The Dungeons and Dragons MMORPG Neverwinter sees its 25th module release on March 28, and this one takes players deep underground into Menzoberranzan. According to a press release from Gearbox Publishing and Cryptic Studios, ‘Menzoberranzan’ allows Neverwinter players to explore the famous drow city for the first time ever. Players will also apparently have the chance to meet one of the city’s most famous residents, DnD Ranger Drizzt Do’Urden.
Menzoberranzan, a stone-carved DnD city hidden deep in the Underdark, is a classic DnD setting with a long history. Fans of the most recent edition of the tabletop RPG may recognise it from DnD books like Out of the Abyss. Neverwinter players will likely already have spent time in the Underdark, particularly if they’ve completed part one of Menzoberranzan’s storyline, the ‘Northdark Reaches’ module.
The two-part storyline was created “in collaboration” with R.A. Salvatore, writer of fantasy series The Legend of Drizzt, as well as his son and fellow author Geno Salvatore. Wednesday’s press release says R.A. Salvatore’s The Way of the Drow trilogy was a big inspiration for the free-to-play game’s new content. Menzoberranzan apparently gives players the opportunity to “experience the events that occur between the final two [The Way of the Drow] books, Glacier’s Edge and Lolth’s Warrior”.
While we don’t want to spoil Northdark Reaches too much, players can expect to face the growing threat of civil war in Menzoberranzan. Expect to be dodging drow assassins and exploring more of the Underdark.
Wednesday’s press release says the new content will include a Menzoberranzan Adventure Zone and a battle against Gzemnid the DnD Beholder. Gearbox Publishing and Cryptic Studios also promise “quality of life improvements, such as balancing updates to companions, new Insignia-specific updates to the mount system, and new rewards for all appointment store events will be included in the new module”.
For more games like Neverwinter, check out the best digital DnD games currently available. You know what else is like Neverwinter, though? Actual Dungeons and Dragons. Sure, you’ll need paper DnD character sheets and books to teach you about the DnD classes and DnD races, but there’s still plenty of crossover with the MMORPG.