NWN2 OC

Well, I'm now home and on vacation, so I decided to do something I should have done a long time ago--play the NWN2 OC and, since I now have it, Mask of the Betrayer. Over the course of the past two days, I've made pretty substantial progress in the OC: I began with the tutorial, and I'm now exploring Neverwinter City after having visted the Skymirror with Elanee. I've completed all sidequests I've come across, have killed three of the Shadow Priests, have seen the warlock dude kill some random noble in a cool cutscene, and of course caught my first glimpse of Black Garius. I'm still not sure who's side the warlock is on...Black Garius and his shadow priests are obviously with the King of Shadows, but I think the warlock may be on my side. Not sure. Don't spoil it for me! I'm actually having a really good time playing, which is a pretty rare experience for me these days; the combat balance is excellent for my character/party, the loot is in healthy supply, the economy is fair and, apart from a few laggy outdoor areas which are just ridiculously covered with grass and trees (BAD IDEA), things are running smoothly. I'm enjoying the cinematics and the story isn't half bad thus far. The companions are surprisingly "real", and I like that a lot of interaction with them happens automatically, without the player having to take the initiative to right-click and select "Talk To", which is something I never, ever feel inclined to do. So, two thumbs up from me so far...

In any event, I've taken a bunch of screenshots to document my playthrough. I'm trying a Favored Soul (with one level of fighter early on for some power-gaming goodness...), and having a great time; the sorcerer/cleric combo spellcasting-wise is really neat, as the one thing I could never stand about clerics was having to deal with the blasted spellbook. :)

Anyhow, some pictures: there aren't any of the more recent scenes I've been through (ie near Neverwinter City, Skymirror, etc.), but there are a bunch from early on. Enjoy!