This month marks another watershed moment for our server, as we finally become available to console players as the multiplayer option on Beamdog's NWN, with the core game from Skybound Games having been released on December 3rd 2019.

As one of the longest running collaborative Dungeons & Dragons story-telling environments in the world, with a history stretching back to the original release of the Bafta award winning Neverwinter Nights in 2003, is it perhaps surprising that many console players will only now hear our name for the very first time?

This is because, unlike so many other gaming destinations, Arelith is entirely non-commercial. Our narrative has been shaped by those role-players who have made their home here, with tens of thousands of players having passed through our door, and hundreds of thousands of characters. We are not 'free to play' in the modern sense, but in a deeply ethical one – there are no payments, no premium content, and no advertising at any point in the Arelith experience.

Arelith is not an MMORPG, rather, we are a community, with only a few hundred players online at any one time, dedicated to recreating the pen & paper Dungeons and Dragons experience in an online setting.

In game screenshot of Arelith

We are staffed by volunteer Dungeons Masters, writers and coders comprised of a mix of amateur and professional game developers with experience of working on titles such as Squad!, 1993 Space Machine, Forza Horizon 3 and of course the Neverwinter Nights premium module 'Tyrants of the Moonsea'

Many of our players are not just playing a game, but creating a deep, immersive, role-playing environment, which inspires not just their gameplay, but fifteen years worth of fiction and art, such as that produced by fantasy artist (and player) Matheus Graef, and a great many others who share their work on our forums.

A painting of the Underdark City of Andunor.

Despite having no advertising budget nor studio, over the years we have been featured in articles from Vice Waypoint, PC Gamer, and Engadget, with many of these articles providing a great introduction to just who we are, and what makes Arelith a deeply special environment to those play here. Elswhere , we rely purely upon the goodwill of our players and the larger Dungeons & Dragons RPG community in spreading the word of our game.

In 2018 journalist Bruno Dias spent a few days getting to know our world.

With both Switch and Xbox players now able to connect to our world, we are really excited to welcome them, and in addition to our main FAQ, there are a number of other questions regarding console play that we'd like to answer here and now.

Is Arelith Cross Play?

Arelith is avaiable to both Nintendo Switch players and Xbox players to play within the same world alongside those currently using Android, PC, Mac, & Linux. For information on console support please read the official FAQ from Beamdog.

Do all players experience the same world or are they separated into instances?

All players on Arelith share the same game world, and can fully interact over three connected servers with an overall capacity of 750.

Will a keyboard be required to play, and are they supported by the game?

Arelith is a roleplay environment, as detailed in our main FAQ. While a keyboard is STRONGLY recommended the virtual alternative should suffice (see below), and the game itself includes some basic chat commands.

As a game with an exclusive history on PC, what changes have you made to support those using consoles?

We are aware that the experience of using a console controller to play a game like Neverwinter Nights differs greatly from the standard 'mouse & keyboard' common to other platforms. To enable console players to roleplay using the virtual keyboard we are introducing an automated 'follow and combat AI' option to players. This will allow more time for console players to use the virtual keyboard without the need to pause gameplay for every instance of conversation.

Does Arelith profit from sales of Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edition?

We do not. Arelith is entirely non-commercial. Neverwinter Nights is required to play the game, but we neither receive revenue from its sales, nor exist as an official component of the game.

Will there be any other options for console multiplayer besides Arelith?

Yes, Arelith will be joined within the consoles' multiplayer options by the excellent https://www.nwnravenloft.com/

Where can I learn more about the rules and system of the server?

The players of Arelith maintain an excellent and extensive wiki on our game, in addition to an active forum.