Neverwinter's third expansion to visit Icewind Dale

Neverwinter developer Cryptic Studios has announced details of the MMO's third free expansion, Curse of Icewind Dale.

Cryptic boss Craig Zinkievich said the choice of setting was "a direct result of player feedback"; Icewind Dale is one of the best-known locations in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, appearing in an eponymous trilogy of novels starring Drizzt Do'Urden; an also eponymous Black Isle game; and Dreamforge's Menzoberranzan.

Curse of Icewind Dale is designed to expand PvP with factions-based battlezones, leaderboards and matchmaking, as well as add new PvP and PvE campaigns. It has players banding together to explore the Icewind Dale region, which has been corrupted with Black Ice by the undead wizard Akar Kessell. Black Ice is used to craft some of the game's most pwoerful items, so players are encouraged to participate in open-world PvP battles to earn it.

In addition, there'll be the usual new bosses, encounters and locations, but also a new Hunter Ranger Paragon Path and post-level cap advancement.

Screens are below, trailer to follow as soon as it's done uploading.