Wait… What?!? – a Reaction to “Developer Blog: Classes Intro”

Dev Blog : Classes Intro

So basically everything we know, love it or hate it, is gone… Cool!

Why the exclamation point? Well, based on my initial reading of the blog we’re entering a whole new world, and I’m not referring to Waterdeep or Undermountain. I’m seeing a whole new landscape of playing the game. Which includes experimenting, trying old content with new builds, etc.

Basically, this is Mod 0 for all intent and purposes, particularly when it comes to classes and builds. Heck, basically the entire game is ‘new’ mechanics wise. I, for one, find that super exciting!

So let’s go over a bit more of the meat of this particular blog post…

Class Names

This makes a whole lot more sense than the previous naming, in my opinion. Mind you, that opinion is framed from over 3 decades of pen/paper DnD.  I mean, did anyone really think that Great Weapon Fighter wasn’t a Barbarian all along?

Feats

This basically looks like an overall simplification designed/intended for easier use by players and for easier design on the back end. Without a more detailed look or visual examples, it’s kind of hard to say how this will lay out. Personally, I enjoyed going onto the test shard occasionally to test out different combinations of feats for builds in different trees, etc. So, while that won’t be as in depth, having simplified choices will also make the paragon path selection all the more important, and speaking of that…

Paragon Paths

I like the idea, in concept, of making the paragon paths more unique. Which makes the reality of the loadouts feature really enticing, necessary for people to utilize. Imagine if in a dungeon, as a Warlock (peace out Scourge!), you’re needed as a healer for some content and a DPS for a different area/boss? You, of course, have to change at campfires, but this could lead to an extremely diverse/exciting way to play the game!

However, one of the downsides of that is what the difference in gear you may want/need to have different specs up to snuff for certain content. Or even if you want to play different styles of play so frequently. Some people are perfectly content with just burning things down, or healing/supporting others, or just getting hit in the face so the rest of the party can do their thing. Which is all perfectly fine, and I’d hope would still be a viable option for all Item Levels.

I’d say I’m leaning towards enjoying the distinction some classes will have as DPS/Tank, DPS/Healer, Tank/Healer or even DPS/DPS. As I would hope the split DPS roles come out with, at the very least, be an AoE centric option versus a solo target option.

The division of current powers, specifically encounters, I’m a tad wary of. While I recognize the logic behind the split, I always liked being able to swap out most powers for others as a situation demands. I truly hope the designers (including the testers) have done due diligence to make sure the shared encounter powers are ones that will want to be utilized by both paragon paths. For example, for Warlocks, I would hope Dreadtheft (if still in its current incarnation) is available to both paths and Pillar of Power would remain exclusive to the Hellbringer one.

I do believe the concept that was provided could lead to an easier inclusion of more paragon paths in the future!

Power Points

Ok, full disclosure time: I grinded out the Fey Wild for weeks/months to maximize my power points years ago. So yea, all that effort is for naught when Mod 16 hits. However, I certainly got my use out of that effort, so I think this change is fine by me. In fact, it will make respeccing that much easier!

Tanking and Healing

Well shit… This is going to, hopefully, fundamentally change the way groups are organized/created and played. The era of 4x support and 1x DPS might, just might, be over! Which means we’ll hopefully see more diverse game play and team composition.

No more Life Steal you say? Well, ok then… *casually puts away his Dark Enchantments* This is a pretty big deal, particularly for a Warlock main like myself(!), but we will have to see how they work the ‘Life Steal’ effect into powers for the Warlock and other classes.

As for the Paladin/Cleric Divinity mechanic and the Warlock Soul Essence mechanic I think it’s going to be imperative to see what active heals will be available, versus passive heals. Eg. Will the Warlock Temptation spec (if it even remains) have a capstone that lets the Warlock heal the party for X% of damage for the damage it deals, currently similar to how it works with Life Steal, or will the ‘Soul Essence’ have to be an activated trigger by the Warlock when he sees party members getting low.

We can speculate all we want, until March 1st when things go live on the test shard, about what the mechanics will be. However, it’s going to be different, that’s for damn sure and change isn’t an inherently bad thing, so we’ll have to wait and see!

Overall Thoughts

It’s happening, and that’s the bottom line. Love it or hate it, change is coming folks. No amount of gnashing of teeth, keyboard fury, or whining will change anything. So buckle up buttercup, Neverwinter is in for one helluva ride the next few weeks/months!


What’s your take on this topic? Share your thoughts and experience on our social channels, in the comments below, or visit our message board!

Neverwinter UN:Blogged is always looking for writers to contribute to the blog. If you are an active player and search for a way to spread your opinions, analysis, diaries or reviews to more than 75,000 regular visitors, then don’t hesitate and get in touch with us on our contact page or message board! We are currently especially looking for console and PVP content, but that’s not exclusive. There is no frequency requirement, you post how often you want.

NWO_Unblogged

We are always looking for people that contribute to this blog. For more information contact us via blog@nwo-uncensored.com or check the forum.

40 thoughts on “Wait… What?!? – a Reaction to “Developer Blog: Classes Intro”

  • February 23, 2019 at 2:42 pm
    Permalink

    Thank you Kolat

    • February 23, 2019 at 11:43 pm
      Permalink

      You’re welcome bud! 🙂

  • February 23, 2019 at 3:09 pm
    Permalink

    I’m extremely optimistic about most of these changes, but I’m kinda scared of how a lack of life steal is going to affect soloing. My ranger is already squishy WITH life steal lol

    • February 23, 2019 at 11:34 pm
      Permalink

      I’m generally leaning towards optimism also, as stated above… lol

      Though a squishy HR w/Life Steal soloing may be a thing of the past. Once Mod 16 comes out, maybe a healing Companion will be the way to go? Just an idea!

    • February 27, 2019 at 6:22 pm
      Permalink

      what is yet to be determined is what self heals will be available outside of lifesteal. Could be in solo play for example you will need to stack some mount bonuses for self heals to make up for the lack of lifesteal. There are certainly options to build more tanky (also cc in solo play may become more valuable to prevent incoming damage). Could just be a strategy change.

      • February 28, 2019 at 12:25 pm
        Permalink

        That is very true, and I’d suspect many/all to be focused on Encounter Powers. Though maybe they gave a boost to some Companions? eg. Maybe we’ll see more diverse Companion selection!

  • February 23, 2019 at 3:23 pm
    Permalink

    Thanks for keeping Unblogged alive, Kolat. But your gifs almost broke my internet! 😀

    In mod 14 I absolutely hated the idea of Mod 15 Professions, but now I really like it. So I will wait and see what will happen with this.

    I play multiple Alts of all classes, because Mod 6 taught me never to bother pursuing BIS because they pulled the rug and made my Bank contents worthless overnight once, so this time I am prepared.

    Mod Shitsteen – Nerfermountain.

    • February 23, 2019 at 11:36 pm
      Permalink

      I aim to entertain! While also giving some insightful commentary… Hopefully it works. lol

      It’s not even Nerfermountain, it’s more like Resetmountain! But yeah, aiming for BiS is nice and all, always a goal, but just having something to move towards is nice. The leveling should be fun, as I hope they learned their lesson from Elemental Evil.

  • February 23, 2019 at 3:53 pm
    Permalink

    well they should make a companions summon in combat! Its kinda annoying to be in near death to summon them

    • February 23, 2019 at 11:43 pm
      Permalink

      Ok, maybe I’m being a n00b here, but what do you mean by summoning a Companion in combat? We have Lliira’s Bell that can resurrect them, but I’m not following what you mean… Sorry!

      • February 24, 2019 at 3:58 am
        Permalink

        Bel can resurrect the companion but can’t resummon it after it fall off the map (MSP, ToNG, CoDG, FBI turtle fight etc.).

        • February 24, 2019 at 7:03 am
          Permalink

          Ahhh… Ok, that makes a bit more sense. In light of that, I completely agree that would be an awesome QoL update/change!

        • February 27, 2019 at 11:42 am
          Permalink

          It could just fall between textures as well. I’ve lost companion in basement investigation several times, and there is no visible holes.

          • February 27, 2019 at 12:51 pm
            Permalink

            Very true! I’ve done a bit of exploring in my time, and found some interesting ‘holes’ in the Matrix. So to speak… lol

  • February 23, 2019 at 8:46 pm
    Permalink

    na mate, mod16 is going to be utter crap. simplification of classes to the point of cookie-cutter binary choices. not appealing. being held hostage by healers and their choice/willingness to actually heal. not appealing. basically this is a removal of things that made neverwinter interesting and differentiable from the bog-standard mmo format. it’s a removal of things that people actually liked about the game.

    • February 23, 2019 at 11:47 pm
      Permalink

      Just a point of clarification: Have you tested it out as yet?

      If not, I’m not sure how you can reliably be so positive that it will be ‘utter crap’. Mind you, I’m not saying you are wrong per say. Just pointing out that, unless you’re one of the beta testers, you couldn’t possibly know that.

      However, your pessimism shines through and it’s not like Cryptic hasn’t done things to reinforce pessimism before. I, however, am looking forward to the changes over all…

      Either way, happy gaming! 🙂

    • February 24, 2019 at 2:44 pm
      Permalink

      Semperiratus mentions the biggest concern that I have. We currently have dozens of feats across heroic and 3 paragon trees per class, yet there are still maybe 1-2 ways to “correctly” build a class. Cut that number down to 5 binary choices, and how long until every (ie) Fighter is exactly the same? I play my characters with a largely non-cookie cutter build on purpose.

      • February 24, 2019 at 2:55 pm
        Permalink

        That is definitely something to be concerned about.

        I’m hopefully optimistic based on the fact the Devs put so much effort into have players BETA test this Mod ahead of even putting it on preview. Some aspects people will like, others people want.

        Either way it is a bold move, and I respect that type of gamble. 🙂

      • February 24, 2019 at 3:54 pm
        Permalink

        That’s

        “every (EG) Fighter…”

        • February 26, 2019 at 6:41 am
          Permalink

          I’m learning, slowly… Thanks again! lol 🙂

    • February 26, 2019 at 9:01 am
      Permalink

      Crybaby supreme.

  • February 24, 2019 at 1:34 am
    Permalink

    Soon the hype positive or negative will vanish quickly. True everyone has to rebuild up their toons again, new map, new story line most players will try to skip.
    But I think a lot of things will stay the same: Testers will figure out which feats, powers, party compositions etc. will work best, including bis gear, like always. The core of the game will stay the same, hack and slay, boring grind, plain and simple.
    Anything else would surprise me.

    • February 24, 2019 at 7:07 am
      Permalink

      I would have to agree that the core will remain, in the hack and slay portion, though I’m hoping there is a more synergistic relation between the Classes on a Team basis. Thereby requiring more working together, and less solo speed running content.

      Optimum builds will be researched/reviewed/etc. Just think it may take a bit longer than normal as it truly is more like a ‘Mod 0’/brand new game using the old gaming engine.

      We’ll all see soon enough… I, for one, am aboard the hype train and excited to try it all! 🙂

  • February 24, 2019 at 6:17 am
    Permalink

    I’m scared by the new changes honestly, excited yes, but more apprehensive. They have shown time and time again that when they undertake big projects like this it takes them years to fix the new problems they introduce. I’m looking forward to change as the game us getting very stale but totally not looking forward to reworking my 4 18k toons. I suppose it will give me something to work towards so not all bad. If they get rid of powershare on the OP and DC then I’ll need totally new enchants. All in all I just hope they do it right, experience tells me otherwise though.

    Ps. Hope you keep running this page as the changes come into test, it’s an amazing source of information

    • February 24, 2019 at 7:19 am
      Permalink

      Apprehension is 100% legit in my estimation. Simply based on the Mod 6 fiasco alone. However, they at least made an honest attempt to have people playtest this in advance. That shows a HUGE amount of growth on them as a company, IMO.

      Reworking 4x 18k Toons… Oh man, that’s a lot! lol Buuuuuut I find it fun to test new builds and such, so it’s not just a curse but a blessing from a content standpoint. 😉

      We have every intent to keep Neverwinter : Uncensored your choice for epic NW content, and a free, unmoderated voice, about the game!

  • February 24, 2019 at 7:00 am
    Permalink

    My first reaction 1 minute into reading this was …just wait another minute, NWO is ripping Kolat off. Then I saw the author.

    Good job – just a solo player who enjoyed your post on the official forum.

    • February 24, 2019 at 7:26 am
      Permalink

      LOL!!!

      Well, I’m hoping my style isn’t *that* easy to duplicate, or I’d be ‘out of a job’ per say!

      Happy to help bud, and I’ll be continuing this style of response to dev blogs, particularly on Mod16, so get ready for more. 😉

      • February 24, 2019 at 1:35 pm
        Permalink

        Per se is handy when you need to single out a particular element of a bigger thing. So you might say, “The song, per se, wasn’t a bad choice; it was your singing voice that was atrocious.” In Latin it means “by itself.”

        • February 25, 2019 at 11:35 am
          Permalink

          Thanks for the corrections!

  • February 25, 2019 at 7:49 pm
    Permalink

    What bothers me about all these changes is that they don’t seem to have anything to do with player input. Ask members of any class and they probably have a favorite build that isn’t possible anymore. There’s no sign that the dev team cares. Are you one of the 95% of players who think the hyperspeed, overpowered mobs post-mod 6 were a terrible idea? They haven’t cared for 10 mods now. Think they should have fixed mod 15 professions sometime in the last three months instead of lying to us about it? They don’t care. These changes smack of middle management trying to come up with ideas to justify its own existence or the coffee and doughnuts budget for the meeting room. Has the game grown stale? Sure, but it’s because of these types of changes, lack of commitment to bug fixing, and above all an aimless design philosophy that disregards the player community’s input.

    • February 26, 2019 at 7:06 am
      Permalink

      Well they had player input with the BETA testers for Mod 16, which I think have been testing well over a month if not much longer…

      The fact builds are no longer available is completely valid, and some people definitely may not like the new ones. We’ll have to see of course!

      I think that the entire effort of the Devs recruiting BETA testers, from some very experienced players, shows they do care… At least a bit! I mean they could have, like Mod 6, just thrown this all at us and been like, “Ok children, have fun!”. However it seems specific efforts were made not to do that and that says a lot, IMO.

      They definitely can, should, be better on Bug fixing, no argument there.

      Either way, it’s coming (very soon from the looks of it), so we’ll see shortly what we will all be dealing with. I’m still excited, though I’m sure it’s not perfect and/or will have some issues, but overall I’m liking the concept. 🙂

  • February 26, 2019 at 12:46 pm
    Permalink

    Oh, WHAT!?

    https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/neverwinter/news/detail/11097233

    I can have 1 point in EIGHT Tier 5 boons if I have unlocked 8 campaigns. Now, I can have TWO?!?

    This seems like in order to unlock higher Tiers, we have to do more campaigns. At the moment, most of my characters have all the boons only up to Mod 8. With this new system, it looks like I might not be able to spend some of those points.

    Only TWO Tier five Boons? Out of 15 Mods?

    😡

    • February 26, 2019 at 8:38 pm
      Permalink

      I’ll be reviewing that Dev Blog this week, and while I see your concerns I’m still cautiously optimistic. Will have to see how it works out, but it seems similar to Power Points, and allows you to spend the points that you have in whatever Boons you want. Not being pigeon holed into having to keep them in sub-optimum Campaigns… Hopefully. We shall see.

      • February 26, 2019 at 9:05 pm
        Permalink

        I’ll look forward to that.

        Until we know what each boon is, and why they now have ranks, we cannot really tell. I know that several campaigns had +400 Power, +400 Crit etc, but some also came with something else, like +1600 Max hp.

        I am even more looking forward to people like you and Sharpege getting on the Test Server and working things out!

        Cheers!

        🙂

        • February 27, 2019 at 1:24 pm
          Permalink

          Yeah, I expect the Boons to be different/reworked and not all placed into one screen interface. For instance, Endless Consumption can’t exist anymore.

          Well I’d put more credence into Sharp’s mathematical analysis then my Mad Scientist approach, but it’s all good! lol

          Cheers!

    • February 28, 2019 at 12:26 pm
      Permalink

      Nice! lol 🙂

  • February 28, 2019 at 2:44 am
    Permalink

    So the Cw will be dps and be labeled as control which was aoe dps in DnD 4.0 but many interpreted as utility.
    I have mixed feelings:

    https://i.imgur.com/VaKqTwB.gif

    • February 28, 2019 at 12:35 pm
      Permalink

      I’d expect Wizard to be AoE DPS and Solo DPS honestly, makes the most sense, IMO.

  • March 2, 2019 at 10:38 pm
    Permalink

    At the moment, most favors, feats, skills not working. I was checking gf and cw, cw somehow playing. A bit like being handicapped but it is not that bad. Whereas GF is currently hopeless, the game has become maximally wooden. It has almost zero damage on the tank path, it does not reflect damage, practically does not heal, and no damage can not be maintained agro (area agro beats 2 monsters …). From the description of the inscription, that it should be the opposite, so I hope that it will change.

Comments are closed.