Tag: Dungeons and Dragons

Neverwinter Launches the Cloaked Ascendancy On PC


The world is slowing down, or at least that’s what the song in Neverwinter’s latest expansion told me. The Cloaked Ascendancy sees the city of Neverwinter once again under attack from external threats. It is up to you, the adventurer, to delve into the River District to fight back the Cloaked Ascendancy and once again keep the world safe from harm.

The campaign content this time around involves reclaiming the River District from the Cloaked Ascendancy and returning it to its former glory, before returning to the Spellplague Caverns Dungeon to bring the fight to the enemy. Along with the new adventure zone and dungeons, players will also be able to get their hands on artifact weaponry.

The Cloaked Ascendancy is available today on PC with console launch coming later this year.

Beta Perspective: A Third Go On The Neverwinter Express


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How much do I like Neverwinter? Three systems in and I’m still playing it, that’s how much.

Neverwinter is an action-based MMORPG set in the Dungeons and Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign. It initially released on PC back in 2013, Xbox last year, and now the game has come to Playstation. Unlike its Microsoft counterpart, Neverwinter on Playstation 4 does not require a subscription to the system’s online service in order to play. There is an extensive cash shop and an optional VIP subscription system that I will get into further on.

If my time in Neverwinter in PS4 has taught me one thing, it is just how massive in scope the game has become since it launched just three years ago. I started Neverwinter on PC during its beta phase and haven’t taken much time off since. As such, I’ve experienced the content in small doses as it became available.

Beginning again on PS4, all I can say is…wow. Seventy levels, six massive campaigns, the daily quests, etc. It’s a bit like deciding you’re going to start getting into Game of Thrones after numerous books and six seasons. Despite this, Perfect World is constantly doing work to make the leveling process as smooth and clear as possible.

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Having already played the game for its Xbox release, Neverwinter’s ability to pull off a controller setup is pretty well cemented. Your analog sticks are used to move, the right triggers pull off your primary and secondary attacks, and other attacks are mapped to the face buttons. I expect a lot of people to have momentary trouble with jumping, which requires a pull of L1 + square. Unfortunately, I’ve committed this key combination to memory so well that I’ve started using it in other games.

Combat is a ballet of cooldowns and potions as you maneuver the field and dodge attacks. Each class has plenty of abilities to use as you level up, and you only have a few equipped at a time, making room for experimentation. Combat is satisfying, hitting enemies carries a heavy oomph to it and your character (regardless of class) is pretty capable of handing out some serious punishment.

One thing I have to point out about Neverwinter is that the game seriously panders to pack rats (of which I am one). Every zone has its trinket to collect and turn in for random gear packs, you collect seals of the lion, the unicorn, the drake, manticore, pegasus, adventurer, elements, and protector by completing tasks and dungeons. There are ardent coins, zen, astral diamonds, celestial coins, black ice, guild marks, and more.

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The big currency in Neverwinter are Astral Diamonds and Zen. Players will recognize Zen as the real money currency that is common among Perfect World titles, with Astral Diamonds being the complementary currency obtainable in-game. You can trade Astral Diamonds for Zen in-game, allowing players to buy AD with real money and vice versa. This makes it technically possible to buy all of the cash shop items without paying any real money.

Astral Diamonds are obtained via multiple daily blessings, as well as daily skirmishes, dungeons, and pvp. They are required to buy items on the auction house, also making it possible to buy cash shop items if you manage to find expensive drops in late-game dungeons. Foundry creators can receive tips from players who complete their levels.

The community that has been built up so far is awesome. Since players can use keyboards, there tends to be quite a few people in chat. Since Neverwinter has open world bosses for the dragon campaign, there are always people in chat looking for groups, willing to invite to full zones, and calling out respawn timers. As far as console MMOs go (that are not cross-platform with PC), this is the first I’ve seen with an active chat community.

The Playstation version definitely has less technical issues than on Xbox One, particularly in FPS loss at the main hub Protector’s Enclave. Barring the influx of new players on launch day, there isn’t much to note in the bug department outside of some issues with players not being able to redeem their extra character awarded in the head start package.

More to come on Neverwinter PS4.

Neverwinter Delayed To Early 2013


Neverwinter is still alive. Announced back in 2010, Neverwinter has been thrown out as the MMO that Champions Online and Star Trek Online never were (polished). With all of the past events at Cryptic Studios, being discontinued by Atari and then sold off to Perfect World Entertainment, having their new executives delay the title until late 2012 so the game could have some polish and content, and then revising the game to be a full fledged MMO, the idea of Neverwinter being delayed a couple of times isn’t all too alien.

So Neverwinter has been delayed once again, the new release date being “early 2013,” when it will launch with a free to play business model.

(Source: Eurogamer)

Dungeons and Dragons Online Returning To Europe


Just replace September with March.

It’s been a surprisingly long time since I’ve had an opportunity to write about Dungeons and Dragons Online (since last June, actually). Those of you who play or follow Dungeons and Dragons Online may remember Turbine’s announcement last year that they would be taking back Dungeons and Dragons from Codemasters. Codemasters, who was operating the MMO in Europe, was still operating under the subscription system. Due to contractual issues, Turbine ended up canning the game’s operation in Europe altogether, and players were instead transferred over to US based servers.

Luckily, however, Turbine is bringing the game back to Europe, with support for German and French language. The current estimate is “2011,” for release. MMO Fallout will bring you more information as it appears. Players who transferred over to the North American service can likely expect their accounts to be transferable to the European service when it does launch.

Cryptic To Announce New MMO: Late Summer


Picture related?

Back when Cryptic announced they did indeed have a third MMO planned, the lines in many of our (bloggers) heads drew together very quickly: Cryptic is owned by Atari, who is being sued by Turbine under allegations that they were trying to sabotage Dungeons and Dragons Online, so they could turn around and market their own secret Neverwinter Nights MMO (Neverwinter Nights is based on third edition D&D). When asked what franchise he would most like to work on, his answer being “Godzilla and Dungeons and Dragons.” I speculated in the article that this would reignite rumors of a Cryptic D&D MMO.

And reignite it did. In a recent interview with Bill Roper, MMORPG.com asked “Do you have anything to say to the D&D Forgotten Realms MMO rumors?”

“I can’t speak to the specifics of what we’re doing, but it’s true that we have another game in the works. We won’t be making an announcement until late summer, and we’re still a ways off from launch. I can say that this is a game and a franchise we’re very excited about. I think people are going to pleased and a bit surprised with what we’re doing in terms of the game, how we make it, and even how we sell and support it. The game is being developed around new design principles merged with Cryptic’s community-first approach to ongoing development.”

MMO Fallout will be here late this summer with all the news as to Cryptics new MMO.

Dungeons and Dragons Online!


I Need a New DDO Image

I don’t talk about Dungeons and Dragons nearly enough, but the game is the poster child for the typical crazy success story. Game launches, game goes partially free to play with a subscription and cash shop, game explodes in popularity. Not to say Dungeons and Dragons was hurting, just that not nearly enough people were giving the game the attention it warranted.

Needless to say, the move was a huge success. Turbine announced earlier this year that the initiative had brought in over one million new players, and more than doubled the number of subscribers, while the cash shop saw a huge boost in purchases. Since then, Turbine has done everything they can to accommodate free players, including the removal of leveling sigils, allowing anyone to make it to level 20, and introduced “casual” difficulty, for solo players. Two enormous updates (Update 3 and 4) have launched, with more updates along the way.

So what’s coming in DDO’s future? Guild airships! Players will be able to build bankers, auctioneers, vendors, and other bits in their guild housing, which will serve as transportation and quick teleportation to many dungeons and raids. The guild itself will have a leveling system by which players can access better airships. Even more stunning, the airships will be viewable in in-game airspace! Half-Orcs will become a playable race at some point this year as well, alongside a bevy of new adventure packs and other items hitting the Turbine store.

More on Turbine and Dungeons and Dragons Online as it appears. To those who have asked, no I do not have any new information on the lawsuit between Turbine and Atari.

2009: Surprise Sequels and Drama Aplenty


2009 in a nutshell...

2009 has come to a close, and has brought us plenty in terms of surprise sequels and drama. Here is a comprehensive list of the surprise sequels and drama that hit this past year.

Continue reading “2009: Surprise Sequels and Drama Aplenty”

Headstarts, Expansions, and Free to Play


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It’s a busy day today for MMOs. First off, those who preordered Fallen Earth will find that the headstart servers are now open for them to start roaming and utilizing those preorder bonuses before all the lazy people come in. Fallen Earth has been on my radar for quite some time now, not just because I was invited to the closed beta, but because it taught us a lot about false pretense. I’ll admit I was suckered into the idea that Fallen Earth would be an MMO take of Fallout 3, until I actually played the game and found that the two are different as day and night. Fallen Earth is a fully realized MMO set in a massive persistent world, with a unique system of crafting, leveling, and fighting. Those of you who did not preorder can dive into the live servers when the game fully launches on September 22nd, barring any future delays.

LOTRO

Secondly, an oldie comes back for a rejuvination. Today, Dungeons and Dragons Online goes fully free to play, alongside the newest expansion: Eberron Unlimited. The level cap has been raised to 20, and free players have access to most content, with a number of classes, items, and other features paid for through the game’s VIP system. Grab your 20 sided dice, get your party ready, and go deep into this title today! No doubt MMO Fallout will be focusing more on Dungeons and Dragons Online, what with the ongoing lawsuit between Developer Turbine and Publisher Atari.

Lord Of The Rings Online: Still Kicking


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Turbine has a modest list of titles, three to be exact (Asheron’s Call, Dungeons and Dragons, and Lord of the Rings), but I have no doubt that Turbine has a vested interest in all of their products (as long as you don’t bring up Asheron’s Call 2). Even Asheron’s Call, that hits a decade old this year, still receives updates regularly.

So I’m glad to see Turbine is bringing about the epic conclusion to Volume 2 in Lord of the Rings Online, with the upcoming expansion: Siege of Mirkwood. Turbine isn’t just looking for the normal increased level cap, new areas, new items, and balances, oh no. Siege of Mirkwood is expected to bring in a new skirmish mechanic, that allows players to run customizable soldiers through randomized instances, leveling them up as they go along.

Those of you who know Turbine will know that they do PvE, and they do it well. Whether Lord of the Rings or Dungeons and Dragons, any player who delves deep into the story will be asking themselves, “What PvP?”

Siege of Mirkwood is launching as a paid expansion this fall. If you’re interested in diving into the existing game, LOTRO costs ten dollars USD a month, only two thirds the cost of most mainstream MMOs

Atari: Lawsuit Frivolous


I reported last week that Turbine is currently suing Atari over fraud and extortion claims. If you’ve forgotten the gist of the lawsuit, Turbine has sued Atari, claiming extortion and fraud. Atari is claiming owed royalty payments over the MMO Dungeons and Dragons Online, while Turbine is claiming that not only are royalties being paid in advance, but Atari has planned to set this situation up, in order to terminate Turbine as the developer, and to go further and possibly shut down Dungeons and Dragons Online to make way for a rumored Neverwinter Nights MMO.

Atari’s response, sent to Shacknews:

Last week, with no warning, Turbine filed what can only be viewed as a frivolous lawsuit against Atari. This action can ultimately do a great disservice to D&D fans and to the MMO community at large. Turbine�s actions also appear intended to divert attention from the contractual obligations that Turbine owes to Atari. In response, today Atari served a motion to dismiss the entirety of Turbine’s lawsuit. Atari also filed a separate complaint to recover monies owed to Atari resulting from an independent third party audit of Turbine. While Atari hopes for a quick and fair resolution, it remains fully committed to the D&D communities worldwide and will vigorously protect the franchise and its own integrity in this matter.

Lawsuits between publisher and developer never end well, anyone who remembers the problems Valve got into when Half Life 2 was released can attest to this (The publisher sued Valve claiming Steam was stealing sales). If Turbine wins this lawsuit, in addition to whatever monetary gain they will receive, they will also keep their recently renewed license for DDO, that lasts until 2016 (Most likely long after DDO shuts down). If Atari wins, you can probably expect Turbine to be axed at the first opportunity Atari gets. With a lawsuit like this, undoubtedly there is going to be bad blood between the companies.

Again, more information as this lawsuit unfolds.