Neverwinter + Scourge Warlock – Review
There are quite some MMORPGS available and some of them are free. We got the opportunity to test the newly added class “Scourge Warlock” in the game “Neverwinter”. Since this class is new in the game, it is an honour to give you a small overview.
Story
Neverwinter is based on the famous Dungeons and Dragons settings, namely the Forgotten Realms campaign. You might recognize several aspects from other games you’ve already played.
This game takes you to the Sword Coast region of Faerûn, more precisely, to the grand city Neverwinter. This metropolis wasn’t demolished by the Spellplague but another disaster hit it. Mount Hotenow, a volcano near Neverwinter, erupted and struck the city. Since Neverwinter was in despair, it was eventually destroyed and overtaken by evil mercenaries. Lord Neverember arrived after a while and took control of one of the most important places in town: Protector’s Enclave. This good lord started the reconstruction of the Enclave and persuaded the inhabitants to rebuild their hometown. This isn’t done without threats of course. There are struggles within the city and the constant attacks of the evil queen of death, Valindra. She controls an army of undead people and wants to take control of Neverwinter and probably the rest of Faerûn. It is your job to help out the inhabitants of this city and its surrounding towns.
Graphics
The graphical quality of Neverwinter is rather ok, keeping in mind that this is a free game. The characters are nicely finished and have their own specific characteristics. The armor and weapons stand out and against the environment, which is a good aspect. Your characters doesn’t blend with the background.
There are several enemies that will try to eat or hurt you. Some of them might have similar visual features, although you won’t be watching them for long since you’ll try to destroy them.
The environments has quite some details but the finishing touch could have been better. Some items look a bit pixelated but this is something you won’t notice that much. Every area is recognizable by its specific elements.
Sound
Neverwinter has quite a lot of soundtracks and the sound effects are very nice. The developers chose to implement more dramatic-sounding music and this was a great idea. The situation in which the inhabitants are in needs that bit more drama. Other areas need a more gloomy style and that is what you’ll get. You won’t get bored with the soundtracks soon.
Each attack has its own particular sound effect, although this might not be the same for the enemies. Zombies have almost the same kind of growl but you’ll probably be busy killing them than listening to their sounds.
Gameplay
Neverwinter is a free MMORPG in which you will need to solve quests to advance in the storyline. You’ll be venturing several locations, like dungeons, caves, … . The combat system is similar to a third-person shooter. You can’t click on enemies to target them, but you’ll need to hover over enemies to target them and then you’re ready to attack. Two attacks are bound to your mouse buttons (both left and right). The other attacks or spells are bound to your keys on your keyboard.
Before you can fight your way through mobs, it is necessary to make a character. You can choose between several races and classes. It has to be said, the game offers you a lot of customization options to change your appearance. For example, you can choose your eyes, body scaling, hair style, etc. Character origins and deity affiliation are more background information and has no effect on the gameplay.
Every class has their own specific stats that are important to improve your character. These stats are altered by assigning points when you level or by wearing armor with stats. You get other points as well when you level so you can improve your attacks or learn new skills. These powers are divided in two parts, namely the general powers and the combat powers. The general powers are learned at the start of your character and can’t be altered. Combat powers are learned and/or improved when you spend points.
Another aspect that is quite important are the feats. This is a kind of ‘talent tree’ in which you give points or ‘heroics’ to certain skills. When you have enough points in a certain ‘tree line’, you become more specialized. This gives you the chance to gain certain abilities if you spend paragon points. If you want to improve your character permanently, the ‘boons’ are your thing. You can get permanent boosts if you clear certain campaigns.
Now that you know a lot about your character, it is time to find out what the game offers. There are certain events you can queue for if you want to get loads of money, while dungeons are implemented to fight small bosses in instances and if you want to gain experience, the home menu grants you quests. Neverwinter also integrated the Foundry. This gives players the possibility to make their own quests and share them with the rest of the community. If you want to kill some enemy players, you can always queue for a PvP match.
Neverwinter implements a very neat system, namely that they ‘host’ several events during the day. These event give you bonuses when you’re busy with the main goal of this event. For example, when you play a PvP match during an event where you get bonuses when you complete a PvP match, you gain extra perks. It might be a good idea to keep an eye on these events.
If some of these quests are too hard, you can always let companions help you (at rank 16). These helpers give you a hand to slaughter enemies and are a helpful ‘tool’ when you need some help.
A MMORPG can’t exist without professions. You can learn every profession if you have the necessary starting items and if you have a free profession slot. You gain these slots when you level. These professions can give you certain items or you can earn gold this way.
Last but not least, you have a Trade House. You can sell items here by bids or buyouts. You will need Astral Diamonds if you want to buy something. This rare currency can be obtained if you refine rough Astral Diamonds. You can get this rough golden goodie by completing certain daily quests, completing the Neverwinter events and by invocation. These Astral Diamonds can be traded for Zen. Zen is the currency that you can buy online and is needed to buy the super rare items and certain services.
Scourge Warlock
The Scourge Warlock is the newest class available and you can find a bit of extra information in the following part.
This Warlock uses a melee weapon but focusses more on using ranged spells. This class is mostly used for dealing damage but you can heal yourself and your allies with certain spells. Be ready to use dark arts and rip out souls of your enemies for your own good.
There are three stats that are very important for a Scourge Warlock, namely the Charisma, Intelligence and Constitution. The Warlock has Fury, Damnation and Temptation as feat trees.
- A Fury Warlock mainly uses fire and death to kill his enemies and focusses a lot on curses. This means that, when you kill an enemy with a curse, you’ll get certain perks.
- The Damnation Warlock uses soul puppets to become stronger. These puppets are very important if you want to deal loads of damage or if you need more armor.
- As a Temptation Warlock, this tree is used to heal allies by ripping out the souls of enemies. He can also use several positive auras for allies or negative ones for enemies. Your foes will do less damage for example.
It was a great experience playing with the Scourge Warlock. You can start using spells from afar, but you don’t have to worry when enemies are hitting you. You’re not as strong as a tank, but you won’t die easily. Since you can heal yourself with certain abilities, this class is something to be afraid of.
Conclusion
Neverwinter is a great MMORPG and is free to play. The game has a strong storyline, rather ok graphics but great soundtracks. The game offers you a lot of different options and possibilities, making it a superb title if you’re looking for something new. The new class is great, since you’re quite strong and you’re able to heal yourself, while doing loads of damage.
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[…] The game has a few differences but a lot of similarities with the PC version. If you want to read the previous review, you can find it here. […]