12:00 (BST), 13/05/2008

Lineage II enjoys its reputation as one of the most hardcore player vs. player (PvP) massively multiplayer online games in the market today, and its die-hard community reflects this in many ways. New players are coming to the game in greater numbers and enjoy the unrestrained gameplay and intense battles, and our recently released 4th Anniversary Edition box awards the loyalty of our long-term veterans with discounted player services. When our passionate players and clans aren’t involved in long-term castle sieges or fortress battles, what do they do to wind down or just want to have some fun?

That’s what Fantasy Isle is for. We recently added the island to the game as a place for players to explore, socialize, and have some fun. Fantasy Isle is a peace zone, where there is no fighting, except in special areas (like the Underground Coliseum), so all characters can enjoy it without worrying about being stabbed in the back (or worse). It’s essentially a giant amusement park.

The first thing you’ll notice upon arrival is that the Isle is completely different from the rest of the lands of Aden and Elmore. The environment is frequently bright and alive with color, featuring a beautiful town, lush fields of grass, jungles, hills and many other interesting places. As you can imagine, Fantasy Isle is not a small reef of land, but a huge island, steeped in its own mysteries and places to visit. The local people and creatures are all rather small and cute, and fit within the happy themes of the island.

In March we held an event to formally open Fantasy Isle, which we called the “Bunny Money” event. Players could travel to the island and hunt for pieces of various treasure sacks, which would contain various random goodies we were giving away. With a special skill you could discover all sorts of treasure chests, featuring Rabbit Transformation Scrolls and a special magic eye that let you see even more hidden treasure chests. This two-week event gave the players a chance to explore the wonders of the island while scrounging for some great stuff, including S-grade armor and shadow Agathion bracelets.

The opening of the island is just the start of what’s coming. For the release of Hellbound two new features were added to Fantasy Isle: the Underground Coliseum and the Monster Parade. Featuring a new type of team-battle PvP (essentially team deathmatch), the Underground Coliseum pits teams of players against each other in a series of matches—the team with the most accumulated kills wins. The winning team moves on to the next match, while the losing one has to sit out or enter in another series. Each team has to consist of at least seven players, and there are four different coliseums, split up by level, and one coliseum for players of all levels. Players can access the coliseums from Fantasy Isle, offering up another fun diversion from the normal style of play (or PvP) that regular Lineage II players know.

The Monster Parade occurs four times a day and is a procession of each type of NPC in the game, making its way through the play area of the Isle. Players will be able to see the wide variety of NPCs throughout Aden and Elmore in one place. Some of the participating monsters and NPCs will also show up at the performance area on Fantasy Isle, where they may partake in some special performances, including circus acts and even talent shows.

Of course, that’s just the beginning of what we have in store for Fantasy Isle, not the end. The Isle lets us hold large special events that all players can enjoy at once in one area, which also is a big plus for us. Bunny Money was just the beginning, and shows a fraction of what we’ll be able to do. Also, to keep with the amusement park-style theme, we’re looking to integrate all sorts of mini-games on the island, to keep the area fun, fresh and vibrant. When you’re on Fantasy Isle, we want you to relax and have some stress-free fun.

Ends