Is the Playstation Head Start Pack Worth it?
Since yesterday the Neverwinter family has something new to be excited about. The game will launch on the Playstation 4 on July 19! Next to the release date PWE also announced a Head Start Pack that grants various goodies and allows adventuring a full week before the official launch. We weight in whether or not the pack is worth the money.
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Seven days is no big deal long-term
Let’s start with the obvious: Players get a head start and can explore the game seven days earlier than the rest. They probably dodge the usual server issues on launch day and can build a minor gameplay advantage. Long-term however seven days don’t make a big difference. There’s not the one item that players can farm and sell before anyone else for example. Neverwinter is pretty grindy and maxing out is a continued effort over several months at least. The best items are gated behind RNG and repetition so there’s no guarantee to land a big reward whatsoever.
Players can get to the maximum level of 70 within the week and probably get a few looks into the endgame before the 19th. But since big guilds and alliances are an important part of the progression nowadays, the fun doesn’t start until the masses arrive.
Head Start Pack is a 37.50$+ value
There are two things in the Head Start Pack that actually have a price tag. Assuming PS4 adopts the prices and exchange rates from PC/Xbox, the Helper Pack goes for 15$ in the ZEN store and 20 Keys for 22.50$. The Helper Pack is nice to have, but I personally don’t think it’s worth the cash. An additional bag would have been the better choice here. The keys open lockboxes which drop from mobs and can contain valuable and unique items. It’s a lottery game though and I wouldn’t expect to land something special. But pretty much everything in a lockbox is useful and can significantly boost young adventurers.
Weapons and mount skins
The rest of the pack looks to be weapon and mount skins. The Onyx Horse is the lowest tier of mounts available in the game and doesn’t grant more speed than any common one. In similar packs from the PC version the weapons and enhancements handed out were only useful until level 20, the first few hours of gameplay. Then drops would start to be superior. I would assume that this is the case here as well.
Overall it’s a thumbs up for the Head Start Pack. I think the devs have done a good job compiling a useful pack at a reasonable price. You get fair value with the keys, can start a week earlier and show off those unique skins as well as the title.
Buyers can jumpstart their adventure, but players without the pack don’t miss out either. The long-term gameplay advantage gained from it is slim to non-existent and all of the stuff outside the looks can be obtained at a later point.
No matter whether you roll with the Head Start Pack or without, we wish you a pleasant journey alongside the Sword Coast!
