Lineage 2 Review

Lineage 2 is a 3D fantasy free-to-play MMORPG developed by NCSoft. It’s one of the most popular South Korean MMORPGs to make it to Western shores. Set 150 years before the original Lineage, this prequel offers a PvP-centric version of an MMORPG experience. The story spans two continents enveloped in war. There is a constant power struggle between three kingdoms, giving plenty of opportunities for player-versus-player combat.

Lineage 2’s initial 2004 North American release saw a much stronger emphasis on PvP. Since then, the game has changed in a number of ways through content patches and updates. It wasn’t until 2011 that Lineage 2 saw its biggest change yet, becoming free to play. With the introduction of a system called “Truly Free,” players gained access to all areas and content in the game. Lineage 2 has everything you would expect in such a well-established and popular MMORPG, from siege warfare all the way to massive, multi-man raids.

To play, you need to create an NCSoft account, but this only takes a minute or two. You will already have an account if you have played other games by NCSoft, such as AION or Guild Wars 2.

Presentation

The first thing you notice about Lineage 2 is how nice the graphics look, even by today’s standards. When I first launched the game, I was immediately reminded of Vagrant Story by Square for the original PlayStation, but nicer. It has the same feel of that world and I was drawn in straight away.

Characters

For your character, there are seven races to chose from. The character creation suite isn’t the most in-depth around, but there are enough options to make interesting and unique characters in every race.

However, Lineage 2 offers very few choices in class when first creating a character. As you progress through the game, you find that there are 36 classes on offer, working more like a career path than a typical class in MMORPGs. When you hit levels 20, 40, 76 and 85, you will be choosing your next class.

For example, a Human Fighter can become one of three other classes, a Warrior, a Knight or a Rogue, which each has progressions tied to them. You end up as one of six potential powerful classes depending on what path you choose to take. This is the case for every class/race combo, leading to a greater depth of character customization through skills and abilities.