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Lineage II boasts increased revenue and playerbase following free-to-play transition
It's been a little over two months now since NCsoft's Lineage II adopted a free-to-play business model that the studio has taken to calling "Truly Free." It would appear the transition went over well for the long-running title, as a new press release boasts that since the change, "[the game] has almost quadrupled its revenue and increased its concurrent player base by more than 800 per cent." Not a bad resurgence for a game that's been kicking around for the better part of eight years now. The studio attributes the success -- at least in part -- to the newly added Path to Awakening feature, "which provides helpful buffs, items and advice to accelerate new characters towards the level cap." If you'd like to get in the game and experience the freshly reinvigorated world of Lineage II for yourself, just click on through to the official site. [Source: NCsoft press release]
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%
Choose My Adventure: How Lineage II feels to a Western newcomer
We're down to the wire for Lineage II's Choose My Adventure, with one more week to go. My Abyss Walker quickly rushed to the 40s, at which point leveling has slowed down considerably. I've talked about pets, explored (only a fraction of) the countryside, and touched on crafting and other features. What else could we possibly talk about? I haven't really shared a lot of my experiences with my character class or how the class-transfers and skills affect my overall enjoyment of Lineage II. My third class-transfer is set in stone thanks to your poll choices and the game mechanics; now that I'm an Abyss Walker, I'm locked-in to become a Ghost Hunter, which makes sense. Ghost Hunter is melee, like my Abyss Walker. I can't really jump ship at this point and go ranged. So let's look a little more at my character, what the future could hold for him in terms of more class-transfers, and my opinions on non-situational combat and how that makes the game feel to me.%Gallery-141708%
Choose My Adventure: Post-Christmas update
A turkey and ham coma, family soiree, and the biggest calendar holiday of the year have left my Lineage II escapades a wee bit smaller this week, but not without some fun happenings. Speaking of holidays, I hope everyone had a terrific one! Random events, miraculously revived dead pets, more amazing scenery, and lots of killing are on deck in today's Choose My Adventure. It turns out that I am terrible at raising my pet wolf and even got into an accidental scuffle with another player that left her pet dead and me even deader. I returned to the Path to Awakening because that's what you voted for last week. I've also neared the end of the uber-fast leveling cycle via quests and am turning to grinding for the majority of my experience gain. The fun-level has yet to dip for me; there's higher level gameplay I'm really hoping to dip my dagger into, and I'm curious to see what level I can reach by the end of this trip. As always, check out the extensive gallery and livestreams, and tune in to MV Guide to see when my next livestream will be.%Gallery-141708%
Choose My Adventure: Exploration week
From desert wastelands and salty shorelines to plateaus and ocean floors, I've been busy traveling in Aden, and I've seen but a glimpse of the entire continent. Last week, you voted for me to stray from the Path to Awakening and explore the world in Lineage II, and I've been having a blast doing just that. I discovered a monster racetrack, ran into raid bosses in the middle of nowhere, discovered a vast undersea temple, and so much more. I've also added 47 more screenshots to the gallery, uploaded a walkabout video, and have another livestream this week. We still aren't done yet. There are more chances for you to decide my fate in this week's Choose My Adventure.%Gallery-141708%
Lineage II awakens to free-to-play today
Got room in your stomach for another free-to-play adaptation? If so, NCsoft has a plump and willing Lineage II that it would like you to nibble upon, if you're so willing. The company announced that it was adopting a hybrid F2P/subscription model a month ago, and things have certainly picked up speed since then. Players can level all the way up to 99 without spending any money if they choose, and NCsoft has implemented a "Path to Awakening" system that will dole out new rewards for players going through this journey. Normally, a F2P transition would be a major update in and of itself, but NCsoft is coupling Lineage II's relaunch with the Goddess of Destruction update. It's even opened up a new server, Shilen, to handle the influx of freebies. This update comes packaged with additional zones, eight new classes, an auction house system, and more. A new website awaits those interested in Lineage II's next evolutionary stage. For players who don't mind investing some cash into the game, NCsoft is selling Exploration Packs starting at $5 to open up more of the game for funzies.
Lineage II Goddess of Destruction and Truly Free transition coming November 30th
Last month, NCsoft announced that Lineage II would be making the transition to free-to-play (or, as the company likes to call it, Truly Free), but the studio has remained tight-lipped on when the transition will take place. Until now, that is. On November 30th, Lineage II's newest and largest content update, Goddess of Destruction, will be hitting the live servers. As soon as the update is live, players will be able to play for free, with "no zone, level, or player interaction restrictions." The update also introduces a new feature known as Path to Awakening. Path to Awakening is "an exclusive leveling guide designed specifically for Lineage II," and it will provide leveling players with "buffs, time limited gear enabling accelerated progression through the game," and interactive maps to point players to the optimal leveling locations. For the full details, head on over to the new Truly Free Lineage II site. [Source: NCsoft press release]
