Lineage II is a successful fantasy oriented MMORPG published and developed by Korean studios NCsoft. Since the October 1st 2003 release, the title rallied quite a lot of players on its servers. There are 2 classes for now, and both Females only, allthough in client there is room for two more, makeing us believe the developers intend to introduce something more. The Lore regarding the Ertheia. Sayha instilled the spirit of wind into the fourth form. This is how the race of Ertheia was created.
Community is very active cause it has to be, the game has player driven economy and politics. So there is always somebody fighting, needing or doing something.It also promotes grouping very heavily, to a point where you can't really solo at the end game efficiently, imo. So there are always parties (PTs) looking for players.Clans also always recruit as they need players for login and hunting bonuses, and to be able to upgrade clan levels, or to buy and own Clan Halls in major cities. And of course there are always wars, siedges and open world pvp.I've been playing for 3 months or so, and actually have found a group of people, I not only enjoy playing with but also talk to online.As far as RPGMMOs go, this is one of the best imho, and I've played almost all of them over the years. Like hitting sweet spot between World of Warcraft and Eve Online. I started playing in January for the first time (never played any Lineage game before) on L2 Classic and I've been loving the game. Weirdly enough, it's refreshing comparing to modern mmo's because of it's simplicity.
If you love the grind, you will like this game.I don't see this mentioned often here but the art style is also incredible. The gear, the zones and the cities all look amazing. It's all classic fantasy but very well done. Also, if you take the chance to read the quest texts and talk to NPC's, the lore is great. I agree with everything you mentioned.
I think what I like the most is the progression systems (XP, SP, adena and gear), it is very reminiscent of older mmo's. In particular it reminds me of EQ (skills, XP, plat and gear). I find that a progression system like that really gives the player more choice for leveling. The example you provided is perfect. I like that by grinding or doing anything you are always building your character by progressing on one of four 'progress bars'.It's also great to have a discussion about the game without mentioning what servers we play.
It's something that's been plaguing this sub (even though I recognize that the server choice is important).