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.

On the wings of a bird

As a mere mortal, your transport is somewhat limited. You can walk, you can run and you can hitch a ride on a bird transporter. It costs Kinah but if you're in a new area, there's normally one or two flight points pre-entered allowing you to get to a new area without dying. It's also a nice quick way of getting from A to B using the scenic route, an epic fly-over of the landscape that will take your breath away. However, this can also highlight potential quest hubs and give you an idea of the terrain you'll be facing.

Bind points and Return

As we've already told you, Soul Binding is very important within the mechanics of the game. However it has another perk as it also allows you to use the "Return" spell every 20 minutes. Much like a teleportation spell or a hearthstone, this little spell will portal you back to wherever you've bound your soul in a matter of seconds. Just make sure you're not in combat when you try to do this and use it wisely. The only problem with this is that settlements are often quite far away from quest areas. This means you will always end up doing some running hither and thither. That said, it's a handy way of saving time and Kinah when you need to hand in a load of quests.

Map reading for beginners

Aion comes with two kinda of map. Press M and the screen will be taken up by a parchment-covered map but press N and you will get a transparent map laid over the screen which will allow you to travel without getting lost. You can also mark a species of mob, NPC or location on the map as well as find out a little about it using the in-built encyclopedia. The map system is such that it's nearly impossible to get lost and if you do, just find a road and follow it.

Gliding

Post-ascension, gliding can come in handy when you need to get somewhere and have a long run ahead of you. You can't do it forever but it can make a five minute run pass a bit quicker as well as avoiding random mobs. To glide, just press the space bar. Don't press forward as well and if you're high enough, your wings will appear and air currents will buffet you in the direction you're heading. Indeed it's possible to go quite fast and quite high.

Teleportation for beginners

When you ascend, you will be able to use a portal to teleport between landmasses, cities and settlements. It's something only Daeva can use (apparently the Aether would rip a fragile human to pieces) and is the only way to get to Sanctum or Pandaemonium. Teleporters are staffed by NPCs who will tell you where you can go and give you a quote. Yes, it costs Kinah (as does everything in Aion) but is the only way to get from one island to another.

	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!