Monthly Cost of L2

[Ferine]

So it's been a long while since I looked into the actual costs of playing L2 and I really can't remember how much I used to spend.

 

I've been gone for 2 years and have in the meantime been playing Magic: The Gathering (The physical game, not online). With that I spend about £100-£300 a month in new cards, travel and tournaments, although I don't need to spend so much. It's left me with a collection I could probably sell for £5000+, and decks I can take to any shop or big arena tournament and play at a highly competitive level in the 3 most popular formats of the game.

 

How much will my average £200 a month hobby spend get me in L2? What will I get in return for that? I'm sure regular events didn't used to cost as much as this cloak one, with such high fail?

 

Currently after logging in I notice my gear seems about average, and things like +15 cloaks, which are essential for top tier PvE and PvP, are £500+ alone. It's already cost me a fortune to make a +7 cloak and +10 my set from +8 just to be on par with average gear people. That's without accounting for potions, runes, events etc.

 

Note, this isn't a QQ I can't afford to play post, just a general will my £100-300 a month be worth it's value. I already have +10 dark set, +13 weapon etc, just missing 200-300b in expensive cloaks/epics.

[ChuckSteak]

Up front or over time, to be a top tier PvE, we have documented players saying they spent a little over $20,000. Not that you cant be very good for just $5,000 - $10,000.

For PvP, factor it by 2-10. A dragon wep alone will set you back several thousand, ask around there are a several that have purchased them.

That will get you caught up to the other whales. Then you must maintain. With this power you can either self sustain by using your whale status to profit enough to buy billions worth of event items as the other fools try to convert promos into adena, or continue to P2W and roll around $1000 into each promo that has good or likely newer and better gear that you can only get in the L2 store. 

Please, don't forget to come back here and either tell us all how you did it without spending very much/anything, or that its completely reasonable and acceptable behavior to have done so in the first place. Depending how you justify it to yourself.

 

PS- Are you really playing EDH, Standard AND Legacy MTG? Damn dude, that's one hellava collection you must have!

[mixa]

Amazing mentality. Keep us posted on how it's going in the months to come.

[Ferine]

39 minutes ago, ChuckSteak said:

Up front or over time, to be a top tier PvE, we have documented players saying they spent a little over $20,000. Not that you cant be very good for just $5,000 - $10,000....

PS- Are you really playing EDH, Standard AND Legacy MTG? Damn dude, that's one hellava collection you must have!

I wasn't thinking of that much, maybe I could justify $1k over a year for a hobby I enjoy that I can't get anything back for.

Pfft. not crazy enough for legacy. I have a good selection of Standard, EDH and Modern decks plus a load of rare foils/invocations that I've opened or won at Grand Prix events.

 

25 minutes ago, mixa said:

Amazing mentality. Keep us posted on how it's going in the months to come.

 I was more trying to explain that can I have fun and keep competitive with my spend on one hobby spending the same on L2 now, considering I'm starting with ok gear? Or have events and xp got more expensive and decent gear got more out of reach?

 

I always kept myself with the best bang for buck, E.G. lvl 4 jewels, lvl 1 abundance and longing were affordable, yet weren't massively worse than level 5 jewels (now there's 6?!), lvl 4 abundance or Insanity. Now I noticed stuff like the +10 and +15 cloaks with augments are massively better than +7. Yet they are much, much more expensive, to the point of almost being out of reach. Ofc Dragon weapons fell into this too, but some things are too out of reach to worry about.

 

I also had to put a disclaimer before the inevitable "you can't afford it, go on steam" posts that always pop up.

[Draecke]

best read up on the old forums topics that covered this subject as it has been posted often & alot and yeah as I explained ingame  it all depends on what you're trying to achieve & expectations..

best advise anyone can give you here is use that money wisely on market investments and try build up capital that way - just be aware l2 exploits players with poor impulse control and make those spend way to much for very little in return and that almost every Month

 

ps, remember forum trolls still exist so not everyone that replies here actually cares about your question(s) but more about their own agenda's/dramaz

[Quitted]

9 hours ago, Ferine said:

I also had to put a disclaimer before the inevitable "you can't afford it, go on steam" posts that always pop up.

Don't get me wrong. This isn't only a matter of money. It's all a matter of the time you may spend daily on your hobbies.

If you are a kid, 7 to 14, and your mommy's wallet is huge enough well you are free to play L2 and stay in front of a monitor 10 t0 16 hours x day.

If you are older, 15 to 100 years old, the human nature will scream in your hears "wtf are you doing with a monitor, go out and get a woman"

Unless your forum nickname is Aizen, ask him why, that happens with all the male human beeings, even with your own dogs an cats.

Personally, well all the world but 1k nerds (it's like 6 billions vs 1k hikikomories) do think my way, I don't want to spend 10 to 16 hours x day in front of a monitor.

I've placed 12th in an international total war warhammer tournament. It's 12th in the word in a community that counts 327k players not 6k counting in all the boxes and bots and neutron.

If I want to be 11th I have to get 4k more hours of play, but what the hell, who the fu ck is so nerd to do so. What the heck ... bloody hell 250 days 16 hours x day .....

I want to live my own real life. I beg you pardon if I'm not mad enough for the forum's standards.

 

Usually an hikikimori does need rehab ... asap.

[Draecke]

no worries NC has it under control, they're working hard to change the game from game addiction to gamble addiction and it won't take the average gambler that much time to blow all their money

[Quitted]

Well Draecke it's much more worst than that.

This game was originally specifically designed for kids, 7 to 14 years old. No one else in the entire world has so much time to grind up.

Just think about it. You are a 15 years old dude, you manage to enter in your high school football team, you managed to get a gf, your girflfriend wants, and it's normal that she wants to do that:

- to go our on friday, but you say to her no honey I have L2 olympiads to do -> she thinks I have to leave this nerd

- to dinner out on saturday, but you say to her no honey I have L2 olympiads to do -> she thinks I'm sure I have to leave this nerd

- to go out on sunday, but you say to her no honey I'm an MS player, I have to try to conquer Chronos Aden, and fail, so go out alone.

Your gf, or wife, in the exact order will

- call 911 because you are mentally sick

- give a kick in your balls because she has lost 3 days of her life speaking with a nerd

- slap you face, at least 12 times, then kick your balls again, then slap your face with ss another 12 times, just to be sure you ain't gonna to lift up for 1 hour

- broke your legs because if someone wants to be paralyzed in front of a monitor 16 hours x day he deserves to be paralyzed, at least for 30 days.

Now try to tell to her no honey I'm legit I've spent 12 years of my life in front of a monitor to get a +12 dark armor

She will broke all of your 10 fingers too.

 

Now how a kiddo is supposed to have 28.000 bucks on his wallet?

I know, in real life, total war warhammer pro players. They have sponsors who pay them to play (and paid them a lot, a lot, a lot), their work is to play total war warhammer 4 hours x day, everyday. When their clock hits 4 hours and 1 second, their pcs are turned off because someone plays hockey, someone plays football, someone else plays baseball or basket.

They have a gf/wife, they go out, all around the world, everyday they have their own house, their cars (the s was intentional) etc.

Now. Who is the mad one?

To me the NCfraud L2 player.

 

I've read elsewhere there are ton of ways to farm adena. I have only three questions.

- how much time have you to spend to farm that adena?

- when have you to wake up to farm that adena?

- may you spend that adena in a restourant? let me know when in the real world someone will accept adena as a normal currency.

 

Now lets say you are a software house manager.

Will you prefer to sell a copy of your brand new game to 327k dudes for 50 bucks each and its dlcs for 15 bucks each

or

to sell the illusion to have an item for 500 bucks x month to 6k player.

I haven't done so much math but ...

 

please neutron explain how you may earn as much as a software house with 327k players, on a single game.

 

 

 

 

[Pleistoros]

Well Quitted, not all of us are gamers...many play only L2....congrats for your archivments (here a nasty comment>>>) i guess WW is not played by many profesional players like L2.  Im curious, how many ppl under 18 you think play that game? I think...2 or 3 ppl . Regarding, geting a girlfriend...its better for them just to pay one few hours...its cheaper and safer that way. hahahaha. (here another nasty coment>>>)Mby you take my advice too since i sense deep down in your heart a terrible fear of your wife/gf.

Back on topic, L2 is on descending curve regarding game popularity and population...this is happening for many reasons but most important L2 is old ....GoD was launched on nov 2011.

After a while, and we are talking about 6-7 y, the game it self becoming toxic due to a large gap between old and new players and in the end no new players will join.

As it stand now its almost imposible to reroll or start a new char...and when this 105 exp barier will dispear it will be imposible.

Meanwhile, NcSoft Koreea aka Devs have no feasible plans for next stage of Lineage(L3, LE, etc) just reroll old hunting grounds and instance to 103+,105+...

That been said, i see no point to pay gazilions of money in this...but 10-15 usd per month for your pleasure its not that bad.

Gl

[Ferine]

51 minutes ago, Quitted said:

Well Draecke it's much more worst than that.

This game was originally specifically designed for kids, 7 to 14 years old. No one else in the entire world has so much time to grind up.

Just think about it. You are a 15 years old dude, you manage to enter in your high school football team, you managed to get a gf, your girflfriend wants, and it's normal that she wants to do that....  ramble ramble....I know, in real life, total war warhammer pro players. They have sponsors who pay them to play (and paid them a lot, a lot, a lot)... ramble...They have a gf/wife, they go out, all around the world, everyday they have their own house, their cars (the s was intentional) etc... ramble

 

The game was never designed for children it was designed for 16-30 year olds in education or with free time. There's lots of people with tons of spare time from students to stay at home parents, military and ex military, people on low hour jobs, people who play in work! Personally my peak of playing was through 6 years of education, I finished that and have worked through a career, I have a gf, own my own house, own my own car and I'm in a reasonably well paid job.

 

Having said that I don't think most players could dedicate the time to old L2 now like they did. I definitely don't want to invest the $$$ that NC expect people to invest in gambling events (which I believe is actually illegal and european courts are focussing on now), but I'd happily do 2hrs a night of instances/hunt, weekend sieges and buy xp items and reasonably priced events if the game were still like that, NC want money though not a game.

 

From the sounds of it Total was is a bit like Magic, there's a lot of people paid as "Magic Pros" with hall of fame records and sponsors. There's regular big tournaments and pro tour events with $100,000s in prizes for finishing well each event, they literally play magic for a living.

[Truffle]

1 hour ago, Ferine said:

 

The game was never designed for children it was designed for 16-30 year olds in education or with free time. There's lots of people with tons of spare time from students to stay at home parents, military and ex military, people on low hour jobs, people who play in work! Personally my peak of playing was through 6 years of education, I finished that and have worked through a career, I have a gf, own my own house, own my own car and I'm in a reasonably well paid job.

 

Having said that I don't think most players could dedicate the time to old L2 now like they did. I definitely don't want to invest the $$$ that NC expect people to invest in gambling events (which I believe is actually illegal and european courts are focussing on now), but I'd happily do 2hrs a night of instances/hunt, weekend sieges and buy xp items and reasonably priced events if the game were still like that, NC want money though not a game.

 

From the sounds of it Total was is a bit like Magic, there's a lot of people paid as "Magic Pros" with hall of fame records and sponsors. There's regular big tournaments and pro tour events with $100,000s in prizes for finishing well each event, they literally play magic for a living.

 

Healer can be played easily with a low budget with proper setup (2-2.5kusd), don't try to enchant l2store items unless you know what you're doing. It's 99% of the time cheaper to buy it with other means.

[Ferine]

11 minutes ago, MS_Truffle said:

 

Healer can be played easily with a low budget with proper setup (2-2.5kusd), don't try to enchant l2store items unless you know what you're doing. It's 99% of the time cheaper to buy it with other means.

I was warned a few times by friends not to bother enchanting L2 store cloaks, but I had to give it a try on my 60 luck dwarf (which I was told wasn't anywhere near enough). I failed miserably, definitely not a good idea to bother enchanting the store scams. 

 

Gear wise I'm already set up to play ok on my healer (+11 set, 3SA Dark Weapon, all epics but cheaper alt to B.valakas/Lindi, 7s, lvl 4 jewels etc), but I noticed I go down a lot faster in sieges compared to a while back. My problem is that the decent upgrades I need now range from 30 bil to 120bil a piece. I don't know if I could justify the $$$ to spend on that with the current state of the game, it even seems out of budget to buy one item a month. :*(

[OmenOfSteel]

On 6.1.2018 at 1:56 AM, Quitted said:

If you are a kid, 7 to 14, and your mommy's wallet is huge enough well you are free to play L2 and stay in front of a monitor 10 t0 16 hours x day.

 

The only ppl that spend that much time in L2 are not normal players, but RMTers. They play to make $ or better Russian Rubels, not adena.

Here's some news for you: You can have a lot of fun in L2 with "only" 2 hours / day. In PVE and PVP.

After reading a few of your posts I must say I dont like you.
You quitted, yet still you hang around here and whine and complain. You tell me you're not nerdy enough for L2, in next sentence you say you are close to top10 in a game with 300k+ players. Yeah, sounds like not nerdy at all. Go away.
 

 

[OmenOfSteel]

4 minutes ago, Ferine said:

I was warned a few times by friends not to bother enchanting L2 store cloaks, but I had to give it a try on my 60 luck dwarf (which I was told wasn't anywhere near enough). I failed miserably, definitely not a good idea to bother enchanting the store scams.

Welcome back Ferine

I dont wanna defend that cloaks ( I wish we wouldnt have them ) or the L2 Store ( I wish we wouldnt have it ) , but still "scam" isnt the right word, it's really just purest gamble.

Small first-hand example:
I needed 210 Scrolls (and some ancient) for my +10 cloak, I enchanted with 67 LUC.
My CP member made 2x +10 Cloaks from 75 scrolls, with around 50 LUC.

From a pro-enchanter I got told its around 70 scrolls average for a +10 cloak, if you have maxed out LUC. But, magic word is "average". Can be done with 15 scrolls, can be failed with 300 scrolls.

[Ferine]

19 minutes ago, OmenOfSteel said:

Welcome back Ferine

I dont wanna defend that cloaks ( I wish we wouldnt have them ) or the L2 Store ( I wish we wouldnt have it ) , but still "scam" isnt the right word, it's really just purest gamble.

Small first-hand example:
I needed 210 Scrolls (and some ancient) for my +10 cloak, I enchanted with 67 LUC.
My CP member made 2x +10 Cloaks from 75 scrolls, with around 50 LUC.

From a pro-enchanter I got told its around 70 scrolls average for a +10 cloak, if you have maxed out LUC. But, magic word is "average". Can be done with 15 scrolls, can be failed with 300 scrolls.

If it were only 70 scrolls for +10 I think that wouldn't be too unfair. However I get the impression that that's far far from the truth, it certainly doesn't follow the rates I've seen. The reason I use the term scam is due to cost of scrolls, the low, low, enchant chance and the pure power scaling of higher enchanted items. +15 legendary with 2x +5% damage augments  gives 16% more damage than a +9 (which is really difficult to get). It wouldn't surprise me if they did their old trick of nerfing the success rate a few days into the event also.

 

P.S. Thanks for the WB

[ChuckSteak]

2 hours ago, OmenOfSteel said:

Welcome back Ferine

I dont wanna defend that cloaks ( I wish we wouldnt have them ) or the L2 Store ( I wish we wouldnt have it ) , but still "scam" isnt the right word, it's really just purest gamble.

Scam: A dishonest scheme

It is at its very nature the text book definition of a scam.

What is not dishonest about selling something like the cloaks? With all the advertising and marketing leading you to believe you could make one of these, especially when they are to be "enchanted". Other armors enchant with a base rate of 50%, and with luc and maphyr shirts these are easily doable. One is lead to believe they can enchant a cloak too! Why not! What is NOT advertised or even mentioned, is how very low the base rate of success is for these cloaks (compared to the other armors), while using the exact same enchanting system as other armors. That right there in and of itself is a dishonest scheme.

The real scam however, is the pricing of these items in USD. Just to have this unknown super low chance to success, all the while dodging the fact that the fools buying these have been pre-conditioned through various means to act on impulses and past experiences enchanting armors with higher default success rates.

Honestly, if NC west had offices in my state I would be pursuing legal processes to address this issue. The only reason this is possibly not criminal, is because this type of predatory behavior of gamer's is still a rather new type of financial defrauding. The other poster is right, EU is starting to focus on this issue, and ramping up the greed by companies that are supposed to peddle art and entertainment (not scams and in game achievements), will only help this process along.

Enjoy it while it lasts, someday you will once again have to play the game to get gear and achievements in the game. Someday developers will once again have to create something enjoyable and entertaining, instead of being a parasite on other peoples past work.

-CS

[OmenOfSteel]

Hmmm actually I think the base enchant-rate at least up to +6 is a little bit above 50%. +7 seems to be bit harder, +10 seems to be another "breakpoint" with lower chance.

[ChuckSteak]

It is very possible that the base rate on sub R99 gear is 60%. This was the original base rate for armors and weps, and honestly I cant remember the last time I enchanted anything that was lower than R99. All of my testing shows base rate (of R99 gear) is about 50%, and with the +7 maphyr its 60%. I did not notice a lesser rate at higher enchants, however usually having a smaller volume to work with due to costs, can make it appear like worse odds.

Also, my testing didn't show much or any benefit to the increased chance items in the L2 store. This is consistent with the L2 store never providing anything of worth, and serving only to separate you and your money.

[Quitted]

Omen have you have ever tried to persuade an user to stop using his daily drug?

Feel free to write what do you want.

Mmm no. Actually I'm 67 in the TW WH2 rank and it's dropping down because I play 30 minutes x day or less that's my limit.

And 30 minutes is the amount of time you spend on naia only to find an opened party room that isn't a DH one or an Husaria CP member (one on 6) online, you pick.

For the rest I'm only sharing my past L2 experiences and I'm not alone.

Do this hurt your daily drug dose?

Who the fu ck cares ?

 

I've read another topic and found a nice suggestion.

Under everyone's nick shoud be posted how much time he has played since his main was created and how many times he has hit the L2 $$$ ingame button.

That would be really entertaining.

Back on topic. To Ferine. Personally I think that NCWest L2 is out of reach to whoever hasn't spent at least 10k $ on it and doesn't have at least 6 hours of spare time x day. I've never had 6 hours of spare time x day in my entire life. Then everyone may do whatever he wants with his own money, even blow it up hitting the L2 $$ give your money to neutron button.

Ask to Fotomoto how a 3 years old toon can be 102+ with a dark set, while killed by the first DH passing by, every 3 seconds, or sitting in Aden 24 hours x day selling stuff while afk. If I would be you I would try to ask.

 

[Foxes]

When I came back to L2 again almost 2 years ago, (I was absent since 2007, when u were paying for adena to the chinitos or something else), I studied the situation and i understood what I had to spend, the problem was that even in the course of 22 months the game became more expensive xD. I don't have an exact ammount, but I have spent around 4500-5000USD in events, not for to get the fine item, just for to open a possibility of trading during the next few months, save adena and buy the fine item already made, in other words; work on what was invested.

You can be a little burro and spend compulsively, even if you see the miserable profits of the event, or be a bit more smart and have patience. I think if you spend £ 200 per month, you can save that money and invest it in events every 3 months and save adena for example.

In my case 22 moths playing; 5000USD (events)+ 800USD (xp boost runes & vit pot packs) + 450USD (15x2 months of prestige pack suscription),  6250USD in total for get a pve char with high-grade gear (not top atm), with even 50b wasted on jewels event x2.

Nowadays i left my clan & cp and i became full PVE mode at the moment, that because i consider PVP is more expensive, i can farm some adena and the most reason; no burn my weekends on sieges and olympiads.

[Nortewemko]

Its so sad and clear some things here:

  If u not spend hard money in this game u will be nothing in there cuz mmorpg is already dead here, ppl looks like a zombie that can't stop to spend, and if u can't spend u can't have nothing ingame. Before store age , a guy with a full crafted vesper set walking in giran was the guy , ppl though " man look this set", nowdays is just another cheater with visa in hands ready to make cheaters and obtain top item. 

The worst is, ppl agree with ncsoft scams(this is the most shi3t that i read in entire life,"is not a scam is gamble") , ppl agree with full pay to win bcs they dont care about the game(ppl are selfish, want the item and fc up others)  , ncsoft dont care about the game and how to  improve the game experience(they get patch from korea and turn game items in store items and sell for high prices), ppl agree with ncsoft scams , that is why ncsoft still doing scam.

They make it became normal, they call store button as "event", bro...true events in l2  give help to ppl and some fun, and now are 100% dead.

Idk in wich part of world ncsoft can avoid laws to do this cassino, but someday this easy money maker will fall and ppl will suicide cuz time and money spended here can't back.

On my country if u talk : i want this appearance but it is just for 200 hero coin, but to obtain hero coin u need buy 12k ncoin, this is called "sale married", is enough to make the law.

Players, open the eyes, stop to support this things, we need a fun game experience for all , l2 looks like a a second job but u need to pay to work and have no payment on end of month. This topic was really not necessary when whe fight against p2w shi3ts.

[Quitted]

Well Norte, you've got the point. NCWest let the players think that paying 5.000 to 50.000 bucks for pixels is normal.

Everyone can do two simple things.

Post on L2 NCSoft Korea forums: I have spent 5.000 to 50.000 bucks for my pixel toon. What do you think?

Choose a game and post on its forum: I have spent 5.000 to 50.000 bucks for my pixel toon. What do you think?

Everyone, beginning with the NCSoft L2 Korea forum administrator, will answer to you in the same way "you have to be hospitalized, asap".

[KeepthePeace]

My old friend joining nova was the only mistake u made. No parties all week cuz no one leaves town. No help with what u need to build a proper toon from nova, why? cuz they dont know how or are jus diks? you coming to forum to ask advice rather then the top "pvp" clan on any server ever ever ever! ???  drop clan join me in MS got a spot for ya in DIE CP!~ 

[Draecke]

5 hours ago, KeepthePeace said:

My old friend joining nova was the only mistake u made. No parties all week cuz no one leaves town. No help with what u need to build a proper toon from nova, why? cuz they dont know how or are jus diks? you coming to forum to ask advice rather then the top "pvp" clan on any server ever ever ever! ???  drop clan join me in MS got a spot for ya in DIE CP!~ 

actually you're wrong on all accounts but am sure he appreciates the thought

[Ferine]

6 hours ago, KeepthePeace said:

My old friend joining nova was the only mistake u made. No parties all week cuz no one leaves town. No help with what u need to build a proper toon from nova, why? cuz they dont know how or are jus diks? you coming to forum to ask advice rather then the top "pvp" clan on any server ever ever ever! ???  drop clan join me in MS got a spot for ya in DIE CP!~ 

 

Haha thanks for the offer mate, but I actually joined Nova as I spent most of my time xping with my friends there when I got back, they're good guys. I'm actually doing well catching up on the new stuff and getting my daily xp in. It does kind of suck being in a PvP clan for ganks, but it happens both ways, always seems more blue text popping up than red.