Dark Forester

Dark Forester is a hardcore RPG strategy game in which you build and decorate a forest, place guardians and heroes, set traps, and protect livestock from enemy hordes. Its fully 3D world has changing weather and time of day that affect some spells. You can play against the environment or attack other players’ forests, with MMO elements, ratings, and PvP and PvE seasons.

Build and defend your forest

Your forest contains buildings, trees, mushrooms, animals, creatures and traps. You can improve objects you build or buy, and anything in the forest can be destroyed. Trees help all your objects, including your character, evade physical damage; mushrooms affect evasion of magic damage. Some heroes grow stronger near trees or mushrooms, and some can heal by destroying trees. If your forest has fewer than 30 trees, you lose the game and must start over.

You defend against an unlimited number of raids from more than 100 kinds of monsters. These include invisible attackers that target only your character, creatures that hunt livestock and powerful bosses, as well as ground catapults, cemeteries and other structures. The living forest also has neutral birds and beasts. Werewolves record information about their deaths and who killed them, then use it to improve their abilities.

Weather and time

Rain makes some spells, runes and traps deal more damage, and you can find several kinds of tornado scrolls. At night, undead have more health, while some characters and heroes, including the OtherSide, become much stronger. Some fear-inducing spells are more effective in darkness, and special PvP structures are tied to the night.

Attack other forests

When you attack an enemy forest, you have 200 seconds to destroy all its buildings. Each enemy structure earns you 5 coins and 5 experience; victory also grants honor points, rating points and other resources. Losing costs honor and rating points. You have 15 unique abilities for attacks, with one unlocking at each character level; at level five, you have five abilities. A PvP building improves your attack abilities, and some buildings and creatures are designed specifically for fighting each other.

The game has eight heroes in its hero pool, which you can encounter in your forest. One hero is available for attacks on enemy forests for three weeks: Other Side.

Heroes and creatures

There are eight heroes and three higher creatures. Heroes and other creatures gain experience in combat, and heroes learn a new ability every other level. Characters patrol your forest, and your first hero arrives when you reach level five. The heroes are Imp, Otherside, Witch, Orc Traveler, Mishka, Making Money, Kaba and Winterstale.

The higher creatures are Ancient, Evil Mushroom and Warlord. Ancient and Evil Mushroom do not require creature resources; Evil Mushroom costs 50 mushrooms from your forest, while Ancient is very expensive. One elder is available from the start. Ancient and Evil Mushroom do not patrol: outside combat, they can follow your orders and see the whole forest. When battle begins, they attack the nearest target; Ancient does so only when awakened. Warlord is exclusive to PvP and can be summoned only when attacking another player’s forest.

Combat and progression

Creatures, heroes and your main character gain levels through combat. Each level grants 5 skill points and may unlock new abilities. The main character’s maximum level is 15. The storyline uses a modular system and tells the main character’s long history in an abstract style. Death, losing your forester’s home or letting the trees decay can cost you levels or lead to the character’s irreversible death.

Items and inventory

Inventory is divided into six types, and all six are available only during a game session. Monsters can drop resources, mana, health or experience; plans for structures; one-use magic scrolls; tornado summons; traps; and other items. There are just over 100 kinds of item drops.