NCSoft is set to launch a classic server for Lineage II in Korea. The version includes legacy systems including the old inventory, pre-revamp locales, old crafting recipes, clan system, party system, xp loss, and more. All in all, it looks like the classic server will be somewhere in between the first versions of Lineage II. The beta servers are officially live on the Korean service, however NCSoft has not announced anything about the service coming to North America or Europe.
(Source: MMOcast)
Lineage II’s Hero Coin program launched approximately three months ago to some heavy criticism over the outrageously expensive reward system. As players spend more NCoin, they receive Hero Coins that can be spent on items in the reward store. We began to question just how much NCSoft expects some of its players will spend, as Hero Coins reset annually and some of the rewards require spending in excess of thirty thousand dollars.
NCSoft announced on the Lineage II website that prices for most items are being dropped by at least 40%. In addition, NCSoft is running promotions to increase Hero Coin gains. The move is unlikely to quell criticism of the game selling rare and valuable equipment at expensive prices.
(Source: Lineage II)
As I always start these types of articles: If you are the type of person who is willing to spend five or six figures in a video game, why not take a little bit of that money and invest it in something more sensible, like MMO Fallout? Everyone wins. You get to keep spending insane amounts of cash on virtual goods, and we have more capability to tell you where you can spend a lot of money. Lineage II has revealed the hero coin program, allowing players to earn rewards for the simple act of spending their cash. The way the system works is simple: For every 80 NCoin you spend in Lineage II, you receive one Hero Coin that can be saved up and spent on items in the reward store.
Here’s where the deal gets controversial. First, Hero Coins only accumulate on the character that the item was redeemed on. Secondly, Hero Coins expire on the following January 1st of every year. There are items on the cash shop that translate into well over $30 thousand being spent on the game in a single year, with the most expensive item going over three hundred grand. You can laugh and, when you come to the realization that at least one person will hit that transaction mark, slowly dissolve into tears.
(Source: Lineage II)
The fact that Lineage II launched ten years ago is hardly a deterrent for NCSoft, who continue adding in new content of rather substantial value on a decent basis, and it isn’t all just new areas and bigger toys to thwack creatures over the heads with. Last year, Lineage II players had the pleasure of witnessing a true rarity from the massive publisher: Rather than shut the game down and execute the studio, NCSoft admitted that a few years of poor decisions had left the game in a bit of a messed up state, and then did what few other MMO developers would do, they asked for feedback on how to go about fixing those problems.
The Ertheia is the newest race to come to Lineage II and is preparing to hit North American servers sometime next year to coincide with Lineage II’s ten year anniversary events. Check out the teaser trailer at the link below.
(Source: Lineage II)
The fact that Lineage II launched ten years ago is hardly a deterrent for NCSoft, who continue adding in new content of rather substantial value on a decent basis, and it isn’t all just new areas and bigger toys to thwack creatures over the heads with. Last year, Lineage II players had the pleasure of witnessing a true rarity from the massive publisher: Rather than shut the game down and execute the studio, NCSoft admitted that a few years of poor decisions had left the game in a bit of a messed up state, and then did what few other MMO developers would do, they asked for feedback on how to go about fixing those problems.
The Ertheia is the newest race to come to Lineage II and is preparing to hit North American servers sometime next year to coincide with Lineage II’s ten year anniversary events. Check out the teaser trailer at the link below.
(Source: Lineage II)
Almost a billion years ago, NCSoft announced that they would be migrating accounts for Lineage II and Aion players under a single new log in system. The new system, creatively titled an “NC Account,” consolidates usernames for both services, allowing users added security in the form of a changing user handle, as well as the ability to unify both games under a single NCoin coffer. In order to hasten account migration, NCSoft has offered account holders a bonus 400 NCoin for making the switch.
Migrating is easy, simply log in at ncsoft.com and the process will begin immediately. Simply follow the steps and make sure to use your 400 coins as quickly as possible, as they expire after 30 days.
(Source: NCSoft)
Mark this as a feature that all MMOs should adopt. For as long as online games have had gold farmers or abuse players, and ignore lists that are capped in how many people can be blocked, there has been the drudgery of spring cleaning said ignore list. Wouldn’t it just be easier for the game to automatically remove players who have been permanently banned, saving you the trouble of unblocking someone only to have them start harassing you again? NCSoft thinks so, and back in November Aion was treated to an update where the game now performs weekly sweeps of block lists, automatically removing any characters that have been removed from the game.
In the patch notes for March 13th’s server maintenance, Lineage II is following suit with its own implementation:
Block List Removal begins. Any characters that were banned since last week and were on your block list will be automatically removed during the maintenance. This will be a recurring process every week.
Maintenance should last about four hours.
(Source: Lineage II)
It’s been nine years since Lineage II launched (In Korea), and NCSoft continues to update the game on a regular basis. The publisher just released this video, an eleven minute trailer for what the game might become one day. If you haven’t played Lineage II in a while, or at all, the video doesn’t really offer much exposition as to what the future holds. Guys fight each other, people die and get stabbed in the face (not necessarily in that order), and some dialogue that makes me think NCSoft needs to brush up on their zingers.
I don’t know about you but I’m still waiting on Lineage Eternal news.
As announced earlier this year, NCSoft has rolled out account migration for players of Aion and Lineage II, beginning today. The move will bring both games under one account, consolidating how the player handles their login, NCoin, and security. As mentioned in the release:
NC Accounts allow players to manage their Aion and L2 game accounts with a single email, which you will be able to change for added security–no more static account name! NC Accounts also share a wallet for NCoin, meaning that any NCoin you purchase can be used between your Aion and L2 accounts!
The migration is currently voluntary, but only temporarily. Following a grace period, users will be required to migrate their Aion and Lineage II accounts to NCsoft accounts in order to log in at all. Any unapplied items will not transfer over, so NCSoft recommends you apply them before making the move.
A small update, but an important one nonetheless.
(Source: NCSoft press release)
Lineage II has changed greatly since launch, and as Gon Namkung of NCSoft has admitted, not all of the changes have been for the better. In a letter to the community released today, Namkung admits that changes over the years have diluted what made Lineage II unique, from the removal of elements that made classes unique, to the unbalanced economy and weakened community. Attempts to fix the overabundance and imbalance in classes has resulted in classes that have lost their unique pull, and other classes that were no longer useful to groups.
So NCSoft wants to bring Lineage II back to its former glory, and they want you to help. While Korean players have already taken the poll, NCSoft wants to ensure that the two hemispheres are tailored for different tastes. Players are asked to take a poll asking them how they would like the classes to be diversified. The options to choose from are splitting the 8 Awakening classes into 34, adding race specific traits, and choosing 3rd class skills from 3rd class counterparts.
Each option is presented with its related pros and cons. Players can head over to the Lineage II forums (at the bottom of the page linked below) to vote.
(Source: NCSoft)
MMO Fallout 