Cryptic Studios, developer of Star Trek Online and Champions Online, just pushed their latest MMORPG into the gauntlet of open Beta testing. Neverwinter is based off of the fourth edition rule-set for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, which was widely panned by role-playing game enthusiasts (as evidenced by Wizards of the Coast already testing D&D Next). Early game play footage for Neverwinter looks promising, but only actual hands-on play will determine the game’s worth.
Neverwinter will be free-to-play, which has been the standard operating model for Cryptic games since they were acquired by Perfect World Entertainment in May of 2011. Neverwinter will feature micro-transactions in game, allowing players to purchase cosmetic and XP upgrades for their characters. Perfect World has come under fire in the past for flooding their games with treasure items that can only be unlocked with keys that are only available through real-world purchase. Whether this practice will continue with Neverwinter remains to be seen, but this was one of the primary reasons why I stopped playing Star Trek and Champions Online, both of which I really enjoyed.
Open Beta is available to all players, and can be accessed through Neverwinter’s website. I’ll be back with my thoughts on the actual game later in the week!