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Should I try it?
So I posted on the General discussion board but figured I'd post here as well for more specific info. I've been looking for a new MMORPG and L2 looks interesting but the lack of a free trial is making me very very hesitant.
Basically, I've played a fair number of MMORPGs. UO, DAOC, WoW, EQ, EQ2, Horizons and Shadowbane. UO has been the one that has stuck with me the most(private servers that is, the production version has been crapified), but I'm beginning to get tired of it. I liked WoW but the community was too horrendous for me to deal with.
Is L2 a game I should try? I'm a casual gamer, I like a game where I can PvP, PvE and craft (lots of depth). Want to be able to solo since I play odd hours. Don't mind slow advancement as long as there is content along the way, but I want a game I can play for an hour or so and feel like I did something worthwhile. That's actually another reason I like to solo, I hate spending an hour getting a group together and then having to go. Graphics are nice I guess but relatively unimportant. Mature community is KEY. Like it for a game to have a good, functional economy.
Didn't seem like many on GD had played it so figured I'd go to the source:) Does L2 match this description? If not, any recommendations?
Comments
The community is varied like other games but I have to say that it is more mature than most.
Having said that, I don't think the game is for you. I suppose the game has a lot of depth with regards to crafting if you consider collecting hundreds of mats "depth".
The quests are basic at best (hunt x amount of mobs and get money) to tedious at worst (2nd class transfers.. just lots and lots of running).
The game has a heavy grind... at lower lvls you might feel like you have accomplished something but you might feel differently at higher lvls.
The sieges are amazing, the fighting graphics are amazing, spell effects amazing... art design amazing... it is an open pvp game so that means you can be pk'ed at any time. It does have a karma system so that does mean that one has to make decisions if they want to pk players.
Listen.. you either like this game or not. If you don't like games with heavy grind then it really isn't for you. Only thing I can suggest is to try it. I think it's like 19 dollars from direct2drive. Keep in mind the noob areas are a bit light. There are people who play this game (and even my server.. .which was a low population server, is having a large influx of people due to chronicle 4).
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
It's going to be hard to find a game with the depth of UO. L2 is a great game for it's stylized graphics, and well known for it's PVP. But like most asian games it's a little weak on depth and PVE.
If leaving UO, the logical next step would be Asherons Call, Dark Age of Camelot, or Everquest. Other newer MMOs seem to focus on being unique in one or two ways and ignore an all encompasing full-blown depth-filled MMORPG. There are some on the horizon that seem promising, but give these a try in the meantime.
L2 is hailed by many as the best pvp mmo on the market atm. Definitely worth trying out.
Thanks for the input.
I'm going to play around with trials a bit and then maybe I'll give this one a try.
Unfortunately of the other ones I mentioned, AC is the only one I didn't try. EQ I found to have little to NO depth (strict PvE, terrible PvP, terrible crafting). DAoC is one I'm considering giving another go.
Thanks for the input, anyone else?
I just recently reinstalled AC. I had such great memories of it. it was my first MMORPG. Unfortunately the game is a waste of time. Its filled with bots and its an unbalanced mess. Turbine has done nothing to keep it current. The game is almost the same as it was when I left 3 years ago except for more quest and a new race. The graphics are awful by todays standards. The skill system (I never realized it when I played) is a jumbled mess and if you mess up at character creation you will have issues later on. Buff bots are everywhere and completely unbalance the combat. Trade bot have devalued money so badly it is worthless. The loot tables are all screwy. By level 8 I had over 200k in game currency but I had no use for it. When I played in the past, I dont remember that happening. Anyway, just stay away from that one.
L2 is a great game (great graphic, great combat, nice world...on and on) however once again the use of bots has damaged the economy so badly its almost not worth playing. You will spend more time "buying low' and "selling high" then anything else. Such a shame, I really liked L2. I just got bored playing merchant all the time.
I thought UO was one of the best MMOs I played as well. I also played L2 and it doesn't have the depth that UO has.
Yep, you can PvP, PvE and craft. Most of it though is just grind ad nauseam.
Solo is very well possible at lower levels for all classes. In fact, you will be soloing a lot since there are hardly people to team up with anymore in beginner towns. At higher levels, it depends on your class. The best solo class is probably any nuker type, but in one hour, you hardly accomplish anything at high levels. You can nuke for maybe 10 minutes and then you need to rest for mana (there are no mana pots in the game) for around 20 minutes. 1 hour will feel like you've hardly started.
I don't know what you mean by content, but the only content you will see along the way is grind for levels and gear, long term planning for gear, and quests that mostly consist of 'kill 100 of these mobs'.
Community isn't really different from other online games. You can get a taste of the community by going to l2orphus.com and l2blah.com. These are the most widely used forums for L2.
I've played the game for about 8 months in total (quit the game for some months and then went back) and the first two months, I genuinely enjoyed the game. After that, I stayed on with promises from other players that 'once you reach level {insert a level} things will get more exciting'. It never did. What also kept me all this time was: my clan and the sieges. The sieges are awesome in every way.
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Playing: Final Fantasy Online: ARR, Destiny
Most memorable games for me: UO, GW1, LoTRO