Invoke Studios removes waypoints from Warlock: D&D to push exploration

The developers of Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons have deliberately omitted waypoints and traditional quest markers, per IGN. They want players to explore the world of Darkon through a Mystery system with multiple entry points, rather than blindly following icons. The decision reflects a broader industry debate on player guidance vs. discovery, highlighted by recent criticism of Marvel's Wolverine.

Bottom line — Invoke's design choice challenges the AAA convention of constant hand-holding in open-world games.

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• Dominic Guay, GM at Invoke, told IGN that the team—veterans of Watch Dogs at Ubisoft—wanted to avoid players 'following blindly' and losing agency.
• The game still has a compass that can be disabled, per Beebom, and uses a Mystery system where players uncover quests through exploration and NPC conversations, not markers.
• "Not only are there multiple entry points, but depending on how you stumble upon them, it might change how you interact with them," Guay explained to GamesRadar+.
• The controversy around Marvel's Wolverine's 'fart gas' trail has fueled discussion on over-guidance, with Insomniac saying they are listening to feedback, per both IGN and GamesRadar+.
• A LinkedIn UX analysis noted that reducing friction isn't always the goal: 'Sometimes the friction is part of the behavior the game is trying to create.'
• Warlock is set for release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with gameplay shown last month showing a different take from Baldur's Gate 3, per GamesRadar+.

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