Description of the expansion "Mask of the Betrayer"
The first official expansion for [Neverwinter Nights 2](/games?search=Neverwinter Nights 2) titled "Mask of the Betrayer" was released in 2007. However, despite its considerable age, many fans of the game still haven't taken the time to get acquainted with this truly worthy continuation. Therefore, I took it upon myself to conduct a brief excursion into this part of Kalak-Cha's adventures.
Setting
Our hero awakens to find himself lying on the floor in some eerie cave with cave paintings. While he tries to remember who he is and how he got there, he is rescued by a bald girl with tattoos on her head and a dirty nose beautiful almond-shaped eyes. She informs him that they have been brought to a land called Rashemar, hundreds of miles from the Sword Coast.
Most of the game takes place in these lands, but variety is not compromised: the hero will visit ancient caves and the ruins of Imaskar, snowy forests and sunny mountain valleys, a burning grove, and an icy refuge of the frost maul. Furthermore, there will be Thay – the domain of the Red Wizards, and City of Judgement, which is about Fugue, where only the dead and a few chosen living can enter.
From the very first locations, it is evident that the graphics have improved slightly; take the cave where the protagonist awakens as an example: gigantic glowing mushrooms, protruding roots, and other small details of the interior cannot be compared to the bare earthen walls of the original campaign (hereafter – OC). Yes, compared to the OC, the world has become more atmospheric, diverse, and enchanting, and the musical accompaniment only enhances the impression of the game.
I crafted it out of what was available…
You can create a character yourself by starting a new game in the "Mask of the Betrayer" campaign, or you can import your beloved Kalak-Cha from the original campaign. The latter is, of course, preferable because when you transfer a character, their equipped gear (except for weapons), level, and earned skills are preserved. If you create a new character, they will have the skills provided by their race and class, gear with enhancements up to +3 (except for helmets and weapons), and the possibility of leveling the hero to level 18 before the start of the game.
Unfortunately, the import is limited only to the character; all other OC features must be chosen by yourself through dialogue (a similar system exists in KotOR). However, there are plenty of references to past adventures, so the connection between the game and the expansion is well felt.
Character Development
If in the original campaign, the hero could only reach level 20 (no higher, no matter what), the level cap has now been raised to 30. Additionally, new races, classes, and prestige classes have been added – not many, but it’s a nice addition. And, of course, skills and abilities for all classes up to level 30, including epic spells and enhancements.
Races:
- - Half-Drow;
- - Wild Elf;
- - Air Genasi;
- - Earth Genasi;
- - Fire Genasi;
- - Water Genasi.
Classes:
- - Favored Soul;
- - Spirit Shaman.
Prestige Classes:
- - Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep – suitable for wizards, sorcerers, and bards;
- - Red Wizard – exclusively for wizards;
- - Invisible Blade – works well with rogues, also pairs nicely with bards, monks, fighters, rangers, or barbarians;
- - Stormlord – can be taken by druids, spirit shamans, favored souls, or clerics. However, paladins and rangers can also take it, but that is a bit of a stretch;
- - Sacred Fist – for clerics, paladins, druids, and spirit shamans, meaning anyone who can cast divine spells.
Moreover, the game has added 58 diverse spells: arcane, divine, epic, and invocations for warlocks.
Tell me who your friend is…
The companion system has undergone significant improvements. There are fewer companions now (only five), but interactions with them are more numerous, and the benefits of gained influence are greater. Now with 25, 50, 75, and 100 influence, upon talking with a character, you can gain useful skills that provide bonuses to attributes or abilities for both the companion and the hero. Additionally, if there is a romance with the character, the bonus is replaced by a stronger version. Even the romances have improved somewhat: while there are no sex scenes, relationship development is more logical and closely intertwined with the plot. The companions are as unique and rich in character as previous allies. They still conflict with each other and approve or disapprove of the hero's actions.
There are a total of five possible companions in the expansion, but two of them are mutually exclusive.
Safiya
"Safiya can be described as a beauty. She has golden skin, delicate facial features, and dark almond-shaped eyes. However, her bald head and elegant tattoos reveal her as a red wizard of Thay, which means that outside her homeland, people will treat her with fear. When she smiles, there’s an expression of embarrassment on her face, as if she’s not used to it, but you feel a strength and determination instilled in her by her harsh homeland."
Safiya values seriousness and erudition in people. To earn her favor, demonstrate your knowledge and skills, don't refuse her qualified assistance, and show a good attitude towards her homunculus Kaji (Kaji), to whom she is very attached (he comes as a bonus alongside the sorceress and can unlock locks and disable traps). Do not speak ill of the red wizards – she doesn't like that. If you are a man, Safiya can become your lady.
"Kaji is a homunculus, a creature created by Safiya's magic. He is approximately 18 inches tall (about 46 cm), with rough and warty skin. He looks completely harmless, but he has sharp teeth and long, nimble fingers – signs of a true thief." Gann
"Gann is tall, not very handsome but charming. He has an eternal smirk and an expression of boredom on his face. His skin has a bluish-purple tint – a sign that his mother was a Kargan. Unlike other descendants of the Kargy and humans, Gann is not ugly... but the Rashemi still regard him with suspicion."
Gann is quite vain, so he enjoys being recognized for his attractiveness and charm. Although he suffers a bit from being abandoned by his parents, he doesn’t like to be pitied. Compliment him, appreciate his ability to travel through dreams – and this guy will become your best friend. If you are a woman, Gann is the only candidate for companionship. Kaelyn the Dove
"Kaelyn possesses some strange, supernatural beauty... she has silver hair, and her eyes are as dark as a dove’s. Her wings indicate that she is a half-celestial being, the child of an angel and a mortal. A strong personality unmistakably shines through her... but sadness flickers in her eyes."
Kaelyn is a mysterious winged girl, a servant of Ilmater. Once she was a priestess of Kelemvor, and now her fervent goal is to destroy the Wall of the Unbelievers. To win her favor, support her in this endeavor and show compassion for others. The dove conflicts with One of Many, so if you have both in your party – prepare for quarrels between them. Okku
"In life, Okku was a bear – one of those majestic beasts that ruled these lands. After death, he became a spirit, and the Rashemi regard him as one of the local gods. But his claws and teeth have not become less sharp... and his strength now depends not on the strength of his bones and muscles – it is fueled by the energy of many spirits and beasts who worship him."
Okku will join the team if the hero suppresses their Hunger and does not consume his spirit. He has his own story, closely intertwined with that of the Spirit Eater. Once, Okku was the chief of his tribe, but when he decided to help one of the bearers of Myrkul's curse, his people turned against him.
Behave decently and don’t abuse the appeasement of Hunger – and the bear-god will come to respect you. Convince him of your intentions to overcome the curse and help regain the clan's favor – and you will earn a loyal friend. One of Many
"One of Many is a multitude of villains trapped within a single body. His consciousness consists of the souls of numerous murderers, madmen, and other outcasts who have lost their minds while being trapped first in the repository of the god of the dead, and then in the crematory. Thus, One of Many embodies evil, and he has only two desires: to consume and to inflict pain on sentient beings – all except for you."
If you did not spare Okku but instead consumed his soul and retained the trophy skin, you can take One of Many in his place. This is a quite useful companion who can be a rogue, barbarian, or warlock, which can be switched between at any moment by talking to him. He is a rogue from the beginning, the barbarian option becomes available once unlocked in dialogue, while the warlock can only be accessed after he consumes the Sleeping's soul.
One of Many has an evil disposition. He enjoys when the hero commits vile acts, consumes souls, and caters to his whims. If One of Many is in the party with Kaelyn, he will appreciate it if you insult her or deceive her, especially if done secretly from the Dove, which is quite feasible, given that the hero can communicate with him mentally and One of Many is unseen and unheard by anyone except the hero.
*If you don't allow One of Many to eat Myrkul's soul, he will be very upset. If you do allow him... well, maybe you shouldn't do that.*
The nature of the protagonist's relationships with each of their companions and the decisions they make in the game greatly affect their future fate. In this respect, the game has improved a lot, even though I am not sure there is any point in comparing this aspect with the OC.
For mom, for dad…
"Your character won't die of hunger, but you might. So make sure to eat at least a couple of times a day, because we don’t want to lose our faithful fans." Unfortunately, in "Mask of the Betrayer" there is no such mercy, and the character can indeed die from Hunger if they don’t feed on spirits and souls. In fact, the curse around which the plot of the expansion revolves represents Hunger – the Hunger of the Wall of the Unbelievers, craving souls. In the game, this is realized through the introduction of a parameter termed fullness, complemented by a coefficient that determines the rate at which it decreases. You can view it after the battle with Okku on a special scale – a new part of the game interface. You now have to carefully monitor the gauge and timely feed on spirits so the character doesn't die. Moreover, it's essential to calculate the hours of rest and journeying between locations so you don't die in your sleep or on the road. Thankfully, the new map indicates the number of hours it will take to travel to the required location.
However, there is no need to panic. It's only tough at first; once you understand the uncomplicated system, you will be able to roughly estimate how much time you have left and know the "fishy" places for quenching hunger. Furthermore, as the curse is suppressed or allowed to linger, and as the plot progresses, the character will receive corresponding bonuses that affect attributes, abilities, and skills. The greater the Hunger, the stronger the character becomes, but you can't run very far hungry, so you must rationally calculate your strength. Dark characters, in this respect, have an easier time: they can consume not only spirits but also the souls of living beings, such as hostile monsters which are only absent in completely cleared locations.
Camping kitchen, camping forge…
The system for crafting and enchanting items has also undergone changes. The old recipes from the OC are still relevant, but more powerful and straightforward alternatives have appeared. You can now create unique artifacts using the essences of the souls of important characters and enchant items with the essences of spirits that drop from monsters. Each type of essence has its corresponding list of charms for the relevant types of items, and the strength of the enchantment depends on the brightness of the essences. To transform unnecessary essences into required ones, three types of manipulations are available: merging, splitting, and transforming. You no longer have to run to the workbenches: the enchanting bag and the converter distiller are carried in your inventory. Additionally, enchantments are not limited to just armor and weapons, but also include other items like helmets, necklaces, boots; for epic levels (starting from 20), four enchantments per item are available instead of three in the original campaign.
Bugs and glitches
Bugs do occur in the game, unfortunately. There are significantly fewer of them now, and the game has stopped crashing after every cough, but there’s still a bit of a downside. For example, I consistently experience glitches in the dialogue with Okku after battling him: the screen is smeared with bright streaks, and instead of letters in the response options, there are some blurred lines. This issue occurred every time, regardless of the version or build of the game installed. In the end, I had to load my save about ten times, randomly clicking on dialogues and memorizing the order of the options I needed. Some people had save files that got corrupted at a specific moment or experienced strange transformations with companions, and various other issues. So save often and in different slots.
Conclusion
Overall, the expansion has succeeded. Despite the standard Neverwinter hiccups, the continuation turned out to be worthy and interesting. A particularly strong plus can be given to the atmosphere, story, and immersion in one of the chunks of the Forgotten Realms universe. I would recommend playing "Mask of the Betrayer" even to those who either haven’t completed or have only partially completed the original game, although, of course, playing as an imported character is more interesting.
Thanks for the proofreading to Surt, Soth, and Kavem.
Thanks for the offline post editor to Midest.