Today, Gearbox Publishing and Cryptic Studios announced that Neverwinter’s 24th module, Northdark Reaches is available now for free on PC (Arc Games, Epic Games Store and Steam) and PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Inspired by the hit trilogy book series, The Way of the Drow, from New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, Northdark Reaches introduces the first part of a two-part campaign written in collaboration with R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore. This epic new adventure lets players and D&D fans alike experience the events that take place in between Starlight Enclave and Glacier’s Edge, the first two books of The Way of the Drow series. For the first time ever, players will encounter beloved characters from Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms, such as the myconid Rumpadump, Saribel Xorlarrin Do’Urden and Minolin Fey, as they explore a new region of the Underdark. Additionally, today’s new free update brings the first persistent Underdark Adventure Zone, including a new campaign, epic quests, challenging bosses, new rewards and a major content update to the “Temple of the Spider” dungeon.

“I was thrilled to team up again with the Neverwinter team at Cryptic,” said R.A. Salvatore, New York Times bestselling author. “Working with the team for the Neverwinter’s 8th module, Underdark, was fantastic, so when the team asked if I wanted to work with them on a new two-part adventure for the game, I gladly accepted the opportunity. Being able to expand the Way of the Drow universe within the game was something I couldn’t pass up. I hope all Neverwinter players, especially those Drow and Way of the Drow fans, enjoy embarking on this new adventure, and getting to experience the beginning of what’s to come!”

“I love writing stories for games, so when the opportunity to help write this new adventure for Neverwinter was presented to us I absolutely wanted to work on it,” said Geno Salvatore, co-author of the Stone of Tymora trilogy and The Legend of Drizzt graphic novel series. “Northdark Reaches is my first experience working on Neverwinter, but it was incredible working with the team on it as they’re able to take so many different parts of D&D and put them in the game so well. I’m excited for fans to dive into Northdark Reaches and see for themselves how it’s a love-letter to the D&D and Way of the Drow universe.”

“Collaborating with R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore on Northdark Reaches has been a dream come true for the Neverwinter team,” said Winter Mullenix, Narrative Director for Neverwinter. “Our designers and artists worked very hard to bring this exciting new region of the Underdark to life, and I personally cannot wait for players to experience the stories we crafted together.”

In Neverwinter: Northdark Reaches, players discover that far beneath the storied mountains of Faerûn lie the Northdark Reaches, a sprawling frontier that skirts the Underdark’s fallen civilization of Ched Nasad. It is in this deadly and forgotten place that Braelin Janquay, a friend of dwarven king, Bruenor Battlehammer, and one of Bregan D’aerthe’s most illustrious drow scouts, has gone missing. To help King Bruenor and uncover the secrets behind the looming drow civil war, players will descend into a whole new region of Underdark. The Northdark Reaches module marks just the beginning for the darkness that’s yet to come, as the next module – launching next year – will bring the epic conclusion to this new storyline.