Updated July 2016!
From a soggy level 1 character, dripping on the shore, to an epic level Neverwinter-saving hero in no time! Follow these tips and tricks to leveling up in Neverwinter and watch your levels soar.
Leveling up fast means you need to optimize many aspects of both your character and playstyle. Defeating enemies, completing quests, and sticking to sound playstyle tactics will help you earn experience points (XP) and gain character levels quickly.
This leveling guide will help you get the most XP from everything you do in Neverwinter, taking a brand new character from creation to level 60 in a few short hours. An optimized character utilizing efficient gameplay can cut the overall leveling time and effort by as much as 75%!
Neverwinter is a 4e D&D MMO
Neverwinter is based off the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In this iteration of the D&D rules, players are divided into three main tiers. Levels 1 to 10 are Heroic. Levels 11 through 20 are Paragon. Levels 21 through 30 are Epic. Each of these tiers carries additional powers and abilities that your character will gain as it reaches these milestones.
In Neverwinter, the same idea is used; however, the level ranges are larger. This means that in Neverwinter, levels 1 to 30 are Heroic, 31 through 60 are Paragon, and 60+ are Epic.
As your character levels in Neverwinter, it will gain powers at each level. At 10th level, you will begin to assign Feat points to specialize your character. At level 30, you will be able to choose a Paragon Path, which further focuses your character. Make these choices based upon your own play style. The choices will determine your powers, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. So make sure you check out the paths available to you in your character sheet and try to make some kind of plan in advance before you start leveling.
Level Up Pace
If you are new to Neverwinter, take it slow. Enjoy the great stories and environments that Neverwinter has to offer. You will face off against classic enemies and travel to places that are near and dear to D&D lore. If you follow all of the suggestions in this guide, you will easily outpace game content and miss lots of great Neverwinter moments.
If you have already leveled up a character through the story or want to pick up your pace of leveling, this guide is for you. If you combine all of the leveling tips in this guide, you will easily outpace the story. The best XP comes from quests of your level or a little higher. Sergeant Knox will give you quests within this level range. You will need to skip over about every other adventure zone to keep this pace. You can still play through the content, but when the enemies or quests turn gray, you will not be getting much experience. It is best to wait to explore grayed areas until after leveling up.
Now let’s learn how to get those levels and get them fast!
Starting Your Character
Create your character and play through the tutorial. Once in Protector’s Enclave, open up the Zen store. Time to add bonus XP boosts!
Neverwinter Store XP Bonus Options
First let’s talk about a few of the things from the Neverwinter Store. Purchases are made with Zen. You can purchase Zen with real money or earn it through Arc Quests.
VIP XP and Key
For quick and efficient leveling, become a VIP. The first tier grants a 10% XP bonus. It also gives you a few other perks which are nice. The most important is an Enchanted Key, which I’ll discuss later.
XP Super Boosts
If you absolutely, positively, have to level up in as few hours as possible, purchase an XP boost. After purchase, the XP boost will appear in your character’s inventory. Double click it to activate, and the character will earn twice the XP they normally would receive for everything! The boosts last until you receive a certain amount of XP.
- Experience Boost: 900 Zen for 550,000 XP
- Epic XP Boost: 5000 Zen for 3.6 million XP
Using the Epic XP Boost along with the leveling tips below would allow you to level a character to 60 in a few hours. If you have to level up a cleric before guild night, do it with an Epic XP Boost!
XP-Boosting Fashion Clothes
You can also use some fashion clothes for additional XP.
- Inscribed Garment: 1500 Zen for 20% XP Boost
Alright, account set, boosts used, and gear is on. It’s time to start blasting through quests!
Questing versus Grinding
- Questing – Playing through game quests completing specific tasks.
- Grinding – Finding a level-appropriate public area and killing everything you can find.
In Neverwinter, quests will grant better XP than grinding. The number one rule for fast leveling is to do every quest you can! Leave grinding to the uninformed.
While questing, you will earn XP from defeating monsters at approximately the same rate as grinding, but you’ll also get a handsome chunk of XP and treasure upon completion. Questing is fun: monsters to slay, a story to follow, and class-specific gear rewards.
When you collect a set of quests for an area, make sure to complete them all before heading back to turn them in. Quests will be grouped with NPCs and a specific area. Save lots of time by limiting going back and forth from the same area.
Don’t examine every piece of gear you get. Save gear upgrades until after you turn in a quest series. Then you can use the new gear you get from the quest giver and supplement with recovered loot. It’s best to limit gear upgrades to every 5 or 10 levels. This saves a lot of time fussing over gear you will just quickly outgrow.
Questing is by far the best and fastest XP. If you follow this guide, forget grinding. Instead shoot for 5 to 10 levels an hour questing!
Slotting Gear with XP Enhancements
Now, back to the Enchanted Key I mentioned earlier. Each day, VIPs get an Enchanted Key. These open the Enchanted Lockboxes from enemies. Enchanted Lockboxes can have many things inside. The most useful for leveling are Termalune Bars. Use them at the Termalune Vendor in Protector’s Enclave to purchase Rank 7 Azure Enchantments. When slotted into gear, they grant additional XP.
At around 20th level, characters start getting items with enhancement slots. Head, hands, and feet usually have utility slots. Add Azure Enchantments into every utility slot you can for lots of additional XP! Hover over your XP bar at the bottom of the screen to see your total XP bonus.
Invoking Your God for XP
At 10th level, you will be able to start invoking at altars. Invoking is praying to your god. When you pray you are rewarded with an XP boost and more. Invoke your god as often as you can! Not only do you get XP boost, you also gain Astral Diamond Boosts, Ardent and Celestial Coins, along with enhancements and XP boosts.
Group-Based Leveling
Group-based leveling is tricky because you’re putting the pace of gaming into the hands of others. The best bet for group-based character leveling is to queue for group quests of your level. Most are repeatable and you can earn good XP. You can also get good gear in groups, but if you’re using this guide, you’ll quickly out level the gear you obtain.
The advantage to groups is you can queue up anywhere while you are working on other quests. If a group is formed, you’ll be teleported right into the quest. Once the quest is completed, you’ll be teleported back to where you were.
Daily Quests XP Boost
Once you head into Neverdeath Graveyard you can begin to take part in the Cult of the Dragon events. The zones with Cult of the Dragon events have daily quests. These can be picked up in addition to regular quests if a little extra XP is needed.
Underappreciated Crafting XP
Earn XP crafting while you are questing. Crafting alone is slow, but I have leveled a character from 10 to 60 by crafting alone! Make sure you always have crafters working on tasks. You will be able to get a slow XP infusion while you pound out quests. For the best results use Leadership and use the shortest duration possible.
Don’t forget Neverwinter Gateway. Level up in your internet browser when you are not even logged into the game!
Character Leveling Philosophy
The best leveling means to earn as much XP per hour as possible. Optimize your account through bonuses and your character through XP boosting gear. Focus on leveling with the quests in the main story arcs of Neverwinter. Pick up any side quests along the way. Keep your crafters crafting. Make sure to invoke your god as often as possible.
While doing all that you can also queue for the Daily Dungeons and Skirmishes.
With these tips and tricks, you will level very quickly, minimize tedium, and experience most of what Neverwinter has to offer. Before you know it, your character will cruise to level 60 and beyond!
Check out the Power Leveling in Neverwinter: Essential Tips, Tricks, and Tactics article I wrote for Dragon+ based off of this guide.
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