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Neverwinter releases post-Shadowmantle infographic
So how is Neverwinter doing these days? The game's been a little quiet since the launch of Shadowmantle. But it looks as if it's doing fairly well, judging by a brand-new infographic, which is embedded just past the cut. More than 2 million new characters have been created since the launch of Shadowmantle, with Hunter Rangers turning up as the most popular new character and Devoted Clerics as the least. Beyond that, over 3 million characters have died in PvP matches and a combined total of 405 years' worth of experience has been gained. If you can't get enough of numbers about games, go ahead and jump past the cut to see exactly how the game has been doing since its last update. On a numerical level, it seems pretty solid. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]
Test drive Neverwinter's Hunter Ranger with an interactive trailer
Neverwinter's Shadowmantle expansion is currently live, and with its release comes (among other things) the addition of the game's newest class. The Hunter Ranger is a ranged/melee damage dealer capable of shifting attack abilities on the fly depending on how close the player feels like getting to the target. For those of you who haven't yet had a chance to create a Hunter Ranger or are curious about what playing as one might be like, Perfect World has released an interactive trailer designed to walk you through the basics. In the trailer you are able to select certain Hunter Ranger spells to see how they play out in the game world. Check out the trailer after the break. [Source: Perfect World press release]
Neverwinter's Shadowmantle launches with new class, zone, and more
Neverwinter's latest content hit today as the Shadowmantle module launched, giving players a variety of new things to occupy their time, from places to go to people to be. Players can now embark on their adventures as a brand-new class, the Hunter Ranger, which is a mix of both ranged and melee abilities. For the level-60 crowd, there is also a new dungeon to dive into (Valindra's Tower), a new skirmish to participate in (Dread Legion), and a whole new region to explore (the Dread Ring). The over-level-21 crowd can get its hands on new artifacts thanks to new quests. Other updates included in this module are a collections system, active companion bonuses, more Paragon Path choices, a voting system to kick out party members, and more. A full-run down of all the changes, balances, and additions are available in the patch notes.
Neverwinter announces Hunter Ranger booster pack
Cryptic today revealed a new booster pack bundle that will go live with Neverwinter's upcoming Shadowmantle expansion. Designed specifically for the Hunter Ranger, the Hunter Ranger booster pack offers a few key goodies that should soften the starting experience for players checking out Neverwinter's newest class. The bundle includes a Hunter Ranger-exclusive bow and hatchet, account-wide neck and slot items, and hunting hawk companion. Additionally, it contains a bag of identification scrolls, assorted skill kits, and a 24-slot bag. Those who purchase the bundle will receive the title Master of the Savage Wild. The Hunter Ranger booster pack launches alongside Shadowmantle on December 5th, 2013.
Neverwinter details its upcoming Collections System
So let's say you're one of those players who really, really enjoys keeping track of every single aspect of your adventuring from loot types to dungeons conquered. Well, in an upcoming Neverwinter patch called Module 2: Shadowmantle, you'll have the chance to complete all the things. The new system will not only keep track of the loot you have but also point out the loot that you are missing! It will tell you the zone rewards, companions and artifacts you need as well. Good luck finding sleep after this goes live. Don't worry, you won't have to have each of these items in your backpack in order for them to count. Once you obtain an item, it will unlock in the Collection, and completed armor sets will be rewarded with a title. It all comes together in a new interface that will actually tell you where to find all of the missing items. The patch will also contain Artifacts, the Dread Ring Campaign, new Paragon Paths, a new adventure zone and the new Hunter Ranger class (finally!).
Neverwinter dev blog dives deep into building the Hunter Ranger
Neverwinter's next expansion, Shadowmantle, will bring an all-new class to to game in the form of the Hunter Ranger. The Hunter Ranger will enable players to switch between melee and ranged combat on the fly, and possesses skills designed for mobility and destruction. Cryptic has posted a detailed dev blog about the development of the Hunter Ranger, authored by one of the folks who helped to piece the new class together. The post explains how the team went about building the Hunter Ranger's playstyle by quickly prototyping new abilities and testing them in-game, and walks through the decision-making process that led to the Hunter Ranger being given two full combat styles. Hunter Ranger abilities include Hawkeye, which buffs the Ranger's next attack, Marauder's Rush, which quickly charges and strikes a distant target, Hindering Shot, which roots the target, and Hawk Shot, which deals damage based on the distance from the target. The Hunter Ranger class goes live with Shadowmantle December 5th.
Neverwinter dispels the mystery of its artifact system
For those of you who are a little mystified over the new artifact system coming with Neverwinter's Shadowmantle module, Cryptic's put out a clear-cut guide to what's what with these special objects. Artifacts are items that imbue the possessor with certain bonuses while at the same time giving players new skills to use. These skills recharge every few minutes and offer significant benefits, from healing to damage boosting to... shopkeeping. Players will get their first artifact for free at level 20, after which additional artifacts will need to be found elsewhere in the game. Artifacts can be leveled up through the refinement system (also coming with module 2). Ultimately, a player can have one active and two passive artifacts slotted at any given time, with the passives offering only the stat bonuses.
Neverwinter's Shadowmantle module coming December 5th
Neverwinter's Shadowmantle update will be arriving in plenty of time for the holidays. Today Cryptic announced that the game's module 2 will arrive on December 5th. "We're incredibly excited to share the release date of Shadowmantle -- our second free expansion," said Cryptic Studios Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich. "With Neverwinter, our plan has always been to release massive regular updates that provide new unique online experiences with exciting new content for players to explore." Shadowmantle will include the Hunter Ranger class, new paragon paths, the Dread Ring zone, and the artifact system. If you're unfamiliar with it, get up to date with the changes by reading our preview of the module.
Neverwinter highlights new paragon paths for Devoted Cleric, Trickster
Last week, Cryptic announced Neverwinter's new paragon paths for all classes coming with the Shadowmantle module. This time around, the studio is detailing more of the how and why of those new paths, focusing on the Devoted Cleric and Trickster classes. The Anointed Champion path for Devoted Cleric offers this class more of a healing role, unlike the DPS path currently offered; it gives the cleric a chance to perform last-minute saves with a brief invulnerability bubble that surrounds both the Cleric and a groupmate. With the Whisperknife path, Tricksters get more up close and personal, using new utility skills that mark and debuff a target before the rogue teleports in to inflict damage.
Neverwinter's new paragon paths detailed [Updated]
Neverwinter's upcoming Shadowmantle module will finally be giving players a second option with their paragon paths. A new dev diary from the folks at Cryptic gives an overview of these new paths along with details regarding the skills involved. Devoted Clerics will get a buff-centric path, Trickster Rogues will be flinging knives more, Control Wizards will go all pyro on their enemies, and Guardian Fighters and Great Weapon Fighters will be swapping each other's paragon path for a different playstyle. Don't just take our word for it: Check out the Shadowmantle paragon paths preview video after the jump for a visual inspection of these lines. [Update: We had to take down the video at Cryptic's request; we'll get it back up as soon as the new one is out!]
Neverwinter sheds light on Dread Ring zone
The Neverwinter community is buzzing over the upcoming Shadowmantle module, and today Cryptic is giving us a closer look at one of its core features: the Dread Ring campaign. The Dread Ring is a new zone in which Valindra Shadowmantle and her motley crew are attempting to resurrect a mighty dragon in order to make it the world's biggest dracolich. The zone has many significant landmarks amidst the bones of this long-dead dragon, but Valindra's Tower, an epic dungeon, will be the one everyone will be eying. The dev diary gives some of the lore behind the region, but of course all preservationist players have skipped past that to see which rewards might be worth the risk. Cryptic assures us that these will be "more plentiful and more powerful" than anything seen to date. The studio is also tweaking its daily quest system, promising more variety in the themes, instances, and rewards that it offers.
Dawn of the Hunter Rangers: Touring Neverwinter's Shadowmantle module
Considering all of the exciting reveals of Neverwinter's second module, Shadowmantle, I think it's prudent to start with the unknowns. No, we don't have a specific date of release (although it will be "by the end of the year"). No, we don't know whether Druids or Warlocks or any other Dungeons and Dragons classes are in development for next year. And no, we can't tell whether there's a massive honey badger conspiracy in the city of Neverwinter. With that said, there's plenty that Lead Designer Andy Velasquez had to reveal to us for this upcoming module. For starters, it's 100% free, just in case you were wondering. Sure, Cryptic will continue to run a robust store (and doesn't seem to have any inclination to rein in the lockbox invasion), but all of the content of Shadowmantle will be available to the entire playerbase on day one. It's shaping up to be an even meatier update than Fury of the Faewild, believe it or not. The big star of Shadowmantle is the first new post-launch class: the Hunter Ranger. But this flexible fighter won't be hogging the entire spotlight; Neverwinter will also be adding a new zone, additional paragon paths, and a spiffy artifact skill system. So read on and prepare for the stampede of players rushing to be the next online Legolas-slash-Drizzt.
