Guide for Level 70 to 80 (updated for Mod 16)

[Phelaia]

This is a guide for the freshly 70. Whether you're new to NW, or you've come back after a long hiatus, many things in NW are no longer self-explanatory. I will explain what I can, while all of you veterans feel free to chime in on the topics I might have missed:

You've reached 70. Congrats!

NOR Discord server: http://discord.gg/newoutriders
This is the guild's Discord server. Our branch has its own voice and text channel. For a tutorial on how to use Discord, see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDVqruRsYtA

First thing first:
Go back to Knox in PE, and find that letter from Lord Neverember. Head to the Moonstone Mask and talk to Neverember. He will give you a full set of Undermountain gear with 3 pieces of companion gear. All the gear for your toon will come with Rank 8 enchantments already slotted, while the companion gear will NOT have any stones. Even if you have purple gear from previous campaigns, the Rank 8s are worth something. Now is the time to dig up all the Runestones and plug them into companion gear. If you have any Eldritch Runestones, you can go to the Scholar of Antiquity (next to the Rewards Claim Agent) and exchange them for unbound Bonding Stones of the same rank. Use what you can find while you level to 80.

Undermountain campaign: As of right now, since scaling is all wonky, Undermountain is probably the safest campaign to handle, especially if you already have purple gear from Mod 13 or 14. You will have an intro quest to get into the zone of Undermountain where you have to kill some zombies and hulks. While weapons and armor and doodats change all the time, the boons stay with you. So get working on these. After Undermountain, here is a guide that gives suggestion on what to work on first: https://www.reddit.com/r/Neverwinter/co ... _it_helps/

Other campaigns: bring a friend. Seriously, whether you're squishy or sturdy, shout out in guild chat and see if anyone is working on the same campaign at about the same point in the campaign. Or consider helping people of other classes in the wild. This is especially true if you're a CW, your old habits will kill you and will keep killing you until you find some backup.

Boons: On top of the campaign boons, you also have guild boons. Don't forget to activate those.

Item Level: This is kind of like the old gear score. All the numbers are different. What matters is numbers and not percentages.

Vault of the Nine: This is a lair where you can unlock a class based artifact. These are called Sigils of the _____, and the cleric's Sigil is particularly useful. This quest is pretty hard if you're freshly 70 wizard, ranger, or cleric, so please feel free to ask for help from your guild. https://neverwinter.gamepedia.com/The_Vault_of_the_Nine

Artifacts: The most versatile artifact for the last year has been the Wheel of Elements. This thing goes for about 250k AD on the auction house, and it seems to work well for pretty much everyone of every build. That said, artifacts and their set bonuses is one of those things drive people's builds. So read some build guides before you start spending real or imaginary money. Also, do not ignore artifacts that were previously considered "useless." What was once "useless" may be very useful for the right class and the right situation.

Character builds: This website has basic builds for getting to 80. Use them. Don't reinvent the wheel.
You will find your groove after you get to 80. https://cloakalliance.wordpress.com/201 ... sy-as-123/

Dungeons: The dungeons now effectively come in 3 tiers. Random Leveling Queue is fine. Random Intermediate Queue can be a little bit of a drag. Hold off on others. Scaling in the Epic dungeons is completely bonkers.

Alliance: NOR is part of an alliance under The Starks of Winterfell, along with the Lannisters of Casterly Rock...and somehow no one is stabbing anyone. Anyways, do not be afraid to ask for help in alliance, most people in alliance are pretty chill and goofy. The language can be a little crude sometimes, but that's out there, and we keep things clean within our own walls.

Companions and Mounts: As long as a piece of gear is labeled as Companion Gear, it goes on a companion. Only runestones can go into companion gear. So, before you convert those runestones to refinement points, see if you can use them first. Be mindful when you choose the combo of companion powers, as the defensive powers do help. Mounts haven't changed much.

Refinement: Everyone has a pool of Refinement Points. Gems and green gear can now be converted towards the pool. You fill your artifacts and artifact gear with refinement points from the pool. The Siege of Neverwinter is an event where you can do two little Heroic Encounters per day for 2 weeks, and get yourself a Siege Griffon mount. This mount has a nice perk called "Wanderer's Fortune," which basically drop refinement materials while you're running around questing. Quartermaster enchants or Dragon Hoard Enchantments, which goes into your Utility slot, also drop refinement materials while you're running around questing.

VIP: The boost from a subscription is not huge, but it's definitely noticeable. You get one free key per day, and when you open a lock box, you will get a few things sort plus some trade bars. If you're really lucky, you get a Legendary mount. I've only seen that happen in NOR a handful of times in the last 5 years, so don't hold your breath. VIP also shields you from all injuries, grants global fast travel which is particularly important in large zones, and global access to your personal bank.

Sales and swag: Perfect World run a sale twice a year, once around the anniversary of the game, and another time around Thanksgiving. Pay attention to the sales, because many things on the Zen market (the cash store) are 40% to 50% off for one day. Also, the Winter Festival runs for 3 weeks in December, and there are in-game gift baggies that we all pick up, and the baggies drop all kinds of swag for the other people people in your party. As a guild, we usually do a big annual gift exchange around New Years Eve.

Most importantly, remember that members in NOR are a helpful bunch. We will do the best we can help you.

GLHF and Hail *NOR/