Lineage 2 going free-to-play later this year

Grind-athon Lineage II is jumping aboard the free-to-play MMO bandwagon, developer and publisher NCSoft has announced. The switch will be made when the 'Goddess of Destruction' free expansion launches "later this year," and a surprisingly large amount will be free.

"Character creation, races, classes, skills, zones, bosses, quests, clans, crafting, warehouse, auction house, chat, mail, forums, customer support, and so on" will all be free for everyone to play under the 'Truly Free' model, NCSoft says.

However, "to accelerate their character's progression," players will be able to buy items after converting real cash money to the virtual NCoin. These'll include "supplies," cosmetic vanity items, promo items, and, of course, XP boosts--sure to be popular in such a grind-heavy game.

Existing Lineage II subscribers will have their remaining game time converted to the NCoin when the free-to-play switch is made.

Point your peepers at NCSoft's FAQ for more information on how a 'Truly Free' Lineage II will work.