Hot Topics of Early 2014! Stand up. Make a Better Neverwinter.

onecoolscatcat · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".

I like leaver penalties. Tenacity gives the possibility of balancing PvP without nerfing PvE. That's good. Matchmaking is a useful feature.

2. PvP Before and After.

Current Playtime: D

I'll PvP more often, simply because I need tenacity for the upcoming PvP campaign. Were this not the case I wouldn't bother with PvP at all.

3. The Foundry.

I don't have an informed opinion on this subject.

4. The Rotation.

As a guild leader, we don't make DD events. It's impossible to plan weekend DDs on Monday. We simply make guild parties with whomever's online once preclear time starts. I'm looking forward to DD keys. Those will make event scheduling SOOO much easier.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.

I support Cryptic's endeavors and paid real money for all the various packs: Founder, Guardian of Neverwinter, Feywild. I also transferred Zen so my characters received Ioun Stones of Radiance.

I will pay money for module packs. I also will pay money for quality pets usable account wide. I will not pay money for refining materials, BoE gear, or disposable items.

6. Icewind Dale.

I know nothing about Icewind Dale. I'm mainly looking forward to the new area.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.

New Classes: Never played D&D. I have no idea what's out there.

Class Changes: Myriad. Feats are not balanced. For Example, a GWF spends 5 heroic feat points and gets power equal to 20% of his defense. A DC spends those same 5 points, and gets crit equal to 1% of his power. Wow.

Over the past months, several classes were nerfed in PvE for the sake of PvP balance. Tenacity is now your PvP balancer. Denerf them and tweak tenacity instead.

Find some way of making GFs relevant in PvE. As stands, they are useless. I have, and play, at least 1 character of every class. All have 14k+ GS, and I am proficient in their uses. GF's are the only class without a niche. Please make them useful. This is more important than bringing out a new class IMO.

8. Character Progression.

Exp doesn't correlate to fun. Make sure characters level to 60 solely through main quests and call it good.

9. What's the most fun you had...

Running through CN with my guildmates, chatting away on our private TS server.

10. #1 feature.

Mail. In one sentence?

Mailing items to different characters on the same account is tedious, fraught with peril (I've lost several million AD in the process), time consuming, and limiting.

Bonus: ONE THING.

Professions.

Make the profession assets tab account shared. Mailing workers, tools, and resources between nine characters takes upwards of 60 minutes each day. Let all my characters have access to all the workers my account holds. It's not like workers actually get carted around by any particular character. They're off mining, guarding, or sewing somewhere far away while we adventure. This one small fix will help mailbox congestion and leave more time for gaming.

Let assets stack. I don't need to see an individual slot for each and every worker or tool I own. One stack per asset.

syka08 · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".
I’m not a fan of PvP by any stretch of the term. I haven’t even farmed glory to get the artifact from it and only occasionally consider doing so during designated PvP hours. I cannot offer a response to this.

2. PvP Before and After.
Playtimes currently:
d. PvE mostly, dabble in PvP.
This is what I’ve done up to this point and what I’ll most likely continue doing.

3. The Foundry.
The Foundry is another experience I no longer partake in. It was a way to earn some extra RAD to get myself off the ground and that was pretty much it. So, again, I cannot offer a response.

4. The Rotation.
The rotation system is fine as is, with the exception of Gauntlegrym. An alternative should be provided during that hour and a half block for those too low level/ unwilling to participate.
I am looking forward to the Key System, though I don’t hardly run dungeons anymore either.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.
Coalescent wards. Plain and simple if ANY item needs a nerf in price, it’s that. I’d suggest 300z or so.

6. Icewind Dale
I don’t care for the “open world” PvP zone which sounds like it’s going to play if not a center role, than an important role, in being able to progress the campaign in its fullness. Everything else that is coming with it sounds great!

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.
I honestly don’t care which class gets added in or not. I think GFs need the most love. I can’t really say how to fix them as I don’t play one and don’t plan on it, but one of my good friends who leveled theirs to 60 feels heavily gypped, especailly after gaining the “new” paragon path.

8. Character Progression.
Level progression in NW is the fastest I’ve ever experienced. The only issue I have with it, is trying to do all of the extra skirmish and dunegon content at appropiate levels. However, with the implementation of CTAs, this really has become a non-issue for me and I say things can stay as they are.

9. What's the most fun you had...
NWAH. Neverwinter Adventure Hour. Most fun I’ve ever had with this game happened there. It’s saddened me deeply to see the “official” portion of it go.

10. #1 feature.
It’s not going to make me walk away, but my understanding that the PvP portion of Icewind Dale seeming to be a mandatory thing for module progression makes me contemplate taking a break from the game.

Bonus:
Quality. Control. From small things like typos (Excorcist items? Scolls of Fate? SCA typing errors? One was just pointed out recently on the gateway ZAX that’s small but important) to larger things like Dungeon Exploits (that war is far from over). It ‘s starting to feel like the game is gilded more than the real mccoy.

scizor08 · March 2014

You could start by promoting this tournament that you guys are in?

MMOBomb's Ultimate F2P Tournament

Your game is up against Warframe right now. Good Luck! Voting Site

darkstarcrash · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".
As a super-casual PVPer, mostly for the artifact, I like the idea of matchmaking -- mostly so I don't inflict my poor play on people who actually care about PVP.

Leaver's penalty seems to be working: haven't had anyone leave yet in my few matches, and the only campfire-sitting was done in my second match where we were totally outclassed by a premade, so everyone sat at the campfire after the PM held all 3 nodes and lined up by our spawn point.

2. PvP Before and After.
PVE mostly, only PVPing on each character to get them the artifact. If matchmaking works, I might PVP a bit more, even *gasp* spend glory on gear.

3. The Foundry.
Foundry needs better awards for level 60s. Make every 15 minutes spent in foundries count as one of the four required, so people don't self-select for 15-minute foundries. Put at least a blue in the end chest. Let authors put up to 5 skill nodes in a 15-minute dungeon. Of course, then you need to prevent bot-farming, but I would *love* to spend more of my limited time in foundries, if the reward-for-time was there.

4. The Rotation.
As long as it's DD plus key, I think it's a great idea. The DD hour ensures plenty of people running at the same time, and the key let's you go when you want. Maybe this will lead to fewer "3CW/GWF/DC required" groups, because you're not racing the one-hour timer.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.
I have bought a mount, companions, bags, bank slots and character slots -- usually waiting for a sale. So far have not bought Coalescent Wards, because I think the price is out of line. I would buy more bank slots if they were account-shared. I would love a unbind-companion-to-account token, since after active bonuses came out, I wished I could move some companions around.

6. Icewind Dale.
A new zone is great. I'm concerned about open-world PVP being required for PVE progression. I really really really hate being ganked.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.
New classes: I love buff/debuff/healing, so I'd go for Shaman and Paladin.

Old classes: CWs need lower dps, GFs need higher weapon damage, Sentinel IV GWFs need lower dps (move Deep Gash deeper in Destroyer tree?). Make classes high dps OR high control, not best of both as CWs are. Or separate the feat trees more, so CWs can spec more for dps or control, GFs can do invite-worthy dps or be a credible tank, etc.

8. Character Progression.
It's quick, but as an altoholic I wouldn't want it slowed down much. Maybe let people turn off XP gain if they don't want to avoid out-leveling an area. Personally, I invoke past Pirate's Skyhold (cannot justify killing the lizard people), and I wouldn't want to lose that option. Some time down the road a few alternate leveling areas would be great.

9. What's the most fun you had...
First time through Dread Vault I was one of 4 who had never run it, with a very kind and patient player who explained boss fights and didn't complain when people died to tentacles/dodged off walkways to their death/stood in red stuff. After 3 boss tries we won, with only a CW and my DC standing at the end. Felt pretty epic, (even though it was normal mode for the daily).

10. #1 feature.
As in 6., requiring running through an open-pvp map for pve goals makes me sad.

Bonus: ONE THING.
Better storage: mount tab, shared account bank, etc.

aulduron · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".

Don't think we needed it, except for the leaver penalty, and I tend to PvP less now.

2. PvP Before and After.

I PvPed as much as I could.

3. The Foundry.

I never do Foundrys

4. The Rotation.

The DDs usually come up: just before I get online, dinner time, and bed time. I'm hoping that changes soon.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.

Coalescent Wards and Ioun Stones are the only things I tend to buy, but the Wwards cost too much Zen and the AH price has doubled since the refinement system.

6. Icewind Dale.

New Content
Alternate XP advancement

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.

New: Druid (or another healer) and Monk.
Old: Illusionist path for CW, Paladin path for DC or fighters.

8. Character Progression.

I like that we can level to 60 quickly. Different quest paths would make leveling alts more fun.

9. What's the most fun you had...

Killing other players

10. #1 feature.

Bugged queues.

Bonus: ONE THING.

Allowing us to get daily quests from Lord Neverember, and Trade of Blades, like we can from Rhix, without going into PE, along with allowing any epic dungeon to satisfy the Daily Dungeon quest.

dtz · March 2014

darkstarcrash wrote: »

9. What's the most fun you had...
First time through Dread Vault I was one of 4 who had never run it, with a very kind and patient player who explained boss fights and didn't complain when people died to tentacles/dodged off walkways to their death/stood in red stuff. After 3 boss tries we won, with only a CW and my DC standing at the end. Felt pretty epic, (even though it was normal mode for the daily).

Dude, I think I might have been that CW. If that's the Dread Vault run I'm thinking of, it was seriously epic.

jddouglas83 · March 2014

Copy/Paste Ballot:

1. The "PvP Patch".
Tenacity is interesting, am undecided whether I like it or not. Seems like giving 10% across board is the same as giving 0%. If desire was for flat 10 for everyone why not modify base stats for it without the seeming additive 10, unless there future plans for Enchantment or Artifacts which would cause multiplicative problems when additive was desired. With a DC main I've found Healing Depression as a terrible nerf to DC PvP ability. Since 75% of DC primary purpose is dead at least replace it with something useable. If someone chopped off both of your legs and an arm saying is for the good of the group or the whole or the system, wouldn't you at the least ask for some prosthetics? I can understand the intent and there's nothing wrong with it, but if its really a problem then create time tiered Match's available for queue and display amount of people queue'd for each one. Male a 5, 10, 15 minute ones available with tiered amount of glory rewards. If not timed then 500, 750, 1000 points to win per match. Please for the Love of Gaming add at least 3 more PvP Maps, how's it called a PvP system when there's only 2 small places to duke it out. I'd love to see smaller Match's 3v3 and duels at 1v1 & 2v1 for kicks. Leaver Penalties are great, would like to see penalty at 45 minutes though. Matchmaking doesn't seem to be working as stated intent, sometime waits are 30-45 minutes even when there's 3 to 5 people grouped. And the matching system seems imbalanced as I've been in several pugs where the people I've teamed with GS ranged from 9-15k, I would think Match's would be balanced better by balancing individual+group GS and accumulate points in previous 5 Match's + overall points scored. Have auto queue group together by ideal similar parameters, then searching in lower brackets say every 3-5 seconds until full match has been filled. Also how in blazes are Purple Slot items being taken into account on auto matching? Could a premade group Lvl 60 all with 9-10k GS Blue Equipment w/ something like Unicorn or Mulhorand Main for its Purple Slot but having P. Lifedrinker/Vorpal's and P. Bloodtheft, Frostburn, Barkshield break attempts at balanced Match's? Epic/Rare PvP Gear looks great statistically, not soo much visually. But hey it's just the visuals which can be changed so no biggie. By comparing numbers of pre-patch T1, T2, GG gear to new Epic Suit Sets it seems to be about T2.5 which is nice. Incredibly laborious to gain 4 piece suit at 80k Glory and 27 Seals but whatever. Upper Glory Limit is great now. Though given Glory gain from wins adjusted from 750 to 500 PvP becomes a pug grindfest for anyone wanting new PvP gear. Really it seems more broken to me now than it was before, would think it would have been better to increase win gains to 1k wait until system is actually balanced and operating smoothly then readjust to desired amounts whether 750 or 500 or whatever. Could preface glory increase with statement that its only temporary until system is working as near your ideal as acceptable. If intent is to streamline Match's, increasing amount of Match's while reducing time per match, reduce points required for win from 1k to 750 or 500 as previously said above. Getting into GG PvP almost never happens for me. Have fully participated in the entire 2 hour GG event 10-12 times, gotten into GG PvP once. And yes before other players start flaming me I am aware it seems the best time to try to enter queue is at 0 seconds.

2. PvP Before and After.
Pre-patch I would PvP 6-12 times a day. Post-patch I do 0-4 Match's a day. Only reason I even try is to attempt to complete dailies for the Rough Astral Diamonds. Would really like to do about 8 a day with at least 3 wins for Seals and Glory as it seems to me that the Epic Profound Suits are going to become incredibly important for M3 but as DC even having respecced its currently a disappointment I can afford to avoid. Really why would DC's need to be nerfed so? From what I've seen only about 5% of all players main characters are DC's.

3. The Foundry.
Foundry. I love some of the ones I've played through. Big props to the author of "Tired of Being the Hero". Could be improved by leaps and bounds if Foundries selected for the Top 4 Spot Weekly (or is it Bi-Weekly) were contacted by a Cryptic/PWE Employee for an assist in placing a decent and difficult boss and some chests and/or skill nodes across the Foundries length as appropriate. Adjust chest loot appropriately according to boss difficulty.

4. The Rotation.
The Rotation seems really odd to me. Would be really nice and handy if Cryptic/PWE made an app for iOS/Android that told complete events for the day and displayed current and next 2 upcoming events, all displayed with times running, and linked to device to tell when event start/end is local time. Add notice, reminder, alarm function. Would be great if something like that could be linked to guild functionality allowing guild officers and founders to create events and sign up list to be transmitted in game and across said application.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.
Cash shop is fine. Dyes are a bit more expensive than I care for, would prefer 115-130 Zen per 4, but eh. Mounts are expensive but I can understand their price since their available to all character on account once purchased, personally don't buy them unless their on sale. Really would love to see some more interesting variety though. Some kind of Red one would be cool, yes I know of the pharaoh . Maybe a Juvenile Purple Wurm. Give option for Armored Mounts to have armor different colors, or colored to character deity, or something for more variety. A Sphinx or Chimera would be awesome. Introduce a few more packs available with more different interesting races. I'd personally love Janni and Gnome myself but there are loads of options within the DnD Universe. I bought the Knight of Feywild pack since in my opinion it gives the coolest things. Hero of the North is Terrible in my opinion because of its Race, specifically racial traits. Best thing from it I like is the Panther Companion and Login Priority. Some new packs I think would be welcome, I think one priced around a hundred with Janni Race, Mini Genni Companion, some kind of extra planar beast rank 3 mount, extra etcetera tiered items similar to Knight and Hero Packs. Another pack for around eighty with Gnome Race and other stuff of its like from a Gnome environment. Anyhow, ideas are like backside, everyone has one and they all stink at sometime or another. Just food for thought at this point. Northern Barbarian Tribesman could be cool and appropriate with upcoming M3. Please add some unique stat, ability, whatever to Legendary (Orange) Items. Only in-game L. Mount (Emporer Beetle) same everything just looks cooler than Purple Beetle, that terrible and really leaning towards GW2 behavior for highest quality items of different skins but no new powerful abilities or stat increase. I quit GW2 after getting 3 guys to max level and getting statistically best items but not the horrible 6 month grind for highest items which only gave cooler skins/vfx. Upgrading Artifacts from 99 to 100 takes 5 G.Marks of Potency and since there's no new stats or change in artifact ability use function I've zero inclination to upgrade further. Btw, G.Mark of Potency has too low drop rate in my opinion, having been through more than a hundred Dungeons during Delves and seen only one drop from boss (Karru), yes I'm aware they can be bought at WB for 100k.

6. Icewind Dale.
Black Ice Market
Open PvP with Factions
60+ Stuff

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.
New classes sounds cool. My preference would lean towards Druids and something akin to Dragon Knight from DnD PnP. Really though before any new classes are introduced I think the Menzoberranzan Renegade "Trance" Trait should be swapped for something actually useful and appropriate to lore and price people have paid for the Hero of the North Pack. Instead of new classes I would prefer for each class to have 3 Paragon Paths. Each distinctly different from each other and appropriate to each different Paragon Feat Path. For instance change DC Paragons around for 3 very different path builds, one 90% Heal 10% Control, another 90% Buff/Debuff 10% Heal, last choice 50% Self Survivability 30% Heal 20% Buff/Debuff. Get rid of 1 thing on Powers at each tier prior to 30 Paragon Choice, to be added once choice is made, if not that then modify lower tier powers to learn towards Paragon Choice once Choice has been made at 30. Some kind of similar modeling choices could be applied to each class.

8. Character Progression.
Xp Curve seems low to me. On two different characters I've leveled soo quickly merely by doing every quest in 5 zones that I made 60 before I even experienced some 5-6 other zones. So I've missed out on those Quests, Rewards, Experiences, and Titles. Also when in skirmishes, dungeons, etcetera at top allowed level then leveling while in the place a person is not allowed to turn in quests, they need to be abandoned. I would say increase XP required per level slow progression to allow for time in every zone, add new unique items to each zone end quest rewards with new looks unique to zone acquisition. For Post 60 content increase again by 15% for first 5 post 60 improvements, 25% for following 5 per level, then 40% for following 10.

9. What's the most fun you had...
Adventuring with Guild and Foundries that are/have been previously spotlighted. Least fun, grinding with new PvP glory gain and trying to get into GG PvP.

10. #1 feature.
Best. New Content added every month or two and monthly events. Worst. Coalescent Ward in acquisition rate and Zen purchasing price.

Bonus: ONE THING.
Please give Professions some love! I can understand current bag system but think craft able bags at Leatherworking/Tailoring Level 20 after finding recipe would be a good and welcome addition. Make craft able bags same quality, holding amount, as the first one acquired during the early Nasher Missions that way it doesn't encroach too much on Zen Purchased Bags. Add more things to craft with different distinct looks as rare tasks only occasionally appearing, I say unique looks as all crafted items with exception of Shirts/Pants are statistically inferior to same level/quality items found while adventuring. Also add craftable Lower tier Tenacity Armor and Weapons similar to how there's 2 tiers of Lvl 60 Blues that may be found, make craft able Wep/Amr lower tier exception being Shirt/Pants which could have 3 tiers, 2 normal non gemmed, 1 superior gemmed, require finding recipe and rare repeating event for superior gemmed. Craftable Saddles and Mount Armor would be really awesome. Craftable fashion items would be a welcome addition as well. Also Tailoring and Platesmithing Assets Packs would be an excellent as well to round out the lot of current packs.

Douglas Stoneheart, Devoted Cleric - Annointed Champion

bajornorbert · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".
ELO-ranked matchmaking is a good idea, might result in more balanced fights, but it needs more time to be effective. The new Profound armors look great especially the CW one, the jewelry is good to have, now that we have tenacity, esp since most CWs will probably still wear HV for PvP, so getting a few points of Tenacity w/o loosing the HV set bonus is nice. As for the other PvP changes, i don't really think it was required, including Tenacity. A better matchmaking system, possibility to challenge another premade, more maps/game types would've made more sense. At least we got a better matchmaking system.

2. PvP Before and After.
100% PvE. I'm not a hardcore PvPer, but i like to play a few matches now and then, but i've given up on the PvP in this game a long time ago, because of the limited maps/game types we have and the fact that you can rarely end up in a balanced match.

3. The Foundry.
In it's actual state it's a pita. Most of the ppl i know consider doing the daily foundry quest a punishment, including me, instead of being fun & rewarding. There's a lot of good ideas on the forums regarding foundries and the one i'd choose to implement is player created dungeons/PvP maps.

4. The Rotation.
Get rid of it entirely, it's really bad. While there should be some kind of "limit" to the number of free loot / day, i find the dungeon key system the best thing that could be done, if the keys would be ~10k AD, cause otherwise it would be free loot all day long since purple + shard + seals from the T2 chest worth 10k+ on average. Anyways i'm really looking forward to seeing how it'll be implemented. As for the other events, some are worthless, like the profession/foundry, the PvP event could be replaced by Glory boosters available in the Zen store, and making the first 2-3 matches/day grant increased Glory, and the skirmishes could grant 1000AD with a 30%-50% chance no matter when you do it.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.
I buy what i need, usually preservation wards & pets, sometimes keys, bank slots, character slots, retraining tokens, anything i need. I've also bought a 110% mount, but since 1 is enough i won't buy more of those. And the thing i would never consider buying, at it's current price, is the coalescent ward. If the price would be reduced to 500zen, i'd consider buying it, esp now that they are ~200k on AH.

6. Icewind Dale.
Really looking forward to the open-world PvP and hopefully to a well designed dungeon, that can't be farmed by 90% of the lvl 60s day 1 thanks to some bug. A dungeon that's challenging for ppl with high GS too and which cannot be completed in 15mins making the drops actually worth something. Oh, and it better not be like MC or VT where almost everything is BoP, otherwise ppl will stop caring once they have everything that can be easily farmed, and go back to farming CN / playing another game. Also hoping for some actual guild content, like some guild vs guild PvP or guild housing in IWD.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.
Sorcerer & w/e. I love to play sorcerers or their equivalents, that's why my main is as CW, but the CW is still not a proper Sorc, need fireball and lots of very powerful AoE / single target nukes and no CC. As for class updates, GFs really needs some love, because they are a joke, even with the changes introduced with the last patch. They need more dmg, not more threat, with the recent changes, they have enough threat generating encounters/passives/feats, what they don't have is damage, and without damage you can't keep aggro against good high GS players. It could be resolved by boosting their threat generation by 200-300%, but that won't solve the problem of not being invited in PUGs / speed runs, which is most GF's problem, increasing their damage by 20%-30% will solve both the threat issue and the DPS issue, they still won't be top DPS, but at least they would have a chance of ranking higher than 4th, and even if they wouldn't be, they would be still much more useful in high GS parties, where adds die in <3sec and bosses are tanked by GWFs/CWs.

8. Character Progression.
When leveling alts it could use a speed boost, i would probably spend up to 500 zen for a 1 day 1000% XP boost scroll, just to finish leveling. When leveling your first character, it's okay or even a bit too fast, i remember outleveling every dungeon when i was leveling my main, but that was in open-beta, don't know how things are looking now for 1st-timers, because when leveling alts i usually speed level, so don't care about the content. And reaching the 5th boon in Sharrandar is a pita, hope IWD won't be the same.

9. What's the most fun you had...
I can't remember any that could be attributed to Neverwinter. I have / had a lot of fun but that's thanks to my guild and the ppl on Teamspeak.

10. #1 feature.
#1 BAD: Vastly outgeared and exploitable dungeons, no challenges & item progression for high GS player.

Bonus: ONE THING.
Raids with lots of challenging bosses and progression saving/tracking. No LFG Raid X 1/10, if you've beaten the 1st boss, you need to continue from after the 1st boss, you can't reset it by leaving and entering again. You should be able to reset it but using AD and at most once a week, and would auto-reset, when all bosses were beaten. Oh, and you should reenter, if continuing a previously unfinished raid, with the same team that you've started it with.

shunterino · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".

More balanced matches than before but still a problem with premades. Just pointless mixing pugs and PMs, ruins it for both sides. Will make any leaderboard worthless. Separate queues would help.

2. PvP Before and After.

PVPing more purely for seals and glory for new armor set. Once I've got that won't be PVPing unless there's a proper balance.

3. The Foundry.

Hardly anyone plays foundry. No rewards, no boss fights, no point. Should make it possible to make PVP maps and allow PMvPM matches. No rewards necessary. In fact make it the only place premades can fight (remove them from regular PVP altogether). If they want to fight with 3 or 4 GWFs let them do so with other cheese enthusiasts.

4. The Rotation.

Very annoying. Also the endgame dungeons and skirmishes is very limiting (DV is the worst dungeon in the game and you make it the daily. Horrible). Keys will help, but needs some rethinking, imo. Also the Professions event is pointless, not real change in what nodes give you.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.

Zen prices are totally out of whack. Coal wards are the biggest sign of this and a great way to breed resentment, especially the way they're manipulating the AD cost. I only buy on sale stuff and only with converted AD.

6. Icewind Dale.

Looks good on paper. Dreading the bugs and issues we will have, as we always have with updates. QA team on this game is very disappointing. Some things will slip through of course, but huge bugs every time, issues flagged in preview but ignored, fixes that break other stuff, it's all become a bit of a tradition.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.

Would like something different. Monk and illusionist?

Giving GWF the GF tree was a big mistake. DC needs more love. Stealth needs subtle changes not the usual overreaction TRs always receive.

8. Character Progression.

Good. Always thought it was nicely paced apart from outlevelling some skirmishes, but CTA helps with that, assuming we'll get all of them and not the same three repeated endlessly. Garrunder the Vile should be a laugh.

9. What's the most fun you had...

Early dungeons up to Idris were great, then the add spawn started and never really ended. Sucked the fun right out. All dungeons can still be done, just not very enjoyable and very repetitive.

10. #1 feature.

#1 GOOD: overall still a fun action game with cool setting. I can waste hours.

#1 BAD: tedious boss fights.

Bonus: ONE THING.

Cut prices of mount and companion upgrades.

saini50990 · March 2014

The "PvP Patch".
basically to say i very much love PVP, it is the basic thing i do whenever i log on to my toon. from looking at the patch i saw how much the devs have thought about balancing the class , and the armors are simply amazing , but some thing still disappointed me.
1> the profound weapon set, i dont have anything against profound armor set , those are simple amazing but what disappointed me was weapons, those armor and weapons are t3 in nature giving 473 crit but weapon dont have any set bonus , i mean we sill go with our own weapons if we had to give 20 coins just to get main hand and that will take 10 days just to get that and we still dont get the weapon bonus. thats simply feels like getting scammed , we r getting tenacity doesnt mean we dont want weapon set bonus and also ,plz if u feel like implementing weapon set bonus plz I as GWF want something other than crit from my weapon , we have so high crit that it passes the diminishing returns giving no benefit , considering that give us weapon set with something other than crit .

i know or guessing or hoping that u removed weapon bonus thinking about diminishing return , so plz instead of removing it i want something else other than crit from weapon set bonuses.
till the weapon dont have weapon stat bonus i dont even plan to buy those weapons from pvp. i mean so much time to just buy armor and than we want to buy weapon but they dont have bonus , so basically u r telling us that we shld keep 2 different set for pvp and pve , so different enchants for weapon , which in turn making it costly for us to buy or r u planning to say to us to change our enchant every time we do pvp.
plz plz plz plz plz plz plz begging u to consider this.
2> penalty are not wrking , i suggest just like gear score u implement PVP score based on wins and losses in PVP. that PVP score will determine the ques , how much bonus glory u can get , and make players able to stay in pvp just to increase there PVP score .
it will be like PVP ranking system. and as much as as players dont want to admit it but every 1 wants to stand at the top, this PVP score will increase the competition between players too.
3> there is still no guild halls or something ,ok forget guild hall give us a system so that two diffrent party can challenge each other in pvp, while not trying to get challenge in PVP by multiple trys where to party's simultaneously ques.
u can implement PVP party challeging system , just like searching for party option is there , party leader can challenge each other to PVP too.
this way two guild can challenge each other in better way.

well some response wld be nice if u read this .
i ask other player to consider the suggestion and if u like it plz point them out.

ebonyshadow · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch". The most recent patch includes Class balance issues, bug fixes, and the largest PvP update ever. Are you excited about PvP additions to the game such as Tenacity, Healing Depression, Leaver Penalties, and Matchmaking, Epic and rare PvP gear?

Jury still out on tenacity, the leaver penalties and match making hold promise.

2. PvP Before and After. From your perspective, how much time do you spend PvPing now, compared to how much time you see yourself PvPing in the future, post PvP update? Will the update change your current habits and why?

I'm not a big PvPer, tend to mostly only do my PvP dailys. So it hasn't changed the amount of time, however it is currently a little more enjoyable (Not as many leavers)

d. PvE mostly, dabble in PvP

3.If you were in charge of an upcoming major Foundry update, in 5 sentences or less, please describe what changes you would make to spur the player community's interest in designing, and/or playing custom generated content in Neverwinter.

can't really add much yet, only been here a few weeks and only took a cursory look at the foundry. Do plan to try creation at some point.

4. The Rotation.

Not currently in a guild (Waiting for more RL friends to join before setting one up) so cannot yet comment on this

5. Neverwinter is F2P. Cryptic makes a living off the cash shop. What items do you pay for in the cash shop? What items you absolutely will not pay for? What item(s), if lowered in price, would you potentially buy?

Have so far only bought extra character slots. Bank slots currently too expensive but would buy if cheaper (I have 8 characters currently, so for me cost is x8) same with bags.

6. What are the top 3 things you are looking forward to in the new Icewind Dale update? Any parts you don't care about?

Not given it any thought, will see what it provides when it goes live

7. You have been hired once again by Cryptic to produce a mod, this time pegged to design two new classes by Q4 2014, and enhance the current classes. What two classes will you pick, and what changes/additions would you make to any of the current classes?

Druid (Most obvious omission), paladin (Second most obvious omission).... change? Not so much change the class but change PvP to reward support/healing, making it more viable for DC's

8. You are asked to look at the XP Curve in relation to character level progression. Would increasing xp needed to level make your character's journey feel more fun? Would you be able to run more quests, such as Foundry missions, without skipping any of the storyline content?

No, increasing XP needed would make solo leveling REQUIRE PvP and foundry rather than it being an optional top-up. skirmishes need a better XP return to promote involvement outside of the times it gives extra AD.

9. Neverwinter is Social fare. What's the most fun you had to date in Neverwinter?

Social? Maybe for some. Though I do enjoy leveling with a friend... however the most fun was had solo, the artifact quest was challenging on each of the classes, good sense of accomplishment getting through that. Wouldn't like that level of challenge all the time but the occasional thing of that difficulty is IMO a good thing.

10. In one sentence please name the #1 feature/concern that you dislike to the point of possibly walking away from Neverwinter? Or, name one feature that you love about the game enough, that you see yourself playing Neverwinter for many years to come.

Concern, that like other games before you, you will nerf and dumb down the content for lowest common denominator causing Me to do what I did with those other games, leave! Currently however, I'm enjoying what is here, more of the same high quality of content thanks

Bonus Question: Name ONE THING you'd love to see added or improved in Neverwinter before the end of 2014. Come on... just One Thing!!

Tweaking the PvP system to reward activity, penalizing AFKers whilst not penalizing those who are trying but just outmatched gear wise. Also rewarding support/healing activity such as the contribution from DC's.

lionmaruu0 · March 2014

PvP: Add more game modes, capture the flag, slayer all the classic fps game modes can be aplied here and more created like a dota like game with pve and pvp enemies and a base to capture/destroy. I dont/barely play pvp as it is right now.

FOUNDRY: Better drops for qualified foundry, and in special Foundry PvP maps.

Zen/AD store: companion gear customization, sex change, let me equip armor and weapon that will affect the companion cosmetically.
More armors and clothes, this game pales on comparison with the other cryptic games in customization this should be addressed.

Leveling: Leveling is fine. Doesn't matter what you do, people will still power level on a day or a week, most people will skip content on this game, because the content doesn't matter, almost everything is extremely linear and there is no exploration at all, all missions go to the next one to end on a dungeon, there is no reason to play it more than once if at all. there is no reason to play the missions since they don't award anything good. And you don't know if there are any cool transmutes because there is no catalog of different pieces of armor or weapon to look it up.
In this game if you want/will play all the missions, better you do it at a higher level just for the lore.

Character customization is important point for me, but also the problem that you dont have any reason to go back to nice zones like the graveyard, could be added some big boss fight to make people go back from time to time.

omgdarwinaward · March 2014

aandrethegiant wrote: »

Copy/Paste Ballot:

1. The "PvP Patch".

2. PvP Before and After.

Not much input here, since I don't pvp. Tried it twice, seemed like a badly worked out afterthought. That said, matchmaking could be something that would entice me personally to give it another try. At the very least, if working propperly, it might give the mode some structure.

3. The Foundry.

It'd help to supply authors with a lot more options. Gameplay in Neverwinter is basic to say the least to begin with, limiting authors even more than that seems rather shortsighted. The absence of nodes, which might incentivize authors to flesh out their worlds with all sorts of paths/secrets and reward players for exploring them, is nothing short of baffling, just to name one example. Let's face it, there's some incredible creative talent among foundry authors, but knowing beforehand that the gameplay part of an adventure that might last up to an hour will consist of nothing but whacking mobs over the head repeatedly is not exactly tempting me to give it a try. It's making sure that I won't.

4. The Rotation.

Not a fan to say the least. I'm not the youngest, so it's possible I just don't get it, but the majority of my experience with games is playing them when I want to, not the other way round. Worked out surprisingly well to be honest.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.

As of right now I won't buy anything nor spend AD on anything that might at some point have been acquired with Zen in one form or another. I realize that the guys at Cryptic/PWE need to pay their rent, too, however the way the game is monetized more often than not is exceptionally bold, to use a comparatively harmless term, and to be frank I don't want to see future games in general take the same direction, which makes it sort of impossible to show financial support. That said I'm not blaming the artists for that and there's some creative stuff at the store. It's not a matter of just reducing the price, rather one of reevaluating the entire way the game is monetized, but there's some very nice stuff in dyes, fashion items and certain mounts that might be potential buys, if it came to that.

6. Icewind Dale.

From what I understand it's going to be a more "civilian" map and at the very least it should be interesting to check it out and maybe get something like the incredibly nice vistas from the core game again. Not really excited about anything else from what i heard so far, sorry.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.

Let's start with changes to current classes, because this seems the more important part: make sure they work! I'm playing CW and having a look at this thread is flat out shocking. While that sort of thing can happen, it's not a situation where new classes (or pretty much anything else, for that matter) should be a priority. Bugfixes and balances are pretty much the essential update, way above anything even resembling paragon paths or things of that nature. Once that's taken care of, the addition of another Leader class might fill a niche. Bard or something. People have been waiting for Warlock for about a year now, from what I understand, so I guess that one for second class.

8. Character Progression.

If the majority of this post seems negative (well, scratch the "seems", it is negative), it's because the endgame is severely lacking. The way to the 60, however, struck me as very well done for the most part and an overall enjoyable experience. I certainly wouldn't change the progression. It's nice to have the option for skirmishes/foundry/pvp, not having to do them to grind xp was and is the way to go, though, imo.
One thing that might be worth discussing is the option to skip straight to Blacklake or something along those lines. I suspect there are a lot of people with more than one character and the tutorial parts get very tedious very fast, especially considering that classes don't really come into their own before acquisition of the class feature.

9. What's the most fun you had...

To bring back an old one: parkour. Just hanging out with friends, spotting some tower/ledge/whatever, that "you think we can get there?" moment and then actually doing it was amazing. Besides the challenge and the feeling of novelty/trailblazing, it simply made the gameworld feel a lot more alive and less like a funnel to the next objective. It's unfortunate that most of that has been taken out by tons of invisible walls.

10. #1 feature.

Because I don't want to end this on a dislike, the one reason that might keep me playing for a long time is the friends I made here. It's the only reason I still play, but I believe it's a good one.

Since you can't possibly take anything useful from that answer and I can't honestly answer the next one just because there is a lot more than one thing that needs improvement, let's expand upon that with the bonus question:

Enable more player interaction.

Let's face it, even if I actually liked the content that's being put out in modules, there's no way you can keep up with the speed of the playerbase when it comes to chewing through it. Especially not with the aforementioned track record of bugs.

Everything BoP including seal vendors severely limits people who enjoy trading/selling. Or outfitting their alts. Or helping out friends.
There's no role to roles outside of how to pew pew things, either. Our rogue doesn't get a discount at vendors. I can't give an animal companion to a ranger friend to train. I couldn't care less about my friends' classes outside of an arbitrary DD window.
Invisible walls/ceilings everywhere and linear map layouts severely limit exploration and investment into the world you created, a lot more so than the occasional breaking of the map (still quite possible on most of them btw).
STO has, what, 5 different sitting emotes that actually utilize furniture? You've got people in the Moonstone Mask who'd probably appreciate their avatars being able to do basic things like that and roleplay just that little bit more visually together.
Guild housing, projects, anything that actually makes guildmembers feel like they are accomplishing something together. As it stands we can't even conveniently pool AD into buying guild bank repositories.
Can guilds challenge eachother to pvp? Create mock up guilds for pvp newbies to join so they can organize some sort of pvp bootcamp or anything that facilitates enjoyable matches for all involved?

And that's just off the top of my head.

There should be tons of things to do together with the people I've met here. And I mean avenues to simply facilitate enjoyable experiences, not introducing new shinies and then forcing people to group up to farm them. Twice a day, when the rotation allows for it. In practice the situation is very close to a single player game where I can occasionally show off a nice dye job. I'm not expecting an overnight sandbox, but if I can name only one thing that needs improvement, it's that aspect, and gating content by forcing a 5 player party isn't going to cut it.

Thanks for caring about the community's opinions btw, much appreciated.

adinosii · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".

I hate PvP.....its very existence is the biggest problem with the game IMO. "Balancing" in the name of PvP has done damage to PvE play, and it takes resources away from developing things I enjoy. Having said that, I did play PvP for 4 days last month, just to get enough glory to get that PvP artifact...I wanted that before the Tenacity changes. It was not an enjoyable experience, but the changes that are being made are probably for the better - I have my doubts about the healing depression, though, but as I am not going to PvP unless I am forced to it does not affect me. I just hope it makes other enjoy it more.

2. PvP Before and After.

See above. 100% PvE.

3. The Foundry.

Foundry creation is enjoyable. They are great for RP-oriented players, but those who enjoy combat and challenges will in general find them lacking, in particular because of the low reward/effort ratio (no resource nodes, decent bosses with decent drops and so on).

4. The Rotation.

Hate it...hate it...hate it. I have a bit of time to play on weekends, but on weekdays, I have maybe an hour or two....I cannot for example run a DD when I have the time, because the reward/effort ratio is too low outside the DD window. This really reduces my enjoyment.

Quite frankly, that sucks. Replacing the DD window with dungeon chest keys would go a long way towards solving this problem for me.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.

I have spent quite a bit of money on various things, and I have no problem whatsoever with paying for convenience - this includes character slots, companion slots, bank space, bags of holding. I am also perfectly fine with paying for "fluff" like fancy looking mounts, fashion items and dyes. I have even bought a couple of hundred keys, so yeah....I sometime like playing the lottery.

There are things I would pay for, if they were offered, like "configuration slots" (I am tired of swapping gear/powers whenever I switch between different modes (solo, DD-normal, DD-boss), and that would be a typical "pay for convenience" for me.

6. Icewind Dale.

Story sounds great....but I really couldn't care less about the PvP part. Hope the PvE part is reasonably fun.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.

No interest in new classes - but if there had been a Paladin class available at the start, I would have picked that. As for class updates, I have no requests other than "please fix the class bugs and make sure all powers work as they should".

8. Character Progression.

It is far too fast, I qould cut quest XP by 25% across the board. You should be able to do all quests, invoke and get xp from professions, visit each dungeon and play each skirmish 1-3 times, without outleveling the content. Currently that is not the case...you get too much xp too fast.

9. What's the most fun you had...

Running with a good group, completing a tough challenge and feel that my skills really made a difference.

10. #1 feature.

I do not like how I as a paying customer am being treated, while exploiters and cheaters are basically being rewarded and we are told that they are just ..."lucky". The last incident, involving the Ioun Stones of Radiance was an absolute disgrace. It was supposed to be a reward to loyal customers, but considering how the exploiters were handled, the loyal, not-cheating paying customers, who thought they would be getting something special instead got, well...just a slap in the face. As I said, I have put quite a bit of money into the game, but at this moment it is quite doubtfule I will ever do that again.

Bonus: ONE THING.

Make professions (other than leadership) useful. Currently thay are mostly a waste of time.

zankard · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".

So far I'm very pleased with the direction PvP is heading. Matchmaking works for the most part; unbalanced matches will always happen folks, but it's much less often now. Also leaver penalty helps so much as we can finally play nice matches that last longer and you get to see nice turnarounds. Some class balancing might still be needed, though.

edit: Very important! Add an option for premade vs premade. I was actually shocked to not see this implemented after all of those changes. Duh!

2. PvP Before and After.

Hands down much more time now than before patch. Partly because I have to farm for the new gear, but mostly because it's more enjoyable now.

3. The Foundry.

Ah, the Foundry. One of the best concepts in MMOs ever. At least that's what I thought at the beginning. It looks like the devs have no idea what to do with it though, since there's no real incentive to run these at all. I haven't ran foundry maps for months, and it's a big shame. Add better rewards other than the useless daily and allow for some pvp maps. Great things can happen when you open up to the modding community, some of the best games emerged like that.

4. The Rotation.

To be honest, I find it a bit silly. It could make sense on less populated games where you have to get more people doing one thing at the same time to make for shorter queues. But here, it makes no sense at all and it feels pigeonholed and sometimes a burden to have to do something only at certain times to gain full benefit, or feel pressured to do something you don't want to just because everyone else is doing it at that time. DD keys is a good idea.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.

Well, I've spent money on several things in the past, but after getting familiar with this game's policy of not fixing exploits and then also not caring about the aftermath I think I'll pass from any future purchases or promotions

6. Icewind Dale.

Well, I'm a sucker for Salvatore and Drizzt, so I'm happy with this. But really, I'm mostly expecting that "open world PvP". Please don't blow this one up like Gauntlgrym

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.

Hmmmmm. Some more hmmmm. I would like to see.... A druid! Let me think of another one hmmm... A Necromancer! But for more classes to make sense you need to work more on roles. Not just dps.. A class I would definitelly change is the TR as he is unwanted in most dungeons (more roles than overall dps, anyone?), but I would probably change the dungeons instead to not be so linear and hack n slash style. Perhaps make traps deadlier, or add locked chests that only the TR can open.. Simple ideas, in line with the DnD lore this game is based on.

8. Character Progression.

The leveling of the characters is too fast imo. But to change that you'd have to add more pre-endgame content and I'm not putting any bets on that. But yeah, even with current content I think the xp needed to reach 60 should be tweaked to make it a slower and more rewarding process.

9. What's the most fun you had...

Well, as a mainly pve player I'd have to say it was the vanilla of completing end game content for the first time (no exploits/glitches ofc) and with not so good gear. That, and the fun times I had with my guildies doing crazy stuff in PE

Oh well, I've had some epic pvp matches too.

10. #1 feature.

Well, I guess its the exploits. I hate how in pugs you're expected to run a certain dungeon using a glitch instead of running it normally, then being called a ****. For what I know, they are the noobs for not being able to play the game properly and relying to glitches/exploits. But what could really drive me away from neverwinter in the future, as mentioned earlier too, is the general feeling we receive from how this game is run, that none really cares or does anything about it. Makes you feel like you're actually missing out if you play fair. Fair gamers should be the ones to be rewarded, not exploiters. Nothing has been done to even just show us the players that there might be a change in this direction. It's still a bug fest.

Bonus: ONE THING.

Hmm. Perhaps revise a system that will reward players better for farming certain dungeons? Example: bob runs x dungeon only twice, he gets super lucky and gets his super rare item. Joe runs that same dungeon for literally hundreds of times, but nothing. Shouldn't there be a fairer system to this? I understand loot tables and rare loot, but I've seen this in other games where say after x (where x is *many*) tries you get the item you want anyway. Or add a seal for it and make it a really high price for said item. Just my 5c anyway..

cybercyanide · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".
PvE only player. My only concern is in the adverse effect PvE changes to powers, etc. have on my PvE experience. Why not implement a dual build system? Powers and Gear that are either/or and not usable in the other?

2. PvP Before and After.
PvE only player.

3. The Foundry.
There needs to be a more widely appealing reward to engaging in Foundry Quests. It's a shame that there are so many creative story-tellers here that don't see much appreciation for their stories due to lack of incentives for time spent on creating or playing them.

4. The Rotation.
I've not ever been a fan of the rotation system. Replace them with an NPC quest giver. Also, said quests could be repeatable as many times in a 24hr period as the rotaions allowed (time spaced, perhaps).

5. Neverwinter is F2P.
I would purchase more compaions if they were account claimable as the mounts are. I've purchased various QoL items as well.

6. Icewind Dale.
I'm excited to see new content, however, I am also apprehensive about being potentially forced into PvP which I do not enjoy at all.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.
Please, get the house in order here. Too many adverse effects from nerfs etc. based one one aspect of the game (PvP, I'm looking at you).

8. Character Progression.
I agree with the "Turn off XP" option. It worked great in CoH!

9. What's the most fun you had...
I had the most fun during the initial Beta and for a while after launch when everyone was still the "undergeared" player. Everyone was still trying to improve their characters and things were a lot less broken because of that. Working together: To me, this will always be Community. As the saying goes, "Birds of a feather flock together" and without other like-minded individuals to experience any game with there really wouldn't be much of an incentive to be in an MMO.

10. #1 feature.
The Queue system! Oh my...SO much abuse and, IMO, exploitation of the Vote Kick. I don't think many of us who have small (or in my case, solo) guilds enjoy waiting in a forever long queue only to be booted by looters. Please, find *some* way to address this.

Bonus: ONE THING.
I've gotten flamed over this comment before but I'll still say it again: Implement a MAX GS for dungeons. I say this because it would encourage OG players to move on to higher level dungeons and free up queue space for players who sincerely need the items awarded and teamwork experience as well. I understand that others do these dungeons to help their undergeared friends/guildies. I am not stating an issue with that in any way. I do, however, think that what you can teach them, by way of experience if a far greater resource. I see so many complaints about "Ugh, crappy player..." or "OMG, they were in so many Blues still..." How is one to obtain these things when so few afford them the opportunity/experience?

brazennl · March 2014

jddouglas83 wrote: »

4. The Rotation.
The Rotation seems really odd to me. Would be really nice and handy if Cryptic/PWE made an app for iOS/Android that told complete events for the day and displayed current and next 2 upcoming events, all displayed with times running, and linked to device to tell when event start/end is local time. Add notice, reminder, alarm function. Would be great if something like that could be linked to guild functionality allowing guild officers and founders to create events and sign up list to be transmitted in game and across said application.

Here's a start: http://bit.ly/1oQvORy

obsiddia · March 2014

3. The Foundry: Allow branching story lines based on decisions. Give us better loot for gods' sake!

5. What items do you pay for in the cash shop: Companions when they're great and the price is slashed.
What items you absolutely will not pay for: Too long of a list.
What item, if lowered in price, would you potentially buy? Mounts (if you add 'Stables', much like Companions have)

6. What are the top 3 things you are looking forward to in the new Icewind Dale update?
New creatures/areas (with lore - I read all the books)/armor.
Any parts you don't care about?
Pure PvP.

7. What two classes will you pick: Psionicist and Monk
What changes/additions would you make to any of the current classes? Add innate special abilities for each class, such as Cleric's ability to damage undead.

8. Would increasing xp needed to level make your character's journey feel more fun? Would you be able to run more quests, such as Foundry missions, without skipping any of the story line content?
At least I wouldn't have missed the skirmishes and dungeons while doing the area's story line.
But I'd rather it not become tedious.

9. Neverwinter is Social fare. What's the most fun you had to date in Neverwinter?
Freaking out over my first Mimic encounter is the most memorable.

10. In one sentence please name the #1 feature/concern that you dislike to the point of possibly walking away from Neverwinter? Cheaters/Bots being allowed to freely and openly roam certain spots 24/7 with NO reaction from the game staff, no matter how many times it's pointed out. Eventually I'll be sick of the bull----.

Bonus Question: Name ONE THING you'd love to see added or improved in Neverwinter before the end of 2014:
Dragonborn.

cybercyanide · March 2014

omgdarwinaward wrote: »

Enable more player interaction.

Guild housing, projects, anything that actually makes guildmembers feel like they are accomplishing something together. As it stands we can't even conveniently pool AD into buying guild bank repositories.

+1 And perhaps Guild Coalitions to further that interaction.

scoutmasterj · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".

Don't play PVP.

2. PvP Before and After.

100% PVE

3. The Foundry.

Only use it to farm items during events. The lack of prof nodes and relevant loot keep me away

4. The Rotation.

It's fine, the dungeon delve key will be a great help for our guild. Keep the cost of the key either free of less than 3000 AD

5. Neverwinter is F2P.

Mounts and Companions. I would pay for mount upgrades if they were significantly cheaper.

6. Icewind Dale.

I liked the daily task style of dread ring, so I hope they go that route vs sharandar style. Looking forward to the new boons

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.

Some sort of fighter/healer (re: Paladin)
A summoner Wizard

I'd like a full archer spec HR in addition to the combo we have now.

8. Character Progression.

Actually, often times when i level characters, I don't have enough XP for the next task, make the window bigger. If you level with a friend, this oftern happens.

9. What's the most fun you had...

The Dungeon Delves are my favorite. However, the end boss is always the same, spam lots and lots of adds and burn down the boss. I'd like more variety in the finsl boss fights.

10. #1 feature.

New modules every Quarter. This is awesome. Got all my boons in sharandar and dread ring. I'm waiting around for module 3. If I had to wait a long time, I'd get bored and leave.

Bonus: ONE THING.

For me

wildfire5 · March 2014

Copy/Paste Ballot:

1. The "PvP Patch".

PvP seems ok to me. I don't have much tenacity but I'm still doing fine in most fights (main is a Guardian Fighter). There are still cases of lopsided battles where one team is far more powerful than the other, but for the most part the fights are much more fair. I do think there should a base reward for participation, even if it's small, like 50 glory, so that at people won't have to sit through these one-sided fights without compensation.

Also very much looking forward to new maps. ^^

2. PvP Before and After.

The match-making system is a huge improvement. It takes time for the system to figure out where you belong, but once it does the matches are much closer and more fair. So kudos. I'm still a little discontented about having to buy new gear for PvP, but frankly tenacity doesn't seem like a big deal to me, so as a GF the Timeless Hero set is a viable PvP set.

3. The Foundry.

I love some of the foundry missions. I haven't made a map myself but I've seen tutorials and it seems pretty straight forward. What I've noticed however is that there's no way to import sound files. I think it would be amazing if you could create a map with your very own voice acting and music.

4. The Rotation.

I kinda like it. The consistency makes it easier to plan things out with the guild. Speaking of which, I love the idea of some rotations giving bonus to guilds. Perhaps on one of the dungeon delves you could give the normal chest and a 10% of an extra chest with 3 people from the same guild, 20% chance with 4, and 30% chance with all 5.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.

I agree with cosmetics. I did a bunch of surveys and earned a lot of AD just so I could transmute some gear and buy a new appearance change token. Some things to put for sale would be more clothing styles (I barely see anyone wear clothing, the variety is just too low; and on a side note more pants for female toons would be nice xD), purchasable items for transmutations (Kinda like the Spear of the Fay or Nightmare Shield), new hairstyles, and additional clothing slots such as wigs, gloves, necks, etc. It would definitely add uniqueness to the game.

6. Icewind Dale.

I don't know much about this, but I think what I'm looking forward to the most is the new PvP scenarios/maps. I also hope the rewards for extra experience are not overpowered. Maybe something minor like extra gold or potions or buffs. If you effectively raise the level cap up, I'm gonna be disappointed. It so happens I LIKE the fact that reaching max level is easy so that more people can enjoy end game and play with multiple characters. That just seems like the DnD spirit, instead of grinding grinding and more grinding.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.

I think it's pretty obvious that many, many people want to see the Guardian Fighter become more useful in PvE end game. I admit I haven't run into too much trouble. Friends and guild like me well enough and I feel fine in PvP. But I can see why people think we're underpowered. Honestly, the only time I feel like I'm at my best is if there is no control wizard in the party. Otherwise I'd rather slap on that Knight Captain's set and be the party buffer. And I often feel like I'm a drag on the team when we have said CW and yet we still can't beat the final boss. Kiting is nice, but it's also a boring and tedious job. The only place I feel like I'm useful and having fun right now is Malabog. Kurrandax is ok, but I don't like the sensation of being useless and suddenly jumping to most important and then useless again.

I've got all tier 2 gear and a high gear score, and frankly I'm still afraid to attempt Valindra's Tower or Castle Never.

My personal suggestion is the PvE gear. It needs a boost in its 4 piece bonuses. Knight Captain is fine. Timeless Hero's not too bad either (a little extra crit couldn't hurt). But High General's internal cooldown makes it almost worthless. Grand Regent's power boost could stand to be higher. And Stalwart Bulwart and Valiant Warrior are rarely used, of the two Valiant Warrior being slightly more popular.

Because Guardian Fighter is so hard to play and tanks are inherently stressful, there will always be people complaining, and the class will never be the most popular. BUT this is coming from someone who fell in love with the class and does consider the last balance patch to be a meaningful and legitimate improvement. It's a step in the right direction. But it's just not quite there yet. I believe some improvements to the armor would help.

And of course, let's face it. Enduring Warrior is completely worthless.

8. Character Progression.

Like I said, I enjoy the fast leveling. But it would be nice if you gave people more incentive to actually do the story, like perhaps slightly better gold rewards. I caught on to the fact that playing through the story is the only way to get certain unique pieces for transmutation. So perhaps allowing these special items to become free transmuters would be nice?

9. What's the most fun you had...

I love PvP and certain dungeons like Malabog. I really enjoyed dyeing both of my armor sets (when I was forced to buy knight captain) so that I could create a set of bright and dark armor. Really makes me feel like my character has two sides, and can become a templar or a black knight depending on who's needed more.

10. #1 feature.

Honestly, I really like the way the attacks are designed for most of the classes. I think that's the main draw, just the aesthetics of combat in this game.

Bonus: ONE THING.

Ya no seriously the Guardian Fighter needs some love. lol. And I agree with healing suppression, but maybe not such a steep penalty yah? Clerics need love too.

alvadimarco · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch". Are you excited about PvP additions to the game such as Tenacity, Healing Depression, Leaver Penalties, and Matchmaking, Epic and rare PvP gear?

Tenacity is good. Despite what Cryptic may or may not have been hoping for, Tenacity doesn't actually fix any of the problems that existed. The only thing it does is make individual battles take longer. Instead of being killed so fast you don't know what's happening, you now have an opportunity to maybe escape and do something about it.

Healing Depression is interesting - it's certainly made some players more killable than they used to be. The Leaver Penalty is a good start. I'm seeing a lot fewer matches now where I end up being the only one left on my team. That said, however, there's still a significant problem where people simply disconnect from the match and wait a while. Something needs to be done about that.

Matchmaking is decent - I'm not being constantly pitted against people who vastly outclass me quite as often anymore. Winning sometimes is actually pretty nice, I've discovered.

With regards to the PvP gear, I haven't a lot to say. I got my T1 gear together before the patch hit and I'm not even looking at any of the better gear at least until after I have my Raven Skull. My Protector IV GF, however, is racking up kill after kill in leveling-bracket PvP without even a single scrap of Tenacity.

2. PvP Before and After. From your perspective, how much time do you spend PvPing now, compared to how much time you see yourself PvPing in the future, post PvP update? Will the update change your current habits and why?

I don't see myself PvPing more post-patch than I did pre-patch. That being said, I also don't see myself PvPing less, either.

I'm PvPing to get that tasty Raven Skull and then I'll probably only do it for the dailies. I really really don't like the attitudes and mentality of many PvPers, so I try not to stick around them for too long.

Playtimes currently:

90% PvE, 8% PvP, 2% Foundry designer. See below for why only 2%.

3. The Foundry. If you were in charge of an upcoming major Foundry update, in 5 sentences or less, please describe what changes you would make to spur the player community's interest in designing, and/or playing custom generated content in Neverwinter.

Oh god, The Foundry. For the love of all that is holy, FIX IT! FIX THE BUGS! FIX THEM FIX THEM FIX THEM!

The Foundry is amazing; no other MMO I've ever played has such a thing. It should be this game's proverbial crown jewel instead of being effectively left to rot. Give us the ability to make quests that look and feel and act as if they were created by Cryptic devs themselves. Give us branching quests so that players can have to make meaningful choices. Let us put a skill node or a treasure chest here and there, and also put better rewards in the end chest - stop being so afraid of bots and farmers that you forget humans use the Foundry too!

4. The Rotation. In 5 sentences or less, please.

With the exception of the Dungeon Delves (which has no effect on me), I rather like The Rotation. The only thing I don't like is how most of it is backwards: "Finish X during X's time and get a bonus" should not exist. Every single event in the Rotation should be "Start X during X's event and get a bonus" just like Dungeon Delves is. I cannot tell you how annoying it is to start into content with 9 mins left and get no bonus because you finish 30 seconds after the next event has started.

5. Neverwinter is F2P. Cryptic makes a living off the cash shop. What items do you pay for in the cash shop? What items you absolutely will not pay for? What item(s), if lowered in price, would you potentially buy?

I've bought Companions. I've bought a mount. I've bought bags. I bought a pack. I buy keys, I buy dyes, I buy lots of things. I'm quite familiar with the cash shop mechanic and I don't mind paying for things I want. That being said, some of the prices are kind of silly. Why are Coalescent Wards $10? Is there really a reason for any mount to be $45?

Why don't mounts have a single-purchase option at a lower price point that only gives you one mount (instead of the infinitely redeemable account mount) that can then be traded? Maybe I'd like to buy a white tiger mount as a gift for someone I know who loves white tigers but refuses to spend IRL money.

6. What are the top 3 things you are looking forward to in the new Icewind Dale update? Any parts you don't care about?

I'm looking forward to a new area to explore, new lore to collect and new scenery to look out over.

I don't care about basically the entire rest of the update. I'm well aware that my refusal to participate in open-world PvP by choosing a faction will very likely lock me out of any new PvE content, any new boons and any new gear that isn't BoE. So be it. I have games I play when I want OWPVP; Neverwinter is NOT one of them.

7. You have been hired once again by Cryptic to produce a mod, this time pegged to design two new classes by Q4 2014, and enhance the current classes. What two classes will you pick, and what changes/additions would you make to any of the current classes?

The very first thing I would do before trying to design new classes is that I would give Guardian Fighter a new second Paragon instead of Swordmaster and Great Weapon Fighter a new second Paragon instead of Iron Vanguard.

If that weren't an option (even though I can't see why not), I would look heavily at Guardian Fighter, moving it away from "tank" and more towards "defense-oriented DPS" with GWF being more offense-oriented DPS. Then I would add a proper tanking class such as Warden or Paladin. For a second new class, Bards or Warlords - we really do need more Leader-types.

8. You are asked to look at the XP Curve in relation to character level progression. Would increasing xp needed to level make your character's journey feel more fun? Would you be able to run more quests, such as Foundry missions, without skipping any of the storyline content?

The XP curve is fast. Really fast. I was Lv60 before I had even figured out how most of my powers really worked.

I started Neverwinter during the Storm the Keep CTA, and running again and again and again for the Swashbuckler companion put me so far ahead of the content that I was actually running the dungeon in each zone before even starting the zone itself. Putting the story out of order like that was very bothersome and I did not enjoy it.

With all due respect to the people who would be upset about taking longer to level alts, leveling is way too fast as it is now. Perhaps a boost to your alts' XP gain based on how many 60s you already have is a good idea; I know of at least one other game that has such a system and it's really nice.

9. Neverwinter is Social fare. What's the most fun you had to date in Neverwinter?

I think the most fun I've had in Neverwinter so far is when I spent an hour trying to clear Grey Wolf Den on my alt. I queued into the instance and the party was right at the boss after having wiped at least once. A few more wipes and a couple of party changes later (from others dropping) I finally find myself with some very capable people. We study how the boss works and figure out the best way to handle it. In the end, we won the battle, a distinct sense of achievement was had and friends were made.

10. In one sentence please name the #1 feature/concern that you dislike to the point of possibly walking away from Neverwinter? Or, name one feature that you love about the game enough, that you see yourself playing Neverwinter for many years to come.

You want to know what one thing I hate most about Neverwinter? I hate that the only relevant classes in 98% of dungeons are GWFs and CWs.

I can't quite decide if it's because of how the encounters are designed with waves and waves of CC-susceptible mobs or because of how the classes are balanced or if it's because somehow the playerbase decided that the only right way to dungeon is to DPS-race the biggest thing in the room and ignore everything else, but it's bad enough that I spent AD to buy all my T2s rather than try to get into an epic dungeon and then be kicked for not being one of those two classes. Someone needs to fix it.

Bonus Question: Name ONE THING you'd love to see added or improved in Neverwinter before the end of 2014. Come on... just One Thing!!

I want to see Cryptic fix the awful mess they made of the Fighter classes by giving Guardian Fighter and Great Weapon Fighter different second paragon paths than what they currently have.

Swordmaster doesn't help GF and Iron Vanguard GWF has made all GFs basically obsolete in addition to causing nightmarish upsets in game balance. The logistics of paragon path replacement aren't insurmountable; just give all fighter-based classes mandatory respecs (at least power/feat) during the maintenance when the new paragons are deployed.

zengiah · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".
PvP works better post patch. Still needs work with balance.

2. PvP Before and After.
95% PVP. Mostly because there is no PvE content that I haven't played 10000 times already. It gets boring.

3. The Foundry.
Dont care

4. The Rotation.
Dont care. Happy as it is.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.
I only pay for dyes, and respec tokens. Everything is overpriced and not worth it.
I would pay for being able to move companions from one char to another.

6. Icewind Dale.
1. New dungeon that can be farmed to earn AD. Like CN, with 4 bosses and good new BoE weapons/rings/belts/necks.
2. Open PvP World.
3. Function to challenge other guildes in PvP. 1on1/2on2/3on3 etc.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.
Warlock and whatever, warlord maybe?

TRs stealth needs to be fixed. Its so boring to fight a TR, makes PvP boring in those situations.
Fix ARMPEN for CWs.

8. Character Progression.
Dont care

9. What's the most fun you had...
Dunno. PvP?

10.
#1 Many more dungeons with better bossfights and drops. Something WORTH farming.

shiralac · March 2014

1. The PvP Patch
it's only adding duct tape to a problem that only needed prope class balancing.

2. PvP Before and After
Only play it 5- 10% of the time for relic and only on neverember and rhix daily.
Less quitters but see answer to 1.

3. The Foundry
Play it even less than PvP, so i have no real opinion about it.

4. THE ROTATION

In my opinion

I feel Dungeons Delves (DDs), and skirmishs should stay on the rotation, the rest can be removed.

One thing players are almost always forgetting, is that when PWE/CRYPTIC introduce something new (whether player idea or their own) they will nerf something to make it worse. Their track record proves it. Most recent, the extreme nerf on Coalescent wards from praying.

So this would suggest that PWE/CRYPTIC will most likely give 1 free daily key to do DDs. Which would leave many not able to afford multiple runs during a day. Yes, now you can buy them but at what cost? Will it be 5k ADs, like the Dread Ring or sharandar, or will it be more? And will it be worth it?

let's say it stays the same as the above mentions areas, at 5k ADs. So you purchase a Dungeon key (DK) , you run a dungeon and get to final boss and defeat it. Chances are you will get HAMSTER items (possibly blue) and or purple items that are worth less than 5K ADs to salvage. So now you're at a loss. I don't know about you all but i mostly get this sort of gear, when running dungeons during DD events.

Keeping DDs and adding DKs looks like it's somethign they don't want. In that case either leave DD in roation with nothign changed, or add DKs in game, take DDs out of roation, but make all drops from boss fights purple and worth at a least the price of the DK they purchased so they can run it multiple times.

The Introduction of dungeon Keys looks to be another AD sink, but without any real word on how they plan to implement it, it is all speculation.

5. F2P
Lack of proper balancing and underhanded thigns PWE/CRYPTIC pulls, I won't ever pay any real money on this game.

6. Icewind Dale
Not out yet so i don't have an opinion about it

7. Two New Classes & Class Update
Druid and Warlock for two new classes

GWF should have never been given GF feats, IV builds needs proper balancing.
TRs should be dropped out of stealth mode the moment they attack any target. TR damage should increase 25% whenever they are attacking behind a target.

DCs need attention.

HRs and any new classes should get theirown class quests and final class item reward.

8. Character Progression
It's fine as it is.

9. Whats the most fun you've had
Killing GWFs and TRs with my DC.

10. Bonus

Stop adding "duct tape" to problems and properly balance/fix them. A happier player base means a happier and most likely a more profitable company.

hilang · March 2014

I started to give a quick answer last night, then went away and thought about it seriously. Here's the result.

1 The "PvP Patch".
Sorry I don’t do PVP, by the time I had started figuring the game out, my CW was level 60. People would have expected me to know what I was doing – and use decent strategy . I have never PVPed – on a computer – except for losing straight out shoot ‘em ups.

2. PvP Before and After.
Refer to above answer, I am a) 100% PvE

3. The Foundry.
a) More control over the “rewards” the designer could give out, although strict limits would need to be maintained – especially if either c) or d) options were considered.
b) Improved “linkages” between ongoing storylines (especially those with some developmental delays)
c) Prizes to the most played/ popular – not just tips from the players
d) A board of honour somewhere in PE that would list the names of the most popular designers.
e) Quick responses to glitch/ bug issues – I don’t do the foundry myself yet – but the most certain way to make me throw my hands up in disgust – is silence when I ask for help. Even a “we heard and will get back to you” helps.

4. The Rotation.
I don’t know what this is, sorry. However it appears to be related to guilds, I am not in one.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.
I do a bit of shopping.
a. I would appreciate – seriously – some way to increase the storage space. (I have maxed out current available options)
a. Slots somewhere other than your inventory where you could store stuff – maybe only be able to access it in PE or some other point (concept of “storage chests/ safe deposit boxes/ wardrobes/ stables”)
i. The main reason is for extra mounts, dyes, fireworks, fashion etc. Really nice to have and play with – but then you are limited in how long you go out before you have to flag down a salesman – as for re-equipping your companions – often ends up being pot luck unless you want to spend massive time sorting it (for me at least).
b. I would appreciate methods to upgrade all companions, but not at prices designed to completely wipe your savings in astral diamonds out.
c. I would love more colours – and more fashion (some women wear trousers) – have you considered shoes – but that would require more storage space – see suggestion one.
d. Additional active companion slots (yes I know it could damage balance) but I would like to have more of them with me at one time (and perhaps more than one of them summoned at a time?).
e. Would appreciate cheaper keys – instead of having to wait for a sale and stock up (see one)
f. I seriously like the healing stones – reasonably priced too - well done.
g. I would actually be prepared to pay for the skins for your companions so you can change their looks too – but only if I you provide working explanations on how to make them operate (mine won’t stabilise).
h. I would also appreciate to be able to buy specific items required for the professions instead of leaving it all up to chance. (Another possibility would be to ensure that it is possible to upgrade everything within the professions – like it is for some things – so you can buy the worn items and upgrade them slowly). However is currently bought with currency earned in game that probably wouldn’t be much of an earner.
i. The wards and items required for refining artefacts.
j. Wishes – that can be utilised for one of a variety of outcomes – but only one. (Ability scores, a specific item etc.)
k. Perhaps upgrades to weapons/ armour – although redying outfits could be solved via the extra storage space and buying more of them when they are available.

6. Icewind Dale.
There seems to be PvP entering into what was previously PvE only territory, I am waiting judgement on this.
The idea itself is interesting; being able to switch faction sides is good.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.
Most of my characters for dice based play are designed for variety in what they can do – out of combat as well as in and I have never been a power gamer or a rules lawyer. Neverwinter doesn’t have the same need for that variety so I don’t think I would be very good at designing classes for others. Still I would be interested in a Bard (spells and buffing) and a Druid (summoner).

8. Character Progression.
I would like to go higher than level 60. I was just starting to seriously work out what I was doing and where I was aiming – and it was over. The other progression benefits are harder to track and at least in Sharandar more repetitive to achieve.
9. What's the most fun you had...
I loved the Winter Festival, although it was getting a little repetitive towards the end. (I was getting close to competent on the Ice Slide though). Helping people in fighting on the Ice was fun too.
10. #1 feature.
Negative:- The areas (and the loot) that you have no possible chance of obtaining unless you join a party or PvP. Despite my hours playing, I do not have skilled, instinctive reactions to either the keyboard or what others need my character to do. I do not need to mess up other people’s enjoyment. (If you see someone casting spells in PE – fair chance it’s me missing the W key)
Positive:- the companions and the side games for them on the web. I would love to see more development of this site. Access to the professions is excellent too.

Bonus: ONE THING.
I would really appreciate the professions being made more meaningful. I enjoy doing them, you can now access them easily, so it’s a shame they have so little in-game impact.

soriniakov · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".

ok

2. PvP Before and After.

now better balanced

Playtimes currently: b. 100% PvP

3. The Foundry.

add ability for players to create living locations (without neverwinter storyline, npcs and quests) for filling gaps on world's map (developers can delegate such work without problems for game storyline and with benefits only)

either developers should work harder or players should become developers (I have a lot of other thoughts about extending foundry)

4. The Rotation.

5. Neverwinter is F2P

F2P isn't required for me, I can pay regularly for boosting development

reroll base ability scores option needed!

6. Icewind Dale.

module 3 is great besides small amount of black ice which drops from killed player

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update

Class Update: hunter ranger's Hawk Shot need improvement to be useful for range builds
2 New Classes: Noble Vampire (lifesteal, debuffs), Monk (like in nwn original game)

8. Character Progression

currently 2-3 levels can be taken for 1.5-2 hours - it's abnormally fast

9. What's the most fun you had...

pvp battles

10. #1 feature = Bonus: ONE THING (define by yourself what to implement first from thoughts below)

after module 3 game owners should think about open world only (e.g. ships for only-islands-locations, buying/building own house/shop, smarter npcs - player should live in their world (player is guest), etc.)

without such things (and innovative ideas on this field) game can't compete with TESO, AA and others coming..

ironfissure · March 2014

I like the new pvp patch because the new gear for hunter ranger is awesome lots of defense. I would like to see the monk class added to the game because it is my favorite d and d class to play. I had a lvl 18 monk in d and d online it was a blast to play and I am sure you guys could make it even better considering neverwinters combat system is better than d and d online. I don't really play the foundry but I find it has both good and bad stuff in it one of my most annoying things is when they don't allow you to exit the map if you cant finish the story. New thing I would like to see added is more pvp modes for matches. I love the sound of the new module with open world pvp and I was wondering if you could confirm that we will be able to use companinons in the new pvp zones.

ulviel · March 2014

1. I was excited before I actually tried the new pvp out. But you know, I'm a cleric. Somehow you managed to make DCs even more miserable with the patch (and here I thought it was impossible).

2.Before the patch I used to pvp every now and then, now I'm 100% pve player (see point 1).

3.The foundry needs A LOT of love. Fixing bugs (for example, author respec), more costumes (where are HR outfits? fashion outfits? companions? etc.) and better rewards are 3 things that would make me as an author happy. Oh, and boss encounters

4. Key system - yes please!

5. I buy almost everything, recently mostly keys. Some things are way overpriced, like coalescent wards or health stones. A mount is a "must have" thing, character slots are nice and not too expensive. Companion active slots are kinda useless. I also would gladly pay for more fashion sets and dyes (single bottles)

6. To be honest, I am more afraid of it than excited about it. Please, please no more boons. And even bigger please - if you are going to make a pvp zone - do not put any useful in pve items there (again, see point 1)

7. Instead of creating new classes I'd like to see some improvements to currently existing ones. for example clerics - since healing is weak in pve and non-existent in pvp, how about throwing the whole faithful tree out and putting something useful there? More dmg maybe?

8. Leveling is a bit too fast.

9. Doesn't matter what, as long in good company

10. 2 things could make me go away: bugs and pvp (Gods help me, some of my alts still need ravenblood skull). Foundry is what keeps me here.

Bonus: Only one thing? Umm... More focus on foundry please?

ulkaur · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch".

I don't PvP. If Pvp was the same for everyone I might. You have button mashers, better computers, stronger connections that make PvP so unbalanced, it's just an E-Peen experience for some and i don't need to overcompensate for anything. Cooperative play wins every time.

2. PvP Before and After.

See #1. Don't waste time on PvP, use the time to build a better PvE experience.

3. The Foundry.

I'll admit I looked at the tools and figured I do not have what it takes to build a foundry. i even tried a tutorial video, but it is not something I enjoy too much. Shame too, as i would like the exclusive companion rewards.

4. The Rotation.

I like the rotation. I didn't always take advantage of it, but if it happened to be on skirmishes and i was on, sure i went for it, nothing like some quick diamonds. Dungeon delves on rotation added to all the exploiting and griefing. An hour limit on what is in my opinion the most dreadfully long and boring dungeon system ever turned me off to dungeons early on. 10+ minute boss fights are the LOSE, as is running around aggroing everything so everyone else in the party can actually fight the boss.

5. Neverwinter is F2P.

Really? NWO created the Macro Transaction. I bought the $60 package when i started, and i bought some keys when the game first came out. I'm someone who has no choice but to watch what I spend, as i am a sole supporter. I do OK but I've never been comfortable. The idea of spending $40 for one piece of virtual property that is only assigned to one character is a big turn-off. If you made it account-bound so i could move it between characters I might do something every once in a great while. Lower the costs and make it account-bound and the time between purchases may decrease. As it stands I haven't paid Cryptic real money since last June, except when they had the Stone of Radiance offer. That should tell you something.

6. Icewind Dale.

Can't wait. I really do love how extraordinary the landscapes are. I hate the repetitive single-focus monster tactics but love the scenery. Hopefully Icewind Dale will finally bring on some new tricks.

7. 2 New Classes & Class Update.

Warlord, Druid, Necromancer, Barbarian, would love to see all of these fleshed out.

8. Character Progression.

I like the Boons system, it works. Having to get through the entire Dread Ring in order to get the scrip reward timer? Stupid! That should have been available after the 2nd or 3rd boon. It took forever for me to get the Adamantine Gauntlet because I couldn't stomach the repetitive daily grind to get it quicker. I would suggest looking at what your rewards do and decide where in the bar to place them instead of saying, "oh just toss this on the end, it's useless once they get to here but OK anyway".

I also have an idea to improve character progression. Level Range campaigns. 1-30, campaign, each with it's own dungeons and raids. You can actually stop leveling at this point if you wanted to complete all of the raiding and dungeon features. Move to the next area to begin 31-60, same details, new campaign story, and finally move to last area for level 60 campaign. All this rush to 60 happens for a reason. The time it takes to level cap is the amount of interesting scenarios along the path. Reward those who don't maximize the experience bonus and want to enjoy the game while they level. Oh, and put some freaking mailboxes and Auction houses where gold spammers can't get to.

9. What's the most fun you had...

The level experience, PvE storyline, anything before it became an unrewarding grind.

10. #1 feature.

RNG: After opening 200+ lockboxes I can only think that either I'm cursed or you did something specifically to my account because of all of my "stop gouging us with the high prices" posts. I've done Dread Ring on 3+ characters since the expansion came out almost daily and have only seen one Eye drop.

Bonus: ONE THING.

Focus your profits on people who enjoy creating multiple characters, and less focus on the big haul from a macro purchase. I would buy more if things were cheaper and I could focus less on a single character. I have 6 characters and 5 of them only exist because they provide me the diamonds I need for my main. I would need 25 more characters at your current pricing structure to be able to do the same for the other 5, all of which are different classes.

checkmatein3 · March 2014

1. The "PvP Patch". The most recent patch includes Class balance issues, bug fixes, and the largest PvP update ever. Are you excited about PvP additions to the game such as Tenacity, Healing Depression, Leaver Penalties, and Matchmaking, Epic and rare PvP gear?

The addition of the PvP stats are added at the expense of PvE statistics. Since they are PvP based, why not just make them unrelated to GS, and have them as a separate category in all armors? Sure, armors all have a base of 10%, but there is a tradeoff between the PvP epic armors and regular accessories. The % categories did not balance class play in PvP more, and squeezed out the DC from PvP teams. It seems the separation of the statistics to designated armor lines separates play intentionally. Yes, one can carry multiple armors, but that becomes tedious over time. Why not make enchants that are PvP, instead of an armor/accessory stat, make it a different slot in each piece with the current enchant system. Maybe not permit all armor sets to have the slots, only certain versions of Epics. I don't know. Brainstorming.

2. PvP Before and After. From your perspective, how much time do you spend PvPing now, compared to how much time you see yourself PvPing in the future, post PvP update? Will the update change your current habits and why?

d. PvE mostly, dabble in PvP.

The trade-off for the armor set's tenacity stats over PvE stats is not worthwhile, if I must choose between one kind of gear. Grinding for the top PvP armor is not really an option. But, it is not the availability of armor sets designed for PvP that will encourage PvP play. Changing my current Neverwinter status and PvP habits would happen with:
a. Larger PvP encounters (Seiges, Raids)
b. Open World PvP zone with exclusive rewards from PvP (Icewind Dale has Open World PvP, but it integrates the PvE. The split in armor choices makes this rather a dubious choice. Now, carrying two sets of armor is not practical, because in the area, you can only have one on (no time to switch). Or, you could make a PvP armor tab (like a third tab for inventory on the character). A person could press a button and switch from PvP based armor to PvE based almost instantly. It would also keep the lines separate and bring in more AD ZEN buys maybe???
c. Ratings/ranking systems with rewards by class for PvP.
d. Faction/Alliance fighting

3. The Foundry. Let's not fool ourselves. After heavy Foundry promotion pre-game launch, we have seen few updates, besides sound fixes and a few bugs. The UGC dreamweavers have spoken, "The Foundry NEEDS SOME LOVE!" If you were in charge of an upcoming major Foundry update, in 5 sentences or less, please describe what changes you would make to spur the player community's interest in designing, and/or playing custom generated content in Neverwinter.

I have not designed any foundry quests, but have played several. The organization of the quests are really poor. Besides a few AD, there is no incentive to play the foundry. Just interest in story lines. Not that it is a bad thing. The humor of the community is quite evident (Tired of Being a Hero, Old Jerry, etc).

4. The Rotation. I've heard quite a few guild leaders' frustrations with the Rotation over many months. They speak of difficulty in scheduling weekly content for their guildies, and long deadzones of inaction in between delve slots. Has your guild managed to work around the rotation? Or do you actually like the rotation? Are you looking forward to the key system upcoming? How do you see this helping guilds out there that have these concerns? In 5 sentences or less, please.

The rotation of events was difficult to keep track of. On the one hand, it did permit that a person was able to get rewards at least in one thing per day, and it kept the events varied, instead of every day at the same time. However, perhaps rewards or bonuses for instances can be rewards based on play, rather than timing. Teams assembly to run through instances to complete dailies for a few AD. But, this is less fun than completing a longer foundry of 75 min with lore that may give a certain kind of reward unique. The purpose of the rotation seemed to want to reward players. All it did was make the players change their behavior to reap whatever reward they wanted and ignore the rest. Maybe, you could have a daily reward for completing one of each type: skirmish/foundry/delve, etc...

5. Neverwinter is F2P. Cryptic makes a living off the cash shop. What items do you pay for in the cash shop? What items you absolutely will not pay for? What item(s), if lowered in price, would you potentially buy?

I mainly bought service items (skill resetters), bags (for storage), a few companions, where the active bonuses were useful. I bought a few single dyes when on sale.

I never bought a mount, because mounts have one use...move faster from point A to point B. Thus, they are all undifferentiated in terms of other stats. Why pay $35 for a mount that is the same as a blue? Make a mount combat system, or mount active bonus, or mount levelling, and then, the purchase of mounts may change...
Right now, it is mostly for vanity (how the character looks), and does not give a game play advantage.

I would never buy the coal ward for the price in the Zen shop, nor the items that refine for X amount of points (Ruby).

Items not in the ZEN mall that I would buy is: Attributes re-roller, racial choice changer. With the addition of artifacts, armor sets, and boons, some racial attributes are not as necessary as in mod 1. Adding these to the cash shop would give the appearance of the ability to change the toon to fit the game.

6. Online Ranked Siren Backlash. Akar Kessell and Crenshinibon. The anagram sparked one of the most popular threads in recent Neverwinter forum history. What are the top 3 things you are looking forward to in the new Icewind Dale update? Any parts you don't care about?

Lore is a means of collecting game info. Otherwise, I don't care.

7. You have been hired once again by Cryptic to produce a mod, this time pegged to design two new classes by Q4 2014, and enhance the current classes. What two classes will you pick, and what changes/additions would you make to any of the current classes?

For the two new classes, I would add:
The Paladin
The Druid

For current classes, I would change the following:
The GF and DC classes are completely squeezed out of high end PvE as unnecessary. The Holy Trinity (tank, healer, dps) has become Monism (dps, dps, dps). It does not mean that they can play. They can. It means the design of the dungeons AND the addition of boons and artifacts makes the choice of these classes a weakness or hinderance to the team.

Here is a thought. When running PvP or PvE content, why not give a BONUS to groups that run 5 different classes (of any type). Each class gives an extra bonus. This is automatic for the group. For example, if a PvP team of 3 GWFs and 2 CWs comes across a rainbow group, the bonuses of the latter make a choice of a rainbow group better. This will not help in auto-teaming (as if it matters with that). But it will help in premades and dungeon delve choices. Maybe the buff for the dungeon can be % chance increase to receive epic Tx.x at end...something like that...

8. You are asked to look at the XP Curve in relation to character level progression. Would increasing xp needed to level make your character's journey feel more fun? Would you be able to run more quests, such as Foundry missions, without skipping any of the storyline content?

Yes. Levelling is too fast. I am not for uber-grinding, but there is no grinding for XP in this game. None. For example, it is difficult to keep track of levelling so quickly that one can miss out on skirmishes that are limited by level. The XP curve favors getting a player to end game quickly. But is that really the point?

9. Neverwinter is Social fare. What's the most fun you had to date in Neverwinter?

Running dungeons and the special events.

10. In one sentence please name the #1 feature/concern that you dislike to the point of possibly walking away from Neverwinter? Or, name one feature that you love about the game enough, that you see yourself playing Neverwinter for many years to come.

As I stated in post under GF classes, I am quite disappointed in the development of the game that squeezes out the GF (and DC) classes. The game is designed for DPS groups only. Buffs and debuffs from GFs and DCs are so unnecessary at high end game levels that it was difficult to get into groups and do anything significant in game play. Since I only play tanks, (one leg of the holy trinity), I find play style unneeded and bored. The tank is not tanky or debuffy enough for groups to choose it.

Bonus Question: Name ONE THING you'd love to see added or improved in Neverwinter before the end of 2014. Come on... just One Thing!!

Conversion of Achievements and Collections into Real Game rewards. Like 1000 achievement points = +1 attribute point. something like that.

Hot Topics of Early 2014! Stand up. Make a Better Neverwinter.

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