What is the story with this game?

stevo3045

I have played Neverwinter on Xbox since the day the Paladin dropped. I have several characters that I have ran through all the campaigns and are at the TOMM level. I play everyday for at least a couple of hours, but have difficulty finding anything with while to do in game. Usually I am just farming for better gear or I am helping others in my alliance farm for better gear or items to increase their stats. I have no idea what the storyline of this game even is. Why am I fighting in Lair of the Mad Mage? What does that have to do with Lord Neverember? What is my characters role in the saving of the Neverwinter realms? When I start a new character washed up on a shore and get some rusted equipment, what is the point of this? Why am I not starting out fight Valindra with Makos and the others? Why do I end up following around Sgt. Knox in the PE then start a story of a stolen crown that ends up going nowhere? After I get done with this starting campaign and move on to Elemental Evil and beyond, where is the touchstone of a strong familiar storyline and characters? There are so many campaign zones that are redundant and add nothing to my experience in this game. For example, Acquisition Incorporated... why is this even in the game? It’s campy and boring and doesn’t fit with most people’s ideal of Dungeons and Dragons. I really hope that the new Executive Producer makes this game fun again. It does need to be reduced like a great bone broth!

autumnwitch

Even though D&D proper is a RPG table top game, NW is a more action based game and due to the fact that so many play, the storyline can only be customised and changed in small amounts without making it out of whack for other players.

That being said, most of why you are doing anything is explained when you take a quest. When you trigger Undermountain for example, there is a nice cut scene that explains what is going on and why you are doing it. You do have to pay attention and take time to watch it and read any other instructions. Story is in NW but it's takes time to find. Reading the lore and so forth also helps for immersion.

All games that use the MMO or MP model are going to be limited in the complexity of the story. There is no way around that. If you are seeking much richer story lines and more in depth customization in a fantasy setting I suggest single player games like Dragon Age and/or Skyrim.

greywynd

Well, first off, did you ever listen to any of the NPCs or read the quest dialogs?

blargskull

When I started this game back 6 years ago, I watched the opening film with Valindra attacking Neverwinter. So when my main got to Valindra and beat her, he dragged that huge phylactery of hers back to the Neverdeath Graveyard and presented it to his fellow Doomguides. I told all my friends, that is game over. I left to play other games. I dropped by to play some stuff with my friends and work on the Foundry. Stuff happened, I returned because they had a new opening about Strahd and his witchy friends got a new film on the front end. Cool, game back on. I played that module and enjoyed it with a new character.

Unlike standard MMOs Neverwinter is a series of stories that seem to lack any timeline or links to other stories. What I think sucks about the story telling is, they are all open ended. There is no conclusion to anything you do here in the game. I can't recall any zone or module that ever felt completed. I can 100% a campaign according to my journal but the story seems to just dangle.

foehammer019

I get where you're coming from as far as the game alone goes. I've been a big fan of Forgotten Realms and D&D books for years, so for me, getting to play in those adventure zones is awesome by itself. For instance, Valindra was really a pretty minor character who became an overwizard then a lich almost by accident. I'm really surprised she was made into a main storyline. So I get your point (especially Acquisition Incorporated), but I would think most D&D/Forgotten Realms fans play just for the fact that it makes the hundreds of books out there come to life. My 2cents...

stevo3045

Thank you Blargskull. That’s what I was trying to get across. I read lore, watch cut scenes, listen to npc’s, and read missions. Everything just seems disjointed to me. I do like games like Skyrim and DA, but they don’t have the community that I enjoy. There are some great stories in NW! I just think that zones that I can go into could be better story driven to help the grinding seem less like grinding, and the zone to have an ending. As always these are just my opinions and my thoughts about what would seem to make the game better for me. Thanks for your comments. They make me feel heard.

greywynd

The game isn't one campaign with one single overarching plot. It was that from the time of Valindra's Invasion until her defeat in her tower in Thay. Since then, other challenges arose over time. (Yes, the game accounts for the passage of time. Talk to Pvt. Benton in PE if you don't believe me. Then go talk to him again in Ebon Downs. Finally go assist him in the Well of Dragons.)

If you follow lore, you can find the dates of Validra's Invasion and the subsequent game campaigns.

sandukutupu

@stevo3045#1604 The one and only campaign, with a decent end to it, is Maze Engine. Also the campaign actually starts up with the Underdark Campaign (talk to Captain Belgold in Protector's Enclave) and carries over into the Maze Engine. The Maze Engine has a final "The End" and doesn't seem as unfinished as everything else in the game. R.A. Salvatore regurgitated some of his work from his earlier novel, what I mean by that, don't expect new material, if you already read his work. His most loved creation, Drizzt Do'Urden gets added to the game in that quest line. During quests with the heroes, you get to hear them chat about their thoughts, feelings, and history. So you might want to reduce the sound effects or remain out of battle until they get done chatting.

I will step back into the shadows, as I await module 18...

robert

stevo3045#1604 said:

Thank you Blargskull. That’s what I was trying to get across. I read lore, watch cut scenes, listen to npc’s, and read missions. Everything just seems disjointed to me. I do like games like Skyrim and DA, but they don’t have the community that I enjoy. There are some great stories in NW! I just think that zones that I can go into could be better story driven to help the grinding seem less like grinding, and the zone to have an ending. As always these are just my opinions and my thoughts about what would seem to make the game better for me. Thanks for your comments. They make me feel heard.

For me I haven't felt my character is the main character of Neverwinter. Granted the game has characters talk to me etc. But I don't feel as important as I do in Star Trek Online. I hope with the New Executive Producer onboard, I hope the Newer Campaigns make a focus on making a conhesive story along with bringing importance to the character I play.

Also I hope that earlier missions are redesigned with making my character move relevent to the story. Like adding more cutscenes in where my charater is invovled inbetween all these missions within the map. Just like what was done in Star Trek Online.

Plus it bums me abit that the conclussion of each "story" within the maps seem to only remain within the PVE Group Dungeons. So I kind of hope we can have these Group Dungeons available as single player missions.