For those that weren't around to experience Spellplague the first time . . .

silence1x

I submit this 49 minute video for your perusal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsnJNRKRYYc

Just wanted to let the newer folks see how it was. I have not entered the new one on Preview yet.

From December 2013. NOT MINE.

ghoulz66

Not the best showcase of this dungeon. Video left out some of the hectic parts.

cerberusxll

sing followed by avalanche, that sound sequence takes me back/

tripsofthrymr

I played the leveling version up on Preview. It brought back fond memories.

I hope the epic version (which "needs a little love" before it's ready for preview) will be as challenging as the original. Maybe my Control Wizard will be able to control things in a meaningful way

beckylunatic

tripsofthrymr said:

I played the leveling version up on Preview. It brought back fond memories.

I've only watched Kali Gold's video of the reintroduced dungeon and it looks like some of the vast space was tightened up but not *too* much. The lighting has been redone. Still plenty of mobs.

The preview party was able to run it so quickly mostly because it's only a levelling dungeon, and that was less challenging than the epic even in their original iterations.

Level 55 Spellplague didn't have the Nothic "frogs" in the final boss fight, for example, only the "zombie" mobs.

ghoulz66

I hope those elites that shoot ranged beams hit like green dragon cultists. You get a brief indicator of their trajectory so it'll be refreshing to finally fight things that don't take 9 hours to land a red area on you. Too much HAMSTER is easy to dodge and all the minor baby hits are what kill you.

bvira

Singularity + shard haha old times

hustin1

beckylunatic said:

tripsofthrymr said:

I played the leveling version up on Preview. It brought back fond memories.

I've only watched Kali Gold's video of the reintroduced dungeon and it looks like some of the vast space was tightened up but not *too* much. The lighting has been redone. Still plenty of mobs.

The preview party was able to run it so quickly mostly because it's only a levelling dungeon, and that was less challenging than the epic even in their original iterations.

Level 55 Spellplague didn't have the Nothic "frogs" in the final boss fight, for example, only the "zombie" mobs.

Yup, and that last difference was EVERYTHING. Having players with good CC was absolutely critical in the epic version. My ultra-CC CW can't wait to be broken out of the glass case that says, "break in event of spellplague"

ghoulz66

The baby SP on preview is practically void of any real mobs.

Huge open areas that are almost empty.

pitshade

The old heroics felt empty as well, if you were used to the epics.

beckylunatic

pitshade said:

The old heroics felt empty as well, if you were used to the epics.

Yes, Spellplague was a lot of running through empty space. There were side areas in many original dungeons that had flavor and exploration, but there were also areas where you were really just walking through real estate for the sake of walking. Travel that exists solely so that things will take longer is not my idea of good design, and in spite of this whole plan to make dungeons shorter because that's what the players want, dammit, the devs have been relying WAY too much on making quest objectives really far apart just to waste time or make people covet legendary mounts.

ghoulz66

pitshade said:

The old heroics felt empty as well, if you were used to the epics.

Did you see the last area before the final boss? It was GUTTED of mobs. It's not my imagination.

jonkoca

I still remember trying to get my baby CWs HV slippers from SP. Great dungeon. Hope the new version will still retain the magic.

kemi1984

As far as I remember, SP dropped the helm - and BTW I never got it, bought it of AH after some serious farming :P

lantern22

hahah kiting the adds at the end, not much of that happening nowadays, well none

pitshade

beckylunatic said:

pitshade said:

The old heroics felt empty as well, if you were used to the epics.

Yes, Spellplague was a lot of running through empty space. There were side areas in many original dungeons that had flavor and exploration, but there were also areas where you were really just walking through real estate for the sake of walking. Travel that exists solely so that things will take longer is not my idea of good design, and in spite of this whole plan to make dungeons shorter because that's what the players want, dammit, the devs have been relying WAY too much on making quest objectives really far apart just to waste time or make people covet legendary mounts.

The biggest thing that sold me on VIP was the travel signpost - and those ME quests for Pirate's Skyhold and Icespire Peak. And SoMI is 80% padding that really can't be skipped.

ghoulz66 said:

pitshade said:

The old heroics felt empty as well, if you were used to the epics.

Did you see the last area before the final boss? It was GUTTED of mobs. It's not my imagination.

I haven't been on Preview, but I remember that area well in the old Heroic dungeon pre-mod 6. It was easily possible to avoid most or all of the mobs just by running around them then. The population density was so low that reducing it further wouldn't make any change to avoiding them, it was already trivial to do so.

waywardwizard

Ahh good times :)

silence1x

I ran SP at least 100 times on two toons. In the quest for the helm, my HR took about 40 runs and my GF took the other 60. Yes, kiting was a thing there and in FH. Alas, kiting is no longer needed methinks. Oh well, it's fun to reminisce. . .

ambisinisterr

Spellplague was my favorite dungeon.

I argued aggaints the add fest in the dungeons that existed in...well...every dungeon from Launch EXCEPT spellplague.

Spellplague was perfect as it was. It had a great challenge and unlike many of the initial dungeons had a strategic option for those who don't like piling DPS. I really did not want it changed mechanically in any way.

crowdsourced

Neverwinter dungeons used to be so much fun. Just watch Kripparian play it. People nowadays have no idea.

rollingonit

jonkoca said:

I still remember trying to get my baby CWs HV slippers from SP. Great dungeon. Hope the new version will still retain the magic.

SP epic dropped helms. ToS epic dropped chests. FH epic dropped boots. KR epic dropped gloves. The Tier 2 versions of that gear.

SP was my favorite dungeon. Best period in NW history. (Also a period where CWs exploited nearly every dungeon, by jumping into places and pew pewing where they shouldnt of been able to)

bitt3rnightmar3

OMG- The tank. He's KITING and that DC has Divine Astral shield for a heal. -Sigh- CW Exploding meatball goodness.

Nice video xD This brings back warm fuzzies.

kemi1984

One of the worst things we now have in dungeons is...runing, lol it may sound weird but back in the days it was a crawl indeed.

Of course we were A LOT weaker back than, and....we were a lot slower lol. Adding to this that we had hordes of adds that was s true dungeon crawl.

That's why CN and SP were two of my favourite. Even when I look this on YT and heard those noises in the dungeon...make me shiver.
I was one of those that hated DV tho :P I get the point that it was hard, but all those mobs that stunned and pushed my back nad forth...that was bad

Now? we're steamrolling through dungeons, literally. Door to door pulls are something normal, especially with "farm runs". I'm doing it yet I dislike it. That's why FBI is different, and that's why it's marked as the best dungeon we have from a long long time.