Aion review

[Ga5can]

The game has been out for a few weeks now and we have progressed to lvl 27. Yes, leveling is slow and forcing you to work a lot more in groups but a lot of fun as our grouping is slowly developing.

Gear is important and building your crafting skills up is time-consuming (but then again, all MMO' take time) but also a lot of fun as there are a lot of new dynamics, skills, enhancements and gear selections that you can choose from.

We have begun to see the PVP side of Aion and it is hectic in 3 dimensions ... and a lot of fun! :) The flying portion brings a new dynamic as you can attack and be attacked from above! Yes, all your offensive abilities are available while in flight!

Instances and raiding - It seems as if there aren't many instances and raiding is more focused on capturing Elyos fortress' but we will hopefully see a bit more in the coming weeks and closer to lvl 35 to 45.

At this stage it is still fresh and fun.

PS. I have an extra account for someone that might want to take a look at it.

[Punky3025]

The queues for server time are frustrating. Are they improving ?

[Eyewitness]

They seem to be, last night at around 7 i logged in without a queue, amazing since two weeks before there was a 2 hour queue at that time.

[Voicy]

My average queuing time for the last week is about 5-20 mins.

Thanks for the review thus far Gassie :sharp:

[Sabre]

I logged in yesterday evening and there was only a 8 minute wait

[Ga5can]

How are you finding the game play, the questing, the crafting, the gear and the game mechanics?

[Sabre]

Hmm just found something interesting if u want to check what instances you can enter do /checkentry and it will give you a list of all instances and status'

Nochsana training camp in Abyss can be done every 18 hours, so we need to get a group together to farm XP daily

[SunnyCash]

Well I am ow 27 done my first instance and the game is starting to open up nicely. Firstly the Abyss is like a huge Wintergrasp on steroids with a small instance which can be run at anytime. There is also bunch of quests that can be done while p00ning those filthy self righteous Elyos.
Now this is were it can get interesting especially since I don't fully understand the very detailed and complex mechanics of the battles just yet.
So ill have a crack at telling you the the basics of what I understand so long. There are Relics and which if u capture you get some sort of buff or they get a debuff and there is a main building or structure which u can assaulted and if u have a few of these relics it seem to make the job a bit easier, however to make sure that its not to unbalanced if u are dominating the other side due to numbers or skill or whatever then the 3rd party can arrive and they can pitch anywhere anytime and will prove to be a challenge that needs to be dealt with. Yeah and that's all I know
about it for now so I just try to get a few kills here and there while doing quests.
Now on that note here is a funny story.I was doing a quest this morning and keeping a eye out since I have bumped into many Elyos in the Abyss already. So as I was gonna pull I notice a Elyos land and try and have his way with me while I am not looking but stopped almost intermediatey when 2 other Asmodians landed right next to me. Was actually one of the guys I have quested with a few times ;) Then I see another elyos arriving
So I took off and flew away and double backed so they thought it was gonna be a fair fight ;) Bah. Anyhow they commenced to attack leaving me to pull in from the rear and completely obliterating the both of them. Was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes :D

Also they ques are down to 5-10min in the evening.
Anyways the game was a bit ristrictive for the 1st 25 lvls but it seems to be clearing up nicely now and I think its gonna give me plenty of laughs through my first white winter. As sai b4 the GFX

[rainy]

I didn't have any queues on Kalil so far but I haven't played on Gorgos again. I am getting a bit frustrated with my Ranger and enjoy the Sorceress more.

[Voicy]

Your ranger will shine from lvl 22 onwards. So far it's the only class that can pull a mob off me.

I hated lvl 17-19, but from lvl 21 onwards things are getting a lot more fun again.

I see from your title that you got the CE ... nice :D

[rainy]

The sorcerer is pretty good at pulling a mob as well. Thing is, the sorcerer packs the punch and the defensive skills to finish off a mob even at close range and with limited movement, without taking too much damage. The ranger will die if he can't kite.

[Voicy]

Aren't Rangers supposed to wear leather and be proficient in melee combat though - given their scout training?

[rainy]

Let me put it like this, at Lvl12 my Sorcerer was a lot more efficient in CQB than my Ranger.

[Sabre]

Guys, things get ALOT more interesting at 25, yesterday I was in a sky battle with 24 people in our alliance attacking Elios all in the air, was awesome. The only bugger is when u run out of fly time you splat

[senorblinky]

Looking at al the auto-signatures, can you play a male character?

[Flatty]

Looking at al the auto-signatures, can you play a male character?

After playing a chick, it's hard to come back :p

[Ga5can]

Commenting about female charaters, they are very beautiful in this game but they make a lot of noise! It reminds me of Monica Seles in her hay-days of tennis grunting!

[Thumponius]

Almost like female gnomes when they get squished?

[Sabre]

My honey is gorgeous and runs around in her panties, life couldn't get better :P

[rainy]

http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/667187437_cJnCT-L.jpg

[Voicy]

Looking at al the auto-signatures, can you play a male character?

Hey now ... how now? My dude's a dude. :(

[Flatty]

Hey now ... how now? My dude's a dude. :(

Yeah, Blinks - his toon just looks ghei, what with all the highlights 'n stuff...besides, Voicy likes watching tight male ass jostle around on his screen :p

[Sabre]

From level 25 to 28 make sure you do the Nochsana Training instance each day (resets every 18 hours) it should give you over 1 million easy XP daily if you kill all the peeps .... just make sure you don't ding 29 in the instance as u get kicked out immediately :)

For a full list of instances and levels allowed goto http://www.aionarmory.com/search.aspx?browse=3.4

[senorblinky]

Hey now ... how now? My dude's a dude. :(

Dude, with that avatar with its mouth open? It looks like he's waiting for someone else's hapy ending... And then the other picture, he just looks like a gymnast/athlete chick... very emo chuckles, very emo...

So effectively - no men?

[Ga5can]

Dude, with that avatar with its mouth open? It looks like he's waiting for someone else's happy ending... And then the other picture, he just looks like a gymnast/athlete chick... very emo chuckles, very emo...

So effectively - no men?

Says the guy with 1 level 80 Priest that runs around in a dress? oh, and he has a DK named "Kwaatjie" ... that if I am not mistaken is a gnome girl?

To Aion - the flexibility in character creation is just phenomenal in Aion.

Ps. The auto signatures are set graphics and do not show the actual character :)

[Punky3025]

Can someone please comment on the professions and how they work.

[senorblinky]

Says the guy with 1 level 80 Priest that runs around in a dress? oh, and he has a DK named "Kwaatjie" ... that if I am not mistaken is a gnome girl?
At least all his gear matches that dress (man, what a pain finding a belt that would blend...)

Yes, and i have another girl name Kleinntjie! :D





Ps. The auto signatures are set graphics and do not show the actual character :)

Ok, it figures, only comparing them to each other now that you've pointed it out, really didn't notice it before.

Not knocking the game, i can just see it still has some teething problems - as long as you chaps are enjoying it, what more can a guy ask for!

[Punky3025]

what more can a guy ask for!

Well seeing ask you asked.........:D

[Flatty]

I think I will wait until all you guys have uber toons & can boost me through :) AND when they have sorted out their teething problems.

[Ga5can]

Something interesting about boosting ... if the Booster is 10 levels above the boostee then there is zero xp :) You have to work together with a group to achieve objectives so boosting is limited.

If you are lvl 20 and run with lvl 25' through an area, you will only get a 1/4 of what the lvl 25' will get. You have to thus work within your level area to get max xp.

Also, some of the lower level instances are not available to high level chars i.e. Nochsana Training Camp is only available for chars between lvl 25 - 28

[Sabre]

All you need to know about enchanting items successfully, manastones and godstones

http://uk.aiononline.com/forums/class/sorcerer/view?articleID=124&category=101

[Flatty]

"man-a-stone?" Someone call me? :D

[Ga5can]

Things I do like about the game:
“Team-work" is getting more blatant. You can grind and do many small repeatable quests but if you want to do the higher xp quests, you need a group. I like this and I dislike it as I cannot level like I am used to in WoW.

Oohh, before I forget – how about doing an instance with 6 people? Not 5 but six! Jip, you end up with a Templar (Tank), Cleric (Healer), Chanter (Buffer and DPS) and then some random nukers i.e. Assassins, Rangers, Sorcerers and Spirit Masters.

Graphics is still good and the environments created are just awesome. You can move from a snowy area where you char will be shivering and blowing steam to the fire-pit where it is absolutely hot. You can get a sense of the environment.

All the professions add in value. Cooking and Alchemy is actually quite a part of your levelling and as a whole, you need to work on all the skills while levelling. Yes, you can take all the professions but can only specialise in 2 – Armorsmithing, Weaponsmithing, Handcrafting, Tailoring, Cooking and Alchemy.

/recruitgroup – awesome function in the game. You want to run with a group and all you do is post this in the chat. Anyone that is interested can click on it, see who is in the group and apply.

Things I dislike about this game
Vitality – a.k.a. Collecting skills as in WoW but here you mine metals, pick flowers and harvest some fruit and veg (yes, I reckon there are a few Portuguese on the development team) but it sometimes feels just like fishing was in WoW. You work and work and the points just don’t want to seem to go higher!

[Flatty]

Gassie, better not let Mulci hear you (yeah, yeah, I know you said Porto) :D

[senorblinky]

:rofl: - if i could rep you again, i would for that comment!

As for your review, it does look like the good far outweighs the bad.

I'll try it once vudu is done with the magic account, and halloween is over.

[Voicy]

Blinky - I'm going to be extremely busy with work for the next few weeks. If you want to use my account details to get a feel for the game, just gimme a shout.

Nice breakdown, Gassie! :sharp:

You forgot 1 more dislike: Becoming pavement fodder if you get a lagspike and run out of 'airtime' at the same moment. Also having to buy back your xp when you die also makes me a sad panda.

[Flatty]

No boosting? I dunno chaps - I busted my balls catching up in WoW. Then when I caught up it was more & more & more grinding just to stay up.

I am glad you guys are having fun, I really am - as for me, I'll just stay where I am almost King of the Castle, pwn Hordies & knowing that almost all of my professions are maxed & I can sustain my leisure time at reasonably high level with minimal effort.

I just know that Aion would become another addiction I can ill afford at this stage of my life.

[Ga5can]

Well, I had a sit down and a long think about the WOW vs. AION subject. The thought of all the time that have gone into WOW, my several level 80's and gear and this and that BUT then I realised. If I ever thought of WOW or Aion being productive or an investment, then I have lost the plot. They are both games!

So, I am not committed to WOW or Aion. I am playing what I enjoy and this is fun and new. Who knows, tomorrow I might be back in WOW or not.

What I do miss are my friends. I would love a few more of them to join us, even if it is just for a few weeks to see if they like it or not. :) Get a few more peeps in to see if we can run a few raids and capture some artifacts.

On the whole, I am enjoying AION.

[Flatty]

My ONLY consideration in not playing Aion is my highly addictive nature & the fact that I have been neglecting a lot of other areas of my life as a result of my current WoW addiction & my previous BF2 addiction. Otherwise I'd be there like a bear.

WoW is manageable for me ATM. I am happy with the level of my toons. I just know that I wouldn't be happy in Aion until I had reached the pinnacle. It would be wonderful if my life was sorted, but as it's not, I can't :D

[Sabre]

WoW and Aion are just so different you shouln't have to chose 1 or the other, but I would say that getting involved in an assault on a fortress or defending one is epic, slthough laggy a hell (but that's my computer in need of an upgrade :) ). Being able to battle in the sky adds a whole new dimension to the play, I've got to the point where I continuously check the skies around me to prevent someone dropping in and ganking me.

One big point though is if you bought the collectors edition you get brown wings with 40 seconds extra flying time, or you can upgrade your retail account (till 22 Oct) for 10 Euros to also get them.

Fortunately there are areas you can grind for good XP (Black Claw Village till about lvl 25, then Ice Claw Village to 35). Just make sure you have ex WoW players in your party, nothing more frustrating than trying to CC a mob when some1 keeps attacking them :( or having a gung-ho tank.

[Ga5can]

Had our first groupy last night with 5 of us running in to the invested cave in Morheim ... and it was FUN!

Interesting enough, the mechanics seems to be that if there is a 5 level difference between chars, the lower level char only gets about a 1/4 of the XP! It does make for a bit more of a challenge in levelling as there will be no boosting of chars other than for gear and drops.

[SunnyCash]

I was soloing mobs 5 lvls higher than me yesterdday an found it was a good way 2 make some easy xp.. Was getting around 20 000 per kill and thats not bad considering quests give about 80 000 - 160 000. However my repair bill made me a sad panda :(

[Ga5can]

Sunny bought Kinah from the chinese! yes, he did! :nod:

[SunnyCash]

TBH if I was not so stoop I would but there is no way I'm spending my hard earned pounds on pretend money.

[TG]

Everquest II has an interesting mechanic. A higher level character can 'Mentor' a lower level character. Essentially what happens is that the higher level character's stats drop to the level of the lower level character, and you can then play together without too much boosting taking place.

[CarRi0n]

Ello ladies, nice read. Just popped in to check what was crappening. Will see you ladies soon. Mwaaaah! Got my copy about 2 weeks ago, so can't wait to play it, and I will surely bring the awesomeness buff. Ciao, see you all later.

[SunnyCash]

Pffft...Bouts time. Welcome back mate :)

[Sabre]

From Lvl 30 you can do the Fire Temple instance, 6 people ideally but can be done with 5. The XP from killing the mobs is not great as killing non-elites by yourself outside the instance gives you better XP, but there are a few good drops, a nice thing is that 5 minutes after you exit the instance you can re-run it.

I would like to propose that our 30's run FT at least twice a day (a boss run takes about 20 minutes).

I know there are a few Yellow items that drop, I have got a Blue necklace so far.

Any1 keen, would be nice to do a legion thing?

[CarRi0n]

Well i am lvl now and I really enjoy the game, so I will make a point to get to and join you guys. BTW, i rolled a priest and will be going cleric so I can heal your asses. :p

[SunnyCash]

You gonna be a healer? Oh noes we are all doomed :(

[Voicy]

Here's a bit of an ingame trailer to get people psyched for this game:

http://uk.aiononline.com/board/videos/view?articleID=3&page=2

[Ga5can]

We are slowly moving forward and building our legion ... and last night was one of the first evenings where we had 7 peeps online! Yeah, soon we will be able to run our own instances and be less reliant on PUG's.

the PVP part of the game is also pretty exciting and there are constant battles in the Abyss but there is also a Battleground. This should be interesting as the Abyss can get a bit laggy with 200+ people attacking a fortress.

[Voicy]

Hehe ... Gassie, your profile pic is out of control!

[FallenAngelZA]

lol

[SunnyCash]

Ok so its been like 2 weeks or somin since we had a new Aion member. I have a 17 Ranger waiting 2give a hand to a newbie. The only question is who will it be?

[rainy]

I do have a Lvl13 Sorceress that needs to get through some tight spots...

[Ga5can]

I do have a Lvl13 Sorceress that needs to get through some tight spots...

May I recommend a diet?

[rainy]

Hey, you never tell a girl that she's fat :p

[SunnyCash]

Cool Nps Rainy just log some time :)

[Ga5can]

I have an extra account that is currently live for anyone that might want to take a peek at Aion.

[Sabre]

Gassie u leaving Aion?

[Voicy]

No silly, he just has an extra one...

[Ga5can]

What Voicy said ....

[Sheepy]

The dealer is now pushing some new product :D ....

:hmmm: how long is it active for Gassi?

[Ga5can]

The dealer is now pushing some new product :D ....

:hmmm: how long is it active for Gassi?

for 3 more weeks :)

[Sabre]

Excellent site for honing your CHAR

http://www.aionsource.com/forum/mechanic-analysis/42597-character-stats-xp-dp-origin-gerbator-team-july-2009-a.html

Want to know if your server is up, here is a real time indicator:

http://aionstatus.com/