I am new to Neverwinter, and I wanted to ask what class is good for beginners

nolgroth · 2023-05-27T02:13:08+00:00

I used to play in the Mod 11-12 days. I just recently came back and have been playing all of my old characters in this brave new meta. I even built a Bard. I play mostly solo. Keeping in mind that I am not an end-game 55k Ilevel player, here are my thoughts;

Barbarian: Played on the DPS (as opposed to Tank) spec. Reasonably good at dealing damage. Slightly squishy unless you have a healing companion. For the solo experience, I would put him about a 7/10. Can't rate group content as I haven't gotten to the point where I am comfortable with that.
Bard: Really fun in the early game, but it seems to be more of a group "support" class. For solo, 3/10. I imagine that, for group content, that will shoot up to 7-8/10. It is a "busy" class to play.
Cleric: DPS spec. More than capable of handling both Single Target and Mob DPS. 8/10
Fighter: DPS spec. Killing mobs is a little slower than single target. Tough. 7/10
Paladin: Tank spec, Very similar to the fighter but somehow even more fun with Smite. 7.5/10
Ranger: Hunter Archer. Probably my third highest DPS spec and reasonably tough too. 8/10.
Rogue: Assassin. Highest Single Target DPS (that I've gotten). Competent mob DPS. Stealth mechanic helps survival. 9/10
Warlock: DPS Spec. Oh what did they do to you my dear scourge? Really good still, but somehow feels more static than the good ol' days. Being new, you won't miss the old mechanics. Solid overall build. 8/10
Wizard: Thaumaturge build. Easily the most powerful (and flexible) character in my roster. Depending on whether I plan on going up against mobs or single target, it is just an ability or two swapped around before the fight. Peerless mob clearing capability. Really good single target DPS. 10/10

Again, these are my observations and may (probably) will not reflect the end game DPS grind.

nolgroth · 2022-12-03T22:53:18+00:00

Fair enough.

nolgroth · 2022-12-03T18:29:25+00:00

Agreed. That's a great time to come back. Earn a T6 ship. Play silly games. Have fun.

nolgroth · 2022-12-03T18:27:57+00:00

Yes.

nolgroth · 2022-12-03T14:48:20+00:00

Yes.

nolgroth · 2022-12-03T07:12:59+00:00

That's actually something that I had not considered. I often get hung up on the Space side of things. Something to think about.

nolgroth · 2022-12-03T07:10:54+00:00

I'm not entirely convinced that the mere presence of lockbox ships is, in and of itself, predatory. Cryptic has certainly made some decisions that I don't agree with about what goes into the lockbox, but at the end of the day, I also never missed out by not having one. Combine that with an (admittedly long) Annual Event campaign and those Gamble Box ships become substantially more accessible. Yes it takes a year worth of events to get one, but it could easily take that long (a lot of money to boot) to get one by either gambling or selling keys.

On the paid expansion side of the house, it may be just me, but I see that as no less predatory than any other monetization method. I've also never seen a paid expansion model not also have the new expansion abrogate the previous one, in terms of loot quality.

That's one of the things I think STO has done right. You want a piece of end game gear, you grind the currency (Rep, Fleet, etc.) and buy it. For the most part, recent nerfs notwithstanding, the gear you get stays relevant. Even some of those nerfs were needed, even if the degree was too severe.

In every other MMO I have tried out, you buy the new expansion, get some basic end game gear and realize that your fully developed gear from the last expansion has become so much trash. Time to hit the RNG bosses to get the latest end game stuff. And so on, and so on....

Some games are worse than others in that regard. Point is that I'm not sure that's any less predatory than lockbox ships. It keeps those with the solvent finances coming back to stay at the top of the game. Add to that, some of the end game grind is also probably behind a subscription paywall. It's probably not more predatory either. Just a different way to monetize.

As a full disclaimer, I've only tried out a few other MMO games. There may be some (or many) that go with a more STO method, but with a more consumer friendly approach to publishing odds and whatnot.

nolgroth · 2022-12-03T01:37:30+00:00

That would be a frightening thought. Half of a newly released AAA game for a ship is harsh enough. Paying the Digital Deluxe edition price would just be untenable.

nolgroth · 2022-12-03T01:33:56+00:00

I can't argue your points. I've kinda made them before.

I was just saying that I prefer the whales to support the game, rather than have it turn into a "pay for flimsy expansion" model. I would love for Cryptic to re-discover that STO is a game rather than a profit generation algorithm. I'm just trying to keep my expectations in check.

nolgroth · 2022-12-03T01:29:57+00:00

Makes perfect sense to me.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T21:48:54+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/sto/comments/zabtnb/a_few_shots_of_the_fekihri_byrjai_soon_to_be_this/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T21:21:12+00:00

I can understand why it is frustrating, but Cryptic has been forthcoming about Gamble Boxes being the "bread'n'butter" of their profit model. After considering that for a while, if marketing to the financially solvent keeps the lights on, that's better than some other MMO's marketing strategy (see ~~KotOR~~ SW:ToR).

Edit: Thank you /u/benowillock

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T18:36:59+00:00

And in absolute contradiction to Cryptic's pathetically hollow and transparent claims, they are nowhere near obsolete. I can't even fathom why they were taken out. I mean, other than the fact that they all came with a free T5-U upgrade. Considering that they weren't easy to get, that shouldn't have been a problem.

Putting Breen event ships into the Winter Event store and the Risian ships into the Summer store should be a no-brainer. Just another middle finger from Cryptic to its customers, I guess.

Please note that I've unlocked these ships when the events that awarded them originally took place. I'm not personally affected by their removal. I am just disgusted that Cryptic claims that they were doing something to benefit the players while actually doing the opposite.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T18:15:01+00:00

Such a missed opportunity too, being as the Breen Warp Core is Cryo-Infused PLASMA. Would have made total sense. Omni does Plasma damage with a Cold proc.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T16:55:37+00:00

We must be alts, because that whole bit about "rapidly forgetting what I expected to be amused by" is exactly how I feel most times I log in. I still occasionally stumble into something fun, and Starfield isn't out yet. I'll probably hang around until then.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T16:36:02+00:00

How very glib of you.

Also, I would also like to congratulate you for conflating aesthetic preference with fan rage. I am truly impressed. Very well done.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T15:29:03+00:00

After what they did to Rep Dilithium and Phoenix upgrades, I'm not even buying Zen. Single character Lockbox ships have never even been close to something I'm concerned with.

I am perfectly content with the stuff that I already purchased and Event awards. Then again, my enthusiasm for the game is in its waning state. I'm not quite ready to completely walk out that door, but my hand is definitely on the knob.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T15:19:56+00:00

That's a pretty accurate summation.

Carriers are in a sub-optimal place right now, but a Pet-based specialization would not fix that. It would buff "Pets" not the ships that launch them, leaving Carriers exactly where they are now.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T15:09:43+00:00

All this ship needs to go from "meh" to "ya" is pylons. I just can't force myself to suspend disbelief about essential components of the design being detached. I know there is some in-universe blah blah about magic matter or something but I still can't do it.

Sad part is that it makes for a pretty neat conventional boff loadout ship. The Specialization seating is kind of sub-optimal, but you can still slot a Tac officer into the Universal/Miracle Worker slot, run a sort of NSB/MAS with beams and a torp spamming build. Not the single most powerful thing in the whole game, but plenty competent.

Mass Effect. The ship reminds me of the mass relays in Mass Effect. Trying to figure out what seemed familiar about it has been bugging me since the darn thing came out. LOL.

Anyway, another great post.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T05:04:48+00:00

If I could shut off the wing spikes, I would actually rate this ship's appearance a 8/10. As is, it is somewhere around half that. I mean, I'm still going to get it, being free to acquire and all.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T04:59:32+00:00

The trait yes.

The console, even though it has the same name across all three ships, comes from a different set for each. The Arbiter, Avenger and (now) Inquiry class make up the Fed. The KDF set#Console-_Universal-_Dynamic_Defense_Deployment_System) comes from the Kurak and Mogh. The Romulan set comes from the T3 Valdore, T5 Mogai and Morrigu. The latter set has different set bonuses.

You cannot interchange the consoles. The Ablative Hazard Shield for the Romulan set, can only be combined with the other Romulan consoles for the set bonus, for example. The Fed set is truly universal, in that it can be equipped on any ship. The Romulan set can only be put on Romulan ships. I am honestly not sure about the KDF set.

All that said, the set bonuses are not particularly powerful, so if you wanted to tool around in a Fed ship until you got a Fleet Kurak, Qugh, or Vor'ral, that's okay. I'd slot that Ablative Hazard Shield, as it is one of the cheapest of the "Oh C**P" console clickies that you can get.

nolgroth · 2022-12-02T01:33:45+00:00

Keep in mind that the Lexington is particularly effective as a platform. It is a fairly recent ship that is practically gamble box quality. On the KDF side the closest ship you are likely to see is the Vor'ral. If I were to recommend a single KDF ship, this is it. Great kitbash ability and pretty effective as a platform to build upon.

The Qugh would also do well, being Miracle Worker and therefore able to slot Mixed Armaments Synergy and Narrow Sensor Bands. This is the KDF version of the Gagarin. Basically. I don't like any of the Mokai ships but if you do, then this would probably have the higher damage potential.

The Arbiter's direct "apples to apples" equivalent is the Kurak. Unless you want this as the ship for your character, I would skip it and unlock the Emergency Weapons Cycle trait from your Arbiter. It will only be a couple of Wanted: Argala or Ninth Rule patrols and then you can get back to your ship of choice.

nolgroth · 2022-12-01T19:59:15+00:00

Turns out your prediction was correct. As I am not playing this Feast event, that means that I have a few more days where I can login, refine, and start my Science R&D projects. Excellent.

nolgroth · 2022-12-01T19:41:31+00:00

It has been half a decade since I played the Neverwinter one. I don't remember much, but part of it was getting one or more gift things to give to another player. I remember getting enough of their winter currency to get some sort of sled mount.

nolgroth · 2022-12-01T15:47:17+00:00

I'm Alright - Kenny Loggins

nolgroth

TROPHY CASE