Where to put the Loyal Companion Gear?

In recent weeks I’ve already touched on professions and today I want to talk about another main downside of the sudden Gateway shutdown. The Loyal Gear, a heavy favorite no matter whether you are preferring a Bonding pet or Augment, is no longer available.

In case you’re not into the topic, the gear dropped from the Sword Coast Adventures mini game. It’s also a relevant discussion for consoles, which obviously never saw the gear without a Gateway of their own. One reason could be that the pieces are slightly overpowered and a rework has already been announced. In most cases it’s currently better than the Adorable gear that drops from the New Life Lockbox. Before that rework, the devs will likely not reintroduce the gear in the game. But whenever they do, it’s likely the consoles will finally get Loyal Gear as well.

Professions

As I said I already talked about professions and one area where Companion Gear could fit is exactly there. The pieces were unbound and the devs want to make professions the main source of unbound gear. Sounds like a fit. It’s highly unlikely though that they will just introduce new recipes for anyone to craft. I wouldn’t be surprised if the required resources or assets were tied to an upcoming module or something.

Dungeon loot

With the ongoing discussion about Keygate, Loyal Gear as dungeon chest loot makes tons of sense. It’s basically a full free line of rewards the devs don’t have to design. A dungeon or dungeons with Loyal Gear would instantly be a desirable destination (unlike Fangbreaker Island *cough* *cough*). I’m not too sure PC players would accept Loyal Gear as technically old rewards in new content though. The players that already own them could however still sell the stuff. Plus consoles obviously don’t have that issue.

Fill holes

Like I said I think the devs will tie the popular gear to upcoming content, but it’s also possible to inject it into content that currently is a little flat on viable rewards. The Icewind Dale campaign doesn’t really have a great reward to spend overflow currency on, neither Elemental Evil. Going back to professions you could also add a small chance to drop the gear from Leadership boxes, although this would benefit the botters more than the legit players in the current system.

Lockboxes

I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t be a fan-favorite, but of course lockboxes are another area where the gear could be placed. It’s not very likely though. With Adorable the devs already have a line of Companion Gear in lockboxes that is not yet complete. So adding another one doesn’t make a ton of sense.

Random world drop

Not that we need more randomness in the game, but wouldn’t it be cool if Loyal Gear could drop from virtually everywhere? Way too many grinds are unattached to each other in Neverwinter and lack an additional incentive. Daily influence runs are boring as fuck, but could be sweetened with a tiny chance at the gear. Try your luck and open chests or nodes in dungeons! Loyal Gear could drop from dailies, Heroic Encounters, any boss or event chests. I like the general concept of world drops because it adds a tad more excitement and rewards to otherwise boring everyday activities.


I hope you liked my suggestions of possible destinations for the Loyal Gear? Other ideas? Share them in the comments below or in the corresponding thread on our message board.

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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.