A few questions about the game

krazymagic

First of all ive never played Lineage or Lineage II, and know very little about their gameplay mechanics. I have a few questions that I hope an Un-biased player from Lineage 2 can shed some light on for me:

I am a nearly 4 year veteran from Final fantasy XI, and Id really like to find another MMO That is very heavily focused on Grouping. Is Lineage 2 heavily group based? Or, can you easily solo your way through all of the levels? In FFXI, after level 10, if you wanted to advance in level you grouped 99.9% of the time, it was a forced grouping game, and I dont mind that, i actually enjoy it. How forced or Relaxed is the group demand in L2?

How is the End-game in L2? Is it raid style dungeons and content? Do you camp high level mods on timers like in FFXI? What is the end game like in a nutshell? This is also highly important to me

Is it hard for a new player to come into the game and find his way, given the game has been around a while? Is the community fairly receptive of new players?

How big is the grind? I am one of the few who dont mind a grind- As long as I can do that grind with a group (again, like FFXI, where grouping and leveling was actually Fun and social).

Any answers here would be greatly appreciated! Ive went from FFXI to Vanguard Saga of heroes, now to Lord of the Rings online, and I cant find that same sort of experiance that FFXI gave me- A strong group environment, stiff challenge, hardcore style game that requires thought and knowledge. I really like Lord of the rings, but the lack of challenge and group content is starting to really affect my like of the game....Running solo quests all the way to 50 is not my idea of a good time. I want to group for several hours and conquer some areas as my prgression, not just daisy chain little towns for solo quests. Could L2 be the game Im looking for?  Thanks!

Ellyrion

Is Lineage 2 heavily group based? Or, can you easily solo your way through all of the levels? In FFXI, after level 10, if you wanted to advance in level you grouped 99.9% of the time, it was a forced grouping game, and I dont mind that, i actually enjoy it. How forced or Relaxed is the group demand in L2?

Yes it definitely is.

Soloing is deceptive. Easier for some classes as you would expect ofcourse, but by and large very inefficient. Irrespective of this at some point you will find that you must group. Groups are more resource efficient and provide you with a higher overall DPS required to overcome the end-game mobs. 

How is the End-game in L2? Is it raid style dungeons and content? Do you camp high level mods on timers like in FFXI? What is the end game like in a nutshell? This is also highly important to me.

End game is multifaceted. Its more than just raiding. In L2 you can try to control the PvE through PvP. Sieging Castles and Fortresses gains you control of the PvE millieu. Its a significant revenue raiser through taxes and the manor system. Each castle in the game controls a region and each region has a number of fortresses which contribute to the overal division of power in the region. Control of any of those is highly profitable in a game where its extremely hard to get ahead (at least legitimately so). Your peer players provide the fabric of politics and intrigue into which you may enter if you so chose.

You must chose a clan in order to play in the end game. Groupping is enforced in the same manner as you describe for FFXI, you will grind into a halt XP wise without a group.

There is very little camping in L2, the world is too dynamic for that and most content is FCFS. You will find that ppl will PvP you for anything that they want and you may keep it if you can defend it.

How big is the grind? I am one of the few who dont mind a grind- As long as I can do that grind with a group (again, like FFXI, where grouping and leveling was actually Fun and social).

It depends on who you ask. The grind is there, but you chose when it begins to bite. If you chose to play in a clan with solid groups, then you won't feel it until well into the 70's, if you solo or multibox then it will hit you post 50.

Quests are not the quests of other MMO's. They are more like tasks which have long term consequences. Some of the early ones are straight forward and are there for minor profit. However, you must learn to multi task and do serveral quests simultaneously IOT make any real profit. Some intermediate quests in the early levels open up opportunities at higher levels. The 2nd and 3rd order consequences of your choices are important so research your preferred path well and you may be pleasantly suprised down the line.

Is it hard for a new player to come into the game and find his way, given the game has been around a while? Is the community fairly receptive of new players?

No, its just done differently in L2. Allegiance to a Clan is paramount . The clan is the focal point of the game. Players contribute directly to the power of the Clan for which they are rewarded by passive power ups based on their social standing within the clan. The larger and more powerful the clan, the better the passive buffs.

The community is not receptive to new players. New players must show initiative and approach clans offline. Its difficult and rare to get into a good / legit clan online as the open PvP millieu in L2 fosters a healthy dose of competitiveness between clans and no small amount of paranoia. Rivalry is significant and the stakes esp in the end game quite high. Ppl are not very trusting and the game is very much about player control of their PvE.

The GM's do not care for your issues , unless they pertain to a game bug/exploit, or direct harrassment by another player. The players are empowered to resolve all other issues themselves in game. Having said that, you cannot PvP legitimately in this game for extended periods of time. The money sinks in the game are such that you must have down time to recoup your costs. Progress of any sort PvP or PvE attracts a very significant cost in terms of consumables.

Put simply you must spend money to progress, and money is very very hard to make efficiently. It can be done its just very time consuming and challenging.

In closing,  L2 is totaly about player interaction. The risk vs reward model is very heavily weighted toward risk. Rewards are skimpy and fleeting. The world is tough and brutal. The mob AI is very good and the higher you get the more challenging it gets. The economy is heavily inflated and you will not earn enough by yourself to equip yourself in game without either significant XP down time or Clan help.

I hope this provides you with a realistic overview of L2.

Good luck with your choice of clan and server.

Regards,

Ellyrion Fiallathandriel

The Reckless Knight

Lunatris

Sovrath

I have to say that Ellyrion has made a very good post.

The only thing I have to add is that some classes do mostly solo as they aren't usually wanted or needed in a group. This is not to say that you won't end up in a clan that is all inclusive and doesn't care/mind what you are. But you will never see a group shouting for a dwarf warsmith or a mage (unless it is in AOE).

 

In addition, some classes are "boxed" because those that are more pvp minded want as much xp as possible given the time they put in. They don't want to share this xp with an in party healer or buffer so they have multiple accounts with out of party buffers/healers.

L2 is what you make of it, I will give you that. It is not an easy game and you really have to have goals and have to seek out others with similar goals. My opinion is that the end game is really about pvp (though you will find more PvE oriented clans).

But clan is not just a chat room. You have to find people who will have your back in a pinch. Scamming is allowed as is rampant pk'ing. Doesn't really happen all that much anymore but don't complain if a lvl 70+ player is hanging out by the new player areas and pk'ing noobs all night. It's all part of it, deal with it and get stronger so that you can challenge him/her somday.

krazymagic

thanks for the replies. Ive decided against trying L2.

Trollstar

Originally posted by krazymagic


thanks for the replies. Ive decided against trying L2.

Which is the right choice at this point in time.  L2 is sort of like the Marines, only a few can really stand it vigors and as far as I'm concerned is one of the more hardcore offerings out there.

Reaper_Ember

KM, I've played every game on the market...

I've tried and tried, over and over, and none of them hit that spot that FFXI does.

None of them.

ArchendrusX

I play FFXI but right now I'm taking a break, which may be forever, you know how breaks can go.  I love the game but it eats my life.  Especially when I can't find a party, linkshell is too busy to help out with promys, rank missions, bcnm's etc.  After a few hours I just end up farming.  Five or six hours after logging in all I have is about 10-15k to show for it.  I want to play, but I find myself logging in less and less.  I'm gonna give L2 a shot in the meantime and see if it sticks ^^