Today is April 5, Arbor Day.

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Following Korea’s liberation and the Korean War, the country’s mountains were left almost bare as people relied on their forests for firewood, heating, and shelter during displacement. Arbor Day was established as a public holiday to restore these devastated forests and raise awareness of the importance of trees.

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As Korea developed, Arbor Day lost its status as a public holiday, and it seems to have gradually faded from public attention. Even so, most people still know that April 5 is Arbor Day.

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With that in mind, today I would like to look at the tree monsters and related NPCs that appear in DNF Mobile.

Druid Mia

In DNF Mobile, Druid Mia is a 22-year-old human woman and a Cypher who can control plants.

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Cyphers are born with abilities beyond those of ordinary humans, but face discrimination as a result. Mia is no exception. She has endured this treatment since childhood, but gradually begins to overcome it through her friendships with other Cyphers, including Michelle and Deschamps.

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She is loyal enough to risk her life to protect those dear to her, though she is quite sensitive at heart. Her fighting style reflects her personality: she uses tree branches to bind enemies’ feet or attack them.

In the PC version of DNF, she endures many harrowing events, including her most cherished companion being offered as a human sacrifice and nearly being turned into a demon.

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By contrast, her story in DNF Mobile is relatively toned down. After the war and conflict with the Kartel, she finds peace again and works alongside her companions to gradually improve public perceptions of Cyphers.

The Dendroid Race

In DNF Mobile, a gigantic whale called Behemoth flies through the sky.

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Countless ecosystems have formed on its back.

Notably, water gushes from its head, where vegetation has grown into a jungle. The tree race that grew within this jungle is known as the Dendroids.

로딘글로 and 우디플랜트

Dendroids are tree spirits at least several hundred years old. They are highly intelligent and use their roots to walk. Their leaders are 로딘글로 and 우디플랜트, with 우디 플랜트 portrayed as the higher-ranking of the two.

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A tree spirit around a thousand years old, 우디 플랜트 has accumulated wisdom befitting its age. It also scatters Dendroid seeds to propagate its kind.

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They were originally a gentle race, but Lotus’s mind control turned them into monsters, causing severe physical and mental deterioration.

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Even after Lotus is defeated, his influence lingers, leaving their ecology severely disrupted.

실론 and 궁극의 나힐

실론 and 궁극의 나힐

On Sirocco’s home planet, Zualabadon, there was a Tree of Life.

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실론 are energy beings born from this Tree of Life. They resemble creatures called 티온, but 티온 are slimes born from concentrated life energy.

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실론, by contrast, take on a green glow as they absorb the tree’s energy. They cast powerful magic by controlling or releasing energy through their horns.

궁극의 나힐 is a 실론 who remained at the Tree of Life for a long time, absorbing a great deal of energy.

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She began as a 실론 like the others, but evolved repeatedly until she gained a physical body, reason, and wisdom. Grateful to the Tree of Life for granting her these abilities, she vowed to protect the forest forever.

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For this reason, although she is usually gentle, she becomes wary whenever a potential threat to the forest appears.

They, too, had been living peacefully, but the forest was devastated when Sirocco appeared, stealing the energy of the Seeds of Life and destroying them. While protecting the last remaining Seed of Life, 나힐 lost both the seed and her life to Sirocco’s subordinate, Soryun.

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Life will eventually return and new 실론 will emerge, but that will take an immense amount of time. Scenes of this devastation appear throughout the towns and dungeons, serving as constant reminders of the consequences of Sirocco’s atrocities.

Closing Thoughts

Land corrupted by Sirocco

Corrupted 나힐

Whether the enemy is Lotus or Sirocco, DNF Mobile follows a basic narrative pattern: it steadily reveals the Apostles’ destruction of the environment before players confront them. The Apostles are, after all, arguably the game’s main villains.

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Combat can be enjoyable on its own, but understanding just how terrible your enemy’s actions are can give you more reasons to fight.

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Korea was left in ruins by war, but established Arbor Day and worked hard to preserve its trees and forests. There are interesting parallels in the way NPCs carry on with their lives and gradually rebuild villages devastated by the Apostles.

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It is a reminder of how much nature means to us, whether in games or in reality.