I didn't see a "new people welcome yourself here" section, or I suck at looking, so I decided to post here.
So hey.
I'm looking for an mmo to really put some time into, but I don't want to come into something that might be dead or dying already if you know what I mean. BUT, I love what I've learned about lineage II so far, and it looks really really sweet.
My favorite mmo of all time was Dark Age of Camelot, so that should sorta give you an idea of what I'm looking at in a game.
So I bought this game half off (awesome offer, I really wouldn't have done this for $20) and I'm just gonna go with the flow and see how it turns out. I read that phoenix is pretty populated compared to others, so would that be a good server to start with? Definitely going with some sort of spellcaster class, but I forgot all their names so I can't really be specific. Any names of classes that would be a blast in pvp and are also spellcasters would be awesome to know based off all your opinions of the game since you've probably been here much longer than me.
Anything I should know about before I give this game a whirl? Or will this be a time sink and nothing more?
its a time sink but you can def. have fun while sinking your time in best bet log in find a clan (go to giran town and shout LF Clan im sure some clan out their will pick you up :) )
if you wish to get a little crazy...
there are technically 2 human wizards..
one of which is a hybrid who summons, ebuffs, and nukes to some efficiency.
archers are strong ranged combatants, but they are hard to level...
tougher than nukers, though not by much... they also have stun skills... and lethals which do nasty damage.
daggers... do nasty damage... and have a lot of nasty skills...
they are the strongest damage dealers, and sneakiest pvpers.
nuker classes are strong damage dealers, but have a tendency to die easy.
this is normal i guess for most games, and is an accepted fate for the "nuker"
Light Elf water nukes with a bit of holy nuking... fastest caster, decent damage, some good pvp skills.
Dark elf Wind nukes with some dark nukes... slower casting, higher damage... strong pvp skills.
human Sorcerer Fire... only fire, sorry... decent, kinda laughed at...
some pvp skills.
human Necromancer Dark... slow casting, good debuffing, Summons strong pvp skills... tougher than other nukers.
pie tastes good by the way... we need more sorcerers to help bake them.
ive made some recommendations before to folks who want to play Caster types and to be perfectly blunt you'll need to specify what kind of caster you want to be.
in Lineage2, the jobs are not mixed. they are quite specific.
you have three Options for caster classes...
Healer type
Damage dealer type
Summoner type
the differences should be obvious; Healers are strictly healers, with some buffing capability. Damage dealers do lots of damage. Summoners get pets to deal damage.
three important points about each archetype:
healer classes do have some Damage type spells. however they are not as effective as Damage dealer mages, and have limited situational functions.
Damage dealer mages have some problems with mana management at times. its difficult to be efficient and get good exp at the same time. you will need a lot of help.
Summoners have pet-based boosts to heal and such but have no primary attack of their own unless you get one by pure luck from an augmentation on your weapon (for level 40+). because of this summoenrs pets get to do everything and there are 2 flavours of pets (mage and melee). if this is your desired route be prepared for an expensive and slow ride.
there is one race that sort of blurs the lines between mage and melee and healer. that race is Orc (Mystic). when the second job is completed (level 40+) you gain access to potent clan wide or party-wide buffs, and will regenerate MP with every normal attack with a melee weapon. you also have a limited but useful magic attack sequence, and when geared properly can be quite unstoppable.
i know that was a vague description of nameless classes but it should help you specify what area of the Caster Classes you want to be in.
they all (ALLLLLL) start out the same, though. from 1 to 20.
soul breaker nukes are strong?
ok... i did hear that some of their 76+ stuff is powerful...
but do people actually play them as nukers?
oh... you have a prophet in party... let me nuke you and do damage for all your buffs... if that doesn' kill you, let me steal your buffs instead then disarm you and beat you down...
uh yea, they are played in pvp as nukers primarily... they can string a lot more damage that way, and at range. Most classes you only go close to melee when yer out of mp or you land Death Mark. You would be surprised how much they can magic crit. They have their own vortex and buster, yet are classified as warriors. PVE is another story, I would stick to physical skills there as it's more efficient damage than nukes.
uh yea, they are played in pvp as nukers primarily... they can string a lot more damage that way, and at range. Most classes you only go close to melee when yer out of mp or you land Death Mark. You would be surprised how much they can magic crit. They have their own vortex and buster, yet are classified as warriors. PVE is another story, I would stick to physical skills there as it's more efficient damage than nukes.
My best advice, don't get discouraged by the lack of players from levels 1-30.
If you're feeling lonely, use the gatekeeper to visit Giran, you'll see what I mean.
Definately not a dying game. Just one thats under-appreciated by american market, or little known because its regarded as suited for an asian target audience, and not advertised or pushed.
At least we got it over here though (and translated), some will recall most of the good old console RPG and such never made it out of japan.
Its a long term mmo which I feel is what an mmo should be.
Take your time and enjoy playing, dont stress about being high level and rush at it with nothing else in sight - the journey is fun if you dont overdo pure grind too much. Hooking up with a clan that can help new players is definately a good idea.