Is AION the next WOW??

[Russwinters]

Whats up all,

I just wanted to get my 2 cents in here because I think a lot of misleading information is getting thrown around about this game.


First off, I am currently Level 44 (almost 45) in aion. I have a full time job working 40hrs a week, a wife, and a two and half year old son.

So already you can tell that it isnt impossible to get to cap because I dont have all the time in the world to level.

I am a hardcore gamer, and play with a top tier guild and have for many years. You can look us up www.pfbclan.com. We house players from Nurfed, Conquest, and many others.


To get to the core of the subject.

Is Aion the next WoW killer? Nope.

Is that a bad thing? Nope.


Aion is not for everyone. It is more hardcore then WoW in it's current form.

I would say Aion's leveling is somewhere in between DAOC launch grind, and WoW launch grind.

it is no where near as bad as EQ's grind (So i have heard from guildies who played EQ extensively)



The combat system houses many similarities to "WoWs combat system" I say this loosely because WoWs combat system took from other mmos before it, just as Aion has done.



The PvE is not easy, but so far lacks interesting features. This apparently changes greatly at end game where the PvE picks up (Dredgion is a PvPvE instance where two teams race to the boss, clearing mobs and have to fight each other as well, for example)



The PVP is very similiar to DAOC where there are keeps to capture, there are also artifacts that grant your faction special skills to use during sieges.

I am looking forward most to group vs group pvp.



My opinion on Aion being grindy is that yes, it is grindy. It isn't too bad if you have experienced grinds such as DAOC launch, etc, but if you are very used to WoW in it's current form then you are going to feel it much more.


Good news: They have patched korea with a update that increases all quest xp by nearly double, sometimes more depending on the quest. That update should reach us soon.

 

[DangerAardvark]

Originally posted by: CurseTheSky
Having played Ultima Online (very briefly), Asheron's Call (4-5 years), Asheron's Call 2 (1-2 months), World of Warcraft (3-4 years), Lord of the Rings Online (1-2 months), Everquest 2 (1-2 weeks), Warhammer: Age of Reckoning (1 month), Age of Conan (1-2 weeks), and now Aion for several weeks, I can say that it's a good game, but far from perfect (in my mind).

The launch was VERY smooth compared to many games (2-3 hour waits are nothing compared to days or weeks with servers down due to various overloads, hardware problems, and bugs), and quests and tutorials are pretty straight forward and intuitive. The UI isn't bad, and combat could be far worse. My only major complaints are the lack of immersion (I don't feel compelled to stay up another hour just to get a bit further or see what's deep inside that cave over there) and the horrible gibberish (or Korean?) characters say when casting spells and whatnot.

While I will agree that the game looks like a grind fest, it doesn't feel any worse to me than WoW is now. In the early days of WoW, everyone seemed focused on doing something fun. These days, everyone seems focused on getting to the "end game" as quickly as possible and getting decked out in the best items (or achievements, or mounts, or pets, etc.) they can. Grind mobs and quests until 80 (I considered doing quests grinding once you've already done the same one more than twice), then grind rep / dungeons / crafting / etc. to get geared for raiding. THEN grind raid instances for better gear. Then grind MORE raid instances for even better gear. And it continues from there. Ugh. WoW started to bore me right after I hit 60 and got my fill of Scholo, Strath, DM, UBRS, and later MC, BWL, ZG, and AQ. When BC came out, it was fun for a little while, but it quickly took a turn for the worse when I realized it would just be another gear grind-fest at 70. WotLK is what finally did it in for me when I realized Blizzard has no intentions of changing the mechanics of the end game, and everyone else seems to enjoy it.

Coming from Asheron's Call and the early days of WoW where people just did stuff because it's fun (leveling up and getting gear was just a pleasant side effect), I think the problem with most MMOs today is the fact that everyone thinks the goal is to get to the highest level and have the best equipment, and not to enjoy every second of play time. Why play a game, and especially pay for it, if you're not going to actually enjoy playing? If I felt like joining something where someone dictated where I had to be and what I was going to do between certain hours, I'd go joined the armed forces.

Edit: I have no intentions of insulting the armed forces or comparing their duties to a video game, it's simply a statement.

The problem is, in a PVP-centric game, levels and gear determine who wins, so everyone's in a rush to level.

 

[exar333]

No.

 

[CKent]

I googled a bunch of screenshots, all I saw were elves and non-elf races who looked like their only goal in life was to look like an elf.

A friend whose judgement I trust was in the beta and said the playerbase was younger, less mature and more stupid than WoW's, which is impressive... but which isn't surprising if you think about it, considering the stupidity we see from blood / night elves in WoW and the fact most Aion races are or resemble elves.

Aside from that the general consensus is that it's another WoW clone, which sounds lame. God, I'm actually considering EQ2 or VG at this point.

 

[VashHT]

Originally posted by: CKent
I googled a bunch of screenshots, all I saw were elves and non-elf races who looked like their only goal in life was to look like an elf.

A friend whose judgement I trust was in the beta and said the playerbase was younger, less mature and more stupid than WoW's, which is impressive... but which isn't surprising if you think about it, considering the stupidity we see from blood / night elves in WoW and the fact most Aion races are or resemble elves.

Aside from that the general consensus is that it's another WoW clone, which sounds lame. God, I'm actually considering EQ2 or VG at this point.

That's odd, I haven't very many immature people so far, the legion I'm in is all in their 20s or older it seems like actually. Kind of funny how you make up some stupid stereotypical reason for it, I'm sure all elf players are immature kids.....lol.

 

[Robert Munch]

Anyone else notice that most people who end up playing a healer/cleric class are douchebags/backseat drivers?

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: VashHT

Originally posted by: CKent
I googled a bunch of screenshots, all I saw were elves and non-elf races who looked like their only goal in life was to look like an elf.

A friend whose judgement I trust was in the beta and said the playerbase was younger, less mature and more stupid than WoW's, which is impressive... but which isn't surprising if you think about it, considering the stupidity we see from blood / night elves in WoW and the fact most Aion races are or resemble elves.

Aside from that the general consensus is that it's another WoW clone, which sounds lame. God, I'm actually considering EQ2 or VG at this point.

That's odd, I haven't very many immature people so far, the legion I'm in is all in their 20s or older it seems like actually. Kind of funny how you make up some stupid stereotypical reason for it, I'm sure all elf players are immature kids.....lol.

Definitely not all, there's a correlation though.

 

[JoshGuru7]

Originally posted by: CKent
A friend whose judgement I trust was in the beta and said the playerbase was younger, less mature and more stupid than WoW's, which is impressive...

I would trust your friend's judgement significantly less after reading this because this isn't the case. Aion is basically a harder version of WoW and the player base is significantly older.

Originally posted by: CKent
Aside from that the general consensus is that it's another WoW clone, which sounds lame.

Aion does share similarities with WoW in that it is highly polished and copies a lot of the things that were successful in WoW, much like WoW stole the things it found successful from others. It also has some big differences (for better or worse depending on your tastes) that have been listed many times already so I'm not going to rehash them, other than saying that Aion is a WoW clone in the same way that Uncharted 2 is a Tomb Raider clone.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Originally posted by: DangerAardvark
The problem is, in a PVP-centric game, levels and gear determine who wins, so everyone's in a rush to level.

That depends on the game. I hate to keep bringing Asheron's Call up, but that's yet another thing that Turbine "did right."

In AC, PvP was completely player-skill oriented. If you knew how to move a certain way to dodge projectiles, how and when to heal yourself or when to continue attacking instead to try to finish someone off, and the right combination of keys to make your spell casting animation clip off 3/4ths of the way through (known as "fast casting"), you had the advantage over your adversary. Sure, being a higher level did put more health, mana, and attack / defense skills at your disposal, but skill levels were somewhat logarithmic, so the difference between a level 80 and a level 120 wasn't huge. The difference between a level 150 and a level 180 was negligible as far as PvP is concerned. Furthermore, most PvP gear sets were quest-oriented, and could be obtained by anyone in an hour or two. While finding "the best" PvE weapon could take months to find and craft to perfection, obtaining a PvP weapon (such as one that ignores your target's armor, or does more damage specifically against other players) was a walk in the park.

I personally knew two or three level 80ish characters that could wipe the floor with people double their level. It also wasn't unheard of to have a very skilled player take on 3-4 people at once and win. The best part was, fights weren't a matter of pressing the right skill at the right time (polymorph, frost bolt, frost bolt, frost nova, ice lance, ice lance, fire blast, etc.); they were a fast-paced, key-mashing, adrenaline-pumping fight to the death, and the items you carried in your inventory were at stake if you died, since the player could loot a number of things from your corpse upon your death (just like looting monsters in PvE).

God, what a great game that was.

 

[MraK]

Originally posted by: CKent
I googled a bunch of screenshots, all I saw were elves and non-elf races who looked like their only goal in life was to look like an elf.

Just so you know, you could make any kind of character you want in terms of looks, Ive seen people (in a couple of the servers) that had character look like dwarves, havent seen much elves as you were saying, orcs to a point, heck even demon like characters from the Asmodian side, saw a group of guys create the whole Lord of the Rings cast of halfings, which was entertaining to look at, and this one character that had the name of "Hulk" that made his character uber big and muscular, hence The Sims 3 character creation feature.

just my 2 cents

 

[mesthead21]

What server is everyone on that plays? Is there an "official" thread for this? I just started this week and don't really have anyone to play with so I'd be down to form an anandtech legion or something. I'm a 12 Gladiator on Yustiel

 

[caivoma]

I am playing on Zikel atm but I probably won't renew. All my friends are already left and I have a work trip coming up that will last for about 2 weeks.

 

[MraK]

Im on the Siel server

 

[DangerAardvark]

They already charged me for another month. Maybe I'll bot my character while I play Borderlands.

 

[DirthNader]

Originally posted by: 9mak9
Star Wars Old Republic is probably the only game now that can threaten WoW. A majority of the games that are made dont have a following and people just jump into. Warcraft had 5 very successful games and had a large following that helped fuel WoW. Other games that might have had large followings either were bad games or didn't have the quality that blizzard brought to the table.

Star Wars is backed by Bioware which from what I have experienced makes the best games. SW is also a much larger universe and has a larger following then Warcraft so it would be a failure if it didn't at least make it close to WoW standards.

The Old Republic won't come anywhere near WoW, even domestically.

I'm a Star Wars nerd. I suffered through SWG for years, built up an account with so much stuff I sold it for two grand. I'd much rather play a Star Wars MMO than a Warcraft (or any fantasy-based setting) MMO. I doubt I'll even bother w/ TOR because I know where it's headed.

Yes, Star Wars has a larger following than Warcraft, but it's a much more diverse following. Not everyone is a gamer. Some folks would rather get with their local 501st and dress up. Some read every piece of expanded universe crap that's pushed out the door. Some are into collecting vintage toys / props / etc. Hell, there are even subsets of fans like people obsessed w/ Star Wars LEGO. Again, not everyone is a gamer. SWG's launch barely warranted a page in Star Wars Insider, no more than any other Star Wars video game. Gives you an idea just how big video games are in the grand scheme of things when that's the kind of response it gets from the official fan club magazine.

Even at its peak, SWG hit 300K subs, many of them the same people with multiple accounts (which were much more common because of the one character per server limit). That was after years of hype (the pre-beta boards were busy back in the day) and a lot of passes to Lucasarts / SOE on the quality of the game at release. Not everyone was a Star Wars fan, but don't let that fool you; the Star Wars fans that were playing SWG didn't get turned off until the holocron fiasco.

I'd be surprised if TOR hits more than a couple million subs at its peak. That's nowhere close to WoW standards.

 

[VashHT]

I've been playing on Lumiel, Asmo side. I just got to 25 yesterday, and doing part of training camp gave me more than half a level. You can only do it once every 18 hours I think, but it gives amazing xp and good items if you clear the whole place so it looks like going from 25-29 will be pretty easy. I've been having a lot of fun whenever I group in this (I play a templar), so I plan to play until the level cap and see how fun it is at the end.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: VashHT
I've been playing on Lumiel, Asmo side. I just got to 25 yesterday, and doing part of training camp gave me more than half a level. You can only do it once every 18 hours I think, but it gives amazing xp and good items if you clear the whole place so it looks like going from 25-29 will be pretty easy. I've been having a lot of fun whenever I group in this (I play a templar), so I plan to play until the level cap and see how fun it is at the end.

Yes, the TG instance is amazing for going from 25-30 quickly. I went from 25 to 26 yesterday doing that and some random questing. I'm sure I'll be back at it with rested EXP (or pop one of my 1hour 20% bonus EXP from the recent survey) tonight too. I at least want to make it to 28 so I can get my new stigma and skills.

 

[VashHT]

Originally posted by: Golgatha

Originally posted by: VashHT
I've been playing on Lumiel, Asmo side. I just got to 25 yesterday, and doing part of training camp gave me more than half a level. You can only do it once every 18 hours I think, but it gives amazing xp and good items if you clear the whole place so it looks like going from 25-29 will be pretty easy. I've been having a lot of fun whenever I group in this (I play a templar), so I plan to play until the level cap and see how fun it is at the end.

Yes, the TG instance is amazing for going from 25-30 quickly. I went from 25 to 26 yesterday doing that and some random questing. I'm sure I'll be back at it with rested EXP (or pop one of my 1hour 20% bonus EXP from the recent survey) tonight too. I at least want to make it to 28 so I can get my new stigma and skills.

Wow I didn't know you got those from doing surveys, I'm actually going to do them now lol.

 

[KIAman]

You get 5 of them too, . Anyways, I play on Vaizel as an Assplodian. Currently lvl 29 cleric and 22 ranger. I play with my co-workers in a perfect 6 man group so we go Abyss'n a lot.

 

[caivoma]

Training Camp is amazing for xp. If you can, do it with a group of 5 or a group of 4 people for much better xp. Unfortunately, Fire Temple (the instance after Training Camp) is very lackluster when it comes to xp.

 

[mesthead21]

Hmmm well it looks like everyone is pretty spread out. Anyone just starting that wants to start on the same server? Or anyone willing to start another char?

 

[vel]

If you want to play AION "alone" w/ a solid Legion or team support, you need to be prepared for Ganking. The game is designed for solo play at least in baby to mid-levels. IMHO, it caters to a people w/ slightly different mindset than WOW. While Guildwars focused on competitive organized and balanced PvP, AION focuses on Search and Destroy, Gear-based PvP action. Problem with AION model is that many people who work in real life and have stress will probably like a more relaxing atmosphere that GW or WoW can provide even though both are very different games when compared w/ each other.

I don't think AION will last past GW2, D3 and Starcraft 2 Launch.

EDIT: I am on Meslamtaeda server. I have a lvl 30 Elyos Chanter. Sorry, couldn't be an Emo(Asmo that is).

 

[caivoma]

I just renew and hope that they will fix the bot problem (fat chance) and put in the xp patch soon.
I'm still having fun now but I do agree with Vel about Aion. I do not mind the pvp gank squad on rift but the grind is getting to me. Add in the assassins and gladiators botting, it is getting old real quick. Not only I have to kill mobs over and over to level up, now I have to compete with the botters for said mobs too, good thing my character is a sorcerer.

 

[FuryofFive]

Originally posted by: Markbnj

Originally posted by: Genx87
Have a friend who is playing this game. Well more like botting it right now. Total grind fest. His bot has been running 24/7 for like 2 weeks and he is only lvl 30.

I think your friend should uninstall and never play another MMO, because he sucks at it even when he isn't actually playing.

Originally posted by: FuryofFive
Aion will never be WoW...why the Op even asked... Aion is a korean based grind MMO...

Damn those Koreans for inventing grinding. Why, I can remember gangs of Korean consultants parking their Hyundais outside the Verant offices in 1997. I would have done something then, but who knew where it would all lead?

Why is everything so far apart. the districts in te elsyo's town is huge...

It's because you're playing a Korean grind MMO, and Korea, being a massively huge country, inspires massively huge grindy games. You should wait for the next French MMO, Le Sacre Luminaire, in which the NPCs will just come out of your XBox and hand you stuff on the couch. Of course, the stuff will all be covered in creamy sauces, but you can't have everything.

To the OP: Aion will definitely never be the next WoW, but I suppose the people who like it appreciate that fact. The game is just a little bit harder than WoW was at release, but overall the PvE is still very much easy-mode. The graphics and music are beautiful. The soundscape and voice acting is ridiculously bad in many places. There is one GM for every 1,000,000 players, and the place has a wild west atmosphere about it: lots of bots (see above) and gold sellers.

Overall if you like an old school RPG then you'll probably find this small and easy, but fun. If you think WoW is hard you probably won't like it at all.

my xbox eh? because we all play MMO's on our xbox's. or for that matter play any games for the xbox.. i havent turned mine on in months

 

[DangerAardvark]

Originally posted by: vel
If you want to play AION "alone" w/ a solid Legion or team support, you need to be prepared for Ganking. The game is designed for solo play at least in baby to mid-levels. IMHO, it caters to a people w/ slightly different mindset than WOW. While Guildwars focused on competitive organized and balanced PvP, AION focuses on Search and Destroy, Gear-based PvP action. Problem with AION model is that many people who work in real life and have stress will probably like a more relaxing atmosphere that GW or WoW can provide even though both are very different games when compared w/ each other.

I don't think AION will last past GW2, D3 and Starcraft 2 Launch.

EDIT: I am on Meslamtaeda server. I have a lvl 30 Elyos Chanter. Sorry, couldn't be an Emo(Asmo that is).

Yeah, you're screwed without a good guild. PVP is group-centric unless you happened to pick one of the chosen classes that are complete enough to be good at solo PVP (Sorceror, Cleric, Spiritmaster).

Melee is just fucking screwed in this game. Mass PVP is nothing but ranged skirmishes and the occasional Templar pulling someone into the mob. And Abyss combat always involves flight and melee is screwed there as well, as most of our combos require us to stand still, and lag will cause you to be out of range even on instant attacks. Thinking about rolling a warrior class? I hope you like chasing people in circles while doing no damage.