Heiron
Latest
Wings Over Atreia: A guide to Aion's Elyos spy quests in Beluslan
Last time we met, we chatted about the spy quests that enticed Elyos to infiltrate Morheim. But even though Morheim is where Aion's spy questing starts for the light-winged, it is certainly not where that questing ends! As Daevas move along the leveling curve, more opportunities to rift into new enemy lands arise. However, unlike the lower-level zone's quests that focused more on introducing players to rifting in Aion, Beluslan spy quests are predominantly specific chains leading players through story arcs and toward a determined goal. There may not be any rush to complete the spy quests now that Daevas of any level can travel through the rifts, but anyone wanting to get real use out of the resulting rewards before they become obsolete will want jump and and do the quests before moving on to Balaurea. For that reason, Wings Over Atreia brings you the next guide to Elyos rifting: Beluslan.
Wings Over Atreia: The top 19 ways to get your dungeon crawl on
You know 'em -- those places shrouded away from the everyday grind of the world where you can chill-out without being interrupted (excepting spouse aggro), a private nook where you know there is a definite beginning and end to your adventure, one that offers the best possible loot. They are areas often steeped in lore. They are... the instanced dungeons. There are actually 19 separate PvE dungeons currently in Aion where Daevas can get their dungeon crawl on. If you include the Fortress instances, you can add another 10 dungeons to this list. Adding PvP instances raises the number even higher. However, since fort instances are seriously lacking in lore and fort ownership is required (so availability is not assured), we will forego including them. We'll also omit the Dredgions and PvP arenas to keep the list PvE focused -- after all, there are times you really may not want to bother with fighting the enemy! This week, Wings Over Atreia explores the first half of the dungeon list for the benefit of both young whippersnappers and old-timer Daevas alike. Why would veterans need it? Because dungeons aren't just for certain levels anymore. For a change of pace or to break out of a rut, grab yourself some lowbies, mentor down, and check out one instance a day -- you'll pass two weeks before ever repeating. You might even have fun, meet new friends, and renew your enthusiasm for Aion.
Wings Over Atreia: AP bakery
Get yer hot, fresh, AP cookies folks, right here! MMmm mm. For those who are not as familiar with Aion or haven't participated in much PvP combat, AP (Abyss Points) are the currency by which special gear and items can be bought. AP can be gathered a number of ways, through both PvP and PvE. This week, Wings Over Atreia takes a stroll through the AP bakery to share with you many of the tasty morsels available. While I had already planned on discussing AP this week, NCsoft's introduction of two new events (For War and Glory and Behind Enemy Lines) brought a new angle to it -- specifically, more enthusiasm and enjoyment! I've got to say that of all the recent events that have been held, these two more fully capture the essence of Aion and encourage participation in core elements of the game; small-scale skirmishes are cropping up all over. This is what the game is about -- clashes of light and dark wings throughout all of Atreia. I haven't had more fun in PvP in a very long time, and I am not even a PvPer! How can you, too, take advantage of these great events and fill up your AP coffers? Grab a plate, join me past the cut to check out the selection, and prepare to gorge on some yummy AP goodness!
Aion double AP event looks to temporarily revitalize endgame
Spend any time at Aion's endgame and you'll quickly realize that everything revolves around Abyss Points (AP). Hitting 55 is really the tip of the iceberg when it comes to PvE progression and the ability to be competitive in PvP, as you'll need plenty of pricey gear and stigmas to stand a chance. AP is so important, in fact, that even PvE mobs in the Abyss and Inggison dole it out. Unfortunately for Daevas everywhere, the AP gods are undeniably stingy. Acquiring a full set of 55 armor, jewelry, and the weapon of your choice literally takes months (or even years) depending on how much AP you manage to farm on a daily basis. NCsoft is temporarily addressing this problem with a new in-game event dubbed For War and Glory. The event's double AP bonuses (and halved AP losses) kick off today and will run through the server reset on March 30th. NCsoft is also tweaking the game's rifting mechanic yet again, and defensive buffs in Heiron and Beluslan will be removed until March 23rd (buffs in Eltnen and Morheim remain). Both events are part of the larger Spring 2011 Reactivation Celebration, which runs from March 24th to March 31st and welcomes back Daevas to "train for the greatest battle this planet has seen yet." Check out all the details on the official Aion website.
NCsoft planning more Aion rifting tweaks
The month-long rifting experiment begun by NCsoft in early December has apparently given the Aion devs enough data to continue with a trial aimed at revisiting the decision to nerf the PvP mechanic with last fall's 2.0 update. Players were recently asked to complete in-game surveys relating to the new changes (which boiled to down a removal of Heiron/Beluslan protections and changes to the large protective defender buffs), and NCsoft reports that the majority of survey participants responded favorably to the change. In a post on the official Aion website, NCsoft says it will continue the rifting trial "a few more weeks," and the devs will also tweak lower level player protection in Morheim and Eltnen. Finally, a new player survey will be sent out and the rifting protections will be "restored to their previous levels" while feedback is collected and analyzed.
Aion experimenting with temporary rifting changes
Rifting is a sore spot for many Aion players. On the one hand, some folks no doubt felt that the mechanic was intrusive and forced PvP on people who simply wanted to quest, gather, and otherwise PvE. On the other hand, the drastic changes introduced in the Assault on Balaurea expansion all but killed most of the rifting in the game, causing some to question NCsoft's all-or-nothing approach. Starting today, the devs are experimenting with a month-long trial designed to bring an element of risk back to Atreia and also strike a balance between rifting and PvE. The protective buffs placed on homeland defenders will remain in place for the low-level Morheim and Eltnen zones but will be significantly reduced. Protection buffs for defenders in the higher-level Heiron and Beluslan zones are going away entirely. What does this mean for you? In a nutshell, you'll have an easier time completing those spy quests that have been clogging your journal for weeks, and you'd also best keep an eye on your radar for incoming reds.
