New Race and Founder’s Packs Worth It?
Neverwinter featured some outdated Founder’s and ZEN packs that the devs finally decided to substantially rework in Module 15. Some packs are now much cheaper, and all come with extra goodies. In this article we want to dish out some guidance for those that do not yet own the packs and ask themselves whether it’s worth investing the ZEN. Despite some similarities the packs feature slightly different content and picking the one with the most value might not be that easy. So let’s get through the choices and figure it all out!
General Contents
The core contents of the packs didn’t change, it’s just that their names now put more focus on the included races. All packs are available for [sc name=”zenicon”]6,000 and feature different reward tiers. The first one contains a race (for race packs), character slot, race reroll (for race packs) and one month of VIP. The second tier basically consists all the content of the former packs and is account-unlocked. It means that all characters on an account, present and future ones, can claim the package. This especially make the mounts and companions more valuable the more characters you have. Last but not least, the third tier is a one-time claim and mostly features an Adventurer’s Support Pack, Epic Insignia Choice Packs, and Bonding Runestones.
While discussing the packs below, I’ll focus on the differences and features that are worth mentioning. Stuff like the “Ring of Violet Luminescence” for example is just a visual gadget that holds little value and no gameplay relevance.
Moon Elf Pack (Former Knight of the Feywild)
The Moon Elf Pack is a classic example of a pack which generates most of its value from the unique contents. The best item might be the Sylph Companions, and its glory days in PVP thanks to the strong control resist bonus are long gone. I personally wouldn’t spend [sc name=”zenicon”]6,000 on it, but I know some fellas like unicorns a lot! But the race doesn’t offer me enough and the rest of the pack is fairly common as well. As always the included items are of much greater use when you’re still a new player, but if you do not absolutely want Moon Elfs, I’d much rather invest my money in another pack.
Defender of Neverwinter (Former Guardian of Neverwinter)
The same can unfortunately be said about the Defender of Neverwinter Pack. The mount and companion are only useful to fill your slots, and the Greycloak weapon only serviceable on low levels. Probably because there is no race included, this pack features a few more one-time claims. But it’s hardly enough to warrant the [sc name=”zenicon”]6,000.
Renegade Drow Race Pack (Former Hero of the North)
The former Hero of the North Pack received the most substantial price reduction, going from [sc name=”zenicon”]20,000 to [sc name=”zenicon”]6,000. Just like the Moon Elf Pack it’s nice to add a the Renegade Drow to your options of races, but I’m not sure it’s actually superior for some builds. With its debuff trait it fits support toons, but the normal Drow has a stronger one. The Heavy Giant Spider is a little bit better than other mounts because it has Power as equip bonus. But other than that, the pack doesn’t stand out or fall off in any category.
Dragonborn Race Pack (Former Dragonborn Legendary Pack)
That doesn’t apply to the Dragonborn Race Pack, which offers considerably more than other packs. It comes with an account-unlocked artifact, a ring that scales with your level, and a bag with 30 slots instead of just 12. Add that the race features great bonuses for DPS and you get why this pack has been a fan-favorite even before the rework. Even the companion is somewhat useful. Augments are not as strong as Bonding Runestones for the endgame, but they present a very convenient way to set up alternate characters.
Conclusion
Overall I think [sc name=”zenicon”]6,000 is a steep price for what the packs offer and you definitely want to wait for a discount to grab them. As often you slightly overspend for unique looks and items that do not give you equal gameplay value back. The one exception is the Dragonborn Race Pack, which adds a lot more convenience to your account, especially if you’re an “altoholic”. You can set up new characters with a mount, augment companion, sizeable bag, scaling ring, and artifact. That’s something no other pack can offer. So if you’re looking to buy any pack, then it would be the Dragonborn one. Actually I’d recommend getting it at some point anyway for the mentioned reasons.
What’s your favorite from the reworked packs? Share your thoughts on our social channels, in the comments below, or visit our message board!
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“fellas like unicorns” outside of deadpool, this is actually a thing?
“Hey baby, you want to ride my unicorn?” xD
And the Dragon-born pack is clearly best as the account-wide bag alone makes it worth getting on sale.
The fishing has been seriously messed up!
It’s now no longer worth bothering with sadly!
wc?
No flame sled this year ?
For new players, I think comparing the 6,000 Zen pack price with the cost of 3,500 Zen for an Epic Mount, Account-Wide, and an Epic Companion, 2,500 Zen, Single purchase is a valid analysis. That’s 8,500 Zen for your two free characters, and you won’t get any of the races, fashion and other stuff.
Of course, if you know what you are doing, you would probably want to buy two Chultan Tigers, not a Sylph, Black Panther or Black Dragon Ioun stone. It’s very rare to find decent companions on the Zen Market, most come from lock boxes (or green ones from Trade Bars). And the Heart of the Red Dragon artifact is not bad for a tanky class like GF or OP.
When you consider that most things are claimable by all characters forevermore, the packs are more attractive to new players who want to play multiple characters then they are for old timers and BIS end-game players who may now focus on one or two, with Alt Armies doing professions.
The more characters you have the better the value of the packs, especially the DB pack. But for new players who may want to buy an extra 6 character slots to roll one of each class, it’s one of the best if just for the bags. Especially as it now includes a an Epic Mount and one of the best Epic Ioun Stones, in addition to the race, the fashion and the artifact.
A friend of mine said he got the Zero of the North pack in beta as mounts were single purchases back then. And Wanderer’s Fortune on an Epic, account-wide mount is a good thing now. I have heard that the normal Drow racial bonus does not work, but he says the Menzoberranzen Renegade has always worked. Others will have to test that. But $200 was a ludicrous price.
And now these packs get 3 epic insignia and 3 rank 7 bondings as well.
🙂
Or is it 3 rank 8 bondings?
🙂