Think a bastard child of Ultima Online and Diablo, only while having only a vague idea of what you're doing at any given moment, while being hectored to buy things in foreign languages. That pretty much captures the Lineage experience in a nutshell, at least for the new player. On deck in the Character Selection screen, a Knight, Prince and Elf. The Elf is glowing because, well, elves glow. Plus I selected him.
Lineage is class and level based.
You cannot simply assign stat points, but must pray to the gods of randomness for a good roll. Probably the first thing you will notice in Lineage is that you look like everyone else. There is absolutely no character customization in Lineage - no matter what armor or equipment you have, a Knight looks like a Knight looks like a Knight looks like a Knight. If you've been dreaming about a game where you can blend into the crowd and fulfill your dream of becoming an anonymous part of a horde, well, you found your game. Others might find it a touch disconcerting.