Aion: Final Hands On Preview - Page 2

18 Aug 2009 at 16:12:39 by Bill Vaughan

While on the subject of grind, Aion is no stranger to the concept. In a quest-driven game, you're always going to come across the standard “Kill 10 of these” tasks that NPCs hand out, but thankfully many of Aion's quests are story-driven and require you to do a mixture of things, such as find objects, speak to other NPCs or create items, some even require you to level your gathering professions. Don't get me wrong, the grind is there, it just wasn't enough to put me off the game.

The much-hyped flying ability must be something that comes into its own in the later levels, because early on you really don't get to use it much at all, and when you do the time limit is quite frustrating. When your character reaches level ten he/she gets their wings. From that point you can take to the sky in areas that allow flying, which are very limited up until the point I have reached. You can glide anywhere though, by jumping from an elevated position and double-tapping the space bar which produces your wings. It's actually fun to see how far you can glide before reaching the ground. This does use up your flight time however

Before you reach the main city for the first time, you must chose the path your character will take. Each of the four classes have two options, Warriors choose Templars or Gladiators for example, and together all classes filter down into the typical roles of healer, tank, ranged damage dealer and melee damage dealer. Once you've made this choice it can't be reverted, but you do still get access to skills of the alternate path.

Crafting in Aion is straight forward, and the fact that your character can level all available professions is actually quite refreshing, though I can't see anyone bothering to do so until much nearer the end game. Each trainer offers you a repeatable crafting quest that you can do as many times as you wish to level that specific profession. As your skill gets higher, you must purchase materials to be able to craft the items required of you in these repeatable quests. As with other things in Aion such as applying manastones and gathering, there is a chance you can fail when creating or applying items, and if this happens, all the mats are lost. It's harsh, but it makes crafting a little bit more exciting, and makes you think twice before trying to make something that may be a little out of your league just yet.

Crafted items in the early levels aren't much better than the things you find in your travels, or are given as quest rewards, but apparently they are very useful in end-game. Your best bet for nice gear while levelling is probably the trade brokers, Aion's trade system. It's also a good way to make in-game money fast. Low-level items of decent quality can either be taken apart to obtain enchantment stones which improve your gear, or placed with the trade brokers where other players can buy it. People seem willing to part with surprisingly large amounts of money or 'Kinah' to get their hands on decent levelling gear, but this might all change when the live servers flood with people undercutting each other.

I didn't get to see any instances in my time playing Aion, or need to join a group for anything, but the version of the game that will be sold may indeed have more low-level content. PvP begins at level 25 when you can enter the Abyss, where all the PvPvE action takes place, but until then you can duel other players of the same faction to hone your skills. PvP will actually be a major part of the game, as most of the best gear will be obtained from the Abyss. This is set to be a thrilling zone, where PvP battles between the Elyos and Asmodians can be set upon at any time by the third AI-controlled faction, the Balaur.

Aion has a lot to offer gamers who are looking for a new game to get their teeth stuck into. It's familiar enough to feel comfortable, yet different enough to feel like a fresh challenge. The combination of stunning graphics, compelling storylines and smooth gameplay makes Aion a must for any MMO gamer who enjoys this genre, in my opinion.

Anyone who didn't get a chance to play the closed beta may still get a chance to try the game before release next month; An open beta has been hinted at, which may take place over the coming weekends but stay tuned for news on that.

The game is due to be released in North America and Canada on 22 September, Australia and New Zealand on 23, and Europe on 25 September. I've pre-ordered mine, and I'm counting the days.

Comment