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NCsoft reveals two trailers for Aion Europe's F2P launch
Aion is officially free-to-play in Europe as of this week, and to celebrate, NCsoft has rolled out a couple of new trailers. The game's Elyos and Asmodian factions get their own video clips, though the footage is largely the same excepting a brief intro and the appropriate voiceovers. There are a lot of battle shots, some glimpses of the high-level Dredgion instance, and a taste of each faction's lore (specifically, how each group blames the other for starting the endless war for the soul of Atreia). Check out both clips after the break, and keep up with the latest Aion happenings via our weekly Wings Over Atreia column.
Wings Over Atreia: Snips and snails and Asmo tales
That's what this week's column is made of! Back when I first decided I wanted to venture to the dark side of Aion and compare the leveling experiences of the two realms, I didn't really fathom that there would be so much content added that it would be hard to break away from sampling all of the goodies on my home server. Besides that, with all of the changes, comparing the leveling is just impossible. I knew that it would be easier with the introduction of repeatable quests, but it's just plain stupid-easy to level now as opposed to way back pre-Balaurea. Even with the leveling comparison effectively nixed, I still can report on the differences in the feel of the two worlds as well as just run through and reflect on my impressions of the Asmodian life to give some screen time to the glowy-eyes. Did I mention I love the glowy eyes? With that in mind, Wings Over Atreia devotes this week to the furbacks (said with love!). Glide past the cut for a look at Daevic life in Asmodae from Ascension to the Abyss.%Gallery-137905%
NCsoft looking to bolster Aion's Asmodian population
If you've been considering a walk down Aion's darker path, there's never been a better time. NCsoft's newest web announcement outlines the perks for rolling an Asmodian avatar on all but one of the servers scheduled to undergo the faction incentive program. Benefits include XP amulets, Gateway Getaway events that permit fortress instance entry regardless of the controlling faction, and siege bonuses composed of additional medals. Asmodian players on the North American Zikel and Siel servers are eligible for the bonuses. Across the pond, Asmos are receiving assistance on Spatalos, Telemachus, Thor, and Urtem, while Elyos players on the Perento shard can look forward to a fort siege incentive.
Aion preparing Asmodian faction incentives
The 2.5 patch isn't the only thing coming to Aion's live servers this month. NCsoft is preparing a faction incentive program designed to entice players to roll Asmodian characters on both North American and European shards. Asmodian avatars at level 10 or higher will receive Berdin's Amulets, which grant 50% more XP from hunting, gathering, and crafting for a period of one hour (with a one-hour cooldown period after activation). Gateway Getaway events will also happen more frequently, and Asmodian characters will be granted entry to Abyss instances despite Elyos ownership of the forts. Finally, fortress siege incentives will be handed out on a weekly basis, with additional medals being awarded based on which forts are conquered. In short, there's never been a better time to roll an Asmodian alt or convince your friends to join you on Aion's dark side. Head to the official web site for more info.
Wings Over Atreia: First impressions of the assault
With the launch of Aion's long-anticipated expansion, Assault on Balaurea, NCsoft has laid out a spread of goodies, from tasty little morsels of fluff to meatier content fare. What all did this free expansion bring to the plate? Solo instances, pets, ground assault PvP in new zones, higher-level materials and crafting, and new travel methods are just a few of the goodies that awaited Daeva when they first logged in last Tuesday. Hungry Daevas have had almost a full week to either nibble at or just plain dive into the buffet of new offerings in the world of Atreia. Even with a glitch (seriously, is there something in the MMO rulebook that says a launch cannot go off without a hitch?), a number of Daevas have been scarfing up everything they can get their wings on. The release even brought back many old faces, who stopped in to sample the new goodies. So how did all this taste? Grab a napkin and munch your way through the cut to savor the new flavor of Aion for yourself.
Aion developers acting to correct server imbalances
Aion's July community address mentions the upcoming 2.0 patch, of course, but that's not what grabbed the attention of the fans. The recent server merge created some predictable imbalances, and the Aion team has made a few decisions on how to begin rectifying them. NCsoft's Lance Stites, who penned this month's address, tells fans that server transfers have been temporarily disabled while the devs sort things out: "All the associated Aion teams are working on a solution to allow character transfers to resume with appropriate limits in place to prevent radically unbalanced servers." Furthermore, race creation is "selectively" limited on each server, in the hopes that it will help balance things out. "For instance, if you're playing on a predominantly Elyos server, Asmodian creation will be the only race available for new characters," says Stites. The situation is only temporary, and hopefully only a first step in sorting things out on the newly-consolidated Aion servers. Take a look at the Aion site for the full July community address.
Aion free account reactivations, double XP incoming
Dust off your wings and brush up on your flying technique, as NCsoft is picking up the tab for your return to the world of Atreia (at least for a weekend). Beginning Friday, July 30th at 11:00 a.m. EDT, all inactive Aion accounts will be reactivated free of charge. If that's not enough to excite the daeva in you, double XP will be in effect as well. Both promotions conclude Monday, August 2nd at 6:00 p.m. EDT. Whether you're coming back to check out the game revisions included in the 1.9 patch, grabbing a few levels in preparation for 2.0, or just looking to kill time and catch up with some old friends, it's hard to beat the price and faster advancement to boot. Read the full announcement at the official Aion website.
Wings Over Atreia: Living la vida Asmo
Now, it is oft heard that "Asmos don't get no lovin'!" Perusing threads, or even listening to faction-hoppers in game, you hear many complaints that Asmodians have it just that much harder than their fair-winged counterparts -- that Asmodae is harder to level in than Elysea, the Elyos have better mobs, easier quests, better loot, more press time, and so on. Basically, that the Elyos race is the "favorite child." In the interest of representing both factions in Aion, I gave readers the chance to choose my class as I ventured into Asmodae as a black-winged beauty (sorry folks, I just can't bring myself to create a male character). And the votes are in! Your choice for my new persona is --drum roll -- priest! While I was excited to delve into the class, a part of me wondered if there was an ulterior motive to this choice... a cry for more healers among the Asmodians, perhaps? Regardless of the reasoning behind it, yours truly slipped out of Elysea and into Asmodae. While it will take me a while (since I am not a power-grinder), I am going to take you along with me as we journey through life on the dark side, comparing the leveling on each side of the planet. In this installment, we are looking at Asmodian life from creation to ascension. Follow across the cut to join me in my very first clawed footsteps, as well as a hint to maximize your experience at beginning levels.
Choose my Adventure: Farewell to Aion
Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of journals and galleries here on the site. Then, as our two months are up, we'll do it all over again in a new game! This is our last week with NCsoft's Aion, so we want to make sure to give it a proper send-off. If you haven't been following along, I spent the last six weeks with Aion, exploring the game as a brand-new player would, with a little help from your suggestions along the way. So did I enjoy myself? What's my overall impression of the first 23 levels of the game? Most importantly: did I have fun? Keep reading after the jump to find out what I thought.
Choose my Adventure: Thank you, Basfelt Village
Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of journals and galleries here on the site. Then, as our two months is up, we'll do it all over again in a new game! My adventures in Aion continued ever-so slowly this week as I crawled through two more levels to hit 14. Last week's vote chose my crafting profession, and adventuring through further areas of Altgard showed me that there's so much more out there to kill than walking lizards and rainbow storks. So this week, instead of having a definitive poll, I'm going to ask you to give suggestions in the comments for next week's adventure. What would you like to see me do with my Spiritmaster? C'mon you 500+ people who voted for me to play Aion, make your voice heard! Keep reading below to share your opinion as well as hear my impressions of the journey so far.
One Shots: Cross-faction fashion
When it comes to glorious visuals, very few would say that Aion wasn't breathtaking. That said, there seems to be some strangeness going on with clothing: the Asmodians like the Elysean clothing, and the Elyseans are quite fond of the Asmodian gear. Today's Aion One Shots comes in to us from Janis T. who explains more about this lovely shot and the mixed fashions herein.With a game like Aion, whose hype can largely be credited to its graphics, it was only a matter of time (and money) before I started obsessing over my character's armour. As if I hadn't spent enough time on the character creation screen! Despite rolling Asmodian, I have an extreme fondness for Elysean armour and scenery. This is my character Soul (Asmodian Ranger, Marchutan) in Brusthonin, wearing a full set of Elyos armour. There has recently been another picture posted of an Elyos wearing Asmodian armour -- but let me tell you this, obtaining armour of the opposing faction is much, much harder as an Asmodian.One Shots is all about you, but we need your screenshots to show that off! Just send those in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description of what's going on. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in. %Gallery-9798%
A retrospective of Aion's first month (part 2)
Please see this post by Kyle Horner and this one by Seraphina Brennan for their Aion impressions. Keep an eye out for future Aion content in their columns as well. I don't usually go for the style of graphics present in Aion but I've been pleasantly surprised so far.
SteelSeries Aion limited edition Zboard keeps MMO addicts stuck in the basement
You've got to hand it to 'em, SteelSeries knows its market. Following up on its array of WoW-themed gear, the company has just issued a new limited edition Zboard aimed at to-be Aion gamers, which just might be "the most anticipated MMO of 2009." As with most of the outfit's MMORPG-centric keyboards, this one also packs a colorful motif, a swath of dedicated action keys, menus and chat commands, full customization of each key and quick-access "emote keys for greeting, intimidating, or taunting your opponent." In related news, the firm is also dishing out an Aion Asmodian mousepad, which may or may not be superior to the stained napkin you're currently using to raid on. Both units are available for pre-order right now at $19.99 and $14.99, respectively, and we hear that UPS totally delivers to dingy basements for a nominal fee. [Via Coolest-Gadgets]
Everything Aion: Transportation 101
Transportation is important to any MMO, especially one like Aion which doesn't include the option of a mount. Yes, there are no cats, no horses or flying creatures to ride. It's just you, your feet, your wings and a little magic. Now the starter zones might look small but the main areas are ten times the size which can take a good half an hour to cross, not including time spent dying. Today we're going to have a look at transportation and what you need to know to navigate around. Elysea and Asmodae so join us after the jump to find out the secrets of travel in Aion.
Everything Aion: Flight 101
Flight is probably the thing which has drawn most people to Aion. The idea of soaring high above the cloud on a pair of white/black-feathered wings is a universally appealing one. The reality, however, is a little different. Flight in Aion is not something you can do immediately nor indefinitely and the rules for this are not just to be annoying, they are a part of the game's world and lore. Join us after the jump when we look at everything you need to know about using your wings.
NCsoft and DC Comics announce Aion comic book
NCsoft and DC Comics have teamed up to create a limited edition comic based on Aion which focuses on the Asmodian Daeva Aiva. She might look familiar as her image is used to advertise the game and a statue of her will also be found in the Collector's Edition when Aion is released later this month. "Aiva's Story" is the work of artist Neil Googe and writers David Noonan and Ricardo Sanchez. Aiva's life is torn apart when her family is killed by an Elyos raiding party. Embittered, she endures a harsh life as a mercenary, fighting Karnifs and the Mau. She brings with her a festering hatred for the white-winged Elyos, eventually ascending to Daevahood and is posted to the Abyss. The comic book will be available (albeit in limited quantities) at the Aion booth at this weekend's Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle but fans will also be able to get their hands on a copy by purchasing the game at GameStop in the US and Electronic Boutique stores in Canada..You can check out our gallery below to see the cover art in it's full glory, as well as some internal artwork.%Gallery-71519% Want to know more about Aion? NCsoft invites you into the world of Atreia where the Elyos and the Asmodians fight each other and the evil Balaur for control of the shattered planet. Check out out all our coverage of this must-play MMO!
NCsoft announces Aion NA and EU open beta details
There have been rumblings for weeks about an open beta for Aion, NCsoft's latest MMO and the company has finally confirmed details about what we can expect. North American and European gamers who may not have gotten access to the Closed Beta Tests will get an opportunity to sample Aion, exploring the beautiful world of Atreia as either an Asmodian or Elyos. The beta will take place between September 6th – 13th and will include the new Westernised character customization options, as well as a chance to see The Shadow of Balaur, the newest patch which was added to the Korean version of the game in August.As with the final CBTs, the open beta will have a level cap of 30, which means new players to the game can experience ascension to Daevahood as well as the PvPvE area known as the Abyss. Gamers who pre-ordered Aion will also get access to the pre-select and a two-day headstart before the game officially launches on September 22nd in the US and the 25th in Europe. The pre-select will take place on September 18, while Aion's headstart period will begin September 20. So if you want to take part, it might be wise to pre-order now, especially given the new Guild Wars cross promotion we told you about earlier in the week.
Final Aion CBT promises a sneak peek at launch day content
Is it nearly September? Apparently so as the sixth and final Aion Closed Beta Test (CBT) kicks off this weekend. Over the last five CBTs we've had the chance to play both Elyos and Asmodians, to see the starter zones and the Abyss, to taste the PvPvE content, find our avatar's voice and, of course, spread our wings and fly. According to the game's official site, CBT 6 sees the level cap at 30, ready for some higher level content from The Shadow of the Balaur, also known as patch 1.5. Perhaps more promising is the announcement of new story-driven content designed to give us a taste of what is to come: "We want to conclude closed beta testing on a high note, so we are arranging a series of story-driven in-game events, in part hinting at some of the much-anticipated content forthcoming in with our massive release day patch."Here's hoping for a little Dreadgion action and a taste of Dark Poeta when the beta kicks off this Friday at noon PST and 8pm CEST over in Europe. We'll keep you updated as soon as the Aion dev team get into more specifics about their plans.
Aion intro cinematic beautiful but slightly vague?
With Aion set to launch in just over a month, it seems like we're getting goodies on a daily basis that help keep the hype train in (loco)motion. The most recent release is the game's intro cinematic that gives a brief overview of Atreia's history and tries to set the tone for the PvPvE struggle between the Elyos, Asmodians, and Balaur.The trailer is done in CGI but there are times when it's hard to tell whether or not they are using cinematic graphics or in-game graphics. This is a testament to the game's Crytek engine, which the developers really seem to have taken advantage of. As for the intro story, well, to be honest it's a little vague. That isn't to say that the lore of Atreia is weak -- it truly isn't -- but the cinematic doesn't really get into the lore all that much, which has left some viewers confused. The most common questions we're hearing are, "Why are the Elyos and Asmodians fighting each other? Shouldn't they be unified by a common enemy?" and "What's this about an assassination?" One witty commenter wanted to know if Atreians are mole-people because they seem to be living inside the planet rather than outside.Check out the video for yourself after the cut!
Hands on with the Aion beta: The lore of Atreia
Now we've had a good look at Aion and tried out both factions it's time to look deeper into what makes the game tick. You might have got your wings and may even have done a little PvP but you've probably starting to pay more attention to the reasons behind the enmity between Elyos and the Asmodians and the lore of Atreia. Indeed, it's hard not to as, like any MMO, lore is the backbone of the game itself and the reasons we play.While some of the lore can be gleaned from the in-game dialogue, sometimes you have to look deeper. NCsoft recently created a wiki on the official site, which allowed them to not only explain the game to new players but also gave them the perfect opportunity to expand on the lore. They also released an origins video, which presented key events in Atreia's history in the form of a narrated montage. Join us now as we look deeper into the lore behind a fascinating game.
