NEVERWINTER MMO

[Mik]

So, Dungeons and Dragons: Neverwinter is the first true MMO on Xbox, I guess. It's pretty fun and free to play. A lot of shit is microtransactions, which sucks, but it seems huge. I'm having a lot of fun with it.

 

[KingPK]

I started a character. I've never played a MMO before but this one seems pretty easy to get into. If anyone wants to play look for Sami Balor.

 

[Broward83]

Totally didn't know it was completely free. I'm down to group up if people want.

 

[Mik]

I'm up for it too. I'm friends with both of you. I usually play with a buddy. He's a tank and I'm a devoted cleric. I think you need to be pretty close in level to group though, so I'm already up to 26. If you're close enough, feel free to jump in with us.

 

[Broward83]

Well fuck. I'm only like, level 10, I think. They don't let you group up and get carried?

 

[Mik]

Not sure how big the gap is... I was level 3 trying to join with level 16 when it failed.

 

[Broward83]

Well I grinded to 19..been having a good time so far

 

[KingPK]

I'm up to 15 myself. I can see myself plunking down some cash in this game.

 

[Mik]

The fun really picks up when you get higher. Once you hit level 26, it opens the "Tyranny of Dragons" campaign and the first dragon is available to fight as a heroic encounter. He spawns every so often, but you can jump instances to find him.

I went last night to see what was what and no one was over there. It's got not only the dragon but a map full of enemies with red skulls instead of levels. Because no one else was there (and I'm only a devoted cleric), I got stomped quick and got the fuck out of there. But this morning, I logged in just to get my daily blessing and advance my professions and decided to give it a whirl. I was able to find two instances where 10+ people were going at it and took him down both times.

You get sweet loot from the heroic encounter win and in the second victory I got the item the strategy guide said all clerics must have, so I am feeling pretty good about it.

Really looking forward to the later level epic dungeons.

My friend and I are trying to start a guild, so hopefully we can get that going and invite you.

 

[Broward83]

I'm up to 15 myself. I can see myself plunking down some cash in this game.

Yeah, I think when I get my check I'll buy the booster pack for my character

 

[Mik]

Yeah, I've spent $30 so far. Will probably spend more - nothing now but when they release the newest update that's on PC that has the Oathbound Paladin, I may end up spending on that. Based on how the Dragonborn is priced, that might cost me $75. So we'll see when the time comes if I'm still really in to it.

 

[Kageho]

As an aside, I play one of Cryptic's other games, Star Trek Online. Just started playing the PC edition of this (Neverwinter) again.

In Neverwinter, the tree is set up as Defender/Leader/Controller/Striker. Defenders absorb damage and mitigate aggression, Leaders inspire others while also providing healing/buffs/debuffs, Controllers provide stuns and holds to handle foes, and Strikers are there for the pure damage. So Tank, Healer, Crowd and Damage basically. Each class has two of those that they can do and you can set them up to provide mostly one or the other, or go for a blend of both.

The Oathbound Paladin on the PC release is a Defender/Leader. The primary stat for it is Constitution, with Wisdom and Charisma being the secondaries. It is a fun class to play, as your defensive stance (shift) allows you to heal those around you while also rooting yourself and negating I think up to 60% on Stuns/Holds. I haven't gotten it high enough - as I'm still testing out classes to pick one to play - but the class is pretty fun for those who like to dive in and help out others. Though on the PC everyone's playing it right now. So if you wanna group, gonna be a little tough.

While the Paladin seems to be more of a jump into things and heal while defending, the other two Leader classes are different. The Devoted Cleric (Leader/Controller, Wisdom/Strength/Charisma) is about crowd controlling foes and healing over time, so you need to manage foes as well as maintain buffs and debuffs too. Meaning it is a full time job and isn't for the guys who want little to do. It also is a ranged class, in which you attack foes with holy light and they wear chain mail. So not as simple as you would think.

The Scourge Warlock (Striker/Leader, Charisma/Constitution/Intelligence) needs to be specifically set up for group healing, as I found on the forums, but is currently the best overall healer due to it being tied directly into its Life Steal tree. Life Steal is a skill that bases a percentage of the damage you do into health, which with this tree can also be given to the party. It is the best damaging class in the game, so it is the best pure healer in the game at the moment. Life Steal is chance mechanism though, it isn't pure healing like Paladin or Cleric and therefore can be not as reliable though. After all, there has to be some downside or all Leaders would play is Scourge.

Hope that helps a little bit. Not sure if you need it or that, but felt like sharing.

 

[Mik]

Yeah, it's helpful. I'm a DC now and I'd love the chance to have my second character be more active while also being able to help with the damage.

The best part of being a DC is I never get kicked and I get in to queues in like 10 seconds.

 

[KingPK]

I'm a Scourge Warlock and I really don't do that much healing. I know a few of my powers restore health in relation to damage, but I've been mainly a damage dealer.

 

[Conspiracy_Victim]

I started off playing Star Trek Online but got to level 50 and kinda got bored since I didn't want to pay for the Tier 6 ships, so I started Neverwinter and so far it's been pretty fun. Got a level 24 Thief and a level 12 Hunter. The Hunter is a bit tough to solo since they seem a bit underpowered. They're not armored enough for close in combat but they don't have the DPS of a Warlock. Kinda stuck in between. Might delete it and start something else. The thief is fun though. Stealth in and backstab or if you're in a group or have a melee companion it has a pretty decent range attack. I think she's a keeper. I might buy some keys when I get my next paycheck, but I'm going to make sure I don't get carried away.

 

[Mik]

Yeah - I'm up to Level 53 now as my cleric and it really starts getting more fun the tougher it gets, which is nice. Looking forward to Level 60 and some epic dungeons.

Money wise - I've spent what the game would have cost (...and maybe a little more).

 

[Kageho]

I've had so many things to fill out concerning my relapse, haven't been able to do much more than scan posts or make the odd "fuck fantasy sports posts". Hence why this happening just now.

Yeah, it's helpful. I'm a DC now and I'd love the chance to have my second character be more active while also being able to help with the damage.

The best part of being a DC is I never get kicked and I get in to queues in like 10 seconds.

Glad I could help. If you want a character that is able to move and help with damage, a good idea is probably to go with a ranged class that has Striker on it. That would be Control Wizard, Hunter Ranger or Scourge Warlock. The differences between the 3 classes are that Wizard's damage are all built on being able to control the battlefield, the Ranger is able to go pure into melee or ranged or even hybrid, whilst the Warlock is all about the damage.

It might be a good idea to try all 3 of those and see which one fits how you feel the play style you want is. Personally, I'd think it would depend more on what you want to accomplish with the role. If it is straight up damage, that would be Warlock. If you want to be able to cause havoc at any range, Ranger. If you want to control the field so that not only you do massive damage but others, probably Wizard.

Since all of these classes can be set up as control based, just find the one you like the most. I'd say give it around 10 levels before deciding if you dislike it. 10 should give you an idea of whether or not the class is for you.

I'm a Scourge Warlock and I really don't do that much healing. I know a few of my powers restore health in relation to damage, but I've been mainly a damage dealer.

I apologize. Your healing becomes really good once you hit 30 and can go into the Life Stealing Paragon Tree. That tree forms the basis of the Warlock's healing. So really, you specialize the class for healing. So if you aren't 30 yet, that would be why your healing is meager.

I started off playing Star Trek Online but got to level 50 and kinda got bored since I didn't want to pay for the Tier 6 ships, so I started Neverwinter and so far it's been pretty fun.

Well, with Star Trek, you can purchase zen by acquiring dilithium (you need to refine it however), so you can eventually purchase some ships via that method. It will take awhile before you can do so, but you'll eventually get there.

Though, even I got to admit it sucks that they bring out these ships and you basically gotta get the latest ones. At the same time though, it pretty much is the only thing that anyone buys in Star Trek, so... I get why they are up for sale.

Got a level 24 Thief and a level 12 Hunter. The Hunter is a bit tough to solo since they seem a bit underpowered. They're not armored enough for close in combat but they don't have the DPS of a Warlock. Kinda stuck in between. Might delete it and start something else. The thief is fun though. Stealth in and backstab or if you're in a group or have a melee companion it has a pretty decent range attack. I think she's a keeper. I might buy some keys when I get my next paycheck, but I'm going to make sure I don't get carried away.

Yeah, the Ranger didn't exactly seem like he could hold his own early on for me. I was sort of worried about this myself when I started playing the class. Eventually why I ended up going Paladin, because as long as I could self heal, I figured I'd be fine.

Keys are fine and all here and there for a gamble or two. But really don't get carried away about it. If anything, save the money and transfer the zen to astral diamonds because you'll likely be able to buy something from a lock box cheaper in the long run that way, then actually spending the keys on it.

Yeah - I'm up to Level 53 now as my cleric and it really starts getting more fun the tougher it gets, which is nice. Looking forward to Level 60 and some epic dungeons.

Money wise - I've spent what the game would have cost (...and maybe a little more).

Star Trek isn't as difficult unless you modify the difficulty, so that's pretty good to hear. I managed to finally get my Paladin up to around 25, so I'm almost at the point in which I can decide on his Paragon class and trees.

Also as long as you are comfortable spending what you have, I don't think it is anyone's place to object. I've probably spent a few pennys on F2P MMOs and I'm quite comfortable I have. After all, there is no subscription fees so I just go "whelp, there's my fees for the month(s)" when I have bought something.

 

[Mik]

Hit Level 60 last night. A ton of new stuff to do now with all the epic dungeons, etc. Already was able to get a purple ring and some pretty solid blue helm/armor. I'm already geared up to do all the T2 dungeons even though I've just hit 60.

 

[Conspiracy_Victim]

Hit level 30 last night with my thief. Man, once you get in to the graveyard you get a ton of quests to do. Now I've got to decide on a paragon path, and its like I'm trying to pick my character again. Most guides seem to focus on the Whisperknife (ranged), but to me unless you group a lot you're better off going with infiltrator (stealth). Then they changes around the feats with module 6, so there's no real help on which path to choose. I'll look up again tonight and choose, want to get going on the full build.

 

[Mik]

Double XP weekend starts in about 20 minutes and runs until Monday at the same time. Perfect time to level up to your heart's content.

It's also double astral diamonds, double refinement, double gems... all weekend. They mean business.

 

[ViciousFish]

I started playing this today. It's not a bad way to waste some time.

 

[Mik]

Anybody still playing? I'm just as addicted as I was at the beginning... coming up on 200 hours sunk. Still have a lot of things I want to get/try/play.

 

[Conspiracy_Victim]

I play every once in a while, but work is taking up a bunch of time. Moved away from my thief and started using a Great Weapon Fighter during the double XP weekend, lot of fun with a cleric NPC, can wreck shop.

 

[vivisectvi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaFEbfHXaSk

Early access launched on PS4 for $20 yesterday. Officially launches for free on July 19th. I had credit so I sprung for the access and am having a good time with it. Game runs smooth and is a nice change from what ESO has become after the last few DLCs (a stuttering lagfest).

 

[Mik]

I took a year off and got back in to it. Love it. I am a 3500 item level "healadin" Oathbound Paladin.

Enjoy the grind... any questions I can help answer. What class are you playing?

 

[vivisectvi]

I usually play a dual-wielder in these games so I rolled a Drow Trickster-Rogue. I was tempted to roll a Control Wizard, but maybe I'll try that if I ever create a second character.

I played for about 2 hours last night and had a lot of fun! To me it feels almost like a hybrid of ESO and WoW, so I can see myself sinking a ton of hours into this game. I love the companions feature. This is something that ESO is really lacking in, so to have even a tiny bit of NPC support is great! ^_^

 

[Mik]

Good! The game doesn't really "start" until you ding level 70 and can do all the campaigns and late game dungeons and such. I've played about 500 hours and am still going strong so you can put some time in to it easily.

 

[Kageho]

I'm surprised to see you guys are playing this.

 

[vivisectvi]

Well I love fantasy MMOs, so..

 

[Kageho]

Well that would be a good reason. I haven't played this in forever however. Just got frustrated with the grind.