Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition
Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is out now for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch complete with all four campaigns and cross-platform multiplayer features. The four campaigns are the original storyline, Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir, and Mysteries of Westgate. You don’t have to necessarily play them in that order, but it’s definitely what I’d recommend.
You can read my review here for my thoughts on the game as a whole, but I also wanted to publish a separate article answering a lot of the specific questions I’ve seen raised about this game.
This new Enhanced Edition was developed and published by Aspyr, but the original game from 2006 was originally developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari exclusively on PC.
Neverwinter Nights 2—What Is It And Why Care?
“Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition brings players back to the rich, story-driven world of Dungeons & Dragons with updated visuals, improved UI, and full mod support,” Aspyr product manager Jordan Reese said in an email. Set in the iconic region around Neverwinter and the Sword Coast, it’s a deep, choice-driven RPG that modern players—especially fans of Baldur’s Gate 3—will love. Whether you’re returning or diving in for the first time, this edition delivers classic D&D adventure reimagined for today.”
Even though this is a numbered entry in a series, you don’t need to play the original Neverwinter Nights at all previously if you don’t want to. As I mentioned, there are four total campaigns included in Neverwinter Nights 2 and you can technically play them in any order, but I definitely recommend playing them in the order they’re presented at the main menu.
“You don’t have to start with the base game, but it can be a helpful introduction—especially for players new to the classic ruleset of D&D 3.5e,” Reese said. “The base campaign gives you a solid grounding in the world and mechanics, and if you do complete it, you can carry your character into Mask of the Betrayer. That said, MotB also lets you create a new level 18 character, so you can jump right in if you prefer. Storm of Zehir and Mysteries of Westgate are standalone adventures with their own stories, so no prior progress is required—they’re great options whether you’re continuing your journey or looking for something fresh.”
Neverwinter Nights 2—What’s The D&D 3.5e Ruleset?
Dungeons & Dragons has been around for many decades and directly influenced and laid the groundwork for, essentially, the entire RPG genre in video games. You can trace a direct line from D&D, to Ultima, and everything else that followed.
As a result, it’s seen many iterations and updates over those years. Right now, D&D 5e is the current version most people play and it’s the version games like Baldur’s Gate 3 are based on. But since Neverwinter Nights 2 is a nearly 20-year old game, that version didn’t exist when it was released. Instead, NWN2 is based on D&D 3.5e.
“5e is a ruleset that has been built upon the foundation set by 3.5e,” Reese said. “Neverwinter Nights 2 is based on the 3.5e which, to some, may feel more complex however it translates so well into the classic D&D game where the computer handles all the behind the scenes math. Players will have a lot of freedom in character customization, classes, and overall experience. Players looking for a deep and original D&D experience will feel right at home in Neverwinter Nights 2. I deeply enjoy playing with the 3.5e ruleset.”
Plus, as I mentioned in my review, the game has “packages” you can use during character creation to align with a certain playstyle you want to follow. Additionally, you can even have the game recommend stat points and feats when leveling up for you and any of your companions. There’s a lot to digest in this game, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you don’t want it to be.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition
Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition—What’s New?
As you can surmise from the title of the game, it’s not a remake and not even really a remaster. This is, more or less, a cleaned up port with restored functionality, better performance, more platforms supported, and slightly improved textures.
“We’ve made several adjustments to gameplay including controller support, with a new controller specific UI, updates to the visuals with improved textures and assets,” Reese said. “We’re adding in cross-platform multiplayer, so players are able to play with friends regardless of the platform they own. We’re also including all four enhanced campaigns, which includes the expansions, Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir, and Mysteries of Westgate. There are some additional minor updates being made and we’ll leave those to players to uncover and experience on their own.”
So if you were hoping for sweeping changes and updates to the game, this may leave you a little disappointed. But if you play primarily on Steam Deck, consoles, or had trouble getting the original game to run on your PC like a lot of folks, this is a very faithful and smooth way to play Neverwinter Nights 2. In fact, I’d say if you haven’t played the game before, this is definitely the version to get regardless of platform since all of the existing mods and player-made campaigns still work on PC.
“Most of the console updates center around visual enhancements and playability,” Reese said. “We’ve reworked menus, updated the controls scheme, and polished the experience so that players feel more comfortable navigating the world and game using a controller. Along with controller support we’ve targeted Verified status on Steam Deck. It comes down to personal preference how and when someone wants to play games. If that’s on a console or on the go with something like the Steam Deck, we want the player to be able to make that choice.”
Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition
Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition—Physical Release?
If you’ve followed my work here on Forbes, on social media, or anything I’ve done over the years then you probably know I’m a huge proponent of physical media, specifically in the game industry. I buy physically almost always when given the chance and have a large collection of nearly 800 games stretching back to Atari consoles, NES, Genesis, and far beyond.
Naturally, I was hoping for a physical release of Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition, but it doesn’t seem like that was the plan for initial release—but we don’t need to rule it out entirely just yet.
“Physical is something we’re always thinking about,” Reese said. “There is a certain type of value that comes from having the physical version, plus it opens the doors to do all kind of cool things with collector’s editions. I can’t confirm anything right now but know it’s something we think about with all of our titles.”
Fingers crossed. Since I received a PS5 code for the review, I’d immediately buy a physical edition on Switch to play on Switch 2. I’d love to see cross-save support added at some point in the future as well.
“If you have experience playing any D&D based game, or D&D adjacent game, you’ll pick up pretty quickly on how the mechanics work,” Reese said. “Much like Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 and the Pillars of Eternity games, this game is a real time combat system simulating turn based gameplay. New players that are inexperienced with D&D will find that the learning curve isn’t so steep that they will have a bad time. It’s an exceptional game that veterans of the D&D world, and newcomers, can enjoy.
“Take your time, get into the story and the world, experiment with different characters, races, and classes, and above all else—have fun. My personal favorite is a lawful good Paladin on a traditional hero’s journey smiting evil from the land. That might be a good place for people to start.”
Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is available now from Aspyr for PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
