Neverwinter Nights 2 : Storm of Zehir Neverwinter Nights 2 : Storm of Zehir is an expansion pack for the role - playing video game " Neverwinter Nights 2 " , developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari . It was first released November 18th 2008 . This was the second and final retail expansion pack for NWN2 . " Storm of Zehir " was inspired by older video games like the " Baldur ' s Gate " and " Icewind Dale " franchises . The storyline foreshadows the events of the fourth edition of " Dungeons & Dragons " and follows the adventures of a group of merchants in the Samarach and Sword Coast areas of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting . " Storm of Zehir " received mixed reviews from critics . Reviewers were pleased with new features introduced in the game , like more options for party customization and an overland map , but were not impressed with the game ' s storyline and technical achievements . Gameplay . " Storm of Zehir " is an expansion of " Neverwinter Nights 2 " and continues the formula of a role - playing video game played from an overhead third - person perspective . Players first create a character along the lines of the " Dungeons & Dragons " 3 . 5 rules by selecting a variety of traits , such as a race , , and . New character creation options include the yuan - ti pureblood and gray orc races , the swashbuckler class , and the Hellfire warlock and doomguide of Kelemvor . The rest of the player ' s party can also be created , unlike " Neverwinter Nights 2 " , The party can then explore several regions on the Forgotten Realms continent of Faerûn . The game provides an overland map that is used to move between different areas like towns and dungeons . While on the map , characters can use various skills to identify treasure , monsters , and other points of interest , such as side quests and secret locations . In combat , players have access to a variety of abilities and magic spells , based on the makeup of the party . " Storm of Zehir " uses the dice d20 System of " Dungeons & Dragons " and each action requires a random number generated by a die roll . The player can control a character individually by selecting specific actions to be taken against enemies , or allow the game ' s artificial intelligence to fight by using a pre - selected set of behaviors for each character . Defeating monsters and completing quests bestows experience points on the party , which are used to gain levels and become more powerful . The player character can engage in other activities outside of combat , such as completing quests and interacting with non - player character s . While in conversation with other characters , the player character can influence them by using several skills , such as " Intimidate " or " Diplomacy " . The entire party can assist in this process if they have the appropriate skills . Characters can create weapons , armor , and other goods with raw materials through a system of skill - based crafting . " Storm of Zehir " also includes a regional economy whereby players can establish trading outposts in various towns and create caravan routes between them , providing merchandise to consumers along each route . The caravans can be personally observed and managed by the player , such as providing security if attacked by bandits . Plot . Setting . Like other games in the " Neverwinter Nights " series , " Storm of Zehir " takes place in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting , on the continent of Faerûn on the planet Abeir - Toril . It is set mostly in the Samarach and Sword Coast regions , with visits to locations featured in previous games such as Crossroad Keep and the city of Neverwinter . Since the Shadow War depicted in " Neverwinter Nights 2 " and the subsequent disappearance of the game ' s protagonist , the Knight – Captain , Neverwinter and the surrounding area have been declining economically . Several merchant companies have been attempting to establish a foothold in the region , with limited success . Story . " Storm of Zehir " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s story begins with the player character escorting a ship called the " Vigilant " , sailing from the Sword Coast to Samarach . Halfling captain Lastri Kassireh quickly advises the party to go belowdecks in anticipation of an impending storm . The violent storm , coupled with a possible act of sabotage , culminates in the " Vigilant " becoming shipwrecked on the shores of the xenophobic nation of Samarach . The captain is missing , but the party quickly sets to work organizing the survivors , such as finding defensible positions nearby and salvaging equipment from the wreckage . Before long , a tribe of goblins discovers the group , and their leader issues a challenge in an unknown language . One of the other passengers of the " Vigilant " , the bard Volothamp " Volo " Geddarm , claims to speak the goblin tongue but inadvertently insults the goblins and instigates a battle . After the goblins are defeated , a group of humans approaches and arrests the party on suspicion of treachery , escorting them to the Open Palm market in the nearby city of Samargol . There , a local merchant named Sa ' Sani intervenes on the party ' s behalf , revealing herself to be the recipient of the goods traveling aboard the waylaid " Vigilant " . She subsequently recruits the party to investigate the ship ' s demise and the whereabouts of Captain Kassireh . After rescuing the captain from goblins , investigating the wreckage of the " Vigilant " , and recovering some of Sa ' Sani ' s goods , the merchant offers the characters employment in her trading corporation . The party undertakes various missions throughout Samarach for her , establishing trade routes through the jungles of Chult and protecting caravans along them . < ref name = " rpgvint - 2 / 2 " > < / ref > As the group continues to expand their trading operation , they eventually discover a large plot involving followers of the new yuan - ti god , Zehir . They learn that the yuan - ti , evil serpentine humanoids , have been infiltrating human settlements from their temples in the jungles of Chult and posing as merchants . After Sa ' Sani commits an act of murder at Crossroad Keep , the party learns that she is a yuan - ti priestess of Sseth who has adopted this guise . The characters are given the option of aiding Sa ' Sani against a powerful yuan - ti House Se ' Sehen that shifted its attention to the new god , Zehir . In order to stop the House Se ' Sehen ' s plot to conquer Sword Coast , the party has to infiltrate the House ' s stronghold , the Temple of the World Serpent , and assassinate N ' Safa , the high priest , and a powerful being called the " Herald of Zehir " , which is a gift from the God himself . Afterwards , the party has the opportunity to slay Sa ' Sani as well . Development . Development of " Storm of Zehir " began during the end of development of " Neverwinter Nights 2 " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s first expansion , " " , and was initially referred to as " NX2 " by its designers . The game was formally announced by Atari in June 2008 . It would be developed by Obsidian Entertainment , creators of " Neverwinter Nights 2 " and " Mask of the Betrayer " , and was given a release date of the fourth quarter of 2008 . Despite being released after the fourth edition of " Dungeons & Dragons " , " Storm of Zehir " would continue to use the 3 . 5 edition rules . The design team for " Storm of Zehir " was smaller than that of " Mask of the Betrayer " and was given a shorter development period . Like " Neverwinter Nights 2 " , Obsidian was inspired by older role - playing video games for " Storm of Zehir " , such as " Fallout " and the " Baldur ' s Gate " series . Assistant producer Rob McGinnis said " [ The game ] plays more like a classic CRPG " . The game was intended to be " more authentic " to pencil and paper " Dungeons & Dragons " by offering players a light - hearted approach to adventuring and a focus on exploration . The designers included a party system they felt was more teamwork - oriented , such as the ability to custom - make the entire party and allowing party members to collaborate on social interactions . The game ' s programmers were instructed to include the ability to change party members whenever the player wished . " Storm of Zehir " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s storyline occurs concurrently with " Mask of the Betrayer " , which was set in the Rashemen region of Faerûn . The story was shaped by lead designer Tony Evans and written by Obsidian designer Annie Carlson . The team leads decided to create an adventure that they considered more in line with the roots of " Dungeons & Dragons " by departing from the more serious , epic stories presented in " Neverwinter Nights 2 " and " Mask of the Betrayer " . Evans said " This direction for the title can be seen throughout - finding random ( and not random ) goodies while searching the overland map , the addition of the Swashbuckler class , the variety of personalities in the cohorts . . . " The game ' s music was composed with this in mind ; Evans wanted themes that would portray the feel of a " light - hearted adventure " . Audio director Alexander Brandon collaborated with composers of games like the " Heroes of Might and Magic " series and " Primal " , as well as " rookie composers " from Rogue Dao Studios . Brandon had the option of using a live orchestra , but decided against it to include more music in the game . Obsidian implemented an overland map feature to allow players the opportunity to explore the areas of the game in great detail . Designer Nathaniel Chapman said " Furthermore , it provided an opportunity to increase the effectiveness of various skills that , frankly , were underutilized in previous Neverwinter Nights titles " . Obsidian created the map with a design philosophy centered on " interstitial space " . Chapman explains : The map ' s first prototype was inspired by the map seen in the " Indiana Jones " films . It behaved similarly to normal gameplay , and Obsidian decided to revamp it to create a " more dynamic and reactive interstitial space " . Characters would be able to avoid monsters by having a high enough Survival skill and could find hidden items and locations with high Search skills . Groups of adventuring NPCs could be observed and interacted with by players , including helping them fight aggressive monsters . Trade caravans created within the game ' s economic subplot are visible and the player can actively protect their own investments . The overland map feature was created with the modding community in mind , and players using the " Neverwinter Nights 2 " toolset can modify the map ' s options on an individual basis . " Storm of Zehir " was ready for mass production on November 1 , 2008 and was released on November 18 , 2008 in North America , November 21 in Europe , and December 11 in Australia . It was also made available for download on digital distribution service Direct2Drive . Reception . " Storm of Zehir " received mixed reviews . Critics were generally pleased with the departure from previous games in the series in terms of open - ended gameplay and its similarities to " old school " role - playing video games , but they criticized the game ' s story and frequency of random encounters . It was a runner - up in the RPG category for IGN ' s Best of E3 Awards at the Electronic Entertainment Expo video game convention in 2008 . Reviewers were in favor of " Storm of Zehir " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s focus on exploration and the ability to postpone or ignore the game ' s main storyline , and they compared the gameplay to older role - playing video games such as " Icewind Dale II " and " Fallout " . GameZone ' s reviewer said " This is a game that harkens back to the good old days of adventure D & D video - gaming " , and IGN said " this feels like an homage to the old school D & D games of the past " . The ability to handcraft an entire party instead of just the main character was welcomed , with GameSpot ' s reviewer noting " Rather than playing as a solo hero chosen for some great destiny , you roll up a party of four average joes just like you did way back when in D & D classics like the Baldur ' s Gate and Icewind Dale franchises , " ( It should be noted that Baldur ' s Gate did not actually contain the ability to create the entire party in single player mode ; however , in multiplayer , this was possible ) and IGN saying " There ' s a strange kind of nerd joy when it comes to creating a D & D party " . Reviewers also appreciated the " Party Conversation System " , which allows typically underutilized social skills to be used by the entire party during conversation . GameSpy said " It ' s a terrific convention in which the game responds not to one but to every member of an adventuring party . [ Characters ] have the option to interject some special comment into a conversation that might open up otherwise unavailable avenues " . Reviewers were grateful that the time - based , " spirit - eating " gameplay mechanic of " Mask of the Betrayer " was not included . Reviewers generally praised " Storm of Zehir " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s use of the " Dungeons & Dragons " 3 . 5 edition rules with the exception of GameSpy , who expressed skepticism of the ruleset in a preview of the game . The game ' s handling of character death was not well received , despite being more faithful to the pencil and paper version than previous " Dungeons & Dragons " video games . Unlike " Neverwinter Nights 2 " and " Mask of the Betrayer " where defeated characters would be automatically revived after a battle , " Storm of Zehir " requires a powerful spell or a " Coin of Waukeen " to resurrect dead allies . Reviewers considered this requirement unforgiving ; GameSpy said " This merely forces the player to troop back to town through a zillion meaningless random encounters . This may be " realistic " ( whatever that means in a world where players fight against newborn gods and sentient snakes ) , but it ' s simply not fun . " Baldur ' s Gate " had this all worked out over a decade ago . Why do we need to re - invent the wheel ? " Critics gave the game ' s technical achievements a lukewarm reception . Several reviewers described the Electron engine as aging ; IGN Australia said " The two year - old engine is surprisingly sluggish for something that looks dated . The simplistic Overhead Map adds nothing to the visual attractiveness , but this isn ' t a bad - looking game " . GameZone referred to the graphics as " serviceable " , and IGN said " The world map is a bit ugly , but otherwise Storm of Zehir looks slightly better than its predecessors " . Critics widely panned the voice acting , but praised the music . The focal point of criticism was " Storm of Zehir " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s story . Critics considered its focus on trade and economics shallow compared to the epic adventures presented in " Neverwinter Nights 2 " and " Mask of the Betrayer " . GameSpy referred to the storyline as a " boringly generic adventure " , and GameSpot said " The quests reflect this mundane storyline . You run a lot of lame errands to kill specific monsters and recover lost or stolen merchandise , and you clean out a bunch of formulaic dungeons , caves , graveyards , and the like " . Other complaints included the presence of random encounters on the overland map , which were considered excessive , as well as long load times .