Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide Preview
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Players can also make use of three interesting new skills in Shadows of Undrentide: Appraise, Craft Trap, and Tumble. Appraise gives your character the ability to better negotiate the price of any items they wish to purchase or sell, Craft Trap provides the means for a character to combine raw components into various trap kits, and Tumble grants a chance for the character to roll away from attacks during combat, including attacks of opportunity. BioWare has listened to their fans and has implemented a highly requested addition into Shadows of Undrentide: the ability to manipulate your henchman's inventory. This provides you with an additional character to help carry many of the items you find during your journey, and grants you the ability to decide which equipment you'd like them to use. You really can create a well-rounded duo this way, because your henchman's equipment can be arranged to complement your own.
Aside from all of the additional features, how does the Shadows of Undrentide campaign stand up against the original, you ask? Well, let me just say that the storyline is nothing short of fantastic. The story begins with your character being the senior apprentice to a man named Drogan, an ex-adventurer who has been training you (and three others) at his home in Hilltop. Within a few minutes of beginning the game, the sound of combat will be heard downstairs, and Master Drogan will have been struck down by a kobold wielding a poisoned dagger. Further investigation will reveal that the kobolds ran off with four powerful artifacts that Drogan had been guarding, and you must track them down to obtain what was stolen, as well as find a way to neutralize the venom that courses through the veins of your liege. The task isn't as simple as it seems, however; early in your adventurers you will learn that several powerful adversaries are involved in the plot and that the artifacts aren't exactly what they seem. Your task shifts from simple item retrieval to unmasking the perpetrators behind the theft and discovering why these artifacts are so sought after.
Overall, Shadows of Undrentide is a perfect example of the high quality we've come to expect from BioWare. Possessing an intriguing storyline, a vast number of new advancement options, and several all-nighters worth of area to explore, Shadows of Undrentide is a worthy addition to the original game and an absolute must for any Neverwinter Nights fan.
