Portobello’s Campaign Challenge Review: A Rock Falls

We continue our ongoing review of the current event maps with ‘A Rock Falls’. In case you’ve missed it, here’s our look at Trial of Traps and the Artificer’s Workshop. The third test of the Portobello Campaign brings players into the Underdark where they have to close a bunch of portals, but not really need to dodge falling rocks.

A Rock Falls Map
A Rock Falls Map

The map continues with the charming design of the event. It’s not really special, but the composition again is something you have never seen before. Players are guided through the tubed map pretty well and up until the final bosses you shouldn’t run into much trouble.

A Rock Falls Stones
Watch Out!

Or I might say you sadly run into little trouble. Unlike its two precursors, ‘A Rock Falls’ lacks these little annoyances that so far have steadily escorted the event. The rocks that fall from the sky don’t even seem to hit players or deal damage. I think it would be helluva fun if the group was thrown all around the map and actually needed to dodge the rocks, but nada. This makes the experience a bit too common.

The other factor ‘A Rock Falls’ suffers from is the Beholder. Since it drops from the Artificer’s Workshop players couldn’t care less about the other event maps. Maybe it would have been better to add the mount to all maps, or enhance the loot in other ways. For everybody looking to just complete their Accreditations this however presents an alternative to the Trial of Traps, because it’s fast to run.

A Rock Falls Portals
A Rock Falls Portals

At least the boss mechanic gives some players a bit of a headache. As Flabbergast tells you, you need to pay attention to the order in which the colored portals spawn and then kill the bosses in that particular order. If the first portals are blue, you need to kill the blue boss first. Otherwise it’ll just respawn. I was once again amazing how some party members struggled with that simple concept, but even mindlessly slaying the bosses would eventually lead to success. Some PUGs, myself included, chose to announce the order, which of course didn’t prevent other members to still go for the wrong ones.

Overall it’s a well done map again, but I would definitely have made the rocks more lethal and annoying, because it fits the overall feel of the event. The map is faster to run than Artificer’s Workshop, helping everyone amass their Accreditation, but the lack of a certain Beholder Mount probably limits the viability to most.

With that, we dive into the last week of the event. Let’s get some Daggers ya’ll!


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j0Shi

j0Shi plays the Neverwinter MMORPG since the open BETA in 2013 and is a regular contributor to the blog and the whole UN:Project. Originally a Guardian Fighter, he has built up ALTs of all classes and plays on BIS/near-BIS level.

One thought on “Portobello’s Campaign Challenge Review: A Rock Falls

  • September 15, 2016 at 1:19 pm
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    Want to send you a late thank you for your article. I play on PS4 so Portebello’s launched a few weeks ago. Your articles were both insightful and helpful.

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