Neverwinter gets a squishy level as part of the upcoming update.

So, finally, Neverwinter gets a squishy level as part of the upcoming update, resulting in an adjusted level of 20 with a module of 21. The team talked about why the squish was needed, as well as the consequences it will have for Neverwinter.

Most importantly, there are cryptic details as to why the squishy level appears in Neverwinter, specifically stating that the goal is to “simplify leveling up” to get players to get the content that the team is pumping out faster. So in Module 21, Neverwinter come introduces a new cap level, lowering levels to the new level 20. The big change with module 21 is the Dungeons & Dragons level-up with adjustable level 20. As you progress through the new alignment stream, you reach new levels at key milestones in each zone’s history. This means that we could better communicate new opportunities in the task rewards and ensure that you have the proper pace and challenge as you work in each zone. Players will no longer re-evaluate the story just because they have completed multiple side quests or multiple queues. However, this does not mean that the alignment has slowed down. The time to reach level 20 is about twelve hours on average, compared to the much longer and more unstable time to reach the limit on live TV. We think players will enjoy being able to unlock new abilities faster, make their Paragon Path choices faster, and see all that Neverwinter has to offer!

So to facilitate a new optimized leveling experience, the team does what it calls “jumping” some cards from the leveling progression. The team states that while this decision was not made “lightly”, and stresses that it is not the same as simply removing the content completely, leaving the door open to bring that content back in other ways, such as the “Stories of Old”feature.

“We have removed content in the past, and we are listening to concerns about content such as old dungeons that have been lost. We’ve made some past efforts with features like Old Stories to bring back this lost content. With the new M21 alignment stream, the Throne of Idris was returned to properly end the story of the Ebon Downs. But these are targeted cases, and with vaulting, we have a more discrete plan for getting this content back. With the new adventure system, which we’ll talk more about in the next post, we’ll be able to revisit these zones and their stories with an updated flow, rewards, and visual polish.”

Many of the affected areas, including the Blacklake Area, Tower District, Helm’s Hold, and more, have specific reasons why this content was blocked, including population issues, reuse in other adventures, and the ability to polish visuals and search progression. Also, you can read the full developer blog on the official website. ICYMI, Neverwinter will also get its first new class since 2016, when the Cryptic team introduced the addition of the Bard class, which will appear in a future update.