Lineage
continues to move forward with their newest update, style="font-style: italic;">Crack of Time.
Ten Ton Hammer sat down with Senior Producer Chris Mahnken of NCsoft to
discuss Lineage’s
ongoing 12 plus years, the new update and its content, and
what’s in store in the future.

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Ten
Ton Hammer: Season 3, Episode 1, style="font-style: italic;">Crack
of Time
was recently launched on the PTS. Tell us a bit about the new classes:
the Dragon Knight and Illusionist.



Chris
Mahnken: The Illusionist is a
ranged buffer who is valued in a group,
specializing in dark cube magic that brings support for friend and
peril to foe. Dragon Knights were born with the power of a Dragon
inside them, waiting to be unleashed on the world. Approach too close
and they will surely release it on you - they use heavy weapons and
deal a significant amount of damage.

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alt="lineage screenshot"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/64503">

TTH:
A three part dungeon has been added. Tell us about Thebes Dungeon.



Chris
Mahnken: The Thebes Desert
and Thebes Pyramid Dungeon area is the first of its
kind in Lineage,
an Egyptian themed time limited hunting area… The time limit
depends on the organization and team work of the players. The Crack of
Time, the entrance to the dungeon appears, randomly around the world of
Aden every two days.  The players have two and one half hours
to group up and hunt their way to the Altar room. After the two and one
half hour mark passes, 20 players that have gained a key as a drop from
the monsters inside the pyramid will be granted access to the Altar
room. Inside the Altar room, Thebes Anubis and Thebes Horus await. If
the two bosses are defeated within 30 minutes, the Crack of Time will
remain open and available to all players for 24 hours. If the bosses
defeat the 20 players, the Crack of Time closes again. Will it be the
teamwork of the bosses, or the teamwork of the players that perseveres?



TTH:
The dungeon spreads in levels from 23 all the way up to 70. Could
players potentially spend all those levels in this one dungeon?



Chris
Mahnken: Due to the time
restrictions on the dungeon, the chances would be low.
The dungeon is geared towards higher level players. The Desert area
will support levels 30+, while the Thebes Pyramid is oriented towards
the level 50+ crowd.



TTH:
What is involved in the new Enchanting system?



Chris
Mahnken: The system allows
for the enchanting of Accessories, a new addition to style="font-style: italic;">Lineage.
Accessories can have additional abilities bestowed upon them by
successfully applying enchant scrolls to them. Be careful though, if
your enchantment fails the item will be lost forever. 
Additionally, a new Elemental Weapon enchant system has been added.
Players may now add Elemental damage to their weapons. A failed
enchantment will not cause the weapon to be lost, and the element of
the weapon can be changed anytime the player chooses. Combining the
right element with the right weapon can truly give you a leg up on the
competition.



TTH:
The novice area has been revamped as well. What's new, and why the
change now?



Chris
Mahnken: The novice area has
been changed to include more direction and guidance
for new players. Low level players are given more quests to immerse
them into the game, get a better understanding of the features, learn
the hunting areas and towns, and grasp the armor and weapon system.

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alt="lineage screenshot"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/64505">

TTH:
After 12 years on the market, what do you feel has kept style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Lineage style="font-weight: bold;"> going?



Chris
Mahnken: First, style="font-style: italic;">Lineage
is just a great game, and the core community is practically
unstoppable. Also the team working on the game loves it, and really
cares about the game and what the community thinks about the game. The
end result is a great game that keeps improving every week and delivers
fun PvE content along with a fast paced PvP aspect that is unmatched,
even after 12 years. style="font-style: italic;">Lineage
keeps going because it’s just plain fun.



TTH:
What are some of the most important things you've learned throughout
the life of style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Lineage style="font-weight: bold;">? There weren't many MMO
games to pave the path in 1998.



Chris
Mahnken: The most important
thing that can be learned from the life of style="font-style: italic;">Lineage
is that a game must stay fresh, updated, and ever changing to meet new
demands in order to succeed and last as an MMO.



TTH:
What's next for the game?



Chris
Mahnken: We are constantly
adding in minor tweaks and modifications to different
aspects of the game to make them more enjoyable to our players, while
at the same time working on major content updates like the upcoming
Season 3 Episode 1. Phase 1 is all about these minor and major updates,
which you will hear more about in the near future. Phases 2 and 3
are… you’ll just have to wait and see.



TTH:
Is there anything more you would like to share with our readers?



Chris
Mahnken: Now is the perfect
time to check out style="font-style: italic;">Lineage,
either for the first time, or to reactivate your old account. This
update includes two new character classes, and the most creatively
designed dungeon in the industry. Leveling to 50 now takes half the
time, and our team here at NCsoft keeps building great new content on a
weekly basis. It’s no wonder the game continues to grow
world-wide.