10 June 2013 | |
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Cryptic Studios announced that its well-received Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG will be shedding its beta nomenclature on June 20. Neverwinter has been in full open beta, meaning freely accessible to any interested party without the fear of character wipes, since launching on April 30. The title has overcome its inevitable growing pains and has a handful of patches behind it already.
The forward progress of development and general player progression means its the perfect time for some content. And that’s exactly what players will receive. The late-June transition will unleash Gauntlgrym, a barely pronounceable end-game area first mentioned by Jack Emmert during our PAX interview. The zone features a mix of PvP and PvE content in one dungeon-clearing extravaganza. Players will be able to beta the zone in the upcoming Preview server.
Not enough news for you? How about a teaser site for the first Neverwinter expansion, Fury of the Feywild.
22 May 2013 | |
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Turbine Entertainment is certainly a busy bee. The Massachusetts-based developer is continuing to produce a breathtaking amount of content for Lord of the Rings Online, its first MOBA, the upcoming Infinite Crisis, and Dungeons & Dragons Online. The company has even returned to its roots, patching the age old game that put it on the map Asheron’s Call and reviving its sequel.
Today, the company announced that the second expansion for DDO will be heading to servers near you on August 19. Originally announced way back in February, Shadowfell Conspiracy introduces two new Adventure Packs, Wheloon and Stormhorns, bringing a prison city and treacherous mountain passes to the Forgotten Realms.
Players that want Turbine to take their money early can allow the company to do so. If you crack that leather you’ll be rewarded with a collection of bonus items, from an extra character slot to a collection of cosmetic and companion characters.
Oh, and if you’re too excited to wait to head to Epic Level 28 Update 18: Disciplines of Shadow, rthe prequel to Shadowfell Conspiracy, went live today.
Check out the latest screenshots, including images of the pre-purchase items after the cut. The full list of pre-purchase items for Collector’s and Standard editions are keeping those images company behind that dangerous button.
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21 May 2013 | |
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Over the weekend a nasty exploit plagued the economy of Neverwinter. The action-oriented Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG saw its economy torn to shreds after a large-enough amount of players began using a recently-discovered exploit. The investigation itself took hours, resulting in numerous restarts, prolonged downtime and the possibility of full rollbacks. This is all due to the bug touching so much of the economy, including the RMT-based Astral Diamonds.
After mulling over the data, Cryptic Studios was forced to do a minor rollback of seven hours. Any progress made on May 19 from 8:20 EST until 3:20 EST was negated. But there’s a bit of a silver lining for all the troubles. Aside from the bans against the exploiters that is. A cat’s paw’s purse, as it may be.
Any character made before Tuesday, May 21 at 6:00 AM can login to receive the Caterday Survivor’s Pack. The pack contains a variety of goodies to ease the downtime and regain trust. Armor, health and even scrolls of teleportation and XP boosts.
Check your mailboxes for the “You Survived” message.
11 April 2013 | |
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The latest Neverwinter Dev Blog revealed a tidbit that excites many a hardcore Dungeons and Dragons player. Cryptic Studios has listened to beta feedback and modified one of the core progression systems based upon player desire. In the near future players will have another aspect of character customization to enjoy; being able to select which powers to use.
Previously, customization was limited to which power to equip to the hotbar. Players had no choice in what power to accept. They were all unlocked as the character gained experience. Coming as part of Beta Weekend 4, players will receive additional customization in the form of power training. As a character gains experience it will earn power points, a currency to purchase powers or upgrades. At max level players will have earned around 60 power points, “roughly a dozen points shy of maxing out everything.”
Change is a good thing.
4 April 2013 | |
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During our PAX East 2013 interview, Jack Emmert let us in on a secret. That Neverwinter, the company’s action-oriented MMORPG set in the Dungeon & Dragons universe, would be heading to open beta very soon. Unlike some other developers out there it appears that Cryptic Studios wasn’t leading on gamers. Cryptic Studios and Perfect World Entertainment announced early today that Neverwinter will move to its open beta testing phase on April 30.
But before gamers get full access with no fear of wipes, there’s one final hooray for those early adopters and lucky beta key winners. Next Friday, April 12 until Sunday, April 14 eligible players will receive 60 hours to hone their experience farming routine. Of most interest to some will be another topic discussed during the interview, a first crack at Neverwinter’s Profession system. Be it Leadership, Leatherworking, Mailsmithing or Platesmithing, all four profession will be available to those interested.
“We’ve never been in a better place launching a game,” said Jack Emmert, CEO, Cryptic Studios. “While the entire team is focused on launching Neverwinter’s Open Beta on April 30, we still wanted to thank those committed Founders who stuck with us. Since the beginning of Neverwinter’s Beta Weekends, our Founders have shown us that Neverwinter offers engaging game mechanics, unique features and a gameplay experience that is parallel to subscription or paid games. They have become our biggest supporters and we wanted to give them Beta Weekend 4 as a token of our appreciation.”
After the jump is the latest trailer, What is Neverwinter, and a collection of new screenshots. Time is running out to become a Founder and acquire guaranteed beta access and exclusive items.
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18 March 2013 | |
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Cryptic Studios is certainly taking full advantage of the Dungeons & Dragons intellectual property for Neverwinter. The developer released its latest zone reveal late last week focusing on one of the most awe inspiring cities available to the action-oriented MMORPG. Few cities are as majestic as the Jewel of the North, a bustling city before the Spellplague and after the eruption of Mount Hotenow.
Saved from the ravages of the external factors ever present in the Forgotten Realms by its massive city wall, the ‘Jewel of the North’ is a token to Lord Neverember’s tireless efforts to protect his people. Even the ones that hope to tear apart his reign from within the city’s very walls.
Hit the cut for the latest trailer taking viewers across the regions of Neverwinter, gameplay, included mounted combat and a collection of advanced skills for the classes.
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1 March 2013 | |
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It’s March and that can only mean one thing, the beginning of convention season! The annual Game Developer’s Conference may usher in the video game convention period. But Penny Arcade Expo East is where the realm truly shines, inviting consumer and creators alike to rub shoulders. Recently, Blizzard joined the official attendance roster of PAX East and now Perfect World Entertainment and Neverwinter will make another appearance.
Cryptic Studios will be displaying its action-oriented Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG on 18 stations during the show. This’ll allow hundreds of aspiring adventurers to experiences the most recent closed beta content. In conjunction, convention and beta testers alike will get their first crack at the Great Weapon Fighter, the title’s latest class. Convention goers can once again earn physical rewards for participating and even permanent in-game items.
Too excited? Cyrptic didn’t just drop this news and walk away. The company just unveiled its latest trailer focusing on exactly how the heroes of Neverwinter will travel the lands. Some methods of transportation come with their own risks as the screenshots and trailer after the cut will showcase.
Purchasing a Neverwinter Founder’s pack will guarantee immediate closed beta access. Continue Reading
26 February 2013 | |
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Adventurers in the growing world of Dungeons & Dragons Online we’ve big news for you. Turbine Entertainment has just announced that that Eberron is going to get much larger thanks to the MMORPG’s second expansion, Shadowfell Conspiracy. Players will be able to enter the new Forgotten Realms journey in summer 2013.
“Last year we expanded the world of DDO into the Forgotten Realms universe with the launch of our first expansion,” said Erik Boyer, Senior Producer of DDO. “This year we’re introducing more content and making it even easier to experience the latest content with the introduction of Iconic Heroes that begin at level 15, allowing players to jump right into the action.”
Shadowfell Conspiracy is bringing players two new Adventure Packs, Wheloon and Stormhorns, introducing a prison city and treacherous mountain passes. The upcoming expansion will introduce iconic heroes to players of level 15 or higher. These prestige characters can be outfitted with iconic gear, customizable options and new abilities. Lastly, the level cap increase. Players will be able to attain Epic Level 28 and all the spells and abilities that come with the increase.
Stay tuned to LoreHound.com for more on DDO as Turbine dumps it.
