1.) How is the population for the 1-80+ journey? I recall Lineage 2 requiring groups for dungeons etc and if there are no players, it makes it impossible to do group content. 

2.) Did they make any of the group content while leveling easier so a solo player can do it?

3.) How hard is it to learn to the ropes of this game? (Items, classes, PvP, travelling, economy, etc...?)

4.) Do monsters drop better stuff now? Back when I played L2, monsters never dropped weapons/armor, only coin. Did they make the drop system better or is it still mostly crafted/store bought items?

5.) Did they add quests? Or is it mostly repeatable quests like before?

6.) Is there still a ton of downtime after combat? Like regenerating HP/Mana

Originally posted by Raserei

1.) How is the population for the 1-80+ journey? I recall Lineage 2 requiring groups for dungeons etc and if there are no players, it makes it impossible to do group content. 

Heavily populated at all levels from level 1 on up. All servers are the same as well. Group content is pretty much nonexistant under level 60 however with the loss of the cats/necros. You can still group to go to a higher level area but it isn't necessary to level.

 

2.) Did they make any of the group content while leveling easier so a solo player can do it?

Yes, there are still areas in the 40+ range you can go to group but they are few with the loss of the cats/necros like I said before. Most areas are soloable by most classes.

 

3.) How hard is it to learn to the ropes of this game? (Items, classes, PvP, travelling, economy, etc...?)

Easy to learn... tough to master. You can pick up the basics in less than an hour doing the new starter quests. There is a whole lot of 'Extra Stuff' to this game that will take a while to learn but none of it is needed to progress.

 

4.) Do monsters drop better stuff now? Back when I played L2, monsters never dropped weapons/armor, only coin. Did they make the drop system better or is it still mostly crafted/store bought items?

Yes, with the addition of bound items the mobs drop a lot of armor and weapon pouches that when opened give you an 'Unidentified' piece of armor, Jewelery or weapon. When you Identify it they can either be 'Bound' or a regular item. By far the majority end up being bound so if it isn't something you can use don't indentify it! It will sell for a lot more if it is still unidentified. Bound items can only be sold to a NPC.

 

5.) Did they add quests? Or is it mostly repeatable quests like before?

Yes, Tons of quests for levels 1-40 and some for 40+. The 40+ quests are mostly dailies however.

 

6.) Is there still a ton of downtime after combat? Like regenerating HP/Mana

No, if you play without using a lot of skills there is no downtime at all. Plus with the powerup, mana and health instant pots that drop from most mobs you can go for hours without stopping.

I hope this answers your questions.

Edit: Oh I forgot to mention that you can now get 'Newbie Buffs' from a NPC in town all the way up to level 76. They last an hour and help out a lot when soloing. It also is a good way to measure playtime I've found. Go level for an hour and then pop back to town to dump your loot in the warehouse and stock up on consumables(SS mainly). Get your buffs again then back to hunting.

Bren

this game was huge in the past and making it f2p rekindled the fire !so ya dont sweat it you wont be soloing long!

this game was huge in the past and making it f2p rekindled the fire !so ya dont sweat it you wont be soloing long!

Agree with this guy lol

You wont be alone, L2 isnt a solo mmorpg and now that is F2P and with GoD update, it has become a great game...