Is it worth to play NWN2 main campaign?

[Luke Scull]

The OC campaign also underlines just how much of a raw deal the protagonist of the first OC got, since all of his achievements were either erased or attributed to somebody else.

Oh, I forgot just HOW bad the first game's main character got shafted:
1. Aribeth, one potential love interest, either in Hell and/or pounded by the protagonist of the expansions (possibly in a threesome with a sexy Tiefling/Drow).
2. Banished from the city.
3. All his accomplishments either covered up or forgotten.
4. Literally not a single one of his companions join him in exile.
5. Is mentioned, I think, once, in the sequel?
6. If romancing a different companion, they also let him go into exile solo.

Now I wish they made another expansion about THIS GUY.

Hold my beer.

 

[Murk]

Been a few pages so OP probably got his answer, but my 0.02 is:

No, not really. It's mediocre at best. Tedious and dull otherwise.

The one saving grace, the rather fleshed out character system, is marred horribly by awful combat (cue camera joke here).

If you're starved for d&d 3.x flavor and have thoroughly gorged yourself on ToEE and KoTC, then I guess you could, but you'd be better off skipping it for MOTB IMO.

 

[Necroscope]

MOTB technically is a follow up of the main campaign, but it really doesn't feel like one. Completely different story and atmosphere. From what I remember the OC gets a few mentions but that's about it.

 

[Erebus]

NWN 2 OC isn't terrible (it certainly isn't as bad as NWN 1 OC), but it's extremely forgettable. The beginning is mediocre and the ending is lame. The setting is extremely bland. The best part is somewhere around the middle, and though it manages to be memorable, it suffers from significant flaws.

MotB is infinitely superior, though it would be even better if it were mid-level D&D (instead of epic level) and did not have any ties to the OC.

SoZ is fairly original, but not very entertaining, except for the final dungeon.

Also, don't forget Mysteries of Westgate. It's pretty good !

 

[The Jester]

The OC campaign also underlines just how much of a raw deal the protagonist of the first OC got, since all of his achievements were either erased or attributed to somebody else.

Oh, I forgot just HOW bad the first game's main character got shafted:
1. Aribeth, one potential love interest, either in Hell and/or pounded by the protagonist of the expansions (possibly in a threesome with a sexy Tiefling/Drow).
2. Banished from the city.
3. All his accomplishments either covered up or forgotten.
4. Literally not a single one of his companions join him in exile.
5. Is mentioned, I think, once, in the sequel?
6. If romancing a different companion, they also let him go into exile solo.

Now I wish they made another expansion about THIS GUY.

Hold my beer.

Hey man, glad to see you alive, btw great job with Tyrants of the Moonsea, it didn't really get the praise that it deserved here in Codex.

 

[Necroscope]

MOTB should be a standalone game on a better engine. With a bigger world, story and more content it would be in the TOP5 best RPGs.

But in this world nothing is ever fulfilled. And closure... WTF is it?

 

[Luke Scull]

The OC campaign also underlines just how much of a raw deal the protagonist of the first OC got, since all of his achievements were either erased or attributed to somebody else.

Oh, I forgot just HOW bad the first game's main character got shafted:
1. Aribeth, one potential love interest, either in Hell and/or pounded by the protagonist of the expansions (possibly in a threesome with a sexy Tiefling/Drow).
2. Banished from the city.
3. All his accomplishments either covered up or forgotten.
4. Literally not a single one of his companions join him in exile.
5. Is mentioned, I think, once, in the sequel?
6. If romancing a different companion, they also let him go into exile solo.

Now I wish they made another expansion about THIS GUY.

Hold my beer.

Hey man, glad to see you alive, btw great job with Tyrants of the Moonsea, it didn't really get the praise that it deserved here in Codex.

Thanks. It sold pretty well. I'd love to see some of the content it introduced featured in new user modules.

Back on topic, I actually thought the NWN1 OC had a more memorable plot and characters than the NWN2 OC, though the trial and Crossroad Keep were real highlights of the latter. All of the official NWN2 campaigns offer something different and are worth playing.

 

[Gargaune]

The OC campaign also underlines just how much of a raw deal the protagonist of the first OC got, since all of his achievements were either erased or attributed to somebody else.

Oh, I forgot just HOW bad the first game's main character got shafted:
1. Aribeth, one potential love interest, either in Hell and/or pounded by the protagonist of the expansions (possibly in a threesome with a sexy Tiefling/Drow).
2. Banished from the city.
3. All his accomplishments either covered up or forgotten.
4. Literally not a single one of his companions join him in exile.
5. Is mentioned, I think, once, in the sequel?
6. If romancing a different companion, they also let him go into exile solo.

Now I wish they made another expansion about THIS GUY.

Hold my beer.

New project you'd like to tell us about?

I'll echo Morii, congratulations for TotM, it was absolutely worth the commercial release! Managed to bump its way to my favourite official NWN1 campaign.

 

[Testownia]

The OC campaign also underlines just how much of a raw deal the protagonist of the first OC got, since all of his achievements were either erased or attributed to somebody else.

Oh, I forgot just HOW bad the first game's main character got shafted:
1. Aribeth, one potential love interest, either in Hell and/or pounded by the protagonist of the expansions (possibly in a threesome with a sexy Tiefling/Drow).
2. Banished from the city.
3. All his accomplishments either covered up or forgotten.
4. Literally not a single one of his companions join him in exile.
5. Is mentioned, I think, once, in the sequel?
6. If romancing a different companion, they also let him go into exile solo.

Now I wish they made another expansion about THIS GUY.

Hold my beer.

 

[Starwars]

I think NWN2 OC goes up and down so much in quality that it's a difficult to judge. Overall I'd say it's very mediocre, but there are some parts where it gets kinda fun and interesting, then also some parts that are mindnumbingly boring.

For the continuity purpose though, one of my more memorable roleplaying experiences in terms of computer games was taking a good character through the NWN2 OC and then having him "fall" to evil in MotB because of all the bad situations he fell into. It made for a very satisfying playthrough.

That said, if you can't get into NWN2 I definitely wouldn't force it. The OC is pretty damn long and not worth it if you struggle. MotB is all kinds of excellent though.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Forgot to add that the nwn2 oc has Deekin, one of its very few redeeming things.

 

[Desiderius]

There are alternatives now. The NWN2 OC simply isn't worth it. The mediocrity is extraordinary. If you yearn for 3D D&D 3.5 game, then play Storm of Zehir and then import that character into Mask of the Betrayer. You will get both an authentic classic D&D experience first, followed by a darker and modern plot with an engrossing narrative. Combined you will go from Level 1 to 30. There may be some minor plot holes or spoilers, but they are of no consequence. The OC is just baggage at this point. Very much like NWN 1.

What's the best class/character build guide for Storm/Mask?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

There are alternatives now. The NWN2 OC simply isn't worth it. The mediocrity is extraordinary. If you yearn for 3D D&D 3.5 game, then play Storm of Zehir and then import that character into Mask of the Betrayer. You will get both an authentic classic D&D experience first, followed by a darker and modern plot with an engrossing narrative. Combined you will go from Level 1 to 30. There may be some minor plot holes or spoilers, but they are of no consequence. The OC is just baggage at this point. Very much like NWN 1.

What's the best class/character build guide for Storm/Mask?

the one you come up with yourself

 

[Desiderius]

Lol, 3.5 is way more work than Pathfinder.

 

[Erebus]

What's the best class/character build guide for Storm/Mask?

I don't remember MotB being a very difficult game. Spellcasters are pretty OP, but most of the companions you get are spellcasters, so feel free to make your PC a warrior if you want to (a barbarian will fit the setting a bit more than a paladin/fighter/ranger).

Spellcasters are a bit less OP if you decide to be really evil. Being evil in MotB can be very satisfying, though I wouldn't recommend it the first time you play the game.


SoZ is a bit weird : you create 4 PCs and then you can recruit 2 companions.

From what I remember, I'd recommend a balanced party. All skills can be useful (some more than others), but you won't need to have more than one character be good at Stealth, for instance.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

There are alternatives now. The NWN2 OC simply isn't worth it. The mediocrity is extraordinary. If you yearn for 3D D&D 3.5 game, then play Storm of Zehir and then import that character into Mask of the Betrayer. You will get both an authentic classic D&D experience first, followed by a darker and modern plot with an engrossing narrative. Combined you will go from Level 1 to 30. There may be some minor plot holes or spoilers, but they are of no consequence. The OC is just baggage at this point. Very much like NWN 1.

What's the best class/character build guide for Storm/Mask?

Storm of Zehir has full custom party creation, so think big picture. SoZ and PFKM might as well be cousins. You will feel at home with this game. Skill checks are abundant and important, especially on the overland map. Resilience and flexibility are more valuable than specialization in this game. Leave no skill unprovided for--they are all used. A ranger (to capitalize on improved wildness movement speed) is a great choice, though I was very satisfied with my Arcane Trickster--just keep in mind that the D&D version is inferior to PF. It's better built as skill monkey that slowly develops into a Gish. You would probably better appreciate a Bard, which would also work very well. Last time I played (years ago) I had a party of Arcane Trickster, Ranger, Druid, and Warlock (+2 animal companions). It worked marvelously. As an aside anecdote, you'll have management functions like in PFKM, and they will eventually give you more money than you know what to do with. I have vague memories of crafting being useful, but honestly can't recall. You'll want to look into that.

Mask of the Betrayer MC is a matter of taste. I did just fine with my AT (built as a gish), but full casters probably have the hardest time in this module. Resting can be a problem for them. A good aligned party will need a skill monkey, while an evil party will do better with a front-line melee. Divine characters are well suited in general for MotB. My easiest run was probably as a Paladin. TL;DR For you, across both games, I recommend a Human Swashbuckler/Rogue.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Honestly?
I suggest a class heavily reliant on per-rest abilities just to make it more fun. You have limited resting if you don't abuse bugs.

btw, there's a bugfix unofficial patch for it that fixes a bunch of bugs.
https://github.com/nwn2fixes/player

 

[Oberon]

Oh God NWN2 Campaign was so obnoxious. Neeshka was possibly the most annoying character ever conceived.
You definitely shouldn't miss MOTB though.
NWN 1 and 2 had some amazing custom modules. For NWN2 Live Forever, Planescape: Shaper of Dreams, Corrupion of Kiahoro and Traveler come immediately to mind. For NWN1 Honor Among Thieves and Tales of Arterra.
I'm sure I'm missing a lot, it's been many years.

 

[Erebus]

Neeshka was possibly the most annoying character ever conceived.

She was very uninteresting, but so were most of the companions in NWN 2 OC. I don't remember her being worse than, say, Grobnar, Casavir, Elanee, Bishop, Shandra, Zhjaeve...

 

[Devastator]

I played the OC when it came out. As others have said: Extremely forgettable. Then I forced myself to replay it a few years later before I played all of the expansions. Big mistake. It was an extremely disgusting experience as everything bothered me the second time.

The expansions were better, but probably MotB remains the highlight by far. I remember that I was annoyed by time wasted on travelling and managing caravans in some of the later expansions. I can't remember which one anymore, but the travel was animated on the world map. It seemed fun at first but got extremely tedious soon. I just remember that I couldn't wait to be done with it all.

 

[Lambach]

I remember that I was annoyed by time wasted on travelling and managing caravans in some of the later expansions. I can't remember which one anymore, but the travel was animated on the world map. It seemed fun at first but got extremely tedious soon. I just remember that I couldn't wait to be done with it all.

>he didn't like the SoZ Overland Map

 

[laclongquan]

The answer is YES. It's worth your while to play NWN2OC.

The short list: Item crafting. The Crossroad Keep minigame. The Trial.

The rant:
1. The Trial. This is where most conflicting ideas clashing. The one arguing against say it's useless, either way you are going to fight the Trial by Combat anyway.
I say this line of reasoning is usually said by the amateurs in politics, war, and literature. The War between Neverwinter City and Luskan is going to be fought regardless. But which side going to be hold the moral flag , the side of the right, (very important issue in a world with gods) is to be determined on that Trial of evidence. In that Trial, the Captain Knight prove that Luskans are behind the massacre and they are taking others for patsy. This mean the Neverwinter force hold the moral standard, which is very important for many religious orders as well as normal people in the city.

2. The Crossroad Minigame.
Also quite interesting mechanic. As a land management minigame, it's where most of your spare money go. You dont have to worry about swimming in money until you finish investing. Even the keep's money can be withdraw in 5k each , a time consuming move.
Also, its shops can be a loot disposal method. You want to hoard something for later? Sell them to the shops for 100% value. Later on when you want it, buy it back with 100% value. Much better than NPC shops with their highly skilled barter.

3. Item crafting

Craft the whole set of weapons and armors for your party, today! Fully customizable item.

This feature of OC is better than MOTB as well as SOZ.

 

[laclongquan]

On a separate note: why people think OC is boring.

The short answer: writing. Ideas are very good but excution is so-so.

The rant:
1. Companions
The ideas about companions sounds okay on paper. A tiefling thief in the line of Annah-of-the-Hive PST. A drunken dwarf want to be a monk. A fiery sorceress. then some basic fodder of fantasy: troubled rogue, anti-evil warlock, a gnome bard etc... The excution is too boring for words

Take Neeshka. What's her attraction? A tiefling thief? That's her race and class, not attraction. Unlike Annah who is a bit of a daddy girl, attracted to ugly middle aged man (Nameless One), and quite fiery in her ... ahem, arousal.

2. The Trial
Writers assume that people understand all the subtle point about the Trial so they dont preface enough for gamers to get used to the idea that Trial has a point, but not to stop the War.

Conclusion. People has reason to think NWN2OC is boring. The writings are not that terrible so at least you can play the game without getting off the groove.

 

[Oberon]

Neeshka was possibly the most annoying character ever conceived.

She was very uninteresting, but so were most of the companions in NWN 2 OC. I don't remember her being worse than, say, Grobnar, Casavir, Elanee, Bishop, Shandra, Zhjaeve...

idk she annoyed the ever living fuck out of me. The others must have really been forgettable because the only other ones I remember are the Dwarf Monk, Bishop, and the Warlock.

 

[Devastator]

>he didn't like the SoZ Overland Map

That was SoZ then? Nah, the map was what I actually liked visually and mechanically. Most of the content that came with the map outside the main story really sucked. That is, the repetitive encounters and caravan management bored me to death.