by Jeff Woleslagle on Feb 08, 2013
alt="Neverwinter Beta Tips" />
This weekend marks an important turning point in the development of
Cryptic Studios' upcoming Neverwinter as the game plays host to thousands
of gamers in the first beta weekend event. To help you make the most
of your time in the beta event this weekend, we've put together this beginner's guide for first-time Neverwinter players.
While Neverwinter does a good job of sending you to points of interest as
new things become available, heres a quick guide to what you can look
forward to when (so you can stop wondering if you missed something!).
Every Level Dont forget to spend feat points, train
your companions, and review and/or equip any new spells you might have
received.
Level 10 At level 10, youll get your first 2
attribute points to distribute. Youll also be eligible to participate in
PvP at the Trade of Blades, provided Cryptic opens up PvP during the
weekend.
Level 16 At level 16, a new dungeon will become
available the Cloak Tower. Queue it up through the events panel
Level 20 Level 20 is a big level. Not only do you get
2 more attribute points, youll also be able to ride a mount. That is, if
you can afford one. Saving up a gold piece (1 gold) to purchase the mount
shouldnt be too tough if you start penny pinching in your mid-teens, but
you can also spend 168,000 astral diamonds to get a special mount
(slightly less common appearance, but same 60% speed increase).
Around level 20 youll finally get some head protection - a helm! No more
popping aspirin with your potions. I also found something for my arm slot
at Edson the Hammer (no relation to Ten Ton Hammer) in the Coster Market.
Level 30 At level 30 youll finally have enough feat
points to choose one of three paths for your class and get a pretty
powerful spell or two besides. Choose wisely!
It might seem like a chore at first, but going through a quick mental
checklist can save you some minor headaches as youre working
Neverwinters bite sized chunks of content.
Zen is the premium currency across all Cryptic games. While its unclear
what you can spend Zen on directly in Neverwinter, youll eventually be
able to buy Zen online and, at the very least, exchange it for Astral
Diamonds, or vice versa.
Astral Diamonds are used to purchase special versions of things like
mounts and also buy some of the better gear in the game from Traders. You
can gather Astral Diamonds in a number of ways, e.g. use your invocation
skill at a campfire every 30 minutes, then refine the rough Astral
Diamonds that you get.
Gold, silver, and copper are the base medium of exchange in Neverwinter.
Everything you sell to vendors will be paid for with this currency, no
matter how you bought it.
Bounties, seals trade bars, etc. are a kind of currency you get as you
complete missions and dungeons and can be exchanged for rare goods at
special vendors.
These are found in the Blacklake District (click on any gate to travel
there). In return for 10 Sludge Samples, youll get a Purified Sludge an
upgraded Potion to Minor Healing with a buff to Power too. This Bounty
Master is just inside Blacklake Districts entrance on the left.
This bounty master is the easiest to find, since he stands next to your
favorite questgiver and mine, Sergeant Knox, in the Hall of Justice East
Courtyard. Youll need at least 10 Plaguechanged Bloods to pick up a ward
that gives you a 5% buff to damage against plaguechanged creatures (useful
for the Rhazzad quest chain).
Youll gather plenty of these in the second dungon, the Cloak Tower.
Travel to the Tower District (click on any gate to travel), and youll
find the Bounty Master just inside on the right. Youll need at least 10
insignia to get a nice 25% damage buff (against orcs) consumable.
While not a Bounty Master strictly speaking, the Lion Seal Trader is at
the northwest corner of the Seven Suns Coster Market. Youll need at least
5 Seals to purchase items from this vendor, who has a nice range of level
20 40 gear available.