Lineage

After more than 10 years, NCsoft just announced that the North American Lineage servers will shut down on June 29 because it is no longer financially viable in its Western markets. As of today, no new accounts can be created, but all existing accounts in good stand have been reactivated and everyone can play for free until the servers shut down.

If you had an active and paid Lineage subscription at any point this year between Jan. 1 and May 11, you'll receive a Player Appreciation Reward that will give you activation and two months of game time for all four current NCsoft US games, plus some additional special items depending on the game title. Check out the rewards and refunds page for a list of the indivual gifts you'll receive in Lineage II, Aion, Guild Wars and City of Heroes.

For more details on the closure of the NA Lineage servers, read the FAQ after the jump. All game data will no longer be available after June 29, and your characters will not be transferred to other territories' servers.

Lineage's Double Double Drop Event kicks off today, March 4, and runs through May 11. What does Double Double really mean? Here's the breakdown:

• Every line in the drop tables has been doubled. If a monster has a 50% chance to drop 1,000 adena, the game will now roll on that chance twice.
• Double Probability has also been turned on. So if a monster has a 50% chance to drop 1,000 adena, he now has a 100% chance to drop 1,000 adena.
• So, Double Double means double probability on every drop AND every drop gets rolled twice!

Also, all polys have been unlocked. Enjoy the event!

Starting after maintenance on Wednesday, March 30 and running until maintenance begins on the following Wednesday, April 6 will be the Lineage Spring Forward event.

Players will find a new teleport NPC, the Spring Goddess, standing next to the regular teleport NPCs. She will offer a variety of of new teleports, 41 locations to choose from, some of which do cost more than others.

Also, players can get 150% XP Candies and Cream Pies to characters who are completely out of either of these items. Just find the Goddess in Training in Giran near Giran Cross. If you have no XP Candy in your inventory, she will give you 100 150% White Chocolate Bunny Candy. If you use that 100, you are free to go back and get 100 more!

In response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, NCsoft is donating approximately $6.3 million to the relief effort. According to Senior Executive Sung Joon Park, this amount corresponds to one month of sales.

“We’ll maintain the service with the minimal electricity and personnel," Park added. "Maintaining daily life is also important; therefore, we plan to uphold the service."

If you're interested in making a charitable donation to aid Japan, check out the list of organizations that NCsoft provided after the jump.

It's not every day that a game reaches its 10-year Anniversary! Lineage will be celebrating 10 years this October and NCsoft has announced that fans can look forward to lots of parties!

In a recent post the team said:

"We can't possibly be constrained to a single day celebration! We plan to have many events, activities, contests, and giveaways throughout the year. Check back here often for the latest anniversary updates!"

Fans can look forward to a 10-year timeline, contests, giveaways, events and gifts! They've even hinted at a chance to win a vintage Lineage poster with the game's original logo. Stay tuned for more updates as the official anniversary draws near!