Valakas Slain on Lionna

On April 22, 2006, the Invincible and Mirage alliances of Lionna became the first in North America to defeat the Fire Dragon Valakas. Over 180 brave players battled to bring down the fiery dragon. Read more about this impressive achievement in an interview with the leader of the raid.

1. Can you tell us about yourself and the alliances that brought down Valakas?

I’m 23 and Lineage II is my first mmporg. Currently, I’m the leader of the BigBadWolf clan and former leader of the Invincible Alliance on Lionna. Invincible was created by Excellion on August 2004 and has passed the leadership mantle three times. Excellion passed leadership to me and from there KaeliaMoonHater took over and currently Mocosa of the Insomnia clan leads Invincible. Each leader brought their own strengths to the alliance, and 2 years later we are still here stronger then ever.

Mirage is our allied Alliance; they are led by Awesome of the Exordium clan. Mirage is the longest standing originally led alliance on our server. Both alliances performed remarkable and due to that our goal was achieved.

2. Why did you want to kill Valakas?

I needed a new signature on my forums, www.l2invincible.com , and I thought Valakas would be a nice addition. Oh, first in NA never hurt anyone. :)

3. How much time did you spend making the plans for battle?

Three weeks making groups, counting confirmations, setting a convenient date, and planning the strategy, all that goes along with something as involved as this. Lionna is heavy mix of players from across the world, US, Euro, Asian Etc. so organizing everyone to fit into a certain time zone took the most preparation, people had to plan for this in advance.

4. How did you prepare for the fight?

We had a nice stockpile of Brez from castle ownership and past epic raids. A few dedicated people went ahead and dropped markers for the raid group so the movement went as smooth as possible to the heart. Each person had a task and they carried it out as well as I could have hoped. Once we started moving there was no turning back!

5. It took over 180 players and three and a half hours to kill Valakas. What made it possible?

Three simple things: Pride, Friendship, and Dedication.

6. How did you manage communication during the raid?

Lineage II introduced the command channel; as soon as it came out I was an advocate for using it to communicate with other alliances. That and Ventrillo made communication flawless.

7. What was the most challenging aspect of the battle? The most fun?

Keeping the energy throughout the raid was the hardest part. You have to keep the morale high, the confidence levels absolute, and mindset Invincible. Valakas could kill 50 people in a few seconds (and did) have to keep people moving and playing at their peak in order for the raid to be carried out successfully. The most fun is and will always be watching the videos and celebration after!

8. What advice would you give other players who wish to take on Valakas?

Some things in Lineage II are just so intense to the point of being left speechless. The battle with this dragon is the pinnacle of what Lineage II is. Kill it.

Thank you to GrandMastaBuff for answering our questions!