Neverwinter Announces The Coins of Waukeen

A new event for the Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG Neverwinter was announced Thursday, promising players the potential to earn loads of diamonds, dyes, and other treats.

The event is called Coins of Waukeen, and will task players with defending the Forgotten Realms and keep trade routes open. By keeping shops and vendors safe, players can earn Waukeen Coin Purses, which can either be opened immediately or traded in for numerous other prizes. Players must take on monsters within seven levels of their own in order for these coin purses to drop, and can also potentially earn 256,000 Rough Astral Diamonds, fashion items, dyes, or weapon transmutes. 

The event is underway and will run through October 21, 2013 at 10 AM Pacific time.

MMORPGs are well-known for holding events like these, whether seasonal or more random, and have become a big part of the games. They hold a slew of various winter festivals, harvest festivals, summer parties, etc. The events usually bring back players who may have been taking a break and can even entice new players to join. The benefits of events like this vary, and sometimes unique mounts and titles are given away, or even special pets that will not be available anywhere else. They make players feel special for having been around for the event, and developers hope they are enough to keep their existing subscribers paying. 

With the slew of free-to-play games that are on the market, it will be interesting to see if events begin to change their shape. Events reward participation, so as players play they can earn these rewards, but that also means that players who play the game for free can get special items without spending a dime. Most MMOs have some sort of in-game cash shop where players can purchase clothing, XP boosts, dyes, and much more. How long will it be before players can simply skip the event, but hop online and purchase the mount that everyone else had to grind to get?

Regardless, for the time being, events are still highly popular and successful ways for developers to keep players in the game. Games like World of Warcraft, Rift, Lord of the Rings Online, and Star Wars: The Old Republic all hold events and there’s always a spike in player involvement at the time. 

Do you enjoy events in your MMOs? Should developers add events to other games like first-person shooters, single-player RPGs, or platformers? Share your opinion below and let us know what you think.