"Atari Europe has published news of a new expansion pack for NWN2 titled "Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir" and the NWN2 Spanish site Neverwinteros has the scoop. We've confirmed that it's real with Matthew Rorie, Marketing/PR producer for Obisidian who was kind enough to give us a heads up. The translation is a bit rough but here's the story:

Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir hearkens back to the days of the Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale franchises by including full party customization, dungeon crawling, and free exploration of a non-linear game world via an Overland Map. The gripping storyline foreshadows the events that will take place in the Forgotten Realms with the coming of release this June of the Fourth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons® Roleplaying Game.

In the aftermath of the defeat of the King of Shadows, the Sword Coast is in the midst of an uneasy economic recovery. Trade syndicates have sprung up to exploit the post-war confusion for their own ends. The players’ party will wade into this uncertain environment; in order to increase their own fortunes, they can either ally with a syndicate to create a trade empire, or cut their own path through Faerûn by preying upon caravans and selling the goods on the black market. As they attempt to extend their influence, players will become aware of a new faction working behind the scenes: the evil, shapeshifting, serpentine Yuan-Ti.

In addition to trading and economic manipulation, the Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Overland Map allows players to explore the Chultan Peninsula and Sword Coast in a non-linear manner never before seen in any of the Neverwinter Nights games. Exploration will take players from well-known locations, like Neverwinter and Crossroad Keep, to more exotic areas, such as the xenophobic jungle nation of Samarach. Groups of highwaymen and monsters populate the Overland Map and the farther from civilization the player roams, the more difficult the encounters become. The 15-hour campaign in Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir is also packed with new classes, spells, creatures, and playable races.

Fans of the compelling multiplayer features of Neverwinter Nights 2 will also be able to take advantage of new improvements to the multiplayer experience, while modders will be able to take advantage of the power and flexibility of the Overland Map and Trading System features along with other world-building enhancements.

Game Features:

· Travel the Sword Coast and Samarach using the open ended exploration of the new Overland Map. Use skills like Spot and Survival while on the Overland Map to avoid ambushes and even find hidden locales and lost artifacts.

· Create your own full party of adventurers. Devastate your foes with a squad of fireball-flinging Sorcerers, form a solid wall of steel with a party of Fighters, or strike the perfect balance in your party by spreading out the classes you choose for your characters.

· Improved party gameplay including streamlined party conversations, a new Teamwork Benefit System, and powerful party feats.

· The world's economy reacts to your adventures and choices. And, through trading and quests, you can expand your merchant company into a massive trading empire.

It's great to see another expansion with what appears to be some great feature and I'm sure an English version will come soon."



Sounds good, NWN2 goes IWD!

If the original NWN was any indication, this expansion should kick some serious ass! Recall the amazing Hordes of the Underdark.

Thansk for the news BJ!!

yea...I think I'll pass. Game killing multiplayer bugs FTL.

It was really bad as in abysmal.

Edit: There will be one new class and two new prestige class in Storm of Zehir.

GS: You've added three new classes: the swashbuckler; the doomguide, and the hellfire warlock. What are the strengths and weakness of each, and are these classes included in the party-creation system?

TE: The swashbuckler is a warrior of finesse who shuns the use of bulky armor in exchange for deadly grace in combat. One of the many cool things about the swashbuckler is insightful strike, an ability they gain at level 3 which allows them to do more damage based on their intelligence bonus. The weakness of the swashbuckler is that most of the class abilities only work when wearing light armor or no armor, so they can be vulnerable to enemies who manage to land a lucky blow on them.

The doomguide is a prestige class available to clerics and paladins who are faithful to Kelemvor, god of the dead. The doomguide is the guy you'd want by your side if Dawn of the Dead ever became a reality. He is a holy warrior whose mission is to make the undead...just dead, as well as stomp out necromancers who are responsible for creating the undead. Many doomguide abilities are perfect for smiting undead, such as the bond of fatal touch, which gives the weapon they wield special bonuses such as disruption and undead bane. Doomguides are ideally suited for dealing with the new undead creatures we have added in Storm of Zehir, including the wight and the drowned, that were brought to frightful un-life by artists Roger Chang and Jay Bakke. The disadvantage of the doomguide is that some of their abilities are not so useful against living foes.

The hellfire warlock, a prestige class for Warlocks, is my personal favorite of the new classes in Storm of Zehir! How cool is it to be able to play around with fire and hurt yourself to slay your foes? One of the things I like most about the hellfire warlock is summon baatezu, a new ability that Wizards of the Coast let us add in to replace another ability, hellfire infusion, that works better in PnP D&D than in a computer game. Summon baatezu, which was deviously implemented by Justin Reynard, allows you to summon a powerful devil from the Nine Hells to wreak havoc for a limited time. The specific devil you get is randomized, so casting this spell is like reaching into a box of chocolates, only the box is on fire! Those who played Neverwinter Nights 2 may recognize some of the devils who come forth to do your bidding. Just be sure to put that thing back where it came from, or so help you, they may get loose and slaughter your entire party. The main disadvantage of the hellfire warlock is that the prestige class is so powerful that it is only available to higher-level warlocks who meet certain prerequisites. But trust me, the Hellfire Warlock is worth the wait.

I'm slowly thinking about taking up NWN2 again...I heard Mask of the Betrayer was really good, but has anyone played Storm of Zehir yet? Looking at BJ in particular!!