Neverwinter: The Maze Engine Announced

An all-new adventure with old beloved characters such as Minsc and Drizzt and iconic Forgotten Realms foes such as the demon lords Baphomet and Orcus, five reworked high-level dungeons, an improved queue system, and the Stable, which will offer new customization options for mounts. Those are the most notable additions that will be implemented in The Maze Engine, the latest expansion for Neverwinter to be announced by developer Cryptic Games and publisher Perfect World Entertainment. The expansion is slated to release this Spring on PC and at a later date on Xbox One.

Here is the teaser trailer:


And the press release:

Neverwinter: The Maze Engine Delves Further into the Underdark

New Expansion Brings Players Face to Face with Iconic Dungeons & Dragons Antagonists


Tuesday, February 2, 2016 February 2, 2016 Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of free-to-play MMORPGs, and Cryptic Games announced Neverwinter: The Maze Engine the ninth expansion to the Dungeons & Dragons-based free-to-play MMORPG. Neverwinter: The Maze Engine will launch this spring for PC, and at a later date for Xbox One, as players join forces with Drizzt Do'Urden, Minsc, and other famous characters to face iconic Dungeons & Dragons enemies including Baphomet and Orcus.

The story of The Maze Engine follows the events of the eighth expansion Neverwinter: Underdark. Adventurers have quelled the efforts of Demogorgon though some demons continue to make their way into the Forgotten Realms. Now, two new demon lords Baphomet and Orcus have appeared, bringing a new, terrible threat to the realm. Adventurers now must band together with iconic heroes, including Drizzt Do'Urden, Minsc, Bruenor Battlehammer, Regis, and more to face-off against a new evil.

The ninth expansion to Neverwinter also sees the return of five dungeons that have been reworked to offer more content as players push towards to level 70 cap. Castle Never, one of the hardest dungeons previously in the game, has received a massive overhaul as Orcus has taken over following Valindra's exodus. Neverwinter: The Maze Engine will also bring new gameplay updates, including a new campaign, The Stable a system that gives further customization to mounts and an improved queue system.

Neverwinter is a free-to-play action MMORPG that features fast-paced combat and epic dungeons. Players explore the vast city of Neverwinter and its surrounding countryside, learning the vivid history of the iconic city in the Forgotten Realms and battling its many enemies. Neverwinter is currently available on PC and digitally for Xbox One, available free-to-play with Gold* from the Xbox Games Store.


PC players have had the chance to play the predecessor to this expansion, Underdark, for a while, but their Xbox One counterparts will have to wait until next week. I'm very interested to hear the feedback on the storylines that have been implemented for the MMO. I'm especially curious to hear how characters like Minsc and Drizzt have been written in this title and how the storyline ties to the current state of the Forgotten Realms.