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Wings Over Atreia: Armsfusion explained
With a few more days of Aion's 1.9 patch under our collective belts, not to mention a couple of additional levels, I think it is safe to start discussing a few of the changes this patch has wrought in more detail. The Armsfusion system has been a subject of some confusion for my circle of friends, so it's as good a place as any to start. In a nutshell, Armsfusion is used to generate better versions of two-handed weapons. Initially, I'll admit to glossing over it in the patch notes, simply because the name made it sound like something applicable to melee classes. While this is true, in that it can result in some nice new staffs, polearms, and greatswords, it also applies to the pew pew crowd, since technically the ranger bow and sorcerer/spiritmaster tomes and orbs are all two-handers, though not in the traditional visual sense. Fly past the cut for more details on building the perfect two-handed beast.
Wings Over Atreia: 1.9 impressions
So, the big day has come and gone, and Aion's North American players are now basking in the post-patch glow of the much ballyhooed 1.9 update. With such an extensive list of tweaks, its hard to get a good gauge on what works well and what doesn't given the short gestation period. Nevertheless, your humble columnist is here to make the attempt. Over the next few weeks, we'll be examining all of the patch additions in much finer detail, but for now I'd like to use this edition of our weekly look at the Aionsphere to examine a few of the smaller nuggets from this week's update. In no particular order, we'll try out a few things that you may have missed, given that the vast majority of the update's hype focused on the larger issues such as the Armsfusion system, the new quests, and the stun (or is that Assassin) nerf.
Wings Over Atreia: Community roundup
There's been a lot happening around the Aionosphere this past month, with the announcement of next week's 1.9 patch revelation topping the list. There's also been talk of server merges, the mythical 2.0 update, changes to Miragents, and a boatload of other community news that we'll recap for you after the cut. As always, send in your Aion-related questions or observations to jef AT massively DOT com, and let us know of anything we missed.
Wings Over Atreia: The Xeno experience
You'll have to forgive me for being somewhat surprised as I sit down to write this week's column. I guess given the general grindiness of Aion's high levels plus the weekly quota of "you sucks" that I get in ye olde inbox for daring to write about the game have conspired to make me a little bit gun shy when it comes to actually having fun in the world of Atreia. Oh, and let's not forget about NCsoft's refusal to answer tough questions (or any questions, for that matter) that your intrepid journalist has about Aion. All that negativity aside, there must something to the whole yin/yang concept, as an otherwise detestable week yielded what has been one of the most enjoyable in-game experiences to date. It was such a blast, in fact, that I'm compelled to recount at least a little bit of my group's harrowing run through the gauntlet colloquially known as the Xeno quest. What is the Xeno quest, you're probably wondering? Well if you're a middle-aged (i.e. over 40) Elyos you probably already know, but if not, the short version is that it's a lengthy quest chain that culminates in a fairly spiffy gold weapon. As you would expect, the tasks required to obtain it are numerous and arduous, but when coupled with a good group and a bit of luck, a fun time can be had by all. Fly past the cut to find out how.
Wings Over Atreia: Is the dark side stronger?
"Is the dark side stronger?" "No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive." "But how am I to know the good side from the bad?" "You will know...when you are calm, at peace, passive." - Luke Skywalker and Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back, 1980 While diminutive Jedi Masters seem pretty sure that the dark side isn't any stronger than the light, I on the other hand, am unconvinced. People have always been obsessed with the dark, whether its gothic architecture, horror films, death metal, or any number of other subcultures that glorify life in the shadows. Hell, even the old cliche about women preferring bad boys is a cliche for a reason. Looking at online gaming, you can find more evidence of this, whether it's the fact that Warhammer Online's population skewed heavily in favor of the Destruction faction on many servers, or that the scuttlebutt around many The Old Republic fan forums centers on how frakking awesome it will be to dress in black and brandish a red Sith-flavored lightsaber. Join me after the jump, and your journey towards the dark side will be complete.
Wings Over Atreia: The positivity column
In the interests of bringing balance to the Force (and reminding ourselves that this is supposed to be fun) we'll use this week's edition of Wings Over Atreia to take a look at Aion's future. In light of recent announcements, you could make the case that it's pretty bright, in fact it may even be bright enough to merit the donning of fashionable eyewear. So, aside from paying tribute to Timbuk3 and aggravating the Debbie Downers in the audience, I feel the need to discuss the recent Aion happenings both here in the west and in Korea. Despite ripping on the game's grind a bit last week, the fact remains that I still enjoy it and it seems like NCsoft has at least turned the ship in the right direction, even if it's still proceeding at a glacial pace. Hit the jump to see what's worth looking forward to.
Wings Over Atreia: In praise of double XP
In honor of yet another NCSoft double experience weekend, I had originally planned on composing a sonnet. Maybe a haiku or something in iambic pentameter praising the merits of increased experience gain. Alas, I've been too busy gobbling it up and spreading it amongst my Atreian alt army, so this column will have to do. Aion is a curious game, one in which my interest/exasperation level fluctuates wildly from one week to the next. Almost invariably during one of my down periods, there's NCSoft beckoning to me from a darkened street corner, flashing a bag of double XP and making me an offer I can't refuse. Or can I?
Wings Over Atreia: A newb's guide to Poeta
With the big news around the Aionosphere this week pertaining to the long-awaited 1.9 patch nearing release, it's not a stretch to figure that many folks will be either returning to Aion to see what's new, or checking out the game for the first time when the update goes live in May. Given the fact that I've been dabbling with alts over the last couple of weeks, it seemed a great time to do Wings Over Atreia's first proper guide. This week we'll focus on Poeta, the Elyos starting zone, and we'll branch out from there in future editions of the column. Why Elyos? Well because I play one of course, and because I despise back hair. Hit the jump to check out our guide to Poeta.
Wings Over Atreia: The Carebear Reloaded
So I hit level 40 about three weeks ago and, in between bouts of boredom brought on by the grindiness that seems to increase exponentially with each level after 35, I thought it best to take a column and determine what to do next. With luck, a few of you learned readers might even have a suggestion for staving off my particular case of the Atreia blues. In the interests of full disclosure, there are still many things I absolutely adore about Aion, but the mid to high level grind is beginning to take its toll on my Sorcerer's will to progress. Higher level acquaintances have assured me that upon dinging 50, even more grind awaits in the form of gear sets and all manner of desirables walled off by that crazy Eastern-style treadmill. At the risk of stating the obvious, these were not the words of encouragement that I needed to hear in order to soldier on toward the finish line. Help a Daeva out after the jump.
Wings Over Atreia: The Official Aion Magazine Issue One impressions
We here at Massively rarely 'review' MMORPGs, mainly because they're such sprawling, ever-evolving games that by the time we finished penning our initial impressions, they'd likely be out of date. That said, we'll happily give you our review of magazines based on MMORPGs. Under the microscope today is the debut issue of the The Official Aion Magazine. Crazily enough, this e-zine focuses on NCSoft's Aion, and much like its namesake, the publication is a glossy, heavily produced affair crammed with beautiful avatars, absurd amounts of eye candy, and a gorgeous layout. The similarities end there, however. Whereas the game has a bit of depth and offers a multitude of ways for players to wile away the hours, The Official Aion Magazine's beauty is skin deep, and leaves a little something to be desired in terms of insightful original content. Fly past the cut for more about the debut issue.
Wings Over Atreia: Greed is Good
The world of Atreia can be a bit unforgiving to the uninitiated, particularly when it comes to providing for your Daeva's economic well-being. Gear costs kinah, Aion's currency, and new skills cost even more kinah. Attaining level 40 last week set my sorcerer back over 800 thousand smackers. Granted, I got some nifty new death-dealing skills for my trouble, but I also parted with nearly all my net worth. What's that you say? You want to advance your crafting and gathering skills beyond the newb tier? Yep, you guessed it, get ready to shell out some more kinah. In fact, skilling up a single crafting discipline to the mastery level will cost you between 2 and 2.5 million kinah, not including the cost of the materials needed to craft the work orders. Gathering is similarly expensive, though it doesn't require materials like crafting, only level tier purchases. Finally, there is the Soul Healer, that bank account black hole that has sucked many millions of mah money into the nether regions of NCSoft's server nebula, for, every time I die in PvE, it's off to see the Soul Healer to regain a bit of lost experience. As of level 40, my average trip to this big-hat buffoon costs between 40 and 50 thousand kinah. Last week, after a particularly unfortunate pickup group, I wracked up a 300 thousand kinah Soul Healing bill. Fly past the cut for some Aion kinah-making strategies.
Wings Over Atreia: Killed by a Carebear
A bridge lay ahead, shrouded by mist, the scorched black ground of the path through Morheim crunching under the Sorcerer's pounding feet. He sprinted, red-brown robes swirling this way and that, the sound of his heavy breathing drowned out by the clink clash clatter of the Cleric running beside him in a suit of silvery chain armor. Voices behind them now, drawing closer, the sound of dozens of wings beat the air. The pair risked a glance behind before edging cautiously onto the bridge. They turned back 'round to stare up into the red-eyed glare of a towering Asmodian, his legs planted shoulder width apart, clenched fists giving off a fiery pale orange glow. The mist parted around him and he seemed to grow taller; he raised one fist and loosed a bolt that wrapped itself around the Cleric's ankles, snaring her with a greenish growth that snaked about her legs and pinned her to the path. She traded a glance with the Sorcerer and turned up the corner of her mouth, nodding toward the edge of the bridge. The Sorcerer didn't hesitate, he leapt into space, free-falling for a moment before a great white pair of wings sprouted from his back in a noisy rush of feathers and wind. Continued after the jump.
Wings Over Atreia: Community Guide to Aion
Welcome, dear daeva, to the sky lanes and battle-scarred trenches of Atreia. We're here to help you make sense of all your options in NCSoft's Aion, as well as bring you the best in news, information, and opinion from all corners of the Aionosphere. In keeping with Massively tradition, let's kick off the weekly column with a look at some of the Aion community's best and brightest. You'll find everything from developer news, to game tools, to fan sites listed below (and if you don't find what you're looking for, or we've neglected to mention a valuable resource, let us know in the comments)!
