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thinking of trying this out
i played the trial as a dwarf. but due to life circumstances didnt get very far. what i saw i think i liked.
however, the main draw for me has been the changes coming in GoD.
would anyone care to comment on the state of the game and give some pointers before i purchase? i sure don't want buyers remorse again from a game.
----edit
wow. so reading the forums i am more confused than ever. 'third sub change becomes x after Awakening' and honestly i have no clue what anyone is talking about.
what i do know is that i started a dwarf bounty hunter b/c i like gathering and crafting. i understood that there was a sub class quest at some point. but how many subs are there? how wiil i know what to pick so i can play what i want all the way through the game?
my favorite things to do in a game are explore, grind, harvest, and craft. is this not possible in L2 or in L2 after GoD is released?
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Comments
Played this game for awhile when it first released and recently resubbed for a month to give it another look. To be honest the two major downsides to l2 are still there and if GoD doesn't address them then it isn't worth the money.
The first and major drawback is that I still after so many years see more gold farmers than players which have always plagued the game and Nc's inability to deal with them has reached legendary status, in fact at the moment it wouldn't surprise me if most of the games subs come from gold farmers. The second drawback is the mind numbing boredom of the quests; Run for ten minutes so that guy A can say a couple of meaningless sentences, return to guy B so that he can tell you to go back to guy A for another couple of meaningless sentences, return to guy B etc. You spend more time running from A to B or chalking off yet another boring Fed-Ex quest that you end up doing very little else. If NC want to save this game in the west then GoD needs to be something very special and at it's core needs some military grade anti bot and farmer code.
Gonna take a shot at answering your questions as best I can here, but I'm not a L2 veteran. I basically just invested around half a year (maybe closer to a year - I lost track) in the game and loved it for what it's worth, but found other more current games to be easier to pick up. I think the GoD update is exactly what the game needs targeting the newer fans like me, but I'm not really sure what it will do to the community that is already entrenched in it. I think it's revamping some things that some people might not like because I remember there being some guild chatter about it, but it probably won't be game-breaking. I just got the feeling people felt some adjustments coming as would be expected.
Contrary to the last post, the game seemed to be very active to me still and goldselling was almost completely nonexistent. Maybe this was just the server I was on, but that surprises me to hear that gold selling was even noticed anymore. I heard this from a lot of other players too. The game was very top-heavy though, with everyone around my highest level working on their second class (kinda like a dual-spec only you have to level this alternate class on it's own). Their first class was already level 80+ and very slow to level at that point so joining me to grind and work on their second class was like a blessing lol.
The best place to get a better idea of the classes and sub changes is at http://www.lineage2.com/guide/race_human.html - I started on the human tab, but all you do is select your desired race at the top, then click on "002 Class Transfer" to see what class you can develop towards down the class tree. Click on the boxes to see an individual paragraph about that subclass, but it's all basically just advanced specializations in things you are already doing. For example, one route may go towards giving you better buffing spells but fewer ways to heal while the alternative gives you better healing but very little buffing ability. One direction might be more offensive and another might be more defensive. One direction might be ranged dps while another is melee dps. With dwarves, you really just have one direction focused on gathering and another focused on crafting. Can't master both at the same time. Generally though, when you reach the point of your subclass change you will have a very clear idea about which direction is for you. It's not as cryptic as it sounds before playing it because I know it confused me a bit too. Good explanations are given in dialogue at each stage, with skills you gain being very obviously geared to one side of the class or the other when you have to choose the next specialization, and you'll have an even better picture about where it all leads if you are playing with other people because you'll see what other classes can provide that make some of your skills better then others, and some made completely inconsequential if someone took the opposite class transfer as you.
GoD is adding new classes so whether you choose to play one of the new classes or pick one of the old ones, it's a good time to start once the expansion hits because tons of people will likely be trying out the new zones. I never felt any real shortage of people to play with as long as you find one of the active guilds. There were always a few groups of people grinding in the various group-xp locations around the game world so I felt like it was far from a dying or empty game. That should translate in to a reasonable amount of low level activity for this much-needed revamp of early level areas. Every place I went until around level 30 was a ghost town, and even then the majority of activity was mostly player afk shops. I would rarely run in to anyone in the solo grinding areas, but that's also of some benefit if you get started before GoD. Grinding solo in an area with no other players was very fast and enjoyable for me but others might find that a little boring and lonesome. Even when I left, I still had a couple great spots to grind solo if I wanted or needed to but once you get in the 60+ range it's just faster and more entertaining to be grouping in my opinion. That's when xp starts to slow and I hit everyone working on their second class/spec for plenty of opportunities to join a group.
If you liked what you saw and played in the trial then I would say you won't be disappointed by the purchase. In general, the worst of L2 is at the beginning from what I saw, when you have to get used to the different controls and UI compared to other MMOs and the early zones feel empty. Beyond the noobie areas of levels 1-25 or so, the game got considerably more interesting to me (and I was already enjoying it). There's a lot to it like events and activities that aren't mentioned in the early levels just because you need to learn the basics first, but L2 is definitely one of the best MMOs out there with everything to see and do. It's just showing it's age now and needs an update like GoD to either bring some veterans back or bring some new people in. I'm kinda considering it, but already have myself invested in Aion now so I doubt I'll go back. Don't quote me on that though
Edit: Forgot to mention my agreement with the last post on quests. They are pretty boring and silly at times. I would suggest using them only as a bonus to your grinding, i.e. get the quests from the nearest town and then go find a nearby place to grind either using a quest to suggest an area of mobs or using your own sense. The quests will just serve as additional xp and adena when you return to town. Focusing on doing the quests is just an annoying waste of time from what I saw, but they did show me some great spots for my level when I wasn't sure where to go grind.
thank you both for the thoughtful comments.
i did go ahead and get the game, yes, im impatient
grinding is actually what im looking for, grinding quests is not. however, i will say that the new noobie quests level you *extra* fast. i hit level 18 in under 2 hours of gameplay and that included my trying to figure out the UI and alt tabbing between the quest guide on the L2 site and not knowing where anything is.
i expect to have my first transfer class next time i play. just have to find master toma and run his quest.
other than i think that fast leveling chain of quests ends shortly after 20 and i fully plan on just going out and grinding in some spot. as ive mentioned before i like to explore, grind, harvest, and craft. so i figure 2 dwarves oughta do me for now.
i will admit that i am still quite confused as to the subclass/class transfer system and i have not actually found a good explanation of it yet. perhaps this is due to the explanations being in the old quest set and not the newer one.
again, thank you both. and i hope you're enjoying whatever your gaming
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
This is an asian game....is there a lot of "grind", or has that asian company leared to make a game that will satisfy the Western culture?
(I'm not into grinding a 50 rat quest, only to turn it in and and pick up the same 50 rat quest again)
from what ive experienced so far the questing is uninspired, however, the noobie quests give great xp and are worth doing. after that ive been told to just pick up local town quests because you might fulfill them as you just grind on mobs and explore.
im not a fan of quest grinding either. however, i dont mind grinding just straight mobs as long as i have some room to explore as well as harvest.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
its good to hear from someone who loves the game enough to give an honest critique of it. i think that's important.
and while i'm completely noobish in this game, i did find the new line of starting quests vastly helpful in getting me to about 20 so far.
i do understand however, that most of the game will be grinding. i actually look forward to that some days b/c its just mindless or even 'zen' like for me. calms me down when i can settle in and forget about the days woes.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
LOL, are you sure you playing retail? Saying there is more Gold Farmers / Bots in this game is total BS. I will admit that years ago bots weere everywhere but now you will have look hard to find a bot in Lineage 2. Lineage 2 is not a quest based game and never has been. Quest in this game are optional and most are totally outdated now since the quest are still based on when the game first came out. Most people that play this game dont even do quest other than the ones that are required like class changes. The Quests in Lineage 2 is just like the quest you will find in any other mmo. Go kill, go fetch or go talk to. If this is your first time seeing quest like this then you must be new to mmos. The Quest system is being revamped in GoD and looking foward to it. You sound like a person that maybe tried the game once a long time ago and did not make it far at all.
Once you hit level 18 and do your class change forget about quest. Go to Dion and join a clan because your clan is the most important part of Lineage 2. Get in a good active clan that does stuff like raiding and daily xp groups. Get social and make some friends to group with because thats what this game is all about. No other game has a social aspect like Lineage 2.
Right now is a great time to join because the GMs are doing regular events to help people get higher level for Goddess Of Destruction. Just play the game and dont worry about rushing to high level. Lineage 2 is no thempark. Most people that talk bad about the game simply trash talk it because the game is not easy and they quit because of it. It takes alot of time and alot of effort to make it in Lineage 2. Enjoy each day playing the game and try to have fun and one day you will be in the Olympiad getting your ass handed to you but thats a good thing.
no doubt about the olympiad thing
EDIT
nvm, quest issue resolved, must have been latency related.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
thanks for the recc, i ll bookmark it.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Here is another good Lineage 2 info site. http://l2.eogamer.com/wiki/Main_Page
This one is for Goddess Of Destruction. http://www.terragamers.net/wiki/index.php?title=Goddess_of_Destruction_Preview
Class change quest have been made alot easier then what they use to be. Back in the day say if you needed 20 drops from a mob you would maybe get 1 every 5 kills. Now they made it so you will get 1 drop for each skill. Some people still find them boring and tedious but now you can pay 3M Adena and do a much shorter quest that only takes like 5-10 minutes for class change. I still think everybody should at least do the regular class change quest 1 time. Its just a good experience to get from the game and some of the quest are actually quite good.
In answer to one of your statements I have been playing MMO's since DAoC first hit the store shelves. In answer to your observation on gold farmers I logged into chronos late last night and started a new toon; In the Kameil village I counted no less than fourteen toons with the same abbreviated name and a number after it as has been the case in L2 for a long time now. Granted you no longer see an army of dwarves delevelling against the guards in the various starter towns but they are there if you know where to look. Don't take my word for it however, just visit some of the gold seller websites and see for yourself as they all sell Adena. So where do you think that gold comes from, appears by magic maybe?
its really weird, i completely believe you, but i have had the complete opposite experience. i haven't seen, nor have i heard one at all. albeit, you are correct that the gold is being *earned* somehow, but i think the experience with spammers must be fluctuating quite a bit for both of us to have had such differing experiences.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Every game has bots, this any real mmo player knows but thats not what we are talking about. When you said that Lineage 2 is Full of bots that is a total lie. I play a level 84 toon on Chronos so when ever you want to meet me in game and show me that Lineage 2 is full of bots / gold farmers just let me know. I just leveled a kameal Arbalestor a week ago so I know you are lying. I am not saying the game does not have any bots at all but like I said to see a bot in this game you will have to go out and look for it.