The latest expansion for Cryptic Studios' long-running Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG Neverwinter is drawing near, bringing big changes to the popular Forgotten Realms setting. The expansion, entitled Jewel of the North, is set to revamp the game's tutorial into a streamlined introductory experience that will expediently usher new players into the game's epic level content. It will also be introducing one of D&D's most popular classes, the Bard, to Neverwinter players.
Days away from the new expansion's launch, Game Rant spoke with Matt Powers and Randy Mosiondz from Cryptic Studios to discuss the past, present, and future of Neverwinter. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
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Can you introduce yourselves, and tell us what classes you generally prefer to play in Neverwinter and in D&D?
Matt Powers: Well, I’ll defer to the loremaster himself first.
Randy Mosiondz: Ah, sure. I’m Randy Mosiondz, the lead designer for Neverwinter. I’ve been working on and off on Neverwinter since pre-launch, so I have a bit of a history with it. I typically like playing wizards, both on tabletop and in Neverwinter.
MP: I’m Matt Powers, the lead producer. I play Paladins and Clerics. Disciples of Sune. I usually play very vain characters. I’m admitting a flaw right out of the gate. High charisma, every time.
For those who are unfamiliar with Neverwinter, what can you tell us about the game?
RM: Neverwinter is an MMORPG. It’s very action-based. There is a lot of movement as you negotiate the different combats within it. It’s based in Forgotten Realms which is probably the largest and most popular D&D setting. It’s where lots of previous editions have drawn inspiration from. 5th edition, the latest edition of D&D, is heavily invested in it.
You start off outside of Neverwinter. There is an undead army formed by Valindra and essentially, you get stuck right in the middle of the story. The story gradually evolves, carrying you into other zones, and eventually you learn about other problems plaguing the city of Neverwinter and the Sword Coast. It’s very much an “explore the realm” type of gameplay. So you travel through the Feywilds, and the Shadowfell, and even Avernus, the first level of the Nine Hells. So it really is an encapsulation of much of the D&D experience in an action format.
What are your general thoughts about the D&D renaissance that we’ve seen since the launch of 5E? Do you think Neverwinter’s 4th Edition foundation has helped or hurt the game’s popularity in the face of 5E Fever?
RM: We originally built Neverwinter on 4E because that was what was available at the time, but even then, we knew that it wasn’t a direct adaptation of the tabletop experience. We wanted to do action gameplay and combat. We wanted to have a constant stream of different rewards for players to achieve and different environments to explore. So we built it as a hybrid between action gameplay and the turn-based tabletop system.
Based on that, there were a lot of conventions that we built into the game, like “At Will,” “Encounter,” and “Daily” powers. These are the main types of powers that classes have access to in the game. And even as it switches to 5th Edition, there are similar elements. Higher level powers or spells can only be used once a day, so there is a loose analog to the tabletop game. There are also cantrips and bonus action powers, which are essentially the “At Will” powers.
So, it wasn’t a perfect translation from 4th Edition to 5th Edition, but I don’t think it’s too far out, either.
MP: I think it’s fair to say Randy, that we’ve been migrating to 5th Edition rules.
RM: We have.
MP: That started back in Undermountain. We’ve done a better job of mapping the classes to what you would find in 5th Edition rules. In 2021, we’re doing a better level of mapping to the tabletop leveling. We want people to play the tabletop version and then go “Hey, let me try this in a video game,” and feel comfortable in that space. Our depiction of the Forgotten Realms is driven by a love of RP, and I think that will transcend any edition of rules. I think that is the first foundation for the game. We’re fans first. We all pride ourselves on that. We just love being part of this IP. So we start there.
At Cryptic, we also pride ourselves on giving players a high level of customization. That’s another thing that is important to us. We want players to get that fantasy fulfilment. Make sure that players can bring their depiction of their characters to life in the world the way that they would like to. We’ve always put that at the forefront of what Cryptic is offering.
So over time, we are evolving the content from 4th Edition to 5th Edition.
What other D&D media excites you, as developers?
RM: My wife and I watch Critical Role pretty much every Thursday. (laughing)
MP: Randy watches it live, like people used to watch TV shows. You cannot get a hold of him on Thursday evenings. But across the entire team, we are all huge fans. So between things like Critical Role, or us getting together and playing... I’m usually in about three campaigns a week. We just like being a part of it. And when another game comes out, whether it’s Baldur’s Gate, or Dark Alliance, we’re playing it. As fans.
RM: Yeah. Once the pandemic hit, we of course had to curtail a lot of the in-person sessions. Which was sad, because I have a lot of Dwarven Forge terrain that I enjoy putting together for sessions. We moved everything to virtual tabletop stuff. Which was a great way to keep up the weekly interactions. Which we love. It’s our hobby.
MP: I really missed Randy’s tabletop sessions, because he actually has torches for tabletop miniatures. Little LED torches. It was so nice to go back to old school, and see what he set up.
Tell us a bit more about the upcoming bard class. What party role does it occupy, and how is it distinct from the other classes?
RM: Sure, yeah! Bard is great. We’ve been working on the bard class for a while. It’s been awhile since we’ve introduced a new class into the game. Bard is one of the core D&D classes, and it’s been very popular. We were talking to Wizards of the Coast about the different classes people like to play. I think between fans there was a split between bard and druid, and some people requested monks, but bards won out.
We wanted to give players a unique experience that set it apart from the other classes. Every class has its signature ability, and for bard, that is essentially performance mode where you play songs. So as you learn songs, when you hit performance mode, a bar comes up, and you use the number keys in sequence to play a song. And if you pull it off, you get new At-Will and Encounter powers. A lot of them are oriented towards buffs or damage, depending on your bard build.
There are two paragon paths you can choose for bard. One is the Song Blade and the other is the Minstrel. Song Blade is very much a swashbuckler class. Dealing damage as a sword wielder, moving around the battlefield. Riposte. It’s great. It’s a fun, fast combat class to play.
The Minstrel class is more of a support class. Very into bardic lore, and providing inspiration to party members. Lots of buffs. It’s a fun class for party play, because there are lots of cool things you can pull off in a good dungeon crawl to be a valuable support character.
MP: The thing I like about the bard is, it’s highly expressive. You can enter free performance mode in a tavern and play music. We’ve given people a lot of options with how they can outfit their bards… It just feels right for people to express their own vision of this class.
RM: Yeah, the free performance mode is all about expression. That’s your ability to play songs in a non-combat setting. Just noodle on your mandolin and play songs for people. And invariably, in both our closed beta and preview content, we asked people “What feedback do you have on the bard so far?” and on the first day nobody had any feedback because they were just busy playing songs. So I guess we’ll know in a few a more days?
Any tips or tricks for new players starting out their Neverwinter adventures as bards?
RM: I think it is really... find what style of bard you want to play, so you are ready to pick a paragon class. You will get to find out if you enjoy playing songs more, in which case you probably want to lean toward support, or see if you enjoy the swordplay more. They tend to be squishier than the main tanks, but you have a lot of movement.
What else can players expect from the new expansion? Any new areas, or tweaks to existing classes?
RM: Well, the main focus we really hit was improving the beginner experience for those just coming into the game. We revised the tutorial again. And we changed the leveling system. We went from a 1-80 level progression to a 1-20 progression system. And that is more in-line with the tabletop experience. For the most part, established players won’t notice a difference, because there is still plenty to do once you hit level 20. When you get into epic level content — post level 20 content — you are trying to develop your character in terms of item level ratings, boons, and so on.
MP: We really wanted to streamline the beginning of the game and shift focus to epic level content, which is what our veteran players are experiencing. That’s usually where our development focus is. We rarely go back to the very beginning of the game. So this is a concerted effort to simplify and consolidate. We trimmed down the tutorial from… I don’t know how long it was before, maybe 60-ish hours? But we focused that down to ten hours of better tutorialization, with better flow, and make it more engaging, easier, and more informative to get people to that epic level content. So this was our attempt to do just that. Now we will be shifting our focus back to epic level content, but we really wanted to make the game more inviting for new players, and make building a new character easier for veteran players.
RM: We are also introducing a new concept called Adventures. And Adventures are essentially specially themed wrappers for existing content. So if you complete that content chunk, you unlock specific rewards associated with that Adventure. So everything from level 1 to 20 is organized into Adventures. And we have been adding new adventures based on older, classic D&D campaigns. Like, we have an adventure based on the Acquisitions Incorporated campaign. Also Tyranny of Dragons. And we will be doing more Adventures moving forward.
MP: Yeah, one of our goals was to take out some of the grind in the game. Some early content was a little too grindy, and some was way too grindy. So we wanted to improve that content by eliminating the grind. Adventures gave us a way to do that, and also a different content category to play with moving forward.
RM: Another new feature is the Adventurer’s Guild, which is part of the Protectors’ Enclave. The goal was to provide new players with more guidance on how to play your class. So we really are preparing people for epic level content, where things are more challenging. We want to give people the tools to become the best adventurers they can be.
Neverwinter occupies such an important position in Faerun and the Forgotten Realms setting. How do you come up with stories that leverage everything that location has to offer?
RM: A lot of research, actually! We have a really good back and forth with Wizards of the Coast. So they say “Here’s all the information on Neverwinter,” and give us all the resources from the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide first from 4th Edition and that kept up with 5th Edition.
We do a lot of deep dives into the lore and history of the game, whether it's from the books, or the comics, there are lots of stories set in the Forgotten Realms to draw from since the early 80s, when the Forgotten Realms were created. I am called the loremaster of the game because I know a lot about this stuff, and I have run many campaigns in the Realms before. And in prepping for those adventures, I look up all kinds of things. When new people come to Cryptic, or we meet folks who aren’t really familiar with the lore, I usually say “Let’s play an adventure in Neverwinter!”
MP: Yeah. I think we are fortunate in that we have a team that is very passionate about this type of content. I know a lot of game studios may say that, but I’ve found that many of our people are here because they just want to be part of a D&D product. That was the driver for me, coming to the studio. You know, my inner kid was saying, “If I could ever work on a D&D game, I have to make that happen.” As a kid, I thought Lake Geneva was a magical place that I had to visit, because I saw it on the sides of the TSR boxes.
D&D has been such a tremendous influence on RPGs and the fantasy genre as a whole. How do you capture an aesthetic that has a unique identity amidst so many imitators? What influences shaped the game’s stylistic appearance?
MP: And by aesthetic, I assume you mean more than just visual aesthetics, but the overall flavor of the game right? I think there are a couple things there. One, on the visual side, our concept artist, Chris, has been with us for nearly a decade if not longer, and before that he was working with Wizards of the Coast. He’s a guide for us in terms of authentic visuals. And as Randy mentioned, we also have a very close collaboration with Wizards of the Coast. We share information with them, they share information with us, and that partnership has been very fruitful.
And I know I’ve said this a few times, but: we’re fans. We’re reading the source books, we’re reading the novels. It’s very much a part of our lives, both during work hours and after hours. Because we are fans beyond the normal day to day of making the game.
RM: Our game is also rooted in the Realms. All the history and lore and novels by authors like R.A. Salvatore… We have Drizzt in our game. We have The Companions in our game. The first arc of the game was just after Lord Neverember banded the survivors and heroes together to take back the ruined city from the monsters that inhabited it, and build a new Protectors’ Enclave. And that’s all history that you play through.
On a related note, Wizards of the Coast has been revisiting and renovating a lot of older modules for 5th Edition. And we’ve actually been lockstep with lots of the recent releases.
MP: The Curse of Strahd book. Undermountain. Descent into Avernus.
RM: Yeah, Ravenloft was one of our most popular modules. Wizards basically said “just so you know, this setting is really popular on table top right now,” so we said “Alright! Let’s see what we can do with our version of Strahd!”
Tell us about the sounds of Neverwinter. Who is your composer?
RM: We have an in-house audio team. The ones who mainly work with us are Michael Henry and Mario Botelli. They have composed most of the music in the game. I think they have composed about 95% of the music. They work with various other composers as well.
We design by zone. When we do our audio discussions, we give them the key concepts, the story beats, and describe the bosses, and they come up with a whole array of songs that fit the moods and themes we’re going for. Avernus for instance, is the first level of the Nine Hells. So it has an almost-but-not-quite heavy metal feel to it. You’re driving around in infernal warmachines in the wastelands. Whereas, with Sharandar, you’re going through the Feywilds, so you have a much lighter, airier feel to those songs. It’s very relaxing really.
I think the audio team has been working with us since the inception of Neverwinter. I know Michael Henry has been with us since the beginning, and he’s really skilled at upping the dramatic tension through audio.
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Tell us more about the Neverwinter community. How do you interact with your fans?
RM: We watch the various social media channels. We have our own forums. There’s an official reddit thread we do, with lots of AMAs. And we put out numerous blog posts talking about upcoming content. And I think that constant communication really helps us convey what we are trying to do with the game, and how we are responding to players.
MP: In addition to that, it is worth mentioning Julia, our community manager, runs a content creator program. So there is a lot of back and forth with that group. We also have a closed alpha program run by our devs. We invite people from our community to come in and provide feedback. We’re always looking for additional eyes from veteran players. We’ve had other programs that are more focused on future content, which will be ramping up in the future.
Cryptic has tried to foster in-game roleplaying in a variety of ways. Can you tell us a little bit about Foundry?
MP: We had to sunset Foundry. It was a difficult decision, and not one that we wanted to make. As we talked about, we like expression in our games. But the reality of it, the cost investment of maintaining Foundry was at odds with creating new content. It wasn’t just a Neverwinter decision, but a studio-wide decision, because it affected Star Trek Online as well. It was not an easy decision for either game. Fans in both games enjoyed Foundry, but we make so much new content, and have only so many resources, so it ultimately came down to a call of “Do we cut back on creating new content to maintain this user-created content library?” So there will be people on both sides of that conversation.
RM: There was some brilliant content in Foundry. Some really entertaining stuff. So we are very sad to see it go. But our most frequent request from players is “more original narrative content” specifically from Cryptic.
How closely does your team collaborate with Wizards of the Coast? Do things need to be submitted for approval, or do you have more creative autonomy?
MP: We meet with them at least once a week, where we talk about where we’re going, what we want to do, and what is important to them. Every quarter or so, we meet with their creative teams for a deeper dive on upcoming stuff. That usually involves a visit, and we love walking through their facility, and kind of snooping around—
RM: Nerding out.
MP: Yeah. We get to talk to Chris Perkins, or Mike Mearls. And for me, that’s a huge part of what’s so fun about this project. During the pandemic, that was a little more difficult. But we’ve kept in touch over calls. And hearing what they are excited about gets us excited as well. That’s happening even today. The development team is working on some things that we won’t be ready to talk about for a while, but that basically just started with a conversation. So we start mapping out our development timeline, but we’re working on stuff now that is going to drop later this year and early next January, in addition to wrapping up Jewel of the North.
Do you have any plans to add classes after the bard in the future?
MP: We’re absolutely looking at...Well. We’re always looking for ways to expand player customization. I know that’s kind of dodging the question a little bit, but I think I would probably get strangled if I spoke specifically about what we’re planning.
When we put out a class, we don’t want to just slap it together. We want it to be well-received, and we’ve been very pleased with the player response to bard on the preview server. But when we put out a new class—it’s important. We have to take the time to get it right. So we absolutely want to make new classes. We have to weight that against improving guilds, or going back to the Underdark, or other things we want to do. But on that list is more classes.
What other games do you play for relaxation and inspiration?
MP: I’m gonna give Randy plenty of space on this one, because he could probably talk for the next two hours.
RM: Yeah, I play a lot of games. In the office, you know, in the before times, we play a lot of board games, war games, etc. We’re also into things like Warhammer 40K. I’m a big fan of Kill Team. I’m a big fan of the D&D board games as well. Ravenloft. Card games too. We’re definitely getting into the Forgotten Realms MTG releases. I know Matt is like “We’ve got to get a Commander game in!”
I’m also a collector of RPG books. I have way too many in my house. Both rules and lore. As a game designer, I really like going through rules, and as a lore guy I love to see what stories people are telling. Good to have a lot of touchstones for how other IPs are expressing their ideas, mechanics, plot and character ideas.
Is there anything else you would like gamers to know?
RM: I think it is a great time for people to try out Neverwinter. It’s a great new experience. A great new ramp up. We’ve changed a lot of things over the last year or two that really changes how the game feels, and… that floats! There’s a lot for new players and players who have dropped off to come back and see what has changed.
MP: Yeah, I think Randy said it perfectly. Again, to summarize: “If you haven’t played Neverwinter, Jewel of the North is a great time to come give it a try.” And for long time players: we got you. We have some very exciting stuff coming up soon.
[End.]