Neverwinter: Uprising Overview

For starters, the MMORPG welcomes the brand new Gith who have arrived in the free-to-play MMORPG set in the Forgotten Realms as an all-new playable race, their eternal conflict with the illithid spilling into the caverns of Undermountain. Halaster Blackcloak demands retribution from the adventurers who have occupied his domain culminating in an all-new 10-player End Game Trial, new PvP content including gear and a map, a fresh “coat of paint” on Protector’s Enclave, recrafted Early Game experience and much more.

The Story So Far

Illithid, aka Mind Flayers, have subjugated the gith for eons, treating them as slaves and converting them to otherworldly creatures against their will. Players join the conflict as it erupts in Halaster Blackcloak’s domain, drawing his malice. Along this path to a wild and explosive battle of wills against the Mad Mage, players explore deeper into Undermountain than before, leading to a magic portal that transports adventurers to the gith base of Stardock on asteroid above Toril. Back in Protector’s Enclave, the untold wealth adventurers have earned in Undermountain results in renovations for both the heart of Neverwinter and the Early Game experience.

Uprising New Features Snap Shot

That’s  not all, as more systems and features got an overhaul besides the introduction of the new content and race. Below is a quick snap shot of what else Neverwinter players can expect from this update.

• All-New Gith Race – Become the rebellion! The new race of psionic warriors is available to VIP members the first two weeks following Uprising’s launch and to all PC players for the following two weeks. This cycle will repeat on console only when Uprising launches on October 1.
• Uprising Storyline – Engage the illitihid in a struggle that will take adventurers from the depths of Undermountain to a secret gith asteroid base in orbit above Toril.
• Tower of the Mad Mage Trial – Enter Halaster Blackcloak’s private library to match wits and powers in an all-new, Endgame 10-Player Trial.
• Protector’s Enclave & Early Game Zone Revamp – Adventurers returning from their questing to the south may notice some changes to the heart of Neverwinter. Explore a remodeled Protector’s Enclave and experience adjustments to early zones and stories, which make starting a fresh character more enjoyable.
• Appearance System Overhaul – An evolution of the transmutation, dye and fashion systems, the newly improved Appearance tab allows adventurers to define the look of each slot in their inventory. Use dyes to unlock reusable colors, allowing for permanent mixing-and-matching of gear appearance and accents to truly define the look of each character.
• New PvP Content – Enjoy a new map, Stardock Arena, and fresh rewards for your battle efforts as the development team continues to evolve the PvP experience following class overhauls in Undermountain.

The post Here’s What You Can Expect From Neverwinter 2019 Uprising Update appeared first on Mmos World.

1. Star Wars: The Old Republic

There was a period in time that SWTOR wasn’t actually considered free to play friendly at all. Most saw BioWare’s monetization of the game as greedy, and with a massive fan base like Star Wars, corporations would obviously want to cash in on that. Today, SWTOR has dialed back on some of its free to play restrictions, letting you play all the base game’s class stories for free up to level 50. If you need a quick Star Wars fix, these class stories are absolutely worth it, and you can even forget the later stuff. Nothing beats the vanilla experience anyway. Just keep in mind, this will mostly be a single player experience which is tragic for one of the biggest budget MMORPGs of the modern era.

2. Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 started out has a buy to play MMORPG, and now has dropped its entry free entirely. You can in-fact, play the vanilla game all the way up until the still current level cap of 80. There’s almost no world-content restrictions, feel free to take part in a wide variety of activities. These include PvP, world boss events, fractals and of course, dungeons. The expansions so far offers new maps, the Living World Stories and elite class specializations, so you’ll have to pay for those if you want them. Otherwise, Guild Wars 2 offers probably the most solid amount of content for a free to play MMORPG on the market at the moment. You’ll still have restrictions like auction house limits and chat limitations, but if you can see pass that, it’s a great game to spend some time in.

3. Albion Online

For players looking for a more sandbox experience, Albion Online is perhaps your ideal choice. With inspiration drawn from games like RuneScape, Ultima and more, Albion Online let’s you play whatever you want to play, and be whoever you want to be, literally. The classless system allows you to build toward your favorite MMO fantasy archetype, and its world is true-sandbox – you’ll craft, build and kill other players to survive. If you die in a danger zone, you lose the gear that’s on you, so yes, full loot on death. It has an active Guild vs. Guild scene because territory warfare is a big deal in Albion. There is a premium subscription you can opt in for that awards bonus Fame which helps with crafting and skill progression, but for tight-budget players, who cares? You can still join a Guild, get help, and be competitive.

4. TERA

If Korean MMORPGs are what you’re after, the choices are almost endless. We settled on TERA, but as alternatives, there’s AION, Blade and Soul and dozens of others to check out. TERA gets the nod due to its combat system primarily. It’s an all action, addictive combat mechanic that feels alive right from the early game all the way to the end. The game lets you play everything for free, with no pay walls when it comes to content. There’s also sufficient fun to be had in all departments, from dungeons, to PvP and of course, monster grinding for XP if that’s your jam.

5. Neverwinter

This one’s a little controversial, but Neverwinter makes the list for a few reasons. Based on the Dungeons and Dragons setting, Neverwinter launched in 2013, and is still going strong today. The game does a decent job at incorporating what’s new in the D&D universe into the MMORPG, be it new rulesets, races and campaigns. The combat system is pretty fun, as are the dungeons and other group content. It is free to play with no pay walls stopping you from getting to the level cap, or even to the new and latest expansions and content. However, it’s also home to one of the most heavy-handed cash shops in-game for a Western title. Expect to see dozens of different loot-box keys for the twice as many boxes you’ll pick up in-game. There will be times you’ll feel like you can’t compete in-game if you don’t spend the money (PvP), but PvE is perfectly playable for anyone on a tight budget.

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Class and Combat Overhaul

Simply put, Neverwinter had gotten to a point where combat was brain dead easy. Anyone with a max level class with half a sniff of decent gear could one-shot anything including dungeon bosses. The new expansion has overhauled everything. Classes and their abilities and growth should feel a lot more engaging to the player.

Companion System Rework

Active Companion Bonuses have made into a separate piece similar to mount powers, referred to as a player bonus. An additional piece of companions are slottable powers known as pet enhancements – buffs or debuffs that are triggered when the player uses a power. The equipment that companions wear are now universal; companion equipment slots allow the player to equip any piece of companion equipment in them. Upgrading and levelling up multiple companions in storage benefits any summoned companion in the form of a bolster bonus.

Level and Scaling Updates

Undermountain has made item level far more consistent and therefore make it a more accurate gauge of player potential. Along with fixes to item level, the addition of item level scaling should provide a better version of scaling going forward. Now the game will scale a player down to a target item level. This system is often used by plenty of other MMORPGs to good affect, so it’s a good thing that Neverwinter are jumping on the bandwagon here.

Stats Rework

With the changes to classes, powers, and balance in Undermountain, the devs also wanted to step back and look at the way stats work. Now, players and enemies have opposing rolls: stats that lower their opponent’s chance to deal a critical strike, lower their combat advantage damage, and more. Certain stats have been removed and converted to one of these new stats.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Neverwinter. This might have touched only the major tweaks of how this MMO is reinventing itself. But the new content is worth a look. For the first time, players are venturing to Undermountain beneath Waterdeep. In a series of crawler style content, you’ll get to discover unique biomes and adventures and much much more. And of course, it’s all free so why are you still here?

The post What’s New With Neverwinter 2019? appeared first on Mmos World.

Class and Combat Overhaul

Simply put, Neverwinter had gotten to a point where combat was brain dead easy. Anyone with a max level class with half a sniff of decent gear could one-shot anything including dungeon bosses. The new expansion has overhauled everything. Classes and their abilities and growth should feel a lot more engaging to the player.

Companion System Rework

Active Companion Bonuses have made into a separate piece similar to mount powers, referred to as a player bonus. An additional piece of companions are slottable powers known as pet enhancements – buffs or debuffs that are triggered when the player uses a power. The equipment that companions wear are now universal; companion equipment slots allow the player to equip any piece of companion equipment in them. Upgrading and levelling up multiple companions in storage benefits any summoned companion in the form of a bolster bonus.

Level and Scaling Updates

Undermountain has made item level far more consistent and therefore make it a more accurate gauge of player potential. Along with fixes to item level, the addition of item level scaling should provide a better version of scaling going forward. Now the game will scale a player down to a target item level. This system is often used by plenty of other MMORPGs to good affect, so it’s a good thing that Neverwinter are jumping on the bandwagon here.

Stats Rework

With the changes to classes, powers, and balance in Undermountain, the devs also wanted to step back and look at the way stats work. Now, players and enemies have opposing rolls: stats that lower their opponent’s chance to deal a critical strike, lower their combat advantage damage, and more. Certain stats have been removed and converted to one of these new stats.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Neverwinter. This might have touched only the major tweaks of how this MMO is reinventing itself. But the new content is worth a look. For the first time, players are venturing to Undermountain beneath Waterdeep. In a series of crawler style content, you’ll get to discover unique biomes and adventures and much much more. And of course, it’s all free so why are you still here?

The post Why You Should Check Out Neverwinter’s Undermountain Expansion appeared first on Mmos World.