Official Feedback - M12 - Shimmering Lockbox (Level 20 lockbox)

noworries · June 2017

With the Tomb of Annihilation update, players will receive a new free lockbox (3 in fact!) in their Adventurer's Reward box upon hitting level 20.

When you receive these lockboxes, you will also get a quest which directs you to the zen store where you can claim 3 free Shimmering Keys to open the lockboxes. (Keys not currently available on preview, my bad!)

Each lockbox will award you with a different set of Bound to Character rewards, along with some Tarmalune Tradebar Fragments that you can take to the Tramalune Tradebar Merchant and exchange for a Rank 3 Enchantment.

We'd love to hear what players think of these new special lockboxes and their contents!

First Lockbox:

Adventurer's XP Booster
Rank 3 Azure Enchantment
Tarmalune Tradebar Fragment

Second Lockbox:

Lesser Stone of Health
Tarmalune Tradebar Fragment

Third Lockbox:

New uncommon horse mount
Uncommon Barbed Power Insignia
Tarmalune Tradebar Fragment

vteasy · June 2017

question, is this going to be the foot in the door approach of introducing new lockboxes that need separate (purchasable with real money) keys?

frozenfirevr · June 2017

vteasy said:
question, is this going to be the foot in the door approach of introducing new lockboxes that need separate (purchasable with real money) keys?

Yes.

frozenfirevr · June 2017

What about existing players @noworries#8859? I wouldn't wanna miss that mount

These are one-time right? You can't get those lockboxes/key again right?

tripsofthrymr · June 2017

BtC Rank 3 enchant? I wish you would remove binding from all enchants. It causes them to take extra inventory, and the binding state can be removed anyhow by using as a reagent when ranking another enchant of the same level.

Sounds reasonable to introduce something that introduces new players to the tradebar store, and I do understand your motivation in acquainting new players with the Zen market.

Unknown · June 2017

This content has been removed.

beckylunatic · June 2017

Rank 3 is basically an automatic donation to the Stronghold coffer or refine into the handiest artifact, IMO, since it's BtC and won't stack on anything else I own. The other rewards sound quite nice.

Rather than a totally new mechanism, I'd view these as a "tutorial" type box, where they introduce the concept of a lockbox and also of opening them with a Zen key. Not really a big deal, mostly just a small perk in exchange for jumping through a few easy hoops. They're a one-time thing; not a new type of box and key you'll be seeing forever. They'll establish how the regular rotating lockbox works without actually handing out Enchanted Keys.

Also slightly put out though by the idea that new characters can collect a new mount that veteran characters can't. My lowest level character is still in the 50s and has opened this level of box long ago. The other stuff is irrelevant, but NEW MOUNT, GRRR.

treesclimber · June 2017

Hum...these rewards are really bad, if you want to captivate players you need to give them something decent or somewhat instruct them, create that excitement of "new stuff".

Right now on lvl 16 (i think) the player is offered the choice of a horse and an enlightened insignia and he/she is told "put this insignia on your horse", "very well, you did it!!". So most players will be like "hm...k".

I would do something like: the shandakul tutorial instead of one insignia would give two and a non optional Waterdeep Horse (a horse with champion's struggle insignia bonus because it's not dependent on any stat, any class or companions and it's very likely players will need it, but many players don't know it yet) so now the tutorial instead of asking the player to slot an insignia would ask the player to slot two and create the bonus, and leave a tip "in the future you can acquire more insignias on the auction house".

The push to the TBars is fine, presenting the candy store to players having before presented them the candy, but R3 is very negligible, if you run one low level dungeon there will be R5 dropping, giving a r7 or r8 would be exaggerated, it would create that sense of disappointment upon reaching lvl 61-62 ("Oh so this is what a r8 does? and a R9 costs 4 times more just for a fraction more of this?"), but a rank 5 would not be a bad imo and not justification enough for exploiters to bot char leveling either.

The third lock box would offer the player the such said mount but from a choice pack with a predetermined insignia for each horse (since many players on the second/3rd char would be unhappy for not being able to pick the horse in shandakul stables).

urabask · June 2017

treesclimber said:
Hum...these rewards are really bad, if you want to captivate players you need to give them something decent or somewhat instruct them, create that excitement of "new stuff".

Right now on lvl 16 (i think) the player is offered the choice of a horse and an enlightened insignia and he/she is told "put this insignia on your horse", "very well, you did it!!". So most players will be like "hm...k".

I would do something like: the shandakul tutorial instead of one insignia would give two and a non optional Waterdeep Horse (a horse with champion's struggle insignia bonus because it's not dependent on any stat, any class or companions and it's very likely players will need it, but many players don't know it yet) so now the tutorial instead of asking the player to slot an insignia would ask the player to slot two and create the bonus, and leave a tip "in the future you can acquire more insignias on the auction house".

The push to the TBars is fine, presenting the candy store to players having before presented them the candy, but R3 is very negligible, if you run one low level dungeon there will be R5 dropping, giving a r7 or r8 would be exaggerated, it would create that sense of disappointment upon reaching lvl 61-62 ("Oh so this is what a r8 does? and a R9 costs 4 times more just for a fraction more of this?"), but a rank 5 would not be a bad imo and not justification enough for exploiters to bot char leveling either.

The third lock box would offer the player the such said mount but from a choice pack with a predetermined insignia for each horse (since many players on the second/3rd char would be unhappy for not being able to pick the horse in shandakul stables).

If it's going to be bound r3 is fine. At least no one is going to upgrade a bound r3 and realize their mistake too late.

kiraskytower · June 2017

Tradebar fragments? Why not give then their first few tradebars and let them get something small from the store? That's more likely to get them to come back for more than making them redeem fragments for a rank 3 enchant.

mightyeriksson · June 2017

In my opinion, it's time to remove all enchants under rank 5, those will drop in the first dungeon you set foot in, and that is the level of enchant you can buy for Adventurers seals from the beginning of the game.

Even on a level 20 character, rank 5 enchants can't be considered overpowered...

kreatyve · June 2017

The wording on the box is pretty bad, as the rewards are predetermined.

It is not in any way clear to the player that the rewards are predetermined. Also, for any veteran players, it's pretty pointless. I guess it might be useful for new players, but with the rewards so bad, and predetermined, it just feels wrong.

beckylunatic · June 2017

mightyeriksson said:
In my opinion, it's time to remove all enchants under rank 5, those will drop in the first dungeon you set foot in, and that is the level of enchant you can buy for Adventurers seals from the beginning of the game.

Even on a level 20 character, rank 5 enchants can't be considered overpowered...

*Technically*, low level characters can get R5 enchants in baby dungeons only because a level 70 in their party is killing all the things and the loot is weighted towards the level of the players doing the most damage (sans boss drops). If the entire party running a dungeon is at-level, they get loot for their level.

But yes, they can easily obtain rank 5s and a bound rank 3 is pretty sad.

beckylunatic · June 2017

kreatyve said:
The wording on the box is pretty bad, as the rewards are predetermined.

Yeah, with the rewards being pre-set, the standardized tooltip format doesn't work well. There's no indication that opening all 3 boxes will award all the stuff.

Also, if we're introducing the concept of lockboxes in this way, it's misleading. There is no RNG at play with the Shimmering Lockbox, and you're assured of getting everything available by opening a small quantity of boxes. That's not how lockboxes work at all, and you can argue it's a dirty trick to make it seem otherwise for an inexperienced player.

jonkoca · June 2017

Lol, if you really wanna hook the players, give them a week-long temporary tensers disk.

hawkblaze1954 · June 2017

jonkoca said:
Lol, if you really wanna hook the players, give them a week-long temporary tensers disk.

Tense(r) withdrawal symptoms?!

brewald · June 2017

@noworries#8859

Replace the Rank 3 Azure Enchantment by a Rank 3 Brutal Enchantment
It will be more attractive for new players in my opinion.

trgluestickz · July 2017

noworries#8859 said:

Each lockbox will award you with a different set of Bound to Character rewards, along with some Tarmalune Tradebar Fragments that you can take to the Tramalune Tradebar Merchant and exchange for a Rank 3 Enchantment.

The bound rank 3 enchantment is pitiful. Bump it up to a rank 5 enchantment and unbind it.

The boxes should simply award a few real tradebars instead of tradebar shards too. Enough to buy a dye pack or 2 or something else small.

The shimmering box rewards should all be RNG based except maybe the tradebars. This should make the shimmering boxes more similar to how real lockboxes work.

Example of a better layout for these boxes:

First Lockbox:
Gurenteed Drop: 2 trade bars
RNG Drop: 1 unbound random rank 5 enchantment

Second Lockbox:
Gurenteed Drop: 2 tradebars
RNG Drop: 1 bound lesser stone of health or 1 bound adventurer's XP booster

Third Lockbox:
Gurenteed Drop: 2 tradebars
RNG Drop: 1 bound random green quality insignia
RNG Drop: 1 bound green quality horse. Which green quality horse you get should be a random zen market horse instead of it always being a black horse.

trgluestickz · July 2017

beckylunatic said:

Also slightly put out though by the idea that new characters can collect a new mount that veteran characters can't. My lowest level character is still in the 50s and has opened this level of box long ago. The other stuff is irrelevant, but NEW MOUNT, GRRR.

Don't worry, its not a new mount so you can still get one if you aren't a new player.
It appears to be the black horse mount which already exists in the game:
http://neverwinter.gamepedia.com/Black_Horse

ollybongo89 · August 2017

Enchanted keys... Shimmering keys..
Ok here we go.
Vip players get 1 enchanted key per day so if your making a 2nd key for this "new lockbox" we should as paying vip players get 1 of each key per day

beckylunatic · August 2017

ollybongo89#3420 said:
Enchanted keys... Shimmering keys..

Ok here we go.

Vip players get 1 enchanted key per day so if your making a 2nd key for this "new lockbox" we should as paying vip players get 1 of each key per day

You didn't understand the concept.

This is a one-time thing only applicable to new characters. Once you've used them, they're done forever.

dionchi · October 2017

Opinion:

I completely understand what I believe to be the concept behind the SHIMMERING LOCKBOX, to introduce new players to the concept of getting keys to open lockboxes, to get good stuff...

However that being said, I used my last character slot to get a shimmering lockbox and maybe it's just me but I didn't see anything in those lockboxes that would entice me, as a new player, to consider buying keys to get lockbox rewards.

A mount with the same characteristics as the free mount, or one that can be bought for 5 gold from the merchant -

An uncommon (green) mount insignia, of the same kind that can be found in adventuring chests while doing quests -

A rank 3 Azure Enchantment, ditto of the same kind that can be picked up from drops doing quests (and most new players don't even have anything to slot them in and won't until they get to a level where they can probably pick up level 3 enchantments as drops) -

Tarmalune Tradebar Fragments, and when all is said and done the only thing you can purchase with them is another low level enchantment -

By far the best thing from these shimmering lockboxes is the Lesser Stone of Health, a consumable, and at 50 uses a player is still relegated back to using healing potions when that is used up. Healing potions that can be picked up from drops while doing quests without having to pay for them, to me those lesser stones seem to be little more than a novelty item nice to have but not really necessary to play, nor of sufficient value to encourage me to purchase future lockboxes because if the things I will receive from them are anything comparable to the kind of things I recieved from the shimmering lockboxes, why spend money for VIP or keys?

IMO the PTB's would have done much better to include at least one item that would WOW new players, for instance perhaps one rank 5 enchantment, or a rare mount insignia, or perhaps even a better mount than one that can be obtained for free or purchased from the mount merchant for a few gold coins...

Yeah then as a new player, I might be lead to believe investing in some way to open future lockboxes would be something to pursue, but as it is currently - not so much.

Just my opinion.

marnival · October 2017

Just had to ...
Rank 3 enchantment

ladypeanut66 · October 2017

By level 20 you probably have a rank 5 enchantment from the seals (doing CTx2, for example).

beckylunatic · October 2017

I've been wondering if the mount from this lockbox is the reddish striped one I see absolutely everywhere nowadays.

dionchi · October 2017

Yeah, I've been through dungeons where high level players run through killing everything and not picking up anything, their loot-their choice.

Of course I've also been through dungeons where a high level character kills everything in sight and either they or another player, tries to pick up everything that drops, level or class appropriate or not, then there are the high level characters that just run through dungeons, not eliminating any opponents and leaving them for the lower level players following

- but then that's probably best left for a different topic.

That still doesn't address the "lame" to use a previously posted term, items that are in those shimmering lockboxes. My point was putting myself in the mindset of a new player - is there anything in these lockboxes that anyone would think would entice those new players to invest in a way to open more lockboxes? *With the possible exception for the lesser stone of healing as I mentioned.

beckylunatic said:
I've been wondering if the mount from this lockbox is the reddish striped one I see absolutely everywhere nowadays.

I believe so, purple-ish (imo) zebra striped mounts LOL... They're going to be all over the place like the white Winter Wolf mounts

~

trgluestickz · October 2017

beckylunatic said:
I've been wondering if the mount from this lockbox is the reddish striped one I see absolutely everywhere nowadays.

@beckylunatic

Yes, that new purple horse you have been seeing is the mount that new players get at level 20 now. Its called Marbled Stallion. It looks like Cryptic dicided to scrap the idea of giving new players the black horse from the zen market and gave them a brand new mount instead.

Unfortunately, the marbled stallion is bound to character and the level 20 quest is not accessible to toons that were above level 20 before this new quest was added.

You, @frozenfirevr, and I are not the only players to express annoyance at not being able to get the marbled stallion on our older toons. Here is a reddit forum thread where other mount collectors complained about this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Neverwinter/comments/6waumc/marbled_stallion/

@noworries

This new marbled stallion is not accessible to older toons and is a thorn in the sides of many mount collectors. If anymore work is done on the shimmering lockboxes, I'd like to request that the bind type for marbled stallion be switched to account bound. This way, players still have to start a new character if they want to earn this mount but they will be able to put it on a toon of their choice if they dicide they don't want it on their new character.

Official Feedback - M12 - Shimmering Lockbox (Level 20 lockbox)

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