Most later MMOs have dumbed down monsters / put them on VERY short leashes.
+ Mob AI is a bit diverse and has some freedom i.e. They are somewhat unpredictable because other parties can and often do interfere. Some games created 12+ years later fail to even come close (I'm looking at you, Black Desert!) + Castle sieges, and hardcore raid bosses. + A live, player-driven economy (except for the x10'000 servers mentioned above). Grinding is not as tedious and MUCH more effective in a group. Yes you can find the invisible walls here and there but you have to put in some effort to reach them. The Chaotic Chronicle/Throne has 33 different paths after level 40, each has an advanced version available at lvl 76 - which is really a better version of the same. Killing players who don't fight back increases your Player Killer counter, which gradually increases penalties upon death yet it is possible to thrive with high PK counters - you just gotta be good enough to avoid getting killed :-) + A lot of _distinct_ classes.
Wanna go kill lvl 40 monsters at lvl 24 - good luck, you are free to do so and it is possible and somewhat rewarding, although questionable for the profit/time. The game is NOT railroading you, nor holding your hand in any way. So comparing Lineage-2 to tens of MMOs released since about 2003 to this day, here are the pros and cons: Pros: + Freedom. And even the graphics are reaching a point where improving them further hardly changes the overall impression. And guess what? Graphics aside - games are not getting any better than they were in 2004. And I'm a developer actually working on Neverwinter and Star Trek online, so I play those too, if only for work. Why play such an old game in 2016? I have tried/tested many: Rift, Black Gold, Aion, Blade & Soul, ArcheAge, Black Desert, The Secret World, Bless. However, it seems out of all the servers still running Chaotic Chronicle now in 2016 - there are only ones running C6: Interlude. For both PvP and PvE oriented players, out of the Chaotic Chronicle - C5 (Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood) was arguably the most balanced version, where there was no clearly overpowered class, therefore most classes were useful. Everything that happened after Kamael was released is a totally different game. For I define Lineage-2 to be only The Chaotic Chronicle. I define Lineage-2 to be only The Chaotic Chronicle.
In this world, many players fight for control over any and every piece of the new kingdom. However, a group of lands coming under single rule doesn't equate to immediate peace. Old loyalties must change, new structure must be established and national sovereignty and pride must be formed. Set 150 years before Lineage, as the kingdom of Aden becomes a unified state, Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle is designed to show the struggles that take place during a time where several provinces come under one rule. This all-new game, developed and published by NCsoft, is a prequel to their blockbuster hit, Lineage. Set 150 years before Lineage, as the kingdom of Aden becomes a unified NCsoft brings a whole new experience to the fantasy role playing game genre with Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle.