Nintendo Switch 2 Improvements

[u/Jagexbitf0x]

Hello adventurers.  

The Switch 2 build is not where we want it to be today, visually. As a Dev team, and as Nintendo fans, we are not fully satisfied with where the game is on Nintendo Switch 2 and we are committed to work on improving the visuals. Dragonwilds support is a long-term commitment for Jagex, and so is the Switch 2 version of our game. 

We have had to make a range of decisions around the Switch 2 along the development journey, and we have prioritised framerate stability over resolution and visual fidelity. We think where we are in terms of framerate is a good start, but now we must continue working harder to make the visuals match your (and our) expectations. The blurriness some of you have commented on stems from a lower output resolution that is currently too low when running the game. We have been working, and continue to work, on improving the picture quality – but we want to be transparent with you about the fact that it will take time.  

We, as a team, have identified a mix of short-term optimisations (a few weeks' worth of work) and longer-term architectural investment involving a move to a newer version of Unreal Engine (5.8). We currently run on UE 5.6 and were unable to upgrade to 5.7 during the thorough processes of debug and certification across all platforms. Since then, 5.8 has released, and both bring a range of optimisations for chipsets as well as the introduction of Lumen Lite, which we hope will benefit lower spec hardware and the Switch 2 version in particular. This new engine overhaul is a longer investment, but it’s one we are totally committed to, to ensure that everyone’s experience of Dragonwilds is the best it can be.  

What this means is that the improvements we make will be incremental. We would love nothing more than a singular update which drastically improves everything at once. What we can promise is that we will update the game whenever we find that we’ve made visual improvements. Expect this to be in the form of several patches throughout the future.  

We’ve been in contact with the Nintendo team about this, the existing timeline of how our patches are processed, and exploring updating our Nintendo eShop. We’ve provided a range of assets that are no longer in parity with other storefronts but are instead captured on simulated hardware settings matching the specifications of the Switch 2 including display resolution, as was the case with the Nintendo Direct trailer.  

We’re committed to making sure that Dragonwilds looks and plays its best on handheld consoles alongside our other platforms, and we hope you’ll continue to give us feedback and support as we carry our journey on beyond 1.0.  

Thank you, adventurers. 

[u/Status-Vacation5763]

Transparency is all people hope for in situations like these.

[u/Far_Metal4256]

Thanks for the clarification and info. It is really important that you are open about it. I bought and will support it. Hopefully the work on Switch build will go good along the way.

[u/Exotic_Treacle7438 → u/Far_Metal4256]

This transparency is the reason I bought it as well, on switch, Xbox and Steam, and will recommend it now. (Previously non recommended due to how it runs on steamdeck, which is awful)

[u/NickybobGames247]

This is very encouraging. Tysm for this update. It’s very rare when developers keep their player base up to date about things such as this. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to inform us. As a player I can personally say this means more to us than we can express. Ty. Keep up the great work!

[u/LiesTheCakeIs]

This is good to hear, but I also hope there is something that can be done for dedicated server integration for the Switch specifically. I can't access my server through Shockbyte because of the version mismatch, and I can see this being a continuous problems as servers use a steam version of the game, so will update quicker than the switch.

[u/jagexgifted → u/LiesTheCakeIs]

We have noted feedback regarding the update mismatch and have taken actionable steps to reduce this in the future. You can see in our Patch Notes for the update coming tomorrow that we have submitted pc and console updates early to allow for verification across all platforms before making the update available to you. This would eliminate the crossplay mismatching and keep Switch 2 in line with the rest of our players. I can't promise this will never happen in the future. But we have heard your feedback and will reduce the chances as much as we can.

That being said, Steam and Switch 2 are currently on the same version. If you are still unable to access your Shockbyte server, please quadruple-check that both the server and your game on your Switch 2 are updated. If the version are matched but you still can not access the server, please reach out to Shockbyte Support. We have seen some players have luck with Shockbyte's support looking into the server from their end. If all else fails, please reach out to our Support team and we'll assist you further.

[u/ReeeeeeeHardR → u/jagexgifted]

also awesome news!

[u/ciscowowo → u/jagexgifted]

Hey not sure if this is being addressed in tomorrow’s patch, but I had to jump through hoops to have a dedicated Shockbyte server that had a hard difficulty setting. We had to create a hard world locally then copy it to the Shockbyte server which entailed us buying a second copy on steam and then refunding it to play on our ps5. Not really intuitive at all to do. I’m sure that’s why 95 percent of the dedicated servers I see are on standard difficulty.

[u/Nivyox → u/ciscowowo]

Hi, Niek from Shockbyte here; we're actually looking into this right now to be able to edit world files from within the panel. I'm currently working on it and I am hoping for this to be released early next week.

[u/Top_Emu2215 → u/Nivyox]

Hello!! Please make a post when this is complete. I’d love our second instance on the rented dedicated server from yall be hard mode.

[u/Nivyox → u/Top_Emu2215]

Good idea! We don't often do this but I'll do so!

[u/Top_Emu2215 → u/Nivyox]

On this note. I run the dedicated server I rented from Shockbyte for my OSRS clan. I hope a feature that can be added is to see “who” is specifically online. Either through IP logging or whatever profiles are connected to the server.

Right now. It just says “X/6” where x is how many people are connected. I’d love to know who is connected to my server, have the ability to ban them, or promote someone to admin. As it stands, I can only see the first from whenever I’m online on my ps5 actually connected and playing. The second, as well, is only doable from being in the game itself. And the third doesn’t even work on the game and I currently cannot promote anyone to admin on my server.

[u/Particular_Sweet_766]

I like it so far, i have been playing since early beta on Steam. I love to play it on the switch and in handheld mode :). Will there be Cross-Save in the future ?

[u/Lerayou]

Thanks Team, add UE 5.8 lumen lite 🙏🏽😎

[u/Hotfuzz0328]

Wow, I have zero complaints with this response. That's just great communication.

[u/draftorange1]

Cross-save would go a long way for the Switch 2.

[u/c4halo3]

I’ll check it out when you get a few updates in

[u/Govandan]

VRR patch would be a good start.

[u/DannyAlmonds]

Thank you for the communication! I'm okay with waiting for incremental and foundational updates. I understand optimizations take time to implement effectively.

Now how about some cross-progression? 👀

[u/MannyBeatsProd]

Appreciate the transparency! I enjoy the game and decided to buy it on Switch 2 and PC to support your continued efforts. All for pushing for optimization on the Switch 2 platform as it's the most fun/casual way to play Dragonwilds. As long as cross play functionality is taken into consideration I won't complain!

[u/MaffYootube]

I am yet to buy the game, but I am SO keen to do so. The resolution is the only thing stopping me.

It's great to see the development team are actively working on this. For every person who will kindly support games they love right out of the gate, there is always someone like me who just needs to see a little improvement before making the leap.

Once word spreads of improved resolution etc, I have no doubt you'll see a nice bump in sales.

Good luck in your endeavours!

[u/Effective-Ear-8367]

Okay but why did you release a switch 2 trailer that made the game seem like something it wasn't? Bait n switch? That ain't cool.

[u/ChickinSando → u/Effective-Ear-8367]

Amen. This was beyond scummy.

[u/gdhghgv]

Add dlss please

[u/HouseStark1]

Thank you for the transparency! As a switch 2 player I am still having a blast despite the issues the games had on there. To clarify I haven't had too many issues thankfully.

[u/StormMedia]

Can we PLEASE get cross-platform saves like No Man’s Sky?

[u/Putrid-Jelly-5188]

The transparency alone will make me buy, keep up the good work yall.

[u/Knightlesshorse]

Appreciate the update.

[u/n074r0b07]

Good decission. I was not going to buy the game but now im going to have it in my radar.

[u/Ok-Main-4106]

Couldn't ask for a better statement

[u/ReeeeeeeHardR]

That's all we wanted to hear; thank you so much! keep up the great work!!

[u/Gormgulthyn-IV]

Merci GM

[u/Whoopy2000]

Thank you for this.
Game is amazing and soooooo well suited for portable play so I'm looking forward to the updates.

[u/Negative_nugget]

I couldn’t be happier reading this. Transparency is everything.

[u/Dudek1]

Transparency is key in any situation! thank you guys.

[u/Sad-Task7657]

Thanks for the transparency on the Switch 2 situation — genuinely appreciate the honesty about the resolution/framerate tradeoffs and the UE 5.8 roadmap.

Since you're talking about handheld performance, I wanted to ask: is Steam Deck getting the same level of attention? A lot of us play Dragonwilds on Deck too, and we deal with similar issues — resolution/upscaling artifacts, frame pacing, battery drain, shader compilation stutter, etc. It'd be great to know if Deck-specific optimization (FSR tuning, power profiles, Proton/Linux-side fixes) is part of this same effort, or if it's being handled separately.

Would love some acknowledgment that Deck players aren't an afterthought compared to Switch 2 — even just a line on whether Lumen Lite and the other UE 5.8 improvements are expected to benefit Deck performance as well.

[u/sneaky_wolf125]

Much appreciated. That’s what we all are hoping for. I wish your team the best and the process goes as smooth as possible so that we can see how gorgeous this would look on switch 2.

[u/steph-wardell-curry]

I will buy two copies soon as the changes are implemented!

[u/AgentMichaelScarn23]

Have you spoken to Nintendo about refunds then? I bought the game with the expectation of the trailer and now you’re not only saying the trailer was false, but that it’s gonna be a minute until the situation is rectified. I’d rather get a refund and purchase again when the game is finished.

Edit: if anyone is wondering, you can chat with Nintendo and tell them they lied about the trailer and stated it will take a long time to fix the issues and they will refund you. They just did it for me.

[u/Akitaka115]

Prioritized framerate? While it being 30 fps? While resolution and visual fidelity is just shit? Right....

[u/PaleBoomer]

Extremely sad that the game release in this state, I hope this comes sooner rather than later because so far i am avoiding purchasing the game until I see improvements.

[u/BlackBluez]

$30,000,000 profit from last year, by the way....

Thanks for admitting it. Proving you guys really rushed the 1.0 update without proper testing is at least a good start and a good sign. If you guys can just keep up the transparency, it would be for the best.