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Lineage II's High Five update coming to PTS
Big changes are in store for NCsoft's long-running Lineage II MMORPG, and the game's official website has updated with details of the new High Five patch that's on its way to the public test server. The patch is so substantial that it's being brought to the live game in several parts, with the first four scheduled to appear on the PTS on February 2nd. High Five features a reduced XP requirement for characters at level 78 or above, and clan levels 6, 7, and 8 will see a similar adjustment in terms of reputation points and member number requirements. The update is also bringing a ton of new character skills to Aden, as well as an extensive list of changes to existing skills. New quests and hunting zone revamps are also in the works (specifically Antharas' Lair and Dragon Valley), and numerous weapons, armor, and jewelry can now be purchased at the Giran Luxury Shop with Adena instead of crystals. Finally, NCsoft has made significant adjustments to the Grand Olympiad system, including revamping the arenas to instanced zones (allowing for 160 simultaneous stadium matches), as well as various tweaks to both participatory and spectator aspects of the system. You can check out the preliminary patch notes on the official forums, and don't forget to read up on the particulars of this week's test server implementation. [Thanks to Justin for the tip!]
Community Detective Issue #16: Lineage II
Welcome to a new year of Community Detective. To kick things off, I'm going back in time -- way back in time, to 2004 to be exact -- as this was the year NCsoft's Lineage II debuted in America. Why profile the community and customer service of a game that's almost seven years old? Well, Lineage II is still going strong and drawing players from all over the world. NCsoft also continues to pour money and developer resources into the game (the latest example being the new Goddess of Destruction expansion) despite the existence of newer, similarly themed fantasy projects like Aion and Blade & Soul. Clearly, then, Lineage II is still relevant in some quarters, and in light of that fact, I've spent the past couple of weeks toodling around the kingdom of Aden.
Lineage II becomes one with the servers
We haven't heard a lot of news from Lineage II since their recent Freya expansion, but apparently the game has hit a rocky patch. Associate producer "Moxie" informed the players on Wednesday that the NA and EU servers would be merging to just one per region. This merge is being done "in order to promote a healthy and competitive environment, as well as to offer a better overall experience." Currently, Lineage II has five North American and three European servers, which will be boiled down to only two by the end of this month. The team is accepting nominations for the new server names until September 14th and will hold a vote thereafter to determine the winners. As merges always create an organizational headache, NCsoft is still figuring out the details of exactly how and when this will happen. However, Moxie said that the team will be deleting any character under level 20 that has not logged into the game in more than one year, and if a player has more than seven characters across all of the servers, he or she will only be allowed to keep the seven highest in terms of experience. [Thanks Riz!]
Lineage II's Subclass Separation Account Service has arrived
Lineage II is getting a bit long in the tooth these days, but the game still has a dedicated playerbase and still looks excellent. It's also feature-heavy in the way that only long-running games can be, complete with the fan-loved feature of sub-classes. Having an "extra" class on top of a character's main class is almost universally liked in every game that features it. Of course, it can feel a bit odd when you realize that the secondary class is more fun than the main class, leaving players with the question of what to do. Thanks to the newly-introduced Subclass Separation Service, the answer is now "play that class." Not only does the new service free the subclass from you old character, allowing you to potentially choose a different one, it creates a new character of that class at the same level the subclass had reached. That means that it's ready to go as a main class right away, and without the burden of low-level questing. While not for everyone, there are no doubt several Lineage II players who can find quite good use for this new feature. (Or this feature helpfully adapted from Tabula Rasa, whichever you prefer.)
Aika dates second stage of closed beta testing
There's been some buzz surrounding the upcoming free-to-play title Aika, a large-scale PvP game with some interesting features (which turn normally mature bloggers into immature children due to pronunciation, but that's not the point.) The game's first closed beta went fairly well, and as a result a second phase is planned, running from February 24th through March 2nd. It's not a long test phase, but it's going to bring several elements into the game that weren't available during the first phase. Full-scale castle sieges are one of the major additions to this part of testing, allowing players to take control of the heart of the game's five nations. Similar to the setup of Lineage II's sieges, the leader of the victorious guild will attain the title of Lord Marshal and be responsible for coordinating further attacks for dominance. The PvP isn't all that's being stirred up, however -- more solo areas and content will be added throughout the world, ranging from the crags of Mt. Hessian to the snake-filled Tabazra desert to the city of Cirrugor nestled high among the clouds. The game certainly seems on-track for its projected "official" launch in the spring. Aika fans will want to keep a close eye on the game as it prepares for the full opening, and definitely should get ready to register for their entry into the second closed beta test.
Free trials ahoy for Lineage II
Has it been a while since you stepped into Aden? Or perhaps you were never formally introduced to the world of Lineage II but always wanted to give it a shot? Well thanks to NCsoft's newest trial program, you now have a chance. Lineage II's new 14-day free trial program is welcoming both new users and returning players back to experience the newest free expansion to the game, Gracia Epilogue. While returning players won't be able to use their old accounts, they can use the trial keys to create a brand new account that will let them play up to level 40 with three characters for the 14 days. So if you've been looking for a game to fill your need to spill blood and siege castles, this might be a good time to try out Lineage II to see if it's for you.
Korea rules that virtual currencies can be exchanged for real money
The odd thing about us gamers is that we seem to think of the various doodads in our games as being real -- even more to the point, as being ours. We think and act as if we're owed some compensation if we're deprived of them. Which is silly, really -- after all, that Monster Signa isn't a real staff, that Deputy Chain Coat isn't a real coat, and all that gold isn't real money. Except that now, in South Korea, it is. A ruling by the nation's supreme court has stated that virtual currency is the equivalent of real-world money. Even more sweeping are the details of the case that led to the ruling, in which two men were on trial for exchanging a large amount of Lineage II Adeena for cold, hard currency. For those of you who might not be drawing the link, the core there is that selling in-game currency for real money is essentially just an exchange of currency and perfectly legal in South Korea. This could have sweeping implications for RMT operations the world over, not to mention free-to-play games and... well, online games in general. The official story is available online from both the Korea Times and JoongAng Daily.
The art of the expansion
Expansions are a fact of life for MMOs. We all know it, and while we might not necessarily like the fact that at least once a year we probably have to drop another chunk of change just to keep playing the game, we accept it as the price of progress. (And if you're a Guild Wars player, it's not like you also have a subscription to pay for on top of it.) Scott Jennings has taken his most recent regular column to talk about the ways expansions work -- both their benefits and the drawbacks they have. Because as he points out, more is usually better, but sometimes more just means more. Ranging from the free large content patches used by games like Lineage II and Darkfall to more conventional expansions, and discussing World of Warcraft: Cataclysm as one of the major points of deviation in the usual expansion model, the article talks about the benefits and drawbacks of the almost ubiquitous selling model for the genre. While it's not a revolutionary look, it's something that every MMO player -- and many designers -- could do well to look at. More understanding is never a bad thing, after all, and if we can avoid another Chains of Promathia we'll all be better off.
Lineage II offering free time for former subscribers with the release of Gracia Epilogue
If you're a former Lineage II player who's been wondering what's been changed with the release of Gracia Epilogue, then wonder no further. NCsoft will be offering account reactivations for those people who left the game in good standing.Old players can get a few days to run around the newly upgraded world of Aden and check out the new features such as the new hunting grounds, improved mail system, changes to the vitality and territory war systems, and much much more.We added a few more screenshots from Lineage II into our gallery below, and you can get the full patch notes on Gracia Epilogue from the game's patch website.%Gallery-78299%
Gracia Epilogue launches on Lineage II's test server today
Just when we thought Gracia, the 2nd throne, was done and over with in Gracia Final, we get a tasty surprise in the form of Gracia Epilogue, the next patch coming out for Lineage II.Gracia Epilogue is hiding many a tasty treat for Lineage II fans, with teasers pointing towards a new mail system, enhanced skill updates, and new hunting areas for high level players. However, these teasers are exactly that -- teasers. The official patch notes have not been released yet, leaving many to speculate what exactly will be in this patch.However, if you're looking to get some hands on the Epilogue, you can cruise on over to NCsoft's test server for L2 today and try it out! See if you can track down some of these elusive changes in the test environment!
Buy some MMO games, save some cash on Steam this weekend
We're not usually ones who talk about sales or point out discounts, but this is one of those offers that we just couldn't refuse. It's the weekend, so Steam has to put some of their games on sale, as per the usual. This weekend however, it's most of their massively multiplayer collection.This isn't just a select few games. No sir. We're talking about EverQuest, Everquest II, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Lineage, Lineage II, City of Heroes, the Guild Wars trilogy pack, Age of Conan, EVE Online, and Vanguard have all been discounted. Most of the games have been marked down by 20%, but EVE Online has been cut down by 50% while EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey has been slashed by a 75% hit, bringing it down to the wonderful price of 10 bucks! That's all of EverQuest II for 10 bucks!So why are you still here, reading this post? Get over to Steam!
Cloaks finally come to Lineage II in Gracia Final
Lineage II never had cloaks. It's funny that we never really realized this before, but those characters just never wore cloaks. Luckily, the developers have realized their oversight and have finally fixed it -- cloaks will now be available to characters in the Gracia Final expansion. However, don't expect that you'll get a cloak just for logging in.Cloaks are reserved for players who fight in Territory War, have high ranks in their clan, and those who fight against some of the major raid bosses of the game. The cloak rewards for these accomplishments are the Ancient Cloak, Knight's Cloak, and Holy Spirit cloak respectively.%Gallery-64278%
Lineage 2 talks aerial combat arena and changes to the olympiad coming with Gracia Final
Aerial combat is cool and all, but wouldn't you like a PvP gametype to go with it? Of course you would, and now you don't have to wait too long!Lineage 2's last expansion on the Gracia continent, Gracia Final, will be adding a brand new aerial combat PvP arena to the world, as well as making some changes to the olympiad event. The Aerial Cleft, the new PvP arena, will pit players against one another as they race to shatter crystal cores and score points for their side. To the victors go special Emery shards that can be combined with Star Stone pieces to create attribute cores to change your class up.As for the olympiad, now you can participate in teams of three instead of one on one! Also, the olympiad event will now reward olympiad tokens upon winning, so victors can spend their tokens for the equipment of their choice at the olympiad vendor.The full developer log is included after the break, so continue reading for the full explanation of the events from the words of the developers themselves! Also, check out our screenshots of the expansion in the gallery below.%Gallery-50892%
Lineage II expansion Gracia Final gets preview site
The next free expansion for Lineage II is Gracia Final which is expected to bring a number of new features to the long-running fantasy MMO title. NCSoft announced this week that Gracia Final will expand gameplay to a new continent which offers aerial hunting grounds. The Gracia Final expansion will give players new ways to get in on PvP action, including three-vs.-three, or heading into the Aerial Cleft PvP arena solo for random match-ups. Gracia Final will bring expanded clan benefits that come with the ability to level up your clan to 11. Another change for Lineage II is the Territory Battles feature, a capture-the-flag form of PvP that differs from the territorial control systems already present in the game. NCSoft states, "Unlike castle sieges, where battles are fought between clans, territory battles allow individual players and groups unassociated with clans to participate as anonymous mercenaries in these epic wars over the lands of Lineage II . All territory war participants can receive Territory which can be traded for new items through the Territory Manager."The Lineage II Gracia Final preview site is now up and gives a basic overview of the upcoming expansion.
Anti-Aliased: You don't need PvP to be successful, honest
Player vs. player combat has always been a double-edged sword, in my opinion. While it has the ability to be an amazing part of a game, I find that it usually falls flat thanks to a few loudmouthed jerks and people who exploit their way to "fame." Please note the use of fame in quotation marks, as fame through PvP isn't exactly fame as we understand it by dictionary definition. It is something far less desirable.So, I knew my stance on the issue. I like well executed PvP, but I don't like PvP in general. But I wanted your opinion, readers of Massively, and I got it thanks to a spot on The Daily Grind this week. What resulted from that story was a very interesting discussion on the place of PvP in MMOs, and if PvP is really the staple we think it is as a community.
Anti-Aliased: You've been Auto-Assaulted, part deux
I'm one of those people that likes to think that NCsoft has enough money to get by on. It's just my gut reaction that if you have a few successful games then you probably have some spending money in your wallet. So, I like to think that NCsoft, even though they certainly took a pretty huge hit when they invested in Tabula Rasa, could have easily kept the development process going. Perhaps it would have been much slower than it currently was, but there was no reason it couldn't keep going on some type level.They have, at least, provided some compensation for players who are currently subscribed to the game; the chance to try out games like City of Heroes and Lineage 2 are offered in the stead of TR gameplay time.
Lineage II's Kratei's Cube has ruthless PvP, extremely creepy mobs
Having looked at Pailaka and New Kamaloka, we're as pleased about Lineage II's Gracia Part 2 update as anyone, but we have to admit we're now a little... creeped out. NCsoft has described another adventure area appearing in the update -- Kratei's Cube -- and as awesome as it sounds, those demented killer anime doll monsters are just plain freaky. It's high fantasy, not Chucky, alright?Kidding aside, we've got the scoop on what you can find in Kratei's Cube. Once you sign up through an NPC on Fantasy Isle, you'll be whisked away to a big maze that resets every 30 minutes. During each cycle, players kill monsters -- and each other -- in a competition to rack up the most points. Once things settle down, folks receive experience, SP, and Fantasy Isle coins based on their performance.The cool thing is that if you die in the maze, you'll pop back in with full health and mana, so there should be very little downtime. If you're in a party, carrying a cursed weapon, or of chaotic orientation, don't bother signing up though -- you won't be allowed in. Poor you! [Via MMORPG]
Shopping list: Milk, bread, MMO game time cards...
Let's face it, getting time cards for your favorite game is a necessity. It's up there with the milk, bread, and eggs that you need for your daily survival. We have enough stories about MMO withdrawal to fill a shopping cart, so why not sell our addiction where we can easily grab it? NCsoft got the message and is pushing their time cards out to the masses by partnering up with Target, Rite Aid, and Best Buy. Now you too can literally walk down the street to the drug store and pick up your favorite addiction -- more play time. More importantly, if you're a subscriber to City of Heroes/Villains, grab yourself a time card because it will unlock an in-game jet pack for you to use. The approach isn't anything new, as Nexon has already been providing their cash cards to customers of 7-Eleven convenience stores for some time now. What all of this does show is a marketing push by more game companies to get their cards into the mainstream market of consumer products. Lastly, as a friendly reminder, when you're running out to get those "essentials" at Rite-Aid or Target before that "big storm" hits, remember your desktop computer doesn't work when the power is out.
Gracia - Part 1 update now live on Lineage II test server
Lineage II players can give Part 1 of the Gracia expansion a go right now on the Public Test Server. Gracia is planned to be a three-part series, and this first installment offers a number of features, such as faster leveling and solo improvements, new hunting areas Kamaloka and Cruma Tower, and some skill and UI changes.Before diving on to the test server, you can get acquainted with Gracia at the expansion's official preview site. As well as listing the update's features, you can learn more about its back-story, reading straight from a stylish pop-up tome and enjoying some rather mysterious and epic music.
Lineage II lore of upcoming expansion, Gracia, Part 1
The Lineage II team is hard at work on the next expansion, the first of three dealing with the dark land to the west of Aden, Gracia. This dire land, infected by the evil summoned forth to balance the calling of the Kamael by the goddess Eva, is wild, wide, and scarcely ever explored. Now, Gracia's evil is creeping beyond its shores, and the fate of the entire world is at stake.In advance of the formal announcement of the expansion in August, NCsoft has let slip some of the lore behind Gracia, Part 1. You can read the entire thing, right here, after the break -- and check out the screen shots as well.%Gallery-26730%
