Chettlebell Explains It All Vol. 7: Value Buys on the ZEN Market
Good day! Tristopher Chettlebell, Neverwinter’s preeminent historian at your service. In my capacity as an expert in all things Neverwinter, I’ve agreed to author a series of articles detailing various situations in Neverwinter that adventurers regularly have trouble understanding. It’s a big job, but nevertheless, I must persevere.
Here’s Some Value
We already looked at stuff that you absolutely want to avoid while crawling through the ZEN Market and items that are annoying, yet needed. So let’s now dig up some value from the merchants!
VIP Treatment
Who doesn’t like being treated like the Protector himself? For a small fee you get some travel services, limited magical supplies, free keys from the dwarven forges to open some hidden chests in dungeons, a daily bath with pretty Elve… Oh, no bath you say? Nevermind, it’s still good. Get your entrance to the VIP area because it makes adventuring that much easier!
Wards
Are you great at wielding your big-boy Scimitar, but have no clue how to fuse your Enchantments? Don’t feel bad, you’re not alone. The magic world out there is hidden to most and those that know don’t give away their stuff for free. Wards are annoying but necessary and always a good buy.
Their resell values is almost always decent as well. During one of those massive 40% sales throughout the year you can buy Wards in bulk and sell them for profit on the Auction House.
Founder’s Packs
This one’s tricky. The collection packs are expensive, but they are sometimes worth it because of their exclusive items that you can’t get anywhere else. So if you like the cool transmutes, included companions and their active bonuses or other perks, it’s probably a good buy simply because it’s not available somewhere else. Some additionally include account unlocks that you can claim on each character you create. This majorly adds convenience to mules, mains and alts alike. The major example here is the Dragonborn Legend Pack. With the race, a 30-slot bag, purple Artifact and a purple ring that scales with your level, it’s a must-have.
Unfortunately these kind of packs have to be judged on a pack-to-pack basis. The Founder’s Pack of Module 13 and Module 14 for example offered decent value as well.
Siege Master and Campaign Companions
Let’s talk about Companions a bit now. There are limited ones that truly outshine the competition, but the Siege Master is a nice hire. As long range specialist he will increase your potency in any fight. Same goes for the campaign companions that offer some insight and can help you get through your tasks faster. You need to carefully value companions against the Auction House though. In some cases you might need to wait for one of those 40% sales to get them cheaper than on the open market.
Profession Artisans
Advertising your Workshop on the open market can be a tough task. So hiring a headhunter that brings applications to you is indeed a good idea. Be warned though that the quality of the applicants can differ and you are not guaranteed an Artisan that you will actually hire. If you want to bring your Workshop to glory though, you won’t likely get around at throwing a few ZEN into the recruiting process.
Inscribed Garments
If you run an expanding brand and recruit adventurer’s to your roster frequently, add these Garments to your shopping list. They are worth it!
Mounts
Mounts on the ZEN market are great because they unlock for your whole team. Once bought any of your adventurers can go to your stable, grab the Mount of choice and benefit from their perks. You should at least have an epic one for the speed bonus and there are some rare ones with interesting Insignia combination as well. Especially the Gilded Giant Spider which has Wanderer’s Fortune is a good investment.
I hope today’s lesson helped explain which items on the ZEN market hold some value. Until next time, I must continue my research.
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I don’t think a purple mount off the AH is usually worth it. If all you want is the speed bonus, usually, you’re better off just buying a purple mount off the AH for a fraction of the cost. If you have a *lot* of characters it can occasionally be worthwhile, but with the number of events that offer purple mounts out there, the breakeven point is something like 6+ characters.
off the zen market, rather
question is which key pack is worth the most now that the 50key + vip one has been removed. All the 20 key packs seem pretty meh