Choose My Adventure: So long, Lineage II
I'm here at the end of the line. Six weeks and 48 levels brings me to the close of my time on Choose My Adventure with Lineage II. It became a little grindy toward the end, but that's due to my inability to find a group, something that's important in order to experience some of the content. When I began this little adventure, I knew nothing of Lineage II. I'm walking away a regular player who's looking forward to trying out the numerous PvP options. I wanted to finish this ride with a bang, and I was lucky enough to be ending after a siege weekend.
Lineage II has some rather involved sieges and other PvP content that should please many players at mid- to high-level. I was a litle confused at first, but I was able to use the broadcast crystal to watch some siege gameplay. This final farewell covers a lot of PvP in the game, so buckle up!%Gallery-141708%
PvP in Lineage II isn't restricted to a battleground or a few zones; instead, it spans the entire world and has some intricate, ongoing relationships. Castle sieges and fortress sieges allow clans to lay claim to one of the many structures dotting the landscape, giving them special privileges. Territory wars share a connection with castle sieges but allow anyone to participate in an area-based PvP setting. Coliseums allow straightforward aggression to be dished out between groups within an arena. Month-long olympiads give players a chance to claim hero status and enjoy some extra power perks. There's also an ongoing game of tag (of sorts) involving special weapons players can constantly fight over. All this is in addition to an open-PK world and the option to duel at will.
The castle and territory sieges occur every two weeks, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. I was able to catch some siege action this past Sunday. The new Lineage II site has a very helpful breakdown of all the PvP options and rules. It's a lot to absorb, but what else are players going to do when they hit level cap? You could probably muddle along in-game, but for me, the information on the website proved invaluable.
I was a bit nervous at first because I had gotten myself in a sticky situation over my dead pet. I can't keep him alive to save my life. There are broadcasting crystals scattered around the world. The only two I know of right now are in the monster arena and in Gludio. The territory war was scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, and I had hopped in about 15 minutes early. It took me about 30 minutes to figure out how to deal with my pet. He was dead, and the broadcast crystal says you cannot view a siege with a pet summoned. OK, I thought. I'll unsummon him. But I'd forgotten how. I went to Gludin, where a very nice player helped this newb out, but then I couldn't go back to Gludio. Once a siege starts in an area, players are warped out. Great!
This is where all semblance of rules went out the window for me. I didn't know what to do, so I kept asking in chat where another viewing crystal was. Some players were telling me siege was over. I went back one more time to the teleport and was allowed to go to Gludio. I thought I'd try the crystal in the hope that I could see something. Luckily some of the areas were still sieging. I don't know why some areas told me a siege wasn't taking place, but some were. I'm guessing they aren't popular areas. Giran, Gludio and a couple of other places had some action, with Giran showing me the most.
The first half of my time watching only only revealed a little action at Gludio castle, but I eventually got a front row seat. It was very cool to watch from a spectator's point of view, but I wish I had more control over the camera. There are two views, both from the castle gates in each area. That's a little on the odd side, as the camera angles are so close together. I don't see why the designers even bothered providing each one separately. They both pretty much show the same view from almost the same angle.
Gludio had some exciting action, but it was taking place around the side of the castle, so I could barely see any of it. I really wish I could have gotten closer because some players were using a giant hog cannon that was like a mechanized Trojan Horse. Bodies were strewn about the entrance as an army of guards and archers were picking off lone players who got too close.
Giran castle may not have had the giant hog cannon, but a large group of players accommodated me and were battling it out near the front gates. If you've never played Lineage II or bothered viewing a siege, it is a must. It was really fun to watch so many players, and the spell and animation effects in the game are really spectacular. As I watched, all I could think about was how this was a perfect feature for veteran players to create commentary videos for bragging and sharing their personal or clan victories
I don't want to go into too much detail because the PvP activities site already does that, but fortress sieges (which take place multiple times a day) and territory wars are interconnected with castle sieges. Clans can create alliances during and after battles, affect local tax rates, and gain access to special instance raid bosses, among other things.
The one PvP-oriented feature that was just barely voted down last week was open-world PK. I barely escaped the inevitable penalties of PK, which would have put a damper on leveling. Penalties are harsher now in the game than in the past. Ganking another player will have you slaying many mobs to reduce a red-named status. This really keeps PK under control because if you PK, gain negative status, and go red-named, you stop gaining XP and SP from mobs. In a game that's already very heavy on grinding to level, this just adds a lot more time until you reach the next level. It doesn't mean players aren't PKing at all, though. I've had to run away from quite a few players.
These days, I'm not as content to grind to gain levels in MMOs, but I've done it before, and that's just the way some MMOs work. Apart from my own preferences, I've had nothing short of an amazing time in Lineage II. The graphics, size of the world, and beautifully designed terrain have been some of my favorite aspects, but now I can't wait to try some PvP. I'm not even that big of a PvP player, but watching the siege has convinced me to keep looking for a clan that will accept me and get my hands on (at least) a fortress siege.
If you are curious about the many PvP activities in Lineage II but are deterred by a level-grind, don't be so quick to judge. It's insanely easy to get to level 40, and that's the point at which many of the doors open for participation. If you wanted to, you could be level 40, join a clan, and get into a fortress siege within a day or two.
Before I say goodbye, I want to thank everyone for reading and commenting over the last six weeks. The one thing that consistently made me smile were the many comments that were overwhelmingly positive and extremely helpful. I would never have expected so many comments filled with so much valuable help, but you surprised me. If that is any indication at all of the ingrained community in Lineage II, then I have no doubt that I will find a great home in the game.
Jeremy Stratton needs more MMOs to play. Seriously. The imaginary doctor who lives in his head gave him a prescription. The problem is, he's too flighty. He never knows just what MMO to try or how long to stick with it in order to get the most of it. That's why he needs you to tell him what game to play and how to play it every Wednesday in Choose My Adventure!
