After having defeated the final adversary in Neverwinter Nights 2 , the protagonist wakes up in an underground cavern in Rashemen near the kingdom of Thay with the shard removed from the chest. An encounter follows with Safiya, a member of the Red Wizards of Thay, after which the two proceed towards the town of Mulsantir. However, the protagonist soon discovers that he has been afflicted with a strange curse: he feels perpetual hunger, which can only be quelled by consuming souls of spirits. The search for answers leads the party into the shadow realm, which harbors dark secrets of the tormented souls of the past.
Mask of the Betrayer is the first official expansion for Neverwinter Nights 2 and requires the original game to play. In the campaign, divided over different acts, the story picks up right away after the events of the base game. The atmosphere in this expansion has become noticeably darker, with less room for humorous interventions. Interaction with characters and dialogue in general play a significant role. Like in the base game, the player can affect the relationship between the protagonist and his or her companions. Influenced by the player’s decisions, the game will move towards a good or an evil ending.
The protagonist’s new condition is integrated into gameplay mechanics. The player character has a special “spirit meter” that is gradually depleted and needs to be refilled by devouring spirits. However, doing so increases his or her “craving”, i.e. the level of addiction to soul-eating; the higher the craving, the more the protagonist get used to satiating the hunger, and the harder it becomes to raise the spirit level. To counter that, the player can opt for spending some time in the company of friendly spirits, actively suppressing the craving.
Next to the known races, the add-on introduces Planetouched: Genasi, Half-Elf: Half-Drow and Elf: Wild Elf. These can also be used to play the original game. New base classes include Favored Soul and Spirit Shaman, along with the prestige classes Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep, Invisible Blade, Red Wizard of Thay, Sacred Fist and Stormlord. Further additions include new monsters, scrolls, weapons and items. The game requires a high-level character to start (18 or up) and some default characters are available right away. The level cap has been raised to 30. There is also an additional camera view with an RTS-like interface including zoom and drag.
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