I've been running quite a few dungeons recently. Some of those have been through the daily random queue, which gives nice rewards for what's usually a 10 or 15 minute run. I say 'run' but really 'sprint' would be more accurate – this is a daily, for a specific reward, and the emphasis is on getting it done fast.
(I didn't delve into the random queue at all during my first 24 hours in Neverwinter, since my past experience of doing these as a low level was of running madly to try to keep up with the scaled down level 70s who made up the rest of the group, and being kicked if I wasn't fast enough.)
One reason I've been doing the daily is that I was curious if the revised challenges of the dungeons would still be noticeable in a group with one or more max level characters. The first two runs I did didn't tell me much, since it was Cloak Tower and I've been able to successfully run that one solo since level 20. That five players raced through it was, then, no surprise.
Subsequently I've run Cragmire Crypts and Pirate's Skyhold – both went fast, if not quite as fast as they used to. These are levelling dungeons though, and I'll be interested in seeing how the later dungeons go.
I've also been soloing some dungeons. Cloak Tower I finished at level 20, but Cragmire Crypts gave me a hell of a time, with the first boss killing me over and over, and making it look easy. Like I said in a previous post I used to do that one with autorun and Path of the Blade by the time I was this level.
I'm not usually too fussy about which companion I run with – whatever needs levelling really – but for my last few dungeon runs I've started to go in with a healer, and doing so has got me through Cragmire Crypts (at last!), as well as Grey Wolf Den and Pirate King's Retreat (shortly before I went straight back into it via the daily dungeon queue.)
None of them were easy but I got through them all with my trusty healbot by my side. Reading around I've seen others commenting that the changes made with Module 16 make healers relevant/essential again* and my experience of these dungeons seems to support that.
*Mainly be removing Lifesteal, which is, I think, the reason I'm now relying on healing potions and stones of health like never before. Fair enough, Lifesteal WAS extremely overpowered, but I do hope that its removal doesn't leave me chained to a healer for every challenging fight.
I'm not entirely convinced that this is a good thing. It would be ironic if one of the stated aims of Mod 16 to make a wider range of companions valid choices has actually resulted in everyone feeling obliged to choose from a narrow list of the best healers rather than the previously narrow list of the best DPSers.
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