Saves & updates · Drakan2PC

Save files are part of your local game data. Back them up before moving to another installation or making manual configuration changes.

Modern save browser with a Surdana save preview — Save browser with slot previews (Linux build).

Windows and Linux save locations

On Windows, saves normally live under dist/DrakanPC/mc0; a second virtual card may use mc1. On Linux, card folders sit beside the deployed executable in dist/DrakanPC-linux. Custom launch overrides can change the location.

With the game closed, copy the whole mc0 folder, any mc1 folder and your *.ini configuration files to a separate backup location. Restore the folders to the corresponding playable directory while the game is closed.

Quicksave and quickload

F5 quicksaves during controllable gameplay. F8 quickloads during gameplay or from the title. These actions can be rebound.

Quicksave uses the reserved mc0/BESCES-50006Slot33 slot, outside the manual save slots (PAL only; the experimental USA build saves only through the game's own save slots, as BASCUS-97128…, and does not see PAL saves).
A new quicksave replaces the previous quicksave without an overwrite prompt.
Quickload discards unsaved progress without a confirmation.
If no quicksave exists, quickload does not fall back to a manual save.
The title's Continue action selects the newest manual save; F8 selects the quicksave.
Quickload from a death dialog is not currently supported.

Three frames: the Quick saving card, gameplay with Save was successful, and the Quick loading card — F5 quicksave, the game’s own confirmation, then F8 quickload (Windows, Surdana).

Use manual saves as well, particularly before experimenting with settings. Where save paging is available, PgUp/PgDn or controller L1/R1 move between pages. See the save reference.

Title screen menu with Continue, Load Game, New Game, Options, Credits and Quit — With saves on the card the title offers Continue (newest manual save) and Load Game.

Modern Load Game screen with four Surdana and Shadowmire slots, thumbnails and a large preview of slot 1 — Load Game on Windows: four slots per page, each with its preview, and a larger preview of the selected save.

Browser saves

The browser build stores its virtual filesystem in IndexedDB, tied to the browser profile and origin. A hosted GitHub Pages game, a localhost game and a different browser profile do not automatically share saves.

Keep using the same profile and site. Do not clear site storage to troubleshoot a launcher problem unless you intend to remove that profile's stored progress. Private browsing is unsuitable for persistent saves. When the game reports a save-storage error, use Retry and resolve it before leaving the page.

The browser player currently has no separate save export/import interface. Do not assume a desktop folder backup includes browser saves. File selections and saved games are different pieces of browser storage.

Rebuild or update

For installer users, Rebuild Drakan resumes compilation from the installed source snapshot. It is a rebuild command, not a guarantee that it downloads a newer release; obtain a newer setup or updated source when changing versions.

For source users, rerun Build-LocalGame.ps1 with the same WorkDir and -Incremental. The existing development directory is build/final-game:

pwsh scripts/buildtool/Build-LocalGame.ps1 -IsoPath "D:/MyDiscs/Drakan.iso" -WorkDir build/final-game -Incremental -Jobs 8

The builder refreshes the playable folder and keeps card folders, INI settings and supported optional pack directories, including textures, movies and subtitles. Do not manually copy executable files into dist; let the builder stage a consistent installation.

Moving the game or ISO

The game still reads its ISO during play. A moved or renamed ISO can leave an old path in drakan.ini. Update the configuration to the new file location or restore the ISO to its previous path. Keep your backup until you have launched the game and loaded a save successfully.