Neverwinter MMORPG

[Artemis97]

I was wondering if anyone else was playing the free to download/play game said to be a "love letter" to DnD. It's centered around, you guessed it, the City of Neverwinter from the Forgotten Realms setting after the Spellplague. I've found the production values to be surprisingly high, and even at low levels the animation and moves you get make you feel like a bad... donkey.

I'm loving the game and wanted to see who else out there might be playing, and if there might be a Giant in the Playground guild. If there's not, I might try to make one.

Cheers,

Artemis

[Sajiri]

I think I tried it on the day it came out in open beta, and I'd been really excited for it..but then something else caught my interest. Never made it out of the starting area since I got bored, but I know in any game you can't judge it by the tutorial levels. I think it's still installed on my pc at home but I never knew anyone else who played

[Artemis97]

I know at least two or three other people on the boards who play. Most are tied up in Pokemon at the moment, but should return once they've played through that game.

I never tried the beta, so I don't know what's different, but I didn't mind the starting tutorial bits. Didn't feel anywhere near as long and grindy as some other MMOs I've tried.

[Halae]

I'm waiting for a little money to come in, but once it does I'll be getting the Guardian of Neverwinter pack and using the new classes coming out. the recently released sprite video showed a player character with a bow, and the only class the datamining has shown to use a bow is a ranger. We've also got files for a warlock in there, but apparently that's not the next class we're going to be seeing use of, unless they're released at the same time (possible, given the multitude of files already in the game)

So yeah, a bit distracted by pokemon, like Art said, but once I'm done with that, I'm getting right back into things.

[Werekat]

I play, because I'm interested in FR lore and what they made of it (and need someplace to put my sadly-retired D&D mage). Even though he's an elf and a wizard, he'd like to punch the local wizards in the face a bit too much.

It's ok, but not stellar. If you want to look me up, though, I'm Jailin Alperi on Dragon server.

[Halae]

It's ok, but not stellar. If you want to look me up, though, I'm Jailin Alperi on Dragon server.
Given the server merge that happened one or two weeks ago, we're all on Dragon server now.

For the record, they were always intending to do a server merge. the only reason they split it into three was because they realized they had too many players to house them all at once., and so it took them six months to upgrade.

[Artemis97]

I tried looking you up, Werekat, but I think I need your player name, too.

I am Artemis097 (possibly 0970, there) Character names Sszinyon Xar'Cha and Brie Swift.

[Halae]

you can find me with Caeri@HalaeNorsk if you want to add me as well.

[Pronounceable]

Neverwinter isn't good by any stretch of definition. Not that it's a bad work, but Neverwinter and good shouldn't ever be in the same sentence. It's soulless, by the numbers fantasy tripe without even a hint of interestingness. The sheer defaultness of every single thing gets unbearable after a few hours. It's inoffensively bland enough to wrap around: Neverwinter is infinitely offensive. While the actual gameplay mechanics and such are pretty nice, it's repetitive and wears extremely thin very quickly due to the utter and complete lack of soul.

Its only saving grace is the Foundry where people can/will make awesome adventures, but that'll happen with time. I wouldn't touch it again until a few years pass and player made content accumulates.

[Halae]

I'm going to have to contest at least some of that. That may have been your perception of it, but to me this is a pretty fresh look at the solo MMO, which is built to let you do things on your own with a few multiplayer required parts. It's simple and fun, easy to get into, and has a very fluid powers system that works very well with their animations system. Nothing in the game is groundbreaking or trying to bring out something new, which is probably why it didn't receive as much hype as it should have, but the simple fact of the matter is that it's refined at what it does do, and the game system is so well optimized that even my crappy computer, which chugs down to 7 FPS in certain parts of Guild Wars 2, can handle almost the entirety of Neverwinter above 30 FPS. On top of this, if you like the idea of running in a party but don't want to deal with other players, the companion system is an enormous boon, that i feel was a stroke of genius by the creators.

So, groundbreaking? No, definitely not. But while it's typical, everything that's part of it is made with a surprisingly fine polish, and I honestly find it a lot of fun to play.

I'll agree with you on one thing though. The Foundry is the cream of the crop.

[Artemis97]

So it seems to make a guild, we need five people of rank 15 or higher all online at the same time. Once we can coordinate that, I'll put the info here.

[Werekat]

Oh, so they actually did the merge? I missed it, then, since I was on Dragon in the first place. :P

I'll look you guys up when I get back from work and stuff.

[Arbane]

A friend of mine likes it, so I tried it for a bit.

"A class-and-level based fantasy MMO with a lot of visual flash and grinding? Haven't seen one of those before!" It seemed nicely done, but kind of generic.

I did get some amusement from the area with the black pond and the pools of gunk everywhere: "Oh, crap. The Filth has infected another universe! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291325)"

[Woodzyowl]

I'm at level 46 on my Control Wizard. I'll give you 3 guesses as to my name (If one of them isn't Woodzina@Woodzyowl, you didn't succeed).

[Kish]

I'm at level 46 on my Control Wizard. I'll give you 3 guesses as to my name (If one of them isn't Woodzina@Woodzyowl, you didn't succeed).
I know this one. Rumpelstilskin is your name!

[Wookieetank]

I'm at level 46 on my Control Wizard. I'll give you 3 guesses as to my name (If one of them isn't Woodzina@Woodzyowl, you didn't succeed).

Rincewind?
Fizban?
Elminster?

:smalltongue:

[Mando Knight]

Rincewind?
Fizban?
Elminster?

:smalltongue:

Raistminsterkainen the White! :smalltongue:

[Woodzyowl]

Geez, you all are terrible guessers. Clearly my name is Gandalfizbelmincewindenkainen the Magnificently Egregious Professor of Light Magenta Dragons. :smalltongue:
Try saying that five times fast.
On another note, is anyone else around that level (46)? I would definitely enjoy teaming up for some adventuring.

[Artemis97]

I'm pretty sure I've got you added to my friend's list, Woodzyowl, sadly my characters aren't nearly that high of a level yet.

When would be a good time for everyone to get together online one day? I wanted to try making the guild.

Also what do you all think of the name "Giants in the Playground" for the guild name?

Thanks

[Halae]

"Giants In The Playground" sounds like a great name to me

[Woodzyowl]

Seems a bit boring. How about "Zombie Dragons in the Playground!!!!11!!!!!1!
Yes, "Giants in the Playground" is fine.

[Mando Knight]

Pretty sure when the game was first released, there was a GiantitP guild made. Don't know its status now.

[Artemis97]

Was there? Any idea what it was called?

[Daer]

i was quite excited when i heard about game first but when played i noticed it had very little to do with dnd :(

It is just too dumbed down and wowfied. I know some changes were needed to make it work real time but getting rid off different saves and ac was lame. now it is pretty much one power to slaughter them all and little reason switch between powers unless you want try something suboptimal.

and no feats :( only +1% this and that stuff

[Delusion]

I was interested in this game when I first heard of it, but what killed my interest was a pet peeve. I have pet classes in all MMOs I have played. So the fact that everyone has a companion following them everywhere (I hear even in dungeons?) was deal breaker for me.

[Halae]

I'll agree that it's a bit unusual, but i don't think it's a bad thing. The addition of the companion system for everybody was a good idea, as it lets people who typically don't like the way a companion class plays have one anyways - a wizard with a cleric, a fighter with a wolf, a warlock and an imp. I know for a fact that the ranger in Guild Wars 2 is rather sub-par. Thematically, they can make a great deal of sense, and while I'm a distinctly pet focused player (I played a Mastermind in City of Heroes, and I play a ranger in Guild Wars 2. I imagine if I got into WoW I'd play a beast mastery hunter) I find this to be a good thing, because it's an expanding option rather than a limiting one.

Yes, it takes a sense of uniqueness away from having a pet class, but it's far from a bad thing. It allows pet focused players to play a character with a pet regardless of the personal choices involved, meaning if you prefer to be support or damage oriented you can be either one without too much trouble. I'm planning, as soon as I get money, to get the Guardian of Neverwinter pack so all my characters have a pet they can take up to Rank 30, because it's distinctly important to me, and I've already spent enough time in-game to justify the purchase to myself. Also, the dire wolf just looks cool.

[Delusion]

Heh well it just a pet peeve, because I dislike pet classes, do I don't really want to play a game where I'd have to play one.

Shame since foundry looks really really cool.

[Eldonauran]

Isn't this game based of the 4th edition rule set?

[Mando Knight]

Isn't this game based of the 4th edition rule set?
Rather loosely...

[Halae]

Heh well it just a pet peeve, because I dislike pet classes, do I don't really want to play a game where I'd have to play one.

Shame since foundry looks really really cool.

Well, actually, there's something called augment companions. They're Ioun stones that take the companion slot, you see. Rather than being a separate entity, they're just a visual thing that floats around your head. You get all the stats it otherwise would have gotten, making you more personally powerful rather than dealing with a pet. They cost an unfortunate amount of Astral Diamonds though, so be warned.

That said, there's nothing that says you actually need a companion. I've played the game up to 60 with a much, much less powerful companion than is appropriate for how I play, and been fine. While companions are useful, they are by no means necessary except in the most difficult situations.

[Mando Knight]

An active companion doesn't really do a whole lot anyway unless you spend a lot of resources on them. You can't really order them around much and their stats don't scale past a certain point (without resource expenditure), so most of them just tend to serve as a momentary distraction for the endless mook hordes.

[Halae]

An active companion doesn't really do a whole lot anyway unless you spend a lot of resources on them. You can't really order them around much and their stats don't scale past a certain point (without resource expenditure), so most of them just tend to serve as a momentary distraction for the endless mook hordes.

Not entirely true, not entirely false. I've found that not all companions are created equal - when you're level 20 and have a rank 10 defender companion, life is good. He'll keep all the attention on himself, and will only go down to something truly powerful. By that same dint, lots of players swear by the Dire Wolf you get in the Guardian of Neverwinter pack, as it packs a serious punch and can do some CC effects on whatever it's targeting. The Cleric companion, which can only get up to rank 15, is useful all the way up to level 60, because even that small amount of healing it provides never loses utility, without it taking over an encounter.

then there's the useless ones. They aren't very common, but the Sellsword and the Wayward Mage are the two white quality companions that seriously aren't up to par. At rank 15, when a defender companion is doing about 200 damage a strike, the Sellsword (ostensibly a striker, meaning high damage) is dealing 30. This isn't an exaggeration, it's a disgrace. The other striker, the dog, will deal 200 damage with a normal attack or 800 with it's strong attack.

So yeah, if you have a problem with companions, I'd recommend the cleric. It's unobtrusive, won't deal any damage, won't steal kills, and will keep you alive longer. And most of all, it's actually useful.

[Delusion]

Well, actually, there's something called augment companions. They're Ioun stones that take the companion slot, you see. Rather than being a separate entity, they're just a visual thing that floats around your head. You get all the stats it otherwise would have gotten, making you more personally powerful rather than dealing with a pet. They cost an unfortunate amount of Astral Diamonds though, so be warned.

That said, there's nothing that says you actually need a companion. I've played the game up to 60 with a much, much less powerful companion than is appropriate for how I play, and been fine. While companions are useful, they are by no means necessary except in the most difficult situations.

Hmmnn... you make it sound a lot better than i thought it would be.

I'll try to see if I can get any friend interested enough to try it.

Was thinking of a control wizard, since getting to actually use CC in dungeons sounds fun. (Makes grumbling noise about state of dungeons in nameless other MMO)

Edit: Just heard that there is no EU servers apparently? Is this true?

[Mando Knight]

Was thinking of a control wizard, since getting to actually use CC in dungeons sounds fun. (Makes grumbling noise about state of dungeons in nameless other MMO)
Last I checked, Control Wizards were the kings of CC in NW. Enough so that their forums complained that other AoE DPS and tanking were almost pointless since the Wizard could either kill the minions, lock them down, or throw them into bottomless pits before the melee guys could do anything close to being as effective.

Edit: Just heard that there is no EU servers apparently? Is this true?
True. The only live shard is stateside. I don't know how they handle EU players, but there's apparently some kind of system in place...

[Woodzyowl]

So now I've inserted enough hours of my life into this game to reach max level. Is anyone interested in making/joining a guild? I think a GitP guild would be very... helpful.

[Halae]

Urgh, trying to decide on something here.

See, I'm hoarding Ardent Favor coins, because there's a bunch of stuff at high cost I can get.

For 100, I can get a pure white horse, either in or out of armor.

For 150, I can get a tier 2 epic weapon with a completely unique model. To my knowledge, nobody has even one of these.

Or, I can get the big one. The Angel of Protection. We're looking at a companion that's far better at making you tanky than the devoted cleric - every time a normal companion would attack, it heals you of 5% of your max HP. if you would take more than 5% of your maximum HP, it takes half the damage instead (good reason to slot regeneration on it) every 60 seconds. The third skill it gets, at rank 30, is that it reduces all damage you take by 5%.

The big kicker is that it costs 360 Ardent Coins to get, meaning it'd take a year of saving. At least at the moment, I want the angel more than anything else, but do you guys think it's worth it when I could get something else?

[Halae]

interestingly, The Collection Page of the oreview server has an image of the Angel of Protection.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b283/pyranack/Angel_and_Imp_zps360c4bde.jpg

I'd say they've done the angel justice with that appearance. What do you guys think?

[rungms]

is going to be voted one of the best mmorpg (http://topg.org/MMORPG) and is one of my favorite game of all time

[Leon]

I have been enjoying my Halfling Hunter-Ranger a lot, had tried everything else when it first came out but nothing clicked with me till this class (that and I was mildly peeved that it launched with 2 fighters when there are a number of classes that could have filled ethier roll)

Spent no money at all on it and its likely going to keep being that way as I've not come across anything I need to have that costs money.

[Halae]

yeah, that's about the size of it. Reasonably speaking the only thing that's important that you'd need to spend money on is a mount, but even then you can move along with just the basic mounts you can buy for five gold.

And yeah, the ranger just seems better designed, doesn't it?

[Shadowknight12]

I've been playing this on and off.

The graphics and character creation are A+. The main reason to play the game. Also I am highly partial to the large amount of ice spells and abjurations in the wizard's repertoire.

The mechanics are bland but functional. Combat is serviceable. Around level 55 the difficulty curve spikes up so suddenly you'll get whiplash.

The lore is passable. Looks like a bare minimum of effort was done to try and satisfy the lore-hounds, but still not so much so as to lose "cool points" with the "hardcore gamer" crowd.

Dungeons and raids are a nightmare to queue for. Even if you have a party ready, you still have to wait an unreasonable amount of time to play.

The rationale behind the enemies attacking the different regions is awful. Just plain awful. Suddenly, in the span of days/weeks, you get a Thayan invasion, drow invasion, orc invasion, bandits and pirates, insane spellplague casters summoning eldritch abominations, devils and demons blowing their covers and going all-out on the monastery they had under control, undead randomly crawling out of their graves, werepeople and others I am likely forgetting.

There's no coherency or logic at all. These people have no sense of tactics, strategy or basic timing. They are executing their plans and throwing troops at Neverwinter at the worst possible time. I can give bandits and drow a pass because their rationale seems to be "exploit the chaos and then run away", and I can also forgive the undead springing up everywhere (due to Valindra) and the insane spellplague business (because the people involved are insane). But the orcs? The devils? They are making horrible, flat out horrible strategical decisions. Now is not the best time to get into a fight with Neverwinter, much less when there's a fight with Valindra's armies waiting in the unlikely case Neverwinter falls. So even if the orcs and devils win, Valindra is still going to try and take the city/monastery from them.

Unsound martial strategy bothers me. A lot.

The graphics are amazingly pretty, however. The opposite of Bethesda's. I was able to make a half-orc that looks like a handsome Viking, so I still give the game a B+.

http://media.tumblr.com/8782bc282c6d85df8216e63e037e9b32/tumblr_inline_mrz0q9JPNH1qz4rgp.png

EDIT: Found a rant I posted on tumblr on the subject.

So you have the city of Neverwinter attacked by the Red Wizards of Thay, commanded by Valindra, the lich-necromancer and her army of undead. Okay, I buy that. So you start in the city, doing small things for people, standard RPG fare. So far so good.

Then you have a wizard turn out to be in league with the Far Realm, who causes a cataclysm and covers part of the city in Spellplague, opening portals to the Far Realm and letting aberrations through. Okay, so his timing could not have possibly been worse, but prolonged contact with the Far Realm drives you mad and we were juuuust about to expose him before he finished his ritual, so it does make sense that he hurried to finish it as soon as he could. I am willing to buy that.

Then you are sent off to deal with bandits and pirates outside the city. Okay. Jarring, but okay. This makes sense, since the bandits and pirates are outside of the city, relatively safe from Valindra’s army, and they are profiting from the chaos from a distance. Despicable, but understandable.

Then things break down when you are sent to the Tower District of the city, which has been invaded by orcs. This is where things begin to officially fray, plot-wise. Like, what is your end-game, orc tribe? The city is under siege by the Red Wizards of Thay. Even if you actually expect to win (which is genuinely doubtful, since the rest of the city is more or less well-defended and it’s attracting adventurers like flies to honey), what do you expect to do with the city? Do you realise that if you beat the forces of Neverwinter, Valindra’s invasion becomes your problem? And sure, the Thayans will be willing to negotiate, but you have to be completely delusional to think that Valindra is going to let you keep the city. So what, do you think that you have what it takes to take out both the Neverwinter citizenry, any adventurers it hires, and Valindra’s undead army? Those are some serious ovaries in you, sir or madam orc chieftain.

And the worst part is that you could be offering Neverwinter your aid in order to curry favour with them! They might even let you stay in the Tower District, since it’s abandoned! And in a few decades, Neverwinter could be thriving with half-orcs!

Ugh. Talk about wasted opportunities.

Okay, so after that, we are sent to the Neverwinter cemetery, Neverdeath, where Valindra’s followers are stirring up trouble. This is all good, since it’s directly (and at long last!) related to the main plot.

But then you are sent to Helm’s Hold, which is less than a day’s travel from the city, and which has been taken over by devil-worshipping cultists. Um. Really? How convenient. How awfully convenient that Helm’s Hold has been taken over by worshippers of Asmodeus, which are also not affiliated with either Valindra or the orcs. What is your end-game, madam cultist-leader? Because according to some letters I found, you betrayed the Order of the Blue Fire AND the rest of the Ashmodians. And while you might be able to cut a deal with Valindra or the orcs, you know Neverwinter isn’t going to let this slide. So you know it’s only a matter of time before one of the many, many, many enemies you’ve made come after you.

So I ask again: what was your end-game, madam cultist-leader? You made yourself a target at the worst possible moment. You should have laid low until the entire Valindra ordeal had sorted itself out. But no, you just had to break cover then. You had been passing as a prophet successfully, and you had just killed the only witnesses who knew who you really were. Why uncover yourself? Did you really think people were just going to shrug off the loss of one of the most important fortresses in the Sword Coast? Or did you consider yourself untouchable? The adamantium ovaries in you, madam.

And now I’m being sent off to Ebon Downs, which is YET ANOTHER graveyard. This time, outside the city, and taken care of by an entire village. I really hope that whatever is happening there is actually related to the plot.

When I found out what the Ebon Downs deal was, I went into a very profanity-filled rant that I cannot reproduce here. So let it just be said I was not pleased that the Netherese necromancer was someone who opposed Valindra but was conveniently not allied with Neverwinter either.

Also do not get me started on Mount Hotenow or the snowy dwarven mountains. Just don't.

[Halae]

The orcs in the tower district are attacking now because the Neverwinter guard is stretched thin trying to deal with so many problems, so they're trying to move in during the chaos. The Devils are another matter entirely - in the tiefling racial storyline, you meet the leader of the Ashmadai, of all things, and he outright tells you attacking Helm's Hold was not a plan of his, and he wants to find out what the hell happened. As it turns out, Rohini is to blame there - she's making a Glasyan power-play, but because of information you'd likely only get from reading her history and the book "Brimstone Angels" by Erin Evans, she really, really doesn't want to go back to the hells, as they'll consider her to be a traitor and turn her into a lemure or worse. She's doing what she's doing now for the same reason as the orcs - the Neverwinter guard would see a threat, but are stretched too thin to properly respond.

So, yes, there is logic here. The first bit of logic is that each main boss of these situations is an individual coming up with their own strategy and neither are strategic geniuses, but also that the game needs some form of mounting threat. I would have put the devils later on because of that, but oh well.

[Shadowknight12]

The orcs in the tower district are attacking now because the Neverwinter guard is stretched thin trying to deal with so many problems, so they're trying to move in during the chaos. The Devils are another matter entirely - in the tiefling racial storyline, you meet the leader of the Ashmadai, of all things, and he outright tells you attacking Helm's Hold was not a plan of his, and he wants to find out what the hell happened. As it turns out, Rohini is to blame there - she's making a Glasyan power-play, but because of information you'd likely only get from reading her history and the book "Brimstone Angels" by Erin Evans, she really, really doesn't want to go back to the hells, as they'll consider her to be a traitor and turn her into a lemure or worse. She's doing what she's doing now for the same reason as the orcs - the Neverwinter guard would see a threat, but are stretched too thin to properly respond.

So, yes, there is logic here. The first bit of logic is that each main boss of these situations is an individual coming up with their own strategy and neither are strategic geniuses, but also that the game needs some form of mounting threat. I would have put the devils later on because of that, but oh well.

I see you posted before I dug up what I posted on the subject a few months ago. I added it to my previous post, so I'll just quote the relevant parts here:


Then things break down when you are sent to the Tower District of the city, which has been invaded by orcs. This is where things begin to officially fray, plot-wise. Like, what is your end-game, orc tribe? The city is under siege by the Red Wizards of Thay. Even if you actually expect to win (which is genuinely doubtful, since the rest of the city is more or less well-defended and it’s attracting adventurers like flies to honey), what do you expect to do with the city? Do you realise that if you beat the forces of Neverwinter, Valindra’s invasion becomes your problem? And sure, the Thayans will be willing to negotiate, but you have to be completely delusional to think that Valindra is going to let you keep the city. So what, do you think that you have what it takes to take out both the Neverwinter citizenry, any adventurers it hires, and Valindra’s undead army? Those are some serious ovaries in you, sir or madam orc chieftain.

And the worst part is that you could be offering Neverwinter your aid in order to curry favour with them! They might even let you stay in the Tower District, since it’s abandoned! And in a few decades, Neverwinter could be thriving with half-orcs!

Ugh. Talk about wasted opportunities.

[...]


But then you are sent to Helm’s Hold, which is less than a day’s travel from the city, and which has been taken over by devil-worshipping cultists. Um. Really? How convenient. How awfully convenient that Helm’s Hold has been taken over by worshippers of Asmodeus, which are also not affiliated with either Valindra or the orcs. What is your end-game, madam cultist-leader? Because according to some letters I found, you betrayed the Order of the Blue Fire AND the rest of the Ashmodians. And while you might be able to cut a deal with Valindra or the orcs, you know Neverwinter isn’t going to let this slide. So you know it’s only a matter of time before one of the many, many, many enemies you’ve made come after you.

So I ask again: what was your end-game, madam cultist-leader? You made yourself a target at the worst possible moment. You should have laid low until the entire Valindra ordeal had sorted itself out. But no, you just had to break cover then. You had been passing as a prophet successfully, and you had just killed the only witnesses who knew who you really were. Why uncover yourself? Did you really think people were just going to shrug off the loss of one of the most important fortresses in the Sword Coast? Or did you consider yourself untouchable? The adamantium ovaries in you, madam.

The logic doesn't hold at all. Not while Valindra is invading.

[Halae]

Well, for the orcs, they've been warring with Neverwinter off and on for centuries now - seemed like an opportune moment, is likely all that happened. As I said, orcs are not known for their master strategies.

As for Rohini, what you're looking at is the result of a lot of back deals, manipulations, and mind control. Remember Councilman Graves, and how they were going to force him to join the cult? Likely Rohini's mental domination tricks. One of the strongest fortresses of the Sword Coast under her control, with legions of devils at her command? I'd say she was either looking to cut a deal with Valindra or to simply weather the storm, which she reasonably should have been able to do if the player hadn't come in and kicked her teeth in. There's tons of devils in the employ of the Red Wizards, after all - what's a few more?

(For the record, I'm enjoying this as a debate. if you think it's going outside that, feel free to tell me to stop - I know I can get aggravating with my persistence sometimes)

[Shadowknight12]

Well, for the orcs, they've been warring with Neverwinter off and on for centuries now - seemed like an opportune moment, is likely all that happened. As I said, orcs are not known for their master strategies.

Point, but in this case, it should have been obvious even to them that diplomacy > war. I mean, everybody knows Thayans are slavers. So the orcs have three options. Wage a war against Neverwinter and the Thayans, which is something even the orcs should see as a losing endeavour. Ally with the Thayans and become their slaves (and lose Neverwinter). Ally with Neverwinter against the Thayans.

It baffles me that they chose the worst option. Even becoming the slaves of Valindra would have been smarter than waging war against everybody at the same time.

Even a child would understand that the smartest option would have been to ally with Neverwinter.


As for Rohini, what you're looking at is the result of a lot of back deals, manipulations, and mind control. Remember Councilman Graves, and how they were going to force him to join the cult? Likely Rohini's mental domination tricks. One of the strongest fortresses of the Sword Coast under her control, with legions of devils at her command? I'd say she was either looking to cut a deal with Valindra or to simply weather the storm, which she reasonably should have been able to do if the player hadn't come in and kicked her teeth in. There's tons of devils in the employ of the Red Wizards, after all - what's a few more?

The problem is that Rohini had murdered everyone who knew about her, so there was no reason to send up devils to burninate the countryside. Imagine if adventurers were sent there because something fishy was going on, and then Rohini, instead of blowing her cover, just used mind tricks and manipulation to convince everyone nothing was wrong. A lot more strategically sound, even if it doesn't fit the way the game does things.

Also, Rohini's problem isn't "someone came to kick her teeth in". Valindra or her underlings are powerful enough to kick her teeth in even if the adventurer never showed up. Rohini's problem was needlessly exposing herself.


(For the record, I'm enjoying this as a debate. if you think it's going outside that, feel free to tell me to stop - I know I can get aggravating with my persistence sometimes)

No, by all means, I'm enjoying this as well! :smallbiggrin:

[Halae]

Point, but in this case, it should have been obvious even to them that diplomacy > war. I mean, everybody knows Thayans are slavers. So the orcs have three options. Wage a war against Neverwinter and the Thayans, which is something even the orcs should see as a losing endeavour. Ally with the Thayans and become their slaves (and lose Neverwinter). Ally with Neverwinter against the Thayans.

It baffles me that they chose the worst option. Even becoming the slaves of Valindra would have been smarter than waging war against everybody at the same time.

Even a child would understand that the smartest option would have been to ally with Neverwinter.Ah, but you're forgetting something children don't have there - stubborn pride. The orcs of the Man-Arrows tribe will always see themselves as superior; the people of neverwinter are weak and soft, and should have fallen a long time ago to the mighty Many-Arrows. And there's no way they'd just settle themselves into subservience to the undead using wizards of Thay. Subservience at all is out of the question. So, they strike when the iron is hot and hope for the best.




The problem is that Rohini had murdered everyone who knew about her, so there was no reason to send up devils to burninate the countryside. Imagine if adventurers were sent there because something fishy was going on, and then Rohini, instead of blowing her cover, just used mind tricks and manipulation to convince everyone nothing was wrong. A lot more strategically sound, even if it doesn't fit the way the game does things.

Also, Rohini's problem isn't "someone came to kick her teeth in". Valindra or her underlings are powerful enough to kick her teeth in even if the adventurer never showed up. Rohini's problem was needlessly exposing herself.Rohini can't actually keep herself under wraps for very long now, unfortunately for her. The transference of the Hex Locus to her body made it so she can no longer transform, and every once in a while spews forth the broken bits of a prophecy (thus her monicker "The Prophet"). As shown in a couple forgotten realms novels, Basic charming magic, such as that done by succubi, needs to maintain a certain veneer of friendliness and being someone you can relate to, which would be where a succubus' transformation comes in. Without the benefit of that, however, Rohini has to rely on Domination, which is much more blunt and easily detected by those outside. If she does that, she's working on a time limit until people discover her, at which point she has to go about dominating other minds to keep her secret. It spirals out, and eventually we get a situation where she's in control of a large group, and eventually decides to actually do something with it. I'm not saying it was the perfect moment for her to act, but it may well have been the only moment.

[Shadowknight12]

Ah, but you're forgetting something children don't have there - stubborn pride. The orcs of the Man-Arrows tribe will always see themselves as superior; the people of neverwinter are weak and soft, and should have fallen a long time ago to the mighty Many-Arrows. And there's no way they'd just settle themselves into subservience to the undead using wizards of Thay. Subservience at all is out of the question. So, they strike when the iron is hot and hope for the best.

But that kind of thing is antithetical to survival. How are they still alive after... centuries, you said? of this kind of self-destructive, stubborn pride?


Rohini can't actually keep herself under wraps for very long now, unfortunately for her. The transference of the Hex Locus to her body made it so she can no longer transform, and every once in a while spews forth the broken bits of a prophecy (thus her monicker "The Prophet"). As shown in a couple forgotten realms novels, Basic charming magic, such as that done by succubi, needs to maintain a certain veneer of friendliness and being someone you can relate to, which would be where a succubus' transformation comes in. Without the benefit of that, however, Rohini has to rely on Domination, which is much more blunt and easily detected by those outside. If she does that, she's working on a time limit until people discover her, at which point she has to go about dominating other minds to keep her secret. It spirals out, and eventually we get a situation where she's in control of a large group, and eventually decides to actually do something with it. I'm not saying it was the perfect moment for her to act, but it may well have been the only moment.

I admit that's a lot I didn't know, but the question of timing (the predominant question) is still there. For both Rohini and the orcs, the question "was now really the right time?" is still not satisfactorily answered.

And that's without taking the Netherese necromancer into account.

[Halae]

But that kind of thing is antithetical to survival. How are they still alive after... centuries, you said? of this kind of self-destructive, stubborn pride? Simply put? They breed fast. The 3.5 campaign setting book for the forgotten realms specifically pointed out that every few decades, the Many-Arrows orcs swarm the sword coast, get themselves killed, and then we wait for another few decades to do it again. They've literally been doing this for centuries because nobody has been vindictive enough to go on a genocidal rampage to slaughter all the women and children they've left at home. The last few lords of Neverwinter have been paladins, it's a bit busy at the moment, and Waterdeep is too far away to launch a campaign like that.


I admit that's a lot I didn't know, but the question of timing (the predominant question) is still there. For both Rohini and the orcs, the question "was now really the right time?" is still not satisfactorily answered.

And that's without taking the Netherese necromancer into account.As I said, she may not have had the choice. eventually your domination roulette has to reach a critical mass, where you'll be discovered and put to the torch, or you make a move. I believe one of the quest givers in Helm's Hold Specifically pointed out that it was adventurers that found out about Rohini being the leader in town. Adventurers are notoriously hard to mind-control except under the right circumstances, and given they got away to tell the councilwoman about it, Rohini's hideaway was ruined. I think she honestly had no other choice.

That said, What Netherese Necromancer?

[Shadowknight12]

Simply put? They breed fast. The 3.5 campaign setting book for the forgotten realms specifically pointed out that every few decades, the Many-Arrows orcs swarm the sword coast, get themselves killed, and then we wait for another few decades to do it again. They've literally been doing this for centuries because nobody has been vindictive enough to go on a genocidal rampage to slaughter all the women and children they've left at home. The last few lords of Neverwinter have been paladins, it's a bit busy at the moment, and Waterdeep is too far away to launch a campaign like that.

That's one of the things I have deep-seated issues with, but it goes beyond Neverwinter, beyond D&D and more towards gaming/fantasy culture in general. The idea that some otherwise humanoid creatures are always evil and always beyond diplomacy and always going to war against the humans, is completely unpalatable to me.


As I said, she may not have had the choice. eventually your domination roulette has to reach a critical mass, where you'll be discovered and put to the torch, or you make a move. I believe one of the quest givers in Helm's Hold Specifically pointed out that it was adventurers that found out about Rohini being the leader in town. Adventurers are notoriously hard to mind-control except under the right circumstances, and given they got away to tell the councilwoman about it, Rohini's hideaway was ruined. I think she honestly had no other choice.

Hrm. Somehow I doubt that the execution of her plans was the best it could have been. Sending devils to burninate the countryside was just bound to draw attention. Even if she was reaching critical mass, she could have just hunkered down in Helm's Hold (the best fortress in the Sword Coast, which has never been taken in battle) and waited things out. She and the other devils are immortal, she had time on her side.


That said, What Netherese Necromancer?

Remember the undead in Ebon Downs? That wasn't Valindra, that was a Netherese necromancer who began to raise the dead to fight Valindra's army. Which I thought was an excellent idea, having a necromancer and undead army who aren't evil (or at least, who oppose the clearly evil Thayans). The problem, again, was that they were Designated Antagonists instead of allies.

Neverwinter's rationale is even stupider. "Go kill this potential ally because the Ebon Downs citizens are scared and angry that the necromancer is raising their ancestors!" Seriously. Seriously Neverwinter.

[Deadline]

So now I've inserted enough hours of my life into this game to reach max level. Is anyone interested in making/joining a guild? I think a GitP guild would be very... helpful.

I'm up for it. My main is a Control Wizard, Davros@CthonicMnemonic

I've got a handful of other characters too (Devoted Cleric, Trickster Rogue, and Hunter Ranger).

I'll be online most evenings, grinding the Winter Event to get the holiday companions.

[Woodzyowl]

Unfortunately, my main computer is offline until January 13th or so. We can make the guild later (or earlier, if you all can get enough online at once).

[Metahuman1]

Hi, so, I just recently started playing and I have a question about the winter festival. Specifically, what is the fastest way to get 3,200 Lights of Simiral that doesn't require the spending of real world money if one is running an 11th level human guardian fighter?

Cause I could not care less about the festival itself, it's novelty's already worn off, all I want is the Faun companion that does the really good job of being a dedicated healer so that I can have that with me to help me survive soloing as a tank when my other guild members aren't online.

[Halae]

That's one of the things I have deep-seated issues with, but it goes beyond Neverwinter, beyond D&D and more towards gaming/fantasy culture in general. The idea that some otherwise humanoid creatures are always evil and always beyond diplomacy and always going to war against the humans, is completely unpalatable to me.I agree with you. There's Some justification in that there are real world cultures that have done this to each other (Denmark and Sweden n particular), but I wish they'd take a more informed view of fantasy races.


Hrm. Somehow I doubt that the execution of her plans was the best it could have been. Sending devils to burninate the countryside was just bound to draw attention. Even if she was reaching critical mass, she could have just hunkered down in Helm's Hold (the best fortress in the Sword Coast, which has never been taken in battle) and waited things out. She and the other devils are immortal, she had time on her side. The problem there is that we don't know the extenuating circumstances. Further, while I'd heartily approve of that setup for a murder-mystery style adventure around the game table, the fact of the matter is that Neverwinter is an MMO built around it's combat system. It simply can't do that.


Remember the undead in Ebon Downs? That wasn't Valindra, that was a Netherese necromancer who began to raise the dead to fight Valindra's army. Which I thought was an excellent idea, having a necromancer and undead army who aren't evil (or at least, who oppose the clearly evil Thayans). The problem, again, was that they were Designated Antagonists instead of allies.

Neverwinter's rationale is even stupider. "Go kill this potential ally because the Ebon Downs citizens are scared and angry that the necromancer is raising their ancestors!" Seriously. Seriously Neverwinter.
I was under the impression she wasn't raising it to fight Valindra, merely to be a power in her own right. Furthermore, they were enslaving souls, rather than just animating corpses. That's not something most people are willing to allow, good cause or no.

((Sorry I didn't respond sooner. Hadn't realized you'd posted.))
Hi, so, I just recently started playing and I have a question about the winter festival. Specifically, what is the fastest way to get 3,200 Lights of Simiral that doesn't require the spending of real world money if one is running an 11th level human guardian fighter?

Cause I could not care less about the festival itself, it's novelty's already worn off, all I want is the Faun companion that does the really good job of being a dedicated healer so that I can have that with me to help me survive soloing as a tank when my other guild members aren't online.Alright, this may sound a bit odd, but I want you to use today to upgrade your fishing pole and nothing else. Get everything you need to upgrade your fishing pole to epic quality. See, if you spend all your time fishing, the fish you get can be traded in for more lights of Simril than you can get by following events. I typically get around 200 per hour when farming like that.

I say use today to do it becauseTomorrow the Winter Festival Zenith starts, when all Simril Light rewards are doubled. your farming score will go up to about 400 per hour, meaning it'll only take 8 hours over the course of the 7 day zenith to get the companion you want.

[Metahuman1]

((Sorry I didn't respond sooner. Hadn't realized you'd posted.))Alright, this may sound a bit odd, but I want you to use today to upgrade your fishing pole and nothing else. Get everything you need to upgrade your fishing pole to epic quality. See, if you spend all your time fishing, the fish you get can be traded in for more lights of Simril than you can get by following events. I typically get around 200 per hour when farming like that.

I say use today to do it becauseTomorrow the Winter Festival Zenith starts, when all Simril Light rewards are doubled. your farming score will go up to about 400 per hour, meaning it'll only take 8 hours over the course of the 7 day zenith to get the companion you want.

Thanks! =)

[Deadline]

Hi, so, I just recently started playing and I have a question about the winter festival. Specifically, what is the fastest way to get 3,200 Lights of Simiral that doesn't require the spending of real world money if one is running an 11th level human guardian fighter?

Cause I could not care less about the festival itself, it's novelty's already worn off, all I want is the Faun companion that does the really good job of being a dedicated healer so that I can have that with me to help me survive soloing as a tank when my other guild members aren't online.

You can also do the Sword Coast Adventures Winter dungeon from gateway.playneverwinter.com. Each trip through will net you between 7-16 lights, and it doesn't take long.

[Halae]

You can also do the Sword Coast Adventures Winter dungeon from gateway.playneverwinter.com. Each trip through will net you between 7-16 lights, and it doesn't take long.

The problem there, unfortunately, is that while it doesn't take long, you're limited by your companion's stamina. if they don't have the stamina to make the run, you're hooped.

[Brother Oni]

True. The only live shard is stateside. I don't know how they handle EU players, but there's apparently some kind of system in place...

We handle it the same way we handle any trans-Atlantic connection - higher latency.

That said, it's very playable with the lag only really noticable when there's lots of players in the same instance (Protector's Enclave for example).


On a separate note, I'm working my way through the quest line and willing to help people through, although I suspect I'm in a different timezone to everybody here.
The in game friend system uses your [full character name]@[user name], right?

[Deadline]

The problem there, unfortunately, is that while it doesn't take long, you're limited by your companion's stamina. if they don't have the stamina to make the run, you're hooped.

True, but you can get 3 runs in with even white quality champions, in about 20-30 minutes, pretty easily. The stamina regenerates to full after about an hour, so it's an easy way to boost your Lights. Sword coast, log in and do events (and fish - which is still the fastest way), then when you are ready to log off, jump back into Sword Coast and do your 3 runs again.

I think the Zenith is also going to bring a few new crafting recipes to the Simril Lightcrafting profession, and rumor has it that one of those will be for actual lights of simril, so that's another option.


On a separate note, I'm working my way through the quest line and willing to help people through, although I suspect I'm in a different timezone to everybody here.
The in game friend system uses your [full character name]@[user name], right?

Yes, in game friend system is formatted like you said. Feel free to add me (I put my name in up-thread). I've got a lvl 60 CW, DC, and TR. I've also got a 20 something HR.

[Metahuman1]

The problem there, unfortunately, is that while it doesn't take long, you're limited by your companion's stamina. if they don't have the stamina to make the run, you're hooped.

That, and I don't actually have a companion as yet. Can I run it with out a companion? And does it require me to download anything? If the answers are Yes and No, it's still worth while though cause I can get it while I wait for things to quite down at work, and while I'm at it I can craft more blue bait for fishing.

[Deadline]

Can I run it with out a companion?

No, Sword Coast Adventures requires that you have at least 4 companions. The white quality companions cost 2 gold each. If you need some, and they aren't bind on pickup, I'd be happy to log in, buy a few, and mail them to you. You have to be high enough level to have a companion (level 4, I think?) and you get one for free at around level 11 or so.


And does it require me to download anything?

No, it runs in the browser. It's just another option from the Neverwinter Gateway. You can pop onto the gateway to manage inventory, manage professions, and browse the auction house. It's pretty handy if you've got a few minutes and want to fiddle with your characters.


If the answers are Yes and No, it's still worth while though cause I can get it while I wait for things to quite down at work, and while I'm at it I can craft more blue bait for fishing.

[Metahuman1]

Let me see how tonight goes, but I might take you up on that.

That said, did they double the rewards, or are we still waiting on that?

[Halae]

the rewards for events have been doubled. Unfortunately for us, the fishing rewards have not. Ah well.

[Brother Oni]

Yes, in game friend system is formatted like you said. Feel free to add me (I put my name in up-thread). I've got a lvl 60 CW, DC, and TR. I've also got a 20 something HR.

I'm currently playing a level 41 GF and his handle is Mikal Urthsson@marinehk4861.

[Metahuman1]

the rewards for events have been doubled. Unfortunately for us, the fishing rewards have not. Ah well.

So, I only get double if I'm winning the Monster's On Ice/ Twilight Run/ Fishing contest or Completing one of the daily quests?

[Deadline]

So, I only get double if I'm winning the Monster's On Ice/ Twilight Run/ Fishing contest or Completing one of the daily quests?

Well, you only have to participate in those events to get lights, you don't have to win them (you get more lights if you place higher in the event). For example, at lunch I placed 5th in the fishing contest and won 50 lights.

But yeah, you only get double for the events (possibly the daily quests as well).

You do not get double rewards for the Sword Coast Adventures either.

[Metahuman1]

Well, that's just annoying. I'll take it since I can get it but double lights on the fishing as well would have really helped me along.

[Halae]

Same here.

Typically, during an event period with a purple pole I can make 37 lights, plus whatever I get from participation during the evnt (I like to do one twilight run, or kill one monster. participation on the lowest level always gives 9 (18 during zenith)

37 + 18 = 56. Consistently higher than what you get from events still, assuming you don't get first place. Just keep fishing and you'll still be earning more than you would from participating.

[Hiro Protagonest]

So what are group dungeons and raids like, especially in endgame? Well for one thing, does this even have those?

[Halae]

unfortunately, there aren't any real raids like most people think about them, but there's definitely dungeons around. you can start doing them as early as level 14-16, and every one of them available through leveling has an epic version, as well as a few epic dungeons not available below then.

[Woodzyowl]

The dungeons are often cited as one of the strong points of the game (that and the foundry quests). The PvP is pretty imbalanced and the campaign system is a bit "meh", but the PvE is a blast and a half.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Is your username your in-game name, or is it like Steam where it's just for login?

[Mando Knight]

Is your username your in-game name, or is it like Steam where it's just for login?

It's just for login. Your character has his or her own name... so the "full" name is Character@Account, and multiple people can have the same character name (if you use the random name option, it'll happen a fair amount).

[Halae]

It's just for login. Your character has his or her own name... so the "full" name is Character@Account, and multiple people can have the same character name (if you use the random name option, it'll happen a fair amount).

A very cool feature, if you ask me. gone are the days of needing to enter in five different letter combinations to get the name you actually like.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Alright, I can't login. Downloaded through Arc, I should have my account setup, tried both username and e-mail with the correct password but it's not registering. Like, the login button isn't doing anything, and neither is pressing Enter.

[Woodzyowl]

Have you tried restarting your computer? :smalltongue:
If you have steam, you can also download the game through there. It might fix the issue or it might not, but it's worth a shot.

[Halae]

that's an authentication problem that's been happening recently to a few people. give it a few hours, then try again. Restarting, like Sir Owl suggested also tends to help.

they're working on fixing that particular issue. it's annoying the crap out of me too.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Well, in the meantime, is there any way to change my user and forum names? Because I thought my forum name would be my message board name, not the name that everyone would see me as. And it wouldn't let me use my username as my forum name.

[Halae]

Not that I know of, Sorry :smallfrown:

[ArlEammon]

I installed it and downloaded it, it won't work.

[Metahuman1]

Is anyone else getting an error when they try to download the patch?

[Brother Oni]

I installed it and downloaded it, it won't work.

There's something screwy going on at the moment as I can't start the game up either. I suspect the latest patch broke something.

[Leon]

Is there really any benefit to dungeons outside of the Daily Astral diamond quest? The few i have been in haven't really been all that interesting and the loot drops mediocre.

I have also noticed that i start to lag like heck in some of the more numerical fights ~ which really seems to be the only gimmick of the bosses i have seen such far: Mass waves of adds

[Brother Oni]

Is there really any benefit to dungeons outside of the Daily Astral diamond quest? The few i have been in haven't really been all that interesting and the loot drops mediocre.

I have also noticed that i start to lag like heck in some of the more numerical fights ~ which really seems to be the only gimmick of the bosses i have seen such far: Mass waves of adds

If you're heading into a dungeon and you're towards the top of the level range, then yes the loot is pretty crap.

That said, some of the bosses drop quite nice gear and at higher levels, dungeons are good for filling up on runestones and enchantments for refining.

I've breezed through the dungeons until I hit the Ebon Downs one where I had to start doing proper tactics like watching aggro and pulling properly.

[shadowxknight]

So, how's the game been lately? I used to play a GWF shortly before the Caturday debacle. The class was way underpowered and there wasn't much to do after you hit 60 so I decided to take a break. Is there more to do now?

[Halae]

On the topic of the glitchy game connection: It would appear that lots of people on the official forums are having trouble. The devs are working on it, but until then, just gotta sit tight :/


So, how's the game been lately? I used to play a GWF shortly before the Caturday debacle. The class was way underpowered and there wasn't much to do after you hit 60 so I decided to take a break. Is there more to do now?GWF is now one of those classes you always want on your team - it's balanced, but on the upper end of such. As for "Stuff to do at 60" there's actually quite a bit more now. With every module, a new campaign got released, and module 2 got released a month ago. And that's not even including the large number of Foundry quests and campaigns that have been added since you left.

[shadowxknight]

GWF is now one of those classes you always want on your team - it's balanced, but on the upper end of such. As for "Stuff to do at 60" there's actually quite a bit more now. With every module, a new campaign got released, and module 2 got released a month ago. And that's not even including the large number of Foundry quests and campaigns that have been added since you left.

Mmk. I guess that might warrant a reinstall. It's no fun when your character seems to be swinging a big wet noodle all day for no damage.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Mmk. I guess that might warrant a reinstall. It's no fun when your character seems to be swinging a big wet noodle all day for no damage.

Big wet noodle might be an exxageration. Probably more like you took a tree branch to a swordfight. :smalltongue:

[shadowxknight]

Big wet noodle might be an exxageration. Probably more like you took a tree branch to a swordfight. :smalltongue:

Haha I wish. They used to show these post-dungeon stats, and one time the damned healer did more damage than me. That was kind of the breaking point for me:smallsigh:

[Halae]

Haha I wish. They used to show these post-dungeon stats, and one time the damned healer did more damage than me. That was kind of the breaking point for me:smallsigh:

They still show the after-dungeon/skirmish stats. since I started playing, I've never seen a GWF place less than third unless there was a bunch of strikers in the group. for instance, the one time I ran with four rogues and a GWF.

that was an interesting dungeon.

[Brother Oni]

Haha I wish. They used to show these post-dungeon stats, and one time the damned healer did more damage than me. That was kind of the breaking point for me:smallsigh:

I know I regularly place first for most HP healed along with with my GF, above the healer (AOE heal spam along with max CON). :smallbiggrin:

Usually as long as I'm either 1st or 2nd for most damage taken, I'm doing my job and I'm happy.

[Metahuman1]

Ok, so I got the Faun from the event finally. And, how do I get it to actually heal me in combat now? It seems to spend most of it's time just sorta, being there.

[Deadline]

Ok, so I got the Faun from the event finally. And, how do I get it to actually heal me in combat now? It seems to spend most of it's time just sorta, being there.

It drops little green circles on the ground. If you stand in those circles, you regen health. As long as people know to do that, it's a remarkably effective healer (moreso that the white quality cleric).

Edit - Metahuman1, did you post your character contact info in the thread? I didn't see it. Drop me a line in-game if you want some free stuff. If nothing else, I can send you some high-level gear that you can vendor for cash. I just picked up the Cat companion from the Bazaar, so I'm a little Astral Diamond poor, but I might be able to swing a purchase or two from the AH if you need something specific.

[Metahuman1]

Is there a way to prompt it to drop those little white circles where I happen to be when I want/need them?

[Deadline]

Is there a way to prompt it to drop those little white circles where I happen to be when I want/need them?

Not that I know of. The companions are pretty much left to their own (bad) AI. Also, see my edit above.

[Metahuman1]

No, I haven't. I'm at Comicaddict300 (don't remember if it shows this part but At Yahoo.com if relevant.).

And that's kinda a pity about the companions that you can't just give it standard orders "do nothing but heal me."

And if your looking to off load something, anything helps, but I'm a Guardian Fighter who's focusing on tanking in a guild with little for healers and almost no other tanks, but lot's of crowd control and DPS. Guilds already given me a purple clock and a Purple sword that scale with level.

[Deadline]

Ok, had a chance last night to drop a friend request to Metahuman1, Halae, and Brother Oni. It looks like you rejected the request though, Halae. (Request from @CthonicMnemonic).

At any rate, I'll catch you guys in-game sometime, and if you want or need something, let me know and I'll see if I can snag it and mail it to you.

[Halae]

Sorry. I saw your request, but I didn't know who it was. You kind of need to send me a message or something telling me who you are when you do that :smalltongue:

[Deadline]

Sorry. I saw your request, but I didn't know who it was. You kind of need to send me a message or something telling me who you are when you do that :smalltongue:

Yeah, I was actually surprise it didn't pop up a box for me to send a message along with the friend request. :smalltongue:

[Metahuman1]

Haven't had a chance to check mine. The only chance I really get to run games is when it's really quite at work and I can pop out my personal lap top, but lately that's not been happening much.

[Morph Bark]

Just started a Drow Ranger on Dragon to accompany a friend. Already got a Tiefling Wizard nearing 50, but haven't played that one for months, though I started with him early in the beta.

Myra Dinn@righteousmorph, for those who'd like to join up sometime.

[zmasterofjersey]

Haven't played since maybe two weeks or so after Caturday, want to try out ranger and the new things that I am hearing good things about on the internet.

Since I have 3 characters Idk if you need individual chars but... All are on Mindflayer but I think they would have done that merge by now.
Rime@Ghostim is my 60CW
Luna@Ghostim is my 60DC
Ravio@Ghostim is my 30GWF

Needless to say on pretty much anything since June I am a total newbie.

[Halae]

Haven't played since maybe two weeks or so after Caturday, want to try out ranger and the new things that I am hearing good things about on the internet.

Since I have 3 characters Idk if you need individual chars but... All are on Mindflayer but I think they would have done that merge by now.
Rime@Ghostim is my 60CW
Luna@Ghostim is my 60DC
Ravio@Ghostim is my 30GWF

Needless to say on pretty much anything since June I am a total newbie.The servers got merged. There is only dragon now.

[Morph Bark]

The servers got merged. There is only dragon now.

Sounds pretty doom-y if you say it like that.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Okay, so I'm messing around with the character creation. My girl can have makeup, or she can have freckles, BUT SHE CAN'T HAVE BOTH! Tattoos also take up the same slot. WHY!?

[Metahuman1]

Quick question. I'm about to do the artifact quest with my guild and get my choice of three artifacts as a reward. Which one would be a good pick for a tank guardian fighter who wants to be dedicated tank?

[Don Julio Anejo]

I picked this up a few months ago out of sheer boredom after having foot surgery and nothing better to do and in too much pain to play League properly.

These days I tend to mostly do higher-end dungeon delves with a few friends I met in-game and Zone chat about politics and stuff in Protector's Enclave.

If anyone wants to, you guys can add me. Character is Don Juan De Marco @ donjulioanejo, CW 60.

@ Metahuman: pick the Waters of El'zahad (or however you spell it). Not the best choice on my CW, but it gives you recovery and healing, both very useful for a GF. The lantern is mostly good for a wizard/ranger, or if you want to PvP.

[Brother Oni]

Quick question. I'm about to do the artifact quest with my guild and get my choice of three artifacts as a reward. Which one would be a good pick for a tank guardian fighter who wants to be dedicated tank?

I went for the Waters with my tank GF. Given that you can access the Wondrous Bazaar from anywhere, the advantages of a having a shopkeeper on demand loses some lustre and the lantern just doesn't synergise as well with your abilities.

[Halae]

Both of these guys know what they're talking about in suggesting the waters. it's either that or the shopkeeper - the problem with having access to the wondrous bazaar from anywhere is that you can't sell things to it and you can't get potions or injury kits from it, which can be invaluable in a dungeon setting. It also has a direct damage attack when used in combat that almost entirely ignores armor - extremely useful against high-armor opponents

My personal recommendation is the Catalogue. Waters runner up, Lantern after.

[Brother Oni]

Both of these guys know what they're talking about in suggesting the waters. it's either that or the shopkeeper - the problem with having access to the wondrous bazaar from anywhere is that you can't sell things to it and you can't get potions or injury kits from it, which can be invaluable in a dungeon setting.

While you're right in that you can't buy potions or injury kits from it (any good adventurer should know to restock before going on a dungeon crawl though), I've had no problems selling to the Wonderous Bazaar remotely.

I don't know how good the Catalogue's shopkeeper's attack is, so I concede that in your favour.

[Sajiri]

So did a GITP guild get made in the end, and are people still active? I'm thinking of trying this again finally

[Brother Oni]

So did a GITP guild get made in the end, and are people still active? I'm thinking of trying this again finally

No GitP guild as far as I know (you need a full party to start one) and I'm still active at least.

I managed to get my wife into it, although she only played for about an hour before she looked over at my screen and demanded a better graphics card for her computer. :smallsigh:

[Artemis97]

I'm still willing to make it, I just need five folks online at the same time. I know I can probably prod a few people I talk to often into it. When is a good time for most of you, in EST?

[Brother Oni]

In EST, I can manage any time from midday to 7pm on weekdays.

Fridays and weekends are more flexible.

Edit: Your ingame contact names are Sszinyon Xar'Cha or Brie Swift @artemis0970, correct?

I'll post mine again: Mikal Urthsson@marinehk4861

[Sajiri]

I had just downloaded Aion but might still do this too. I've been glancing over the wiki and I see there's hunter-ranger which I think is new?

I'm pretty sure when I last played, even though it was only a few levels, I did rogue. Which is more fun of those two?

[Hiro Protagonest]

No. Do not play Hunter Ranger. Do you know how many goddamn Hunter Rangers there are? Play a Great Weapon Fighter for DPS, or Trickster Rogue if you prefer, but I actually see more Trickster Rogues than GWFs for some reason.

[Leon]

Play one if its what you think you like. I tried all the classes for a time and non of them clicked with me till the Ranger arrived

[Sajiri]

No. Do not play Hunter Ranger. Do you know how many goddamn Hunter Rangers there are? Play a Great Weapon Fighter for DPS, or Trickster Rogue if you prefer, but I actually see more Trickster Rogues than GWFs for some reason.

Considering I'm not playing yet, no I dont know how many hunter rangers there are :p But that doesnt really answer the question. I usually play alone so it doesnt matter to me how many others play the same thing, just which is more enjoyable.

[Artemis97]

You've got it, Brother Oni, though I've deleted Brie. Felt having two rogues was redundant, planning to remake her as a ranger, though.

I think I'll try and aim for Friday night for a meet up, how does that sound to everyone?

[Woodzyowl]

I could make that assuming it's after 7 EST. Woodzina@woodzyowl, for reference.

[Antonok]

I caved and downloaded the game again (mostly because I wanted a drow ranger since they first mentioned them) only to discover all my chars I had had been wiped =(

Guess its a fresh start for me.

Handle is Antonok@Diakro

[Brother Oni]

Friday night sounds good to me. Any idea of what approximate time?

Requests sent to everybody who's listed their names.

[Artemis97]

How does 8pm EST sound to everyone? I'm reasonably certain I can be online then. Would give folks a bit of time to get organized too. Sound fair?

[Halae]

That sounds like a good time to me.

On another note, though, I found something you guys may be interested in. This (https://userscripts.org/scripts/show/171738) is a greasemonkey script, usable in several browsers but recommended for Firefox and Google Chrome. Basically, it automates the profession system for you through the gateway website, which is great if you're going to spend the day away from your computer, or, you know, sleep at some point, and still want to maximize the benefits you get out of professions. I've set it up for myself so that once all my five characters hit level 20 in leadership, they'll just start farming astrals for me, which should net me more than 120k per day in rough astrals. unfortunately I'll be stuck at 120k due to refining limits, but still. This is somewhat important if you're looking to optimize your timeframes - I recently ground my artificing from 0 to 20 on one character, and it was nothing if not a slog.

[Brother Oni]

How does 8pm EST sound to everyone? I'm reasonably certain I can be online then. Would give folks a bit of time to get organized too. Sound fair?

I'll be online but I make no guarantees regarding my coherency. :smalltongue:

[Artemis97]

Just a note for those watching this space. I've logged in and am hanging around in the Moonstone Mask. Look for the grumpy looking drow.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Just a note for those watching this space. I've logged in and am hanging around in the Moonstone Mask. Look for the grumpy looking drow.

This game is instanced, you know.

[Artemis97]

Derp that's right. In that case I'll be sending friend invites to everyone in this thread, if I don't already have you on my list. There's 3 of us on right now, I know we'll have a 4th shortly. So, one more and we can make this work! Yay!


It's official We have a guild!

[Artemis97]

I hate to double post, but consider this a partial bump for our brand new guild, yeah!

Also, does anyone know the exchange rate from US dollars to Zen? I've searched and searched and can't find a price quote. There's a picture that seems to calculate out to 1 cent to a Zen, but I don't know if I can trust it. Thanks for any info!

[Brother Oni]

Also, does anyone know the exchange rate from US dollars to Zen? I've searched and searched and can't find a price quote. There's a picture that seems to calculate out to 1 cent to a Zen, but I don't know if I can trust it. Thanks for any info!

Press the 'Y' button in game or the Zen Market button (icon is a 'Z') in the top menu and you can look at Zen prices in your local currency.

I'm based in the UK, so I only get prices in euros or pounds, but the cheapest lowest priced option in game is £4.50 for 500 Zen (1.11 Zen/pence) and on the website is 9.99EUR for 1100 Zen (1.10 Zen/cent).

You can also buy Zen from the main website (link (https://billing.perfectworld.com/charge)) or the Arc portal (link (https://billing.arcgames.com/en/)).

Edit: Some checking says that a number of shops sell prepaid cards in the US (https://billing.arcgames.com/en/charge/prepaid) (they're listed as Perfect World or PWE cards). Whether that'd be cheaper is dependent on local offers.

[Antonok]

I've done that orc assault event over 30 times so far and I have yet to get the wolf to drop. I finally caved and bought one (for a lvl 20ish ranger that +100 crit is nice).

[Mando Knight]

I hate to double post, but consider this a partial bump for our brand new guild, yeah!

Also, does anyone know the exchange rate from US dollars to Zen? I've searched and searched and can't find a price quote. There's a picture that seems to calculate out to 1 cent to a Zen, but I don't know if I can trust it. Thanks for any info!

Unless there's a sale going on (right now I don't think there is), it's 100 Zen = $1.

[Brother Oni]

Unless there's a sale going on (right now I don't think there is), it's 100 Zen = $1.

So 100 Zen/1 USD = 100 Zen/60 pence = 1.67 Zen / pence.

Even the most efficient conversion option I have only gets 1.20 Zen/pence (20,000 Zen for 166 GBP).

Stupid taxes. :smallsigh:

[Deadline]

Dang, I missed out on the Guild creation. Oh well. I don't suppose one of you fine folks could send me a guild invite? Davros@cthonicmnemonic

[Brother Oni]

Invite sent.

[Artemis97]

Thanks for taking care of that, Brother Oni. Also, Deadline, there might be a friend invite from me somewhere. I tried to send one to everyone in the thread.

Also a note for everyone, as it's our only guild rule so far: Please put your Gitp name in the guild roster list, so we can see who one another are easily. Thanks!

[Derjuin]

Well shoot, I should've been paying more attention to this thread. My computer's been very, /very/ iffy about Neverwinter lately - particularly, anytime I'm in PE, regardless of settings, my CPU will overheat after about 3-5 minutes. Anytime I'm not in PE, I can play for as long as I want, it seems. It's ridiculous, because I can run other, much more graphics/cpu/etc intensive games and have no issues. :smallconfused::smallannoyed:

On my wizard, I did all of my Sharandar and Dread Spire dailies, then went to PE and...bam. CPU overheat after 2 minutes. I didn't even get to the auction house.

If I can manage to get a character outside of PE, I'll try bugging someone for a guild invite.

EDIT: Oh yeah, just an fyi if any folks enjoy making stuff using the foundry - teleporter Y coordinates are inverted on some of the teleporters (the Y coordinate for Part 1 applies to Part 2, and the Y coordinate of Part 2 applies to Part 1) and there's a memory leak associated with combat in the foundry. If you test any combats in the foundry, leave the game entirely before going back to, say, do a dungeon; for some reason, foundry combats never leave your memory, and will choke the everliving crap out of your FPS during in-game combats. Exiting the game completely will dump the memory or whatever the appropriate term is, freeing it up for whatever else.

[Brother Oni]

Well shoot, I should've been paying more attention to this thread. My computer's been very, /very/ iffy about Neverwinter lately - particularly, anytime I'm in PE, regardless of settings, my CPU will overheat after about 3-5 minutes.

If your CPU is over heating, have you tried cleaning the heatsink? I suggest giving the GPU heatsink a good going over as well.

Throttling the V-sync is also an option, but given that your computer is fine elsewhere, it's unlikely to be the issue.

[JW86]

I have a Level 60 Trickster Rogue and a Level 35 Hunter Ranger. I'm in a guild, if the system lets me be in a couple of guilds then I'll try and buddy up and help out as I can, but I doubt it will allow me to be in 2 guilds at once.

[Artemis97]

I believe separate characters can belong to different guilds, so if one's free, we'll be glad to add it. But if not, you can still totally hang out with us and stuff. :smallbiggrin:


Also, special thanks to Deadline who financed the opening of our guild bank yesterday. Hooray!

[JW86]

OK, sounds good! I'll look into it once I get off this stretch of work. 4 12-hour shifts in a row :smallsigh: I'll post my name/handle up once I find it.

[Sajiri]

Been trying to log onto the site to get back to my account. I cant seem to recall my password, and every single one I try is wrong. I tried the 'forgot password' thing, says it sent an email, but nada.

I guess it wouldn't be terrible to make a new account, but ugh =_= I just wanted to log in and test this game out again.

Edit: of course after waiting an hour, I post this then immediately the email comes...

Edit 2: Okay, isn't this guardian's pack thing a pay item? Cause I just got it in game and I never bought it O_o unless it was some free thing for being involved in the beta or something, which I technically was (for all of 2 levels)

I think my name is Sheva@Astereia ...if I understand how this handle thing works

[Sajiri]

Double posting, I know, but I dont want a million edits and its the next day.

Tried rogue for a bit, then tried hunter ranger and got it to 12. This game is...surprisingly more fun than I originally gave it credit for. I'm hoping it doesnt go the way of most mmos where the first 15-20 levels are amazing then after that it's just a boring grind repeating the same quests over and over.

I'd forgotten combat wasn't the typical press 1-2-3 on a hotbar and stand in one spot, so that was nice. I like that the graphics style is reminiscent of NWN2 just better, and its a pretty colourful game.

I had fun on hunter ranger but I dunno. I think tonight I'll try rogue a bit more and see which one I like better. My husband also was showing interest in it, particularly after I described how tieflings look in this game, he said he was going to look into it last night but I forgot to ask him before we left for work this morning.

Also, anyone know if I can stop that stupid popup about 'perfect world has moved to arc'? I want to just look at the PW site's neverwinter section, because there's nothing on the arc site, but it keeps redirecting me. That was especially annoying since I decided to buy the $20 steam pack since I got some overtime pay last week, and arc said I had to redeem it on the PW site, but then it just auto redirects me back to arc >:I

[Artemis97]

From what I've found so far, having hit level 30 recently with my rogue, there's always something new to do as you level up, always a new quest line or a new area that opens up. And if you do get tired of the main quest stuff there's always the foundry, which has some genuinely well written and funny stuff in it. (I highly suggest the Tired of Being a Hero one) I've found PvP to be fun and the dungeons and skirmishes are fast paced and intense. And, if you're tired of all the fighting, you can just go hang around the Moonstone Mask and RP for a while, which is how I've been spending most of my evenings. Pretty nice environment if you can ignore the rare half-dressed tiefling spamming the 'dance seductively' emote.

Also, the game's free unless you choose to pay for things, like the guardian's pack,or to buy their Zen currency. In theory you can get just about anything through the auction house with enough Astral Diamonds.

[Antonok]

Tried rogue for a bit, then tried hunter ranger and got it to 12. This game is...surprisingly more fun than I originally gave it credit for. I'm hoping it doesnt go the way of most mmos where the first 15-20 levels are amazing then after that it's just a boring grind repeating the same quests over and over.


I had fun on hunter ranger but I dunno. I think tonight I'll try rogue a bit more and see which one I like better. My husband also was showing interest in it, particularly after I described how tieflings look in this game, he said he was going to look into it last night but I forgot to ask him before we left for work this morning.

Each area is fairly unique in its quest stories and enemies but its still the basic go kill X/gather x set up.

On the hunter ranger I can tell you you start doing stupid amounts of damage at around 25+. At lvl 39 in the last dungeon I ran, I did 1.5 million damage only beaten by a lvl 60 TR. and thats was by 200k. The next highest was a GWF that did 600k. I can also say the skillyou get post 30 are rather boring and just don't quite stack up with the pre 30 skills (atleast going pure range they don't), which is rather disheartening. I'm eventually wanting to respec/retrain and try the weaving route the class can do.

[Brother Oni]

The only problem with the PVE is not overlevelling for the skirmishes and dungeons which pop up at the end of the quest chain. You can still get in, but you need to convince the party to meet you at the entrance in the same instance rather than sit in the queue.

I found PVP to be a very mixed bag depending on character. For the GF class, I found it extremely tedious since you have no real gap closers until high level so you can expect to get CC'ed to death.
Additionally anybody with half a brain can kite you since you walk so slowly with your shield raised, they can out walk you normally and dropping your shield gets you CC'ed.

[Halae]

Oni, I recommend trying out the Lunging Strike encounter power, as well as frontline surge. Lunging strike closes a huge distance for chasing, and frontline surge can knock enemies down at range, allowing you to close in and do a lot of damage without retaliation. they're two of the most useful GF powers, and lots of level 60s swear by them, despite the powers being fairly low level.

[Brother Oni]

Oni, I recommend trying out the Lunging Strike encounter power, as well as frontline surge. Lunging strike closes a huge distance for chasing, and frontline surge can knock enemies down at range, allowing you to close in and do a lot of damage without retaliation. they're two of the most useful GF powers, and lots of level 60s swear by them, despite the powers being fairly low level.

Lunging Strike can be interrupted (the last time I tried PVP, I landed about 2 of the 10+ attempts) and I haven't bothered to PVP since about level 20, so haven't tried Frontline Surge.

Most PVP builds I've seen work around Lunging Strike, Bull Charge and Knight's Challenge to immediately take one opponent out of the fight, but it still doesn't solve the kiting issue, unless you don't go after CWs/HRs.

[Deadline]

Most PVP builds I've seen work around Lunging Strike, Bull Charge and Knight's Challenge to immediately take one opponent out of the fight, but it still doesn't solve the kiting issue, unless you don't go after CWs/HRs.

That's pretty much what I've seen as well. As a CW player myself, I do enjoy eating GF's for lunch. Clearly what you need to do is switch to GWF. Almost all of the tanky goodness of a GF, plus more DPS than a rogue!

Seriously though, the PVP in this game is ... not that great. I ground out enough with my CW to get the Bloodcrystal Raven Skull artifact, PVP Orb, and PVP Talisman. The prospect of having to get enough glory to get my rogue a full set of PVP gear is ... less than appealing (I rarely do enough PVP to get my PVP daily award from Rhix).

[Brother Oni]

Got my daily PVP quest with Rhix for the first time in months and I'm not sure whether I've gotten tougher or the enemy have gotten stupider, but I can actually hit people these days.

Still didn't get any kills and got the most deaths on all 4 games, but as long as they're killing me instead of the DPS, that's good. :smalltongue:

Lunging Strike, Frontline Surge and Bull Charge seem to be working quite well for tying people up, but catching those runners is a pain. However I've just noticed I picked up Threatening Rush several levels ago (had to spend the pints on something), which I know is a gap closer and small AOE mark on an At-Will, which may be enough to catch runners.

Something to try for tomorrow anyway.

[Arbitrarity]

Oh hey guys. I'm @arbitrarity, unsurprisingly. I don't expect to be able to join the GitP guild, sorry, my present guild is rather great (routine runs of Castle Never multiple times per day, with up to 3 simultaneous parties) I guess I'm here to answer questions and dish out advice about the endgame, as a result.

I've just gotten out of the crushing poverty stage of play (having 6 characters geared is work) and broken into the start of having enough AD for luxuries. This is a huge step away from the actually rich, who either bought their way up, or have been incredibly fortunate in taking advantage of the market.

Since we're discussing PvP; PvP is fairly unbalanced at the moment, owing mostly to the complete lack of matchmaking. There's stuff in the works, hopefully in a couple months, to fix this. There's also some nerfs to burst damage and absurd sustain, both of which plague current PvP a bit (if you encounter a fully geared GWF, you will know what I mean) GF is also getting some buffs, albeit mostly PvE ones, which will hopefully make a start at breaking the insane stranglehold CWs and GWFs have on epic PvE content right now.

[Antonok]

Patch with PvP changes coming thursday (3/6/2014) (http://community.arcgames.com/en/news/neverwinter/detail/3033863)

[Arbitrarity]

Module 3, Curse of Icewind Dale, announced (http://community.arcgames.com/en/news/neverwinter/detail/3034893). Apparently hits before summer. June 5'th seems more likely to me, but possibly earlier. Highlights:

Caer-Konig

This new zone is a smal fishing town in Icewind Dale, a staging point for those seeking black ice, and the neutral ground in the growing conflict between the Ten-Towners and Arcane Brotherhood. It will serve as the main social hub for all Icewind Dale activities.

Icewind Pass

This treacherous pass is one of the two new zones that will offer both PvP and PvE content to players.

Dwarven Valley

This expansive valley is the second of the two new zones that will offer both PvP and PvE content to players.

Kessell's Retreat

Akar Kessel has returned and has fortified himself in a location high within Kelvin's Cairn, the mountain peak that overlooks all of Icewind Dale.

Black Ice - Lore

Black Ice is a new, extremely valuable resource, that players will be harvesting and fighting over within Icewind Dale. However, it has a dark history.

Black Ice - Harvesting

Black Ice is a new, extremely valuable resource that players will be harvesting and fighting over within Icewind Dale.

Black Ice - Shaping

With this new resource at hand, players will be utilizing a new profession in order to craft spectacular gear.

Black Ice - Gear

Unlike gear of old, Black Ice Gear will have unique properties that allow players to greatly increase their stats bonus, but only temporarily.

PvP Leaderboards & Matchmaking

The matchmaking system has undergone extensive revisions, and will now feature leaderboards so that you can climb the ranks to the most elite combatants in Neverwinter.

PvP Campaign

For the first time ever, Neverwinter will feature a PvP Campaign, which will have daily quests focused on slaying other players, or navigating through dangerous PvP areas for resources.

PvE Campaign

Explore the region with the Icewind Dale campaign by completing new repeatable quests, earning boons, and receiving gifts from the grateful people of Caer-Konig.

New Enemies

As with every update, there will be a new array of enemies to battle, which will require new combat strategies to defeat efficiently. This includes yeti, crag cats, dire bears, the corrupted Hammerstone Clan of dwarves, and the savage Bear Tribe of the Reghed Barbarians.

New Bosses

Along with Akar Kessell, players face the deadly black ice-corrupted beholder, undead giants, and the deadly remorhaz.

Heroic Encounters

Discover new quest encounters that appear as you adventure through Icewind Dale. They range in difficulty from minor encounters for 2 – 3 players to epic battles for a dozen or more!

Mercenary Contracts

There are two new factions being introduced that will serve as the basis of the conflict over Black Ice in Icewind Dale: the local council of Ten-Towners capitalizing on the black ice trade to grow their wealth, and the Arcane Brotherhood who seeks to unlock the mysteries behind the black ice. Each offer temporary contracts to adventurers to further their goals in Icewind Dale.

Arcane Brotherhood

An organization of wizards from Luskan, the Arcane Brotherhood seeks to harvest Black Ice under the claims of academic pursuit.

Ten-Towners

Having already fought off Akar Kessel's army once, the Ten-Towners now try to retain their grasp on the region by using the power of Black Ice.

Hunter Ranger Paragon Path

To join the other classes, the Hunter Ranger will now have a new Paragon Path called the Pathfinder.

Itemization Changes

There will be many changes to items from levels 1 - 60, to make item progression more fun and interesting.

Post-60 Advancement

Once you hit 60, XP that you accumulate will start to provide you with rewards, rather than be lost in a void.

Dungeon Keys

We will be replacing the existing, time-based dungeon delve events, with a new system that relies on having dungeon keys so that you can adventure at your leisure.

[Brother Oni]

I was wondering if they were going to introduce equipment with CC effects reduction and it's nice to see they have.

They even named it the same as the League of Legends stat. :smalltongue:

[Halae]

For the neverwinter folks, I found something that was posted quite a while back, before the ranger was even released.

http://imgur.com/a/8W0R1

The top five images are ranger armor. Bottom five though? Scourge Warlock.

[Artemis97]

Ooh, nifty new changes. I'm wondering if the Icewind Dale area will eventually have anything to do with the invasion of Tiamat thing WotC has planned. Rumor is they're going to even release a new Icewind Dale game? It's going to be some big cross-platform crossover event in the Forgotten Realms.

Also I am SO GLAD they are putting in a ranking system in PvP. I was enjoying it up until people started leaving game just because we were down for a moment, and of course a 3v5 team is going to be crushed! I know that probably won't fix that, but it might go a long way to help.

[Deadline]

Also I am SO GLAD they are putting in a ranking system in PvP. I was enjoying it up until people started leaving game just because we were down for a moment, and of course a 3v5 team is going to be crushed! I know that probably won't fix that, but it might go a long way to help.

I think the penalties for dropping a PVP game are more likely to see that change. Apparently, if you ditch a PVP match, you will be unable to queue for any content (PVP or PVE) for several minutes.

[Brother Oni]

I think the penalties for dropping a PVP game are more likely to see that change. Apparently, if you ditch a PVP match, you will be unable to queue for any content (PVP or PVE) for several minutes.

So you go off and do your non-queued dailies instead. A time penalty doesn't sound too much of an issue when there's other stuff you can do ingame in comparison to something like LoL when you're effectively locked out of the game during the penalty.

[Artemis97]

Yeah, but if you're trying to get one of those Glory boosting event things (like I try to do) you're gonna be a bit put out by it.

[Brother Oni]

Yeah, but if you're trying to get one of those Glory boosting event things (like I try to do) you're gonna be a bit put out by it.

The perils of playing with pubbies. I would have thought most online gamers would be familiar with that. :smalltongue:

Speaking of which, Miss Guild Leader, have you decided which side we'll be taking for Gauntlgrym? I'm curious in the content, but can't join in until the guild leader chooses a side.

[Halae]

As far as Gauntlgrym goes, I've got no preference for a side, but you've gotta remember what each one does over the other - Luskan Corsairs generally have less players, so they rarely, if ever, win, which means they're usually locked out of the Dwarf King's Crypt (But not the Fardelver crypt). However, less people means less people queueing for PvP, and that means you're almost guaranteed to square off against the Delzoun explorers during the PvP part.

On the flip side, if you want to farm astrals, you need access to the Dwarf King's Crypt, as that dungeon drops non-bound tier 2 epic gear which, if you win the roll, means you'll suddenly be a few hundred thousand astral diamonds richer. A friend of mine managed to get an Avatar of War helmet from DKC, and those sell for about 1 Million astrals. On the other hand, it's extremely hard to get a pvp match going, which can make it difficult to get your dailies and glory from it.

In my opinion, Delzoun is better off, but realistically, either one is fine.

[Deadline]

The perils of playing with pubbies. I would have thought most online gamers would be familiar with that. :smalltongue:

Speaking of which, Miss Guild Leader, have you decided which side we'll be taking for Gauntlgrym? I'm curious in the content, but can't join in until the guild leader chooses a side.

Actually, we've already signed up to side with Delzoun (I was there when our fearless leader made the decision. :smalltongue:).

But how to participate in the Gauntlgrym stuff wasn't immediately obvious to me. It turns out you can't queue for them like dungeons, skirmishes, and pvp, you need to travel (on the map) to the Gauntlgrym zone. You can do the various activities there (I don't know if you can only do them during the Gauntlgrym events or not). And once you are there, you can queue for the Gauntlgrym events.

[Arbitrarity]

Actually, we've already signed up to side with Delzoun (I was there when our fearless leader made the decision. :smalltongue:).

But how to participate in the Gauntlgrym stuff wasn't immediately obvious to me. It turns out you can't queue for them like dungeons, skirmishes, and pvp, you need to travel (on the map) to the Gauntlgrym zone. You can do the various activities there (I don't know if you can only do them during the Gauntlgrym events or not). And once you are there, you can queue for the Gauntlgrym events.

There are 3 parts to the Gauntlgrym events, each of which lasts half an hour. You need to go to the Gauntlgrym area during the event time to participate, and there is nothing of interest beyond shops there at other times. First is Iron Tabernacle, where you do some sandboxy PvE questing (gather weapons/armour, light forges). To get credit for being there, you just need to walk in during the event time, and kill one Duregar. If you participate, you get an "Iron Tabernacle Share". This is important later.

Second is Armories of Moradin, the PvP section. There's also some various PvE stuff that can be done for the first 20 minutes (assembling catapults, pleasing Amusud the giant). If you get into the PvP, you can earn 3 or 7 Grym coins (depending on if you win or lose), plus some glory. If you participate at all in assembling catapults, pleasing Amusud, or PvP, you earn an "Armories of Moradin Share".

Third is... something Crypts (Delzoun?). Anyways, if your side won Armories of Moradin overall (usually Delzoun explorers do), you may queue for Dwarf King's Crypt IF all your party members have both Shares. Otherwise, if your side lost, or your party members don't all have both shares (but they have to have at least one) you may queue for Fardelver's Crypt.

Fardelver's Crypt is generally used for speedrunning to farm Grym coins, while Dwarf King's Crypt is a profitable venture. Fardelver's drops unbound T1 equipment, while DKC drops unbound T2 equipment. Exactly how valuable this is depends on your luck.

My guild personally doesn't bother with it much, though I feel like we should, if only because we can crush the Dwarf King probably 4 times in the half hour. We're just more certain about Castle Never dropping SOMETHING of value, even if it's only a Ancient Shield, I suppose, and don't want to care much about the event schedule. Also, being Delzoun, we never get to fight in the PvP, which is a bit annoying.

[Artemis97]

I just sort of... randomly talked to one of the dwarves in the back of the PvP arena waiting area. I honestly don't know if that only effects me or the guild as a whole, because I can't find anything on our guild page that shows our allegience. Also, I know switching sides isn't impossible, just expensive, if it turns out we are stuck on a side we decide we don't like.

[Brother Oni]

Actually, we've already signed up to side with Delzoun (I was there when our fearless leader made the decision. :smalltongue:).

So when you say our dearly beloved and esteemed guild leader made the decision, you mean she randomly talked to a NPC she didn't recognise? :smalltongue:

[Halae]

Off Topic from our current Gauntlgrym discussion, but this bears looking at

https://www.desmos.com/calculator/3dqpvhuavj

It shows what sorts of values you can expect from stats at high stat levels. Hilariously, a wizard in High Vizier armor can reduce an enemy to -1000 defense, to deal an additional 80% damage with attacks.

[Sajiri]

Could I get a guild invite whenever someone's around? My timezone's a little screwy but after tomorrow I have a 2 week vacation off work so should be around at more normal times

[Brother Oni]

https://www.desmos.com/calculator/3dqpvhuavj

It shows what sorts of values you can expect from stats at high stat levels. Hilariously, a wizard in High Vizier armor can reduce an enemy to -1000 defense, to deal an additional 80% damage with attacks.

I think the defence plot (the orange one?) doesn't takes AC into account. I've got just over 50% DR with somewhere in the region of 5k-6k defence (I can look up the exact values later), which should put me in the ~39% DR region by that chart.


Could I get a guild invite whenever someone's around? My timezone's a little screwy but after tomorrow I have a 2 week vacation off work so should be around at more normal times

The name and handle of the character you'd like invited would be useful. :smalltongue:

When you say 'normal times', I presume you mean afternoon to evening of your local timezone? I assume you're at GMT+8?

[Sajiri]

The name and handle of the character you'd like invited would be useful. :smalltongue:

When you say 'normal times', I presume you mean afternoon to evening of your local timezone? I assume you're at GMT+8?

I said earlier in the thread sheva@astereia (if I understand how that works) :p

GMT+10 ...usually is evenings for me or early mornings on weekends

[Brother Oni]

I said earlier in the thread sheva@astereia (if I understand how that works) :p

GMT+10 ...usually is evenings for me or early mornings on weekends

Ooops, my bad, found your post now. I'll get an invite sent after work.

Your gaming sessions might be almost as quiet as mine, since everybody else is in the US.

[Halae]

I think the defence plot (the orange one?) doesn't takes AC into account. I've got just over 50% DR with somewhere in the region of 5k-6k defence (I can look up the exact values later), which should put me in the ~39% DR region by that chart.
That's probably the case, yeah. Though the only guys with AC high enough to matter are Guardian Fighters

[Brother Oni]

Invite sent to sheva@astereia.


Crunching the numbers, I have 50.8%DR with AC 34 (10+24) and 5709 defence, while the formula gives me 38.8%DR.

It looks like AC gives a flat 0.5%DR which could be useful in determining whether it's better when deciding whether to equip something with higher AC but less defence.

[Halae]

So, the pvp patch hit today, and we get a look at all the new badass gear we can get. Of course, everybody who's anybody is putting the pvp queue system through it's paces, so I'd recommend waiting a few days before beginning your grind to get the profound armor, as currently it's buggy as hell from load.

Still, the various armors look really good. My personal favorite is the GF profound armor - a friend even gave me his build so that I could be stylin' in full profound once I get all the tokens I need for it

[Sajiri]

Thanks for the guild invite :D managed to get on briefly this morning.

Did my first quest in the foundry last night. I wasnt entirely sure but do those scale depending on your level? Or did I just randomly pick something that suited me

[Halae]

Foundry quests do, in fact, scale to your level. Makes them quite valuable for grinding levels in between adventure zones.

[Artemis97]

>.> It wasn't that I didn't know what they were for (entirely) I just honestly didn't think it'd work since I wasn't level 60 yet. ^_^" So I chatted up the one that seemed most interesting to me, and then discovered the hefty 750,000 AD price to switch sides. An honest mistake, but I'll grind as much AD as I can to try and fix it if you all think we need to switch. Speaking of... I should check out that program Halae mentioned a bit back.

[Brother Oni]

>.> It wasn't that I didn't know what they were for (entirely) I just honestly didn't think it'd work since I wasn't level 60 yet. ^_^" So I chatted up the one that seemed most interesting to me, and then discovered the hefty 750,000 AD price to switch sides. An honest mistake, but I'll grind as much AD as I can to try and fix it if you all think we need to switch.

I'm happy with Delzoun - I just wanted a decision made so I could have a look at Gauntlgrym.

[Brother Oni]

I'm seeing why I don't see very many GFs about, the amount of damage we do is pitiful unless you spec yourself like a poor man's GWF, in which case, you might as well just play a GWF. :smallsigh:

When people are saying it takes them about 5 minutes to run Witches Fen and I'm taking three times as long, I'm get the feeling that I should play a different class.

[Antonok]

I'm seeing why I don't see very many GFs about, the amount of damage we do is pitiful unless you spec yourself like a poor man's GWF, in which case, you might as well just play a GWF. :smallsigh:

When people are saying it takes them about 5 minutes to run Witches Fen and I'm taking three times as long, I'm get the feeling that I should play a different class.

I played one back during early beta and when I came back and started a HR. It feels like cheating. They really do need a damage buff, even if they are tanks.

[Halae]

To be honest, I don't see what the issue here is. I like leisurely taking my time in a quest, and for all that it takes me a while, I essentially never die. I'm capable of tanking bosses even after my party has died, and I'm not terribly outclassed in tersm of raw damage - typically, I'm third on the roster coming out of a dungeon, ahead of the cleric and whomever is the weak link in the party.

Still, I'm looking forward to when the Scourge Warlock is released. "Dark Magic" has always interested me more than basic sword n' boarding

[Brother Oni]

To be honest, I don't see what the issue here is. I like leisurely taking my time in a quest, and for all that it takes me a while, I essentially never die. I'm capable of tanking bosses even after my party has died, and I'm not terribly outclassed in tersm of raw damage - typically, I'm third on the roster coming out of a dungeon, ahead of the cleric and whomever is the weak link in the party.

Not all of us have the free time to leisurely play through the daily missions and after about 2 weeks of Gnarlroot/Witch's Fen, I really want something different for Sharandar (at least you have a choice of three in Dread Ring from the get go).

The lack of damage also makes it very hard to get any materials in the PVE sections of Gauntlgrym since anything tougher than a lesser elemental or a miner/guard takes a while for me to kill (then someone just comes along, out damages me and steals it) and I can't touch the riders.

As for dungeons, I haven't been able to tank a boss since I hit the end game (that big brain aside). The last group dungeon (Dwarf King), I did a little over 2mil damage and came bottom of the table.
This is aside from running into anything like levelled up lizardman healers, who heal quicker than the cooldowns for my CC effects (the fact that my dps can't keep up is a given).

Can I ask what your GF build is?

[Halae]

Can I ask what your GF build is?

Yeah, absolutely (http://imgur.com/a/u8ZTZ). Note, though, that I've only got tier 1 boons so far - this is a build I got from my guildmaster on that character. the big trick is learning how to time things and figuring out when to switch skills - I've gotten ridiculous utility out of Knight's Valor (take half the damage everybody else would) and Supremacy of Steel (whenever you're hit, cut the damage in half and hit the attacker) working in conjunction.

In PvE, I typically run Lunging Strike, Anvil of Doom and Frontline Surge as my encounters, Crushing Blow and Threatening Rush as my At-wills, and Fighter's Recovery and Supremacy of Steel as Dailies (My Passives are Ferocious Reaction, for when I inevitably get brought to low health, and combat superiority, because it's monstrous when feat specced). For PvP I Swap Lunging Strike for Bull's Charge. In Dungeons, I like to use my PvE build until we get to a boss, at which point I'll swap lunging strike for Knight's valor, and camp out inside the Cleric's Astral Shield to mitigate extra damage. if your team is having a lot of trouble, you can also swap Anvil of Doom for Enforced Threat; the combination of Knight's Valor and Enforced threat should mean that whatever you do, you'll have the biggest group of enemies running around with you, and you can kite to your heart's content.

A few notes - I go for Crushing Blow over Cleave because while cleave hits multiple things, it's rarely worth it versus the extra damage and healing that Crushing Blow gives you. Also, Remember to mark your targets! I can't stress how important that is. A marked target has his armor reduced - you mentioned the riders in Gauntlgrym. Where normally you'll do about 400 damage per strike to them, if you mark one it'll lower their damage resistance so much that that same strike will deal from 800-1100. Marking a boss will let you finish a dungeon much faster.

[Brother Oni]

I didn't spot that Knight's Valour/Supremacy of Steel trick, so thanks for that.

Every GF build I've seen always maxes out the Conqueror path - are the other two paths simply not worth reaching the capstone with? Is the DPS meta in this game really that overwhelming?

I finally ended up in a not so overpowered group for DKC last night and I managed to do exactly what GFs are intended to do - peel off the boss and keep him focused while three of the group dealt with the adds and a HR helped me with the damage. Surprisingly enough, I pretty much tanked him solo for about half an hour, so I guess I need to de-emphasise tanking a bit.

[Halae]

It isn't that the DPS meta is so important. It's actually that Tanking isn't important - You don't need to be super-tough to kite, even if it helps, and the conquerer path capstone is just far more powerful than either of the other capstones - 2500 is +100% damage to you. Doubling that is +200%. Plus, like you said, you can de-emphasive tanking very safely without losing your ability to do it. I end up switching powers for a situation all the time.

[Brother Oni]

Keeping this thread alive, even though I never see anybody else on...

I've remapped to something more aggressive, but I'm still going Protector feat tree. There's something about only one viable GF build in the community (which is essentially a wannabe GWF via the Conqueror tree) is rubbing me up the wrong way.
Not doing too badly and I'm able to solo stuff quicker now, yet still be able to tank nearly everything the game can throw (the fire giant skirmish being a major exception).

I somehow managed to score a Waters artifact out of the Dread Ring skirmish during the skirmish event, so that was very nice, otherwise I'm just ticking along with my dailies.

I believe that May is the estimated release date for the Icewind Dale mod, assuming all the naysayers are wrong about how Elder Scrolls Online are going to kill NWO. Personally I think the subscription fee is going to stop most people from jumping games, assuming there isn't some way to pay for game time with in game cash, ala Eve Online.

[Halae]

Yeah, Module 3 is coming out in the first week of May. if you want to try out a bit of the content, though, it's already up on the preview server for testing, balancing, and general stuff like that. There's tons of stuff being shifted. And I do mean tons.

[Brother Oni]

Yeah, Module 3 is coming out in the first week of May. if you want to try out a bit of the content, though, it's already up on the preview server for testing, balancing, and general stuff like that. There's tons of stuff being shifted. And I do mean tons.

I'd rather be surprised than sign up for the test server and be spoiled. I'm not that invested in the game to want to help playtest it, given my previous experiences with playtesting.

In any case, I suspect the first couple of weeks are going to be ridiculously laggy with everybody rushing to try out the new content before it calms down to a reasonable level.

[Halae]

By the way, I'm grinding Foundry achievements to get myself a Book Imp companion. I made ten really quick quests that are currently still in beta (They're clones of another set of super-fast campaign set, which itself has been cloned something like ten times already) but any extra reviews you can give me would be appreciated. if you want to find it, just check the advanced search option to type in my @handle into the author search. Reviewing Foundry quests and giving tips (particularly if they're beta quests, as they are now) give you achievements, and getting reviews and tips gives me achievements as well, so it's beneficial for everybody that takes part in the event.

My @handle, for those that don't know it, is @HalaeNorsk. If anybody contributes, I'd be grateful. :smallsmile:

[Brother Oni]

Finally finished with Sharandar and 2 days off Dread Ring, just in time for Module 3.

On the plus side, character slots are currently on sale (335 zen), so I can finally try out some other classes to work out how they tick. I'll probably put them into other guilds though as I'm interesting in going for the epic dungeons and I hardly ever see anybody from the Playground on.

On the down side, today's the first day I've been kicked from a dungeon (Fardelver) for being a GF (either that or because I wasn't French). In keeping with my generally misanthropic opinion of MMO players, they kicked me during the final boss fight.

[Brother Oni]

Gamespot are currently doing a free giveaway in return for your email address: link (http://www.gamespot.com/articles/neverwinter-mystagogue-companion-code-giveaway/1100-6419195/).

The code has to be redeemed via the ARC client, then picked up from the rewards vendor ingame (he's opposite Knox).

You get a new account wide companion (the Mystagogue, which is a controller wizard, much like the Renegade Illusionist, who's also still available (http://www.arcgames.com/en/arc-news/detail/3030473-come-grab-your-free-arc-gifts_)) and a Neverwinter Vanguard pack (couple of stone, some enchantments and an xp scroll).

On GF related news, I've found quite a nice tanky Swordmaster build adding Steel Defence (no damage for a couple seconds after activating a daily) to the Knight's Valour/Supremacy of Steel combo. I might play around with it once I get enough zen for a respec coin, but a brief eyeball indicates that it's a bit lacking in damage for solo stuff and given that not many playgrounder guildies log in, might be a bit wasted.

My CW is coming along nicely although I have to keep remembering that shift isn't block and to let someone else charge in first.

[Deadline]

My CW is coming along nicely although I have to keep remembering that shift isn't block and to let someone else charge in first.

I'm curious as to how you are building your CW? I've found that for everything short of elite dungeon runs, the Renegade build I've got is sufficient (I have to rotate a few spells around when dungeon running).

[Halae]

I'm curious as to how you are building your CW? I've found that for everything short of elite dungeon runs, the Renegade build I've got is sufficient (I have to rotate a few spells around when dungeon running).

I personally prefer thaumaturgy, given the fact that I use icy rays, conduit of cold, and shard of the endless avalanche a lot.

[Brother Oni]

I'm curious as to how you are building your CW? I've found that for everything short of elite dungeon runs, the Renegade build I've got is sufficient (I have to rotate a few spells around when dungeon running).

Despite my innate desire to kill things with fire, I've decided to go with a more conventional build for my CW and I'm following this guide: Stox's PVE Thaumaturge guide (http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?535911-Stox-s-PVE-CW-Thaum-DPS-guide).

I may try and see if I can get something to work with Master of Flame rather than Spellstorm Mage, but to be honest, after my GF, I'm really enjoying the novelty of wiping out groups of mobs with one rotation's worth of abilities or less.

[Antonok]

Free companion (http://www.destructoid.com/we-ve-got-exclusive-in-game-items-for-neverwinter--274562.phtml) up for grabs. A Rebel Mercenary this time.

[Brother Oni]

So day 2 of the new module and I'm finding it fun after I turn off zone chat to avoid the incessant bleating of "1v1 me bro" or "how do I do X" where X is done by following the damn quest line or simple reading comprehension.

There also seems to be an inordinate number of people bragging about how they owned you. Given that the death penalty is an easily affordable injury kit and a 30 second ride, I can be back on top of your location before you've fully healed making bragging kinda pointless. Oh well, whatever helps people feel better about themselves.

I suspect my views on losing in PVP may be somewhat skewed since my worst loss was in Eve Online, which took me several months to recover from. :smalltongue:

[Halae]

I can see how minor death would seem in Neverwinter after that :smalltongue:

Also, the first time buyer's pack is pretty cool. Splurged $5 to get it, so now I'm deciding whether I should use the war dog on my current character, or toss it in the bank and wait for warlocks to be released - as far as the companion itself goes, it's a defender with some control ability. Very cool.

[Brother Oni]

I can see how minor death would seem in Neverwinter after that :smalltongue:

Also, the first time buyer's pack is pretty cool. Splurged $5 to get it, so now I'm deciding whether I should use the war dog on my current character, or toss it in the bank and wait for warlocks to be released - as far as the companion itself goes, it's a defender with some control ability. Very cool.

To be fair, death in most games is fairly minor compared to Eve. It's only really surpassed by games which have modes similar to Hardcore in Diablo 2/3, assuming they have non-consensual PVP.

I assume the requirements for the First Time Buyer pack is a single transfer of 500 Zen into Neverwinter? Nothing funny like multiple transfers totalling 500 Zen also qualifying or transfers from before the promotion (13th May) disqualifying you?
Given the current Zen:AD exchange (it'd almost cracked the 1:500 barrier last I checked), it'd also net you a tidy profit when the prices drop.

Speaking of prices, has anybody noticed the prices of L4 enchantments have rocketed? Some are selling for >300AD while a month or so ago, they regularly dipped below 100AD. Did Cryptic do a mass skill node farmer ban?

[Halae]

As far as the first timers pack goes, yeah, it doesn't track old transactions, so it's asking you to put another $5 in, which I did. I haven't opened it up on the live server yet, but so far the ward dog is a pretty good companion.

And yeah, Zen prices, due to just hitting the new module, are at the 500 cap. Now is the time to sell them.

[Arbitrarity]

So day 2 of the new module and I'm finding it fun after I turn off zone chat to avoid the incessant bleating of "1v1 me bro" or "how do I do X" where X is done by following the damn quest line or simple reading comprehension.


1v1 me bro

Well, it's a nice alternative to getting zerged. Especially since I respecced my GF into Destroyer, he crumples like a tin can under focus fire. The upside is insane Indomitable Battle Strike crits, I've hit upwards of 25k on players with tenacity.

I'm having fun with the farming, though I expect these quests to get repetitive really fast. At least I'll have both zones unlocked in a couple days, so I can cry about my 6 characters needing to farm two zones plus PvP even harder. No gauntlets found yet, sadly. I hear they drop from the remorrhaz and other rare-epic heroics. Whether the RNG will be merciful is another question.

I seem to have made 2m off of black ice booster packs. Lucky gauntlet drops, yay.

[Brother Oni]

So with the emergency downtime I saw how many hours I've put into the game and decided it was about time I gave them some money as support. Unfortunately their payment broker (Skrill) doesn't accept Visa or any payments from overseas apparently since the billing address only gave me US possible locations. :smallconfused:



Well, it's a nice alternative to getting zerged. Especially since I respecced my GF into Destroyer, he crumples like a tin can under focus fire. The upside is insane Indomitable Battle Strike crits, I've hit upwards of 25k on players with tenacity.

I think you mean GWF.

I may have mentioned earlier that I've finally found a role in PVP for my GF - chasing down squishies as between all the gap closers and CC effects, I can chase them around the battlefield and due to my inherent tankiness, it's very hard to kill me or shake me off. I can't touch anybody with above 14K GS... speaking of which, I'm in full T2 equipment (Indomitable) with Profound necklace, rings and belt, yet I still only have ~12K GS. I assume I have to go to T2.5 and at least rank 8s to get any higher?

[Halae]

you need one of two things to hit 14k+ GS. The first option is to get a trio of artifacts up to purple. The second option is to load the hell up on high rank enchantments. Doing both is how you hit 15k+ GS

[Brother Oni]

So I'm into Dwarvern Valley in Icewind Dale and wow, the place looks pretty. The PVP zone is a lot of fun, with all the cover afforded by trees and other foliage.

I ran into an Arcane Brotherhood CW and ended up chasing him around, wearing him down slowly while blocking his big hits. I had him down to ~25% health when an AB TR jumped me - I gritted my teeth and stayed on the CW, determined to take one of them down with me. He was down to 5% but I was about the same when a friendly DC jumped in and healed me up, like a Big Damn Hero.

We polished off the CW and nearly 2 shot the TR before he managed to disengage. :smallbiggrin:

On the negative side, I've noticed that some CWs and HRs can dodge my CC attacks after they've apparently connected. I know the difference between dodging while I'm mid action (I can bait these guys out if I'm being competent), but these guys seem to be on another level entirely. Is it a latency issue or do they have some sort of script that automatically triggers their shift-move when a prone/stun power is used on them?

[Halae]

To my knowledge, there's no script out there that auto-dodges for you. More likely, it's a latency issue, unfortunately. On top of this, the HR has a really wonky set of scripting for dodges, meaning sometimes it dodges you early and then moves you, or moves you and then dodges you, or does it at the same time, all at random. It's a bit of a coding error, but a lot of top-level ranger players have learned to utilize it.

[Brother Oni]

Gah, patching is slow today - I've done 200meg in an hour on a fibreoptic connection (forcing the launcher to us an EU proxy doesn't help). Oh well at least it beats dialup where it would have taken overnight to download that much.

Cryptic's servers must be getting hammered.



To save on double posting, I've been looking into my next set of gear and since I've recently hit the tier 2 part of the IWD campaign (just need the coins and gold now to unlock stuff), I've started looking more closely into the corrupted/purified Black Ice gear and how it compares to the Profound gear.

Without my numbers in front of me, I think the Profound gear edges it out unless you overload, but you need BI gear for the later dungeon in the campaign anyway. What are other people thinking of doing?

On a separate note, Halae, I see you're quite active on r/Neverwinter. Do you think it would be more worthwhile to take questions and discussions over there and just let this thread die since I hardly ever see anybody else on?

[Antonok]

So (for those with facebook) an Archmage's Apprentice companion is up for grabs. (https://www.facebook.com/VG247?sk=app_185301094822359&brandloc=DISABLE&app_data=chk-538113eb14c7b)

Only 5k codes supposedly so...