I said come in! posted:

There hasn't been a Neverwinter thread in quite awhile. I don't know if goons have abandoned this game or not or everything has moved over to Discord or something. I wanted to create a new thread though because I recently got back into this game, I got my first character to level 70 a week ago, my item level is over 7500, and I am having a good time with the massive end game grind. If you just got to level 70 and are overwhelmed with what to do, go here first https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJQRsT0ygvI&t=2710s watch this entire video. It is filled with amazing tips and explains a lot of mechanics and features that the game badly fails at explaining.

The most important thing you should know about Neverwinter's end game content is that it is massively grindy and there is an overwhelming amount of content for both solo story quests, and group content. This is one of the most complex MMORPGs in my opinion, with an overwhelming amount of mechanics and features. Some of which are poorly thought out but still require that you understand them and take advantage of them. That said, I still really like this MMO for how massive it is, and the Dungeons & Dragons world is just badass in general.

Official Website: Neverwinter
Steam: Link
PlayStation: Link
Xbox: Link

General Info
The basic story behind Neverwinter is that Cryptic Studios (mostly known as the guys behind City of Heroes/Villains, Champions Online and Star Trek Online) started developing the game for Atari as a single player experience with multiplayer elements several years ago. Since then, the project has been re-imagined as a much more multiplayer-focused affair. Neverwinter now seems to be patterned after Cryptic's work in COH/COV in that there are large, persistent adventure zones peppered with instanced quest areas and "dungeon delves" (five-player dungeon areas containing loot, mobs, and bosses). In general, players interact within adventure zones, dipping into instanced quest zones for story-driven solo content and small group activities. At the end of each zone's story arc, players can engage the aforementioned "delves", which make up the "raid-like" content of the game and provide the greatest rewards. The game is published by Perfect World Entertainment (who bought Cryptic and their rights to publish as Atari went down the shitter).

Two of the defining characteristics of the game are user-generated content and action-focused combat. The game has a robust toolset called "The Foundry" that allows players to construct their own adventures to share with the Neverwinter community. The toolset is available from within the Neverwinter client, and players can play and rate other player's creations from within the game. In fact, there is a daily quest for doing so. For anyone that liked the player-made quests in City of Heroes, this is very similar.

Taking a page from recent MMOs like Tera and Guild Wars 2, Neverwinter ditches traditional MMO control schemes in favor of "reactive" and "action-oriented" combat (to quote the devs). Tab-targeting is gone. Instead, players target NPC's on the fly using a reticle, as they would with a third-person action game. In deference to the 4E D&D rules, PC's can choose from two "at-will" powers that are mapped to the right/left mouse buttons. Players may then choose five additional abilities mapped to other keys: three "encounter" powers and two "daily" powers. Encounter powers are more powerful attacks or (in some cases) strong utility/CC abilities on a short cooldown. Daily powers represent players "ultimate skills" and charge up over time as players gain "action points" in combat. Finally, players must engage in active defense, using a "utility" power mapped to a dodge key (usually shift) to either avoid enemy attacks or to block using their shield (as with the Guardian Fighter class). Most people that I've talked to who have played throughout the beta think that the devs really nailed the feel of fun active combat here, and that the combat is the best draw for this game.

You can read more about Neverwinter's combat system here:
http://neverwinter.gamepedia.com/Combat

Classes
As previously mentioned, Neverwinter is based on 4th Edition D&D rules and lore. As such, it takes a number of cues from the 4E skill system (including things like feats - which largely act in the Neverwinter incarnation in the place of talents). It's important to note that 4E acts as an inspirational foundation for the game, and that Cryptic has pretty obviously modified a lot of things to fit the game into the action MMO model.

The game launched with five classes. There are now eight. Class holds little real importance in solo content, as players have ample access to health potions, healing companions, and lots of damage avoidance through active abilities. The harder, five-man "dungeon delves" require a bit more rigidity in party composition and a good balance between DPS types, control types, and healers. Please keep in mind that any build suggestions in this thread or anywhere else are subject to whatever nerf or buff Cryptic feels like handing out on any given day. To keep up with the latest good builds, we recommend you follow the official forums at http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/forum.php

As of Module 7, the classes are as follows:

Guardian Fighter
As the name implies, this class primarily fulfills a tank role in group play. Wielding a one-handed weapon and shield, Guardians focus on defending their buddies, slamming monsters with powerful attacks, and generally keeping the attention on them. They are unique among the classes in that they have the ability to block attacks rather than being able to dodge them. They are at their best in PvP, although with recent buffs I am told they are decent in PvE as well.

Great-Weapon Fighter
Do you like being a tough guy/gal in heavy armor with a big hammer or greatsword? Then the Great Weapon Fighter is for you. These guys form a DPS class with an AoE focus. When properly geared, they can both deal and take awesome amounts of damage and are pretty effective tanks. GWF's can hand out a pretty good beatdown in both PvE and PvP content.

Trickster Rogue
Trickster Rogues are the stealthy class in Neverwinter. They are a DPS class focused on dealing out large amounts of single-target damage and (of course) sneaking about. At the moment, this class is most useful in PvP content, as the stealth elements in the game aren't terribly well-implemented and rogues can be effectively replaced with another DPS class in dungeons and other PvE content. I'm told there are modifications coming up in the next module, however, so have faith.

Control Wizard
The famous OP class of Neverwinter Online. Not only do CW's provide a large amount of DPS (even after recent damage nerfs), they also are the one class that is largely focused on controlling enemies, which means they are very much needed in end-game PvE and PvP content. AoE, single target, control... these guys can do it all. Wizards are also absolutely essential for end-game dungeons, and the more the better.

Devoted Cleric
The healing specialists of Neverwinter, Devoted Clerics can use a variety of direct heals, AoE heals, and reactive heals (e.g. wards they place on mobs that heal damage dealers). Their wards can also grant temporary HP to keep their buddies alive. Clerics are also able to wield the holy fury of their gods to smite foes, lash them with divine fire, and control them with bonds of energy. The Devoted Cleric works in a more active role than healers in most other MMO's, which makes this class somewhat challenging and fun to play.

The (dated) DC build posted by Istar can be found here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...2#post425680039

Hunter Ranger
A combined ranged/melee class. Tab is used to switch between ranged or melee, and dailies don't necessarily cost 100% of your AP, as they do with other classes. HR's are strikers focused on taking out enemies quickly. They cannot withstand much punishment from enemies, so strategy and tactics play a large role in the life of a Hunter Ranger. Play one if you like characters that attack from a distance using strategy.

Scourge Warlock
Warlocks can fill one of two roles in a group: they can dedicate themselves to the dark arts and decimate their foes by dealing necrotic damage and cursing foes, or they can perform a support role by tearing the souls from their foes to heal and empower their allies. At the moment, because of lifesteal changes, the temptation spec has fallen out of favor. Instead, spec into the soul puppet, which is amazing and for bonus points sometimes glitches out for millions of damage.

Oathbound Paladin
The newest class in the game, this hybrid tank/healer has the potential to be literally unkillable, which is somewhat useful in the new endgame encounters. Levelling is also a breeze early on as they can output a fair amount of damage in PvE. They also utilize auras, which are essentially class features they share with the group, damage mitigation and sharing, and some pretty cool looking blue glowbubble lasers to be everyone's best friend. Sadly, no alignment system means hardcore roleplay isn't required.

Races
The main reason to pick one race over another in Neverwinter is the ability bonuses (bonuses to STR, WIS, CON, etc.) and racial traits that accompany race selection. Although all classes are available to all races, certain races are naturally better suited to certain classes because of these bonuses. Since this and class selection are the most important aspects of character creation, I've attempted a brief rundown of the races and their traits below. Some of the races are locked behind a pay wall (I have marked these with in their descriptions), but since they don't offer any real advantage bonus-wise over the free races, it's mostly a cosmetic purchase.

Human
Humans can apply a +2 bonus to any single ability they choose.
Their "Versatile Defense" trait gives them a 3% bonus to defense.
Their "Heroic Effort" trait grants them 3 extra feat points at levels 10, 15, and 20 respectively.

Drow
Drow get an ability bonus of +2 DEX and +2 to either CHA or WIS as selected by the player.
Their "Darkfire" racial trait means that Drow have a 5% chance when attacking to reduce an enemy's defense by 10% for 4 seconds.
Their "Trance" racial trait means that they recover HP and injuries twice as fast while sitting by a campfire.

Dwarf
Dwarves get an ability bonus of +2 CON and +2 to either STR or WIS as selected by the player.
They have an increased resistance to knockback and repel effects due to their "Stand Your Ground" racial trait.
They have an increased resistance to Damage over Time (DoT) effects due to their "Cast Iron Stomach" racial trait.

Half-Orc
Half-Orcs get an ability bonus of +2 DEX and +2 to either STR or CON as selected by the player.
Their critical hits do an additional 5% damage thanks to their "Furious Assault" racial trait.
They gain a 10% bonus to run speed upon entering combat thanks to their "Swift Charge" racial trait. This effect can only occur once every 20 seconds.

Halfling
Halflings get an ability bonus of +2 DEX and +2 to either CHA or CON as selected by the player.
Their "Nimble Reaction" racial trait means they have a +3% chance to deflect attacks.
Their "Bold" racial trait increases their resistance to crowd control effects by 10%.

Tiefling
Tieflings get an ability bonus of +2 CHA and +2 to either INT or CON as selected by the player.
Their "Bloodhunt" racial trait means they deal an additional 5% damage to enemies who are below 50% health.
Their "Infernal Wrath" racial trait means that whenever they are hit, they have a 10% chance to lower the power of their attacker by 5% for 5 seconds.

Half-Elf
Half-Elves get an ability bonus of +2 CON and +2 to either CHA or WIS as selected by the player.
Their "Dilettante" racial trait grants them a +1 bonus to a random, non-class stat after you have created your half-elf and entered the world.
Their "Knack for Success" racial trait gives them +1% Critical Severity, +1% Deflect, and +1% Gold find.

Sun Elf
Sun Elves get an ability bonus of +2 INT and +2 to either DEX or CHA as selected by the player.
Their "Inner Calm" racial trait means they have +2% action point gain.
Their "Sun Elf Grace" racial trait increases their resistance to crowd control effects by 10%.

Wood Elf
Wood Elves get an ability bonus of +2 DEX and +2 to either INT or WIS as selected by the player.
Their "Elven Accuracy" racial trait means they have +1% chance to crit.
Their "Wild Step" racial trait means that they have 10% resistance to slow .

Moon Elf Requires Feywild Pack
Wood Elves get an ability bonus of +2 INT and +2 to either DEX or CHA as selected by the player.
Their "Wanderlust" racial trait means they have +1% action point gain and +1% stamina gain.
Their "Moon Elf Resilience" racial trait increases their resistance to crowd control effects by 10%.

Menzoberranzan Renegade (a.k.a. special snowflake Drizzt Do'Urden Drow) Requires Hero of the North Pack

Renegades get an ability bonus of +2 DEX and +2 to either WIS or CHA as selected by the player. This is the same ability bonus as normal drow.
Their "Faerie Fire" racial trait means they have a 5% chance when attacking to lower an enemy's power and defense by 6% for 4 seconds.
Their "Trance" racial trait means that they recover HP and injuries twice as fast while sitting by a campfire. This trait is shared with normal drow.

The Dragonborn (a.k.a. Scalies) Requires Dragonborn Legend Pack

Dragonborn receive a +2 bonus to any two abilities.
Their "Dragonborn Fury" racial trait means that their Power and Critical Strike are increased by 3%.
Their "Draconic Heritage" racial trait means that they recieve 5% more healing from all spells and abilities.
Choosing a Religion and Backstory
While you are creating a character, you'll be given the option to choose a deity, hometown, and vague backstory for your shiny new adventurer. This whole screen and everything on it is entirely cosmetic. No matter which combination of things you choose here, you'll start in the same area, follow the same questline, and be given the same bonuses for invoking that everyone gets. With this in mind, go nuts and pick whatever you like. You will receive a cosmetic player "title" (selectable from the "History" tab on your character sheet) that denotes your city/region of origin, so I guess that's something to consider.

Leveling
Really the only things you need to worry about when leveling are:
Becoming familiar with how your chosen class works and what its best skills are, and filling out your feat and power trees accordingly.
Conserving your ID scrolls, which cost AD.
Saving up for a mount ASAP (or withdrawing 5g from the guild bank for a mount ASAP)
Checking the guild bank for supplies before buying from a vendor- we have all the gold you could ever need to buy anything you could want if we don't have it.
Most importantly, make sure you do the quest lines in the Blacklake and Neverdeath zones, as these reward you with bags that are essential for the inventory space they provide.
If there is anything about the grind to 70 that you need help with (defeating a lair boss, for example), don't be afraid to ask for help in chat. Additionally, once you hit 70, check the guild bank for gear.