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prometheusen
Member Posts: 63 Arc User
Hello all!
Since this is an open beta, I've been playing Neverwinter with the attitude of examining objectively everything I've experienced in the game from level 1 to 60 for the purposes of providing feedback and contributing to the beta as productively as I possibly can. Of course, everything I'm about to say is opinion and an opinion is only as valuable as you apply value to-- that being said, while I admit I am not free of bias, I hope that for any of you that may take the time to read this, decide that there is value to be applied to this set of opinions.
CONTENT
I was as thorough as I could possibly be to leave no stone unturned and try to do every bit of storyline, exploration and questing that the game presently offers. For the most part, I'd say that my impression of what the game provides has been positive. However, towards the end of the game, there was a bit too much of a feeling of familiarity or something more formulaic that the quests didn't grip attention like it did early on. This was largely due to the fact that the pattern of tasks and chores didn't venture into too much beyond the grind of "such and such is an even greater threat to Neverwinter! You must slay them!"
My first response to this (admittedly an unrealistic one) was to provide the player the opportunity to really live their character-- there's nothing worse than putting words in the mouth of someone's character. Not everyone intends on playing a duty-compelled, self-righteous adventurer that cares for the future of Neverwinter; perhaps some are more avaricious or even malicious. But, I realize that would involve implementing layers of content that is simply unrealistic given the length of time from level 1 to 60.
CLASSES
I played a Great Weapons Fighter (to 60), Trickster Rogue (to 30), and a Devoted Cleric (here and there on my friend's account). I can really only speak for GWF since I didn't go the distance with any other class, unless we're talking about the dynamic of how classes seem to unfold in PvE and PvP. Since I can only really speak for GWF, that's what I'll focus on:
Solo
Playing a GWF solo is pleasant enough. The class is competent enough to get through just about all of the content without any delay. However, a few things that came to mind was the rhythm of the class feels very forced and at times awkward. This awkwardness comes from an inability to define any real specialization. It's hard for a GWF to really devote themselves to say damage or defense-- and because of this, where a GWF "belongs" in the big picture is blurry territory.
PvE
PvE content is referring to dungeons, skirmishes, and other co-op endeavors. I find it distasteful to indulge melodrama, but I make an exception in this case to say that playing a GWF in PvE content is vexing and estranging.
Many a time I've been kicked from a party that I joined through queue because I was a GWF-- no other reason. I have consistently been a hard hitter in terms of damage but to no compare of what a TR can do, or even a CW in some cases. I can't handle damage a fraction as well as a GF. And my utility isn't as essential as a DC.
The GWF feels like the hated child of the game; and truthfully, I can't say I disagree with the general disdain that people seem to have for GWFs. In many dungeons I felt like I was holding the group back and that a TR or a CW would've been a far better contributor to the success (or a deterrent to the resulting failure of my participation) of the group.
PvP
OK, if there was any part that my bias will be painfully obvious, it's when talking about PvP... In EVERY game I've ever played, I've always favored melee over ranged and have always paid the price for this preference when it comes to PvP. It's not that a GWF is incapable of handling PvP, I've excelled beautifully in PvP for all 60 levels, but, it had to come through creativity, timing, and luck.
The major shortcoming which isn't exclusive to GWF but to all meleers is the inability to close the distance to the ranged combatant. Crowd control in PvP could make the calmest person have a stroke from how pervasive its influence is in the success or failure of a PvP match. Yes, in the case of a GWF, they have Unstoppable which takes that stress away... but in order to make the most of Unstoppable, the GWF has to take damage- and by the time it's available, often it's too late. PvP in general seems to rely too much on "stun locks," and I feel as though this is a tragic element, since it provides little ground for variety in terms of how people are playing PvP.
And there is no variety from what I can see. Every one I've played with or against in PvP seem to be utilizing the same skills/feats or very closely similar builds and it comes down to a rock-paper-scissor kind of turnout (which happens to favor ranged combat since stun locks almost always determine the outcome, and if closing the distance to generate a stun lock is a prerequisite for some classes and not others, there is an unfashionably obvious advantage available to some).
Diversification
When it comes to diversity and really making your character, your character. Neverwinter kind of misses the mark. This may not seem important in the big scheme of things, but novelty is a great selling point. There are some skills and feats that are blatantly worthless and prove to be a poor investment of a very finite range of selection.
To test this theory out, when I made my GWF I decided to devote all of his paragon feats to Destroyer in order to get the last feat, "Destroyer's Purpose." This turned out to be an imprudent and frustratingly poor use of feat points. Upon closer inspection, I realized all of the "end" feats available through each tree was equally underwhelming. This goes back to the inability to truly define any specialization for GWFs.
Perhaps this is my folly, but I feel that if you dedicate your focus to one particular path, to the exclusion of others, then you should be able to bear the fruits of your dedication eventually by thoroughly excelling at a particular dynamic. Of course, you could argue that if the "end feats" were appealing that that would threaten diversification because then there would be a more obvious choice for feat selection. I agree with this argument full-heartedly; but what if there was simply a larger selection of appealing "end feats" available? This, I imagine, is possible through a variety of paragon paths that presently is not available; however, the precedent set from the existing paragon paths doesn't exactly promise much.
RACES
I'm no D&D aficionado, but I know a little bit about the parameters of D&D and thought it strange that none of the races have any penalties or deficits. I'm not really complaining about this, but seeing a ton of half-orc Trickster Rogues is kind of incongruent from what I'd expect in a D&D based universe. BUT it isn't my world to define and if that's the vision that the directors and developers have in mind, who am I to argue :P
PROFESSIONS
Oh boy... professions... OK, let's start with the good. It's a cool concept! Having a passive workforce that is endeavoring to provide you with rewards while you're off actively working on your own quests is a cool system. The interface is nice (though not perfect) and the rewards aren't too inflated that it makes the game unreasonable, yet not so unappealing that's it's not worth doing.
However, there are a few things that I find very strange. An example of this, training 4 mercenaries to get 1 guard... Sure, maybe only one of them has what it takes to become a guard, but what the hell happened to the other 3??? Did they kill each other in some rite of passage into guardsmenhood? Did the one that make it eat the other 3? Did their feelings get hurt and they didn't want to face their employer to deliver such disappointing news and decide to hide under a rock for the rest of their lives? I'd be OK with sacrificing three of my boys for one not-really-any-better boy if I at least knew what happened to them! This is important... I'm pretty attached to my passive workforce! I named those mercenaries that I lost! What am I going to tell Juan's wife?? (OK not really, but you get the idea)
There is a time challenge with professions: By the time I reach level 60, none of my professions are beyond level 10! Anything that could be made by my craftsmen is vendor fodder and leadership provides rewards that hardly match the outcome of grinding for 10 minutes.
FOUNDRY
I only have positive things to say about the Foundry system in Neverwinter. I think it's a great system! The only thing that may be worth mentioning is the Foundry event incentive. Additional experience excludes level 60 characters from receiving an incentive and it can disrupt the pacing of people that are trying to get immersed in the story of a particular location's arc.
EVENTS
Events that are on a predictable schedule is perhaps the most ingenious mechanic I've seen in a game in some time. It's what hooks me to Neverwinter at particular hours in lieu of another game (some games that I even subscribe to). Truthfully, the event engine is brilliant!
I believe that the Foundry event could use a little rethinking, but that segues into my next topic...
ENDGAME GRIND
Devaluing experience points is a dangerous quality in games. The path to the destination is far sexier than the destination itself; we all are elated when the giant number signifying the progress we've made into a next dimension of strength appears in front of us. Experience is the lifestream that makes that elation possible. Of course, if level 60 is the max level, then level 60 is the max level.
But what if experience was repurposed at level 60? As an example, every 20,000 experience you get an astral diamond-- or some other way of monetizing experience. What if there was an alternative advancement kind of system that lets you start all over in your progression only your experience is invested in a completely different set of feats (which would reduce the need for having multiple characters of the same class)? These are just a few ideas, however, I feel like experience becoming a moot point after 60 is somewhat wasteful and makes level 60 a lot less glorious.
QUEUE SYSTEM
The queue system is simultaneously wonderful and terrible. While it's great to be able to queue and go about other tasks while you wait, the chaotic selection of parties makes it an almost impracticality during end game content. The question is, is this a fault of the queue system or is this due to the fact that as of now most dungeons are virtually impossible without the participation of specific classes (of which a couple of aforementioned classes are woefully excluded)?
One possible improvement to the queue system is to provide the individual about to accept a team, a preview of what classes are presently in the team. If there are 2 GWFs in the team and you happen to be a GWF, then it'd be just as easy to opt out without having to deal with the indignant booting that comes from a randomized "leader."
However, perhaps in the bigger picture, the question to really look at is it necessary to insulate the possibilities of team participation in order to accomplish victory in a dungeon? This doesn't mean wane the utility/importance of a cleric, but perhaps enhance or provide classes with a little more capacity to grit their teeth and manage without.
I know that's a can of worms right there, but, how many games out there don't have this issue?
FEEDBACK
Overall, the game is visually appealing, has a good feel, navigates well, has brilliant systems in place, and lots of exciting opportunities to grow into something that could change the genre. However, the major area that requires attention is the lack of diversity and how familiar things get in terms of gameplay towards the latter portions of the game.
PvP outcomes are frequently predictable based on class distribution. Dungeons are predictable as to whether or not they're conquerable based on class distribution. And with the exception of solo content (which runs dry at 60, save for Foundries), the endgame experience instills a strong yearning for something more.
I'm looking forward to what tomorrow brings for Neverwinter and hope that my contribution as small and biased as it may be provides a gram of worth to the overall beta project!
Since this is an open beta, I've been playing Neverwinter with the attitude of examining objectively everything I've experienced in the game from level 1 to 60 for the purposes of providing feedback and contributing to the beta as productively as I possibly can. Of course, everything I'm about to say is opinion and an opinion is only as valuable as you apply value to-- that being said, while I admit I am not free of bias, I hope that for any of you that may take the time to read this, decide that there is value to be applied to this set of opinions.
CONTENT
I was as thorough as I could possibly be to leave no stone unturned and try to do every bit of storyline, exploration and questing that the game presently offers. For the most part, I'd say that my impression of what the game provides has been positive. However, towards the end of the game, there was a bit too much of a feeling of familiarity or something more formulaic that the quests didn't grip attention like it did early on. This was largely due to the fact that the pattern of tasks and chores didn't venture into too much beyond the grind of "such and such is an even greater threat to Neverwinter! You must slay them!"
My first response to this (admittedly an unrealistic one) was to provide the player the opportunity to really live their character-- there's nothing worse than putting words in the mouth of someone's character. Not everyone intends on playing a duty-compelled, self-righteous adventurer that cares for the future of Neverwinter; perhaps some are more avaricious or even malicious. But, I realize that would involve implementing layers of content that is simply unrealistic given the length of time from level 1 to 60.
CLASSES
I played a Great Weapons Fighter (to 60), Trickster Rogue (to 30), and a Devoted Cleric (here and there on my friend's account). I can really only speak for GWF since I didn't go the distance with any other class, unless we're talking about the dynamic of how classes seem to unfold in PvE and PvP. Since I can only really speak for GWF, that's what I'll focus on:
Solo
Playing a GWF solo is pleasant enough. The class is competent enough to get through just about all of the content without any delay. However, a few things that came to mind was the rhythm of the class feels very forced and at times awkward. This awkwardness comes from an inability to define any real specialization. It's hard for a GWF to really devote themselves to say damage or defense-- and because of this, where a GWF "belongs" in the big picture is blurry territory.
PvE
PvE content is referring to dungeons, skirmishes, and other co-op endeavors. I find it distasteful to indulge melodrama, but I make an exception in this case to say that playing a GWF in PvE content is vexing and estranging.
Many a time I've been kicked from a party that I joined through queue because I was a GWF-- no other reason. I have consistently been a hard hitter in terms of damage but to no compare of what a TR can do, or even a CW in some cases. I can't handle damage a fraction as well as a GF. And my utility isn't as essential as a DC.
The GWF feels like the hated child of the game; and truthfully, I can't say I disagree with the general disdain that people seem to have for GWFs. In many dungeons I felt like I was holding the group back and that a TR or a CW would've been a far better contributor to the success (or a deterrent to the resulting failure of my participation) of the group.
PvP
OK, if there was any part that my bias will be painfully obvious, it's when talking about PvP... In EVERY game I've ever played, I've always favored melee over ranged and have always paid the price for this preference when it comes to PvP. It's not that a GWF is incapable of handling PvP, I've excelled beautifully in PvP for all 60 levels, but, it had to come through creativity, timing, and luck.
The major shortcoming which isn't exclusive to GWF but to all meleers is the inability to close the distance to the ranged combatant. Crowd control in PvP could make the calmest person have a stroke from how pervasive its influence is in the success or failure of a PvP match. Yes, in the case of a GWF, they have Unstoppable which takes that stress away... but in order to make the most of Unstoppable, the GWF has to take damage- and by the time it's available, often it's too late. PvP in general seems to rely too much on "stun locks," and I feel as though this is a tragic element, since it provides little ground for variety in terms of how people are playing PvP.
And there is no variety from what I can see. Every one I've played with or against in PvP seem to be utilizing the same skills/feats or very closely similar builds and it comes down to a rock-paper-scissor kind of turnout (which happens to favor ranged combat since stun locks almost always determine the outcome, and if closing the distance to generate a stun lock is a prerequisite for some classes and not others, there is an unfashionably obvious advantage available to some).
Diversification
When it comes to diversity and really making your character, your character. Neverwinter kind of misses the mark. This may not seem important in the big scheme of things, but novelty is a great selling point. There are some skills and feats that are blatantly worthless and prove to be a poor investment of a very finite range of selection.
To test this theory out, when I made my GWF I decided to devote all of his paragon feats to Destroyer in order to get the last feat, "Destroyer's Purpose." This turned out to be an imprudent and frustratingly poor use of feat points. Upon closer inspection, I realized all of the "end" feats available through each tree was equally underwhelming. This goes back to the inability to truly define any specialization for GWFs.
Perhaps this is my folly, but I feel that if you dedicate your focus to one particular path, to the exclusion of others, then you should be able to bear the fruits of your dedication eventually by thoroughly excelling at a particular dynamic. Of course, you could argue that if the "end feats" were appealing that that would threaten diversification because then there would be a more obvious choice for feat selection. I agree with this argument full-heartedly; but what if there was simply a larger selection of appealing "end feats" available? This, I imagine, is possible through a variety of paragon paths that presently is not available; however, the precedent set from the existing paragon paths doesn't exactly promise much.
RACES
I'm no D&D aficionado, but I know a little bit about the parameters of D&D and thought it strange that none of the races have any penalties or deficits. I'm not really complaining about this, but seeing a ton of half-orc Trickster Rogues is kind of incongruent from what I'd expect in a D&D based universe. BUT it isn't my world to define and if that's the vision that the directors and developers have in mind, who am I to argue :P
PROFESSIONS
Oh boy... professions... OK, let's start with the good. It's a cool concept! Having a passive workforce that is endeavoring to provide you with rewards while you're off actively working on your own quests is a cool system. The interface is nice (though not perfect) and the rewards aren't too inflated that it makes the game unreasonable, yet not so unappealing that's it's not worth doing.
However, there are a few things that I find very strange. An example of this, training 4 mercenaries to get 1 guard... Sure, maybe only one of them has what it takes to become a guard, but what the hell happened to the other 3??? Did they kill each other in some rite of passage into guardsmenhood? Did the one that make it eat the other 3? Did their feelings get hurt and they didn't want to face their employer to deliver such disappointing news and decide to hide under a rock for the rest of their lives? I'd be OK with sacrificing three of my boys for one not-really-any-better boy if I at least knew what happened to them! This is important... I'm pretty attached to my passive workforce! I named those mercenaries that I lost! What am I going to tell Juan's wife?? (OK not really, but you get the idea)
There is a time challenge with professions: By the time I reach level 60, none of my professions are beyond level 10! Anything that could be made by my craftsmen is vendor fodder and leadership provides rewards that hardly match the outcome of grinding for 10 minutes.
FOUNDRY
I only have positive things to say about the Foundry system in Neverwinter. I think it's a great system! The only thing that may be worth mentioning is the Foundry event incentive. Additional experience excludes level 60 characters from receiving an incentive and it can disrupt the pacing of people that are trying to get immersed in the story of a particular location's arc.
EVENTS
Events that are on a predictable schedule is perhaps the most ingenious mechanic I've seen in a game in some time. It's what hooks me to Neverwinter at particular hours in lieu of another game (some games that I even subscribe to). Truthfully, the event engine is brilliant!
I believe that the Foundry event could use a little rethinking, but that segues into my next topic...
ENDGAME GRIND
Devaluing experience points is a dangerous quality in games. The path to the destination is far sexier than the destination itself; we all are elated when the giant number signifying the progress we've made into a next dimension of strength appears in front of us. Experience is the lifestream that makes that elation possible. Of course, if level 60 is the max level, then level 60 is the max level.
But what if experience was repurposed at level 60? As an example, every 20,000 experience you get an astral diamond-- or some other way of monetizing experience. What if there was an alternative advancement kind of system that lets you start all over in your progression only your experience is invested in a completely different set of feats (which would reduce the need for having multiple characters of the same class)? These are just a few ideas, however, I feel like experience becoming a moot point after 60 is somewhat wasteful and makes level 60 a lot less glorious.
QUEUE SYSTEM
The queue system is simultaneously wonderful and terrible. While it's great to be able to queue and go about other tasks while you wait, the chaotic selection of parties makes it an almost impracticality during end game content. The question is, is this a fault of the queue system or is this due to the fact that as of now most dungeons are virtually impossible without the participation of specific classes (of which a couple of aforementioned classes are woefully excluded)?
One possible improvement to the queue system is to provide the individual about to accept a team, a preview of what classes are presently in the team. If there are 2 GWFs in the team and you happen to be a GWF, then it'd be just as easy to opt out without having to deal with the indignant booting that comes from a randomized "leader."
However, perhaps in the bigger picture, the question to really look at is it necessary to insulate the possibilities of team participation in order to accomplish victory in a dungeon? This doesn't mean wane the utility/importance of a cleric, but perhaps enhance or provide classes with a little more capacity to grit their teeth and manage without.
I know that's a can of worms right there, but, how many games out there don't have this issue?
FEEDBACK
Overall, the game is visually appealing, has a good feel, navigates well, has brilliant systems in place, and lots of exciting opportunities to grow into something that could change the genre. However, the major area that requires attention is the lack of diversity and how familiar things get in terms of gameplay towards the latter portions of the game.
PvP outcomes are frequently predictable based on class distribution. Dungeons are predictable as to whether or not they're conquerable based on class distribution. And with the exception of solo content (which runs dry at 60, save for Foundries), the endgame experience instills a strong yearning for something more.
I'm looking forward to what tomorrow brings for Neverwinter and hope that my contribution as small and biased as it may be provides a gram of worth to the overall beta project!
Post edited by prometheusen on
0
Comments
In 4e D&D they removed the deficits from all races and instead gave them to +2's, this was given to every single playable race with some being able to choose between two different secondary stats for the +2 (this game just gave it to all races to make it easier to choose different classes, I think due to the low amount of races atm mainly)
So suffice it to say, this was actually proper as they use 4e but I agree it is weird if you never played it (as the 3.5e was better im
Interesting, I wasn't aware of that. I'm very fresh on fourth edition... from what I've read about it and what little I've been hearing here and there, I feel as though a lot of things I enjoyed about D&D was downplayed or removed. Not to say racial quirks like that are a deal breaker for me--I just think it's funny (made a grisly, angry looking halfing guardian fighter
profession wise, by the time I hit 60 I also had both my professions at level 10. its incredibly slow unless you use AD to level it fast.
Im glad to see more GWF's in the game. some don't do much damage but I have seen some in endgame that beats everyone's damage by a lot. they are useful in certain situations but overall they don't play that big of a role.
Thank you!
Yes, these upcoming changes and content that the overhaul is looking to provide I'm sure will invalidate a lot of what I mention in this feedback. I'll probably look to provide feedback though when I've fully experienced the new content as well (a much less verbose feedback I forecast).
It's true, there are times I've been able to top the damage of a team in dungeon settings--I'm considering respecing to see if I can improve the GWF experience beyond what I presently have in order to find a more consistent expression of GWF function.
I suppose I didn't elaborate on what I meant by "There are some skills and feats that are blatantly worthless and prove to be a poor investment of a very finite range of selection." I meant that the at-wills fail to improve much from the starting variety and there are encounters that pale in comparison to its siblings. I actually felt this was more obvious with Trickster Rogues--every new at-will available gets progressively slower, which seemed counterintuitive to me. Just some thoughts.
Oh and I forgot to touch the inventory woes issue and the identification challenges--if there was a stone of identification that provided unlimited identifications across levels for $20, I'd buy it...
1) No one liked 4th edition and to base an MMO on it was a bad decision (I accept they had little choice as they are so closely associated with Wizards) but this is not the d & d I know and the lack of character customization and different spells/abilities well it is just boring. It just feels massively repetitive especially later on when you know you have no new powers or spells.
2) You level far too quick and the replay factor is about 0. There has been little imagination with quests, most are "fetch me X", "Kill X number of creatures", "Plant X seeds". There is essentially one dungeon in each area for which you need a 5 person party. Yes you have the foundry but there should be more foundry type quests in the main game. I haven't played this that much and I am level 58 and the game hasn't even been out for a month. When DDO came out I played that game like stupidly so and it took ages to level and I realise some may feel that is a grind but at least you feel you got your moneys worth and there were tonnes of different quests you could choose to do at each level. With Neverwinter there is no choice.
3) Professions are a great idea but take far too long. I have been using the gateway and doing it when in game. I am level 58 and level 8 in mailsmithing and 7 in leadership. The best armour I can make is for level 28 so why would I make it? The fact some things take 18 hours to complete in my opinion it was a great idea done badly.
4) The balance of characters is just stupid. Clerics have been totally nerfed and they still haven't fixed the aggro bug which was first reported in closed beta. Clerics are mediocre at dmg and mediocre if not worse at healing. Bastion of health which is a 35 point level skill heals for 1500 and in divine about 1900. Given the fact you have about 9000hp at that point it would be in old d & d a cleric casting a cure moderate wounds spell as a "special unique ability" at 14th level. Rogues do way to much damage and more than GWFS. I know in original d & d they could with sneak attack etc but their basic attacks are the most powerful in the game.
5) Grouping: Maybe I am doing it wrong but it seems to have no social aspect to it unlike games like DDO (DDO is the only MMO I have played of this genre and that is far from perfect but if they had had the foundry I doubt anyone would have left). IN DDO you have a symbol above your head if you are looking to join a group and there is an active "Looking for more" tab where you can see what quest it is, who is already in the group (and you can filter what class you are looking for) and put notes like fast run or no zerging etc. In Neverwinter it seems totally random and you wait a long time and if not of the class required you just get kicked.
There are some more things but that's probably enough ;o) For me, personally it was okish fun playing but the lack of customisation and because the replay factor is so low even with playing with a new class I doubt very much I would want to go from 1st to 60th again, once I hit 60th I will do some tier 2 armour hunting for a bit but can't see myself playing it all over again.
ESO is coming out soon, Rift out next month and DDO has it's new expansion in August. I understand that new games often take a while to get better but for me unless they put more actual quests in the game and totally restructure the character classes in terms of spells and abilities, I think it will just be new areas opened up but the identical format and to me that is unimaginative and boring.
I hope nobody minds me adding a few thoughts:
The world is WAAAY to small
I really want the option to make foundries with scripted boss fights. I was looking forward to creating a really solid foundry over the summer but I'm afraid its going to fall incredibly short of what I wanted to achieve.
The monetization system is making the game un-fun. There is a reason many companies go out of their way to avoid the type of system that is in place here. I don't know about anyone else, but among my group we really refuse to play with anyone who is significantly buffed up through the pay system. It just is not challenging or fun. Additionally the crafting asset boxes being pay only is... unfortunate.
What could be done to make the pay system better? Lower prices and add more unique aesthetic items. This may sound ridiculous but more people will buy something if it costs less. I honestly wish more wardrobes were put into the game at low costs and varying levels of quality. A simple peasant dress for a few bucks? Yes please. Give those of us who want to spend a realistic amount of money each month the opportunity. As it is it is just creating a giant bitter rift between pay and non-pay. I was in a PvP team who were all more casual and we came up against a full team in PvP of Drow on super fast spiders. After the first set of deaths pretty much everyone either left the game or sat at spawn. I'm sure the Drow were happy that throwing money at something made them superior though. Good for them. At least give those who aren't spending $200 up front the same capabilities over time, even if we don't look nearly as cool doing it.
Make all the classes useful! Right now my party has one of each class. But we realize we would have simply had a better raiding team if we just rolled up 2 Clerics, 2 Rogues and a Mage.
The boss abilities are so easy to dodge there has never really been the need for a Guardian Fighter. It's unfortunate that queues require their presence because they are definitely not needed.
Last major issue: PLEASE give players 1 respec token when we hit level 60. I will tell you why: You want non-paying players to continue playing because paying players want their non-paying friends to play with them! What I have noticed is that the skill level in this game is rather... low. People want to test a build and find out what works for them. Well, that's fine and dandy but if they do it wrong on the first try and cannot ever keep up in the damage meters they will probably just stop playing. At least having the option of a free respec once they hit max level they can correct that horrible build they spent hours suffering through.
You ever play Path of Exile growltoo? It's a free-to-play aRPG where any money you throw at them is purely cosmetic and nothing else. I was surprised to see that they embraced a model like that, but it surprisingly worked out pretty well for them. Their skill trees were so overwhelmingly massive that you get baby respec tokens throughout the game. I was thinking the other day if you could take the best of Neverwinter and the best of Path of Exile's philosophies, it may just be the perfect game hehe.