The Lineage II Dev Team is working hard on getting the next free update ready. Lineage II The 1st Throne: The Kamael will not only be a transition from The Chaotic Chronicle to The Chaotic Throne, it is also the largest update to the game since it launched over three years ago. Find out what will be included by reading the full article.
I recently was afforded the opportunity to visit the NCsoft offices in Austin to get a look at what’s coming in the seventh free content update to Lineage II. Called The 1st Throne: The Kamael, it will include over 1GB of content and features. Some of these include a new race, fortress control battles, new lands and instanced dungeons. The most noticeable of the new content will be the addition of a new race: The Kamael.
The Kamael – Fallen Angels or Redeemed Devils?
The new race has a very interesting history. A large part of it has to do with their future as well. Will they be saviors or tormentors? They have a close relationship with dark magic, and seem to almost exist in two different worlds at the same time. While they can use weapons that other races can, in order to realize their full potential they must convert common weapons into Kamael only ones. The Rapier and Crossbow are necessary to allow the Kamael to use their race specific special attacks. While normal special attacks consume Power for other races, as part of their demonic heritage, Kamael fuel their attacks with souls. This means that to kill efficiently, Kamael have to kill constantly. It’s no wonder then why they are extremely good at combat. The Kamael classes will be split between Male and Female genders, with each following a different path with distinct combat abilities.
The look of the Kamael is impressive: one wing, sullen blood-hued eyes and facial features that convey remorse or regret. I’m a huge fan of melee combat and I feel I may need to abandon my Blade Dancer for a bit and create a Kamael of my very own. Part of this came from my being able to play as a Level 80 Kamael and experience everything that they will be able to do. The Kamael do outstanding melee damage and the added bonus of Final Form. Seriously, when a Kamael activates Final Form, other characters and creatures should be stunned/mezzed for 10 seconds. Being able to spread not one white wing, but two black ones for the first time will be a special moment for any player who makes it to the highest level. I know I never will on a live server so I will always cherish that memory.
Nice Fortress, I think we’ll take it
Another new gameplay addition will be the Ongoing Fortress Battle System. Currently, castle sieges are usually reserved for larger PvP alliances and clans. With the addition of several fortresses scattered throughout the land, this will be an excellent opportunity for smaller clans to take part in the political metagame of Lineage II. These fortresses will each have unique skills and bonuses associated with them. As with castles, a clan will only be able to own one fortress at a time, and the number of them that are to be included will mean that alliances may find their forces spread very thin if they attempt to control too many. If a fortress becomes abandoned, NPCs will move in, and need to be evicted before it can be claimed. All fortresses are tied to territories. Some fortresses will be positioned directly on the border between two castle control areas. In these cases, the clan that owns the fortress will have to choose which castle they declare fealty to. This could generate some heated border skirmishes as each castle seeks to claim border control. Owners of a fortress can even refuse to declare fealty to a castle that they are directly inside of the territory for and this will cause problems for the castle owners. It will behoove castle owners to quell any rebellions.
The mechanics of the Fortress System will ensure that there will be constant fighting. Unlike Castle Sieges which occur every two weeks, Fortress Battles can occur every four hours. Expect a lot of dedicated clans to rise to the challenge of holding a Fortress for any length of time.
New areas to explore and conquer
There are three new areas coming: Hellbound, Isle of Souls and the Isle of Prayer. Hellbound is an extremely difficult zone that will not be freely accessible to just anyone. As with anything in Lineage II, if it’s worth having, it will take a lot of work. You need to be very high level to get there. For those that achieve it though, Hellbound will bring great rewards. The Isle of Souls is the Kamael starting land. One of the new areas I did get to see contained a beautiful cathedral-like structure in a place called Oracle Isle with glass ceilings and the whole building was underwater. The view looking up was spectacular.
Instanced dungeons on the way
Clans and alliances will be given the opportunity to control access to instanced dungeons located throughout the game map. These will allow characters to enjoy content without having to worry about getting PK’d or dealing with botters. Instances can be attached to fortresses and castles, which is another incentive to gain control of them. Other instances can be found outside in the normal hunting grounds.
New Armor and Armor Slots
One of the coolest things about Lineage was having a +10 T-shirt. Well, T-shirts are coming back! There are also Bracelets on the way. The Right Bracelet slot will be used for special bracelets that will allow players to perform creature summons. The new armor sets will be S-80. This is S-Grade that will require Level 80 to use. It looks great, and I can’t wait to see some of it being worn on live servers.
Character Transfers, Name Changes and Gender Changes
One of the most waited for features was the ability to switch servers or change names. This will be coming with the Kamael update. There will be restrictions on server changes, both in amount of adena and items you can move as well as how often you can move. Right now, changing gender will result in the same customization choices carrying over. If you had Face A and Hair D, you will still have them when your sex change is complete. Choose wisely, what looks good on one gender can be not as attractive on the other.
Thank you, NCsoft and Clan search
I want to thank NCsoft and the Lineage II Team for having me out and showing me a reason to get excited about Lineage II all over again. I can’t wait for the update to hit the live servers so I can roll my Kamael and start collecting souls. If anyone has an active Clan, let me know, and I might look into moving my BD there. By active, I mean willing to help. My last clan wouldn’t even let me in until I was at least Level 60 and forced me to level solo. They were active, just not with their new recruits.
The Kamael update will hopefully be released later this month. See you then!
Published: Dec 5, 2007 09:32 pm