Aion Coverage - It's live folks!

[DangerAardvark]

Originally posted by: Sureshot324
I see that the Collector's Edition has some extra items that give bonuses to flight time and other stats. Am I going to regret it if I don't get the Collector's edition, or are these items not that important? Am I likely going to still be using them once I reach endgame?

The CE hat earrings are okay for lower levels when you don't have a lot of options. And the free level 30 wings will save you a million kinah (gold) and give you +10 flight time over the regular ones. The +20% xp booster has 5 charges and only lasts an hour. The rest are just novelty items.

 

[novasatori]

the wings alone are worth the $10 imo, especially since its for all characters you can make, that's 8,000,000 kinah saved

 

[Sureshot324]

Originally posted by: DangerAardvark

Originally posted by: Sureshot324
I see that the Collector's Edition has some extra items that give bonuses to flight time and other stats. Am I going to regret it if I don't get the Collector's edition, or are these items not that important? Am I likely going to still be using them once I reach endgame?

The CE hat earrings are okay for lower levels when you don't have a lot of options. And the free level 30 wings will save you a million kinah (gold) and give you +10 flight time over the regular ones. The +20% xp booster has 5 charges and only lasts an hour. The rest are just novelty items.

Grrr, I don't mind paying an extra $10, but I really hate to support this business model of making players pay real money for better gear. Do you get other wings later, like at level 40 or 50 that are unaffected by this, are you pretty much gonna have -10 flight time forever if you don't buy the collector's edition.

 

[JoshGuru7]

The wings aren't that big of a deal because 1,000,000 kinah sounds like more than it is. Kinah comes in easy (and goes out just as easy) so even though most people seem to run broke they can still afford items if they save for it and cut back their spending temporarily.

There are certainly grindy aspects of Aion at endgame (huge amount of PvP points needed to hit high rank) that will keep veteran MMO gamers occupied, but whether Aion can keep you interested is obviously another question which I can only speculate on. I think it will probably keep me interested for around six months, which is twice as long as I spent in either WAR or AoC.

 

[pontifex]

how is this game for a casual player? I don't have the time or inclination to play hours upon hours just to get anywhere

 

[nageov3t]

how's PvP in the game? the one review of beta that I read made it seem like it was forced pvp (and that PvP was the primary focus of the endgame), but it wasn't quite clear.

 

[JoshGuru7]

I would say Aion requires regular play (2+ hours per evening) in order to get solid enjoyment out of it. You don't need to play 24/7, but it's more of a grind then some of the other recent releases and 5 hours per week won't get you anywhere.

You also shouldn't play this game if you don't like PvP, because Aion has the throwback PvP system where PvE and PvP occur in some of the same areas. I like this a lot because it adds a little excitement to the "kill X monsters" quests to have to watch out for enemy players, but it's definitely not for everybody. The PvP is pretty balanced in that every class has a situation and matchup they excel in.

 

[pathos]

Strangely enough, I don't like pvp but I'm still playing the game. I doubt, because of my pvp dislike, I'll ever reach level 50, however.

Before level 25, the only pvp is duel's. Well, there is an arena in town, but I've never tried it, so no clue how it works. But, at level 25, you're quest areas are now open pvp. Once again, I haven't reached level 25 yet (even during the beta's) so I can't comment.

Now, I didn't mind stepping into the pvp areas while I played War every now and then, but I don't think I'll like having open pvp while I'm trying to pve. So, I probably will never see level 26.

Which is why I'm playing 8 characters at the same time . To lengthen out the game for myself just a bit. Perhaps when they are all level 25, I might head on into the abyss and see if I can stand it or not. But, even if I don't, the early part of the game is enough for me to justify my purchase and play time, really.

I do wish though, that there were optional non pvp areas that could take me up to 50 though. I like the pve that much.

 

[Aikouka]

Out of curiosity, what are the naming rules in the game? Is it similar to WoW where you can have alphabetical characters only or can you use apostrophes and spaces? I kinda liked the Granado Espada game since it let you have last names.

 

[brandonb]

Are the wings important in the CE? They would have no content that requires it, because those who don't have the CE won't be able to do as much and that would cause people to whine. Companies don't operate like that anymore. They cater to the least possible denominator. And you can buy the same wings later on. They are not really that expensive, I've been going on shopping sprees lately at lvl 16 spending 60,000 upgrading cube (bag) space on my character, so money is fairly easy flowing in this game. I don't think saving up 1 million would be that hard, I've easily spend 100,000 so far in the game. I would not consider the CE items important.

Also I refuse to pay it because CE and such as just gimicks that need to end, and they will if nobody buys CE's.

The game is fairly casual friendly but alot of the quests are annoying. You kill 10 bat, get their wings then have to run back to town for a turn in. You spend a majority of your time going back and forth between towns and quest givers and the kill areas. Flying is not possible in many of these spots because they limit the flying aspect to mostly the Abyss (PVP areas)... So flying in the game is a gimick as well in the leveling spots. That makes the CE wings even less important.

 

[brandonb]

Originally posted by: Aikouka
Out of curiosity, what are the naming rules in the game? Is it similar to WoW where you can have alphabetical characters only or can you use apostrophes and spaces? I kinda liked the Granado Espada game since it let you have last names.

You have about 15 characters, and there is no last name (that I'm aware of) and you cannot use spaces, hyphens or any other character in yoru name.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: brandonb
You have about 15 characters, and there is no last name (that I'm aware of) and you cannot use spaces, hyphens or any other character in yoru name.

Boo, I'd like to use apostrophes in my names. Like, in WoW, my DK is called Vanados, but I'd prefer if I could call him Van'ados .

 

[xCxStylex]

No, there IS a purpose.

One character can only list ten auctions with the trade broker. A character also must be at least level 10 to get into the major cities to use the AH, so AH alts won't come about THAT easily.

Originally posted by: novasatori
The funniest part is there is a fully working searchable auction house - the personal shops really do serve no purpose in the US version

people are defending them tho so they can use them to bypass the queue

 

[xCxStylex]

So far, it seems that people posting here are mostly low level characters with limited experience. I've been too busy wasting all waking hours of the day in this game.

I'm up to a level 30 elyos chanter on Vaziel, and although I original said that I was turned off, bored of the game, and regretted pre-ordering it, I find it to be very very fun.

Flight combat very cool and so far very fun. Unfortunately, just like all MMOs, group PVP usually turns into a zergfest and numbers game. It's not very easy to find people of the opposite faction to fight you 1v1 (in the abyss), as they usually can fly away to others for help nearby.

People so far are definitely not carebears yet, I've never seen anyone not fight or help out anyone else.

Ganking in the other factions lands, which are accesssible through randomly spawned portals (rifts) have limited "charges," meaning a limited number of your faction can cross over to the other faction.


End game, as I understand, is PVPVE. In the Abyss, the major pvp and end game (and middle game) zones, there are fortresses held either by neutrals, your faction, or the other faction. You need to PVE through the NPCs (either the neutrals or NPCs of the opposite faciton) in order to capture the fortresses, and they're basically like raiding in WOW. However, its open to all to PVP, so players can always mess with you and kill you.

There are other factors like artifacts for buffs, and specific times when the fortresses are vulnerable.


Last point of notice is that PVP works a bit like wows honor system. You earn poitns for killing players but you also earn points (a lot less though) for killing neutrals in the abyss. These points 1-determine your ranking in the pvp system and 2 - let you purchase items. Your rank is determined based on the points you have, and they let you purchase specicial abilities/items that only your rank can use. The top ranks are limited to a certain number per server, so only 3 people per faction on your server have a 30 minute cooldown to morph into essentially a bad fucking ass raid boss and kill people using it.

Playing on the outnumbered faction, I'm kind of scared of having less peopel when it comes to the PVPVE, but so far it seems very cool.



The crafting however is the biggest timesink, waste of money, and most mind numbing experience. For the most part, you can't even profit either.

Gathering and leveling it is also mind numbing boring and time consuming. I don't know how anyone can like it. It's not as complex as SWG, but I enjoyed the harvesting and crafting with different quality reagants.

Originally posted by: loki8481
how's PvP in the game? the one review of beta that I read made it seem like it was forced pvp (and that PvP was the primary focus of the endgame), but it wasn't quite clear.

 

[Chronoshock]

My sorc is up to level 32 now, pvp is a blast, I've spent a few nights doing roaming pvp with my guild. 5 man group (sorc/cleric/templar/chanter/sm) pvp is ridiculously fun. While there have been zerg moments, (which is inevitable when you're hovering around the opposite faction's main base), we've had some great 5v5, 5v6, 5v7 moments against opposing guilds and pugs.
The 1.5 pvp damage reduction really helps the flow of combat, ensuring strategy, not luck, is key. I'm pretty happy with class balance right now, everyone seems to have a pretty clear role. I think those roles will only get more defined as players continue to get new abilities into their 30s along with additional stigma slots and advanced stigma.

 

[novasatori]

Originally posted by: xCxStylex
No, there IS a purpose.

One character can only list ten auctions with the trade broker. A character also must be at least level 10 to get into the major cities to use the AH, so AH alts won't come about THAT easily.

Originally posted by: novasatori
The funniest part is there is a fully working searchable auction house - the personal shops really do serve no purpose in the US version

people are defending them tho so they can use them to bypass the queue

there is only a purpose because of the artificial limit imposed since c/k-aion pay for playtime not monthly like we do

so like i said it serves no purpose and i expect them to increase the limit on broker listings not too far from now

 

[xCxStylex]

... I'm almost speechless.

You just contradicted yourself twice with your three statements.

"the personal shops really do serve no purpose in the US version"

and then

"there is only a purpose because of the artificial limit imposed since c/k-aion pay for playtime not monthly like we do"

and finally

"so like i said it serves no purpose and i expect them to increase the limit on broker listings not too far from now"


Bottom line is, the shops serve a purpose and you're stupid.

The shop's intended purposes allow players to sell items to others 1 - without an AH fee 2 - can be cancelled w/o losing your fee 3 - both of these can be done while AFK or doing something else such as errands.


Whether you think or feel they serve much of a purpose, whether or not you think their purpose will soon be eliminated by potential game changes, and whether you think or feel that the purpose of the shops doesn't outweigh the benefits of them existing does not negate the fact that private stores serve a purpose.

Oh and when I afk or go to sleep, I set up a shop next to someone else with a private store message of

"I'm with stupid -----------> "

They're also serve as entertainment for me and hopefully others on my server

Originally posted by: novasatori

Originally posted by: xCxStylex
No, there IS a purpose.

One character can only list ten auctions with the trade broker. A character also must be at least level 10 to get into the major cities to use the AH, so AH alts won't come about THAT easily.

Originally posted by: novasatori
The funniest part is there is a fully working searchable auction house - the personal shops really do serve no purpose in the US version

people are defending them tho so they can use them to bypass the queue

there is only a purpose because of the artificial limit imposed since c/k-aion pay for playtime not monthly like we do

so like i said it serves no purpose and i expect them to increase the limit on broker listings not too far from now

 

[novasatori]

Originally posted by: xCxStylex

Bottom line is, the shops serve a purpose and you're stupid.

I would go into why I think the purpose you perceive they serve is basically none at all, but instead I choose to bow before your unending intellect.

For surely since you have the ability to call me stupid for expressing my opinion, that may differ than yours, on an Internet forum, you must be absolutely more intelligent than I could ever hope to become.

The Internet is serious business after all.

 

[effee]

so is this the game to get or not...

 

[KIAman]

I'm currently a 23 Assmodian Cleric on Vaizel. I play with my coworkers about 2 hours a night. This game seems pretty fun so far but I have yet to go to the Abyss. I did get into 3 seperate pvp encounters and won, yay.

PvP at my level seems to be crowd control and outlasting your opponent. I was fighting a Eyeloss sorc 1v1 and pretty much drained his mana away (I outhealed his damage) but then he just put me to sleep and 'kapraffed' his mana back to half while I dozed for 20 seconds. Lame. He ended up running away but still, crowd control seems a little OP at least mid game.

The harvesting is a grind and gives great quest XP but it is such a timesink. Crafting is a big money and time sink but I can see how it will contribute in the end game. Crafting is good for afk playing. Just gotta turn in crafting quest and pick up new quest every 2 minutes.

Check out my cleric below.

My cleric

 

[Chronoshock]

Originally posted by: KIAman
I'm currently a 23 Assmodian Cleric on Vaizel. I play with my coworkers about 2 hours a night. This game seems pretty fun so far but I have yet to go to the Abyss. I did get into 3 seperate pvp encounters and won, yay.

PvP at my level seems to be crowd control and outlasting your opponent. I was fighting a Eyeloss sorc 1v1 and pretty much drained his mana away (I outhealed his damage) but then he just put me to sleep and 'kapraffed' his mana back to half while I dozed for 20 seconds. Lame. He ended up running away but still, crowd control seems a little OP at least mid game.

The harvesting is a grind and gives great quest XP but it is such a timesink. Crafting is a big money and time sink but I can see how it will contribute in the end game. Crafting is good for afk playing. Just gotta turn in crafting quest and pick up new quest every 2 minutes.

Check out my cleric below.

My cleric

Sleep only lasts 6 seconds in pvp, it must have seemed like a long time but it wasn't 20 seconds. CC can be dispelled, but it is indeed powerful (although I wouldn't say overpowered as there are plenty of counters)

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: JoshGuru7
I would say Aion requires regular play (2+ hours per evening) in order to get solid enjoyment out of it. You don't need to play 24/7, but it's more of a grind then some of the other recent releases and 5 hours per week won't get you anywhere.

You also shouldn't play this game if you don't like PvP, because Aion has the throwback PvP system where PvE and PvP occur in some of the same areas. I like this a lot because it adds a little excitement to the "kill X monsters" quests to have to watch out for enemy players, but it's definitely not for everybody. The PvP is pretty balanced in that every class has a situation and matchup they excel in.

enough for me to never play this game.

 

[TechBoyJK]

I'm on the verge of buying this.... can't decide. I like the subscription method though, because sometimes I won't play for weeks, then I'll geek out and play every night for two weeks straight.

 

[MarcVenice]

So, with like 200 reactions (make that over 400), I don't wanna dig through all of it. Who'd recommend this, and who wouldn't? I don't think I really have time for a mmo that needs to be played for 2-3 hours a day, but I could see myself playing like 10 hours a week (mainly weekends). Or maybe I should wait for Guild Wars 2, god did I love Guild Wars...

 

[KMFJD]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: JoshGuru7
I would say Aion requires regular play (2+ hours per evening) in order to get solid enjoyment out of it. You don't need to play 24/7, but it's more of a grind then some of the other recent releases and 5 hours per week won't get you anywhere.

You also shouldn't play this game if you don't like PvP, because Aion has the throwback PvP system where PvE and PvP occur in some of the same areas. I like this a lot because it adds a little excitement to the "kill X monsters" quests to have to watch out for enemy players, but it's definitely not for everybody. The PvP is pretty balanced in that every class has a situation and matchup they excel in.

enough for me to never play this game.

It's the standard mmorpg with one exception, it's pretty much ready for release while other's take a large number of patches/time to get to that state. There's nothing really new, it's the same thing with prettier gfx, hopefully end game pvp is good.