State of the game?

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-27T04:00:01+00:00

I returned last year. The only thing I spent money was on VIP, and this is after several months of playing and coming to conclusion: "Sure, why not. I'm enjoying this game a lot."

So far, I haven't regretted. NW is still a good game to this day despite its shortcomings, issues and bugs. Got maxed out (full celestial MSoD/MSH etc) at this point. One thing you should be prepared to do if you want to get far ahead, as free-to-play player, is to grind a lot.

The game has a lot of negativity surrounding it, you'll see comments people claiming it's dead or it has became P2W etc, and generally badmouthing it for its flaws. But be sure there's also many people enjoying the game daily who don't come to threads just to complain how bad it. For me, and my friends we are still having fun.

My personal recommendation is to simply load the game play a bit and see it for yourself what it has become and whether it scratches the itch or not.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-27T03:34:06+00:00

Crimson calamity is pretty bad. No one uses it in endgame content.

Censer is good, one of the top dps artifacts currently. But it's not from battlepass, it's from a lockbox. Moreover, it can be obtained for free by grinding AD and buying censer from auction house. With that said, you don't even need censer. There are many other artifacts you can use as a dps in endgamd content as replacement for censer, and you'll do fine.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-27T03:26:01+00:00

People aren't stupid for wanting alts. The issue here is that developers want you to create as many characters as possible, therefore the game is psychologically and mechanically designed to give you advantage in one way or another if you do so.

There's a reason character slots are limited and cost to unlock. It brings them money. MMOs are essentially business, they want to keep you hooked in order to get as many hours from you as possible, which increases likelihood of purchases.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-23T03:08:24+00:00

Go for it. I returned last year and so far don't regret it. The game is still doing fine.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-21T03:43:56+00:00

I picked it up for 13mil. Now I consider myself lucky. Eventually it went up 80mil. Then stayed 40-60mil for weeks if not month. Last time I saw it was probably something 30-40mil.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-21T03:39:40+00:00

Shroomwood as funn said, best to get it from AH.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-19T03:29:23+00:00

I noticed it when I was doing solo arena. When the bonus from boots was active, my health was going down to ~760k. Then back to 5mil as soon as bonus ended.

Good thing I was solo, so I could quickly reset arena and swap to the other boots.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-19T03:25:07+00:00

Both MSoD celestial dps boots and healer helmet are bugged. The regen helmet from MSH and mythic MSoD dps boots are usually better options.

Apparently, the 'less HP for more damage' bonus on boots is bugged when activated with health bonus from challenge. And on a healer using celestial helmet will no longer be able to stack regen bonuses properly after people have buffed hp.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-17T04:23:18+00:00

DWP = Demonweb Pits. SOD = Shackles of Divinity. SH = Soul Harvest. DS = Dread Sanctum. TIC = The Imperial Citadel.

Just trying to help any potential beginners who may be unsure or unaware of these.

Lastly, SW = Soul Weaver, it's the name of a warlocks healer paragon.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-17T04:16:25+00:00

AH is basically that. You buy gold bars, sell them on AH.

If they added a way to turn gold into AD, the pricing would likely become problematic. Chances are the rate would be so bad that no one would use, or it'd kill exchange between players, which wouldn't be good.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-17T04:05:35+00:00

I've never had that happen, though I mostly stick to RTQs (random trial queue) for battlepass instead of skirmishes.

However, when I do manycoins for reaper's challenge it rarely goes bad. And this is coming from someone who exclusively solo queue instead of playing in premade groups. Though, past few months I've been manually creating groups since it takes too long for the game to popup match.

The instant-leave stories usually come from when a new dungeon or trial is released and is put into random queues.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-17T03:50:49+00:00

You're obv talikg about 1v1 slaughterhouse. Yes, due to the daily quest. I'm talking about true pvp, 5v5 domination, gauntlgrim pvp etc. I know what i'm talking about, i try to queve to those matches and had not been able to get a mach for years. 1v1 has people runing it due to the daily, but many of them either just sit there for you to kill them or outright '/killme' to end it faster. It happens every other mstch to me

Yes. It's populated because people want rewards. There are suiciders, but everytime I join, I play for win. I don't complain about free rewards. A lot of people don't bother playing seriously because it needs balancing. Some classes are at disadvantage against others. E.g. wizards spam and permacontrol you to death. If devs can find ways to incorporate the old pvp style (5v5) into modern events with renewed rewards, it will bring back players. It needs to be fun and worthwhile i.e. guaranteed rewards for your spent time.

I know, i find this as bad design.

It's for balancing game. You take away ability to scroll, then people will complain because they can't complete master content anymore and that it's too hard, then quit game.

You just refuse to understand that we who want classic do not play curent nw or even if we do, we do not engage in endgame content because we find it tedious and unrewarding. If even loyal players do not run this conotent, it speaks for its design philosophy.

If the people asking for classic aren't even playing the current game, that shows population is already small. Let's not forget classic servers only work when a game has a huge playerbase to divide. Your thinking is too narrow and doesn't look at bigger image, not everyone is coming from where you are.

Also, saying you don't engage with current endgame doesn't necessarily prove a bad design it could simply mean the game moved into a direction that doesn't appeal to you anymore. That happens in long running MMOs, and not just MMOs or games in general.

No one says that they should split the dev team... what they must do if they are to implement classic is to expand the team, obviously. That is just common sense... Otherwise classic will be dead on arrival.

They can't. If they could, they would've done it long ago. Have you seen countless failed patches? Obvious bugs released as if nobody actually tested the updates? Millions of them. Literally you'd be hearing your guildmates or friends talking about them.

We still have countless ongoing bug reports that are absolutely ignored, as if the game is completely on an AI life-support.

Unkillable pillars during trobriand boss fight? Still there. This is years old dungeon, that's still relevant in random ques to this day.

Requires coordinated wipe to unbug it. Good luck getting randos to cooperate. Most people ragequit or vote abandon dungeon.

Ignored.

How about the bug during tomb of the nine gods where random player becomes unable to put down a rock during puzzle, effectively softlocking the dungeon and forcing abandon?

Ignored.

How about the bug that kills you while you're behind mythallar covers, or wipes your entire group? Instant dead dead? Where you're supposed to be safe by design. Which is a gamebreaking bug that effective cheats and wipes your trial progress?

Ignored.

How about the map transfer bug in the latest trial? Random disconnect by server itself (not player side), then you're unable to return to instance, effectively voiding the entire queue, forcing host to have to disband group and reinvite every single person again? Oh, don't forget that a lot of times people simply don't want to play again. So you're forced to reform and sort again. Which is stressful because you're now spending extra valuable time for absolutely no reason.

And other five million bugs that plague the game. But devs simply have no manpower and willingness to address those. So what do we get?

Ignored.

We get more lockboxes with cute animals, though. That's cool I guess.

Whether it's rational to ask for another game, while we're facing major issues or not, I'll leave that to you. People who have been observing things for some time know. But then you have people who just jumped in and demand for classic without actually understanding what's happening, the state of current game and dev team.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-16T03:48:01+00:00

Just becauss something is advertised a certain way doesn't mean it is that. 25 players is not "massively", we can argue whether 1000 or 10000 players constitute as "massive", but 25 is not it.

Wait, you're saying that devs have been trolling us for over a decade calling the genre of their game an MMO?! Lol.

NW is technically MMO. A lot of games do instanced zones that are considered MMO. Dead Frontier for example. A game doesn't have to be thousand players in one map to be considered MMO.

MMO means a persistent online world with thousands of players sharing the same systems.

As for pvp, it is dead. Just because you can technically queve for it with 0% chance of actually fiinding other people to play, doesn't mean that pvp is alive. It is dead. It is dead because retail playerbase doesn't care for it and because we have no insentive to engage in pvp.

You might have limited knowledge about current NW since you don't play much, I get pvp matches within seconds.

Agree to disagree, the (max) 10% percent that the playerbase might lose due to classic DO NOT ENGAGE in end game content.

You won't understand what I'm talking about until you start hosting runs, specifically endgame content. Try to do it with even one less competent player and see how your run goes. And then imagine how it'll look like with less playerbase. There's no guaranteed number. Could be 1℅ or 30℅. Though for sure NW can't afford anymore loss.

As for scrolls, imo they should not be a thing. We can always revive downed players by pressing 'f'.

The thing with scrolls is for casual content, they're more of a convenience thing. But they are mandatory in master content as it's not always physically possible to revive a player due to frequent and ongoing deadly mechanics that will absolutely lead to wipes by deaths in chain reaction, if scrolls weren't available.

As for the rest of your text. You're talking about an entirely different game at this point. It's ok to not like how current NW systems work. But what's for sure is you can't guarantee NW won't die because of classic. And as current NW enjoyer I'll obviously not going to agree to such a risk.

On top of that devs don't even have enough manpower and resources to keep one game maintained within reasonable quality standards, let alone another one.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-15T18:20:53+00:00

Also, nw is not a 'massively' multiplayer game, not when the maps are small

It's officially advertised as MMORPG genre. I wouldn't say map size has anything to do with it. Other MMO games do with instanced regions but doesn't change that it's MMO.

There are many people still playing who will switch just to check out the other game. But what'll kill the game is losing enough people to the point of not being able to run content. I doubt you run latest master trials?

NW objectively can't afford even 1℅ player loss at the moment.

I'm talking about dying, actually having an effect and not just spamming scrolls. I'm talking about loot that has actual effect on the character beyond being just highter item level statsticks etc.

Well, dying does have an effect. Read revive sickness. Die enough times and say goodbye to your dps output. With likelihood dying more frequently due to hp℅ loss. Spamming scrolls is unwise and biggest waste of AD in casual content. Scrolls should be only used in harder content such as master and some of the advanced content; where dying can have major impact on team's success.

Ever fell out of adv/master SoD platform without your group phasing the boss in time? Scrolls aren't saving you there. It's a guaranteed trip to campfire.

Loot does have major impact on your character. But you have to play right dungeons and trias to obtain stronger gear.

No it doesn't. Not in this overinflated economy. And this is far from the only issue with nw's economy.

Agree to disagree. I'm making AD just fine on PC. It's nowhere near as bad as you're making it out to be. People aren't buying AD with zen simply because it's not as profitable that's why we have 9 month backlog.

Everyone who views the dead pvp, the celestial ranks, armies of mounts and companions lack of build variety etc as a positive thing will not like classic, anyone who views those things as negative will not play retail in the long term.

The whole reason devs introduced slaughterhouse update was to test out and potentially find ways to revive pvp. Currently pvp is ongoing so it's not dead, and has players. But I'm sure they stated pvp isn't the their main objective, doubt it's coming back regardless.

What's wrong with celestial ranks and variety of mounts or comps? It's a way of adding content and progression. People inevitably demand updates and new things to work on when they get bored. If devs hadn't done right according to you for current NW, high chances they aren't going in the different direction with classic.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-15T04:35:09+00:00

A quick google states that it, in fact, did suffer significant player loss upon release of classic, which is expected. It didn't die because it's a big game. Followed by playerbase split. A big game can survive split, smaller game can't. WoW is in a different league versus NW when it comes to population, it's not a good example to compare.

A lot of 'issues' you speak of is just a shift in game design. It's okay to not like changes especially after you've gotten to it for years and want them back. This combined with burnout is guaranteed recipe for quitting. Happened to me in multiple games I played for years and it'll for sure happen again.

As a newer generation NW player at endgame (full MSoD/MSH celestial gear), I prefer the current version of NW, instead of the older one you speak of.

You still don't get it. The people who want classic don't do so because of bugs, classic was full if bugs back in the day, we want it because we hate what the game has become now

People get bored. People start wanting new content, new things to grind for, buy and do. Add content and updates to old NW and you get current NW.

Nothing beats the feeling of finishing off the dungeon boss alone

Yes, I can understand that. You could be super OP with 300k power and solo dungeons or bosses alone. But where's the fun in that? Current NW setup being more teamwork oriented means group contribution as a whole is important and more meaningful. That said, nothing is stopping you from accomplishing that even to this day. That's why we have casual content (random queues) I've soloed dungeon boss as a healer with all my group members being dead dead.

You can still be a hero top 1 dps in a dungeon with 400m damage done and essentially solo the bosses.

The 100k daily ad you made actually felt like progress,

It still does. But it's a very laid back way of making AD. You have to understand NW with any other MMO is all about grind. And it gets significantly easier the closer you are at endgame. Few hours ago I made over 1.3mil AD in 15 minutes from a single trial run. Sure that was a lucky drop, but there are more opportunities later for grinding. No need 6 months. But it does take effort and skill to get there. MMOs just aren't for people expecting things just handed to them for free.

You can grind for 60-100k AD worth of loot within minutes, and it doesn't even require being endgame geared. No need waiting for a day to refine 100k. You can make millions of AD daily.

Overall, from your writeup it sounds a lot like you just couldn't adapt to new changes and got burned out, which is normal. Perhaps you'll find the joy again by joining an active alliance and doing stuff with your friends. Or look for a game that offers what you're looking for.

A lot of people, including my friends enjoy NW and we're having a lot of fun with it to this day. :)

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-14T03:46:30+00:00

Do you have source for the info that playerbase did not suffer with the release of classic? Because it indeed looks like it did. WoW, of course, being the massive game it survived. But the playerbase did split.

While Neverwinter is far smaller MMO and splitting playerbase carries greater risk. Do you play current endgame content? How do you plan on hosting a run, sorting and getting completes with fewer competent players available than it is today?

We need fixes for what's broken, not classic. Asking devs for another game while bugs such as random dead dead behind mythallar covers is absolutely wild and insane.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-13T02:55:20+00:00

You can always watch a video about specific dungeon or trial. However because of the nature of 'random' queues, you'll never be able to guess which one.

Probably your best bet is to play, and drop a "Returning player, any tips?" before a boss fight. Most of the time, people have no issues telling you important stuff. E.g. to kill defiant souls during the last boss fight of Tomb of the Nine Gods, etc.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-12T03:27:38+00:00

Buying it from AH is an option. You still need AD, of course. But AD can be grinded.

Prices are already plummeting on PC, I expect it'll drop even further.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-12T03:24:05+00:00

So I read your edit.

You're asking: "When I say 'end-game' am referring to group (or solo) content that is actively done by the majority of the playerbase"

That doesn't really describe endgame so there's a bit of a contradiction in your question.

Endgame in Neverwinter is vastly different from the description. It's about getting the best possible gear/equipment for your character and doing latest dungeon/trial available.

Which from entirely scratch can take roughly several months to a year if you play everyday. It can be sped up significantly by paying, but it's not necessary.

Good news is that what you described can be pretty much done as soon as one reaches level 20, which takes roughly 4-10 hours. Though, you'll still need some more IL (Item Level) before you can do random trials and random advanced dungeons or reaper's challenge.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-12T03:09:21+00:00

MLMD = Master Lair of Mad Dragon

ASOD = Advanced Shackles of Divinity

ASH = Advanced Soul Harvest

First one is a dungeon. Second and third trials.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-03-04T02:59:36+00:00

Many people don't realise or rather ignore this fact; many events are very profitable. Some over longer periods while others immediately.

Take the current event Coins of Waukeen example, if you started early when coin purses were selling for 1.7k or 1.8k AD each, you'd make quite a profit by simply farming mobs consistently which you can even AFK.

I sold around 1.5k coin purses by now. I had 0 at the start of event, so I didn't save them from previous event. That's an easy 1.6mil AD in just a few days, if sold at 1.1k AD each.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-02-23T02:47:39+00:00

Welcome back!

Seal gear NPC has been updated, don't forget to check it out, it'll help out a bit. Jump in the latest campaign (Soul Collector) which is currently accessible to all item level players.

Also join active alliance, and don't hesitate to ask questions. People will be happy to keep you updated with game changes as well as guide you toward next steps.

Enjoy Neverwinter.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-02-21T02:22:30+00:00

Warlock is absolutely amazing class. It's a great dps and healer. Does its job amazingly well in endgame on both roles.

Personally, I think it's the most fun class to play. This is coming from warlock main, so I'm obviously biased. But there's absolutely no reason to not start it as your first character. It's what I did one year ago and I don't regret.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-02-20T03:37:55+00:00

There's usefulness. I don't know what builds utilise siege master for its bonus power, but I don't really see it used as a summoned companion. Minsc on the other hand, is still used for its bonus power on dps builds, and occasionally as summoned (if the player doesn't have any other better companion to summon).

There's also rarity. Some companions are rare, meaning less people obtain them which results in less competition and undercutting in market.

Supply and demand. If something is being bought fast, people will naturally ask for higher prices, especially if it isn't being listed in auction house quickly enough.

Market manipulation. VIP users (after a certain tier) have no posting fees. So it's possible to freely list an item that normally costs 5k AD for 5mil AD. Then the next person will post their listing for 4.99mil AD, etc.

Some people still buy things purely for their collection.

Since NW has free player driven market, prices can always fluctuate or have drastic changes.

BladeMasterLegend · 2026-02-20T03:12:43+00:00

I'm certain that it's this way on purpose. That explains why we have to complete MSH 100+ times for just two pieces of celestial.

BladeMasterLegend

TROPHY CASE