Lineage II collector's edition coming

NCsoft has announced that it is to launch a collector's edition of its Korean massively multiplayer RPG, Lineage II, in Europe.

The limited release will see the light of day on 25th April, and cost GBP 54.99 or EUR 79.99: a mark-up over the standard edition price of GBP 14.99 / EUR 19.99.

For your extra money, you get three game account codes – 30 free days' play for yourself, 14 for a buddy and an additional 14-day trial – and 15 extra days of game time, should you want them. You also get three in-game accessories: a mask, a lollipop that turns you into a pig, and a discount token that can be redeemed for gender change. If only real life were so easy.

Then there's an art book, a soundtrack CD, two posters, an official map printed on "vintage" paper, and a hand-painted statuette limited to a run of 5500. 50 boxes also contain a Charlie-style golden ticket, granting them a rare figurine.

The collector's edition follows the recent and extensive overhaul to Lineage II in the Kamael update, which included many interface improvements intended to make the game more accessible to a Western audience. (Lineage II and its predecessor have both been enormous successes in Asia, but have struggled to gain such large audiences in the West.) It's still quite the grind, though.

The posh box is also timed to capitalise on the new Hellbound update, currently in testing and due soon, with its raised level cap, legendary transformations, new pet system and such. We wouldn't be surprised to see this go live at around the same time as the collector's edition is released.