Atari Announces NVN2: Storm of Zehir News

Atari and Wizard of the Coast today unveiled the second expansion pack for Obsidian Entertainment's Neverwinter Nights 2.

Currently in development at the Californian based developer, Storm of Zehir harks back to the days of Buldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series by including full party customisation, dungeon crawling, and free exploration via the Overland map.

Foreshadowing events that will take place in the Forgotten Realms with the forthcoming release of D&D Fourth Edition (although the expansion will still employ the D&D 3.5 ruleset), Storm of Zehir follows the defeat of the King of Shadows and the Sword Coast in the midst of an uneasy economic recovery. Wading into this uncertain environment, it's up to your party to take advantage by allying with the trade syndicates that have formed or by exploring Faerun and preying upon travelling merchants to steal and sell their goods on the black market.

Unleashed within the expansion pack, Storm of Zehir introduces a new faction working behind the scenes in the form of the evil, shapeshifting, serpentine Yuan-Ti.

The Overland Map allows players to explore the Chultan Peninsula and Sword Coast in a free-form manner never previously offered by the Neverwinter Nights titles, using skills like Spot and Survival to avoid ambushes and discover hidden locations and lost artefacts.

In total the expansion pack promises to offer 15 hours of gameplay, with the introduction of new classes, spells, creatures, and playable races.