In recent times, the MMO has been rife with concern regarding the fate of beloved MMORPGs: Star Trek Online, Neverwinter, and Champions Online. Amidst the turmoil surrounding Embracer Group’s financial struggles, and Cryptic Studios’ uncertain future, players have been on edge. However, a recent post from Cryptic CEO Phil Frazier on the Star Trek Online subreddit has offered a glimmer of hope to the worried fans.

Frazier’s message, while not overflowing with optimism, certainly cut through some of the doom and gloom. He confirmed that despite the ongoing transitions and the relocation of operations, there are no immediate plans to shut down any of the three games. This news comes as a sigh of relief to the community, which has been speculating about the potential end of their favorite virtual worlds.

The CEO elaborated on the studio’s efforts to maintain a “steady state” regarding content updates, particularly for Star Trek Online and Neverwinter, given Champions Online’s sporadic update history. While acknowledging the possibility of changes in the future, Frazier emphasized the goal of keeping the games alive and thriving under the new management of DECA Games. This ambition is shared by both Cryptic and DECA, aiming to ensure the long-term viability of these titles.

The transition to DECA, as Frazier described, is complex and still in progress, involving significant changes to game development and publishing. However, he reassured players that strides are being made, and the collaborative effort between Cryptic and DECA is strong.

Frazier’s post also addressed the internal changes within Cryptic Studios. Acknowledging the departure of some team members due to the instability, he expressed support for those choosing to leave while highlighting the continued dedication of those who stay. The transparency and support within the studio were underscored as crucial elements during this period of change.

Looking ahead, Frazier announced plans to participate in an upcoming stream alongside Mike, Brett, and Jarrod, tentatively scheduled for March 19. This event promises further updates and a chance for the community to engage directly with the leaders of Cryptic Studios.

Neverwinter is set to host its Feast of Lanterns event, celebrating the Year of the Dragon, from Thursday, February 8 at 7:30am PT to Thursday, February 15 at 7:30am PT. The event welcomes envoys from Shou and Kozakura, who have been invited by Lord Neverember to share their New Year festivities with the citizens of Neverwinter.

Event Activities and Participation:

Participants in the Feast of Lanterns event will have the opportunity to engage in various activities to celebrate the lunar New Year. By taking part in these activities, players can earn event-specific currencies, namely Dragon Coins and Lunar Coins, which can be exchanged for rewards.

• Nightly Fireworks: Players can assist in the fireworks display near the Hall of Justice to contribute to the festive atmosphere.
• Red Envelopes: There’s a quest to distribute red envelopes to NPC adventurers in Protector’s Enclave, reflecting the tradition of giving during the New Year.
• Comfort Dogs: To mitigate the impact of fireworks on the local canine population, players can participate in comforting startled dogs. This quest rewards players with a unique /pet emote upon first completion.

Event Rewards:

The event offers a variety of rewards, including the Juvenile Jade Dragonnel Companion and the New Year’s Dragonnel Mount, which require Dragon Coins and Lunar Coins respectively for redemption. Additional rewards, such as Shou Ceremonial weapon transmutes and festive items like Mochi, Niangao, Mooncake, and Fireworks, are also available, allowing participants to immerse themselves in the celebration.

Zen Market Offerings:

During the Feast of Lanterns event, the Zen Market will feature exclusive items, including the Lunar Coinpurse, various hairstyles, companions (Boar Shoat, Festive Tiger), and mounts (New Year’s Boar, New Year’s Tiger). The Yojimbo Companion is also available for a limited time, offering players the chance to add a powerful ally to their roster.

Participants should note that Dragon Coins and future animal coins will expire after the event concludes, adding an element of timeliness to their participation and reward collection.

Get ready to challenge a goddess and embark on an epic quest to save a city in Neverwinter’s 26th module, Demonweb Pits. Gearbox Publishing and Cryptic Studios announced today that the next expansion of the Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG will be available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles on July 18.

Demonweb Pits is set to bring a thrilling conclusion to the Menzoberranzan story arc, as players will have to save the drow city of Menzoberranzan from the menacing spider-goddess of the drow, Lolth. This module introduces the new adventure zone, Narbondellyn, where players can delve into the grounds of House Fey-Branche, a dominant house in Menzoberranzan.

In the follow-up to the Menzoberranzan module, the Archmage of Menzoberranzan, Gromph Baenre, has recovered his lost demon summoning tome, Zhaun’ol’leal. An unexpected twist of magic results in the Material Plane and the Demonweb Pits merging, enabling demons, including Lolth herself, to step into the Underdark. Adventurers will need to team up with Noori, a brilliant Sorcere mage and cousin to the Archmage, to seal the rift and banish Lolth back to the Abyss.

Players bold enough to respond to Bregan D’aerthe’s call will discover new content, including challenging hunts throughout Menzoberranzan against horrific monsters from both the Underdark and the Demonweb Pits. The hunts will feature modifiers that ramp up the difficulty for greater rewards, combining mechanics from previous hunts in the Dragonslayer and Barovia modules.

For the fearless, the Demonweb Pits dungeon awaits, featuring new bosses and a challenging fight against Lolth. The dungeon offers new secrets and rewards across three difficulty tiers: Normal, Advanced, and Master.

Quality of life improvements also feature in this module, including a streamlined post-leveling experience. Players reaching the maximum level of 20 will find new goals and rewards, further enhancing the gameplay and offering a smoother transition to the endgame experience.

As the summer season arrives in full swing, it brings with it joy, freedom, and liberty – the signature traits of Lliira, the Goddess of Joy. Neverwinter players, it’s time to gear up for the annual Celebration of Lliira!

Starting on Thursday, June 29 at 7:30am PT, adventurers are invited to gather at Protector’s Enclave, where they can participate in daily quests and set off fireworks in honor of Lliira. The celebration will continue until Thursday, July 6 at 7:30am PT.

Players can earn Tokens of Lliira’s Favor by completing the “Lliira’s Celebration” daily quest. Professional Fireworks can be collected from defeated creatures, within 10 levels, during the event, and can be turned in at any time except during the fireworks show, which occurs every 30 minutes. These tokens can be exchanged for a variety of items in the event store.

New rewards this year include the Starry Carpet of Revels mount, the Starry Carpet Rider, and the elegant Nebula Wedding Fashion Set. Returning rewards include the Celestial Bear, the Joy Dancer of Lliira, the Cosmic Pig mount, and the Toast Emote, among others.

As part of the celebration, some changes have been made to the rewards roster. Notably, the Starry Panther mount and Lliira’s Bell, available in previous years, have been removed. However, a Bag of Lliira’s Favor, containing 10 Lliira’s Favor, can now be purchased from the Zen Market.

Neverwinter is excited to see the night sky light up with joy and camaraderie as players gather for the Celebration of Lliira. So, clear your schedules, polish your armor, and let the stars decide your fortune as you immerse yourself in the festivities.

Neverwinter is marking its tenth year with the return of the Protector’s Jubilee. The official announcement released today by Ambassador Kael indicates that the festivities will commence on Thursday, June 15 at 7:30 am PT and conclude on Thursday, June 22 at 7:30 am PT.

In past years, the Protector’s Jubilee has been an occasion for players to engage in special events and earn unique rewards. This year appears to be no different, with the Protector’s Garden—a popular location during the event—being opened for all visitors for the duration of the festivities.

The Jubilee promises a variety of activities. For example, Elminster, the renowned sage, will provide daily tasks such as placing decorations and spreading a celebratory atmosphere. Further, players can participate in Elminster’s Messages, traveling across various zones to deliver news to Harper agents. These quests can lead to Protector’s Figurines, an in-game currency exclusive to the Jubilee.

A significant part of the Jubilee is the Protector’s Speech Skirmish, where players are challenged to prevent disruptions during Lord Neverember’s speech to the city. Rewards for participating in this skirmish include the in-game currency Neverwinter Renown.

One key event involves escort missions where players must protect traders and merchants traveling to Neverwinter, a task critical to boosting the city’s economic growth. Successful completion of these missions awards players with the Protector’s Bounty.

The Jubilee will also introduce new items, including the Elminster Simulacrum companion, a Hand of Neverwinter mount, a Mini Minotaur vanity pet, and a Neverember’s Throne. A new fashion item, The Entangled Thread Costume Set, will also be available.

A unique aspect of the Jubilee is the inclusion of login rewards, where players are awarded based on their number of logins during the event. This includes titles, companion packs, and even 30 days of free VIP for logging in at least five days.

Several items from past events are also making a return, including the Throne of the Entwined Scales, Confetti Machination Mount, Keldegonian Explorer and Dwarven Commander Fashion Sets, and more.

In addition, the Protector’s Bounty can be redeemed for a variety of items like Volo’s Guide to Firebreathing, Jubilee Celebratory Feast, Celebratory Confetti, Anniversary Ham, and Elminster’s Lunchbox.

Attention all adventurers! The Day of the Dungeon Master event has returned to Neverwinter, bringing new challenges and exciting rewards for all who dare to face them. From May 4th to May 25th, players can visit the Burrow Dawn Inn and take on the trials set forth by Portobello DaVinci and Respen Durothil.

During this appointment event, players can participate by completing a daily mission to run through one of Portobello’s dungeons. They can also run trials and tests inside the Burrow Dawn Inn or participate in Respen’s dungeons. Skirmishes during the event will remove the tank and healer role requirements, allowing for greater flexibility in party composition.

Portobello and Respen both offer tasks to players, with Respen’s Dungeons available as random queues throughout the event, and new Portobello instance queues unlocking each week. Rewards for the event have been updated to reflect the appointment event system, with many rewards moved to other events or available in the Wondrous Bazaar.

For those seeking the Balgora Mount or the Portobello Companion, they are part of the appointment store. Other rewards in the appointment store include the Legendary Personal Beholder Tank and Staldorf.

Some items have been removed from the event, including the Deck of Few Things, Green Slime, Card of Artifacts, Apocalypse Dagger, Pewter Golem, and Class Heckler devices. The titles of The Red, The White, and the Blue have also been retired due to the removal of Red Veins and Lathander’s Dew.

The Day of the Dungeon Master event is sure to provide plenty of excitement and challenge for all players in Neverwinter. So gather your party and get ready to face the trials set forth by Portobello and Respen!

Neverwinter: Menzoberranzan is now live across all platforms, marking the culmination of the epic storyline introduced in Northdark Reaches. Developed in collaboration with R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore, this new module explores a Menzoberranzan on the brink of civil war, with Lolth Loyalists clashing with the Drow Rebellion for control of the city.

Players will be able to venture into the new Menzoberranzan Adventure Zone, progress through a new Campaign, and face foes in Heroic Encounters. They will also be able to test their skills in the new 10-person Gzemnid’s Reliquary trial, where they will face formidable challenges that require teamwork and strategy.

In addition to the exciting new content, Neverwinter is also celebrating the D&D Direct event alongside its friends at Wizards of the Coast. From March 28 to April 4, 2023, players can log into Neverwinter and claim a free D&D Direct VIP Pack from the Zen Market, which includes 7 Days of VIP, 5x Scrolls of Life, 1x Health Stone, a Title: Faerûn’s Hope (Account-wide), and 75x Companion Tokens.

The launch patch notes are also available for players to read, detailing all the changes and updates made to the game with this latest release.

The streets of Menzoberranzan are a dangerous place for any adventurer, but the Heroes of Neverwinter will soon have a new tool to aid them in their quest for glory. According to a recent dev blog by Nitocris, the Precipice of War Battle Pass will provide players with a variety of rewards as they progress through the various milestones.

Starting on March 28th, players can progress the battle pass by completing random queues and participating in lockdown encounters in Menzoberranzan. Each day, players can complete various tasks for progress, including random trial or skirmish queues, random dungeon or advanced dungeon queues, and defeating Menzoberranzan lockdown patrols. Even if a player misses a day, they can still make progress on the active milestone for free and can stack up to three tasks max.

The battle pass includes three milestones, each running for five weeks, with the final milestone ending on July 11th. Players can purchase a premium battle pass for 2500 Zen to unlock the premium track for all three milestones. Premium pass holders can also still complete milestones after they’re over, and progress for premium pass holders can be done through July 18th.

The rewards for completing each milestone are extensive and include items such as Greater Stone of Health, Legendary Mount Choice Pack, and even a 72 Slot Bag. Additionally, completing the free and premium tracks for all three milestones will earn players three Coalescent Motes, two new account-wide mount or companion unlocks, and many other rewards to aid them in their future adventures.

All rewards are bound to account and can only be claimed once per account. Milestone buyouts are also available for players who want to purchase progress on a milestone they may have missed. The cost of the buyout is reduced based on how much progress the player has already made in that milestone.

The Precipice of War Battle Pass is an excellent opportunity for adventurers to bolster their abilities and take on the challenges of Menzoberranzan. With extensive rewards and multiple milestones, players will have plenty to keep them engaged in Neverwinter until the end of the pass on July 11th (or July 18th for premium pass holders).

Source

The Driftwood Tavern Presents: EP Q&A from the Neverwinter team was posted on YouTube a few days ago, and it includes some interesting updates for players of the game. A recap has also been posted on the Neverwinter site. The Executive Producer on Neverwinter, Brett Norton, answered some questions from the community about the game’s upcoming changes.

One of the topics discussed was what would happen with the Chaotic Writings since Juma has escaped from Vallenhas. Norton explained that players would still be able to spend their Chaotic Writings in the campaign store, but they would no longer be able to purchase Juma’s bag with this currency. Norton also announced that there would be adjustments to how to complete insurgencies and other things in Vallenhas.

Another topic discussed was whether the Wonders of Gond event would be updated. Norton explained that the event was not on the upcoming list of events, but other events like Coins of Waukeen were slated for updates. Norton also announced that the team was focusing on the 10th anniversary and that there would be some unique and cool things for the 10th Jubilee, which would include significant changes to rewards and making it easier to get those rewards.

Norton also talked about Legacy Campaigns and how they would be updated. He explained that the team had been looking at potential solutions for Dragonslayer that were unique to the campaign, and for other campaigns, they would likely use the Genie’s Gifts and campaign buyouts as they had done in the past.

Norton addressed concerns about the Xbox and PlayStation beta shards and revealed that they were working on ways to expand that on Xbox and PlayStation, to make it easier and try to get more frequent updates in.

Other topics discussed included updates to the VIP system, the Reaper’s Challenge store, and the Trade Bar store, and Norton also talked about the upcoming changes to the Paranoid Delusion companion and the new artifacts going up to 1,500 item level.

Neverwinter fans, get ready to dive into the dark and treacherous city of Menzoberranzan on March 28, 2023! Cryptic Studios has announced the release of Neverwinter: Menzoberranzan, the latest addition to the popular online game.

Players will find themselves in the middle of a civil war threatening to tear apart the Bregan D’aerthe mercenary company. Jarlaxle Baenre, the leader of the company, has reached out to Sergeant Knox and the brave adventurers of Neverwinter for assistance. In this epic conclusion to the storyline and campaign written in collaboration with R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore, players will explore Menzoberranzan for the first time and confront Lolth Loyalists and other foes.

The new Adventure Zone will allow players to reunite with old friends and allies as they take on their enemies. Along with the Campaign and Heroic Encounters, a brand new end-game trial called Gzemnid’s Reliquary will be available in both Master and Normal versions. Players will face familiar faces under the watchful gaze of the beholder deity himself.

The release of Neverwinter: Menzoberranzan is a significant milestone for the game. It has been available on the PC Preview test shard for players to try out before the official launch. According to the developers, the game promises to provide a brand new adventure and an immersive experience for all players.

In addition to the new adventure zone, players can also expect balance changes and other features with the new module. Details on the changes can be found in the official Dev posts and blogs.

Neverwinter: Menzoberranzan will be available across all platforms on March 28, 2023. Players can get ready to join Sergeant Knox and the brave adventurers of Neverwinter as they venture into the dark and dangerous city of Menzoberranzan.

It’s the Year of the Rabbit in Neverwinter and envoys from the distant lands of Shou and Kozakura have arrived at the invitation of Lord Neverember to share their traditional New Year festivities with the citizens of Neverwinter. The Feast of Lanterns event begins on Thursday, January 19th at 7:30am PT and ends on Thursday, January 26th at 7:30am PT.

Adventurers will have a chance to celebrate the lunar New Year and earn event currencies, such as Rabbit Coins and Lunar Coins, by helping out with the festival. In addition to Lunar Coin Packs containing event currencies, items such as hairstyles, the katana-wielding yojimbo companion, and previous year rewards will be available in the Zen Market for a limited time during the festivities.

Event Quests include “Nightly Fireworks,” where players can help the Kozakuran pyrobolist out by setting off fireworks near the Hall of Justice, “Red Envelopes,” where players deliver red envelopes to fledgling adventurer NPCs in Protector’s Enclave, and “Comfort Dogs,” where players help the dog-loving Kozakuran envoy comfort dogs startled by his fireworks. The first completion of this quest rewards the /pet emote.

Event Rewards include the Rabbit Kit, which requires Rabbit Coins, and the New Year’s Rabbit Mount, which requires Lunar Coins. Players can also turn in their lunar coins for Shou Ceremonial weapon transmutes, Mochi, Niangao, Mooncake, and Fireworks.

Players who log in during the Feast of Lanterns event will receive the Bounding Rabbit account-wide reclaim Fashion Set in addition to event reward.

In case you missed it, Neverwinter had their monthly Q&A stream on Twitch last month. The developers answered a variety of questions from the community and also shared their roadmap for the game.

A recap of the Q&A has been posted on the official Neverwinter website with the updated 2023 roadmap, and an example of a roadmap going all the way through 2024 and module 29.

All the questions from the Q&A are also available in the post in written form with confirmations that modules will go live across all platforms going forwards and that the Demogorgon will be back soon.

The developers also shut down any hope that players will be seeing either the Druid or Monk class make an appearance in the near future.

See the full Q&A below: