Ahead of the release of episode 2 of the Sharandar module for Dungeons and Dragons MMORPG Neverwinter, Game Rant had a chance to ask some questions of the game’s developers and get a preview of some of the content to come. Senior Game Designer Noah Holmes and Lead Designer Randy Mosiondz were happy to provide details on new heroic encounters, hag lairs, the development process, and inspirations for Neverwinter.
This expansion to Neverwinter is called The Soul Keeper, and it focuses in on a mystery involving disappearing souls, resurrected heroes, and undead threatening the Iliyanbruen elves. As with other expansions to Neverwinter, it ties into the evolving story of the main game, and adds new types of content for players to explore. Of course, no one can explain it better than the game’s own creators. This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.
GR: Can you break down what’s new in this update?
Holmes: You bet! The compelling story continues in Neverwinter: Sharandar – Episode 2 as adventurers from Neverwinter work with the Iliyanbruen elves to uncover these new threats to the region and New Sharandar. Having routed the threat to the Ruins in Episode 1, adventurers turn their attention to the old Blighted Grove. The blight has receded, yet a new dark cloud has descended upon the forest and taken hold. One-by-one graves long silent have been exhumed with Eladrin once deceased now walking as mindless undead.
Iliyanbruen scouts venturing into the grove speak of a nameless horror that drains the life from any living thing it touches. New gameplay will include new heroic encounters, new areas to explore and discover as part of the re-imagined adventure zone, a new antagonist, new rewards and more!
GR: Can you provide some more details on Gone Not Forgotten and Bressana the Depraved?
Holmes: Bressana Wildmaster’s story is a sad one. During the Siege of Malabog in 1484 DR the elder blue dragon Fulminorax was slain by the adventurers of Neverwinter. In retribution, Valindra Shadowmantle sent Azharzel to confront the Iliyanbruen forces upon the hillside of Celadaine’s Tower. The mountains shook from the magic cast by Thradisar and the Arcane Collective as they battled Azharzel. Many creatures allied with Malabog came to the aid of Azharzel to be cut down or routed back towards the castle.
While Azharzel was pushed out of the region and the forces of good were victorious that day, it still came with a price. Having successfully routed a group of cyclopses and unprotected, Bressana Wildmaster turned her unicorn mount towards the front but was crushed when Azharzel landed upon the unprotected eladrin with his full weight. As the battle came to a close, the Iliyanbruen returned to New Sharandar with plans to retrieve the fallen.
Valindra, still angered, found the remains of Bressana resting near her faithful steed and devised a plan to continue the suffering of the Iliyanbruen. Using an ancient spell of necromancy, Valindra chose to resurrect the fallen elf to be reborn as, ‘Bressana the Depraved’ death knight now bound to serve for all eternity within the Blighted Grove, tormenting and killing Iliyanbruen that pass through the region.
GR: What was the core goal behind the new heroic encounters? What makes them unique as a type of content?
Holmes: Heroic Encounters in Neverwinter not only serve as an additional fun activity for players, they also exist to tie the evolving world episodic story to the main story of the entire module. Think of them like the shows Wanda Vision, Luke Cage or Marvel: Agents of Shield where you have these interesting side stories that are tied directly to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and serve to fill out what is happening in the world around the blockbuster films in the theater. These Heroic Encounters are repeatable story elements that are part of the main overarching story for the campaign.
Upon successfully completing an encounter, players will be rewarded with Seals of the Wild, which can be traded for Crone’s gear. This new armor is actually in the game now and can be collected! In Episode 2, players will be able to obtain new Companion gear to match the power of the rewards from Episode 1. We also reward the players willing to take on greater risk, by giving out greater rewards to those completing the harder challenges.
As an additional gameplay activity for players, Heroic Encounters offer a continued repeatable challenge for players looking to obtain additional rewards during their adventures. Furthermore, the encounters add to the excitement of traversing this harsh landscape by giving players more variety as they progress through the Sharandar Campaign. We’re excited about these new encounters, and can’t wait for everyone to experience it when Episode 2 becomes available!
GR: What was your favorite encounter to make? What is your favorite to play?
Holmes: The Major Heroic Encounter ‘Waking Nightmares’ has a unique boss named ‘The Keeper of Nightmares’ that was a lot of fun to build. He uses oni magic to harass players from a distance while melee creatures spawn as adds to close in the distance on any ranged players trying to pick off the boss. He also has a special ability that he uses when his health hits certain percentages that also add to the challenge.
GR: It looks like this update has a lot to do with Necromancy and the Undead, is there anything especially fun or unique about using that type of enemy for storytelling and game design?
Holmes: The antagonist in Episode 2 does a lot with necromancy and the undead, that’s for sure! There’s also a lot of souls being taken from adventurers and Iliyanbruen but they mystery has yet to be solved. Adventurers from Neverwinter will need to take up arms against this new threat and uncover who or exactly what is behind this when Episode 2 becomes available!
GR: Do you ever draw inspiration from TTRPGs other than DnD?
Mosiondz: Dungeons & Dragons is very much a mainstay for us for obvious reasons, but we do play and draw inspiration from other tabletop role-playing games. A lot of us got into video game development because of our love for the genre. There are a lot of great ideas to draw from, ranging from character mannerisms and story themes to puzzles and traps.
GR: What do you think is the most interesting part of this update?
Mosiondz: Probably the most interesting part of this update is the continuing episodic story of the coven of hags who threaten to overwhelm New Sharandar. The hags are ancient evil powers, and the ongoing saga is something that keeps players coming back to our game.
GR: What are you most excited to see players get to?
Mosiondz: The hag lairs are pretty great! A lot of work went into making them very creepy, atmospheric, and unique to the individual hags.
GR: Is there anything else you would like to cover?
Mosiondz: We’re really interested in seeing how our players like our new episodic format. Let us know what you think by stopping by on our forums and letting us know!
[End.]
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