Preview of Neverwinter From Cryptic and PWE

I started playing this about a week and a half ago and am pretty well digging it. I'm curious from any of the more experienced hands at this game, how does the Steam Starter Pack look? Both compared to the other $20 packs they sell, as well as just in general as useful items.

Pack Contents
Fey Panther
A supernatural creature comes from the Feywild to help worthy adventurers stalk their prey. The Fey Panther is an aggressive companion that will rake and claw your enemies to their demise. It has base stats in Power, Critical Strike and Armor Penetration. Additionally, if it is one of your active companions, it provides Life Steal and Deflect bonuses to your character.
Greater Stone of Health
An inscribed stone that allows you to instantly recover to full health. Has 200 charges.
Adventurer’s XP Booster
A boost that grants 25% more experience for your next 10,000.
5x Scroll of Mass Life
Scrolls that recover you and party members within 50 feet from near death with full health.
5x Portable Altars
Shrines that you can summon which allow you to invoke, recover injuries, and heal over time.
10x Greater Scroll of Identification
Scrolls that can be used to identify magic items up to level 60.
25x Skill Kits
Helpful kits that can be used to bypass the class restriction on resource nodes throughout the game.

Just wanted to pop in and say that I really love the ranger so far. I am only level 8 so far.
I may be wrong and the dps may even out as you level but they seem to do a metric ton of ranged dps. The rain of arrows is powerful but has a counter in that it is a small aoe and the foe can run out of range easily.

The ability I am talking about is the very first one you get. It goes progressive damage the more you hit a target in succession. It peppers hardened target very well.

The second attack you get that does a cone attack is nice too but I don't think it is over powered. It is really easy to use yet has a few targeting glitches to get used to.

I've found you actually do more dps if you learn to swap between ranged and melee stance. Don't remember what lvl you get your swap at, but your ranged and melee skill abilities are on separate timers. Its like having 6 different encounter abilities, plus you get traits and class passives that increase your damage when u switch between the 2 stances.

What guild have GWJ folks generally joined in NWN?

Garrcia wrote:

What guild have GWJ folks generally joined in NWN?

Grievance I believe.

Has anyone else had the chance to try out the sword coast adventures mini game?

izodmungo wrote:

Has anyone else had the chance to try out the sword coast adventures mini game?

I have, and I thoroughly enjoy the heck out of it. It's almost completely a game of chance, but if you're strategic you can maximize your odds of success in each challenge. Quite enjoyable as a time sink.

Anyone still playing this, regularly?

Hey I thought I'd try this out this weekend... anyone still play?

Waiting for them to release the warlock class. Whenever that is.... =(

manta173 wrote:

Hey I thought I'd try this out this weekend... anyone still play?

No, but the ride up to max level can be pretty fun!

Arise scourge warlock! Finally...

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/07...

Oooohhh cool. I really liked this game, maybe it will get me to load it up.

*looks at steam sale pile*

Then again maybe not

Oh cmon.... I need people to give me lots of gold and things while I level up.

Also, I want a spider mount, but don't want to pay for it... lol

I'm really hoping it will climb walls...

Spoiler:

Also, MMO's are just better with friends.

Looks like this is going to launch on the Xbox One next year. I enjoyed what I played of it on the PC so definitely looking forward to the launch. Hopefully it sticks with the free to play model on the console.

Just grabbed this last week. Am enjoying it with my Scourge Warlock so far. Is anyone still actually playing?

I stopped due to lack of interest in finding pug's to play with. Also Shadow's of Mordor came out and now Dragon Age...

I'm low on gaming time these days but I'm not against joining up with you assuming some prior notice.

So, I have a bunch of nine hells lockboxes. What are they, and should I even care, or can I just throw them up on the auction house?

Oh god, cryptic and their lock boxes. It's the worst f2p mechanic I have experienced. Dropped loot you have to pay to unlock. Yuck.

Oh, and if someone gets a cool ship from one in Star Trek Online, a global message is sent.

What I've done with the lockboxes is hold on to them in the bank until they aren't dropped anymore. Then I put them on the AH and they sell for about 5-10 times more than they did when they dropped regularly. Alternatively, if you're needing some gold, they sell for a few copper to vendors. The other alternative is to earn a bunch of astral diamonds (from quests and activities) and then convert them to Zen on the exchange. Use the Zen to buy the lockbox keys, and hope that you get something really awesome. Even if you don't get anything awesome, you'll get ingots that you can Tamalune Trade Bars that you can trade to a vendor for your choice of gear. You can get unique cosmetic gear, some half-decent leveling gear, and even some mounts. You won't get the really exclusive stuff that you can get from the lockboxes, like golden scarab beetle mounts, but you can get some cool stuff anyway.

Personally, I don't play the lockbox game. It's too much time and money to invest into the random chance of getting something good. What I'd rather do is find the gear that I want from the lockbox and buy it on the AH. This is especially true of artifacts that I like. It takes all the randomness out of the whole thing, but it costs more astral diamonds.

It is a fun game until you hit level cap then the "f2p grind occurs"

Thanks all, 'swat I thought.

Now to figure out where the Warlock class quest giver is.

namikaze wrote:

What I've done with the lockboxes is hold on to them in the bank until they aren't dropped anymore. Then I put them on the AH and they sell for about 5-10 times more than they did when they dropped regularly. Alternatively, if you're needing some gold, they sell for a few copper to vendors. The other alternative is to earn a bunch of astral diamonds (from quests and activities) and then convert them to Zen on the exchange. Use the Zen to buy the lockbox keys, and hope that you get something really awesome. Even if you don't get anything awesome, you'll get ingots that you can Tamalune Trade Bars that you can trade to a vendor for your choice of gear. You can get unique cosmetic gear, some half-decent leveling gear, and even some mounts. You won't get the really exclusive stuff that you can get from the lockboxes, like golden scarab beetle mounts, but you can get some cool stuff anyway.

Personally, I don't play the lockbox game. It's too much time and money to invest into the random chance of getting something good. What I'd rather do is find the gear that I want from the lockbox and buy it on the AH. This is especially true of artifacts that I like. It takes all the randomness out of the whole thing, but it costs more astral diamonds.

I don't muck about with them in Neverwinter, but I pick up keys in STO here and there. I'm also a lifer, so at this point, Cryptic is buying me keys.

[quote=AnimeJ]

namikaze wrote:

I don't muck about with them in Neverwinter, but I pick up keys in STO here and there. I'm also a lifer, so at this point, Cryptic is buying me keys.

I don't always play STO, but when I'm not I play Dragon Age: Inquisition.

But yeah, I'm a lifer there too - it's pretty great having Cryptic pay for my stuff.

I have love / hate thing going with Neverwinter. I dig the gameplay but hate the monetization. Also calling it D&D is like calling a rock a mountain. I find all the different currencies and upgrade components and knick-knacks very confusing...

Tried STO and it's even more confusing. So many bits & bobs & knicks & knacks. I suppose if I gave it time it'd become familiar but, while I do want to play, my desire to do so is less than my desire to overcome the learning curve...

It's like Crypic does this on purpose to live up to it's namesake.

RooksGambit wrote:

I have love / hate thing going with Neverwinter. I dig the gameplay but hate the monetization. Also calling it D&D is like calling a rock a mountain. I find all the different currencies and upgrade components and knick-knacks very confusing...

Tried STO and it's even more confusing. So many bits & bobs & knicks & knacks. I suppose if I gave it time it'd become familiar but, while I do want to play, my desire to do so is less than my desire to overcome the learning curve...

It's like Crypic does this on purpose to live up to it's namesake.

I totally agree. I want to like some of their games but the obtuse currency systems drive me away.

ruhk wrote:

Closed beta for the Xbox One version starts Friday morning. Keys already started going out, but you can still sign up.

Tried out the beta a little (just got to the first open area) have to say, it doesn't perform that bad. Pretty easy targeting with the ranger, however some of the control decisions will take some getting used to. Left stick press and move in direction to dodge, I'm looking at you. Not sure how much traction it will get as most of the time I was just thinking I should be playing Diablo, but it is interesting to see how the port works.

Closed beta for the Xbox One version starts Friday Thursday morning. Keys already started going out, but you can still sign up.

EDIT: I can't calendar.

I played the console beta about six hours Thursday and another hour or so tonight, I'm pleasantly surprised but some of the controls aren't the most intuitive (I spent nearly five hours playing before I figured out how to jump).
The UI is pretty bad in places as well, though it's been a long time since I played the PC version so I can't say how much of that is from the port and how much is from the original game.
I'm definitely digging it, though. I'll likely put some serious time in when it finally releases.

How is the game for a F2P? Is the cash grab still there? I played the game a loooooooooong time ago and remember that money spent on Zen wasn't a necessity but really did help a lot. I don't know if things have changed but I have a friend interested in trying the game when the Paladin is put in so I was thinking I may try it again.