Should you play Neverwinter in 2021?

2020 has not been the greatest of years so you'd be forgiven for wanting to run off and live the next year inside a virtual world but with so many games to choose from which are worth your time and which just aren't worth the hard drive space let's find out ladies and gentlemen welcome i'm joshua hayes and today i'll be answering the question should you play neverwinter in 2021 we'll be looking at several aspects of the game and then deciding if it's worth your time before we begin please remember to drop a like on the video and consider subscribing to the channel and ringing the little bell icon for more mmorpg stuff and a huge thank you to all my supporters on patreon and twitch who make all my content possible right let's do this neverwinter is an action adventure mmorpg available on the playstation 4 xbox one and windows pc the pc version of the game is the most recent and gets updates before the console versions meaning the pc players are often one module ahead of console players all versions exist independently and sadly there's no cross play so you'll need to be playing on the same version as your mates if you all want to adventure together neverwinter is completely free to download and play right now on all versions and unlike some mmos you're actually able to play through and experience absolutely everything without paying anything there are no premium modules or areas or dungeons the entire game is open to you and even the ultra high level equipment can be bought with currencies earned entirely within the game but that doesn't mean you can't pay your way through certain bits developing company cryptic studios also makes star trek online and both games share the premium currency of zen you can buy zen then convert it to the neverwinter specific currency of astral diamonds then use astral diamonds to buy everything in game from faster mounts to better weapon enchantments or cosmetic overrides many people say neverwinter is pay to win and this is somewhat wrong you can earn astral diamonds in game although the process is slow and you can gather all the required items to become ultra powerful without ever buying zen but zen speeds up the process substantially then there's vip status if you buy one thousand zen a month that's about ten dollars worth you'll become a vip and gain special abilities which increase every month you remain a vip from reduced in-game injuries to the ability to summon a bank anywhere to free daily keys to open the premium loot boxes dropped in the game if you consider the 10 vip status a sort of pseudo subscription fee it's actually quite reasonable for the advantages that you do get neverwinter is set within the city of neverwinter which itself is based in the forgotten realm setting of the role-playing game dungeons and dragons being an official dungeons and dragons game you'll find all the established tropes here humans kobolds orcs and elves mighty warriors and mysterious mages you'll be able to visit the iconic locations made famous by the game from gauntlet grim to the well of dragons or even ice windale itself you can also meet and interact with series staple characters including elminster the mage lord neverember and even chat to the world's greatest ranger and his miniature giant space hamster minsk and boo from the baldur's gate franchise then go adventuring with the one and only dritz doerden or even take down tiamat herself if you are a dungeons and dragons fan there's a lot here to love and the attention to detail the development team have put in is clearly shown there are 12 playable races and each one comes with a small racial bonus the character creation process is very dungeons and dragons allowing you to set your six main stats strength dexterity constitution intelligence wisdom and charisma and then depending on your race you'll boost one or two of those stats very slightly if you're a hardcore min max stat junkie then you'll be calculating and choosing super carefully to make sure you're doing naught point naught one percent more damage but if you're playing casually you can play as any class with any race so this is mostly a cosmetic choice there are certain races including the moon elf or dragonborn that are premium unlocks and must be bought with zen or come included in a larger more expensive item pack but these are really for the more long-term player not the casual beginner once you've got a race you can pick one of the game's eight classes all based off dungeons and dragons classics the up close and personal melee monster the barbarian a distance based healer or support dps the cleric the bastion of defense and shield of the team the fighter the combo healer tank and all around good guy the paladin range dps with close range shenanigans and clearly the best class the ranger the super sneaky invisible nuke dps the rogue a creepy healer dps combo who helps themselves by harming others the warlock and finally the classic freeze enemies and slow time down magicians the wizard all classes are viable for both solo and group play and all classes play remarkably different from one another and all classes are needed in almost all dungeons while the flavour of the month may change you'll very rarely be completely useless and you'll definitely find a class that suits the way you want to kill things and that is why you play neverwinter the combat the story i can take it or leave it the graphics are acceptable the music is decent but nothing game changing but the combat this is what sets neverwinter apart neverwinter's main draw is its combat it's an action aiming system with incredibly fast and responsive controls and constantly changing battlefields each class plays so differently to each other that you need to relearn and remaster each one anytime you switch and each fight is totally possible to win if you know how to play your class it's one of the few mmos where knowledge and a high skill level can sometimes make up for the lack of end game items now in neverwinter you don't have access to hundreds of abilities at any one time you have to choose which ones you're going to use for pc your two main attacks are maps to the left and right click then you've got three abilities mapped to q e and r and some daily abilities mapped to one and two if you're playing on console you simply use all the buttons and it's remarkably intuitive then each class has a special function activated by pressing tab the ranger will switch from their bow to their close combat blades and all their attacks change the rogue goes invisible and now all your attacks are in stealth mode the fighter holds up their shield and protects the teammates around them the ability to customize and move around which attacks are mapped to which buttons and to do different things with your class's ability means any combat encounter plays out differently depending on the class you are approaching it with and in a team all combat styles work super well together while neverwinter may not have the map size of terror or the epic scale of warcraft as a fan of action combat i have to admit it is probably the single most fun combat experience i've ever had in an mmo you will start the game alone and level through most of the low level areas alone most likely then starting the campaigns alone but that's not to say you have to play alone you can team up with anyone and form a party level scaling will lower higher level players down to you then whenever you go anywhere such as into a story instance or a dungeon your party gets prompted to come with you they even use the classic you must gather your party before venturing fourth line that said it's totally possible to play as a solo adventure and wait until the latest expansion before you actually have to team up as that is when it will get too difficult for you whatever that expansion may be at the time the story is another place where neverwinter falls down while it starts out as you chasing the thieves group the nashers as they steal the crown of neverwinter it quickly spirals into a battle with the lich valindra then helping the icewinddale ten towns then stopping tiamat then killing dinosaurs then vampires honestly dungeons and dragons should never be considered a linear story it's more a setting for stories to happen within and neverwinter is very much that ask an experienced neverwinter player to explain the plot and very few would be able to as they've just spent all their time killing the new stuff and enjoying the combat system if you're after a deep and involved story although neverwinter does have that if you look for it it's not its main concern it was never meant to be a plot heavy deep lore driven game it has an action combat mmo first and foremost mmo population ranks neverwinter as the 22nd most active game with 2.3 million total players and an average daily user base of 135 000 players while that may not sound like a lot compared to runescape's million players a day the maps in neverwinter are much smaller and the dungeons are accessed by a queuing menu meaning it actually feels rather populated you'll likely be around other players most of the time until you adventure out into the further wilds of the latest expansions there are always guilds and clans recruiting and looking for new members across all game versions and the youtube scene has some knowledgeable and dedicated creators including nova northside and galactic underwear the best builds and money-making methods often change in neverwinter so it's useful to keep up with their updated guides if you're looking to play seriously the subreddit is surviving it's not the most populated but you can find answers to most questions just don't say anything bad about the game as for the latest xbox and playstation 5 launch it's not been officially announced yet but it's highly likely it will be coming to them neverwinter is an amazing early game experience you'll gain levels quickly you're introduced to the intricacies of combat the voice acting is good the pacing is great the adventure is fun and as you move quickly through the mid game you'll be equipping new items and armor at an acceptable pace then in the end to mid game you'll be showing true mastery of your class as you fight your way through much more dangerous places and visit iconic locations and generally enjoy the combat but end game is where neverwinter falls down the end game grinds to get the best weapons armor or items of any given module is extremely grindy you'll be running dungeons again and again and again and again and again and again and you get the picture the drop rate of anything fantastic either from lock boxes or dungeon chest or the actual boss itself is insultingly low and once you join the ranks of upper echelons of players i hope you're ready to spend weeks of your time and millions upon millions of astral diamonds upgrading your gear for tiny tiny increases in power then and this is also the reason i personally quit when the new module is released be prepared for the basic items the new module gives you to be more powerful than your maxed out gear from the previous you see neverwinter loves attracting new players and it does this by essentially leveling the playing field every time a major release happens if you start playing now and grind for a few months at the newest content while using your vip lockbox keys you'll quickly become almost as powerful as someone who's been playing for years because the the epic legendary stuff they got a year ago is now absolutely trash compared to the uncommon stuff you are getting for free it's great for new players and keeps new blood coming into the game but it's extremely demotivating for old players and once you've been playing for a few years you'll begin to regret the fact you are just as powerful as a fresh-faced new player as for content neverwinter is divided down into the start of the game which is your quick flight up to almost max level and then the campaigns which are structured adventures with daily and weekly caps on how much progress you can make on each there are so many campaigns that unless you make plain neverwinter your full-time job which i had to a year ago you won't be completing them all anytime soon which is a shame because completing the campaigns unlocks permanent boosts in power so you're going to have to do it at some point there's almost an overwhelming amount of stuff that opens up at the end game but hey at least you won't be bored so should you play it in 2021 honestly yes but mostly for the early and mid-game experience it's super fun to level a fresh character and if you can find a dedicated group of friends to enjoy the experience with it's got one of the best action combat systems ever made it's dungeons and dragons and when you're adventuring as a mid-level group it feels like a dungeons and dragons adventure but just like how dungeons and dragons is always more fun when you're a slightly lower level and loses its fun if you have to grind the same campaign again and again and again the end game really does turn this into a monotonous grind fest and even the amazing combat system is stretched to its enjoyable limit when you're forced to kill the same enemies and fight the same boss in the same way through the same dungeon for a naught point naught one percent chance of a drop that's very slightly better than what you're using that will instantly be outclassed the moment a new module happens it's a fun experience but when you look into the long-term sustainability of this you will get burned out very quickly so enjoy the early and game enjoy learning the characters and classes but don't spend hundreds of hours of your time trying to get a single item because that's when the game becomes boring cheers for watching let me know in the comments below if you decide to play neverwinter and drop a like on the video sub to the channel and ring the bell for more mmo content and once again another thank you to all my supporters on patreon and twitch who make this content possible if you've enjoyed the video you can support the patreon from only one pound a month or join the discord all links are in the video description below thank you for your time and as always have a great day you

Channel: Josh Strife Hayes

Views: 526,632

Keywords: runescape, mmorpg, gaming, player, how to play wow, jad guide, fire cape guide, best mmorpg 2020, worst mmorpg 2020, old game news, beginners guide to mmos, beginners guide to warcraft, BEST MMO 2021, WORST MMO 2021, WHAT MMO TO PLAY IN 2021, mmorpg ranking 2021, neverwinter online, should i play neverwinter, is neverwinter worth playing, is neverwinter good, cryptic studios, dnd online, dungeons and dragons games, best free mmo, free mmo 2021, free multiplayer games

Id: r2gSC9nYZH8

Length: 13min 15sec (795 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 02 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/Deanna_Dark_FA]

NW is my secondary game, I'm sometimes playing just for fun, without spending of real money. Sadly, the restrictions on the Item level are trying to force me to pay ... no thanks, folks 🙂 I won't pay just to have this "level" a little higher, to join to the "club of rich and successful persons". Just a fun game with friends, no PVP or rating chasing, this is the Way.

[u/LairsNW]

Always worth it to recommend NW, everyone see the game differently and for better or worse each of us have to experience it personally.

[u/boogertrauma]

No. Not worth the time (grind) or the money (pay to win).

[u/analogic-microwave]

Recommending this game to someone could be considered a prank at this point.

[u/lady_chtholly]

Feywild is the sweet spot imo

[u/Urwijajka]

Play maybe, pay you for this, nope.

[u/Cvalin21]

Do anyone think there should be more content ie tasks and quests or less?

[u/shel254]

I really like the game. I can't seem to get my level up after hitting 20k. Been gaining here and there so I'm at 22k now. Thinking about just making another character and starting over. The game was a lot more fun up until lvl 80. Now I just scramble to make AD to improve my gear. Games kinda repetitive - I mean I just do the same things over and over again trying to complete the campaigns. It's a fun game, don't get me wrong. I'm just kind of in a rut now that I'm where I'm at.

[u/MoJokeGaming]

games' a p2w grind. Fun doesn't exist. I do not regret quitting.