Most MMO players have spent a substantial portion of their gaming careers beating the loot out of big, bad raid bosses, but if you’ve ever wanted to see how it feels when the proverbial shoe is on the other metaphorical foot, Lineage II’s new Prelude to War update will give you the chance to do just that. Monday through Thursday of each week, from noon to 5:59 p.m. EDT, players will have a chance to randomly loot one of two damned weapons — the two-handed sword Zarich or the dual blades Akamanah — which, when acquired, will grant the wielder “an impressive demonic appearance” with infernal power to match, providing them with “the parameters of [a] raid boss.”
But the damned weapon demands constant sacrifice, so its wielder must roam through the world, slaughtering other players to satisfy the blade’s thirst. The wielder’s location will be marked for all other players, and should any player manage to best him or her in combat, the damned weapon will become theirs to wield. Whoever carries the damned weapon when the clock strikes 6:59 p.m. will be rewarded for their ruthlessness with a whopping 10 billion Adena.
But even if you’re not interested in PvP, there are other ways to bring other players to their knees. Prelude to War also includes a competitive leveling challenge in which each day, at 12:30 a.m. EDT, “the top 100 characters within the server and the top 10 characters within the race are determined by the amount of experience [they have earned].” Those who rank in the top slots will be granted “[a]ll kinds of bonuses,” but only the first-place player will be given the power to make everyone in a city automatically bow whenever he or she enters. If you’re interested in getting in on this action for yourself, the Prelude to War update is live now.
