Call of Dragons

Review by eFreeware

If you already enjoy alliance-driven strategy games and want one with a fantasy coat of paint, Call of Dragons is built for you. It takes a familiar formula of building a kingdom, raising armies and fighting alongside other players, then adds tameable beasts and a map measured in millions of square kilometers.

The appeal is the combination of scale and creatures. You are not just managing troops and territory; you are also capturing monsters, training them and sending them into battle beside your legions. For players who like the idea of commanding both an army and a menagerie, that mix is the main draw here.

It is free to download and carries a Teen rating, with in-app purchases available and no ads. More than 10 million installs and a 4.5 average from over 193,000 ratings suggest a large, settled audience rather than a flash in the pan.

A vast map full of beasts and factions

The setting is the land of Tamaris, a fantasy world spread across a map of 3.88 million square kilometers. Its population includes noble Elves, mighty Orcs, Satyrs, Treants, Forest Eagles and Celestials, any of which can join your forces. That variety gives you room to shape a army that fits how you like to fight.

Roaming the same land are the creatures you will spend much of your time chasing. Bears, Lizards, Rocs and Faedrakes can be purified and added to your command. Beyond those are the Behemoths: Hydras, Thunder Rocs and Dragons, ancient and dangerous, which you subdue with allies before turning them against your enemies.

What appeals to me about this setup is that the wildlife is not just decoration. The creatures are part of your army, and the developer treats them as such, with systems for capturing, training and deploying them. If you like games where collecting and raising units matters as much as raw troop counts, the premise here is aimed at you.

How a session tends to unfold

A typical stretch of play moves between managing your kingdom and taking it to the field. You upgrade buildings and technologies, train troops, gather resources and expand your territory, all of which feeds the war machine. The developer frames the prosperity of the kingdom as your responsibility, and the loop of building, gathering and pushing outward is the backbone of the experience.

When you go on the offensive, the terrain matters. The game uses fully 3D terrain, so canyons, deserts, rivers and mountains shape how you approach a fight. You can launch rapid assaults, dig in to defend a position or send flying legions over obstacles that would stop ground troops, which adds a layer of planning beyond simply throwing numbers at a target.

Heroes lead your forces and bring their own abilities. The developer describes heroes with skills such as going unseen, closing distance fast or hitting a wide area, and timing those skills well is how you turn a losing fight around. That emphasis on when to strike, rather than only on how much you brought, is what gives the combat some texture.

War Pets and the training loop

The War Pet system is the centerpiece of the current version. You capture ferocious beasts and then raise them, interacting with a pet to raise its Affection Level. Strengthening one involves feeding it, regenerating it or passing skills to it through inheritance, so there is a progression path for each creature rather than a single capture-and-forget moment.

Once trained, a War Pet fights alongside your fantasy armies as what the developer calls an indispensable member of your forces. That framing tells you how much weight the game puts on these companions: they are not a side activity but a core part of your lineup. For anyone who enjoys the collection side of strategy games, this is likely to be the hook.

Behemoths work on a different scale. You and your allies work together to defeat one, then train it as a reserve weapon. When a critical moment arrives, you summon it to crush the opposition. That gives alliances a shared goal with a payoff that lands directly in combat.

Teamwork, roles and the healing change

Large-scale battles here are framed as team efforts. Whether you are charging the front lines, keeping vital roads open or building defensive barricades, every participant has a part to play, and victory depends on how well the group functions together. That is a clear invitation to join an active alliance rather than play solo.

One change worth highlighting is that wounded units heal automatically and do not consume resources. You can wage war and challenge other players without worrying about your stockpiles. If you have played other games in this genre and found the constant drain of rebuilding after every fight tedious, this removes one recurring cost from the equation.

The current update also brings a Full Moon Festivities series of events. These include collecting Moonrise Fireworks for rare gifts, a limited-time bundle tied to memories of times gone by, a divination event called House of Destiny, purchase rewards, a competitive event called Heights of Power and an Artifact Extravaganza for wishing on artifacts. It is a seasonal package rather than a mechanical overhaul, but it gives returning players something new to work through.

What it costs and how it is paid for

Call of Dragons is free to download. It carries no ads, and it does offer in-app purchases. You can start without paying, and there are optional ways to spend if you choose.

The recent events include a purchase rewards track and a limited-time bundle, which fits that model. Beyond confirming that purchases exist and that these particular events involve them, I would not read too much into the specifics.

The absence of ads is a point in the game's favor for anyone who finds interruptions disruptive in this genre. It does mean there are optional ways to spend, which is standard for a title of this size and scope. If you prefer to play without spending, the download itself costs nothing.

Where the experience asks more of you

The scale that makes this game attractive also makes it demanding. Alliances and coordinated Behemoth hunts work best when you show up regularly.

Team play is central to the design. Fighting is a group effort where front-line charges, road maintenance and barricade building all matter, and Behemoths are taken on with allies. Players who prefer to ignore other people and build quietly in a corner will find the game pushing them the other way.

The systems around War Pets add their own layer of management. Affection Levels, feeding, regeneration and skill inheritance are things you have to keep track of if you want your companions to pull their weight. That depth is the point for some players and a chore for others, and it is worth being honest with yourself about which camp you fall into before committing.

A strong fit for alliance-minded strategists

I would recommend Call of Dragons to players who want a fantasy strategy game with a genuine social core. The combination of a huge map, 3D terrain, flying legions, hero abilities and tameable creatures gives you plenty to think about, and the automatic healing of wounded units smooths out one of the more tiresome parts of the genre. If you enjoy coordinating with an alliance and building something over months, the pieces here line up well.

The creature systems are what separate it from the crowd. War Pets that you capture, raise and train, and Behemoths that you subdue with allies and then summon when it counts, give the game a personality beyond troop counts and building timers. That is the part I would point to first if you are deciding whether to try it.

It is free to download with no ads and optional in-app purchases, rated Teen, and it has drawn a large audience since its release in March 2023. If you want a lighter, quicker strategy game, the scope here will feel heavy. If you want one to settle into with a group, this is a reasonable place to start.

What's new

Full Moon Festivities Event Series 1) Light the Night: Collect Moonrise Fireworks and exchange them for rare gifts! 2) Fond Memories: Remember times gone by with this exclusive limited-time Bundle! 3) House of Destiny: Take part in mysterious divination and enjoy rewards! 4) Purchase Rewards: Make purchases to receive rewards! 5) Heights of Power: Fight your way to the top! 6) Artifact Extravaganza: Wish for your desired Artifact!