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Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer

Races, Classes and Monsters - Oh My!

New characters aren't very exciting without new environments and monsters, and Mask of the Betrayer delivers on both counts. The Forgotten Realms have been expanded to include the Astral Plane, Imaskari ruins, Shadow Plane and a Thayan wizard academy. Obsidian have been a bit tight-lipped when discussing new monsters, but the names of some new baddies have been released (or determined from the various pre-release screenshots). The line-up is slated to include a Shambling Mound, Night Hag and Treant, among other unreleased creatures. Of the three, the Shambling Mound (or Shambler) looks particularly menacing – the hulking mass of rotting vegetation looks prepared to wreak havoc on unsuspecting adventurers.

Shamblers are brutes borne from the swamps. This fellow could use a shower...

Of course, there's more of the same great combat.

Companions are an integral part of the D&D experience, and the companion system has been drastically improved for Mask of the Betrayer. A new set of companions will join the player (alternatively, a player can choose to travel solo). The influence system has been tweaked for added realism, and companions will show loyalty depending on how they're treated. There are benefits to be had in maintaining an even hand with your party, and improved artificial intelligence will allow companions to act more independently as the situation dictates.

A Bit of Behind-the-Scenes Tweaking

NWN 2 left room for improvement with regards to visuals. For Mask of the Betrayer, the graphics engine gets a few upgrades. First, new environmental effects will add to the game's ambience, and new spell effects will keep combat looking great. For the technically inclined, specular reflections highlight a new dynamic lighting model, and normal mapping finds its way to character models. The rendering optimizations that made their way into previous NWN 2 patches are included, as are more engine tweaks for improved performance.

Both existing and new characters have received a visual upgrade.

Specular lighting and improved skybox modeling are just two of the visual enhancements.

A common criticism of NWN 2 was the wonky camera. The complaints didn't fall on deaf ears, and the expansion features a revamped camera system. An over-the-shoulder camera (similar to the one found in World of Warcraft) has been implemented, as has an RTS-like camera which allows for easier companion selection. Together, the new camera modes and party controls will make navigation and combat a more enjoyable experience.

The NWN modding community is stacked with talent – so much that Obsidian included a number of user-generated enhancements in Mask of the Betrayer. From AI improvements to spell fixes, the best community-made content found its way to the codebase. For the modding set, NWN's toolset has been expanded. There are, of course, new tilesets and creatures, but improving the usability of the tools has been a focus. The terrain editor now features an 'undo' option, and sorting through the various armor sets has been made easier with the addition of a creature wizard.

Nearly Ready for Release

According to Obsidian, content for the expansion pack has been finished since early June. Since then, the bulk of development time has been spent on bug-fixing and polishing. Hopefully, this extra attention to detail will prove worthwhile in the finished product, as NWN 2 received some barbs for lackluster performance and bugs at release. The graphical improvements are welcome, but fans are no doubt looking forward to the new character classes and races. With more of the Forbidden Realms open for exploration, and a promise to add more closure to the NWN storyline, Mask of the Betrayer is shaping up to be a must-have for NWN fans.

Page 1: IntroductionPage 2: Gameplay Changes and Technical Improvements

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