Neverwinter: Monoliths of Madness is now live!
The contents in this article are taken from a test version and could be subject to change for the final version. When this happens, we will inform you. Strange monoliths have appeared across Faerûn, spreading madness and twisting nearby creatures into monstrous servants of a dark
The contents in this article are taken from a test version and could be subject to change for the final version. When this happens, we will inform you.
Strange monoliths have appeared across Faerûn, spreading madness and twisting nearby creatures into monstrous servants of a dark power. The Emerald Enclave has begun a desperate campaign to destroy these mysterious monuments, but they need every willing hero to stem the tide of corruption before it spreads.
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Madness is spreading across Faerûn. Strange Altars have appeared throughout the land, corrupting nearby creatures with madness and unleashing dangerous magical anomalies in their wake.
One of these Madness Altars recently showed up in Menzoberranzan. The Madness Altar located there has started causing ambient decay, and the number of victims rises by the hour. This affliction cares not for whom the drow swore their allegiance. It targets indiscriminately. The drow are no strangers to madness in the City of Spiders, yet it would behoove you to act quickly. Tis a grim task, but must be done.
The brand-new ‘Monoliths of Madness’ event brings you back to Menzoberranzan, Northdark Reaches, Narbondellyn, and Dragonbone Vale. For 12 weeks, each week, one of the zones will feature as the mainstage for a variety of new quests. To ensure that this event isn't too easy, players will be downscaled when a zone is active.
Go to Protectors Enclave and speak with Master Arcanist Viorel Amakiir to start the Monoliths of Madness Campaign, then travel to the active zone, indicated with a modified map icon.
Tip: if you haven't played the Campaign related to the active zone yet, you are able to progress in both that Campaign and this new content!
The Zones offer a variety of quests that can be completed to gather Shards of Madness, a currency that grants you progress within the Campaign to unlock a variety of rewards through milestones. Rewards for the milestones include Warden's Caches, Insignia Powder, Tradebars, Legendary Dragon Keys and Mount- and Companion Upgrade Tokens.
During the ‘Can you hear him?’ phase, the new Staring Cat of Uldun-Dar Companion (Legendary) can be obtained.
Quest objectives include:
Besides all that, we need everyone's help to try to conquer this nightmare as a whole. Therefore, each Campaign phase has a global progress bar, the Nightmare Progression (server-wide), that fills up depending on player contribution. For each phase completed, everyone who participated will be rewarded. Get the Burning Hope Artifact, the Umbral Widow Mount, the Brimming Bountiful Bag and the Peeper Keeper.
At the end of a phase, rewards will automatically be mailed to your inboxes. Of course, failing to work together to conquer the nightmare means nobody gets the rewards.
Rewards within the Monoliths of Madness Campaign can be picked up by up to five characters per account, after which most rewards change to Warden's Caches.
The zones have been updated with two corrupted altars. One of them can be activated by collecting three Lesser Abyssal Lures, which can be dropped by every enemy within the active zone. Once activated, defeat the nightmarish creature spawning from it, which purifies the altar for a while. These creatures can sometimes drop a Greater Abyssal Lure, of which you need three again to activate the other corrupted altar.
It's important to notice that doing the purification with multiple players is the best way to advance with the Nightmare Progression (server-wide), as the highest source of Shards of Madness can be obtained through purification.
The corrupting influence of the monoliths has spread through our Battle Pass as well! Get the Laughing Void Artifact, Voidbound Necklace, Voidbound Belt, Pika the Tressym, and loads of other crazy rewards!
>> Read more about the Battle Pass.
Inventories are cluttered, and we want to introduce a first approach to help you out here. For the following items, the stack size has been increased from 99 to 999:
A while ago, we released additional Combat Enchantments. With the release of Monoliths of Madness, you are now able to equip two of them, similar to Neverwinter's original Weapon and Armor Enchantment system.
On your Enhancements tab, the Utility slot has been moved to the old Combat slot, making room for two Combat slots – one for ‘Strike’ and one for ‘Guard’.
Since Combat Enchantments do not provide Combined Rating, but still increase the Item Level, normally, equipping two Combat Enchantments would diminish your existing statistics. To avoid this, the Item Level on Combat Enchantments has been reduced by half to grant the same total Item Level as before.
Currently equipped Enchantments should have been automatically equipped to one of the two slots.
We have added the Coffer of Celestial Insignias to the Celestial Synergy tab of the Vault of Piety. A small, but richly adorned, coffer from unknown celestial origins that contains Insignia Powder and an Insignia.
Once per account per week, this new coffer can be picked up for 11 Celestial Coins. It has a guaranteed 50 Insignia Powder, and it either drops a Rare or an Epic Insignia, designed to provide a stable, passive stream of Insignia Powder to support your ongoing progression.
Those Monoliths of Madness sure have created some wild adventures, which is exactly why the Wild Adventures Lockbox is here! B-b-b-bard is the word with our latest Companion, Encore the Virtuoso, while you hopefully won't get hooked too much on the Star Angler Mount.
>> Read more about the Lockbox.
Please note that any date stated in this article could change at any moment.
We genuinely hope you have fun with our new Monoliths of Madness event, and we hope you liked our article. Our next Module, M34, is already hard on its way and we can't wait to present our upcoming Neverwinter Next stream to you to tell you all about it. Enjoy the update and look forward to more!
~ Jeroen den Hartog (Kyrië)
Original post
Madness is spreading across Faerûn. Strange Altars have appeared throughout the land, corrupting nearby creatures with madness and unleashing dangerous magical anomalies in their wake.
One of these Madness Altars recently showed up in Menzoberranzan. The Madness Altar located there has started causing ambient decay, and the number of victims rises by the hour. This affliction cares not for whom the drow swore their allegiance. It targets indiscriminately. The drow are no strangers to madness in the City of Spiders, yet it would behoove you to act quickly. Tis a grim task, but must be done.
The brand-new ‘Monoliths of Madness’ event brings you back to Menzoberranzan, Northdark Reaches, Narbondellyn, and Dragonbone Vale. For 12 weeks, each week, one of the zones will feature as the mainstage for a variety of new quests. To ensure that this event isn't too easy, players will be downscaled when a zone is active.
Go to Protectors Enclave and speak with Master Arcanist Viorel Amakiir to start the Monoliths of Madness Campaign, then travel to the active zone, indicated with a modified map icon.
Tip: if you haven't played the Campaign related to the active zone yet, you are able to progress in both that Campaign and this new content!
Requirements to participate
- The Monoliths of Madness event is only available to players who have reached level 20.
- To participate in the event weeks tied to Menzoberranzan, you must have access to its zone. Talk to Sergeant Knox in Protector's Enclave and complete ‘Whispers in the Dark’ and ‘A New Ally’.
- To participate in the event weeks tied to Northdark Reaches, you must have access to its zone. Talk to Sergeant Knox in Protector's Enclave and complete ‘The Call of the King’.
- To participate in the event weeks tied to Narbondellyn, you must have access to its zone. Talk to Sergeant Knox in Protector's Enclave and complete ‘Whispers in the Dark’ and ‘A Discreet Meeting’.
- To participate in the event weeks tied to Dragonbone Vale, you must have access to its zone. Talk to Sergeant Knox in Protector's Enclave and complete ‘Forging the Shield’.
- For global rewards granted by progressing through the Nightmare, at least 500 Shards of Madness are required to be eligible.
Monoliths of Madness Campaign
By completing the new daily and weekly challenges, both global and individual progress will be reflected in the Monoliths of Madness Campaign. The Campaign has four phases, each lasting for three weeks, including three of the four zones.
The Zones offer a variety of quests that can be completed to gather Shards of Madness, a currency that grants you progress within the Campaign to unlock a variety of rewards through milestones. Rewards for the milestones include Warden's Caches, Insignia Powder, Tradebars, Legendary Dragon Keys and Mount- and Companion Upgrade Tokens.
During the ‘Can you hear him?’ phase, the new Staring Cat of Uldun-Dar Companion (Legendary) can be obtained.
Quest objectives include:
- Complete Heroic Encounters
- Defeat Enemies
- Defeat Named Encounters
- Purify corrupted altars
- Earn points
- Complete Skirmishes
- Complete a specific Dungeon or Trial
Besides all that, we need everyone's help to try to conquer this nightmare as a whole. Therefore, each Campaign phase has a global progress bar, the Nightmare Progression (server-wide), that fills up depending on player contribution. For each phase completed, everyone who participated will be rewarded. Get the Burning Hope Artifact, the Umbral Widow Mount, the Brimming Bountiful Bag and the Peeper Keeper.
At the end of a phase, rewards will automatically be mailed to your inboxes. Of course, failing to work together to conquer the nightmare means nobody gets the rewards.
Rewards within the Monoliths of Madness Campaign can be picked up by up to five characters per account, after which most rewards change to Warden's Caches.
Corrupted Altars
The Madness Altars are awake and need to be cleansed. Remember, you must defeat whatever entity is summoned as a result. There are many located across Faerûn, which means you're in for a fight. Prepare yourself and, if you can, bring as many acquaintances as possible. This is not something you should face alone.
The zones have been updated with two corrupted altars. One of them can be activated by collecting three Lesser Abyssal Lures, which can be dropped by every enemy within the active zone. Once activated, defeat the nightmarish creature spawning from it, which purifies the altar for a while. These creatures can sometimes drop a Greater Abyssal Lure, of which you need three again to activate the other corrupted altar.
It's important to notice that doing the purification with multiple players is the best way to advance with the Nightmare Progression (server-wide), as the highest source of Shards of Madness can be obtained through purification.
Corrupted Heroic Encounters
The existing Heroic Encounters for each zone have been impacted by the mad monoliths as well! While conquering Heroic Encounters, try not to get burned, keep moving, cleanse your disease or dodge meteorites – you will be even more heroic if you manage to complete these Heroic Encounters!
Staring Cat of Uldun-Dar Companion (Legendary)
Obtainable through the Monoliths of Madness Campaign. “No one lives forever. Not even you.” Brought forth by Wild Magic in Hazlan, the Staring Cat of Uldun-Dar are sapient, hyperdimensional cats with a penchant for delivering ominous tidings. Eerie and unnerving, these many eyed felines are surprisingly docile.Enhancement: Unflinching Will
Equip: Chance on hit to increase your and your companion's Deflect and Deflect Severity for 15 seconds. Maximum 4.5%.Defense Power: Grim Omen
Grants Movement Speed, Mount Speed, and Combined Rating.Umbral Widow Mount (Epic)
Obtainable through the Monoliths of Madness Nightmare progression. Feared throughout the Underdark, the Umbral Widow cloaks itself in shadow before striking with terrifying precision. Many have entered its web, but few have ever emerged.Equip Power: Shadow Sight
Grants Movement Speed, Awareness, and Combined Rating.Combat Power: Tunnel Vission
A strong single target attack.
Warden's Cache
Obtainable through the Monoliths of Madness Campaign. A Warden's Cache gives you a chance to obtain Teal Diamonds, Violet Diamonds, Preservation Wards, Insignia Powder, Glyphs of Potency, Common Enchantments, or Enhanced Motes.Brimming Bountiful Bag (90 slots)
Obtainable through the Monoliths of Madness Nightmare progression. Brimming with room for the treasures of every adventure.Burning Hope Artifact (Epic)
Obtainable through the Monoliths of Madness Nightmare progression. A rose of pale petals wrapped around an ember that never dies. Legends claim it bloomed in the aftermath of a great tragedy, drawing beauty from ruin and light from despair. Its petals remain untouched by flame, yet faint cracks of molten radiance spread across them, as though hope itself is burning from within. Grants Power, Critical Severity, Outgoing Healing, and Combined Rating.Use: Healing Flame
Charred petals swirl around, leaving a burning trail that, instead of damaging you, invigorates and strengthens your body. Restores stamina and grants Outgoing Healing and Power.Peeper Keeper
Obtainable through the Monoliths of Madness Nightmare progression. Recovered from the Monoliths of Madness, it now keeps an eye on your loot.
Behind the scenes
The new Monoliths of Madness event is mainly designed by Content Designer Jan Olcina and System Designer Victor Romero, who used the old Redeemed Citadel as an inspiration to make something that feels fresh again. Initially pitched as an event that revisits three existing zones and had Hunts as a stretch goal, we’re now seeing four existing zones and Corrupted Altar Hunts. Realistically speaking, turning old zones into something new is quite a challenge, but we feel we’ve certainly done our best. Heroic Encounters have been modified by drawing inspiration from the Reaper's Challenge, and a big world boss represents how unstable and dangerous the world is becoming. Other members of our team didn't sit still either. Most of the artwork tied to this event relates to UI changes and icons, for which Valeriia Vasileva and Javier Moreno did a tremendous job, after which Amy Skopik did the implementation, next to the necessary design work. Margherita Lucchi designed and implemented the Madness Altars.Dedicated Youtube Playlist
The new Monoliths of Madness events might require some more explanation and strategy, which is why we now have a dedicated Youtube Playlist featuring the following creators: Aragon, Aslan Neverwinter, Erkalynn and NIKIrta.
The corrupting influence of the monoliths has spread through our Battle Pass as well! Get the Laughing Void Artifact, Voidbound Necklace, Voidbound Belt, Pika the Tressym, and loads of other crazy rewards!
>> Read more about the Battle Pass.
Inventories are cluttered, and we want to introduce a first approach to help you out here. For the following items, the stack size has been increased from 99 to 999:
- Epic Collar Choice Pack
- Genie's Gift
- Potion of Healing Rank 10
- Potion of Healing Rank 10, +1
- Most Coalescent Motes
- Most Overloads
- Most Preservation Wards
- Most Stronghold Vouchers
- Black Pearls
A while ago, we released additional Combat Enchantments. With the release of Monoliths of Madness, you are now able to equip two of them, similar to Neverwinter's original Weapon and Armor Enchantment system.
On your Enhancements tab, the Utility slot has been moved to the old Combat slot, making room for two Combat slots – one for ‘Strike’ and one for ‘Guard’.
Since Combat Enchantments do not provide Combined Rating, but still increase the Item Level, normally, equipping two Combat Enchantments would diminish your existing statistics. To avoid this, the Item Level on Combat Enchantments has been reduced by half to grant the same total Item Level as before.
Currently equipped Enchantments should have been automatically equipped to one of the two slots.
We have added the Coffer of Celestial Insignias to the Celestial Synergy tab of the Vault of Piety. A small, but richly adorned, coffer from unknown celestial origins that contains Insignia Powder and an Insignia.
Once per account per week, this new coffer can be picked up for 11 Celestial Coins. It has a guaranteed 50 Insignia Powder, and it either drops a Rare or an Epic Insignia, designed to provide a stable, passive stream of Insignia Powder to support your ongoing progression.
Those Monoliths of Madness sure have created some wild adventures, which is exactly why the Wild Adventures Lockbox is here! B-b-b-bard is the word with our latest Companion, Encore the Virtuoso, while you hopefully won't get hooked too much on the Star Angler Mount.
>> Read more about the Lockbox.
Please note that any date stated in this article could change at any moment.
We genuinely hope you have fun with our new Monoliths of Madness event, and we hope you liked our article. Our next Module, M34, is already hard on its way and we can't wait to present our upcoming Neverwinter Next stream to you to tell you all about it. Enjoy the update and look forward to more!
~ Jeroen den Hartog (Kyrië)
Born in waters where even magic struggles to reach, the Star Angler stalks its prey in utter silence. Its pale lure promises hope, while its cavernous maw delivers only oblivion.
A silver-tongued kenku minstrel draped in bright silks and borrowed bravado. Encore wanders taverns and battlefields alike, weaving stolen songs, sharp wit, and dramatic flair into performances few forget, and many wish they could. Often performs covers.
Summer Feast Contest - Adventurers can herd animals back to their homes or pick corn from the large fields behind the farmstead. Watch out for the Golden Chicken, for it could be your ticket to victory!
Troll Fight Contest - Tired of farm duties? Trolls occasionally raid the South West portion of the Festival Area. When they arrive, players of all levels can take them on, slaying them to receive contest points.
Water Battle Contest - When the trolls aren’t attempting to ruin the festivities, the same area is home to the Water Battle arena! Summer wouldn’t be complete without your fellow Adventurers drenching each other in water. The more you splash other players, the more points you’ll receive!
Collecting Flowers - Find Fireblossom Flowers from bushes on the Festival Grounds or reclaim them from mischievous Kobolds you defeat. Trade them in at the Florist for rewards.
Summer Provisioning - During the festival, a special profession will be made available. Players can recruit a Sunite Acolyte and use reagents only available from participating in the Festival to craft various food and clothing items.
Fashion, Mounts, Companions, and more can be obtained throughout this event at the Petal Store, Tribute Store, and Sahha Ticket Exchange. Let’s first have a look at the latest additions to what we have to offer!
During the Summer Festival it's possible to obtain Chauntea's Bounty, which you can open without using any key! Blessed by the Great Mother herself, the Chauntea's Bounty overflows with treasures. Those fortunate enough to open it may discover rare Companions, Mounts, and community-requested legacy Fashion and legacy gear. Except for selected Mounts and Companions, fashion- and gear obtainables are Bound on Equip.
You get one Chauntey's Bounty per account each day (Bound to Account) during the Summer Festival, by completing the repeatable ‘Your very own Sahha Ball’ quest. Level 20 is required here. Additionally, you can obtain them through the Zen Store (unbound).
Mythic rewards include the Hag's Enchanted Cauldron, Glorious Undead Lion, Neo Eclipse Lion, Golden Bulette Pup, Drizzt Do’Urden, Myconid, and Tutor. It also includes brand-new Blossom Illusions, see the video below!
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Opening Chauntey's Bounty will always grant 10 to 18 Tradebars on top of one of the obtainables, and the more Chauntey's Bounty you open, the more additional rewards you will get through milestones.
Celebrate the summer in Neverwinter – true to its name – by heading over to the Summer Festival grounds!
Monoliths of Madness Event
Ollie the Octie is a colossal creature of the deep who carries riders clinging to his massive head, surging forward with surprising grace for something so squishy.
We are introducing some new Enchantments for you to try out and upgrade, bundled in a Combat Enchantments Choice Pack. These gems give a unique special effect that is insanely powerful, and you can upgrade all the way to Celestial to improve their statistics.
Please note that you can only equip one of these at a time.
*The Companion chest is similar to the reward gained upon opening 50 Lockboxes. You have a chance to get a random Companion up to Mythic quality, or the current Lockbox’Sir Waddlelot
Obtainable through the ‘A Grand Anniversary Celebration’ Mission.
Behold the Ebon Herald, a being of regal bearing and feathers dark as the midnight sky. Though its presence may strike fear into the hearts of the unworthy, know that this noble creature is, in truth, a guardian of wisdom and gentleness. It raises its claws only in defense, never in malice. Yet, should folly or aggression provoke its wrath, the Ebon Herald calls forth the very essence of decay, and its foes shall wither like autumn leaves before the first frost.
There are all kinds of rewards waiting for you so join Lord Neverember, Elminster, and all your fellow adventurers in Protector’s Enclave when the festivities commence to enjoy our annual Protector’s Jubilee!
Check out our new reward for this event!
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“I had just received an urgent call for aid from our old friends over in Icewind Dale.
Remote camps at the edge of the Reghed Glacier and the Sea of Moving Ice reported strange activities plaguing their homes. Nightmares, warped creatures, and disappearances have forced people to brave the freezing cold to Ten-Towns for help. The Speakers reached out to us to see if you could journey to one of these camps and find out what's going on.”
In the freezing lands, north of Icewind Dale, lies The Reghed Edge, where the Reghed Glacier nearly touches the Sea of Moving Ice. According to the people there, strange events are unfolding. The warm season has stretched unseasonably long, thawing ancient glaciers. Frost giants and other monsters have been seen far closer to their seasonal camp than ever before. Disturbing dreams come to them, driving them to madness.
The land suffers. Corruption eats into every corner, rousing the old magic. There are many things here that should never be disturbed. A dense forest draped in snow, populated by dangerous creatures. Buried ruins, slightly revealing themselves by shards of blue light. Howling winds carry whispers of madness, and something ancient stirs beneath the ice. Frost giant warbands and savage beasts roam the wastes as players press deeper into a land where the truth is buried as surely as the past itself.
It is time for adventurers to gather their thickest clothes, to investigate a frozen frontier gripped by unnatural shifts in weather.
Behind the scenes:
Designing this new adventure zone has been mainly in Jan Olcina's hands, who previously worked on a variety of Heroic Encounters and who was also responsible for leading Red Harvest II: The Soul Collector’s zone in the intended direction. The narrative design has been the responsibility of Pawida ‘Chess’ de Borde, implementing Neverwinter's lore, voice lines and everything story-related since Red Harvest. Biting Cold’s questline eventually brings you in a separate instance environment built by Georgi Valkov and Mark Tchaipunt, growing the strength of the new zone’s team.
Concept Art for the Reghed Edge, created by Lucca Medeiros.
Upon entering the Reghed Edge, the first thing you will notice is Margherita Lucchi’s work. From a fully detailed village to a big forest, our environmental artist brought Biting Cold alive. It proved quite a challenge, because an environment artist will always add as many details as possible. While there is plenty to be seen, performance optimization always plays a big role in her work too. Both Biting Cold's performance and snow are as smooth as possible. The frozen lakes with all its cracked details and glows from underneath were carefully handled by Richard Sööt.
Concept Art for the Reghed Edge's Instance quest, created by Artem Plotnikov.
Through creating the Slaughterhouse Arena, we gained inspiration to have our Heroic Encounters shared over three arenas for the first time, meaning that one spot could feature a variety of encounters. There are six new Heroic Encounters for you to conquer!
Freeze and unfreeze the guardian spirits, try to stay warm while fighting the Stormcaller in the blizzard, channel arcane energies on the frozen lake, shatter the frozen armor of the yeti, face the forest's primal animals, and help miners to survive against goblin raiders.
In the frozen expanse of Icewind Dale, where the wind howls like a living thing and the cold bites to the bone, lies Jotunskar, a place of brutal purpose and ancient power. Carved from stone and scarred by fire, this forsaken stronghold is no mere ruin. A crucible where strength is demanded and weakness is consumed.
Slide down the icy descent through the slippery Jotunskar, where Frost Giants have succumbed to whispers, mobilizing under a mysterious new authority. Avoid the Death Pit at all costs while you delve your way through the darkness, on your way to defeat three mighty bosses while looking for answers.
With three difficulty levels, every adventurer can test their strength:
Concept Art for Jotunskar, created by Uliana Amosova.
Not only does the Ten-Towns region experience bizarre visions, but there are also plenty of bizarre creatures to find. Our Battle Pass shows you just what we mean, with Wormungandr as its chase reward!
>> 
The weather watchers warned us of the blizzards getting worse, which coincides with the rising temperatures. They're periodical, but you'd have to be mad to willingly venture into one without sufficient protection. We're calling it the Encroaching Frost... Even the most seasoned explorers struggle to get through it. Normally, we'd advise waiting it out, as great evil hides within the winds, and visibility is drastically reduced, but entering the storm and withstanding its debilitating effects is often the wiser choice to eventually reap great rewards!
Slay Ice Mephits and Air Archons, locate and open Storm Treasure Chests or Storm Skill Nodes, and participate in the Stormbound Reaver Summoning Ritual to bring him down when he finally emerges from the blizzard! Defeating the Stormbound Reaver will bring greater rewards, including Reghed Shards.
The storm lasts for a limited time, after which you must refill the Storm Meter to trigger the next one. Whispers claim that the more Heroic Encounters adventurers tackle, the faster a new Encroaching Frost begins to brew. Standing close to campfires or braziers will help mitigate the damage and get rid of the side-effects from the deadly Freezing Cold.
Brave the cold and face all that hides in the winds, but take time to prepare before you do. Even Giants can struggle in the Blizzards...
Behind the scenes:
Designer Samuil (Spami) is combining most of his experience into one big zone mechanic with the Encroaching Frost. Before Biting Cold, he created Tenebraloth, the Necrotitan, the Slaughterhouse Arena, and quite the variety of other Heroic Encounters and zone mechanics.
Mike Lopez has been responsible for Neverwinter's music and sound effects for a while now, from making the heavy metal piece for Red Harvest's Shackles of Divinity Trial to Biting Cold's music, filled with traditional ‘joiks’ of the Sámi people of Northern Europe.
Check out Lakeblurgaming's recent interview with him below!
[previewyoutube=xlxFI4_bsr0;full][/previewyoutube]
For Biting Cold, eleven new musical pieces were created, and the music playing when you enter the Reghed Edge is already very promising!
Encroaching Frost has crept down from the Reghed Glacier's dangerous mountains, bringing with it treasures born of biting winds and endless snowdrifts. Within this chilling Lockbox, you may ride the Snowtusk, or feel honored to be accompanied by the ever-dapper Sir Waddlelot!
>> 
What goes into a penguin? A lot of fish, you might say… but in truth, it takes a surprising amount of effort, craft, and love. From stumbling flippers to fearless defender, Sir Waddlelot’s journey proves that even the smallest heroes can leave the biggest footprint in the snow.
Art lead Anto Covi created this cool article about Neverwinter's general art process, using Sir Waddlelot as a muse.
>> 
Please note that any date stated could change at any moment.
We hope you have a good time with our new Module, and we hope you liked this article! Our Community Manager spent a lot of effort presenting it to you, and he feels like he wrote a full digital magazine with this one while introducing a lot more team members than before, making the team behind Neverwinter a bit more personal! Enjoy the new content, more to come soon!
~ Jeroen den Hartog (Kyrië)
A fragment of an ancient doom given small, coiled form. Though the world-serpent’s true destiny lies forgotten beneath scales and steel, its presence still carries the weight of prophecy. Helm-clad and ever-hungry, Wormungandr slithers onward, heralding an ending yet to be remembered.
Centuries pass, and the Snowtusk remains, a creature so connected to the endless winter that every step stirs suffocating frost around it. Frost giants covered its head with binding markings to dampen the deadly breath of cold, said to instantly freeze the heart of any who are caught by it.
Sir Waddlelot is a fearless knight of impeccable honor, clad in polished armor and driven by an unbreakable sense of duty. Though his stride may be more waddle than march, none can doubt his courage or his determination to defend his allies at all costs.
The many hats of Mr. Snibbly
Both Respen and Portobello are back, each with tasks to offer during this event. While Respen’s Dungeons will be available as random queues throughout the entire event, a new Portobello instance queue will unlock each week so be sure to check back regularly!
This event is an Appointment Event. Players can participate by completing a daily mission to run through one of Portobello’s dungeons. Once that is complete, they can continue to participate by running trials and tests inside the Burrow Dawn Inn or running a mission to participate in Respen’s dungeons. Dungeons during this event will function as skirmishes, removing the tank and healer role requirements.
Weeks will start on Thursday at 7:30 AM PT.
Week 1 – Trial of Traps & A Rock Falls
Week 2 – Artificers Workshop
Week 3 – Strange Things at the Burrow Dawn Inn
“I had just received an urgent call for aid from our old friends over in Icewind Dale.
Remote settlements across the Reghed Glacier and the Sea of Moving Ice reported strange activities plaguing their homes. Nightmares, warped creatures, and disappearances have forced people to brave the freezing cold to Ten-Towns for help. The Speakers reached out to us to see if you could journey to one of these villages and find out what's going on.”
All the way north of the Spine of the World, the region north of Ten-Towns, known as The Reghed Edge, needs your help. The population of a local fishing village, Kaldrfisk, has been experiencing bizarre visions. People from all corners of Faerûn have found their way to the frozen village, clinging to the edge of the frozen sea. Time for the player to gather their thickest clothes and investigate frozen waterfalls, glowing geyser basins, and an ancient ruin.
The land suffers. Corruption eats into every corner, rousing the old magic. There are many things here that should never be disturbed. Climb into the Frostwood, a dense forest draped in snow, populated by dangerous creatures. Survive the Shattered Chasm, a vast gorge carved by time and frost where frozen cliffs plunge into darkness, with buried ruins being revealed by shards of blue light. Conquer six new Heroic Encounters, for the first time spread out over three arenas, including the Spirit Dragon.
The Reghed Edge is under constant assault from a deadly, shifting Encroaching Frost. Taking shelter is possible, but entering the storm and withstanding its debilitating effects is often the wiser choice to eventually reap great rewards. Earn Reghed Shards, our latest zone‑mechanic currency, by completing quests, opening chests, slaying Ice Mephits, Air Archons, and other enemies, and bringing down the Stormbound Reaver when it finally emerges from the blizzard. Whispers across Kaldrfisk claim that the more Heroic Encounters adventurers tackle, the faster a new Encroaching Frost begins to brew.
Slide your way through the slippery Jotunskar, where Frost Giants have succumbed to whispers, mobilizing under a mysterious new authority.
Delve into the darkness, defeat three mighty bosses, and seek the answers...
With three difficulty levels, every adventurer can test their strength:
Jotunskar Dungeon (Advanced)
Zone Mechanic Vendor
Each character will be set up with the DPS paragon path as their primary loadout, with their secondary loadout set up for their tank, healer, or alternate DPS loadout. You will have a prebuilt set of gear, enhancements, artifacts, powers, boons, companions, mounts, mount collars and insignias slotted and an item level around 60,000, that will allow you to jump right into the action of the game. The character will also come with Bind to Character versions of supplies needed for adventuring and adjusting the species and appearance of the character to your preference.
As mentioned above, boons are included. They have already been assigned, but if you want, you can reset the boon tree with a free token. Boon quests for the following Campaigns are already completed and claimed: Dread Ring, Storm King's Thunder, Icewind Dale, The Cloaked Ascendancy, Jungles of Chult, and Sharandar.
This Neverwinter Quick Start Character will start in a specialized tutorial Campaign quest line in Menzoberranzan, called ‘Legends Reawakened’ and starting with the ‘Whispers in the Dark’ quest, which will get you up to speed in no time and contains some nice rewards! Progress in this Campaign can be done by collecting Adamant Shards by completing Menzoberranzan Story Missions, Weekly quests, repeatable quests, Heroic Encounters, and Lockdown Bosses.
After that, Faerûn is yours to explore. You’re equipped to participate in Skirmishes, explore Dungeons, challenge your skills in Trials, and enjoy Neverwinter's various campaigns and storylines – it's really up to you!
Please note that the three episodes from the Return to Sharandar campaign are already marked as completed; you can still play through Sharandar's story.
From the Zen Store, get the Quick Start Character exclusive ‘Call To Adventure’ pack containing a Mythic Mount Choice Pack, a Legendary Artifact Choice Pack, a Mythic Companion Choice Pack, a Mythic Insignia Choice Pack, a Bountiful Bag (84 slots) and 30 days of VIP.
Smooth, warm, and humming with barely contained power, this egg is said to hold the spark of a hatchling dragon. Handle with care - or don't. A single misstep unleashes an explosive burst worthy of a very impatient wyrmling.
Who’s hungry for omelets?!
Seems that something fowl is taking over Neverwinter – the feathers are flying! Earl the Chickenmancer has been cursed with a Touch of the Chicken. His ability to turn things into chickens has become a hazard to Neverwinter!
Head to Protector’s Enclave and talk to Earl so that you may help him fix the overflock of chickens! By helping Earl clean up this mess, you will get hard-earned Bird Feathers and Bird Feed to spend in the special event shops, filled with new and returning fowl-tastic rewards!
Besides that, make sure to test your skills as a chicken and find out who is the fowlest of them all by queuing up for the limited time PvP match, Fight of the Fowls. This PvP is a fast-paced 5v5 fight where your chicken class can be changed throughout the entire fight!
We hope that you’ll have aprilliant time, don't chicken out!
Want to be a Crazy Cat Hero? Then start collecting! Obtaining Samsa, Valya, Kota, Flo, and Mr. G will grant you the Crazy Cat Hero Achievement and Crazy Cat Hero Title.
You now have the opportunity to upgrade your Insignias to our Celestial quality, providing you with additional refinement options and chances to increase your power!
The Celestial Insignias come up with a few changes to the Insignia system altogether, based on your recent feedback, so let's have a look!
Celestial Essence obtained through Dungeons and Trials is tradeable in the Auction House.
For now, Celestial Essence can be obtained from the following Trials:
Upgrade your Mythic Mounts to a new, stronger tier, as Celestial Mounts are here to accompany the Celestial Insignia update!
Celestial Mounts will allow you to boost their item level and the effects of Mount Powers associated with the Mount. While you can't upgrade Mount Collars to Celestial yet, it's definitely something we have in store for you later.
On lower quality, upgrade costs have been reduced.
On our Discord, we recently started feedback threads for Barbarians, Rangers, Clerics, and Warlocks. Thank you for all the feedback you provided! Our next Module marks the kick-off of our class changes, and the Cleric is the first one we’ve worked on.
This should come with a sidenote: due to balancing difficulties for Arbiter Cleric, our main efforts this time around have gone to Devout Cleric; while Arbiter only went through a few changes, Devout has been changed accordingly. This doesn't mean that the Arbiter Cleric's abilities are set in stone forever.
Some highlights of the changes:
Besides rewards like Insignias and both Mount- and Companion Upgrade Tokens, this Lockbox includes Cactus the Hedgehog to really spike things up. Although Cactus isn't as fast as other hedgehogs featured in games, it's definitely fast enough to stroll through the many zones Neverwinter has to offer! Is it a bird... is it a plane... is it... a cat? Sardina the Tressym would love to be your sidekick from now on. D’awws aren't mandatory but recommended!
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Perhaps an Interlude Module doesn't scream Art Team at first sight, because most players usually recognize the Art Team's efforts whenever there's a full new Adventure Zone to explore. Fair enough, and we hope that you’re as excited about the work our Environment Artists put in as that we are proud of them and the rest of the team, but our Art Team as a whole does a lot more.
At the start we have our Concept Artists, creating the initial sketches for our upcoming content. From there, several artists like Character Artists and Environment Artists get to work to shape everything in-game, so that our 3D Animators, VFX Artists and Tech Artists can bring it to life. Meanwhile, UI/UX Artists create the interface and icons around it, and finally the Marketing Artist makes the assets you so often see featured on our launcher, social media, and our website's news section.
With the release of this Module, we found time to mark the start to let some of our pets be our muses. Sardina kicks off, available to be as much of a companion to you as she is to our Art Team's lead. With a small extra, of course, as real-life Sardina's wings have yet to spawn.
Sardina's real-life counterpart is a marbled Bengal whose life motto revolves around three big C’s: chin scritches, coziness, and chicken strips. Plenty of all that goes around, as her cat parents or one of the three siblings are always there. Being the most patient of the family, sweetness radiates around her. Don't piss her off though – you might need wings yourself when Sardina eventually gets zooming!
Our whole art team had a great time bringing Sardina to life in the game, and our internal threads about cats are still very much alive. We sincerely hope that you enjoy her company as much as we do. Sardina's entrance surely won't be the last time we’ll draw inspiration from our team's pets. The cat is out of the bag, sort of. Let it also be noted that the title banners in this article are created by our Community Manager; the Art Team is way more capable.
A longer Battle Pass consisting of 1 phase (For Gods and Glory: Deathmatch) with 16 milestones. You can collect 6,000 Battle Pass XP by doing Arena Activities, Random Dungeons, Trials, and Skirmishes.
Some highlights:
Neverwinter has a huge variety of Dungeons and Trials, and we often hear you mention that setting everything up to be your most efficient self takes time. Some people within our community already created their own system to speed things up, and we’ve checked them out in awe and realized we should include something like these systems ourselves.
Enter our Dungeons/Trials Queue improvement, available for Public and Private PVE queues, where we aim to improve the preparations for a Dungeon and Trial in an easy-to-understand format.
When you queue up and don't want any extra information, you can just start playing. The new menu we added can be found by clicking Inspect (1), giving you a popup window. From there you see the following information:
The Armor illusions, Footprint illusions, and Weapon illusions for Cosmos and Gravity have been updated, marking the first time that illusions include sound effects! Sound effects on newly released illusions will be available starting in its original state, with a small sound upgrade when the illusion is upgraded to its final form.
We have tried our absolute best to make sure that whenever you combine illusions, the sound effects vibe with each other. However, we’re aware that not everyone can be a fan of these new sound effects. Therefore, we’ve updated our Audio Settings.
Check out the screenshot and video below!
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Even more tears for the tear jar, as 
Get a new Mount, a new Artifact, new gear, new Footprints and more by entering the Slaughterhouse!
Our Module even comes with a temporary Campaign! The Tempus’ Blood Track allows you to collect Blood Shards for your efforts, with a Weekly Haul of 50 Blood Shards. You will obtain Blood Shards every 5 rounds up to Round 50, starting at 1 Blood Shard for beating Round 5 and ending at 5 Blood Shards for beating Round 50.
There are plenty of rewards to gain from this Campaign Track, with highlights such as the Hemovore Gelatinous Cube and two Illusion Choice Packs containing Cosmos (with sound effects!) and Snakeskin illusions.
We hope you have a good time with our new Module. More to come soon!
