PWE Community Rules & Policies and Forum Guidelines

zebular

Welcome to the Neverwinter Forums!

Please take some time to read our Rules & Policies, which are an addendum to the Terms of Service and in-game EULAs (End User License Agreements).

Also, please keep in mind that at no time is it permissible to post about or discuss Game/Forum Infractions, Forum Moderation, Rules, Terms, EULA, or Legal Claims on our forums. Instead, please contact Support to Discuss Game Infractions, Terms, EULA and Legal Claims. Contact the Community Team via Private Messages to discuss Forum Infractions, Moderation, and the Rules, or file a Support Ticket if one cannot come to an understanding with the Community Team.

When contacting the Community Team, we will generally include the whole team in on the conversation, so please do feel free to include all of us in the recipients field of a Private Message so the first available Team Member may respond.



The Neverwinter Community Team:

Community Manager
@nitocris83

Community Moderators
@ambisinisterr (currently inactive) , @kreatyve , @tripsofthrymr , @zebular , @frozenfirevr



As well, some additional reading to be had are as follows:

PC Version:
Neverwinter PC News
Official Neverwinter International PC Forums
Official Neverwinter Russian PC Forums
Cryptic Account Management

XBOX One:
Neverwinter XBOX One News
Neverwinter Product Page on Xbox.com
Official Neverwinter XBOX One Forums
XBOX Account Management

Playstation 4:
Neverwinter PS4 News
Neverwinter Product Page on Playstation.com
Neverwinter PS4 Forums


All Game Versions:
Neverwinter Wiki
PWE Support Center
PWE Rules & Policies
Rules & Policies and Forum Guidelines
Terms of Service

zebular

This thread will serve as a redirect for Known Issues that are considered a "Hot Topic" and are considered topics not appropriate for the forum or topics that continue to get multiple threads on them. Please refrain from making future threads on these items of note.

For the Known Game Issues section, if an issue is a bug (and not an exploit*), please use the Bug Report threads we will provide Links to for a given topic instead of making new threads. If no link is provided or if the issue isn't stated as not accepting new threads on it, ask a Moderator via Private Message before making a new thread.

From time to time, we will add temporary known issues here if we feel an issue needs to be spotlighted for importance. Otherwise, this shouldn't be considered a Known Issue thread for all the Game's Known Issues. Instead, consider it more of a Forum Topic Resource.

*Never discuss exploits on the forum. Doing so will lump you into the same boat as exploiters themselves. It is never a good idea to spread information on exploits. Instead, report such directly to Support or contact someone on the Community Team.

ALL-CAPS: Please refrain from using all-caps, or even partially, in Subject Titles and Posts. All-Caps is seen as yelling and when used in a Subject Line is considered as though you're trying to purvey the topic as more important than anyone else's. To remain fair to all users, All-Caps in subject titles will not be allowed, nor will it in the text body of posts. Thank you.

Due to the character limit of the forums, we will keep the topics separated into following posts. Expand the "Spoilers" for details on each item.

zebular

Prohibited Topics:

• [Frequently Asked] Will Neverwinter ever get a Subscription Model?
  No, as stated by CEO Jack Emmert:

  "Neverwinter is our first fully free-to-play game and we have no intent to ever go to a subscription model."

  
  Please refrain from making topics on the basis of a Subscription Model, as such is not on the table for discussion and is not constructive towards the game's free-to-play model. Thanks!
  

  Cryptic Studios CEO Jack Emmert on the Neverwinter Free-To-Play Model wrote:

  How was the decision made to go free-to-play with Neverwinter and other Cryptic titles?
  
  The market simply had changed. Subscription games and boxed product were not the only way, and the business model had shifted. Some games were seeing a large degree of success with free to play. We were acquired by Perfect World Entertainment, they are a Chinese MMORPG company primarily, and they do films and other things as well. They are entirely free-to-play. They taught us an awful lot about what to do and what not to do, and we saw how powerful that business model can be.
  
  We saw how their games were performing in the West, in the U.S. and Europe. It was far beyond anything we could possibly imagine. It’s just funny, the magnitude, if people knew the size of Perfect World they would just be astonished. They’re one of the larger MMO players in America and Europe, I’m not talking about China, I’m talking about in America and Europe. Sony Online Entertainment is a household name but it’s amazing to me that given the number of players that Perfect World has how that isn’t better known in the gaming industry. It’s kind of baffling to me.
  
  We listened because we could see how powerful the model was. Neverwinter is our first fully free-to-play game and we have no intent to ever go to a subscription model.
  
  We’ve seen a lot of games go to free-to-play after they’ve been a subscription title, especially recently. Do you think the subscription model is dying off for the MMORPG?
  
  It’s hard to say because I know World of Warcraft is still sporting millions of subscribers. I would say that it’s out there as an option, but it’s no longer the default option for MMOs. In order to be competitive in the marketplace… The hurdle with subscription is very simple. You’re asking people to pay a monthly subscription, give their credit card, do everything at once. The beauty of free-to-play is “come in and play, if you don’t like it don’t pay!” So you have a better opportunity to overcome initial obstacles. With a traditional box product, traditional subscription, you’ve got to market and advertise just to get someone over the hump. With free-to-play, it depends on the game. Is it good or is isn’t it. It forces us to be good designers and good developers and put out the best possible product.
  
  Has the free-to-play model shown growth for Cryptic?
  
  It’s explosive. Star Trek Online today is as large as City of Heroes ever was, and it’s entirely due to free-to-play.
  
  Do you think the MMORPG playerbase is more of a transient group than they have been in the past? Do they go from game to game instead of settling down?
  
  That’s kind of hard to say. Because of the nature of free-to-play, there’s going to be a large percentage of your players that are just coming in and out. They’re just checking it out. But then you do have your core users and they are essentially your subscribers, and they do stick with you. With the subscription model that’s all you have, but with free-to-play you’ve got the advantage of getting these looky-loos. If you can find a space for those players you’ve got a much higher CCU, and the more people you open up to play the more will come in to play because they hear their friends are playing and so on and so forth.
  
  Is there more of a challenge in creating a free-to-play environment? Risking division between a paying and non-paying userbase?
  
  Yes, there’s a challenge in finding where to monetize and how to monetize. It requires a lot of careful thinking because you don’t want to open things up to pay-to-win. In our market, the Western market, that is strongly frowned upon. Before it was just a matter of making a fun game. Now it’s a matter of making a fun game and finding out how to monetize it.
  
  Is free-to-play “the” model? Will there be something after this?
  
  There always will be something after; it’s just a matter of what it will be and what form it will take. I can tell you that free-to-play is going to be a greater business model that gaming follows across the board more and more. That doesn’t mean that traditional box products and games sales won’t exist, but I think you’ll see fewer of them. Free-to-play will tend to dominate. My hunch is that these things change over time and someone will find something other than free-to-play and it will be just as good.
  
  Do you think the current MMORPG model is sustainable? Can new products continue to enter the market and compete with titles that have years of content updates already on deck?
  
  I think so. Neverwinter has shattered all of our expectations so far. People like MMOs, but they do tend to get tired of them after a while. Even the most successful show a decline over time. For example look at Ultima Online, EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, players that like that kind of game are still out there. I would argue that there’s only room in any calendar for so many MMOs and that’s why it can be difficult. We’re all competing for a certain amount of people and unlike a console game where someone can play it over a weekend… That’s not really possible for a MMORPG player. They’re going to choose a few.

• [Frequently Asked] Is Neverwinter Pay to Win?
  There are many opinions on both sides of the coin and in between. The bottom line is that if one has enough time, they can purchase anything in the game without ever having spent any money on the game at all. There are convenience items and some things in the Zen shop do give some advantages. However, everyone has the ability to earn anything in the game regardless of how much or little money they spend.
  
  Because of the nature of Pay to Win (P2W) threads, such topics and insinuations are not allowed. Please refrain from digressing into P2W commentary, arguments, and insinuations. If you want to discuss the economy of the game, you will need to do so without delving into the realm of P2W.
• [Frequently Asked] "Nerf" request threads.
  Please refrain from making "Nerf" request threads or posts. We've seen a lot of debate over what constitutes a legitimate balance suggestion and what is merely a cry for a buff or a nerf to a given power or class for biased reasons.
  
  Legitimate balance suggestions look like this:
  

  "I've done some testing in various situations and I think that (insert power or ability) is a bit on the OP side. Perhaps it should be dialed down 10% or so. What do you think?"

  
  Nerf/buff posts, on the other hand, sound much like this:

  "I fought so and so in PVP and he used this on me and I died in one hit!! This needs to be nerfed now!!"

  
  Or this:

  "The CW had one gazillion damage in epic LOL. They need to be nerfed because that's too much and I can't catch them on the paingiver chart."

  
  Why the difference? Let's review:

  The first example is thought out, logically tested, would ideally have supporting evidence posted, and provides a direction in which the devs can work, as well as a point that can be discussed.
  
  The second and third...well, let's be honest: It sounds like a sore loser posting that they can't beat a given class and demanding that class be nerfed to "even the field," or "keep up with the Joneses." There's no evidence supporting their claim beyond anecdotal or circumstantial. What debuffs were in place? What was the posting player's build? In the third example, what was the power setup for the CW? None of that is known and can only be guessed at, which in turn, leads to a lot of inappropriate statements such as "l2p," "you fail at PVP/PVE," etc.
  
  Balance suggestions are fine, but a direction needs to be defined in your post. If you're suggesting that a change be made, post supporting evidence as to why that change should be made--anecdotal and circumstantial evidence is sketchy at best and widely open to interpretation. Give a ballpark value as to how the change should be made.

  
  The general rule of thumb is this:

  If your idea of a fair change is "whatever makes me beat this or that class, or puts me at the top of the paingiver chart every time," then chances are that it's a thread which violates the rules.

  
  Direction and objectivity are the key points to remember when creating a balance suggestion post or thread.

zebular

Hot Topics: (Part One)

• [Hot Topic] "I quit" posts and general "Quitting" related comments.
  Posts and threads that state or allure to one or others quitting the game or forum use will be removed without notice. These types of posts do not provide any constructive feedback, nor are they community building.
  
  If you're going to quit the game, please keep such comments to private messages or other avenues besides our forums.
  
  Posting such messages do not accurately reflect player metrics and are often hollow threats. If there is ever a mass of players quitting, the game developers and staff will be able to tell through their own internal detection mechanics and metrics. There's no need to bring down the topic of the thread to purvey such, as the act of quitting in itself will be apparent to the game staff without the need to post about such. Repeated posting of such will result in forum infractions and may lead to banishment from the forums.
• [Hot Topic] HELP! All my Zen Bought Items are Bound when bought!?
  Players are reporting that when they buy Zen Items, they are Bound to them when purchased.
  
  This is not a Bug Issue but instead, it is part of a Security Update.
  
  Please do not make new threads on this. Instead, if you feel your account has been erroneously placed on Probation, file a Billing Support Ticket and communicate with Support on the Issue. We can do nothing for Account & Billing Issues on the forums, so such topics are not open for discussion.
  
  Here is a post from over on the STO forums that is relevant and explains things in greater detail:

  pweadamanteus wrote:

  Hello STO Players and Community.
  
  On Thursday October 30, Star Trek Online enabled a new fraud prevention system. This system has been in place on another Cryptic game, Neverwinter, since July, where it has worked effectively. It has been enabled on STO due to increases in credit card fraud over the past several months.
  
  What this new system does to protect all players is to temporarily change the way ZEN is treated by accounts that may be flagged for consideration in the new probation system. While we are introducing this system into STO, there is a chance that the rules may result in a false positive trigger but we have reduced the chance for that to the bare minimum. When purchasing ZEN, if an account is flagged, it puts the account into a temporary “probation” state for review by the system. New ZEN buyers and those with a limited purchase history may get temporarily flagged into the probation system. Once you have an established purchase history with us, the system is unlikely to trigger.
  
  When on probation, Zen cannot be traded on the Dilithium Exchange to acquire Dilithium. Also, some purchases made in the C-Store may become bound-to-account instead of being tradable. You will get a warning dialog at the time of purchase letting you know that the purchase will be bound-to-account.
  
  The bound-to-account status is “contagious”, so that if you open a Lock Box using a Master Key that has this status, everything from the Lock Box will also be bound-to-account in the same way. This contagious nature applies to anything you get from the C-Store that can be opened, and the purpose is to prevent fraudulent purchases from being traded off of the account.
  
  The system is intended to have minimal impact on users who purchase for themselves. All purchases are bound-to-account, so you can still move the purchases between your own characters. This is only an inconvenience if you planned to purchase for later trading to other players.
  
  If you receive the warning about a C-Store purchase being bound-to-account and do not wish to have bound items, cancel your purchase and try again the next day. The probation status is removed from your account once the financial transaction is confirmed, which can take up to 10 days. Any purchase you make after the probation status is cleared will not have the bound-to-account status added, and can be traded freely. Purchased items that become bound-to-account will permanently remain account bound, so you need to make this choice before purchasing.
  
  Current and past users that have an established purchase history with us are less likely to have this ever trigger on their accounts so the majority of you should not see any difference when you purchase Zen and items.
  
  Thank you for your continued support!
  
  Aaron "Adamanteus" Biedma
  Product Manager
  Star Trek Online

  Bear in mind, in the above quote: Substitute "Master Key" for "Enchanted Key" and "C-Store" for "Zen Shop" and "Dilithium Exchange" for "Astral Diamond Exchange" as STO's terminology for these same things is different.
• [Hot Topic] I found a "Bot" player or players! How do I report them?
  We are aware that reporting "Bots" and other cheating players is troublesome. However, due to our Rules of Conduct, reporting bad behavior is not allowed on the Forums. So, please do not make posts regarding "Bots" or other bad behavior. Instead, please report them in-game or through the Support Site and file it as a "Behavior" ticket.
  
  When dealing with a "Bot," it can be hard to report them as there is no way to easily report them through a context menu at this time. This can be especially annoying when trying to report multiple "Bots." Below are some steps to follow to make reporting "Bots" or even other cheating players less bothersome until a time when an easier method can be developed for players to report these Terms and EULA violations.
  
  This list details how to handle reporting several "Bots." However, it can just as easily be used to report a single "Bot" or other cheating players. I've included an image to relate to some of the steps to help understand.
  

  1. 1) Approach one of the "bots" and press F to interact. This will bring up a context menu with some options.
  2. 2) Chose to Ignore them. This outputs their handle to your System Chat with "[Friend Notify] Added handle to your ignore list." - So, make sure you have System Chat set to display in one of your chat tabs. (Feel free to PM me or any Moderator for help setting up chat tabs)
  3. 3) Repeat this for each "bot" until you have them all ignored and their handles outputted to your System Chat.
  4. 4) Now open up a GM Ticket for Player Behavior. (ESCAPE > HELP > Request GM Help > Player Behavior)
  5. 5) With your Ticket Window open and ready, go to your System Chat and use your mouse to Left Click then drag and select the output of the Ignored Text on all those you ignored. Once the text has been highlighted, releasing the left mouse button will deselect the text. Don't worry, when you released the left-mouse button, it also automatically copied the previously selected text to your clipboard.
  6. 6) In the main text field, paste all the Ignored System Chat output by pressing CTRL+V when the cursor is active in the text field. Also, in there write out an explanation of what you witnessed and state that that the @handle in the name field is just one of the "bots" and that the following ones are all the others that you could get the handles of.
  7. 7) Now copy one of those handles from your text field and paste it into the Handle of Player field.
  8. 8) With your report all written up, press the Submit button on the bottom right.

  
  Here is the image with numbers correlating to the steps above (click for full size):
  
  If submitted correctly, you'll get an output to System Chat with your Ticket Number. Be aware, any profanity in the submission form in any field will cause it to fail and the window will close! If what you're reporting is profane, please use the Web Support Form instead and choose the following in the Category field: Customer Support > Report Violations > Terms of Service Breach.
  
  You should get an automated confirmation email sent to your email address on the account within a few minutes. When the ticket is reviewed by a member of the Support Staff, you will get a Real Person Response via Email (and Ticket History) but it will be nothing more than a confirmation of them looking into it as well as statement on our Privacy Policy.
  
  Support will conduct a full investigation and take all appropriate actions. Due to privacy concerns, PWE Staff cannot reveal the results of an investigation. You will receive no further response on the ticket, unless you respond to them with further inquiries.

zebular

Hot Topics: (Part Two)

• [Hot Topics] New Class(es) & Race(s) Feedback Threads
  While the versions between the PC, XBOX, and PS4 for Neverwinter may be dissimilar, their direction and release plan for Classes and Races remains the same, even if both are not in tangent at all times. So, with this in mind, PC and XBOX users are asked to use the same Feedback Threads for New Class(es) and Race(s) feedback and wishes.
  
  Poll: The "New Class(es)" Feedback Thread!
  Poll: The "New Race(s)" Feedback Thread!
  
  Please do not make additional threads requesting or discussing new classes and races not yet in the game. Instead, use whichever of the two threads is appropriate. Thanks!

zebular

More Forum Information:

• [Forum Info.] Why do some Community Team Members use certain colors when they post?
  Notice: As we settle into our new forum software, usage of colors as implied below may be off, suspect, or changed. For now, the remaining sentiment lingers.
  
  When relaying official information, the Community Team (aka "Forum Staff") uses various colors for their text.
  

  

  
  The Community Team:
  
  Community Moderators

  @ambisinisterr, @kreatyve, @tripsofthrymr and @zebular

  • When relaying Official Information or otherwise acting in an Official Capacity as a Community Moderator, they will chat in an "orange" colored text.
  • When not speaking in an official capacity, I.E. taking part in community discussions, they will generally chat in their own preferred text color but will always reserve the "orange" color for official conveyances.

  

  
  
  Developers and other Staff Members:
  
  Generally, developers and other staff members do not use any specific text color for their conveyances and discussions. Everything they post here should be considered an official conveyance unless otherwise noted.

zebular

Known Game Issues:

• [Community Issue] Protecting yourself from Guild Bank Robbers!
  Recently, there's been an influx of guild bank thieveries. If you become the victim of such a person and activity, please contact Support immediately and report the handle of the violator there. Do not post about such activities or name such people, as doing so is not allowed to protect users from false accusations by unscrupulous people, for the forum staff has no way to prove or disprove such claims.
  
  Below are some helpful tips by one of your fellow posters, @katamaster81899 and @beckylunatic. Thanks!
  

  1. When a person PMs you asking for an invite to guild, look them up in the "Find Person" menu. If their current location is the Manycoins Bank in Protector's Enclave, they are probably a guild bank thief. Not certainly, but it is a pretty accurate indicator. If the person is unable to be found in the "Find Person" tab, you can either ask them to change their privacy settings for a minute, or friend them, and look at their location that way. If they are located at the Bank, ask them why they are standing at the bank. Most of the scammers simply give up at that point, while interested individuals will most likely send you a confused reply.
  2. One more thing about suspicious locations, Hall of Justice is also an indicator. This is what shows up if a would-be thief is at the auxiliary guild bank location near Knox. It is also conveniently close to a mailbox for stashing ill-gotten goods, and collecting funds from the sale thereof.
  3. If an individual PMs you, claiming they are an old guild leader or officer on a new account, and asks for a promotion to rank 7, this is almost always a definite indicator of a scammer. The easiest way to test if they are lying is to tell them that they have to go onto their other account and promote themselves. If they are unable to do that, then they are a scammer, and simply want unrestricted access to your banks.
  4. I also recommend that you check your Guild Bank restrictions, and make sure Rank 1 members do not have access to anything of any value whatsoever.
  5. Keep in mind that guild leaders/officers may not be the only people who can invite to a guild, depending on the permissions set in the permissions tab. If this is the case, I suggest you send out a link to this post in a Guild Mail, with a brief explanation to your members of what you are linking them and why. The more often you do this, the better off you and your guild are. Another way to spread the word is to link to this post in the guild MoTD. Everyone sees it, and your guild's valuables are even safer.
  6. Alright, say the worst case scenario happens - Someone gets into the guild bank, sees you have some valuable stuff, and gets away with some of it before they are kicked. If they saw you have expensive stuff in your guild bank, you can be sure they will try and get back in to take the rest of it. Whenever this happens, you should send out a guild mail, explain what happened, tell your guild members the handle of the thief, and warn them not to invite that individual. You can also put this in your guild MoTD.
  7. You should always screenshot any conversations you have with a guild bank thief, along with the guild bank logs and member logs showing the date they joined and quit, along with what they took. These screenshots will not only serve as evidence that they are guilty when showing other players, but can also be used as proof against the guild bank thieves for when you contact support. An easy way to take a screenshot is the chat command /screenshot_ui_jpg. Please do not post such evidence on the forum. You should save such to be sent to Support through the Support Site or by email correspondence. If you need help with taking and finding screenshots, please look for info or ask on our forum.
• [Preview Issue] Character Copy page shows only my first 8 Characters!?
  We are aware that the character copy page drop down for http://www.arcgames.com/en/my/character/copy/nw is not showing beyond the first 8 characters (more or less depending on your browser's font settings) in the drop down. Here is a work-around for that page element:
  
  Press Select to show the list drop down then just hold down Tab until it selects all the character elements on the list individually, for it will go through the selections being hidden by the bottom div section. You'll then see all of your characters on the list.
  
  Using http://nw.perfectworld.com/preview is perfectly fine to do as an alternative work-around also.

zebular

Moderator Reminders:

We do have Bug Reporting and Technical Support forums. Please keep Bug Reports confined to the proper Bug Report forum (XBOX and PC respectively). Such threads made outside of these forums will be summarily moved and repeated posting of such will lead to formal warnings.

So, please take some time to get familiar with our Neverwinter Game Forums. Thanks!



Signature/Avatar Rule
The total signature size must be no larger than 650x250 pixels if it contains an image. The text in the signature may be customized in use on the forums. It is recommended that you stick with readable fonts and colors and that the size is not too large. You may mention websites and ventures that you are in some way related to, as long as they are otherwise appropriate for the community. Strong political and religious sentiments should be kept out of profiles, signatures, and other content in this community. Failure to adhere to these rules will result in an infraction, and the removal of the offending signature or avatar.