Lineage2 Classic EU Adena Lineage II Classic’s release in Europe Russia and Korea has led to a lot of question about whether or not it will be coming to the western world. Innova’s ban of North American players on their servers have further brought about questions on this front leading to players on both sides of the fence. That said there’s a decent amount of information that can be compiled together that gives a better idea of the situation and what it really means though keep in mind that the answer is absolutely not definitive – it is still speculative despite where the information is pointing.
Rather than just say that westerners aren’t able to join the Innova servers they outright blocked IPs. This block protects both the site (meaning westerners can’t download or pay for the game) as well as the game server itself (which is tied into the site). While this can be worked around somewhat easily it brings about the question of why it should be needed in the first place. After all if someone wants to willingly play in a European server why not let them? And this is where the speculation started.
Neither NCSoft nor Innova would comment on why this was done but there’s a clear separation between the two companies when it comes to Lineage II servers. Innova handles everything in Europe while NCSoft still handles the western side. This has led to many players speculating that the reason for the block wasn’t as much Innova’s choice as it was NCSoft’s as it would create tension between the two when it comes to one launching a new server and the other not (in this case Innova launching and NCSoft not). While this was unsubstantiated (being that at one point it was claimed there were no plans for a western version of L2 Classic) things have changed recently leading to what just might be a server for westerners.
While many players speculated that it just wouldn’t be released in the west an answer posted on December 21st of 2015 states that it might just be possible saying “We are discussing with the dev team about bringing over the Classic server to NCWest but a final decision has not been made yet.” While this isn’t a definitive “yes,” it’s along the same lines of what Innova originally stated right before they announced the official launch date. And while Innova did a petition prior to their announcement to ensure there was enough demand for a Classic server the existing servers show that there is plenty of demand to warrant one.
An important thing to note when it comes to Classic is that the demand is so great players are willing to use workarounds just to be able to play. Due to the IP blocks on the game and payment system western players can’t simply log in and play. Lineage2 Classic EU GoldAnd those that do use workarounds are at risk of getting no support for any issues they might encounter (as well as potentially lose their ability to play at any time). The risk many players are taking to make it work however is a sign as to how much they want a playable server – and NCWest launching one would be the perfect move to help facilitate this (as well as allow players that otherwise won’t take the risk). With a solid base of existing and future players this is definitely something that can work out.
Subscriptions are a big part of L2C and while some players are strongly against it adding a barrier to entry has proven to be a positive step. While it doesn’t completely deter destructive players from entering the game it does make many think twice about their actions – not only are they taking a risk with the time they’ve spent in the game up to that point but also the money they’ve thrown into it. And as time goes on both of these risks start to get more and more valuable. Mixed with the fact that players must work together to progress at later levels most are taking part in the community rather than trying to create rifts within it and otherwise make a lot of enemies.
This is a big question a lot are asking and it’s hard to tell at this point. While there are many westerners playing on Innova’s servers that would love to move to the NCWest one there’s a huge issue here: the time and money that has been sunk into those servers would be lost. Whether or not players are going to throw away all of that progression and effort just to start fresh elsewhere is going to vary from player to player and the simple fact is that the majority likely won’t. That said some definitely will and those will form a sort of base for the western servers should they arrive to help build up the community there as well. In any case it’s definitely a great move for NCWest and the fact that they’re in the process of considering it is a great sign.