During the holiday season, I convinced a buddy from work to try L2 using the two week trial I got from MMORPG.com. He was fairly new to the MMO gaming scene having only played GuildWars prior to trying L2. I was happy to get some new blood in the game and I took the time to fully twink him out in top non-grade and gave him 3 mil to get started with. I showed him all the quick leveling spots, got him into our academy with clan hall buffs, and pushed him to level 20 in about 2 days. He seemed to be getting the hang of it, as I rushed him from one spot to another, and it seemed that all was right with the world.
Unfortunately....
My constant pushing for him to level was quickly drying up his enthusiasm for the game. Unbeknownst to me he started up a second character and wanted to play the game from scratch. He didn't want any twinking or any money. He just wanted to see the world, run the quests, and talk to people. He seemed to genuinely be having fun playing the game without the race for power and status that I made the game appear to be.
Maybe...just maybe...I'd lost sight of what playing L2 should be...
So I too started up a new character from scratch, with no money, no twinking, and no clan. I started off trying all the quests in the startup village and earned weapons and armor slowly, but fairly. I leveled up and gathered money from various quests and hunting. I played on and off for two days and took a look at my progress...
Level 16 with garbarge armor and weapons and about 47k adena.
I took a loooong look at myself..reached deep into my soul...and said
SCREW THIS!!!
I twinked up the top non-grade, transferred some money from my main, kicked leveling into high gear, hit level 52 in about a week and a half, tallied up 7pks, and developed a look of satisfaction that you can only get from the quick level and killing of people that only wanted to be left alone...
I'm an L2 vet....I live for the level, the power, and the pain. And you know what.....
Well i tried the exact same thing you did when helping a friend get started and came to the same conclusion.. i guess once you get a char +60 its really difficult to start from the beginning and "have fun" with it. although i wish someone would of helped me when i first started lol.. i went the first month not knowing what soul shot was or how to use it..
Well i tried the exact same thing you did when helping a friend get started and came to the same conclusion.. i guess once you get a char +60 its really difficult to start from the beginning and "have fun" with it. although i wish someone would of helped me when i first started lol.. i went the first month not knowing what soul shot was or how to use it..
Glad it only took you one month...I was about 2 months in going "how do you make the blue light on your sword when you attack?".. :eek:
lineage was a really complicated game starting out with no one telling you how to do things.. another fun memory is running from DE villege to Giran because i didnt know about the teleports.. and the 7 signs that was one of the most confusing things for me when i was a noob..
When you are truly new to this game (L2 was my very first online game... previously I'd only played SuperMarioBros) everything about it is a mystery. Without any support I stumbled through the first 2-3 weeks until someone took pity on me and invited me into their clan. They didn't give me a lot in terms of adena or gear, but gave me a lot of assistance in the form of training me to play my character and how to go about getting things for myself. I was clueless!! However, when you first start, I agree with your friend. It adds to the love of the game to be out there discovering things for yourself, learning to love the world of L2... but once you're past that, there's no going "home" again.
I had played the game for about 2 weeks as a human mage without knowing that I had windstrike. I was watching someone in the field outside TI killing mobs 1,2,3 with this funny ball of light. I asked what it was... they told me. I looked in the skills and there it was! Hell, I was still trying to kill the mobs with that apprentice rod. You know I don't have to tell you how long it took me to get past level 5. Also... I'd go into town and all of a sudden there was this circle of light around me and this funny icon would appear on the top of my screen. I recognized it ... because it was in my skills... but I had no idea how to duplicate the action. Kept clicking it and clicking it, but I couldn't do it. Finally someone told me I had to select my name first. Then, MAGIC! woot!!
spent 6 levels farming the same blasted quest for 3k adena at a time to get the money for a top NG weapon. Waited till 20 to go and get it since I needed to go to Giran to do my class change anyways. Ahh..the good old days.
Indeed it's a mistake to give gears and adena to a new player. He won't learn anything and will waste his young levels.
The hard part now if you make a new char from scratch is that there are not many people to party with.
In the begining of the game there was tons of noob players all around, no one powerleveling, everyone without shots and without great gears.
In open beta, everyone did the quest for the Sword of solidarity. And now..?
Ahh yes, the good old days, like you say. Reminds me of my first awestruck levels just looking around DE Village. In certain places the landscape STILL makes me stare in awe. The game is just so breathtaking in all its graphical glory.
But when you get into the high lvl's (52 as of now), you lose sight of the fun you first had whacking keltirs and wolves. God forbid you happened upon a werewolf or giant spider of sorts.
I think the only way to get that feeling back is to venture into uncharted territory, go to places you have never been, even if it's in the middle of nowhere.
Unfortunately, once you've been everywhere and seen everything..........what's left to do?
Hahah oh man I remember when I first started I was so freaked out of the Giant Spiders. Every time I passed one by I would be so freaked out...I guess it doesn't help that in real life I'm not really a fan of spiders. I didn't really have a good experience my first time on L2 but I still played nonetheless!