14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Cryptic Studios and publisher Perfect World Entertainment are announcing that they are planning to launch a new expansion for Neverwinter, their Dungeons & Dragons based MMO, on August 14, using the name Tyranny of Dragons.
The two companies are saying that all the new content is being created in close collaboration with Wizards of the Coast, the owners of the intellectual property, and that it is designed to offer a superb player experience that fleshes out the newest storyline for the Forgotten Realms and shares a lot of content with the tabletop title.
Nathan Stewart, the Dungeons & Dragons brand director, states on the site, “This is a pivotal year for Dungeons & Dragons and we are thrilled to have Perfect World and Cryptic on board to make Neverwinter a key part of the D&D experience as we transition to the future.”
He adds, “The new Tyranny of Dragons module is just the beginning of us bringing our new serialized entertainment to the fans of both tabletop and digital games.”
At the moment, neither the developer nor the publisher is ready to offer any sort of details about the storyline that will be introduced in Tyranny of Dragons for Neverwinter or how the MMO will be enhanced from a gameplay point of view.
Gamers can expect to see more areas to explore, new enemies to battle, changes to the skills and the abilities of the already existing classes and some tweaks to the core mechanics.
Neverwinter is offered under an entirely free-to-play system, allowing all those interested to just pick up the MMO and play it, but those who are willing to pay a monthly subscription will be able to get access to more items and cosmetic changes.
Tyranny of Dragons is designed to introduce closer ties between the online experience and the tabletop one and it will be interesting to see how the initiative changes the core elements of the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms universe.
At the moment, Neverwinter players can enjoy the just launched Curse of Icewind Dale expansion, which takes them North, where they need to side with one of the two factions that are fighting to get access to the rare Black Ice.
Gamers can engage in complex Player versus Player battles and those who have the new resources will be able to use them in order to create some of the most rare and powerful items in the MMO.