Choosing Your Race

When it comes to choosing your race, a lot of players have different opinions. Some take it very seriously, and prefer to take whatever race grants the best bonus, regardless of how tiny or large it may be. Others prefer to just select whichever class they feel cosmetically has the best appearance. So honestly, I leave this section up to you.

For those interested in mainly cosmetics, please note that there are many customization options later in the character creation process. Options like hair style, skin color, height, build, etc. – are all available. The races just offer differences in general appearance, such as Sun Elves having pointy ears, and Tieflings have horns.

I’ll list below all the races with the most beneficial bonuses in an easy to read table. Beneath that will be specific modals that you can click on to view the class (and others) more thoroughly. 

Top Choices for DPS Increase

Metallic Ancestry Dragonborn (Premium Race) – View Details

Dragonborn (Premium Race) – View Details

Half Orc (Free) – View Details

Tiefling (Free) – View Details

Wood Elf (Free) – View Details

Human (Free) – View Details

Other Options (Recommended For Cosmetic Use Only)

Sun Elf (Free) View Details

Dwarf (Free) – View Details

Halfling (Free) – View Details

Half Elf (Free) View Details

Drow (Free) – View Details

Moon Elf (Premium Race) View Details

Menzoberranzan Renegade (Premium Race) – View Details

Ability Scores

Ability Scores are a general measurement of a character’s broadest abilities. There are six ability scores total, and they contribute to different statistics on your character depending on the class you play.

You first select your Ability Scores upon character creation, and it’s important to set it correct the first time around, as it costs Premium Currency (Zen) to reset the initial rolls in the future. Typically, most classes only focus on 2 Ability Scores (or “Attributes” as they’re often called), as later on as you progress through the game, you only receive 2 points at a time, each at Level 10, 20, 40, 50, 70 and 80. Here are the 6 Ability Scores:

• Strength (STR)
• Contitution (CON)
• Dexterity (DEX)
• Intelligence (INT)
• Wisdom (WIS)
• Charisma (CHA)

For a Rogue, there are a few different ways you can set your ability scores. Personally, I recommend; 

Distribution Preview

You could also consider pairing these stats instead;

– Strength & Contitution – Slightly leaning more towards survivability.

– Strength & Charisma – Focuses on faster cooldowns and grants a small amount of extra stats.

– Contitution & Charisma – This may help you cap for Zariel if you’re struggling to do so.

You could also mix and match any of these suggested Ability Scores to a build more suited to your personal gameplay.

Please note – upon Character Creation, you cannot “roll” your abilities anymore as of Module 16. I recommend trying to get your +2 Points (from your Racial Abilities) into either Strength or Dexterity if possible. Most importantly Strength though.

Stats (Statistics)

Statistics play a massive role in your damage output, and take some careful balancing if you wish to really make the most out of them. One of the main things players should be aware of is Opposing Rolls. Basically, how they work, is that there are certain stats that counteract or ‘negate’ the potency and efficiency of another stats. Enemies and Players alike have these, so likewise, enemies and players can counteract and negate each other.

Enemy Stats & How They Work

To put it simple, enemies have all the same types of stats that we do as players. This also means that they have the same opportunity to counter the same stats as we do as well, meaning that if our stats are inferior, or are below theirs, our foes can negate us fairly easily.

• Enemies have a base of 18’000 – 40’000 Armor Penetration, Accuracy, Critical Avoidance and Awareness. These are referred to as Low Ratings.
• Enemies have a base of 68’000 – 90’000 on Critical Strike, Combat Advantage, Defense and Deflection. These are referred to as High Ratings.

However, as long as our stats are above the enemy’s Low Ratings, you should see a return or benefit, even if it’s a small amount to begin with. For example, if your Critical Strike is even as low as 17’999, you will not see any return, because the enemy will be fully negating you with their 18’000 Critical Avoidance, but if you have 20’000 Critical Strike, you will see a small return of 2% Critical Chance because your rating is higher than your enemy’s.

Stat Caps & Goals

Armor Penetration

• Caps at a total of 68’000 for Lair of the Mad Mage. This is the recommended cap for new players.
• Caps at a total of 80’000 for Tower of the Mad Mage.
• Caps at a total of 85’000 for Infernal Citadel.
• Caps at a total of 90’000 for Zariel’s Challenge.
• Why is Armor Penetration important?

Accuracy

• Caps at a total of 68’000 for Lair of the Mad Mage. This is the recommended cap for new players.
• Caps at a total of 80’000 for Tower of the Mad Mage.
• Caps at a total of 85’000 for Infernal Citadel.
• Caps at a total of 90’000 for Zariel’s Challenge.
• Why is Accuracy important?

Critical Strike

• Caps at a total of 68’000 for Lair of the Mad Mage. This is the recommended cap for new players.
• Caps at a total of 80’000 for Tower of the Mad Mage.
• Caps at a total of 85’000 for Infernal Citadel.
• Caps at a total of 90’000 for Zariel’s Challenge.
• Why is Critical Strike important?

Combat Advantage

• Caps at a total of 118’000 for Lair of the Mad Mage. This is the recommended cap for new players.
• Caps at a total of 130’000 for Tower of the Mad Mage.
• Caps at a total of 135’000 for Infernal Citadel.
• Caps at a total of 140’000 for Zariel’s Challenge.
• Why is Combat Advantage important?

Power

• You should have a minimum of 180’000 Power (before buffs) when entering any endgame content. However, Power has no cap and can be worked on gradually while capping other stats.
• Why is Power important?

Defense

• Caps at a total of 68’000 for Lair of the Mad Mage. This is the recommended cap for new players.
• Caps at a total of 80’000 for Tower of the Mad Mage.
• Caps at a total of 85’000 for Infernal Citadel.
• Caps at a total of 90’000 for Zariel’s Challenge.
• Why is Defense important?

Hit Points

• Caps at a total of 250’000 for Lair of the Mad Mage. This is the recommended cap for new players.
• Caps at a total of 330’000 for Tower of the Mad Mage.
• Caps at a total of 330’000 for Infernal Citadel.
• Caps at a total of 500’000 for Zariel’s Challenge.
• Why are Hit Points important?

All Stats – Only For Example / Preview 

(Not my actual stats, don’t worry)

Powers / Feats

Powers are what you use to either attack / deal damage, or to buff your attacking powers / gameplay. There are different type of powers as well, with different mechanics.

Basic Mechanics / Terminology

Before we get into the heavy details of powers, I should probably explain the main functions and mechanics of how our powers work and are measured in-game. Most of it feels straight forward, but for a new or returning player, it could be confusing.

Paragon Paths 

I recommend selecting the Assassin Paragon Path. Paragon Paths are groups of powers and feats that can be used to customize your character’s build. If you find Whisperknife to be more to your liking though, then please note this powers set-up is likely not for you then. There is a Whisperknife build you can view here on MmoMinds.

At-Will Powers

At-Will Powers serve as the basic attack for each class. They consist of having no cooldown, but significantly lower damage compared to that of an Encounter or Daily power. You can only slot 2 at a time. I recommend slotting;

Encounter Powers

Encounter Powers serve as the stronger, main attacks for each class. They are generally used in situations that require more than a basic attack, and have cooldowns ranging anywhere from 9 – 20+ seconds. As of Module 16, you cannot (easily) reduce these cooldowns. You can slot up to 3 Encounter Powers at a time. I recommend slotting;

Daily Powers

Daily Power (also known as Dailies) function the same as Encounter powers, however, they need Action Points before they can be activated. Some Dailies may also have a cooldown, though I’m currently unaware of any on the Rogue. You may have 2 Daily Powers slotted at a time.

Overview

Icon	Name	Magnitude	Cast	Cooldown	Power Type	Attack Type
	Duelist’s Flurry	25	0.15 Seconds	N/A	At-Will	Single Target
	Gloaming Cut	110	1.1 Seconds	N/A	At-Will	Single Target
	Sly Flourish	30	0.26 Seconds	N/A	At-Will	Single Target
	Lashing Blade	550	1 Second	11.1 Seconds	Encounter	Single Target
	Deft Strike	540	0.9 Seconds	13 Seconds	Encounter	Single Target
	Assassinate	650	0.95 Seconds	13.9 Seconds	Encounter	Single Target
	Blade Flurry	220	0.45 Seconds	11.1 Seconds	Encounter	Area of Effect
	Path of the Blade	330	0.8 Seconds	15.3 Seconds	Encounter	Area of Effect
	Shocking Execution	1700	1.5 Seconds	1000 Action Points	Daily	Single Target
	Bloodbath	1400	0.25 Seconds	1000 Action Points	Daily	Area of Effect

Class Features

A Class Feature is a passive ability that grants special bonuses indicated by its tooltip. They are unique in that they do not require player activation. Some Class Features provide buffs to a party, while others provide extra mechanics to a player’s powers. You can slot up 2 Class Features at a time.

Feats

Feats are a character passive bonus that slowly unlocks two options at Level 41, 50, 59, 68 and 77. You may only select 1 of the 2 feats at each level. As of Module 16, there is only 2 rows of feats. The Saboteur, Scoundrel and Executioner feat pathways no longer exist unfortunately.

Overview

Icon	Name	Effect	Trigger	Feat Type
	Tactics	Increases your Action Point Gain by 10%	N/A	Class Feature
	Oppressive Darkness	When you have Combat Advantage, your powers deal an additional 20 maginitude damage to the target.	Combat Advantage	Class Feature
	Toxic Blades	Encounter/Daily Attacks Apply A DoT	Encounter/Daily Powers	Paragon Feat
	Master of Shadows	Stealth Drains / Regenerates 50% Faster	N/A	Paragon Feat
	Duelist’s Expertise	+0.5% Damage Per Second, 15 Stacks Max. The 16th Stack Grants Master Duelist. Master Duelist grants 15% Damage For 10 Seconds	All Attacks	Paragon Feat
	Back Alley Tactics	Deal Up To 10% Damage Based On How Few AP You Have.	Low Action Points	Paragon Feat
	Shadow’s Flurry	Attacks Have A 5% Chance To Spawn Shadowy Figure That Uses The Final Combo Of Duelist’s Flurry	All Attacks	Paragon Feat

Rotations (Single Target)

I prefer to strike with Deft Strike without stealth. Stealth does not increase it’s potency (magnitude), and is even likely to accidentally target a teammate rather than your enemy, so it’s best to avoid stealth when it comes to Deft Strike.

I like to follow Deft Strike with Assassinate with no stealth. If you use it directly after Deft Strike, you’re behind your enemy, and when you use Assassinate from behind your target, it deals 25% Bonus Damage.

When I do use Stealth, I use it with Lashing Blade. The reason I wait to use Stealth with this, is because Stealth causes this attack to hit with an extra 50% Critical Severity. Additionally, by waiting those extra seconds, your party (and self) has had time to buff up and can make your attack much stronger than your first ones.

When it comes to At-Wills, use them to fill the time when you’re waiting for your Encounters and Dailies to recharge. I prefer to just spam Duelist’s Flurry, but Gloaming Cut hits nice as well. I also like to Stealth, Duelist’s Flurry, then Lashing Blade. It makes for a good, strong combination.

For Daily Powers, use Bloodbath for multiple enemies if you really have to and Shocking Execution for a single target. However, try to save your Daily Powers for bosses only.

After that, it’s kind of just rinse and repeat. Just remember, Stealth on Lashing Blade only and never on Deft Strike or Assassinate.

Of course, pop your Artifacts and Mount Combat Powers just prior to a big flurry of attacks. Most bonuses only last for 10-12 seconds, so try to make the most of those small moments with big buffs.

For solo / questing, I have found Blade Flurry and Path of the Blades to be power house encounters. I like to use Path of the Blades > Stealth > Blade Flurry > Blade Flurry, and if anything is left after that, I just use Assassinate to finish it off. This can also be used for mobs in Dungeons.

When running Zariel, I would switch Deft Strike with Wicked Reminder.

Boons

Boons are a bonus buff granted to your character that generally are earned through Campaign Completions. There are exceptions to this though such as the Stronghold Boons and the PvP Boons. Stronghold Boons will be posted at the very bottom; PvP Boons are irrelevant to the guide.

Our main “Challenge Campaign” Boons are earned through tiers. It does not matter which campaign you start with first, you will still have to earn your way up the tier levels regardless. It does slightly make boons more of a pain to truly max out, however, it makes reaching the Tier 5 Boons more rewarding.

So, here are my main suggestions. Anything listed as “Optional”, please choose based on your own needs, and what stats you may need that I don’t, or vice versa. Boons are designed to further compliment your stats, so the majority will be fairly optional. If you aren’t sure what stats you need, refer back to the “Stats” tab. My personal Boon Set up will also be listed at the bottom of this page.

Master Boons – Choose One

Useful Boons	Icon	Description	Ranks
Blood Lust		Rank 1: Decreases target’s awareness by 500 per rank for 10 seconds. Rank 2: Do an additional attack equal to 120% of your weapon damage plus 10% per rank. Rank 3: Increase Action Point Gain by .5% per rank for 10 seconds.	3

 

Tier 5 – Choose Two

Useful Boons	Icon	Description	Ranks
Severe Criticism		Increases Critical Severity by 1% per rank.	4
Call of Power		Increases Action Point Gain by 1% per rank.	4
Quick Turnaround		Increases Recovery Gain by 1% per rank.	4

 

Tier 4 – Requires 30 Boon Points Spent

Useful Boons	Icon	Description	Ranks
Captain’s Training		Increases Power by 250 per rank.	5
Accuracy		Increases Accuracy by 250 per rank.	5
Necrotic Bulwark		Increases Hit Points by 1000 per rank.	5
Necrotic Mastery		Increases damage and damage resistance versus undead by 1% per rank.	5

 

Tier 3 – Requires 20 Boon Points Spent

Useful Boons	Icon	Description	Ranks
Knight’s Training		Increases Power by 250 per rank.	5
Combat Advantage		Increases Combat Advantage by 250 per rank.	5
Dino Bulwark		Increases Hit Points by 1000 per rank.	5
Dino Power		Increases damage and damage resistance versus Dinosaurs by 1% per rank.	5
Simple Support		Increases Companion Influence by 2% per rank.	5

 

Tier 2 – Requires 10 Boon Points Spent

Useful Boons	Icon	Description	Ranks
Squire’s Training		Increases Power by 250 per rank.	5
Armor Penetration		Increases Armor Penetration by 250 per rank.	5
Demonic Bulwark		Increases Hit Points by 1000 per rank.	5
Demonic Mastery		Increases damage and damage resistance versus Demons by 1% per rank.	5
Marathon Runner		Increases Movement Speed by 2.5% per rank.	5

 

Tier 1 – No Requirements

Useful Boons	Icon	Description	Ranks
Recruit’s Training		Increases Power by 250 per rank.	5
Critical Strike		Increases Critical Strike by 250 per rank.	5
Cultist Bulwark		Increases Hit Points by 1000 per rank.	5
Cultist Power		Increases damage and damage resistance versus Cultists by 1% per rank.	5

Stronghold Boons

Stronghold Boons are determined by the Level of your Guild, the Boon Structures your Guild Leadership have chosen, and the Rank of those Structures. If you want to know the specifics of your personal guild’s boons, I’d suggest speaking with your Guild Leader, as it varies from guild to guild.

You may only choose one Offence, Defense and Utility Boon at a time, but you can switch between them easily without a retraining token.

Need a guild and play on PC? Come join mine, Chronic Legion. Max Level / Boons. We established during Neverwinter Beta in April of 2013, and have never been anything less than active since!

Boons of Interest

• Power Bonus (Offence)
• Armor Penetration Bonus (Offence)
• Deflect Bonus (Defense)
• Hit Points Bonus (Defense)
• Experience Points Bonus (Utility)
• Mount Speed Bonus (Utility)
• Revive Sickness (Utility)

Gear

With the introduction of Module 16 and the new Level Cap, we saw a massive amount of the once familiar gear become outdated. So, this raises a lot of questions about what gear we should be using at endgame. In all honesty, I even have those questions myself still to a degree, but I’m always trying to find the best of the best for not just you guys, but myself too.

In addition, most guides do not cover what gear to use as a stepping stone towards endgame, or how to obtain it. However, I try to always include that, as I (personally) believe it helps a much broader audience than solely endgamers, and even helps promote future endgamers.

Hopefully it does prove to be helpful!

Full Gear Set For Beginners

Upon reaching Level 70, you will unlock a quest you can pick up in Protectors Enclave, on the table behind Sergeant Knox. This quest is called An Important Invitation. It’s very easy and takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and will grant you all of the following gear / enchantments (stats are not listed):

Icon	Name	Slot	Enchantment
	Undermountain Mask	Head	Azure Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Vest	Armor	Radiant Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Gloves	Arms	Dark Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Dagger	Main Hand	Azure Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Stiletto	Offhand	Dark Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Boots	Feet	Radiant Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Necklace	Neck	Dark Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Ring of Light	Ring	Azure & Dark Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Ring of Dark	Ring	Radiant & Dark Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Sash	Waist	Azure Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Shirt	Shirt	Dark Enchantment, Rank 8
	Undermountain Pants	Trousers	Radiant Enchantment, Rank 8
	Broken Mirror	Secondary Artifact	N/A
	Bad Luck Charm	Secondary Artifact	N/A
	Tarnished Locket	Secondary Artifact	N/A
	Silver Link of the Companion	Companion Only	No Runestone
	Harness Loops of the Companion	Companion Only	No Runestone
	Mountain Tags of the Companion	Companion Only	No Runestone

Gear for Endgame Stepping Stones

These are some gear farming suggestions to help get you moving towards endgame.

Endgame Gear

Icon	Name	Slot	Why	How To Acquire
	Lion Guard’s Raid Hat	Head	Highest Stats. Best Equip Bonus.	The Infernal Citadel
	Stealer of the Star’s Hides	Armor	The Equip Bonus makes it best in slot.	Stardock Expeditions
	Lion Guard’s Raid Gloves	Arms	The Equip Bonus makes it best in slot.	The Infernal Citadel
	Lionguard Dagger	Main Hand	Highest base damage. Best Weapon Set Bonus.	Tower of the Mad Mage
	Lionguard Stiletto	Offhand	Highest base damage. Best Weapon Set Bonus.	Tower of the Mad Mage
	Infernal Forged Gaiters	Feet	The Equip Bonus makes it best in slot.	Seals of the Fallen
	Engine Master’s Mantle	Neck	Best Artifact Set Bonus available right now.	The Infernal Citadel
	Bypass Gold Ring	Ring	The Equip Bonus makes it best in slot. x2 Offence Slots.	Tower of the Mad Mage
	Striking Ring of the Master	Ring	The Equip Bonus makes it best in slot. x2 Offence Slots.	Tower of the Mad Mage
	Whip of the Erinyes	Waist	Best Artifact Set Bonus available right now.	The Infernal Citadel
	Ebony Stained Raid Shirt	Shirt	The Equip Bonus makes it best in slot.	Master Expedition
	Infernal Forged Assault Trousers	Pants	Best Stats.	Seals of the Fallen

Modifications

Modifications are bonuses that are manually added to your gear. Mostly, they come in the form of Reinforcement Kits. Artifact Weapons however do come with automatic Modifications that can be changed or upgraded with Astral Diamonds and/or Cubes of Augmentations.

Icon	Type	Slot(s)	Top Choice	How To Acquire / Unlock
	Armor Kit	Head, Armor, Arms & Feet	Major Power Armor Kit +1	Professions / Auction House
	Jewel	Neck, Waist & Ring	Major Combat Advantage Jewel +1	Professions / Auction House
	Modification	Artifact Weapon (Main Hand)	Exhanced Duelist’s Expertise	Cubes of Augmentations
	Modification (1)	Artifact Weapon (Offhand)	Power	Cubes of Augmentations
	Modification (2)	Artifact Weapon (Offhand)	Critical Severity	Cubes of Augmentations

Enchantments

Disclaimer : Please read the Stats tab before investing into any of the Enchantments listed below.

Enchantments are a magic stone you use to grant additional stats and effects to your gear / character. Standard gear and equipment come with either an Offensive, Defensive, Utility, Overload, Armor or Weapon type Enchantment Slot. Basically I’m going to break down here what Enchantments I recommend working for and with.

Enchantments are there to help support your stats and to build them. Make your choices wisely.

Should You Upgrade or Buy Enchantments?

It’s not a bad idea to upgrade your Enchantments yourself; depending on the Enchantment and it’s rank, you can either save money, or waste money. It’s always important to do your research to estimate the actual cost of an upgrade versus buying an already upgraded version of your enchantment.

Tip : I have a Refinement Table for Enchantments already created. You click here to view it.

Beginner Choices & Why

Early on, expect to have some difficulty reaching your Stat Caps. While most of your stats will come from your Companion and your Gear, Enchantments can also be a huge boost to whichever stats you need to max the most. Please choose what helps you the most; not just what I personally choose to use. Don’t be afraid to use double / Triple Stat Enchantments temporarily if it means helping you reach your current stat goals.

Tip : You can easily trade out Enchantments of equal ranks amongst fellow players in Protector’s Enclave.

Endgame Choices & Why

At Endgame, you will want to stack lots and lots of Power. Because of this, you’ll want to dump all your Enchantment slots into Power. This makes it critical to focus only on the Radiant Enchantment at endgame for all slots available.

Offense Enchantments

It’s not hard to reach beginner caps, so I always recommend players to start with the enchantment set up they’ll use for Endgame and upgrade the right ones from the get-go; saves your time, resources and Astral Diamonds in the long-run.

Icon	Enchantment	Recommended Slot	Main Stat	Secondary Stat	Secondary Stat
	Radiant	Offence	Power	N/A	N/A
	Tenebrous (x1)	Offence	Tooltip	N/A	N/A

Defense Enchantments

Defense-stats will help you stay alive. While Defense isn’t nearly as important as Offence, it’s still important to be mindful of what will benefit you most. The main defensive stats you’ll want to build will be Hit Points and / or Defense.

Icon	Enchantment	Recommended Slot	Main Stat	Secondary Stat	Secondary Stat
	Radiant	Defense	Hit Points	N/A	N/A
	Brutal	Defense	N/A	Defense	Hit Points

Armor Enchantments

Armor Enchantments only pop up on Armor-type gear (chest piece) after Level 60 in some cases, but generally at Level 70. You can only ever have 1 equipped; Barkshield is a must-have as you work towards harder, more challenging content in the game.

Icon	Enchantment	Active Bonus
	Barkshield	Every 6 seconds your armor receives a charge of Bolstered Bark up to a maximum of 4 charges. Whenever someone attempts to deal damage to you, one charge of Bolstered Bark is consumed.

Weapon Enchantments

Weapon Enchantments are the only Enchantment I’d say are very black and white, without much freedom to pick and choose from. Most are very similar, however, I’ve noticed the Bilethorn and Vorpal seem to stand out. Most players currently agree with this statement as well.

Icon	Enchantment	Active Bonus
	Vorpal	Your At-Will, Encounter and Daily Powers deal (x)% bonus damage as Arcane Damage, and have their Critical Severity increased by 35%.
	Bilethorn	Your Powers deal 5% bonus damage as posion. Target enemy takes Magnitude 40 weapon damage as poision damage after 4 seconds.

Artifacts

Artifacts took a big change during Module 16, however, their primary function really hasn’t changed, which is a good thing. Artifacts exist for 3 main reasons:

• You will need 1 Artifact to complete your Artifact Set Bonus.
• You will need 1 Artifact with a good Artifact Power to boost your damage during combat.
• You will need 2-3 Artifacts with useful stats to compliment your existing statistics.

Likewise to Enchantments, I always encourage players to choose Artifacts that best suit whatever they currently have at their disposal. Basically, whatever best compliments your character’s current level of progression within the game. However, it’s important to not upgrade anything temporary past an Epic (Purple) Quality level, as you lose 60% of whatever Refinement Points you invest into Artifacts.

Below, I’ll list Artifacts of interest, however, I would wait until at least mid-May before upgrading anything past Epic unless I specify otherwise, as many functions are still being fiddled with by the Developers and are subject to change without warning.

Primary Artifacts vs Secondary Artifacts

You may only have one Primary Artifact equipped at a time. Your Primary Artifact is the Artifact you choose to use in Combat. It’s wise to choose an Artifact Power that will benefit and compliment your character’s needs. This should always be the Artifact you prioritize upgrading and investing into first.

Secondary Artifacts are simply artifacts that are either equipped solely for the stats they offer, or to complete an Artifact Set you already have equipped to your character. Other than that, they do not serve any specific function or mechanic.

Upgrading Artifacts – Things You Should Know

Artifacts, likewise to Companions & Mounts, come in different ranks; Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic. They generally start at either Uncommon, Rare or Epic, and must be further upgraded with Refinement Points.

When you invest Refinement Points into an Artifact, do not expect to be able to refund all your Refinement Points back if you choose to switch out an artifact. You will receive an estimate of 30-40% of your Refinement Points back depending on the artifact’s current rank. Some artifacts cannot be Refined, such as Class Sigils.

Please remember that you only need 4 of the Artifacts listed below. 

Disclaimer : I did not include the Journals despite them being Best In Slot as they cannot be currently obtained by new players.

Artifacts

Icon	Artifact	Purpose	Why
	Staff of Flowers	Primary	Provides a big debuff/buff, recommended use before big flurries of heavy attacks.
	Wyvern-Venom Coated Knives	Primary / Secondary	Provides strong debuff, usually good to use in Zariel.
	Halaster’s Blased Scepter	Secondary	Offers HP and Power
	Erratic Drift Ball	Secondary	Offers HP and Power
	Trobriand’s Ring	Secondary	Offers Power and Defense
	Book of Vile Darkness	Secondary	Gives Power & Needed for the Artifact Set Bonus.
	Arcturia’s Music Box	Secondary	Offers Power, ArmPen, CA. Not the best, but not the worst.

Companions

Companions received a massive re-work back in Module 16. All active bonuses were adjusted or changed and the entire companion window was re-designed. Regardless, there is a lot to cover in this tab, and I hope I do it justice.

Bonding Runestones

Your companion window will allow you to equip up to 3 Bonding Runestones. Bonding Runestones are extremely important to have, because they grant you a large percentage of your companion’s stats. In higher ranks of the Bonding Runestones, they will multiply your companions stats for you, which is a large buff to your character.

Companion Equipment

Your companion may have up to 3 pieces of gear equipped. The gear can be any type – sword, necklace, ring, belt, you name it. The equipment however must specify “Companion Only”, meaning it is impossible to equip it anywhere except your companion.

The top strategy to farming the best Companion Equipment, is through the Expeditions in Undermountain (and Stardock). When completing the various “training” Expeditions, always aim to obtain 9 Magic Runes (3 Per Map, 3 Maps Total). This should grant you Best In Slot Companion Gear.

Additionally, when you complete Stardock (Part 2 of Undermountain), you’ll receive a Yrlakka’s Family Jewelry Box which allows you to choose a Companion Gear Item of your choice!

Runestones

Runestones are basically an equivalent to your character’s enchantments, but are designed specifically and solely for your companion’s gear. So you can only equip Runestones into Companion Only gear. Personally I always recommend players to start off with Empowered Runestones from the beginning, but understandably you may need others to help reach caps early on. Here’s a list of the main Runestones you might consider;

Icon	Name	Offence Stat	Defense Stat
	Enigmatic Runestone	Combat Advantage	Critical Avoidance
	Arcane Runestone	Armor Penetration	Deflection
	Profane Runestone	Critical Strike	Defense
	Empowered Runestone	Power	Hit Points
	Recondite Runestone	Accuracy	Awareness

Augmentation

There are different types of companions, but there is a certain type referred to as an Augment. Augment Companions offer the Augmentation Effect, meaning that they grant you an additional percentage of their stats to your character on top of the Bonding Runestones. They do not attack or deal damage themselves though.

Different Augments give slightly higher stats to 2 stats; so deciding on an Augment can take some thought. Early on, I would look at getting something cheap such as a Black Ice Ioun Stone; but at endgame the main 2 Augments I would suggest are the Bulette or the Quasit.

Companion Powers (Offensive, Defensive, Utility)

Currently in the game, companions offer different active bonuses that become applied to your character. There are different types – Offense, Defence and Utility. Each player has 5 slots total that we can place our companions active bonuses into. Some active bonuses can even be slotted in more than 1 type of slot. In addition, we have a slot for “Companion Enhancements”, which are just smaller buffs available to use with our characters. Our slots go as follows:

• 3 Offensive Slots
• 1 Defensive Slot
• 1 Utility Slot
• 1 Companion Enhancement Slot
• A total of 6 slots available.

Bolster Values

Bolster Values affect the attack and power of your summoned companion based on the quality of same-type companions you have in your companion inventory. (By companion inventory, I mean the “Summon Companion” window, just to clarify). There are 5 types of companions:

• Fighters
• Creatures
• Invokers
• Mystical
• Beast

The higher quality and quantity you have a specific type, will increase your Bolster Value, to a maximum of 15%:

• Uncommon Quality grants 1.5% Bolster
• Rare Quality grants 2% Bolster
• Epic Quality grants 2.5% Bolster
• Legendary Quality grants 3% Bolster

Companions of Interest

Finally we’re at the part of the guide where I listed the companions of interest for Module 16 based on the bonuses they offer. Several of them offer large amounts of stats, and as I keep saying in this guide; choose what compliments your stats the best. It’s all about finding a balance, and there is no right or wrong way to do that.

Note also, companions bonuses do become more powerful the higher quality they are. So please consider that when a companion is showing “less” of a stat, when compared to another – it’s likely just a difference in the base quality of that companion.

I’ll list the companions I personally use, but please note that when you are starting the game, please consider choosing a companion that will compliment your base stats until you begin to achieve higher than the stat caps.

My End-Game Set Up

Icon	Name	Type	Minimum Rank	Stats	Stats Type
	Deepcrow Hatchling	Creature	Epic	Power (Augmentation)	Offence
	Minstrel	Fighter	Uncommon	Power / Awareness	Defense
	Ghost	Invoker	Rare	Power / Critical Strike	Offence / Utility
	Mercenary	Invoker	Common	Power / Combat Advantage	Offence
	Tamed Velociraptor	Beast	Uncommon	You and any allies with a Tamed Velociraptor gain +1500 Power. Stacks 5 times. For Party use only.	Offence
	Alpha Compy	Invoker	Epic	+5% Power	Utility

Mounts

Mounts are purposed to aid us – and mostly aid us by getting us to our destination faster than we would on foot. In Neverwinter, mounts are also designed to aid us through combat either by granting us additional stats, or with an attack / buff power we can summon them to use during live combat. Because of this, selecting a mount to purchase should be a delicate choice based on what it is your need and want for your character.

Additionally, Neverwinter is unique in that it encourages you to become creative with your mount set up. When you gain a mount’s bonus, it’s gained as an independent buff, detached from the host mount itself. This allows you to mix and match bonuses, speeds, powers and visuals to your personal liking without having to sacrifice certain aspects of one mount for the sake of another.

Mount Speed

Mounts have 4 different speed levels, each one can be unlocked / gained by a mount of the corresponding quality, and once unlocked / gained, can then be used with any mount. For example, you could buy an Epic Quality Mount, granting 110% Speed, equip the speed bonus, and choose to ride an Uncommon Quality Mount at 110% Speed instead of 50%.

You may also use the Mount Speed boon from your Guild to increase your Mount Speed anywhere from 3 – 30%.

Equip Powers

As said in the opening statement, many mounts offer you additional stats. Now, it should be noted, that only Epic & Legendary mounts offer these additional stats, referred to as “Equip Powers”. Not all Equip Powers grant stats, as some act more as a mechanic or a bonus instead of a hard stat. I usually recommend hard stat bonuses though, and like always, I also recommend to select the stat(s) that balance your overall stats the best- typically 10’000 Power bonuses are the best ones to select though..

I recommend checking Rainer’s spreadsheet of the game’s Mounts, and what mount offers what bonus. I also would recommend getting a mount that offers whichever stat you’re struggling with the most to fully cap.

Click here for Rainer’s Spreadsheet.

Combat Powers

Legendary Mounts grant an attack or buff power that can be cast during live combat. These are referred to as Combat Powers, and have a 1 minute cooldown. Right now, there isn’t a lot of selection for best in slot options. There are only 2 I would consider suggesting for any player, new or veteran, and that is;

The Swarm‘s current Combat Power, Bat Swarm, is currently best in slot. However, the mount itself doesn’t grant a very good Equip Power. Tenser’s Floating Disk is a viable option in my opinion. It offers a valuable Equip Power, and it’s Combat Power, Tenser’s Transformation, is still a viable option, even if it is inferior to Bat Swarm. You get your Astral Diamonds worth with this mount.

Insignias

Insignia’s more or less are like applying Runestones to your Companion, or Enchantments to your Gear – just instead it’s applying Insignia’s to your mounts. Mounts, like gear and companions, also come with pre-set slots. Depending on the quality of the Mount, you may or may not have “free for all” slots called Universal Slots. These are the pre-set slots you will see in-game:

• Illuminated
• Barbed
• Enlightened
• Crescent
• Regal
• Universal (Any type can be slotted)

Each Insignia also grants your character a certain amount of a stat that is influenced by the quality level of the insignia:

Upgrading Insignias

Common and Rare insignias are always obtained as is, and can be upgraded or refined to an Epic Insignia. An Epic Insignia can be upgraded to a Legendary Insignia, and is actually currently the only way to obtain a Legendary Insignia aside from buying / trading.

It’s very easy to upgrade, and does not require any Preservation Wards, as it has a 100% Chance of Upgrade. It does however, Insignia Powder, which is obtained from refining Insignias.

Insignia Bonuses

Insignias are unique compared to other magic stones, as they are the only magic stone in the game to grant a “Set Bonus”. If you mix the right set of insignias together (based by type, not by stat), you will receive a bonus to help you through out your adventures. Some are offensive abilities that will boost your damage, others are party buffs that help your teammates collectively, and then there are the few that grant a bonus towards grinding for things like Refinement Points or Astral Diamonds.

At this point in time, the majority of them kind of suck. I’ll still list below some bonuses to consider though, as there are a few decent ones.

My Build For Zariel

I know there’s already guides up and around for reaching Zariel Caps but as someone who doesn’t have different 1010 Item Level Companion gear at my disposal, nor any Lionguard Gear, nor a Triceratops, or any of that “deemed necessary” stuff along those lines; a lot of people ask how I managed to reach the caps for Zariel. So here’s some screenshots of everything I’m using down to the dot in order to reach Zariel Caps;

Disclaimer : Obviously there are more efficient ways to cap for Zariel, but this is a somewhat “cost efficient” way to cap.

Gear / Artifacts Preview

Stats Preview (Without Full Buffs)

Ability Scores

Enchantments

Powers

Feats

Boons

Guild Boons

Minimum Required Food Buffs

Belt Slot

Complete Companion Set-Up

Mount Set-Up

Insignias (No, I didn’t focus much on bonuses)

Useful Links

There’s a lot of useful websites, guides and information out there that I would encourage everyone to take advantage of. I know for myself, a lot of these resources really help me with testing, sharing information, sharing ideas, and learning everything about the game. Enjoy!

My YouTube – I upload fun, creative and helpful content frequently so be sure to check that out!

Neverwinter Reddit – Good place to get information and ask questions. Just don’t /r/Whoooooosh

Neverwinter Forums – Really great place to ask questions, make suggestions, find guilds or alliances, leave feedback, and more.

Neverwinter News – Stay in the know-how by regularly checking up on the Neverwinter News.

Neverwinter Wiki – Basically the Neverwinter version of Wikipedia. Everything you need is on there.

Neverwinter Character Transfer – Allows you to transfer copies of your character(s) from the live server to the preview server.

Neverwinter Calculator – Great way to quickly share your feat and power set-ups for your class with others – its simple and easy to use.

Rainer’s M19 Spreadsheet – I reference to this a lot myself.

Advanced Combat Tracker – Good program to help you record and test your damage and buffs.

Chronic Legion – Need a guild? Come check mine out, I’ve been leading it for years now!