In this special month-long series, I talk about various MMORPGs I have played over the years and the things I enjoyed best about them. This series celebrates how social media and social games bring people together, no matter the distance. The MMORPG for Week #2 is Neverwinter.
[Apologies: This originally posted without any screenshots. It has been fixed and I'll try to make sure that never happens again! --snarkqueen]
What is Neverwinter?
Technically, the better question is
where it is. Neverwinter is a location in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting of Forgotten Realms. It is a city-state founded by Lord Halueth Never, located on the subcontinent of Faerûn. To that end, Neverwinter has been the setting of games in the past -- like the popular Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2. The MMO is completely free to play, giving people the opportunity to enter the D&D world of the Forgotten Realms without having to gather around a table with others and dice.
Why I Started Playing
I had played Neverwinter Nights, and after getting a taste of MMORPGs on Steam I went looking for others I could play without making a substantial monetary commitment (retail payroll didn't foot that kind of expense).
I found Neverwinter in 2014, which promised to let me make a D&D character with the current rules and play that character through familiar places in the Forgotten Realms, and see familiar faces from the rule books and novels. I jumped at the opportunity and dredged up an old roleplay character and made her a reality. Thus was my elven ranger made and sent into the fray.
Why I (Kinda) Continue to Play
I reached a level-cap with two of my characters several years back and hit what felt like a brick wall. After reaching that cap, there were a series of Modules set up in front of me like dominoes. The options were: (1) Grind away at daily, repetitive tasks and quests to "complete" the Module, or (2) Pay real money to complete it. I did a bit of the grinding, but it got a little old and I moved on. I still want to get back into it and experience a lot of the newer content -- I usually drop back in for the festival in December because I love the races! The thing that keeps me from it is that I (last I checked) have to finish one Module to get to the next. It's a bit daunting, especially without being part of Guild. The game just released its NINETEENTH Module -- Avernus.
Despite my lack of progress, there are a lot of things in the game that are fantastic reasons to play it. I mean, first of all: NINETEEN Modules. The user interface of the game is also unique in that you actually have to target your enemies. Where you face and look is where you're aiming, and hitting the tab key is how you still the frame to use your menus. It's a little crazy at first, but it makes gameplay more active and engaging after a while. It also puts the math of D&D rules to work, adding a layer of complexity that other MMOs don't have. There are also fantastic mounts, cosmetics, regular events, Strongholds for the Guilds to build up, sparring, crafting, companions that you can level up to help you and provide different benefits, and a LOT more. Just be prepared to spend some cash if you want to indulge in some of the better goodies!
Social Media
If anything I've said has intrigued you, I encourage you to check out the links below to learn more and give the game a chance. If you like D&D you'll either love it or hate it (as is the usual case when it comes to things based on D&D!). If you don't take it too seriously, the novelty of being
in the Forgotten Realms tends to be enough for most.
Have you played Neverwinter? Leave some comments here or on Twitter about how @NeverwinterGame has brought you together with other players, and be sure to tell them that #GamerReverieBlog sent you!
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