Rise When Adventure Calls
The time has come–Neverwinter: Jewel of the North is finally upon us, bringing with it the Bard character class and a wide variety of major quality of life improvements. That’s not all this new module is bringing, but it sure does make now a great time to start playing Neverwinter.
This marks the first time since 2016 that Neverwinter has added a new class to its line-up, and the Bard class is legendary in the original pen and paper adventure game. We should note that this is less because Bards are overpowered and more because they offer players a lot of creative ways to solve problems and annoy their friends. Yes, these are the guys who have been known to roll to seduce doors… and occasionally succeed.
Neverwinter: Jewel of the North’s arrival brings with it a short but very effective cinematic reveal trailer that works to build hype for the module. It focuses much more on atmosphere than content, but in our eyes, this trailer has definitely succeeded in getting us excited for what Neverwinter has in store.
Key features include:
- New Bard Class – Inspired by the iconic and multi-skilled Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition class, the new class for Neverwinter weaves together quick, deadly swordplay and powerful magical ballads into an orchestra of destruction for enemies and boons for themselves and allies. The class offers two unique Paragon Paths for players to choose from:
- Songblade – Charming swashbucklers who dispatch their foes in style with swordplay, magic, and music. This path is for those who want to be close and mid-range damage dealers, and who want to make use of dramatic spells and supporting songs to enhance their natural combat ability. Â
- Minstrel – Master musicians who support allies from afar with songs of bardic inspiration. These healers can also use music to create psychic attacks and illusions.
- New Streamlined Leveling System – Following the beloved system found in Dungeons & Dragons, the max level cap has transitioned from level 80 to level 20, making it easier for all adventurers to experience the many adventures available within the Forgotten Realms in Neverwinter. Â
- New Adventures Feature – A new and intuitive way to play through content, track progress, and get some great rewards. The Adventures feature allows adventurers to know what to explore and experience next as they continue their epic journey.
- Major Quality of Life Improvements:Â All adventurers can prepare and be ready for their many adventures thanks to the following new improvements:Â Â
- Two New Locations:Â Â
- The Adventurer’s Guild – Located in Protector’s Enclave, the guild serves as place for all the greatest adventurers to meet, train, and claim their hard-earned rewards.Â
- The Training Room – A special demiplane created by the wizards of the Adventurer’s Guild where adventurers can hone their skills and explore combat systems using a variety of modifiers. Â
- Revamped Tutorialization – New tutorials, messaging and visuals have been added for new and returning adventurers to better understand what it takes to be a true adventurer in Neverwinter.
On top of all that, there’s also a Neverember Recruitment Event going on that will reward new characters who log on during the event with rare treasures, like mounts and companions. The event will also offer Neverember Incentives that can be exchanged for account-wide rewards, which sounds like a great deal to us.
Jewel of the North is now available on PC and will launch on PS4 and Xbox One in Fall 2021.
Are you looking forward to playing a Bard? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.