Neverwinter: Northdark Reaches Module Announced

Come November 8, 2022, Cryptic Studios' MMORPG Neverwinter will be getting a new module developed in collaboration with R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore. Entitled Northdark Reaches, this module will feature some events that tie into R.A. Salvatore's recent The Way of the Drow trilogy.

Here's a press release with some extra info:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Thursday, October 20 – Today, Gearbox Publishing and Cryptic Studios announced that Neverwinter’s 24th module, Northdark Reaches will launch on PC (Arc Games, Epic Games Store and Steam) and PlayStation and Xbox consoles on November 8. The upcoming update for the free-to-play Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG introduces the first part of a two-part storyline and campaign written in collaboration with New York Times best-selling author and prolific D&D writer R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore. This epic new story for Neverwinter will let players and D&D fans alike experience the events that take place in between Starlight Enclave and Glacier’s Edge, the first two books of R.A. Salvatore’s The Way of the Drow trilogy book series. For the first time ever, players will encounter new Dungeons & Dragons fan-favorite Forgotten Realms characters, such as the myconid Rumpadump, Saribel Xorlarrin Do’Urden, Minolin Fey (shown in the image below) and more. This module marks the second collaboration between R.A. Salvatore and Cryptic Studios as the two collaborated on content for Underdark, Neverwinter’s 8th module in 2015.

In the upcoming major update for Neverwinter, players discover that far beneath the storied mountains of Faerûn lie the Northdark Reaches, a sprawling frontier that skirts the Underdark’s fallen civilization of Ched Nasad. It is in this deadly and forgotten place that Braelin Janquay, a friend of dwarven king, Bruenor Battlehammer, and one of Bregan D’aerthe’s most illustrious drow scouts, has gone missing. To help King Bruenor and uncover the secrets behind the looming drow civil war, players will descend into a whole new region of Underdark. The Northdark Reaches module marks just the beginning for the darkness that’s yet to come, as the next module – launching next year – will bring the epic conclusion to this new storyline.

Heroes brave enough to answer King Bruenor’s call for aid will discover plenty of new content within Neverwinter, including the first persistent Underdark Adventure Zone. Players will discover new quests, fight challenging bosses – including heroic encounters -- and unearth helpful gadgets as they explore epic locations across the Northdark Reaches in the Underdark of Faerûn.

Longtime veteran players and new players can also look forward to a major update for the “Temple of the Spider” Dungeon as the new version will feature new bosses, enemies, rewards, along with Normal and Master difficulty options. Additionally, quality of life improvements, such as an updated inventory system, along with Neverwinter community-requested changes to the Wizard class, will be included in the new module.

Neverwinter is a free-to-play action MMORPG featuring fast-paced combat and epic dungeons. Players explore the vast city of Neverwinter and its surrounding lands, learning the vivid history of the iconic city in the Forgotten Realms and battling its many enemies. Neverwinter is available on PC and is free to play digitally on Xbox (Xbox Live Gold membership not required) and PlayStation consoles (PlayStation®Plus not required). To download and play Neverwinter today for free, visit www.playneverwinter.com.