Lineage II

Game overview

Lineage 2 is the continuation of the timeless Lineage released in 1998. Despite the "2" in the title, this second episode of the saga represents to all intents and purposes a prequel to the original game, being set 150 years earlier than the events narrated in the progenitor.

For better or for worse, Lineage 2 is a title strongly anchored to the time of its release, dated 2003, and playing it today means coming to terms with gameplay mechanisms belonging to another time, and which could displace new players more accustomed to modern variations of MMORPGs.

If you manage to go beyond the anachronisms implicit in the game mechanics and an outdated technical sector, however, Lineage 2 will show itself to you in all its magnificence, making you discover a fascinating world with a lore articulated, a rewarding progression system and PvP mechanics capable of sucking up large portions of your free time.w

➔ Main points:

• 7 races to choose from, all enormously diverse
• Extremely deep yet accessible gameplay
• Great focus on the PvP component
• Fascinating and immersive Lore

Full review

A sequel to the first legendary Lineage, Lineage 2 is itself a sacred monster in the MMORPG landscape, one of those titles that are always looked at with a certain reverence.
Talking about it today is something difficult to implement, since if it is true that the title published by NCSoft has to do with the history of the genre itself, it is also true that today's market is radically different from that of 2003, the year in which the game has made its first appearance, and it is therefore necessary to compare the characteristics of the day to the standards present today.

After all this time, will Lineage 2 still be able to entertain players at its best? Let's find out!

Another world, another game of thrones

From a narrative point of view, Lineage welcomes us exactly as one would expect.

Very limited customization options

In the most classic fantasy MMO tradition, the game world in which the title is set is ravaged by war but, as opposed to the usual good/evil dualism, here the forces at play are three, three kingdoms to be precise, and obviously between there is no good blood flowing to them.
The factions of Aden, Elmore and Gracia are therefore at war with each other, with the usual aim of obtaining a sovereign power over the other kingdoms; however, things are not as simple as they might appear at first glance, since each kingdom is worn down by heavy internal conflicts, setting up a scenario in which no one is really safe from betrayal.
At the beginning of the game, the user will find himself immersed in this political and non-political chaos, with the aim of being able to survive the intricate games of power and the dangers of the settings. Continuing on our journey, all the lore of Lineage 2 will reveal itself before our eyes, making you discover a world full of facets and epic events.

Race is not water

Started the game for the first time and witnessed the epic movie made to introduce us to the atmosphere of the game, like a good old-fashioned MMORPG, Lineage 2 will immediately ask us to create our character, without which we obviously won't be able to enter the game.

The races that the game makes available to us to create our PG are 7 (some of them introduced through updates following the release of the game) and offer a good general variety, while maintaining a rather marked against typical fantasy clichés (expect the usual batch of humans, elves of various types, dwarves, orcs and so on).
On a purely aesthetic level, the editor developed by the guys on the development team certainly doesn't shine in depth and the various options available are certainly not numerous; seen from medium distances, characters belonging to the same race risk looking a bit alike but fortunately there are the various armors to save the situation.

PvP is one of the biggest parts of the experience

Be that as it may, the choice of our race will still be a fundamental first step for our subsequent gameplay, since the class that we will decide to adopt later (the game offers various degrees of specialization as we level with our character) will directly depend on the race chosen initially.
Fortunately, the situation is no longer as tragic (even if it would be better to say "hardcore") as it was initially, since some skills (such as crafting) were only in the hands of specific races, but this does not mean that you can choose the membership of the your character solely on the basis of physical appearance, unless you want to find yourself an avatar that doesn't go well with your way of playing.

The class that we will decide to adopt later will directly depend on the race initially chosen

Old school

Playing Lineage 2 is both simple and difficult; on the one hand, especially if you are not new to old-fashioned MMORPGs, you will immediately feel at home, (re)discovering a gameplay anchored to the past but still easy to decipher, while on the other hand, and it is a feeling that is accentuated when the genre of reference is not your daily bread, the patience that will be required of you to better master all the mechanics of the game will result in a considerable mental (and not only) effort on your part.
At a basic level, however, Lineage 2 is very faithful to the classic elements of the genre. On the screen we will always have the bar with our skills clearly visible, we will move around the settings with the canonical clicks of the mouse (but if you want you can use the tested wasd keys), we will attack the enemies with other clicks and so on ... in short, from this point of view there is nothing really difficult and the more superficial experience of Lineage 2 will be enjoyable by anyone without particular efforts.

Before continuing, it's worth saying a few words about the crafting system in the game.

Despite the years, the game is still very populated

Initially and for a long time since the game was released, it was dedicated exclusively to the dwarf races, who were the only ones able to create objects thanks to their particular abilities.
Set aside this choice with the latest updates, now each race is able to craft its own items, even if the dwarf race retains the most efficient race scepter from this point of view, being subject to fewer level restrictions and having access to creations more performing; keep this in mind when creating the character.

Although the PvE component occupies a large part of the playful offer made available by Lineage, proposing myriads of main or collateral activities, the PvP sector is really the master, especially in the more advanced gameplay phases, on which the developers have made clear efforts to make it attractive to the largest possible share of players.
It is based on various points accumulated by the player and which will allow him to attack or not the other users that we will meet during the adventure. To make things even more interesting, then, the karmic management system developed by the developers takes care of it which, based on the actions that each player will perform towards the other players, will catalog each PC in a certain way, giving his name of a particular color on the basis of its inclinations, in order to make it immediately recognizable to anyone close to it.

A matter of years

From a technical point of view, it is useless to deny it, Lineage 2 is now an old title, which feels all the weight of the past years on its skin.

Graphically the game remained in 2003

Even set to maximum detail, the game does not offer particular visual flashes and, when compared with the most recent titles, the result is merciless to say the least.
However, by approaching the game with the right mentality, and that is keeping in mind that it is a game released way back in 2003, turning a blind eye to the age of the graphics sector shouldn't be a particularly traumatic operation.

Without fail, Lineage also offers a cash shop inside where it will be possible to spend real money to grab some exclusive items or some small boosts.
Leaving aside the items dedicated solely to aesthetics, users who decide to invest hard cash in the shop will actually obtain a significant advantage over the other players, but it should be noted that the situation is never dramatic and that the time spent playing can easily compensate to the bonuses obtained by paying.

Conclusions

... the PvP sector really dominates, especially in the more advanced stages of gameplay

After three decades since the original release, Lineage 2 is still an excellent title today, capable of captivating old and new players and dragging them with it into its world.

The biggest obstacle to face if you approach the game for the first time today is undoubtedly that of overcoming the obstacle of a gameplay still strongly in the past, and based on a way of making MMORPGs that is slowly disappearing today.
If you manage to go beyond the obvious signs of time, however, you will find yourself a deep and satisfying game, which has the roots of its fun in a layered PvP mode and absolutely central to the economy of the gameplay.