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A year in the life of Aion
Grab yourself a glass of mela juice and join me in an anniversary toast! September 22nd marked one year to the day that Aion was released into the hands of hungry Daevas-to-be in the Western market. And what a day that was! Heralded by NCsoft as its biggest launch to date, Aion saw a record number of players attempt to dive into the world of Atreia and prepare to spread their wings. Aion has come a long way since that first day, when two-plus hour queues thwarted many a prospective Daeva from experiencing the rich new world. While some of us admittedly didn't survive the initial nightmare queues at launch (cough, cough), we nonetheless found reasons to return after a couple days, a couple months, or even longer. The introduction of two free updates in the past year -- 1.9 and Assault on Balaurea -- have addressed and ironed out some of the kinks that plagued the game and frustrated players. Adjustments to leveling, population, PvP, monetary rewards, and new content, along with a sprinkling of some fun elements, have enriched an already beautiful world and improved gameplay. If you have been away for a while, come on back and join the party. There is cake! As Daevas scatter petals about, meander past the cut and onto memory lane where we look at how Aion has evolved over the course of the past year.
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.
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Hands on with the Aion beta: Becoming a Daeva
As the Aion: Tower of Eternity Closed Beta Test 2 continues, it's time to go deeper into Asmodae. You've explored Tunapre Lake, passed through Sap Farm, explored the Odella Plantation, braved the ghost-filled Ishalgen Prison Camp and you've even discovered the Forgotten Place of Exile. As you level, the Raiders and other NPCs start to mention Daevahood and an old man called Munin. Are you ready to meet destiny? Join us after the jump to find out what the future holds.
Aion: Ishalgen zone trailer
The folks at IGN tossed up a trailer of the Ishalgen zone in Aion this past Friday. It's some pretty wild stuff; a flyby of the zone to a techno-styled string arrangement, showing off the impressive color scheme and varied landscape within the game. Not much action here, but it's quite the visual smorgasbord. Check out the video after the jump.
