How to choose a Lineage 2 server: 10 criteria
Choosing a server is more important than choosing a class: on an empty server, any character is useless, but on a live one, even an inconvenient class can be played interestingly. Below are the criteria by which servers differ from each other and the verification procedure.
- First, determine the chronicle and rates - the entire pace of the game depends on them.
- A fresh start gives equal conditions: experienced players have not yet dressed.
- Check online and trading: empty Giran says more about the server than the description.
- The assembly and administration policies decide what the server will be in six months.
1. Chronicle
Chronicle is a version of the game: a set of classes, zones, skills and mechanics. The most popular are Interlude, High Five and Essence; in the list of chronicles on the portal you can see how many servers there are on each. Start with what you already know: it’s easier for a beginner where there are more guides and live players.
You can compare the chronicles with each other in the article “Interlude, High Five or Essence”.
2. Rates
Rates set the pace: x1 is a long journey for months, x100 is a server where level 80 is taken in the evening. It is important to look not only at experience, but also at drop, spoil and adena rates: a common picture is x1000 for experience and x1 for economy. Read more in the article about rates.
3. Start date
A fresh server is beneficial for a beginner: everyone starts from scratch, prices on the market have not yet been established, clans are recruiting people. On a server that has been running for a year, you will be greeted by characters wearing top-of-the-line equipment - it’s almost impossible to catch up with them without donating.
4. Online and market
- How many people are online in the evening, not in the server description.
- Is offline trading worth it in the city: live shops are a sign of a vibrant economy.
- Is there anything to keep yourself occupied after the cap: sieges, epic bosses, the Olympics.
- Do administrators respond in chat and discord, or is there silence there for weeks?
5. Assembly
Build - what the server is made on: PTS (client server files), L2J and its derivatives (for example, aCis, Lucera) or L2OFF. Little things that an experienced player notices immediately depend on the assembly: the work of quests, the behavior of mobs, geodata, damage formulas. One thing is important for the player: on PTS builds the behavior is closer to the official server.
6. Donation and administration policy
Look not at the availability of donations, but at what they sell for money. If only cosmetics, boosters and conveniences are sold, you can live. If top-end weapons and armor are sold for money, the meaning of the game disappears for everyone who does not pay.
7. Ping and time zone
A server on another continent means delays in PvP and prime time in the middle of the night. Check where the cars are located and when the server has the main sieges and bosses.
8. Community and language
A Russian-language server with an active chat, discord and clans is easier to start than an international one, where all communication is in English. And vice versa: if the goal is to practice the language, an international server is better.
9. Additional mechanics
Autolooting, auto-learning skills, autofarming, offline trading, bots and multiboxing - all this changes the game more than rates. Decide in advance what is normal for you and what is not: for example, a server with autofarming allowed quickly turns into a bot competition.
10. How long are you willing to play?
An honest answer to this question cuts off half the options. Two hours a week and an x1 server are a bad combination; x1000 at the same time will give you a full game without a race.
Check in ten minutes
- Open the server website: is there a description of the rates, start date, composition of the administration.
- Log into the game during the day and evening: how many players are online, is there a live chat.
- Check the market: are regular resources being sold, is there a demand for crafting.
- Read the forum or discord: how the administration answers uncomfortable questions.
- Look for reviews about the server - but remember that some of them are custom.
A list of live servers with start dates and rates is on the portal: “Opening soon”, “Already open” and rating by votes. If you run the server yourself, look at the “Server Owners” page.
Questions and answers
Which Lineage 2 server is the best?
There is no single answer: for a beginner, a fresh server with x50–x1000 and clear rules is better, for an experienced player, a fresh x1–x5 with a fair economy. What is more important is not the name, but the online, assembly and administration policies.
What is more important - rates or online?
Online. Even ideal rates will not save a server on which there is no one to play with: in L2 sieges, epic bosses and the Olympics are group content.
Is it worth going to a server that opened a month ago?
Yes, if online is live and the market is working. A month is not yet a gap: only a few have managed to collect top equipment, and it’s realistic to take a place at the top.
Live Lineage 2 servers with start dates, rates and player voting: