Neverwinter Founder’s Packs and Beta Weekend Press Release and Media

We already hit you with this news a couple of days ago, but it wasn’t until today that Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios officially blew the lid off their beta weekend dates and founder’s pack program for Neverwinter. And it’s not just a press release we’re wading in this evening, but also a bevy of new screenshots and a nearly two-minute announcement trailer:

And the press release, with all of the intricate details:

Neverwinterâ„¢ Beta Weekend Dates and Founder’s Pack Program Announced

Guaranteed beta access, VIP perks, and unique in-game items exclusive to founding members

(Redwood City, CA) January 30, 2013 Perfect World Entertainment Inc. and Cryptic Studios are pleased to announce a series of Beta Weekends for the critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons® MMORPG, Neverwinter. Scheduled for February 8-10, March 8-10, and March 22-24, the Neverwinter Beta Weekends will offer thousands of players in North America and Europe 60-hour beta access for the chance to experience the highly anticipated title prior to launch. To register for the chance to be selected for the upcoming Neverwinter Beta Weekends, please visit: http://www.playneverwinter.com/

Following this exciting milestone, Perfect World Entertainment Inc. is also pleased to unveil first details for the Neverwinter Founder’s Pack program. Starting today, Neverwinter fans can get a head start on their adventures in the world of the Forgotten Realms® with the Hero of the North Founder’s Pack, Guardian of Neverwinter Founder’s Pack, or Neverwinter Starter Kit. Each pack offers different tiers of rewards for players including guaranteed access to the upcoming Neverwinter Beta Weekends, early access to the upcoming Open Beta, VIP perks, and exclusive permanent in-game items.

(Neverwinter offers players a dynamic experience with its engaging action gameplay and unique content such as daily lore quests, looting and party-oriented dungeon delves,) said Craig Zinkievich, Chief Operations Officer and Executive Producer, Cryptic Studios. (After several months of alpha testing, we are thrilled to expand our pool of testers with the upcoming Neverwinter Beta Weekends while offering fans the opportunity to become a founding member of Neverwinter through the Founder’s Pack program. We look forward to fostering a community of passionate players that will help us to make Neverwinter one of the greatest MMORPGs of all time.)

The three versions of the Neverwinter Founder’s Pack for purchase are:

Neverwinter Starter Kit:

The Neverwinter Starter Kit costs $19.99 USD (valued at $49.00) and supplies adventurers with virtual consumable goods to aid them in their quest for glory:

‘¢ ‘˜Adventurer’s Helper Pack’ containing six different types of in-game items
‘¢ ‘˜Small Bag of Holding’ for twelve extra inventory slots
‘¢ ‘˜Amulet of Protection’ item

Guardian of Neverwinter Pack:

The Guardian of Neverwinter Pack costs $59.99 USD (valued at $149.00). In addition to guaranteed entry to all three Beta Weekends, the pack also includes VIP beta perks, and a variety of in-game items exclusive to Founder’s Pack purchasers, including:

‘¢ Three-day head start access to Neverwinter Open Beta
‘¢ Unique ‘˜Gold Moonstone Mask Regalia’ head piece
‘¢ Unique ‘˜Armored Horse’ mount
‘¢ Unique ‘˜Direwolf Companion’
‘¢ In-game and forum ‘˜Founder’ title

Hero of the North Founder’s Pack:

For the ultimate Neverwinter experience, the Hero of the North Founder’s Pack costs $199.99 USD (valued at $549.00). It guarantees entry to all three Beta Weekends, includes VIP access to Moonstone Mask Tavern, early access to The Foundry (Neverwinter’s user-generated content creation tool), fifteen additional in-game items, plus features the following exclusive items that are only available through the Founders’ Pack program:

‘¢ Five-day head start access to Neverwinter Open Beta
‘¢ Beta Weekend Friend Invite code
‘¢ Exclusive access to ‘˜Menzoberranzan Renegade’, a drow playable race like the legendary ranger Drizzt Do’Urden, complete with unique racial abilities and tattoo
‘¢ Unique ‘˜Armored Spider’ mount
‘¢ Unique ‘˜Panther Companion’
‘¢ In-game and forum ‘˜Founder’ title
‘¢ VIP Game Access to skip-the-line and get priority log-in access

To take advantage of these benefits through Neverwinter’s Founder’s Pack program and to secure a place in Neverwinter’s Beta Weekends, players may visit http://nw.perfectworld.com/founderspack/

ABOUT PERFECT WORLD ENTERTAINMENT INC. Perfect World Entertainment is a leading North American online games publisher specializing in immersive free-to-play MMORPGs. Founded in 2008, Perfect World Entertainment has published 10 popular titles, including Blacklight Retribution, Forsaken World, Perfect World International and Star Trek Online. The company works closely with its American development teams and partners such as Cryptic Studios, developer of the highly anticipated MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter, and Runic Games, developer of the hit Torchlight series, to provide unparalleled quality of service and game experiences to its players. A subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), Perfect World Entertainment is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. For more information, please visit: www.perfectworld.com ABOUT CRYPTIC STUDIOS, Inc. Cryptic Studios, Inc. is a leading developer of online games committed to delivering the next level of gameplay. Cryptic Studios, Inc. develops AAA titles for PC and is rapidly diversifying its portfolio of games to expand beyond the traditional MMORPG genre. In addition to its successfully launched “Champions Online: Free for All” and “Star Trek Online”, Cryptic Studios, Inc. is now developing “Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter” and other unannounced projects. Cryptic Studios, Inc., a subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), is located in Los Gatos, CA.