STAGE · Before you begin
Playing in the browser
Draft — Draft: checked against the game source, not yet read through end to endAvailable from the startOpen the web client, provide your own Daggerfall data when prompted, and get past the common startup problems.
This page is further along your path. Read ahead if you’re curious; you can return when you reach this stage.
Get the game data
DFO needs the original Daggerfall data files — the project calls the folder ARENA2. They are not bundled with DFO and stay on your device. The official site recommends any of these free sources:
On a Steam installation the folder is usually DF/DAGGER/ARENA2. The guide's first-launch page covers what happens after you press Play.
Open the client
The project's landing page is separate from the game. Choose its Play link to open /play/. DFO draws its presentation with WebGL2 in the browser.
Provide the original data
When the play page asks for the folder, select your ARENA2 folder (or drop the zip on the page on a phone). The game remembers that choice; you are not asked again on that browser.
If the screen does not appear
Work through these in order:
Reload the page. A first WebGL2 start can fail while the browser builds its graphics context.
Try a current browser. The official site lists Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari; an old browser or a disabled WebGL2 may refuse the client.
Check the data folder. If you picked the wrong folder, or moved Daggerfall after picking it, the client cannot read ARENA2. Pick the folder again from the installation's
ARENA2directory.Report it. If it still fails, say what you did on the project's issue tracker or the DFO Discord.
The source does not specify a supported-browser list or a minimum graphics-card requirement; the official site is the authority for what the project currently supports.
Common mistakes
Picking the Daggerfall install folder instead of ARENA2. The client reads the data folder, not the installer.
Moving or reinstalling Daggerfall after the first pick. The remembered path stops working; pick the folder again.
Using an old browser and blaming the game. WebGL2 support is the usual cause of a blank start.
Expecting the browser to store a backup. Browser storage belongs to that browser; the desktop app keeps real files.
Next
Sources & checked facts
https://daggerfalljs.dev/: the free Daggerfall sources, the Play page, the ARENA2 folder pick, browser support, the issue tracker and the DiscordREADME.md: landing page,play/index.html,/play/, WebGL2, original ARENA2 requirement, and desktop data accessResearch note:
handbook/research/B1.md