So... what's the storyline?

ysil6969

I'm just wondering if there's a storyline that kicks in sometime? I've got several characters I play very slowly, my highest being 30. So far it seems like I've done a mad scramble of fight x mob. Only discernible villain is Valindra and aside from knox no discernible allies... First it was the crown and the rebels, then the orcs, then pirates... none of them really had any story start or finish. Looking for the crown was a decent intro into the quest, but than it just suddenly ended. No climax. Than it was, "talk to npc x" "kill mob x". Does a story actually develop eventually or is it just a bunch of mini adventures asian grinder style?

misssmoozie

Basicly miniadventures Asian grinder style. As far as I've gotten it, the story is Validnra is raising an army to conquer Neverwinter, and your job is to gather allies to stop her.
Everything you do is either gathering allies, stopping the Nasher from causing a civil war, and defending Neverwinter.
Thing is, the story is not very apparent, and it lacks an end, as it all ends with [SPOILER:] you defeating Valindras Dracolich in Castle Never, which you repeat 200 times, as it turns out to be the only worthwhile place to grind.

nearlydiamond

I thought the pirates storyline was great actually, you do need to read a lot of text though, or stand for a long time to hear the voice overs, but my interpretation, and I'm not a D&D veteran or lore aficionado is a lot of different areas and separate story threads linked by the Spell plague event. Then the Realm of the Fey was added as a sort of mini expansion with a separate threat but linked through Valindra.

I think ore of a story for the companions would be nice but actually I liked most of the story content of the developer made quests. Some of the foundry quests, I mean the ones that aren't about farming the latest loot drops, are actually very well written too, and some of the authors of those are obviously long time D&D fans and they manage to link their quest lines into the game brilliantly.

misssmoozie

Oh, forgot to say this but my only real problem with the story is how unsatisfactory the end feels, I hoped for a quest or two after CN had been cleared to wrap things up. And, even more, I am kind of bugged by the lack of a zone with normal CN. Where the Ashes of the past can be traded in.
The endgame just feels reworked, in a poor manner, to me it'd been better if "epic" CN, became just CN, and Ashes of the past were removed for now.

ysil6969

nearlydiamond wrote: »

I thought the pirates storyline was great actually, you do need to read a lot of text though, or stand for a long time to hear the voice overs, but my interpretation, and I'm not a D&D veteran or lore aficionado is a lot of different areas and separate story threads linked by the Spell plague event. Then the Realm of the Fey was added as a sort of mini expansion with a separate threat but linked through Valindra.

I think ore of a story for the companions would be nice but actually I liked most of the story content of the developer made quests. Some of the foundry quests, I mean the ones that aren't about farming the latest loot drops, are actually very well written too, and some of the authors of those are obviously long time D&D fans and they manage to link their quest lines into the game brilliantly.

I just find so much if it seems rushed. There's no leading up to zones through story or npc reaction. It's thanks for doing that last task, now go talk to this guy orcs/pirates/bandits are being a pain. You arrive in the zone and they barely introduce the villians in the dungeons, (Which themselves are really boring. No storyline involved at all =/) Maybe I'm just not reading enough of the extra lore.

nearlydiamond

They are all a little short I suppose and in that sense could feel a little disjointed. I do agree that once you get to 60, Realm of the Fey aside it kind of feels like you're at the pinnacle. I suppose the Foundry was supposed to expand on these things but unfortunately while the Foundry is great for RP, to my mind it needs to link in with tangible character progression in game as well for this aspect to be more viable.

I still love the fight with Jareth Grim the Pirate Lord though in Blackdagger Ruins. The musical parody of Pirates of the Caribbean is genius!

obsidiancran3

missmoozie seems to have it all covered. Playing different races and classes also reveals more of the story. I still haven't pieced it all together, but then I've not been engaged enough in the story to finish Hotenow or Whispering Caverns as I prefer the Sharandar zone.

xelliz

I suppose if you don't read any of the hundreds of Forgotten Realms novels this game feels like there is no story.

gurugeorge

Pick up all the lore bits and talk to everyone, the story hangs together fairly well, and there's a fair amount of detail fleshed out. Not the quality of TSW or something like that, but good enough.

ordensmarschall

You really do need to interact with all of the NPCs, and read each of their pieces of the story line to get the entire plot. If you go to fast, skip parts, or are not into reading, then it will seem like a bad story. I will say that even once you get the entire story it is rather thin. One of the areas they could most certainly spent more development time on.

manplow

I find that most of the story is hidden in lore unlocks. You have to go out of your way to find them and spend precious time reading them, but they cover a lot. What's the deal with Cragmire Crypt? What do you care what's in there? No one tells you. You have to find the lore to figure it out, and then it makes so much sense.

bioshrike

There was the invasion of Neverwinter by Valindra and her forces, which shipwrecked you and started your adventures. From that point onward, you are basically a troubleshooter working for Lord Neverember, (by way of Sgt. Knox). You eventually run into Valindra again in Neverdeath Graveyard, and that's about all you hear from her until you do Castle Never. The class and race-specific quests tie back to the reconstruction of Neverwinter, and the various past events that lead to it being in the state we find it now...

ysil6969

manplow wrote: »

I find that most of the story is hidden in lore unlocks. You have to go out of your way to find them and spend precious time reading them, but they cover a lot. What's the deal with Cragmire Crypt? What do you care what's in there? No one tells you. You have to find the lore to figure it out, and then it makes so much sense.

See this is where I'm having trouble. I don't really like to stop to read the lore unlocks, but maybe next playthrough I'll take it slow and try to flush everything out.

runebane

ysil6969 wrote: »

I'm just wondering if there's a storyline that kicks in sometime? I've got several characters I play very slowly, my highest being 30. So far it seems like I've done a mad scramble of fight x mob. Only discernible villain is Valindra and aside from knox no discernible allies... First it was the crown and the rebels, then the orcs, then pirates... none of them really had any story start or finish. Looking for the crown was a decent intro into the quest, but than it just suddenly ended. No climax. Than it was, "talk to npc x" "kill mob x". Does a story actually develop eventually or is it just a bunch of mini adventures asian grinder style?

Personally I think its not that the lore isn't there. There is just to much of it to follow. Neverinter has probably more than a dozen different organizations involved. You have to read all the lore if you really want to keep up with it. Valindra and Thay seems to be the threat they are focusing on though.

The "good guy" isn't so good. Its been hinted that Lord Neverember only wants to annex Neverwinter into Waterdeep's powerbase. And some of his methods aren't very ethical.

The Ahsmadai, the Ablotheic Sovereignity, and the Thayans are the epic bad guys all looking to take over Neverwinter. The Ashmadai and Aboleths are generally trying to be more sneaky about it. While Valindra is being direct on behalf of Thay. Can't get more direct than an army of undead at the gates.

The Netherese are also mixed up in it somewhat. And we have the Drow rising up from the Underdark and interfering too. Trying to arm the Nashers, remake the magic weave, etc.... Of course you also have the orcs, but since their leader is spellscarred they may be serving the aboleths.

Then you have the Nashers and Graycloaks. Nashers led by Arlon Bladshaper want to oust Neverember, violently. The Graycloaks are trying to be more politically correct and sneaky about it. (Not sure if any of the Graycloak side of that stuff is referenced in game.)

And then you mix in some random stuff like pirates, giants, elementals, lizardfolk... Not everything is going to connect to the story. Its not hard to see how some could get lost though.

ocampusmaximus

If you can, read the Neverwinter Campaign Setting for tabletop Dungeons & Dragons. It's all in there. Then play tabletop D&D.

ordensmarschall

D&D is a lore heavy game, so if your not into reading, it can seem like you are just bouncing around like a chicken with it's head cut off. The lore is much more complex than just this side is good, that side is bad.

buffsmad

Since the object of the story is Neverwinter, threats arise, are met, fall, arise, re-emerge, are revealed...... the story continues. Valindra is only a clever opportunist and will never represent the end-game.

As far as seeing an overarching story/threat then blaming the Thayans is good enough for me for now. But who knows how things develop. And some threats are just environmental although........

After all, Cryptic is simply a DM and not only do DMs not reveal all but they they don't know all either.

As far as the Crypts goes, my very loose knowledge is urging me to say the Blackdaggers were pirate/bandits harrying merchants along the Sword Coast, the leaders (Brothers?) were killed in the eruption of Mt Hotenow and reanimated by a Thayan. Its the re-emergence of 'organised' Blackdagger bandit activity that requires the area to be investigated and leads to the Crypts, the Blackdagger brothers and the Thayan(s) afaik.

Just because quest progression seems linear, or the threat has a focus the story is neither linear nor focussed.

runebane

buffsmad wrote: »

Since the object of the story is Neverwinter, threats arise, are met, fall, arise, re-emerge, are revealed...... the story continues. Valindra is only a clever opportunist and will never represent the end-game.

As far as seeing an overarching story/threat then blaming the Thayans is good enough for me for now. But who knows how things develop. And some threats are just environmental although........

The Thayans, led by Valindra, seem to be only the obvious and flashy threat.

The Aboleth Sovereignty seem a more devious but greater threat. Depending on the class and race you play, you see traces of them throughout the game. As a wizard you eventually travel to the Aboleth's secret floating island where they spy on Neverwinter. If you are a half-orc then the god Gruumsh alludes to the fact that aboleths are behind the spellscarred orcs that were fighting alongside the Order of Blue Fire. Assuming that the Order of Blue Fire is also being controlled by the Aboleths... That would also put the Aboleth Sovereignty behind the events at Helm's Hold, and (of course) in the Chasm.

pitshade

Who is Rohini working for anyway? That's what I wonder. Sent by the Ashmadai to infiltrate Blue Fire, switches sides. Then returns to Helm's Hold and switches back. Her servants in the Sanatorium include both devils and the plague changed she was supposedly tending to as prophet. Her actions in seizing the town led to short term gain but a long term loss as the Ashmadai are now exposed. And what about Old Lenn in Blackdagger ruins, a fling of hers or was she involved in what happened to the Blackdaggers? So many questions, even without getting into the origin of aglets.

ysil6969

Well I've been reading all the lore and you're right. Adds 110% to the storyline. I'm assuming they did it this way so that those that wanted a store could read through it, and those that wanted to hack and slash could surpass the storyline... still sucks having to read everything though. The only thing left that bothers me is how I barely did anything on the bridge at the beginning and suddenly I'm a renown hero everyone knows and trusts O,o

valwryn

Your a Renown hero since the only witness died, Valindra ran off cuz her dragon died, and you killed her beast. Thus everyone believes you scared off Valindra. You could tell everyone you did nothing or just go with all the fame and fortune and hope Valindra doesn't doesn't swat you the next time.