Since May of 2021 Lineage II has changed a lot especially on the lower level content, first it was the element boost for the mobs on that years Warrior Update and then slowly the lower level content has become a challenge. This is not to say that higher level content is easy but the amount of gear you need to get your character going is what some would say, a serious investment, the tradable items alone you can put on a character are 90!
With that in mind, many newcomers and returning players need to know what they are up against and since the main “features” of the game are still in place, like too much grind, not as many drops etc. many question their choice to come back in the game. It is not my place to tell you what to do, but I would like to help as much as I can.
In lower levels, there is not much to do, unless you have people you know to give you a lift to at least 110 – 112 it is going to be a lengthy journey! It is not a matter of levels, its a combination, levels & gear that will allow you to do content, mobs hurt and they have good defense/element resists, you will have to use a second or in some cases a third toon in your party to level up and the more toons that are in group, the less XP you get per toon, which means it is going to take longer to get to a good level.
I am not trying to give anyone a hard time, I am simply explaining how things are, if you are high level and have the gear you can farm plenty but that is a costly and lengthy process, if you really want to play the game, you will figure it out.
There is light at the end of the tunnel and if have you played in the past, you will quickly pick up on how things work.
A few things to avoid is getting gear from the Store, a Blessed Exalted set is good to begin with but NEVER make a weapon +21 or an Armor +20, the Armor at that enchant is only useful for collections. The weapon might come in handy in some classes but overall a 30 gold coins per Enchant x 21 is too much, 630 coins ( on average 220m per coin) is roughly 140bil adena, which can get you a +13/14 weapon, that you will not need to change for quite some time.
You should also avoid opening loot boxes and enchanting on your own. Although there are 2 things that will “Fix” your problems in Lineage II, Money and Time, for enchanting you need LUC and opening loot boxes is not recommended especially when you are missing crucial gear on your character. It is better to pay 10-15-20% more in the long run for items that will give you a guaranteed upgrade, rather than gamble and end up downgrading what you already have.
For most of the content, if you are either low level or do not have gear, you will have to go with the “trial and error” approach, see if you can do 106 zone, then test 108, then 110, if you can do 110 zone, you will most likely be able to do the 105 zones Jamoa, Crisis, Pantheon and Fiorens, your daily Castilla and Lurins in Aden and at 110 you can try to do some of the content in dethrone, even if you do not have gear, leveling the skills will give you a nice boost to your character.
Lineage II is a marathon not a sprint, there are features of the game that need quite a bit of time to complete, sometimes not even money can help speed up the process!
To summarize everything up, early in the game, you need to try new items, there is no right or wrong way to do this but I have a suggestion on how to start building your character and the why is also included! As you get more familiar with the game, everything will start to make sense and eventually, you will be able to make upgrades on your own and start making adena, early on, you will most likely will have to buy your gear, since the normal exalted gear you get from the main quest line, will not take you far! Levels, gear, will come as you play and try not to rush things!!
