New Player with some questions

neverwinter1973 · August 2013

Not sure if this is where the newcomers post so if I made a mistake, it's because I'm new.

Just had a question on how far can a player get before real life money comes into play ?

What are the limitations for the free to play players ?

I also heard Neverwinter is very solo friendly, is that true ?

Thanks.

beckylunatic · August 2013

You do not have to spend any money if you don't want to. Simply ignore the lockboxes and carry on your merry way.

Where you can see a big discrepancy in performance between free players and people who have put a lot of money into the game is PvP. (As opposed to aesthetics/convenience.)

If you are content to play as a solo PvE person (that's Player vs. Environment, namely monsters), then you can get by barely aware that there are people who've spent a ton on tricking themselves out.

rortie · August 2013

There is little or nothing that you can't get if you stick to "free" play. However, many things are very very difficult to get that way unless you put a lot of time and effort into the game.

I have not spent any real world money on this game but I also do not play more than 1-3 hours per day on average. I accept that there will be many characters more powerful than mine. Since I do not 'pay to win' I don't complain much about the few things I don't like.

Yes, it is very solo friendly. Much of the game is designed to be played solo/with an AI companion. Most campaign areas have at least one dungeon that is supposed to be done with a party of five, but for campaign purposes they are not usually mandatory.

beckylunatic · August 2013

The 5-player dungeons and skirmishes are not mandatory for the campaign at all, but completing them is required for zone achievements.

neverwinter1973 · August 2013

Thanks for your replies, and I am not opposed to spending real life money as long as it's reasonable, I just like to know how much of the content I have access too before doing so.

Again, thank you for your replies.

ceryndrion · August 2013

Ultimately, I would say this..

As others have already said, you can play the entire game without spending a penny. There are some things that you can buy with real money that make life a little easier, but none of it is mandatory.

Have a look at the zen store, see what is on offer, and if the price is what you are willing to pay for something, by all means buy it, if not, then don't.

It is up to you.

noroblad · August 2013

most of what real money gets you is in-game coin (astral diamonds) that allow you to buy the best enchants or open lock boxes that have the best enchants. These are game breaking for pvp if you do not have them, as other said. Prior to recent changes, high end gear could also be bought but they have finally put in place bind on acquire for high end gear so you have to earn it (or pay outrageous sums for the pre-bind).

terradraconis · August 2013

Nothing you can buy is mandatory to play or level. Some of it like the bags, high end companions and mounts are convenient. But not mandatory. Some PvP people will insist that you can't be good at PvP without a top of the line mount. ::shrug:: thats the only thing I can think of.

zrieprakis · August 2013

You also may want to consider a guild for running dungeons. This will give you the most success in completing them for daily astral diamonds, and for gear upgrades.

zalcs · August 2013

ceryndrion wrote: »

Ultimately, I would say this..

As others have already said, you can play the entire game without spending a penny. There are some things that you can buy with real money that make life a little easier, but none of it is mandatory.

Have a look at the zen store, see what is on offer, and if the price is what you are willing to pay for something, by all means buy it, if not, then don't.

It is up to you.

I think the words you're looking for is a lot ;p

zalcs · August 2013

noroblad wrote: »

most of what real money gets you is in-game coin (astral diamonds) that allow you to buy the best enchants or open lock boxes that have the best enchants. These are game breaking for pvp if you do not have them, as other said. Prior to recent changes, high end gear could also be bought but they have finally put in place bind on acquire for high end gear so you have to earn it (or pay outrageous sums for the pre-bind).

Only enchantments to go then, which was originally the main issue, not gear.

drscone · August 2013

I've played for a couple of months and have shelled out 10 euros recently for a bit of zen so I could respec my character. Along the way I've made quite a few mistakes with my spec and with things I've bought using AD. When you hit lvl 60 it's a whole new learning curve again.

So I'd advise holding off for a little while. Get a feel for the game, get up to 60, find out what you enjoying doing. Then see what you want to spend your money on, if anything.

stabbath · August 2013

beckylunatic wrote: »

The 5-player dungeons and skirmishes are not mandatory for the campaign at all, but completing them is required for zone achievements.

That's just fluff right?

stabbath · August 2013

zalcs wrote: »

I think the words you're looking for is a lot ;p

Agree. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX length

beckylunatic · August 2013

stabbath wrote: »

That's just fluff right?

Yes, zone achievements are fluff. You get a title.

joncans · August 2013

I leveled two toons, guild free up to 60. Did all of the T2 and CN(Tier 2 dungeons, Castle Never) as a tank, and didn't spend a dime. It was also A LOT easier to get gear sets pre patch. Now I mostly PVP, and do dailies in the new zone. I have since spent $165 US for gear, enchants, respec, mount. I am not a casual player, I play a lot. In fact it's the only game I am playing, so I felt the money spent was justified. And I plan on spending more.

I love the game, highly, highly addictive.

ott0maddux · August 2013

terradraconis wrote: »

Nothing you can buy is mandatory to play or level. Some of it like the bags, high end companions and mounts are convenient. But not mandatory. Some PvP people will insist that you can't be good at PvP without a top of the line mount. ::shrug:: thats the only thing I can think of.

I missed the nightmare exploit, but I still finish 1st in pvp a least half the time on a plain old 5g mount. I do have t2 unenchanted gear though. which is easily bought with only free AD after 6 months under the current system. Oh thats per piece.

krisst0f · August 2013

ceryndrion wrote: »

Ultimately, I would say this..

As others have already said, you can play the entire game without spending a penny. There are some things that you can buy with real money that make life a little easier, but none of it is mandatory.

Have a look at the zen store, see what is on offer, and if the price is what you are willing to pay for something, by all means buy it, if not, then don't.

It is up to you.

Now they nerf'd the way to make enough AD, if you don't buy Zen, you get nothing...

But!!! It is still free to play... you'll just die a lot that's all ^^

bropine · August 2013

To the OP, you'll be fine until you hit level 60. Then you will have to pay real money to get a high enough gear score to be allowed in dungeon groups. And running dungeons is just about all there is for PVE once you hit level 60.

stabbath · August 2013

bropine wrote: »

To the OP, you'll be fine until you hit level 60. Then you will have to pay real money to get a high enough gear score to be allowed in dungeon groups. And running dungeons is just about all there is for PVE once you hit level 60.

Nah, you don't have to spend money for gear score 10k. I didn't.

wjweller · August 2013

I haven't felt hustled yet @ lvl 35. The way I see it, coming from subscription based games - if I like the game, I'm willing to pay some money each month... but I haven't found that it's required to enjoy the game.

Once I hit lvl 60, I'll probably either start an alt, do Foundry quests or maybe build some of my own Foundry quests. PVP and endgame never appealed to me in any MMO and I've been playing MMOs since the beginning. I'm more of a, "enjoy the journey" type of player. If I want PVP I'll just play something like Q3, UT, or CS... MMOs don't do it for me on the PVP front, as it's usually too gear based which makes it a non-game.

smittyfranko · August 2013

Don't give them a dime and you'll be better off in the long run as the death spiral continues.

sedryntyros · August 2013

Something you'll need from the Zen Market at some point will be at least one Retraining Token per character. You can exchange Astral Diamonds for Zen and acquire them that way, but since they're only 300 Zen a piece it's worth it to invest the real money in my opinion and save your Astral Diamonds for something else.

Probably the most important piece of advice anyone can give you, though, is don't invest too much money. Recent events have revealed a serious inconsistency with how Perfect World Entertainment chooses to enforce the Neverwinter Terms of Service. For doing something seemingly innocuous, you might end up on the receiving end of having your account permanently banned while you witness others get off scott free for far more serious offenses. Just know going in what others have experienced first hand; fairness is not a priority with Perfect World Entertainment.

beckylunatic · August 2013

sedryntyros wrote: »

Something you'll need from the Zen Market at some point will be at least one Retraining Token per character.

I disagree. I've only ever used the free retraining granted after major rebalancing, and then not even on every character who had them available. I still have the one that was included in the Guardian pack I bought.

Whether or not you "need" to respec depends heavily on if you are following a build guide that becomes invalidated (and even then, you might end up with a free one at that time). If you want to test builds, you can do so on the preview shard for free. There is plenty of flexibility to try out different skills to see what you think of them without worrying about wasting a point or two here and there while levelling, and to simply consider taking out anything you really disliked the next time a free respec is granted.

sedryntyros · August 2013

beckylunatic wrote: »

I disagree. I've only ever used the free retraining granted after major rebalancing, and then not even on every character who had them available. I still have the one that was included in the Guardian pack I bought.

Whether or not you "need" to respec depends heavily on if you are following a build guide that becomes invalidated (and even then, you might end up with a free one at that time). If you want to test builds, you can do so on the preview shard for free. There is plenty of flexibility to try out different skills to see what you think of them without worrying about wasting a point or two here and there while levelling, and to simply consider taking out anything you really disliked the next time a free respec is granted.

Well, I suppose it depends on how you choose to approach the game. If you choose just to try different powers and feats without researching in advance then you'll want a Retraining Token later on. If you plan carefully and research, then yeah you won't need one. I think its more fun to not worry about getting the spec right the first time, though, and experiment more while leveling up.

beckylunatic · August 2013

I have experimented while levelling up, I've also just never felt that any build I came up with was broken enough to warrant spending money to change it. With the game being still developing, free respecs are being given out frequently enough that I feel it's acceptable just to wait for them. New paragon paths will warrant another freebie, whenever they happen.

lostmarbleshere · August 2013

No NO... Dont not just goto the zen store and look at what they offer. Most of it is junk. Dont waist money on anything in the Zen store at all. This is a free to play game. The F2P game system store is there to suck you into buying stuff so dont even open it to see whats in it.

Just play the game dont spend a dime on it. Dont get sucked into buying keys for the lottery boxes they are junk. Pray every day to your god in the game. I repeat dont bother spending a dime on your toon. For one reason mainly you spend a bunch of cash on your character and few months later it gets nerfed to <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> and the stuff you waisted real money on now is pretty much usless.

goddessunique · August 2013

joncans wrote: »

In fact it's the only game I am playing, so I felt the money spent was justified. And I plan on spending more.

I love the game, highly, highly addictive.

Hi, what game are you talking about?

drscone · August 2013

stabbath wrote: »

Nah, you don't have to spend money for gear score 10k. I didn't.

11k and pushing 12 now. No money spent on gear. Buying everything you need on hitting 60 and you end up with all the gear and no idea. I think you benefit from working your way up to T1 and T2 sets.

lostmarbleshere · August 2013

goddessunique wrote: »

Hi, what game are you talking about?

The OP must have a gambling addiction and is letting it all ride on the latest lockboxes.

sedryntyros · August 2013

beckylunatic wrote: »

I have experimented while levelling up, I've also just never felt that any build I came up with was broken enough to warrant spending money to change it. With the game being still developing, free respecs are being given out frequently enough that I feel it's acceptable just to wait for them. New paragon paths will warrant another freebie, whenever they happen.

Well, to each their own I suppose. To me, 300 Zen is a minimal investment to tweak your character, but if somebody has the patience to wait on the freebees I suppose that's an option.

In my opinion, the account services are the only thing worth spending money on in the Zen store and among those the one with the most practical utility for a reasonable price is the Retraining Token. But, as I said in my first post, I'd definitely be weary of investing any significant amount of money in this game because of the aforementioned fickleness of PWE's policy enforcement. It'd suck bigtime to spend $80 on a character only to have it banned because you weren't "lucky" and stumbled across an bug that costs PWE some money.

New Player with some questions

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