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Aion's 2.1 patch to increase drop rates
NCsoft isn't resting on its winged laurels after last month's release of its Assault on Balaurea expansion. Aion's 2.1 patch is just around the corner, judging by its debut this week on the Korean test servers and the associated patch notes that have been posted to the North American PowerWiki. The update is brimming with the usual NPC, quest, and instance bug fixes, as well as a reduction on the prerequisites for the greater stigma quests. That said, the most interesting additions to the patch are the loot table tweaks. In a nutshell, it seems NCsoft is finally heeding the cries of players to do something about Aion's abyssmal loot drop rates. The patch notes indicate "greatly increased" drop rates on gear from instance and field bosses as well as regular mobs. There also appears to be an across-the-board hike in the drop rate of fluxes, skill manuals, and stigma stones. While this news might drive broker prices to new levels of ridiculousness over the next little while, Aion's economy will probably look a little different after 2.1 goes live and supply overtakes demand.
Aion 2.0 bosses viewable on Korean test server
MMOSite brings word of a few new boss sightings on Aion's Korean test servers. These bosses, part of the recently released 2.0 update, include Kaisinel's Agent Vielle and Marchutan's Agent Mastarius, as well as the nasty final boss from the Debris instance at the core of the Abyss which requires a 12-man group and plenty of coordination. Additionally, a new rock-themed world boss has been sighted, as well as the Red Tear dragon, the latter of which reportedly reflects player damage and must be killed in under one hour. Drop by MMOSite for the full article as well as a selection of screenshots from the test server.
Aion pets sighted on Korean test server
Word of the recently released 2.0 patch to the Korean test servers has created a bit of a buzz in the North American Aion community. Among the huge list of tweaks and additions was the mention of player pets of both the vanity and utilitarian variety. While detailed information remains scarce here in the West, a few images of the pets have begun to show up on Korean MMORPG web sites, including these images over at MMOSite. In addition to the images, there are brief descriptions of each type of pet, including one that apparently alerts its owner to the presence of an enemy player. Along with this 'alertive' pet, there are warehouse pets (which as you might expect, offer additional storage), productive pets (which may give you a rare gameplay item when you feed them), and decorative pets that serve no particular gameplay function. The article also hints at an 'emotive study' system through which your pet can learn various abilities, including flight. Check out the images over at MMOSite.
Lengthy Aion 2.0 patch notes translated
Aion's near-mythical 2.0 update went live on the Korean test servers last week, and the lengthy English translation is finally available for your reading enjoyment at the official site. Despite the fact that it will likely be months before the update makes its way to America, it's exciting to see some of the upcoming tweaks. Additions include the Balaur homeland zone featuring new fortresses and artifacts for both Elyos and Asmodians, as well as new flight/gliding options including windstreams, updrafts, and geysers. Six new dungeon instances have also been introduced, and the level cap has been raised to 55. Additionally, a plethora of new and upgraded skills have been added to each class. Crafting now features a Mastery level (549), and harvesting vitality in certain areas of the new Balaur zone may result in the acquisition of a unique weapon. Finally, several quests have been tweaked for difficulty, and many new quests have been added, along with a robust pet system. Whew. Check out all the details at the official site.
Aion 2.0 debuts on Korean test server
With NCSoft's recent announcement that update 1.9 is landing on American servers this May, denizens of Atreia already had a lot to look forward to. MMOSite brings word of further good news in the form of the much discussed 2.0 patch making its way to the Korean test servers. The patch includes a new pet system (hinted at in the Vision video last year), a new adventuring zone called Balaur River, a new RvR fortress, and most interestingly, a new movement system called Path of Wind that will apparently function in addition to the existing flying and gliding mechanics. Details are sketchy on this new system, but we'll be digging deeper into 2.0 to bring you the latest information very soon. Additionally, the level cap has been increased to 55 on the Korean test server. Check out the details as well as a few screen shots on MMOSite. The official North American Aion website has also updated with a mention of the 2.0 patch. Patch notes will be forthcoming next week (a whopping 38 pages worth, pre-translation), and the community team also pledges to relay information in a timely fashion as it becomes available from the Korean mother ship.
Aion 1.9 patch highlights with producer Chris Hager
Yesterday NCsoft teased some of the upcoming features in Aion patch 1.9, making daevas the world over drool their sparkling, celestial spit. However, while everyone was busy drooling, we met up with Aion's producer, Chris Hager, for a more extensive look into the patch notes. Patch 1.9 has a bunch of things going for it -- from the introduction of a new "rent-a-item" system, to daily quests, to looking for group interface enhancements and more. As we said yesterday, there's over 26 pages of patch notes which will be appearing on the Aion main website -- that's a huge number of fixes and changes. While we can't cover them all in this document, we aim to hit the highlights of the patch that just hit the Korean test server. Now extend your wings and fly with us to the land after the break!
