In 2013, Cryptic Studios launched an action-MMORPG based onDungeons and Dragons’Neverwinter setting. Nearly a decade later,Neverwinteris still going strong, and the game’s latest expansion, Jewel of the North, is scheduled to launch for PC on July 27. The new update will bring a host of improvements toNeverwinter, including a revamped introduction and tutorial system, touched up textures, performance tweaks, and - most importantly - the addition of the beloved bard class.
Game Rant sat down with Matt Powers,Neverwinter’s lead producer, and Randy Mosiondz, the game’s loremaster and lead designer, to talk about the changes coming in the new expansion. Both Powers and Mosiondz also discussedD&D’s surge in popularity following the release of the tabletop game’swildly successful 5th Edition.
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Tabletop RP, Video Game Action
When it originally launched,NeverwinterusedDungeons & Dragons' 4th Edition ruleset as its foundation. However, from the beginning, Cryptic never intended the game to be a complete parallel to the tabletop experience. The goal was to provide players with an action-packed experience that provided players with a steady stream of challenges, rewards, and new environments to explore, according to Mosiondz.
“We originally built Neverwinter on 4E because that was what was available at the time, but even then, we knew that it wasn’t a direct adaptation of the tabletop experience. We wanted to do action gameplay and combat.”
WhileD&Dwas something of an underground phenomenon when it launched in the 70s, it grew increasingly prominent, especially with the release of the well-received 3.5 Edition ruleset. No one could have predicted the game’s explosive growth in popularity following the release of the 5th Edition ruleset in 2014. The beginner-friendly system with streamlined rules courted new players easily, and led to a renaissance of D&D content including theacclaimed web seriesCritical Role.
Dungeons and Dragons5E’s popularity could have proven a double-edged sword forNeverwinter, however. While the popularity and topical interest inD&Dexpanded, the game was based on a newly outdated set of rules, which was less popular than 3.5 or 5th Edition. But Cryptic has collaborated closely with Wizards of the Coast throughoutNeverwinter’s tenure, making improvements and changes to leverage the core appeal ofD&Dthat 5E tapped into.
Migration from a 4E Foundation
Since launch,Neverwinterhas enjoyed several expansions and seen tweaks that make the game increasingly familiar to veterans of the 5th Edition tabletop experience. That trend is set to continue with Jewel of the North, according to Powers.
“We’ve done a better job of mapping the classes to what you would find in 5th Edition rules. In 2021, we’re doing a better level of mapping to the tabletop leveling. We want people to play the tabletop version and then go, ‘Hey, let me try this in a video game,’ and feel comfortable in that space.”
To that point, Cryptic has simplifiedNeverwinter’s leveling system from 80 levels down to the same 20-level power trajectory of the tabletop game. Jewel of the North features a revamped tutorial system with an emphasis on quickly educating players about their class, rather than a more gradual, grind-heavy experience that isa common pitfalls of MMORPGs. By focusing on bringing new players up to speed, adventurers can quickly take part in the game’s endgame content.
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In terms of advancement, the endgame content yields powerful gear, unlockable mounts, cosmetics, and more. Both Mosiondz and Powers emphasized Cryptic’s pride in offering players a number of customization options, so they can create the ideal versions of the characters they envision and easily express themselves through in-game roleplay.
Affection Transcending Rules
The secret that has keptNeverwintergoing as numerous other MMORPGs have shuttered is a deep reverence for the source material. “We are all huge fans,” Powers said, and he went on to state that Mosiondz is unavailable on Thursday evenings because he and his wife arebusy watching Critical Role.
Both Mosiondz and Powers regularly play the tabletop game, averaging three campaigns a week, from one-shots over lunch breaks to ongoing sagas. As befitting a loremaster and frequent DM, Mosiondz has an impressive array of Dwarven Forged terrain for tabletop games, including small LED torches for character minis. When the pandemic put a halt on in-person sessions, the Cryptic team found other,digital ways to get their D&D fix. That affection for the Forgotten Realms setting andD&Das a whole is a driving force behind the development ofNeverwinter, and Powers believes that constant is something which transcends various edition rules.
Neverwinteris free to play on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The Jewel of the North expansion will launch July 27 for PC, with console updates coming this fall.
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