Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

 PC
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
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  1. GameSpy
    90
    Between the game's multiple endings and its awesome character creation, it's definitely worth playing this 20-plus hour game again just to get a different feel for its compelling story and tight gameplay.
  2. Worth Playing
    90
    It is a better adventure, in my opinion than the original game and definitely a level up from "Shadows of Undrentide."
  3. Quandary
    90
    At the very end the final confrontation is a treat. It can be one almighty battle that will test you to the limit, or it can be easier, or perfectly simple. It all depends on what has happened before.
  5. Yahoo!
    90
    Needless to say, the story is strong, contains all the typical Bioware twists, turns and quality writing, and fans of power-D&D will have a lot to crow about.
  6. Computer Games Magazine
    90
    Some of BioWare's finest storytelling and scripting work. [Mar 2004, p.73]
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  7. Armchair Empire
    90
    The adventure is decently long (15-20 hours) and has a unique feel and tone when set beside the earlier official offerings and the mod community stuff.
  8. Game Chronicles
    89
    The revised level cap will be a slam dunk hit, and the new resources will give builders plenty to play with. The campaign alone is worth the price of admission.
  9. ActionTrip
    88
    Offers a considerably more rewarding experience than the Shadows of Underntide.
  10. IGN
    86
    The story is great, the epic battles are truly epic and the graphics have been given a slight tweak.
  11. GameZone
    86
    All the hard work put in to leveling your characters truly pays off with the challenge of this title. To put it simply, if you are a fan of Neverwinter Nights, you will want this expansion.
  12. Computer and Video Games
    86
    The focus on the single-player experience, along with Bioware's top-notch level design has created an expansion pack with great detail and atmosphere that's arguably even more immediately immersive than the original game. [PC Zone]
  13. DailyGame
    85
    Those of you who are invested in the series will be very happy with the new features and the 15 to 20 hours of single player hack-and-slash action that this expansion offers.
  14. Game Informer
    85
    The amount by which it expands the game in every direction is truly epic. [Feb 2004, p.110]
  15. 1UP
    85
    Since nothing, not even "Undrentide," is as polished and well done as Hordes, the expansion is still an obvious purchase for fans of the series who may have every user created module to date.
  16. FiringSquad
    84
    You’re not likely to find another game that lets you skip the pansy levels and move onto the dragon-smiting immediately.
  17. GameShark
    84
    With some new gameplay, a ton of new loot, and lots more choices for character creation and advancement, Hordes of the Underdark is a must buy for fans of the original game.
  18. Game Revolution
    83
    The best part of Hordes of the Underdark turns out not to be the new campaign, but the extensive online support and terrific response to its dedicated fan base.
  19. PC Gamer
    83
    Hordes' goodness mostly comes down to its deliciously vicious weapons, brawnier spells, phatter loot, and more monumental ass-whupping (allowed by the higher level-cap). [Mar 2004, p.64]
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  20. Gamer's Hell
    82
    The storyline is reasonably interesting, there’s plenty of new stuff to check out, and it looks pretty good. It’s not an amazing expansion, but it's better than "Shadows of the Undrentide" in every way.
  21. GameSpot
    82
    The expansion's substantial single-player campaign should last most players 15-20 hours, and while it doesn't have many surprises, it does offer some worthwhile new features that Neverwinter Nights fans should enjoy.
  22. G4 TV
    80
    You get a capable, satisfying single-player game, access to many new prestige classes, a much higher level limit, and a wide assortment of new bits for the toolset. For the closet game designer, these additions alone are worth the price.
  23. Adrenaline Vault
    80
    It adds a gigantic single-player campaign and a plethora of new monsters, spells, character classes and items. The expansion also significantly updates the overall graphical quality, potentially adding to the life of the franchise without getting in the way of what made the original fun.
  24. netjak
    75
    The additions alone make it worth picking up, and, at the end of the day, it still manages to tell a hell of a story. After all, isn’t that what really counts?
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  25. Computer Gaming World
    70
    Has that woefully underbaked, released-just-in-time-for-the-holidays taint to it, and that's just a colossal shame, because underneath that nastiness is a great, great expansion. [Mar 2004, p.78]
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Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best PC Game of 2003
75
#75 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003
52
#52 Most Shared PC Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 136 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 111 out of 136
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 136
  3. Negative: 7 out of 136
  1. DeusXCom
    Aug 3, 2014
    9
    In case of Hordes of the Underdark I was still confused what is everybody raving about. I mostly hated dungeons and interiors in the originalIn case of Hordes of the Underdark I was still confused what is everybody raving about. I mostly hated dungeons and interiors in the original NWN, so my logic was - How can an expansion located mostly underground be so good? After playing through this, I understand it perfectly. Hordes of the Underdark is by far the best adventure from the Neverwinter Nights era that Bioware produced and I wouldn't even hesitate to say that this time, the story was even on Baldur's Gate quality levels. Amazing story, characters, quests and that final ultimate epicness, hmmmm, that right there is the good stuff fans of the BG series have been eagerly waiting for and it definitely puts Neverwinter Nights into the good light and maybe even let it slightly peak into the classic hall of fame, not really there with the best, but almost. 9/10… Full Review »
  2. KaiEkkrin
    Jun 24, 2011
    7
    This second expansion for Neverwinter Nights got a lot of praise, even though the story feels like a bit of a rambling mess compared toThis second expansion for Neverwinter Nights got a lot of praise, even though the story feels like a bit of a rambling mess compared to Shadows of Undrentide (wisely, it's a continuation of that expansion's storyline and ignores the NWN original campaign). As an "epic" D&D adventure (over level 20) it has the usual stat inflation problem, with far too many spells (many now useless) ending up in your list if your character is a spellcaster. But: two NPC companions at once! More Deekin!… Full Review »
  3. Eddyward
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    Brilliant expansion for a brilliant game.
    It's nice that Bioware has given us another aspect of the D&D setting to explore, and hasn't just    Brilliant expansion for a brilliant game.
    It's nice that Bioware has given us another aspect of the D&D setting to explore, and hasn't just stuck to the typical caves, dungeons and big cities.
    This also adds quite a bit to the multiplayer aspects of the game. I've seen plenty of servers add an underdark to their PW, and greatly benefited from it.    … Full Review »
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