I’ve had a strange start with Neverwinter, to be honest. While I did get in on the 25th with the early-early crowd, shortly thereafter I had to boogie on off to a vacation that canceled out eight days of soft launch gaming time. So even though I got an early start, I’m probably behind many of you — even those who started on the 30th.
That’s OK; I’m not in a rush. I’m not the type to get into a speed race or feel the compulsion to become an instant expert by the end of week one. My experience so far has been feeling out what Neverwinter has to offer, mostly by going through the solo quest line, participating in skirmishes, and queuing up for dungeon runs when time permits. And I’m enjoying myself so far, although I still have that “slightly lost” feeling that comes with exploring a brand-new MMO. I need to learn how to create Foundry missions and I haven’t even touched professions yet.
Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you assume that everyone already knows the ins and outs of the game as though he’s been playing it for years, while you’re an ignorant noob wandering the streets. I don’t think you’re alone if that’s the case, and to help both you and me out, I’ve done some research to find the top 14 most helpful threads, sites, and articles that all fledgling Neverwinter adventurers should at least skim over.
1. Neverwinter Extended FAQ
This comes from beta and will become increasingly irrelevant over the next few months, but it’s a good overview of the game and its features for anyone looking to read a basic primer.
2. Neverwinter Beta Weekend Tips
This one’s just a small handful of common-sense tips from Cryptic, but I’m including it because the hotkey shortcuts really do make life a lot easier in the game — and I myself spent a couple of minutes fumbling about trying to figure out how to access Foundry missions.
3. Open Beta Help and Tips
We’ve all seen these questions shouted across the general chat channels in the game, so it’s good that someone’s taken it upon himself to compile the most commonly asked ones and their answers.
4. Master List of Class Builds
Instead of linking you an octillion class guides, let me link you to one thread that’s done the work of compiling several useful ones to check out. I love it when people are this organized, don’t you?
5. Forging New Adventures in Neverwinter’s Foundry
Wannabe Foundry creators like yours truly need all the help they can get in figuring out this complex and not-always-user-friendly system. This is a decent step-by-step guide that walks the user through creating a simple adventure.
6. Neverwinter Economics for New Players
Confused by the nonagintillion different types of currencies in Neverwinter? Don’t fret: This guide has you covered. Learn about the basics of Neverwinter’s many tokens, gems, and gold interact.
7. The Foundry: A guide to creating better-than-average UGC
A wall of text with tips and general advice in creating Foundry missions. There’s some good information here, although the presentation may push some players away with references to even more tools and complexity.
8. Some Thoughts on Professions
This isn’t a guide per se but more of a back-and-forth dialogue between players as they share their knowledge and strategy when it comes to handling Neverwinter’s professions. I learned a bit reading through this, so I didn’t want to leave it off the list.
9. Tips/Advice for Players Starting Out in Neverwinter
Another hodge-podge of beginner tips, but you won’t find me complaining. Even when I’m an experienced vet in an MMO, I usually learn a thing or two from lists like this.
10. Advanced Combat Tips
Fighting in Neverwinter isn’t hard. What is hard is to fight well so that you’re not taking a butt-load of damage and dying unnecessarily. This thread could be the literal difference between life and death for you.
11. Companion Info and a Bit of a Guide
What you see is what you get, folks: a guide on companions. I see a lot of players asking where they can get more companions and what each of them does, so I reckon that this thread will be pretty helpful to the community.
12. Beginner Tips and Tricks for Neverwinter
Knowing things like using consumable slots as extra inventory room, how to transfer astral diamonds between characters, and what you need to do to upgrade enchantments seems pretty essential to me.
13. Ten Tips To Make Your First Few Days in Neverwinter a Little Easier
This is all very basic stuff, but I can’t assume that everyone knows all of it, either. The game isn’t always great in informing you about its features, so I’d rather play it safe by reading up on as much of it as I can from external sites.
14. The Official Neverwinter Wiki
Do you still have game-related questions that you can’t figure out? The official wiki should be your go-to source for all of the nitty-gritty details.
A few of my tips, for what they’re worth
I’d be a pretty boring writer if I didn’t at least share a couple of my own learned tips in addition to posting the links up there. Here are a few that I’ve had to learn the hard way:
Stock up on resource kits! Every dungeon has plenty of resource nodes, of which your character will only be able to harvest one type without a kit. Each node gives you a heaping of goodies, so it sucks to miss out on them if you forgot to buy kits.
Look for tell-tale signs of traps. Dungeon traps are everywhere, but many are completely avoidable if you actually look at the walls and floors instead of blindly running past them. Sometimes the odd placement of pillars is a signal that a dart trap lurks on one side, so slow down when you see these.
Have at least one or two multi-mob skill on hand at all times. Many encounters are against packs of enemies, so being able to hit all of them is preferable to taking them out one at a time.
Work together in skirmishes instead of being a Lone Ranger. Even if your skirmish team doesn’t communicate, it shouldn’t be hard to stick together in a pack instead of splitting up to die alone.
There are lots of ways to get extra goodies in the game, including the coveted astral diamonds. Pay attention to the hourly events and your hourly prayer timer.
Enough of my advice and others’ — I want to hear tips and tricks from you! Sound off in the comments about all of the little helpful info nuggets you’ve picked up in your Neverwinter adventures.