How is Neverwinter Nights 2 Different than Neverwinter or Neverwinter Nights?
All three games are set in the Forgotten Realms but in different time periods and use different D&D rule sets and characters. Neverwinter Nights (NWN) (purchase here) takes place before NWN2. Arc Games Neverwinter is a MMORPG set after NWN2. NWN and NWN2 both include toolsets for the development of community content. The content developed with each toolset is similar but specific to each game version. A module created for Neverwinter Nights cannot be played using Neverwinter Nights 2 and vice versa. Arc Games Neverwinter is an online multi-player game whereas both NWN and NWN2 can be played offline or online using game servers.
What About Playing NWN2 on Apple Macintosh macOS?
Macintosh versions of the NWN2 OC were released on DVD and from the macOS App Store at one time. These did not include the expansions though it is possible to install the Windows expansions separately with the Macintosh versions.
Playing NWN2 using WINE or a Wineskin may be done but you should expect some compatibility issues and no support. The toolset is unlikely to work. Emulators tend not to work well with NWN2.
The most compatible option is to use Boot Camp to install Windows.
For additional information on this see these older blog posts:
- Getting NWN2 expansions working on Mac, 11/2011
- Options for playing Neverwinter Nights 2 on Mac OS X, 2/2012
- Installing NWN2 Complete from GOG.com in a Wineskin, 11/2015
NWN2 Complete Installation
Instructions for purchasing, downloading, and installing are on GOG. While you can install on multiple computers, the license keys are unique to your purchase and if you ever try to play online your keys must be unique. So you should never share them with friends or publish them. Keep them secret. Keep them safe. Do the right thing and tell your friends no pay, no play.
The first time you launch NWN2 after installation Windows 10 will prompt you to download and install DirectPlay. Allow this. This only takes a minute and afterward you should see the SoZ menu. If you start a new campaign you will see four options: the Official Campaign, Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir, and Mysteries of Westgate. If you start a new module you can play the standalone optional introductory module Uninvited Guests.
Enabling the NWN2 Toolset
NWN2 also includes the Windows-only Obsidian NWN2 Toolset which can be used to modify existing campaigns and modules and to create new content. The toolset is not an option on the main menu but ca be found in the Neverwinter Nights 2 application folder. If you took the default option when installing NWN2 Complete the NWN2 application folder will be located at “C:\GOG Games\NWN2 Complete”.
There are two ways to launch the toolset. The most direct route is to double-click on NWN2ToolsetLauncher.exe. The second way is to double-click NWN2Launcher.exe which displays a menu that includes options including “Play”, “Toolset” and the no longer useful “Update” option.
When first launching the toolset Windows 10 will notify you that the app needs .NET Framework 3.5. Allow this to be downloaded and installed. Then click the close button.
The Toolset has additional requirements though that must be acquired and installed manually. The Toolset requires the Microsoft DirectX 9.0c SDK that was included on the original NWN2 disc distribution but is unfortunately not included in any digital releases. Once you have downloaded DirectX 9.0c (try the Microsoft Download Center site) put it into the NWN2 application folder and run DXSETUP.exe. It will be installed into the NWN2 application folder and will not conflict with any other software you have (including newer versions of DirectX).
After completion of the DirectX 9.0c install you should be able to launch the Toolset. Once in the toolset it is strongly recommended that you immediately go to View >> Options and set Autosave to False. This is necessary because the autosave feature has been known to corrupt modules, so it is best not to use it. Also if you decide to poke around the official campaign modules you do not want to autosave or save as this will break the module verification step and you will need to reinstall in order to play.
If you have problems with the Toolset crashing inexplicably you may want to run it in Compatibility Mode with XP SP2, which is the OS that was current when it was released. Running as administrator may also prevent permission issues. These configuration settings can be made by right-clicking the NWN2ToolsetLauncher.exe or a shortcut to it.
The toolset is complicated and even if (especially if) you have used the NWN Aurora toolset you should spend some time to read about building NWN2 campaigns and content before attempting to do so. I personally recommend the following resources:
What Else Should You Install?
At the point of this writing there is no community fix pack that I can strongly recommend be installed. There is one being developed by the community but game breaking bugs are actually very rare so nothing further really needs to be installed in order to play.
You may want to consider playing a little bit before installing community content that alters the game just so you learn what you like and don’t like about the released version of the game.
That being said, there are a large number of enhancement modifications available to improve the appearance of objects within the game and those are often broadly compatible. For the most part you install such things into the override subfolder within the NWN2 Documents folder which should be in your user folder at “Documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\override”. Normally this folder is empty. Files put into the override folder will be used during execution to override files of the same name that are included in modules and campaign folders (with the exception of files of the same name included in haks).
Community content is not official and written and tested by only well-meaning individuals so installing multiple enhancements and modifications may result in unforeseen behaviors. Not all community content is compatible with other community content. Before installation of items into your override folder read any documentation provided by the author(s) and prepare to reverse the installation in the event of conflicts when playing.
Many players choose to install community content that improves the appearance of their characters (improved faces, more hairstyles, etc.). This is highly tempting because some of the standard faces and hairstyles are quite ugly and the community content is far superior. One important thing to keep in mind about using such modifications is that created characters are stored in the NWN2 Documents subfolder “localvault”. If there is a character in “localvault” that was created with a modified appearance using community content and then you uninstall that community content, the mere presence of the character in “localvault” can cause NWN2 to crash. This occurs because all characters in “localvault” are loaded when the game starts.
Finally because of the limitation in the length of allowable Windows path names, I recommend that anything you download that is compressed be expanded in your download folder or on your desktop. This will prevent files from being mistakenly skipped during expansion, which could prevent things from working as expected once installed.
What Else Do I Install?
There is a lot of community content available for NWN2. Some content affects gameplay. Some content is for builders to use when using the toolset. Other content may be completely new playable campaigns and modules.
I contributed to the community some items that I always install. For information and access to all of my NWN2 contributions go here. An important reminder that you should always backup before installing anything and read and follow any installation instructions carefully. Be aware though that the instructions for content that was published in the past may not match your current operating system setup.
The following items of mine are designed to enhance the OC, MotB, SoZ, and MoW:
In addition to my own site, much of my content can also be found at neverwintervault.org and Nexus mods.
What Kind of Character Is Best to Play?
NWN2 includes a number of races and classes (base and prestige). During the course of playing the OC you will encounter just about every race and class and have opportunities to add those non-player characters (NPCs) to your adventuring party. So regardless of what you choose to start with, you will experience them all. So my recommendation is to pick whatever you want to start with based on the basic D&D types.
What About Character Romances?
There are a few romances that can occur. There are no sex scenes. There are no same-sex romances. If you have an interest in expanding on those possibilities you will need to use community content.
Can NWN Modules be Played with NWN2?
NWN modules would need to be converted in order to be used with NWN2. That would be a time consuming process and require a builder who has knowledge and talent with both toolsets. Use NWN to play NWN modules and NWN2 to play NWN2 campaigns and modules.
Enjoy your adventures in the Forgotten Realms.
Instructions for purchasing, downloading, and installing are on GOG. While you can install on multiple computers, the license keys are unique to your purchase and if you ever try to play online your keys must be unique. So you should never share them with friends or publish them. Keep them secret. Keep them safe. Do the right thing and tell your friends no pay, no play.
The first time you launch NWN2 after installation Windows 10 will prompt you to download and install DirectPlay. Allow this. This only takes a minute and afterward you should see the SoZ menu. If you start a new campaign you will see four options: the Official Campaign, Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir, and Mysteries of Westgate. If you start a new module you can play the standalone optional introductory module Uninvited Guests.
Enabling the NWN2 Toolset
NWN2 also includes the Windows-only Obsidian NWN2 Toolset which can be used to modify existing campaigns and modules and to create new content. The toolset is not an option on the main menu but ca be found in the Neverwinter Nights 2 application folder. If you took the default option when installing NWN2 Complete the NWN2 application folder will be located at “C:\GOG Games\NWN2 Complete”.
There are two ways to launch the toolset. The most direct route is to double-click on NWN2ToolsetLauncher.exe. The second way is to double-click NWN2Launcher.exe which displays a menu that includes options including “Play”, “Toolset” and the no longer useful “Update” option.
When first launching the toolset Windows 10 will notify you that the app needs .NET Framework 3.5. Allow this to be downloaded and installed. Then click the close button.
The Toolset has additional requirements though that must be acquired and installed manually. The Toolset requires the Microsoft DirectX 9.0c SDK that was included on the original NWN2 disc distribution but is unfortunately not included in any digital releases. Once you have downloaded DirectX 9.0c (try the Microsoft Download Center site) put it into the NWN2 application folder and run DXSETUP.exe. It will be installed into the NWN2 application folder and will not conflict with any other software you have (including newer versions of DirectX).
After completion of the DirectX 9.0c install you should be able to launch the Toolset. Once in the toolset it is strongly recommended that you immediately go to View >> Options and set Autosave to False. This is necessary because the autosave feature has been known to corrupt modules, so it is best not to use it. Also if you decide to poke around the official campaign modules you do not want to autosave or save as this will break the module verification step and you will need to reinstall in order to play.
If you have problems with the Toolset crashing inexplicably you may want to run it in Compatibility Mode with XP SP2, which is the OS that was current when it was released. Running as administrator may also prevent permission issues. These configuration settings can be made by right-clicking the NWN2ToolsetLauncher.exe or a shortcut to it.
The toolset is complicated and even if (especially if) you have used the NWN Aurora toolset you should spend some time to read about building NWN2 campaigns and content before attempting to do so. I personally recommend the following resources:
- Obsidian's NWN2 HTML-based Toolset Guide "nwn2toolsethelp.html" which can be found in the NWN2 application Documentation folder.
- The NWN2 Toolset Guide by Bob Hall
- NWN2 Toolset Guide v15
- Katrina's Guide to Neverwinter Nights 2 Toolset
- The BradyGames NWN2 World Editor Guide
- My Silverwand Sample Campaign which includes many scripts and features that are typically useful in a NWN2 campaign, designed to aid beginning modders
What Else Should You Install?
At the point of this writing there is no community fix pack that I can strongly recommend be installed. There is one being developed by the community but game breaking bugs are actually very rare so nothing further really needs to be installed in order to play.
You may want to consider playing a little bit before installing community content that alters the game just so you learn what you like and don’t like about the released version of the game.
That being said, there are a large number of enhancement modifications available to improve the appearance of objects within the game and those are often broadly compatible. For the most part you install such things into the override subfolder within the NWN2 Documents folder which should be in your user folder at “Documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\override”. Normally this folder is empty. Files put into the override folder will be used during execution to override files of the same name that are included in modules and campaign folders (with the exception of files of the same name included in haks).
Community content is not official and written and tested by only well-meaning individuals so installing multiple enhancements and modifications may result in unforeseen behaviors. Not all community content is compatible with other community content. Before installation of items into your override folder read any documentation provided by the author(s) and prepare to reverse the installation in the event of conflicts when playing.
Many players choose to install community content that improves the appearance of their characters (improved faces, more hairstyles, etc.). This is highly tempting because some of the standard faces and hairstyles are quite ugly and the community content is far superior. One important thing to keep in mind about using such modifications is that created characters are stored in the NWN2 Documents subfolder “localvault”. If there is a character in “localvault” that was created with a modified appearance using community content and then you uninstall that community content, the mere presence of the character in “localvault” can cause NWN2 to crash. This occurs because all characters in “localvault” are loaded when the game starts.
Finally because of the limitation in the length of allowable Windows path names, I recommend that anything you download that is compressed be expanded in your download folder or on your desktop. This will prevent files from being mistakenly skipped during expansion, which could prevent things from working as expected once installed.
What Else Do I Install?
There is a lot of community content available for NWN2. Some content affects gameplay. Some content is for builders to use when using the toolset. Other content may be completely new playable campaigns and modules.
I contributed to the community some items that I always install. For information and access to all of my NWN2 contributions go here. An important reminder that you should always backup before installing anything and read and follow any installation instructions carefully. Be aware though that the instructions for content that was published in the past may not match your current operating system setup.
The following items of mine are designed to enhance the OC, MotB, SoZ, and MoW:
- NWN2 OC Makeover mod (v20131228)
- NWN2 MotB Makeover mod (v20150325)
- SoZ Party Editor
- SoZ Party max override
- MoW Party Editor
In addition to my own site, much of my content can also be found at neverwintervault.org and Nexus mods.
What Kind of Character Is Best to Play?
NWN2 includes a number of races and classes (base and prestige). During the course of playing the OC you will encounter just about every race and class and have opportunities to add those non-player characters (NPCs) to your adventuring party. So regardless of what you choose to start with, you will experience them all. So my recommendation is to pick whatever you want to start with based on the basic D&D types.
What About Character Romances?
There are a few romances that can occur. There are no sex scenes. There are no same-sex romances. If you have an interest in expanding on those possibilities you will need to use community content.
Can NWN Modules be Played with NWN2?
NWN modules would need to be converted in order to be used with NWN2. That would be a time consuming process and require a builder who has knowledge and talent with both toolsets. Use NWN to play NWN modules and NWN2 to play NWN2 campaigns and modules.
Enjoy your adventures in the Forgotten Realms.
