Neverwinter’s Bard Makes His Debut Alongside Odious Court And A Level Squish Next Week

neverwinter bard key art banner

Remember that new Bard class that’s rolled out on the Neverwinter preview server earlier this week? Well, apparently the new class will be launching sooner rather than later and will be making his musical debut alongside The Odious Court’s release next week. The Bard functions as either a melee DPS or a support class depending on whether players choose to go with the Songblade path or the Minstrel.

“For players that choose the Bard class, they will become a stylish fighter who uses the power of song to enhance their allies and defeat their enemies. Weaving their way through their enemies with a variety of flashy attacks, Bards can seamlessly burst into songs burning their enemies with a blazing performance. Also, when in a more supportive role, Bards can dance around the battlefield filling the ears of their allies with rejuvenating carols and defensive minuets while preparing for the final curtain call.”

But that’s not all that’s headed for the game next week. Aside from a new class and Sharandar’s final story arc, next week’s update will also completely rebalance progression with a level squish from level 80 down to level 20.

“Levels in Neverwinter were a big focus when starting out but then when reaching endgame, the focus turns to item level,” said developer Cryptic Studios. “As we looked to improve the leveling experience, we felt it was a good time to connect better with D&D while also helping players understand what to focus on to improve their character.”

“That brought us to bringing the levels back to 20 and have them be milestones that mark progress in your journey which all ties in better with core D&D gameplay. Those milestones are now a linear journey with new tutorials, changes to gear, and a better experience for new players learning Neverwinter,” the studio explained.

A few of the older adventure zones will also be closed indefinitely while the developers work on ways to rebalance them for the revamped progression. The team promises to reveal more information in an upcoming blog.

Sharandar Episode 3: The Odious Court launches on June 8 on PC and July 6 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.