MMO-Play Underdark Interview

urabask

Not sure why they didn't link this on the front page:

http://mmo-play.com/mmo-blog/neverwinter-underdark-interview

interview said:

Can you give us more details on the masterwork professions that are part of the Neverwinter Underdark expansion?

Masterwork professions are an expansion to the existing profession system. They contain difficult new recipes for high-quality items that are competitive with equipment from content like epic dungeons and the Greed of the Dragonflight. Think of masterwork as endgame for professions. When Underdark goes live for Neverwinter, guilds with high-ranking strongholds will find a new contact, “The Artisan,” who offers quests for crafters who have raised a given profession to Rank 25. These quests are long, difficult, and require a number of new resources. Many of these resources will only be available through explorer’s charts, a new consumable item available from high ranking explorer’s guilds. Adventurers will have to work together and trade resources, as they can only undergo training for one profession at a time. In addition to acquiring new recipes and tools, finishing a profession’s masterwork training will also award an exclusive fashion set, themed to that profession so you can show off all your hard work. More information will be released on our blog in the coming weeks.

On the bright side at least they didn't add more levels to professions. We'll just be grinding the HAMSTER out more trinkets : |

And we'll need to be in a "high ranking" guild to get said trinkets : |

interview said:

What kind of new gear can players expect to earn in the new module?

Underdark will see the addition of two new sets of armor, Dusk and Drowcraft, as well as a plethora of new artifact weapons and some unique new rings with interesting bonuses. Dusk Armor is Item Level 135 and is available from a number of locations, including the Trade Bar Store, lockboxes and a companion bundle. Drowcraft Armor can be earned through the new Underdark campaign content and is Item Level 135 as well, but may be upgraded through elemental infusion to Item Level 140. Dusk Armor features set bonuses designed to improve solo survivability and performance in parties while Drowcraft Armor features set bonuses focused on conquering demons in the Underdark and facing off against Demogorgon. We’re also adding five new pairs of artifact weapons for every class, and one set will only be available from Epic Demogorgon. The others are elementally themed and will involve heroic encounters in Elemental Evil zones. In addition to adding new artifact weapons, we’re making improvements to make transferring your refinement progress between artifact weapons easier. There’s a blog post going live soon that discusses the changes. Finally, we’re adding a number of unique new rings with interesting bonuses, unlike any rings currently in the game. While these rings won’t have raw stat bonuses, they’ll do things like “When you have been running for X number of seconds, you will be stealthed to foes further than 20’ away.” Or “When you strike a foe, you gain X power for 4 seconds. This effect can stack a maximum of 10 times.” These rings will exist in different power levels (up to +5), and certain types will be available through specific Underdark content.

135 ilvl armor from campaigns O_o

And 5 new artifact weapons per class : |

Hopefully the refinement improvements aren't like the 60-70 "improvements".

aulduron

How many unaffordable, to most, purple tools will we need?

urabask

aulduron said:

How many unaffordable, to most, purple tools will we need?

Well according to this we'll be able to get tools via the quests. Although that could just be the awkward wording.

Or it could mean legendary tools : |

ghoulz66

That's wonderful, more rewards for the rich, nothing for the poor.

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dodgo

defiantone99 said:

So, no new zone. Just a grind in the old zones. Wait til this news spreads.

strum said there is a new zone

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valwryn

So it looks like the Explorers Guild is required. We were gonna build it as our 3rd boon.....guess we'll bump it up to 2nd. :*

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ghoulz66

More HEs, more grinding, more artifact gear. The majority kept on voicing their opinion against this. For months. If the DEVs and management can't figure out why the game is failing then they never will.

This is not what players ask for, it's not what they wanted, it's not what they need.

two30

urabask said:

...guilds with high-ranking strongholds will find a new contact, “The Artisan,” who offers quests for crafters...

I'm not sure how I feel. On one hand, it's content that I likely will never be able to access. On the other hand, I don't particularly enjoy Neverwinter's crafting. So I guess the developers are doing me a favor by locking me out of content that I don't enjoy?

canmann

I was going to post this but will comment here...

Mod 8 not even on test and I fear it is a fail....

defiantone99 said:

So, no new zone. Just a grind in the old zones. Wait til this news spreads.

No... no... there are new zones... the underground city where we will have a few new stores etc but non fighting zone. The second zone is the HE zone against the demon (like Tiamat zone). Then a whole bunch running around to old zones to do a HE (barfffff). I hope these are done like the ToD ones where done so I can run for 20 minutes between HE cause it is sooo fun!!


Master professions.

This is a big old FU to most players. You have to have a "high-ranking stronghold" to do this????? So we really going this direction? Really? So you forcing the folks that might actually like crafting but are in small guilds to leave their guild? Seriously FU!

More artifact weapons/offhand and more armour. Hopefully the new equipment isn't locked behind the Stronghold because all us folks in smaller guilds will never see the equipment that is available now.

Remake of the trade bar store sounds like they are going down the pay to win path hard core.....

Do I sound mad? I sure am and this thing has not even hit the test server yet lol.

I didn't read anything in that interview that is going to sound fun.... hope I am proved wrong.

dodgo

valwryn said:

So it looks like the Explorers Guild is required. We were gonna build it as our 3rd boon.....guess we'll bump it up to 2nd. :*

explorers guild..... who would want this.. derpiest boons eva
gold is useless...
ctrl resist is crud. im a halfling with valindras and i still get perma ccd HR and TR smokebombed to death...
group stat bonus... i find myself pugging alot anyway even though im in one of the top 3 guilds...

so let me get this straight new tools and huge grind for fashion sets and 2nd best in slot. and i gimp my boons. ill pass thx.

good job devs #sarcasm

urabask

dodgo said:

valwryn said:

So it looks like the Explorers Guild is required. We were gonna build it as our 3rd boon.....guess we'll bump it up to 2nd. :*

explorers guild..... who would want this.. derpiest boons eva
gold is useless...
ctrl resist is crud. im a halfling with valindras and i still get perma ccd HR and TR smokebombed to death...
group stat bonus... i find myself pugging alot anyway even though im in one of the top 3 guilds...

so let me get this straight new tools and huge grind for fashion sets and 2nd best in slot. and i gimp my boons. ill pass thx.

good job devs #sarcasm

Well it'll probably mean new BIS pants, shirts and rings via crafting.

Given that it's locked behind a boon structure people will probably gouge the carp out of them.

fdsakhfduewhfiuf

High ranking guild? Explorer's guild? Really? Is this the way things are going? Tying new stuff to the stronghold is such a bad idea. A lot of people will never be able to experience this stuff.

Looks like I will never see this. Our guild is not large enough.

Let's just hope the stuff created by marsterwork professions is not bound.

grimah

Someone from my guild managed to get hold of some data-mined info on rings a while ago, which i didn't believe would be released with siege. I think these must be what is coming in the underdark.

Pretty old stuff so it's likely going to be changed a bit, but its an interesting sneak peek:

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Moving_Ambush
When you have been moving for {p.m[1].magnitude} seconds you gain partial stealth as long as you continue moving. Foes within 20' will still be able to see you.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Moving_Chargingbull
When you have been moving for {p.m[1].magnitude} seconds you generate threat around you every second as long as you continue moving.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Moving_Template
When you have been moving for {p.m[1].magnitude} seconds you gain 30% increased damage resistance as long as you continue moving.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Onhit_Crit
On hitting a foe you gain {p.m[1].magnitude} Crit for 4 seconds. This effect can stack a maximum of 10 times.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Onhit_Defense
When hit by a foe you gain {p.m[1].magnitude} Defense for 4 seconds. This effect can stack a maximum of 10 times.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Onhit_Deflect
When hit by a foe you gain {p.m[1].magnitude} Deflect for 4 seconds. This effect can stack a maximum of 10 times.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Onhit_Rec
On hitting a foe you gain {p.m[1].magnitude} Recovery for 4 seconds. This effect can stack a maximum of 10 times.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Onhit_Regen
When hit by foe you gain {p.m[1].magnitude} Regeneration for 4 seconds. This effect can stack a maximum of 10 times.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Onhit_Template
On hitting a foe you gain {p.m[1].magnitude} Power for 4 seconds. This effect can stack a maximum of 10 times.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Time_Brutality
Every 30 seconds you gain 4000 Power for {p.m[1].magnitude} seconds. This effect only works in combat.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Time_Fortress
Every 30 seconds you gain Invulnerability for {p.m[1].magnitude} seconds. This effect only works in combat.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Time_Template
Every 30 seconds you gain 4000 Power for {p.m[1].magnitude} seconds. This effect only works in combat.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Time_Vision
Every 30 seconds you gain Stealth Sight for {p.m[1].magnitude} seconds. This effect only works in combat.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Whenhit_Cowardice
When struck from behind by a foe you have a {p.m[1].magnitude}% chance to root your attacker for 2 seconds. This effect can only trigger once every 20 seconds.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Whenhit_Impenetrability
When your health drops below {p.m[1].magnitude}% you become invulnerable for 2 seconds. This effect can only trigger once every 120 seconds.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Whenhit_Naturalorder
When struck by a foe you have a {p.m[1].magnitude}% chance to remove all buffs from foes near you. This effect can only trigger once every 60 seconds.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Whenhit_Template
When struck by a foe you have a {p.m[1].magnitude}% chance to reveal all stealthed foes near you. This effect can only trigger once every 20 seconds.

Powerdef.Autodesc.Exotic_Ring_Whenhit_Vanishpresence
When struck by a foe you have a {p.m[1].magnitude}% chance to vanish for 2.5 seconds. This effect can only trigger once every 60 seconds.

I'm curious to know how effective this stealth sight/reveal is. Would solve the problems with TRs.

valwryn

Those are some nice rings.

I wonder if we can get a nose ring slot?!?

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urabask

clonkyo1 said:

So, "Masterwork profession" will just be a new "guild" feature which will ignore solo players and small and medium guilds... Nice to know...

EDIT: BTW, nice to know too that we will get a "+% on damage while moving for X time but, if you stop to kill mobs, that bonus power will be lost" bonus. XDDDDDDDDD

A +% damage one would be kind of nuts for warlock.

dfnce

That catched my attention:

Underdark will see the addition of two new sets of armor, Dusk and Drowcraft, as well as a plethora of new artifact weapons and some unique new rings with interesting bonuses. Dusk Armor is Item Level 135 and is available from a number of locations, including the Trade Bar Store, lockboxes and a companion bundle.

And this. I hope Coalescent Ward remains....

The Tarmalune Tradebar Store hasn’t really been touched since our first module update, even though players get Tradebars with every lockbox they open. Having a lack of things to spend this currency on is really unfortunate and doesn’t make players feel good about earning them. With this update, the whole store is getting a revamp.

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suicidalgodot

...oh joy, moar powwah to dah one percent...

dfnce

This is a 10-person fight that you queue up for in Mantol-Derith. The normal version of the fight is only available at the top of every hour. You'll face off against Demogorgon with the help of Drizzt, Regis, Bruenor, and Grazzilax, a Mindflayer who is a member of the Society of Brilliance and featured in the new module, Out of the Abyss. The battle is broken up into three phases, and will reward players based on how well they do in each. The better you do, the higher your reward at the end of the fight. Each phase will have variation that players will need to pay attention to if they want the best possible score.

The performance participation leaves a lot of questions. Once again DC buffing may appear "unproductive", while tanking performance is best done by Paladin than GF, more focused about increasing party DPS and mitigation

asterdahl

fdsakhfduewhfiuf said:

Let's just hope the stuff created by marsterwork professions is not bound.

All equipment and items made via masterwork professions recipes can indeed be sold. These new recipes will require crafters to work together, as unlocking masterwork recipes will be a lot of work, and many will require a variety of materials from other professions.

Masterwork professions were originally planned as a part of the Strongholds module, a guild-focused endgame for crafters. That being said, I just wanted to assuage any fears that this heralds a future where new recipes are always obtained through strongholds. We are introducing a new set of equipment with Underdark that is not tied to strongholds. In the future it's safe to expect a mixture of equipment tied to strongholds and available via other means. The same can be said about new crafting recipes.

valwryn said:

So it looks like the Explorers Guild is required. We were gonna build it as our 3rd boon.....guess we'll bump it up to 2nd. :*

For those guilds interested in masterwork professions an explorer's guild will indeed be a strong investment. For those that have members who may want to dabble but aren't sure about building the structure, all of the materials obtained via explorer's charts can be sold on the auction house.

dfnce said:

This is a 10-person fight that you queue up for in Mantol-Derith. The normal version of the fight is only available at the top of every hour. You'll face off against Demogorgon with the help of Drizzt, Regis, Bruenor, and Grazzilax, a Mindflayer who is a member of the Society of Brilliance and featured in the new module, Out of the Abyss. The battle is broken up into three phases, and will reward players based on how well they do in each. The better you do, the higher your reward at the end of the fight. Each phase will have variation that players will need to pay attention to if they want the best possible score.

The performance participation leaves a lot of questions. Once again DC buffing may appear "unproductive", while tanking performance is best done by Paladin than GF, more focused about increasing party DPS and mitigation

I'd like to take a moment to clarify that the performance being referenced here is overall party performance in relation to completing objectives. No fickle scoring based on individual contribution, so you won't have to worry about whether your buffs are counted as strongly as heals, etc.

asterdahl

dfnce said:

And this. I hope Coalescent Ward remains....

The Tarmalune Tradebar Store hasn’t really been touched since our first module update, even though players get Tradebars with every lockbox they open. Having a lack of things to spend this currency on is really unfortunate and doesn’t make players feel good about earning them. With this update, the whole store is getting a revamp.

I mentioned this in another thread but I'd like to make sure that there isn't any confusion: coalescent wards will not be leaving the trade bar store, nor will their functionality be changing or their price rising. You can breath easy and hold your trade bars if you're curious what new things will be appearing, without worrying that coalescent wards will be saying goodbye.

Expect to see a blog post going into great detail about the upcoming trade bar store changes before Module 8 goes live.

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tassedethe13

darlo4ragnar said:

so let me recap all infos (mostly for myself 'cose i am a bit stupid sometimes) and correct me where i am wrong:

-no dungeons eccept the 6 we have
-5 new arty weapons set to refine for (Elemental Evil related that is clearly an important part of underdark lore)
-the already explained "NEW" arty excange system via color token (lol love this really, how to been fokked and pay for it)
-no news about the fabolouse "gild arty weapon set" that should be tied to a certain "SH level+proper quest" but the quest vanished somewhere (go to test server and check yourself)
-new profession task, but only for players in big guilds + certain building that cost you 2,5M AD, that will grant the luckyest of us with new BIS rings and a fashon worker set (lol so much work and efforts for worker clothes?? 40$$ at wallmart??)
-new HE in the old zones BUT with the new "population system" where if we are not a TOT of players we CANT get the top rewards (this this is so funny guys, prepare for the publishing of the WotC handbook "how to implement a proper ZERG mentality in wester society" soon)
-2 new set (probabilly the old drow set look), one via tarmalune but not upgradable (lol now i know that my 12 VIP will grant me eventually a gear set within mod10), the other via HE/Demogorgon Zerg (only top prize) upgradable (via black ice profession that is CLEARLY and well reported by years of D&D books related to underdark)
-Demogorgon 10 players zerg fest (at least less laggy that Tiamat for sure) divided in 3 phases (oh wait it is Tiamat with a different skin...)
-a nice interface to see how i eventually looklike with that new gear that i am not able to acces to

Mod8 looks so interesting, i wonder how the net-people will react to this..

You forgot "No new map", a city map as Protector enclave or Caer konig doesn't count. We have the stronghold for this

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flyingleon

No new dungeons certainly disappoints me. And I can not see quality content there yet. They would be better to give me some surprise.

rayrdan

please avoid to bash the only dev jumping on the forum to speak with us.


strum said there ll be more underdark to see, this interview left me disappointed in that regard