Aion: Tower of Eternity: Preparing for the beta

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record but the Aion beta is coming. Here at Massively Towers we've gone Aion crazy since we found out about it and even gave away a batch of keys to two hundred lucky readers. Yes, all around Europe and North America people are opening their inboxes to find magical golden (in a metaphorical sense) keys which allow them access -- however briefly -- to the mystical world of Atreia.

The beta, which is taking place between Friday and Monday, is the first of an ongoing series and each will examine a specific aspect of gameplay. This first jaunt introduces the angelic Elyos and the starting zone of Eltnen, you will be able to level to 20 and try any of the four main classes (which then branch out into two subclasses as you level up).

The purpose of this feature is to help you get yourself ready for the beta and walk you though how to get the client. As soon as you get your key, you can submit it via the NCsoft site and then it's a simple matter of downloading the beta client and installing it on your PC. This takes a little time but not as much as you might think. I'm on an 8mb connection and the client had downloaded, installed and patched in just under two hours.

The one downer to the beta is that it seems to be PC only and the key will only work for a specific Aion beta. So if you have a key for this weekend's event, it won't work for future ones. You'll have to get a new code to play the next lot of content. The second thing is you might need to update your DirectX drivers but the game client will tell you if this the case. It will even guide you to the correct Microsoft page to download the drivers. The entire procedure is actually quite pleasant and, for me at least, remarkably free of problems.

So the client's installed and it's time to check out the start up screen. The login screen offers the usual round of options including the ability to create an account, meddle with the sound and graphic, see the credits and, of course, quit the game. You can try logging on if you like but as the authentication servers aren't online there's very little point. The login screen itself manages to exemplify the beauty of Aion with a Elysean vista, a gentle breeze blows petals across the landscape and clouds drift across the sky, revealing floating spires. In the midground, water flows over impossibly high falls and it is a tantalizing glimpse into a must-visit world. It's just a shame we have to wait til Friday.

By default Aion will load up in full-screen format but this and easy thing to change. Personally I prefer playing in windowed mode so I get some metaphorical 'distance' from the game I'm playing. Sounds weird I know. Anyway, you can tinker with the settings or just press auto detect so the client can look at your computer specs and figure out which are the best settings for you. You can also play with the audio settings, although these are a little basic. I couldn't find an option for the music to continue even when you tab-alt out of the game, for example.

Basically, that's it. There's not much else to do apart from drool over the vista, at least until the beta begins. What you can do, however, is check out the credits. The credits sequence doesn't just list devs though, it also shows off some of the more beautiful pieces of concept art for the game, various weapons, locations, mobs and character art.

Running for about four minutes it also features the English version of the rather enchanting theme song Forgotten Sorrow -見えない悲しみ (a Japanese subtitle which translates as mienai kanashimi meaning 'unseen sorrow') by Yozoh. It's worth pointing out that while this is a Korean MMO, the soundtrack was composed by musician Ryu Kunihiko and all the tracks have English titles and Japanese subtitles.

But enough of this, I hear you cry! What about the game itself? Well we do you know you will be able to play an Elyos to level 20. This means taking part in the ascension quest around level 10 where you earn your wings and the ability to free-fly around Elysea (even if it is only for a short period of time).

This also means exploring the starter zone Eltnen and you'll be able to pick one of four classes: priest, scout, warrior and mage. As you level up to 20, you'll also be able to expand your class into one of two sub-classes (a bit like talent trees in WoW). Priests will be able to train as clerics or chanters, scouts as assassins or rangers, mages as spiritmasters or sorcerers and warriors as templers or gladiators.

To get an idea of what the beta will involve, take a peek at this video of Eltnen and to tide you over until the beta begins, check out our galleries below.

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