The story is mostly unrelated to Neverwinter Nights and follows the journey of an orphaned adventurer investigating a group of mysterious artifacts known as "silver shards" and their connection to an ancient, evil spirit known as the King of Shadows.

[4] Neverwinter Nights 2 makes use of the d20 system introduced in Dungeons & Dragons,[2] where a die roll or random number is used to determine the probability and effectiveness of every action, including attacks and saving throws.

[8] The party is able to explore various areas of Faerûn—including its cities, forests, and dungeons—while earning experience points and treasure by defeating monsters and completing quests.

[2] Players could upload and play modules online created with the Electron toolset, which is included with the Windows version of the game.

[15] The first part of the game is set in the small Sword Coast village of West Harbor, which was the site of a battle between an evil host led by an entity known as the "King of Shadows" and the warriors aligned with Neverwinter.

During the campaign, the player has the opportunity to recruit party members to aid in the cause, including the violent dwarf Khelgar and a vocal young tiefling Neeshka.

[20] The game's first act begins in the village of West Harbor, where the player's character was raised as an orphan by the elven ranger Daeghun.

Afterward, the character is sent by Daeghun to retrieve a mysterious silver shard from a nearby cave,[20] which was left there years earlier after the defeat of the King of Shadows.

[21] Duncan instructs the party to speak with Aldanon, a sage who reveals the shard's connection with a dead warlock and his descendant, a farmer named Shandra Jerro.

As a reward, the protagonist earns a title of nobility and is awarded a stronghold, Crossroads Keep, by Neverwinter's political leader, Lord Nasher.

A cutscene afterwards details the battle's effect on the world, and ends on a cliffhanger which is continued in the Mask of the Betrayer expansion pack.

The two companies collaborated in a similar manner on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, an Obsidian–developed sequel to a BioWare game.

[28] Staff included Darren Monahan, the producer of several Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance games; Marc Holmes, art director of the first Neverwinter Nights;[29] and Chris Avellone, lead designer of Planescape: Torment and Knights of the Old Republic II.

Electron was designed to incorporate DirectX to make it compatible for a potential Xbox 360 release, but Obsidian eventually abandoned plans for a port to the system for financial reasons.

[30] The toolset that was used to create the game was also revamped, and included several additions like a customizable interface, a new dialogue format,[34] and building assistants—similar to the wizards found in Microsoft Word and Excel.

It's this kind of philosophy that promises a more cohesive story.Instead of the henchmen system used in Neverwinter Nights, Obsidian overhauled the game's party format to mimic Knights of the Old Republic II.

[49] The United States and Australia "Limited Edition" contained several physical items like a cloth map depicting the Sword Coast, as well as in-game benefits like the "Blessed of Waukeen" feat that grants players a bonus to saving throws.

Each box contained the collectibles available in the United States and Australia versions, as well as copies of the original Neverwinter Nights and its expansions, and a trial code for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach.

[52] Atari licensed Aspyr Media to develop a port of Neverwinter Nights 2 for the Apple Macintosh;[53] the game was announced shortly before the Windows release.

[56] Atari announced in March 2008 that many of its PC games, including Neverwinter Nights 2 and its first expansion, Mask of the Betrayer, would be available online via Valve's digital distribution service Steam.

[61] A complete edition that contains the original game and the three expansion packs (Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir, Mysteries of Westgate) was released on GOG.com on January 24, 2013.

Stick with it: Once your party hits Neverwinter (and reaches level seven or so), the proceedings become significantly more interesting—especially in terms of character interaction and development.

"[85] Conklin and Matt Slagle of Deseret News were pleased with the ethical choices in the game, with both noting approvingly that diplomacy was a very valid option that could succeed in place of combat.

[3][8][24] The Sydney Morning Herald said "The detailed 3D engine allows for lush scenery, giving you a greater sense of exploration as you poke around the rustic villages and murky swamps".

[6] Several comments on the audio and voice acting were positive,[2][3] though one reviewer expressed disappointment that some sound effects had apparently been recycled from Neverwinter Nights.

[1][8] Adam Diamond of Isthmus was not happy with the pathfinding, writing, "I often found myself traveling solo through a dungeon, my companions spread out far behind me, leaving me vulnerable to attack.

[82] Some reviews compared Neverwinter Nights 2 to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II,[5][10][85] a previous Obsidian game that had received similar complaints.

"[8] The Mac version of Neverwinter Nights 2 received mixed reception, and reviewers complained about its lack of the editor toolkit and its high system requirements.

[97] The Neverwinter Nights 2 level editor and design toolset were widely praised,[85][98] with the Deseret News referring to them as "insanely powerful and complex".

[99] Notable Neverwinter Nights 2 modding projects included remakes of Baldur's Gate,[100] Icewind Dale,[101] and RuneScape.