Lineage 2 is a free-to-play 3D fantasy MMORPG developed by NCSoft. It is one of the most popular South Korean MMORPGs to arrive on the west coast. Set 150 years before the original Lineage, this prequel offers a PvP-centric version of an MMORPG experience. The story spans two continents shrouded in war. There is a constant power struggle between three realms, offering many opportunities for player versus player combat.
The initial 2004 North American release of Lineage 2 saw a much stronger emphasis on PvP. Since then, the game has changed in a number of ways thanks to patches and content updates. It wasn’t until 2011 that Lineage 2 saw its biggest change, becoming free to play. With the introduction of a system called “Truly Free”, players have gained access to all areas and content of the game. Lineage 2 has everything you’d expect from such an established and popular MMORPG, from siege warfare to massive multi-man raids.
To play, you need to create an NCSoft account, but this only takes a minute or two. You will already have an account if you have played any other NCSoft games, such as AION or Guild Wars 2.
Presentation
The first thing you notice about Lineage 2 is how beautiful the graphics are, even by today’s standards. When I first launched the game, I immediately remembered Square’s Vagrant Story for the original PlayStation, but prettier. It has the same feel of that world and I was immediately drawn to it.
Characters
For your character, there are seven races to choose from. The character creation suite isn’t the most in-depth around, but there are enough options to create interesting and unique characters in each race.
However, Lineage 2 offers very few choices in class when creating a character for the first time. As you progress through the game, you find that there are 36 classes on offer, which function more like a career path than a typical class in MMORPGs. When you reach levels 20, 40, 76 and 85, you will choose your next class.
For example, a Human Warrior can become one of the other three classes, a Warrior, a Knight, or a Rogue, each of which has progressions tied to them. You end up as one of six potential powerful classes depending on which path you choose to take. This is the case with every class / race combo, leading to greater depth of character customization through skills and abilities.
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