, and PvP as unavailable for multiplayer. The no-PvP statement is a release-guide observation rather than a dedicated Hound13 PvP announcement. [G21]
The earlier official FAQ uses Battle for the two-player content and Raid for the three-player content. The later roadmap says multiplayer for Hunt and Raid was coming at launch. The sources do not explicitly define every use of Battle, Subjugation, and Hunt as identical. Treat the naming relationship as To be confirmed, while retaining the player-cap evidence separately. [S04] [S05] [G21]
KeenGamer reports five Hunt difficulty labels in its release guide. That detail comes from one version 1.0.3 source rather than a current official table. The exact version 1.0.8 difficulty list is therefore To be confirmed. [G21]
Player limits
Hound13 states that Battle supports up to two players and Raid supports up to three. KeenGamer independently reports the same caps using Hunt and Raid. Its guide also says each participant can bring a three-character team, but that party-loadout detail is not repeated in the reviewed official FAQ. [S04] [G21]
The wording is "up to," not a requirement to fill every slot. The source material presents the base game as single-player first, and KeenGamer discusses selecting activities from the menu before creating a room. Exact solo reward equivalence and encounter scaling are To be confirmed because the approved source set does not establish them. [S04] [G21]
There is no verified four-player mode in the collected P0 evidence. KeenGamer reproduces a discussion of possible larger Raid designs, but a future consideration is not a current player limit. Use two for Battle or Hunt and three for Raid as the current sourced caps, with the terminology caveat above. [G21]
Joining a room
The documented manual route starts from the Hunt or Raid menu. KeenGamer instructs the host to select a boss, choose Create Lobby, share the displayed Lobby Code or invite a Steam friend, and select Challenge when everyone is ready. A guest opens the related mode, selects Invite Code, enters the shared code, and confirms. These interface steps were recorded before version 1.0.7. [G21]
Version 1.0.7 added Quick Entry to multiplayer content and a setting for the lobby search range used in matching. KeenGamer's older statement that Hunts and Raids have no matchmaking system is therefore no longer current. The patch confirms the new controls but does not document every screen or guarantee a particular queue result. If Quick Entry does not find a suitable room, the documented manual lobby and Steam invitation routes remain the practical fallback. [S06] [G21]
Manual invite codes remain a documented join option in the available official and release-guide evidence. A room invite code connects a guest to a lobby. It is not a reward code and cannot be redeemed for items. [S04] [G21]
Host and latency
Co-op is host-based. Hound13 says there are no regional server restrictions, so the session is not divided into fixed regional realms. The same FAQ warns that significant latency to the host can affect smoothness. This is a network warning, not a promise that every cross-region connection will perform well. [S04]
Choose a host with a stable connection and reasonable latency to the guests. If a distant player experiences delayed inputs, test another host before assuming the game mode or build is broken. That troubleshooting step is an inference from the official host and latency explanation, not an official diagnostic procedure. [S04]
Version 1.0.7 fixed an issue where multiplayer achievements unlocked only for the host. Older reports that guests categorically cannot receive those achievements are therefore outdated. Each achievement's own completion conditions still apply. [S06]
Restrictions
The current evidence does not support shared story progression, open-world exploration, town trading, or player shops. KeenGamer records story and open-world co-op as unavailable in version 1.0.3. Hound13 later said small-group town and world exploration was under long-term research and development consideration, while player trading and shops were not planned. A possible future feature is not a current mode. [S05] [G21]
The current FAQ says online functionality was removed when comparing this release with previous Webzen and mobile service versions. That sentence cannot mean all networking was removed, because the official early FAQ, roadmap, store features, 1.0.7 multiplayer patch, and live Hunt and Raid guide all show limited co-op. Read it as removal of the previous online-service structure, not cancellation of every online activity. [S01] [S03] [S04] [S05] [S06] [G21]
Cross-platform multiplayer, cross-save, public chat, and dedicated servers are To be confirmed. Controller support does not answer those network questions. Hound13's broad console plan does not confirm them either. [S03] [S05]
Unlock status
KeenGamer reports that Hunts begin after main story quest 13, later Hunts require progress through quest 77, and Raids open after quest 48. Other community material instead uses a level 20 or endgame description. The exact version 1.0.8 unlock thresholds are To be confirmed, and the competing claims must not be merged into one route. [G21]
Check the current Hunt and Raid menus after progressing the story rather than relying on one disputed quest number. If the menu is present, Quick Entry and lobby search range come from the current patch evidence. Create Lobby and Invite Code remain documented by the release guide and early official FAQ. [S04] [S06] [G21]
Always check the page's last verified date and version. Multiplayer changed materially between the 1.0.3 guide and update 1.0.7. An undated guide can therefore wrongly state that matching tools do not exist. [S06] [G21]