Last verified 2026-09-23 by ReviewGamers Editorial
Dragon Slayer is the fifth primary quest in RuneScape: Dragonwilds and the actual start of the game’s main story — the Kuldra’s Saga arc set in Ashenfall. If you have finished the earlier introductory quests and are wondering where the “real” story begins, this is it. See our beginner’s guide if you have not yet completed First Steps and Getting Started.
Before you start: talk to the Wise Old Man
Per the official Dragonwilds wiki, Dragon Slayer begins by speaking to the Wise Old Man in Bramblemead Village. He sets you on the path of hunting down General Velgar, which frames everything that follows in this quest.
Step 1: build a proper shelter
This is the step that trips up players who expect to jump straight into combat. The quest requires you to build a shelter and specifically claim it — and “shelter” has an exact definition here, not a loose one. Per the sourced walkthrough, you need at minimum a foundation, three walls and a ceiling, with a bed roll placed inside. Only once all of those pieces are in place can you actually claim the shelter and progress. If you have been building loosely (a few walls with no proper foundation or ceiling, say), the game will not register it as complete until every one of those specific elements is present.
Step 2: hunt a deer for an antler
The next objective sends you hunting — specifically, you need to bring back an antler from a deer. This is a straightforward hunting task, but it is worth noting it as a distinct requirement rather than assuming any generic kill or drop satisfies it: the quest is asking for a deer antler specifically.
Step 3: storm the goblin castle and find Cathan
From here, the quest moves into its first real combat/investigation objective: storming a goblin castle to look for a character named Cathan. Once you locate Cathan, the next clue is environmental rather than handed to you directly — you need to inspect a blue-flame door located in the swamp to work out Cathan’s plan. This is the step most likely to cause confusion if you are rushing, since it rewards actually stopping to examine the door rather than pushing straight past it.
Step 4: Velgar’s tower and the Challenge Horn
The later objectives converge on General Velgar’s tower itself. Per the sourced walkthrough, you need to craft a Challenge Horn as part of this stage — a crafted item tied specifically to this quest’s endgame — before the final confrontation with Velgar becomes available.
Step 5: defeat General Velgar
The quest concludes with defeating General Velgar directly, closing out this stage of the Kuldra’s Saga arc and opening the next part of the main story.
Why the shelter step matters beyond just this quest
It’s worth treating the shelter-building requirement as more than a one-off hoop to jump through. Dragonwilds’ quest structure ties narrative progress to base-building mechanics rather than keeping them separate, which is a deliberate design choice carried through Dragon Slayer specifically — the game is checking that you have engaged with construction, not just combat, before letting its main story continue. If you have been avoiding the building systems in favour of pure combat and exploration, Dragon Slayer is the point where that avoidance stops being optional. Building the required shelter properly here is also a reasonable opportunity to get comfortable with the construction pieces (foundations, walls, ceilings) you will likely need again for later quests in the Kuldra’s Saga arc, rather than treating it as a single disposable structure you never touch again.
Quick reference: the full step order
- Speak to the Wise Old Man in Bramblemead Village to start the quest.
- Build and claim a shelter (foundation + 3 walls + ceiling + bed roll — all required, not optional extras).
- Hunt a deer and retrieve its antler.
- Storm the goblin castle, find Cathan, and inspect the blue-flame door in the swamp.
- Travel to Velgar’s tower and craft the Challenge Horn.
- Defeat General Velgar.
For the wider early-game picture, see our RuneScape: Dragonwilds beginner’s guide, and check our PC and Steam platform notes.