Well what do you guys think of aion 2.0 so far? The Aion PTS servers went back online about 12 hours ago with aion 2.0 brought in. As for me, I think it looks beautiful. The new login screens give it a diversity (thought I'll miss the original one) and makes it very exciting considering there's 5 different scenes you can be greeted by when you open your game. Always fun to open your game of Aion and have a chance to see a giant dragon roaring at you while waiting for you to log in.. (HE'S GONNA EAT YOU!)
I also happen to think that the new character select screen is very nicely done. YAY NO MORE SITTING AT THE BEACH OR FROZEN WASTELAND! We all get our own cozy spots =p
Once again.. really beautifully designed (think we should get NCSoft Korea to design my house)
Lols.. Furthermore the music has changed in a few places. For one you can notice it right away if you have music on and log in. The login screen no longer use the tower of eternity as its opening theme and instead uses a new theme called Annales of Atreia. Also a selection of music from the vision trailer makes its appearance in the game. So yeah.. you might be hearing new sounds while exploring a place you thought you knew so well.. After all, they called in the orchestra to create a new soundtrack just for this expansion! AION PTS 2.0!
In the credits it appears that originally the expansion was titled Advancing into Balaurea.. hmm.. might wanna remember to change that to "Assault on Balaurea" though NCSoft.. lols xD
Anyways.. Kinda sad that the credits song for Assault on Balaurea is just Daeva's Oratorio. Would have been better if Forgotten Sorrows was kept. Oh wells, not complaining since you can still hear it by looking at the Tower of Eternity credits..
Anyways.. I didn't do much but I noticed the map change where it actually just tells you straight off the bat where npcs are will give you quests. That's a rather nice feature. As you can see from the picture, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTS AHEAD LOL.. If anyone ever says there's not enough quests in Aion, I think these arrows were added exactly to prove them WRONG!
Another useful feature is there's now bulletin boards that has a list of npcs in town and you can just find their name there to have their location marked on the map. A very useful feature for those diving in and even returning players for Atreia is always changing and even veteran players might find this feature as a nice guide to help them quickly find the npc they're looking for.
Of course a cute feature everyone's had their eyes on is pets! These little critters are just jumping around in Sanctum market at the pet shop hoping you'd stop by and buy one. There's many types of pets and each one begins with an egg. The eggs can range from 150k - a few mill so save on money if you want to collect them all =D
In the future there's other ways to get these adorable fellas like events and quests so keep your hopes up if you're always broke
Well as of only level 10 this is already quite some interesting stuff added. Of course this is just the beginning. People noticed that the new hair designs didn't make it in yet and Community Manager, Tamat, has confirmed that they will be adding more in the next week before release so keep your eyes wide open and explore the new world of Atreia. I'll explore more myself later on after I get my gladiator to level 50 and see what else fun stuff I can talk about but anyways.. enough about me.. WHAT ABOUT YOU GUYS? Find anything interesting in aion 2.0? Here For More.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
AION PTS 2.0 Thoughts!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Aion: Assault on Balaurea zone trailer -- Inggison
NCsoft unveils a video tour of Inggison, a new zone introduced in Aion's upcoming expansion, Assault on Balaurea. No longer confined to Atreia on the interior of the planet, players will venture forth to the lands on the outside. Filled with a variety of new plant and wildlife, Inggison is the Elyos foothold in Balaurea.
Even as they bask in direct sunlight (a treat not possible in the sundered lands of Asmodae and Elysea), Daevas in Aion will encounter new foes -- such as the Balaur-worshippers of Undirborg -- and fight old ones, as the Asmodians try to claim the Temple of Scales and Altar of Avarice Fortresses.
After watching the video, Massively asked Chris Hager, Producer of Aion, NCsoft West, a few questions about this new area.
Check out the video after the cut, as well as Chris' comments.
http://www.massively.com/2010/08/26/aion-assault-on-balaurea-zone-trailer-inggison/
Massively: About half-way through the video, we see what appears to be an Elyos style city -- are there going to be areas that are settled by the Daeva races, complete with mail, warehouse, and broker services? If so, how many encampments are present, and how much of the area is wild?
Chris Hager: Each of the Daeva races have established permanent cities in Balaurea. These permanent cities are where players will arrive when they first arrive in Balaurea. They will have all of the services that the other cities in the other areas have (how can a Daeva survive without broker access?). There are also encampments throughout the areas that are race specific safeholds (similar to other maps).
If this is a Daeva fortress, how does lore account for it? Is it related to the hint we receive after completing our level 50 campaign quests?
The fortresses for each of the races are new to the Assault on Balaurea expansion. If you want to get really into the lore, the Elyos Inggison fortress is actually an illusion fortress maintained by the Wisplight Legion with aid from Kaisinel (Lord of Illusion). The Asmodian Gelkmaros fortress was made on the ruins of an old Balaur fortress that had been destroyed in the past by Marchutan.
Will the Balaur have a home base/city where they reside? If so, can it be invaded? Will there be any Balaur NPC's that can be interacted with?
The Balaur will own the two fortresses in each of the new zones. Aside from that, you'll find the Balaur scattered throughout the areas and in the new instances, but they won't have a home base or city that is constantly Balaur controlled.
The land was surprisingly lush in most of the video, although there were definitely some barren areas as well. How many different zones will be available for adventuring right at the launch of the expansion? Are there more zones planned for the near future?
At the launch of Assault on Balaurea, there will be two new persistent zones as well as a zone that adjoins them. Inggison will be the Elyos side, Gelkmaros for the Asmodians, and Silentera Canyon will join them both together. Within the two race controlled zones, there are a lot of different and unique areas to explore. With this being the home of the Balaur, a previously unexplored area, you'll see brand new creatures, surroundings, and an environment that looks unique to other areas in the game. Right now we don't have any information to share on any future zones.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Aion 2.0: Assault on Balaurea Dated September 7th
NCsoft unveiled the official release date for Aion: Assault on Balaurea, the next exciting chapter in Aion that entrenches players into a rich storyline in which their actions will determine the fate of the world. Aion: Assault on Balaurea releases digitally to PCs in North America and Europe on Sept. 7, 2010, however, players looking for retail boxed copies of the full game featuring exclusive in-game pets will find them at select retailers in North America on Sept. 7 and on Sept. 10 in Europe.
In Aion: Assault on Balaurea, the exciting new chapter of Aion, characters have the ability to align together to launch massive counter assaults against the invading Balaur on their homeland while experiencing new and updated instances and zones, an increased level cap, new weapons and items, new skills and added flight mechanics. Characters will not be alone as they explore the new areas, as Aion introduces functional pets equipped with in-game benefits.
Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online gaming experience where flight offers much more than just a way to gracefully explore the landscape - it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will use flight to dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save and control a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict.
For more information about Aion and Aion: Assault on Balaurea go to http://news.mmosite.com/specials/aion/index.shtml
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wings Over Atreia: Armsfusion explained
In a nutshell, Armsfusion is used to generate better versions of two-handed weapons. Initially, I'll admit to glossing over it in the patch notes, simply because the name made it sound like something applicable to melee classes. While this is true, in that it can result in some nice new staffs, polearms, and greatswords, it also applies to the pew pew crowd, since technically the ranger bow and sorcerer/spiritmaster tomes and orbs are all two-handers, though not in the traditional visual sense.
Fly past the cut for more details on building the perfect two-handed beast.
The basics
So what exactly is Armsfusion? It's basically a way to combine the stats of two distinct weapons into one, and the process requires the player to choose a primary item for its stats and appearance, as well as a secondary item from which partial stats will be applied to the primary. It's also worth noting that the secondary weapon will be destroyed in the combine, so make sure you're not dropping any one-of-a-kind weapons in the secondary slot.
In something of a departure for Aion crafting, there is no chance of failure when completing an Armsfusion combine (and there was much rejoicing from Sanctum to Pandaemonium). Also, your chosen two-handers must be of the same type (i.e. you can't take the stats from a bow and apply them to an orb, but you can combine a polearm with another polearm).
So now that you know the basics of how to make use of the Armsfusion system, why would you want to? In a nutshell, the process adds roughly 10% of the secondary weapon's attack and magic boost stats to the primary weapon. Furthermore, all manastone slots, as well as manastones themselves and bonus statistics will port over during the combine. Similarly, any Godstones in the primary weapon will carry over to the new fused weapon, while any Godstones in the secondary weapon will be destroyed during the combine. While Armsfusion does destroy the secondary item, the process can be reversed to make use of a different weapon to combine with (called Armsbreaking).
Extendable weapons
For extendable weapons, the appearance and characteristics of the primary weapon will be retained after the combine process (i.e. if the primary weapon is extendable, the new fused weapon will be as well). As you've probably guessed by now, the appearance and any extendable characteristics of the secondary weapon will be destroyed.
Other considerations
While the basics above will allow you to successfully combine weapons, there are a number of other factors you should consider before pulling the trigger. For example, the secondary weapon's level must be equal to or lower than that of the primary. Also, combinations of weapons that feature multiple cast speed, attack speed, or PvP damage bonuses of the same type will result in the highest bonus being applied to the final Armsfusion product. Additionally, once a weapon has been fused, it becomes unsellable, untradeable, and unstorable in either your account or legion warehouse. Finally, in terms of enchantment levels, your primary weapon will retain its enchantment after the combine process, while the secondary weapon's enchantment will be destroyed along with the weapon itself.
Getting started
To get started on your combines, you'll need to visit an Armsfusion officer in your race's capital city. For the Elyos, the Armsfusion officer hides out atop Elyos Square in Sanctum, near the skin-changing merchant. Asmodians looking for their Armsfusion officer will find him on the Pandaemonium Market Street. Don't forget your wallet or pocketbook, particularly if you're combining high-level weapons, as the process is exceedingly expensive for all but the richest of Daevas.
To summarize, the Armsfusion process consists of:
speaking with the appropriate Armsfusion officer to begin choosing your primary and secondary weapons viewing the cost (in kinah) and preview the fused weapon accepting the confirmation dialogue pwning face with your new weapon (and cry over your lack of kinah) And now, your new columnist...
There now, that wasn't so hard, was it? That's all the time we have for this week. In closing, I'd like to take a quick moment to thank those of you who've read and commented on Wings Over Atreia over the last three plus months. As of next week, I'll be passing the torch to Massively's new Aion correspondent, MJ Guthrie, and she'll be your guide as you continue your journeys around the Aionosphere.
Despite the fact that Aion has its share of problems (which many of you remind me of on a weekly basis), I've enjoyed covering it, as well as talking to all of you, and I hope to see some of you in the comments section of my other columns. I'll still be toodling around on my Lumiel sorceror from time to time, so I also look forward to seeing (or killing) you folks in-game. Until then, keep the blue side up.
Aion guide to Daily Quests available
New (or newly returned) to Aion and curious about the recently added daily quests? Well you're not alone, as your humble correspondent has been playing for awhile now and was having trouble unearthing any definitive information regarding the system just added in the 1.9 patch.
Happily, NCsoft has updated its PowerWiki with a lengthy entry devoted to answering all of your daily quest needs. Everything from where to get to them, to what kind of rewards they offer, to how to join the requisite NPC factions, is available in the new article.
"Every morning at 9 o'clock, the organization will send a new Quest notice that can be found at the bottom of your screen. Once you click on the icon, you can choose to either accept or decline the Daily Quest. If you accidentally decline the Quest, you can quit and then re-join the organization to get it again," the article says.
Check out all the details over at the official Aion PowerWiki.
Aion™ Refer a Friend Program Starts June 23rd
NCsoft is dangling a few goodies in front of current Aion subscribers in the form of their revamped Refer A Friend program and its myriad incentives. If you've got an active account that's over six weeks old (and have paid for at least six weeks of game time), you can log into your NCsoft Master Account and click the Refer A Friend link in the Actions section to get started.
If your referral purchases either a retail box or digital copy of the game, you'll be gifted with three Major Ancient Crowns, currently valued at a whopping 6400 AP each. If your referral signs up for one month or more of Aion game time, you'll get a free paid month credited to NCsoft Master Account. Your friend isn't left out either, as NCsoft will email each referral a serial code that includes XP bonus items, running scrolls, courage scrolls, and recovery serums.
Check out the official site for all the details and regulations. Or check the full articles here:
Aion™ Refer a Friend Program Starts June 23rd!
Refer a friend to play Aion, and you could get free in-game items and free game time!*
When you refer a friend, we'll send your friend an email containing a free demo serial code and a bounty of in-game items that are helpful for leveling a new character.
If your friend buys a new copy of Aion (from a retail box or a digital download), you'll receive your own in-game items. If your friend pays for a subscription for at least one month of Aion game time, you will be automatically credited with one month of free game time!
*Subject to the terms and conditions listed below.
Who is eligible to participate?
You can refer a friend if your game account is current and in good standing, your account is at least six weeks old, and you have paid for at least six weeks of game time. (Time included with a box or a full download version of the game applies, and paid time from any of our supported payment methods is valid.)
What do I get, and what does each friend get?
When your friend buys Aion (applies a digital or retail box serial code to his or her account), you get three Major Ancient Crowns.
We'll email each friend a free demo serial code and in-game items, including:
25 Lodas Amulets
100 Lesser Running Scrolls
100 Lesser Courage Scrolls
100 Greater Recovery Serums
Each friend can apply the in-game items to up to five unique characters.
How do I refer someone?
Log in to your NCsoft® Master Account.
Select your Aion game account from the accounts listed under Game Accounts.
In the Actions section, click the Refer a Friend link.
Fill out the requested information.
Click the Refer a Friend button.
Once we have sent your friend the email, you'll receive an on-screen confirmation.
Periodically, return to your Refer a Friend page to check the status of your outstanding invitations.
How many friends can I refer, and can I get multiple sets of items and free months?
You can have a maximum of four referrals outstanding at once. For each new friend that you refer who meets the requirements, you'll receive the in-game items and a free month of Aion game time. As soon as one of your friends buys Aion, you'll receive your in-game items, and we'll allow you to refer an additional friend. As soon as your friend enters its first billing cycle, you will receive a free month credit applied to the account that referred the friend.
How do I check on my referrals?
Once you are logged in to your Aion game account, you can check the status of all of your outstanding invitations on your Refer a Friend page.
When do I get my in-game items?
You get your in-game items after your friend buys Aion and applies a digital or retail box serial code.
How do I get my in-game items?
Log in to your Aion game account periodically to check the status of all of your outstanding invitations on your Refer a Friend page. When the Invitation Status table indicates that your friend has bought Aion:
Click the Apply In-Game Items link in your Aion game account in the Action section.
Select a server in which you have made a character, and click the Next button.
Select a character to receive the Refer a Friend items, and click the Next button.
Click the checkbox next to the appropriate item pack, and click the Next button.
Review the confirmation page, and click the Apply the Items/Item Packs to This Character button.
Once you've assigned items to a character, log in to Aion and retrieve the items via in-game express mail.
When do I get my first free month?
You get your free game time after your friend buys Aion and pays for the first month of game time. (Time included with the digital client or boxed game purchase doesn't apply.)
How do I get my first free month?
Log in to your Aion game account periodically to check the status of all of your outstanding invitations on your Refer a Friend page. As soon as your friend enters its first billing cycle, you will automatically receive a free month credit applied to the account that referred the friend.
How does my friend get the items?
The instructions on how your friend gets his or her items are included in the email we send to your friend.
Are there any limitations on the Aion demo serial codes?
Yes, Aion demo accounts are good for three days, five hours, or level 7, whichever is reached first. At that point, the Aion demo account expires. All of the character information and progress is retained so that a player can continue the adventure when he or she upgrades to a standard Aion account.
To upgrade an Aion demo account to the standard game (to buy Aion), go to the Aion section of the NCsoft Store, or purchase a retail box at one of our partner retailers.
Terms and Conditions
This offer is void where prohibited and is subject to server space availability. This offer can be suspended by NC Interactive, Inc. at any time and for any reason. At the time of the referral credit, both the referring and the referred customer must be current in their payments and in compliance with the Aion User Agreement. If both parties are not current and in compliance, the referral credit will be denied. If a referring customer cancels his or her account, all remaining referral credits are forfeit. A referral credit cannot be refunded. A referral credit has no cash value.
Help and Support
For additional information and help, visit the knowledge base at the Aion Help and Support page.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Aion full client torrent available
Thinking of returning to Aion to check out the Aion 1.9 patch? You're not alone, as folks are beginning to trickle back into the world of Atreia to partake in the improved XP and other tweaks. If you've deleted the game from your hard drive, or you're a new player, you might want to check out the full aion client torrent that NCsoft has just released.
Given that the game has been out for nine months, and has been patched fairly regularly, you're likely to have a lengthy download and update process if you re-install from your original game discs. Happily, NCsoft has bundled the entire game client, as well as all the patches up to and including last week's 1.9, into a file that you can grab from FilePlanet. Alternatively, you can can grab a aion client torrent from GamersHell or NCsoft's own server.
Check out the official news posting for further details.
Aion 1.9 Full Install Client Now Available
It’s been nearly nine months since the official release of Aion in the West. In that time, we’ve given you numerous small updates and the large much-anticipated 1.9 update.
We have just released a fully updated version 1.9 client installer. This client includes all the smaller updates and allows anyone to jump straight into the game after installing with no patching required!
This full client is available via direct download from our partners at Fileplanet and GamersHell, it’s also available from our own Torrent server.
NCsoft Torrent:
ftp://ftp.ncsoft.com/Aion/Client/Torrent/Aion1.9.0.1_FullInstaller.zip.torrent
FilePlanet Direct Download:
http://www.fileplanet.com/204286/200000/fileinfo/Aion-Client-v1.9
GamersHell Direct Download:
http://www.gamershell.com/download_59678.shtml
Enjoy.
—The Aion Community Team
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Aion 2.0 Balaurea Trailer
Read Aion 2.0 NA/EU schedule here:
http://news.mmosite.com/content/2010-05-18/confirmed_aion_1_9_will_hit_na_eu_in_june,1.shtml
#Monsters level 51 and above appear in these new regions.
#These new regions contain unique environments.
#The Elyos fortress is located in Inggison. The Asmodian fortress is located in Gelkmaros.
#There are two fortresses and four artifacts in each region.
More Aion 2.0 Balaurea Trailer here:http://news.mmosite.com/content/2010-05-24/aion_2_0_balaurea_trailer_monster_screenshots_map,1.shtml
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Aion 2.0 Wonder Girls Costumes & Hair Styles Unveiled
NCsoft has cooperated with Wonder Girls, who used to appear as playable characters in FreeStyle BasketBall. Coincide with the launch of their newest EP, 2 Different Tears on May 16th, they appeared in Aion 2.0 Korean Test Server. Player can join 3 Wonder Girls quests as well as try Wonder Girls' dresses and hair styles(page5) on.
Click the image to visite Wonder Girls' Aion Official Special Site.
In an interview with NCsoft for Aion, new member Hye Lim said that honestly they didn't know what game it was at first but after watching it, the game seems pretty cool and you can even dance in the game! The dancing in the game seems similar to their new 2 Different Tears dance as well.
Confirmed: Aion 1.9 will Hit NA/EU in June
For a while now, they've been shoring up the XP gap in Aion, helping to push players over the hump of the long grind. While there's an upcoming double-experience weekend starting this Friday, the Aion team has informed the community that these golden days of glory may be short-lived, with these special weekends becoming a rarer occurence in the future.
This seemingly-depressing announcement is actually because Aion is switching from "shoring up" to "fixing" XP issues. On June 2nd, aion patch 1.9 will hit Aion's servers, and with it a host of solutions to the XP gap. The Aion community team has laid out three ways the XP will flow like rivers of honey. Wait, that would be slow and sticky. Let's go with Jell-O. In any case, 1.9 will add more quests, increased XP for quests and a new "Energy of Salvation" system that awards experience bonuses the longer you play.
So while double-experience weekends might become a scarce event in Aion, it's hopefully for the best overall.
NCwest today sent a letter to Aion players which released detailed release schedule of Aion 1.9 update. Aion producer - Chris "Kinslon" Hager announced in the letter that the 1.9 update will be available on the North American and European public test servers on Tuesday May 25, 2010. A week later, the 1.9 update will hit North American and European Live servers on Wednesday June 2, 2010. This schedule corresponds with NCSoft KR's Q1 2010 report call last week.
Chris also mentioned that the NA/EU plan for Aion 2.0, which was recently released on the KR PTS Server, is already under work.
Full Letter from Aion's Producer:
Greetings Aion Players!
Spring is in the air, the sun is out and the days are getting longer, and that means it's time for update news! After much anticipation, I am happy to announce the 1.9 update will be available on the North American and European public test servers on Tuesday May 25, 2010. A week later, the 1.9 update will hit North American and European Live servers on Wednesday June 2, 2010. As you might have read in the 1.9 patch notes or the 1.9 Q&A with Kinslon, the 1.9 update includes a number of great game improvements based on player feedback from around the world. We listened to your concerns about where the game play experience was less than stellar, collected data to support this, and requested those changes to the game for the 1.9 update and we continue to provide this feedback for future updates too. Along with a reduction in costs, better experience for quests and increased loot drops, we also threw in a collection of exciting systems and updates such as arms fusion, daily quests, rental weapon/armor system and a new look for group UI feature that are all aimed at improving the player's experience.
Just as 1.9 is a culmination of your feedback, we are constantly monitoring the community to see what the most relevant issues are. Back in October and November one of the hot topics were server queues and at that point we promised that character transfers would be available to help combat the queues. Again in the first part of this year, we promised these in the first half of 2010. I'm happy to report that the character transfer service will be live in the middle of June and we will be offering them to all of our players for free for a limited time. As we get closer to the live date of the character transfer service we'll be releasing more information so that you can prepare yourself and coordinate with your legion and other online friends.
One of the more recent concerns that we've heard is related to server populations, both in North America and Europe. Some of the specific concerns you've told us about deal with difficulty finding groups in game, having resources to contribute to the overall server economy, and being able to gather strong enough forces to enjoy the end game content, particularly the Abyss PvP zone and Fortress Sieges. We heard your concern about this and did a comprehensive examination of all of our servers across North America and Europe. After reviewing all of the game, character, and server data we found that certain level ranges or classes had healthy numbers, but across ALL level ranges and professions most of our servers didn't have ideal populations. After a score of meetings, it was decided that the best thing to do is to merge some of our servers so that we have fewer, fuller servers with characters (and players) that are balanced better in population across all levels and classes. The primary goal of merging the servers is to create an environment that gives you the best possible experience in Aion.
I don't relish the idea of mergers. (It takes a lot of work to make them happen!) However, once it is complete you should notice improvements in each of the new server economies, an abundance of players to group and run instances with, a number of great Legions to join or people to form new ones with, and a more tightly knit community. When all is said and done, Aion will be a better game because of the server merge. We're in the planning stages, and will have more information on the timing and execution in the coming weeks.
Finally, as you might have read in the 2.0 patch notes, 2.0 was recently released on the KR PTS Server. Even though we have several other large initiatives underway, we are already working on bringing 2.0 to the North American and European to our shores. It is an immense undertaking that adds a lot of new content to the game, but we are working steadily towards a fall target release date and are on track. To get a preview of what is coming to Aion with 2.0 check out the initial patch notes.
As you can see, we have quite a busy couple of months ahead of us; all aimed at servicing your needs and making Aion a better place to play. I am excited at the prospect of what our players can expect in the near future, and can't wait for the results to speak for themself.
Thanks,
-Chris "Kinslon" Hager
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Aion 2.0 bosses viewable on Korean test server
Additionally, a new rock-themed world boss has been sighted, as well as the Red Tear dragon, the latter of which reportedly reflects player damage and must be killed in under one hour.
Drop by MMOSite for the full article as well as a selection of screenshots from the test server.
Wings Over Atreia: The Xeno experience in Aion
You'll have to forgive me for being somewhat surprised as I sit down to write this week's column. I guess given the general grindiness of Aion's high levels plus the weekly quota of "you sucks" that I get in ye olde inbox for daring to write about the game have conspired to make me a little bit gun shy when it comes to actually having fun in the world of Atreia. Oh, and let's not forget about NCsoft's refusal to answer tough questions (or any questions, for that matter) that your intrepid journalist has about Aion.
All that negativity aside, there must something to the whole yin/yang concept, as an otherwise detestable week yielded what has been one of the most enjoyable in-game experiences to date. It was such a blast, in fact, that I'm compelled to recount at least a little bit of my group's harrowing run through the gauntlet colloquially known as the Aion Xeno quest.
What is the Aion Xeno quest, you're probably wondering? Well if you're a middle-aged (i.e. over 40) Elyos you probably already know, but if not, the short version is that it's a lengthy quest chain that culminates in a fairly spiffy gold weapon. As you would expect, the tasks required to obtain it are numerous and arduous, but when coupled with a good group and a bit of luck, a fun time can be had by all.
Fly past the cut to find out how.
The first step in the process is to head to the library in Sanctum. There you'll find an affable NPC by the name of Xenophon who will give you a series of quests beginning with A Disturbing Report. The majority of these quests are "go here/kill 10 of these" type tasks, and advancing the chain to the good parts will probably take you and your group the better part of a couple of hours. Grouping here is a necessity, not only because many mobs you'll encounter are big nasties, but also to maintain your sanity during the tedious trek to and from the objectives. Honestly, I'd never have made it through the Xeno quest with a pickup group; not only is a skilled (and familiar) group essential but, assuming you're all friends, Ventrilo shenanigans usually livens up the considerable grind. My particular party strung the quest line out over a couple of nights, but taken back to back, the whole ordeal can easily last upwards of six or seven hours depending on group competence and random PvP roadblocks.
For our purposes we'll skip ahead to the fun stuff, namely the quest called [Spy/Group] A Suspicious Box which, as you might have guessed, is a spy quest that sends you rifting into the heart of Asmodian territory. One of the great annoyances of Aion rifting is the fact that you're constantly waiting for the portals to spawn. There's nothing more infuriating than gathering a good group and making plans to invade Asmodae, then having to cool your heels for a couple of hours because the silly rift hasn't popped. Knowing this, we plopped an alt down in front of the Xeno rift (right outside the Lepharist Poison Research Center in Heiron) and periodically checked to see if it was up.
Once we managed to get through, we found ourselves unceremoniously dumped amidst the snow-swept hills of Belusian. If you're like me and have virtually no experience with the Asmo side of the game beyond the occasional rifting excursion into Morheim, you'll be in for a treat here, as the landscape around the Xeno rift is quite beautiful, and starkly different from anything on the Elyos half of the world. Unfortunately we didn't have a ton of time to admire the view as we were quickly set upon by the hordes of elite Lepharist mobs that surrounded the rift. After cutting a swath of destruction away from the portal and finding a safe spot to catch our breath, we decided to call it a night and continue with our quest the following evening.
The next night, things got hairy in a hurry. Upon logging in at our presumed safe spot, we found ourselves face-to-face with a couple of Asmodian players, one of whom was a level 50 Chanter in gold gear, which, for the uninitiated, means that my group of low-40s couldn't even dent his health bar, much less kill him. We managed to send his Sorcerer pal back to the rez pad, but several of us fell to the Chanter before he tired of chasing those of us left alive around the elite areas of Belusian. After skulking about and rezzing one another (presumably because our antagonist found better things to do), we continued on to talk to an NPC known as Lethe, who directed us to acquire five Entry Permits which drop off of the elite Scholar mobs found scattered throughout the area.
Waiting for us, like some perfectly scripted scene out of a particularly kick-ass Western film, was a line of Asmodian players blocking the entrance to the dungeon. |
The battle was quickly joined as a group of Asmo players descended upon us in a furious cacophony of blades and spells. Several of the attackers were higher level and well-geared, and just as the tide of the battle seemed to be turning against us, another group of Elyos (no doubt intending to run their own Xeno instance) arrived and lent their assistance.
The resulting battle was a ton of fun, and if more of Aion's PvP resembled these types of breathless, running skirmishes where something is actually at stake (in this case, the huge inconvenience of losing our kisk and having to re-enter the Xeno rift), I daresay the game wouldn't have as much trouble retaining players. Working together and improvising with a second group was an exhilirating experience that showcased Aion's PvPvE potential, and is indescribably more fun than zerging at a fortress siege or hammering on a single fort general for forty-five straight minutes.
We fought the Asmos in, around, and over the stone courtyards and bridges that dot the landscape near the Xeno instance, finally driving them off as their Cleric fell to our focus fire. We hurried to dispatch the quest boss as originally directed by Lethe, and once he succumbed to our combined onslaught, we headed across the rickety wooden bridge and up to the entrance to the Xeno instance proper. Waiting for us, like some perfectly scripted scene out of a particularly kick-ass Western film, was a line of Asmodian players blocking the entrance to the dungeon. It's moments like these that I rue NCsoft's decision to encrypt cross-faction chat, as I can only imagine how awesome it would have been to engage in a bit of mano-a-mano smack talk. As it was, we charged, they died (actually a couple of them force-logged), and we hurtled ahead into the darkness of our private (and well-earned) dungeon.
I wish I could tell you the rest of the Xeno instance was that much fun, but in reality it went like all dungeons go with a particularly effective group: cautious pulls, practiced PvE strategy, and an ultimately successful run that netted everyone a ton of XP and the golden class-specific weapon of their choice. Ultimately, it was a great night in a game that has sorely lacked them in recent weeks, at least for me personally. If there were some way to bottle this particular experience and pour it liberally over the rest of the game, Aion might get around to being fun all the time rather than in spurts.
Until next week, keep the blue side up.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
AION 2.0 Patch Notes - Environments
AION 2.0 Patch Notes - Environments
1. The Balaur homeland, Balaurea, is now accessible to the Elyos and Asmodian forces.
There are two new regions: Gelkmaros and Inggison.
These regions are both governed by the Dragon Lord Tiamat.
Gelkmaros and Ingisson, hidden from view for so long, have retained an appearance reminiscent of the Atreian mainland before the Cataclysm struck. However, the Drana in these lands has also left its mark; there are many areas where the laws of nature are not obeyed.
Monsters level 51 and above appear in these new regions. These new regions contain unique environments. The Elyos fortress is located in Inggison. The Asmodian fortress is located in Gelkmaros. There are two fortresses and four artifacts in each region. Flight plays a new role: each region contains new windstreams.
2. Windstreams have been added. Windstreams are naturally occurring phenomena unique to the Balaur regions. Daevas can enter these windstreams, and are carried in the direction of the stream. The Daeva’s flight timer is not used whilst in the windstream. Daevas cannot attack or be attacked in the windstream. Some windstreams are stronger than others. Blue windstreams are powerful, and cannot be left until the windstream has run its path. Purple windstreams are weaker, however, so Daevas can leave them wherever they please. Daevas can leave purple windstreams by simply changing direction, or jumping. Daevas who leave purple windstreams with a change in direction will simply glide away; Daevas who break from the windstream by jumping will start to fall.
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3. Daevas can now move about via updrafts and geysers.
Players can ascend to higher areas using updrafts and geysers, or by entering certain windstreams. Some of the updraft and geyser locations are blocked by monsters. Daevas must defeat these monsters in order to use them.
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Daevas can enter updrafts by gliding into them. Daevas use geysers by standing above them and waiting for an eruption.
4. [Elysea] Modifications have been made so that monsters cannot climb up a certain region inside the Theobomos Lab dungeon. |
5. [Elysea] A bug where players cannot climb up trees in some parts of Heiron has been fixed.
6. [Asmodae] A bug causing players to glide abnormally in some parts of Beluslan has been fixed.
7. [Reshanta] A bug causing the glass wall inside the fortress dungeon (Abyss top layer) to appear opaque has been fixed.
8. A bug causing some monster skills to not be applied in certain parts of the Draupnir Cave has been fixed.
9. Changes have been made so that players cannot stay for extended periods of time in certain regions of Elysea, Asmodae, and the Abyss.
Kisks can no longer be installed in certain areas.
Spiritmasters cannot summon their spirits in certain areas.
Players who log out or are disconnected in certain areas will now reappear at an Obelisk when they next log in.
Aion 1.9 & 2.0 Announced release dates
Although the folks at NCwest have said that they are still working toward a May release for 1.9, their beloved parent company NCsoft had this to share last Friday. 
Release dates for Aion 1.9 & 2.0!
Our own community team from NCwest have confirmed to us that they are still working toward a May release date for aion 1.9, so there is certainly hope on the horizon for the next few weeks.
If you would like to know more about the quarterly earnings call, you can download the English translation of the call here and listen to it, but be warned it is 30 minutes long!
"Aion was down 21% quarter on quarter but up 67% year on year. As opposed to a solid domestic user base, Aion in overseas markets experienced the decline of active accounts resulting from natural decline and massive elimination. However, we could expect some recovery soon because content updates such as 1.9 and 2.0 are scheduled in May and the third quarter respectively."
"In terms of the overseas update schedule, the 1.9 update will be from June to August so it will depend on the territory. We are planning to update 1.9 in the EU/US first then in other asian territories afterwards."
"As for the 2.0 update, it will be sometime in the fall so we are looking for sometime then between September and October and also, it's the same, we will probably begin to update it in the EU/US and the Asian countries afterwards."
"As for the Aion performance in the Western market, I should have mentioned that the number of active users has declined since the launch of the retail package in September and October last year. But I'm also very confident that at this point EU/US is able to maintain the current level of active users and since we're expecting the 1.9 update soon, and also 2.0 in the third quarter."
"Probably we'll also be able to reactivate the dormant users, because we have a huge err...the amount of dormant users who are just waiting for the improvement in game design and game play, and also the new content. We will be able to provide those new changes with new content in 1.9 and 2.0 so we'll be focusing on reactivating those dormant accounts at this point. I regret that we are not able to provide any specific figures on our game operation."
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Aion Patch 1.9 New Zone Preview
New Aion 1.9 patch notes was up on the official Aion site, the note is very long so here we go.
Check Out Patch 1.9 Details.
Korean PTS: March 3rd Test Server Update Aion Patch 1.9 Announcement
In our ongoing effort to share information on a global level, I would like to share the Korea PTS patch notes for 1.9 that were recently announced. Please note that these patch notes are for the Korean PTS 1.9 patch, and is not representative of the final 1.9 patch to be published in the West. Names, locations and features are all subject to change depending on the live Korean build and territory needs. As of now there is no announced date for when this update will available for NCsoft West. However, we are actively working on the localization process and hope to bring you the 1.9 patch contents as soon as we can.
Thanks,
-Chris ‘Kinslon’ Hager
Content
Aion Quest Guide: Fragment of Memory (Elyos)
Here is a quick guide for the Elyos campaign quest Fragment of Memory. I had a lot of trouble when I first attempted this quest at level 27ish on my Elyos Assassin, the quest itself isn’t hard, no killing require, the hard part is to actually find the NPC Lugbug in Reshanta.
To begin this quest you must first be at least level 26, once level 26 teleport to Reshanta(Abyss) Teminon Fortress(Elyos home base) and speak to Michalis to begin this quest. Michalis wants you to meet with Pernos in Poeta, then you must go to Reshanta and find Lugbug.
Before you actually go to Reshanta DO NOT FORGET to get a Temporal Stone which is required later to complete the quest, get the stone now so you don’t have to make an extra trip after. To acquire the Temporal Stone you can either craft it yourself with Alchemy 199 and above, or you can purchase it from other players usually there are lots on the Trade Broker under the Other section.
Once you have a Temporal Stone, go back to Reshanta and find Lunbug. Lugbug is located in the middle of Lower Reshanta(Abyss), he is on a small island, and is literary in the middle of the map below the core. The core itself isn’t shown on the lower Abyss map, but you must think 3D, there is Upper Abyss, Core, then Lower Abyss. To reach this island you must fly there, but at level 26 you probably won’t have enough fly time to get there. So you must glide, gliding prolongs the amount of fly time you have. If your familiar with gliding in no fly zone then fly-gliding is pretty much the same, all you have to do is fly up like you would normally do, then push space bar to glide, to go back to fly mode just push space bar again. Even with gliding at level 26 you’ll probably run out of flight time so keep a few regular fly serum with you to recharge your fly time as needed, it beats dying and losing exp.
Here is a map that will show you where to start gliding, and where to the Lugbug island is located on the map (Click Image to Enlarge).
Also keep in mind that Abyss is an open pvp zone, and both Elyos/Asmodian has to speak to Lugbug to complete their campaign quest so beware of Asmodians.
To complete this quest once you’re on the island speak to Lugbug, he wants you to activate “Artifact of the Inception” with your Temploral Stone, then speak to Lugbug again for your rewards.That’s all for this Aion quest guide Fragment of Memory for the Elyos.
Aion Quest Guide: Looking for Leibo (Asmodian)
Aion Quest Guide: Here is a quick guide for the Asmodian campaign quest Looking for Leibo. I had a lot of treble when I first attempted this quest at level 27ish on my Asmodian Assassin, the quest itself isn’t hard, no killing require, the hard part is to actually find the NPC Lugbug.
To begin this quest you must first be at least level 26, once level 26 teleport to Reshanta(Abyss) Primum Fortress and speak to Scoda to begin this quest. Scoda wants you to meet with Munin in Ishalgen, and Munin wants you to go to Pandaemonium and speak to Kasir, then Lyeanenerk.
Now you must go back to Reshanta and find Lugbug, but before you actually go to Reshanta DO NOT FORGET to get a Temporal Stone which is required later to complete the quest, get the stone now so you don’t have to make an extra trip later. To acquire the Temporal Stone you can either craft it yourself with Alchemy 199 and above, or you can purchase it from other players usually there are lots on the Trade Broker under the Other section.
Once you have a Temporal Stone, you must go back to Reshanta and find Lunbug. Lugbug is located in the middle of Lower Reshanta(Abyss), he is on a small island, and is literary located in the middle of the map below the core. The core itself isn’t shown on the lower Abyss map, but you must think 3D, there is Upper Abyss, Core, then Lower Abyss. To reach this island you must fly there, but at level 26 you probably won’t have enough fly time to get there. So you must glide, gliding prolongs the amount of fly time you have. If your familiar with gliding in no fly zone then fly-gliding is pretty much the same, all you have to do is fly up like you would normally do, then push space bar to glide, to go back to fly mode just push space bar again. Even with gliding at level 26 you’ll probably run out of flight time so keep a few regular fly serums with you to recharge your fly time as needed, it beats dying and losing exp.
Here is a map that will show you where to start gliding, and where to the Lugbug island is located on the map.
Also keep in mind that Abyss is an open pvp zone, and both Elyos/Asmodian has to speak to Lugbug to complete their campaign quest so beware of Elyos.
To complete this quest once you’re on the island speak to Lugbug, he wants you to activate “Artifact of the Inception” with your Temploral Stone, then speak to Lugbug again, and go back to Scoda to get your rewards.
That’s all for this Aion quest guide Looking for Leibo.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Aion Aether Extraction Guide
Some great tips about how to extract Aether in Aion----important materials in aion crafting system.
Aion Aether Extraction Guide
1. If you decide to start Aether Collection, make sure you've kicked your character's level up a notch to avoid unnecessary EXP losses and reduce the risk of huge costs for regaining experience through a healer.
Aion Aether Extraction Guide
2. Don't panic when the flight starts falling down. You have to stop freaking out over death, take the bull by the horns and rectify any situation.
Aion Aether Extraction Guide
3. Never press the Space key right after the crash of flight occurs. A decision like this will be a nail in your coffin. 99 percent of all deaths in flight crash are due to you spiral out of control and frantically hit the Space key immediately.
The right way to handle this situation is to press the Space key when the flight is 10 meters above the ground or any other buildings and the flight will slide right through the sky. Given sliding height like this, the worst situation is you get hurt instead of going to die.
Aion Aether Extraction Guide
4. If you are unaware of the flying height or make wrong judgment about it , hit the Space key quickly to make the flight slide through the sky second time. This remedy measure will only work when the flight is still flying at high altitude. Here are two examples. The flight can slide second time if you are collecting 100P Aether. It is impossible for the flight slides second time when you are collecting 50P Aether in the Verteron realm
Aion Aether Extraction Guide
5. A boost to the proficiency in Aether Collection will speed collecting progress. When you are collecting low level Aether, you will easily fulfill the collection 5 times within the limited flying time without using any portion or being equipped with gear that will extend the flying time.
Aion Aether Extraction Guide
6. Every life skill in AION includes a celebration gesture. When your character repeats this gesture on the ground to celebrate a victory in collection, it does no harm to you other than making your feel deadly boring. It will mean live or death when you are collecting Aether in the sky.
So, when you are flying high and collecting Aether, hit the A, or S or Q key to terminate this celebration gesture once you hear the sound of Ding. At the same time you have to right click or double click Aether to continue your collection. The mastery of this skill will help realize continual collection without being interrupted.
This skill can be applied to collecting Aether on the ground either.
Aion Aether Extraction Guide
7. Aether will spawn every 4 minutes. During this period, you can take a break from a collection fever and doing whatever you want to get relaxed. Do remember log back to the game after 4 minutes.
Last but not least, there are two reasons for learning AETHER collection. One is to make preparation for party PVP and the second is to earn money.
Aether is widely used in crafting. Especially when you are crafting green or blue items, you are going to need special Aether with high purity. These kinds of Aether are rare, expensive and a money black hole.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Aion Assassin PVP Guide
I think assassin is one the best pvp class in Aion. Here I want to provide some tips about assassin pvp problem. I’m not talking about the operation skills, coz I was not good at this myself. But I think some other factors are also very important. Ok! The following is my collection
1.How to choose Godstone (what's Godstone?)
We know God stone has many awesome special effects, such as Daze, Paralysis, Blind, etc.
Proper choice of Godstone is essential in pvp. Each weapon can equip only one Godstone.
My collocation of godstone:
1 Aegir's Eye Beam + Suthran's Threat
Aegir's Eye Beam
Imbues a weapon with the ability to blind the target for 8 seconds with 5% probability. Equip by visiting a Godstone Enchanter NPC.
Suthran's Threat
Imbues a weapon with the ability to paralyze the target for 5 seconds with 2% probability. Equip by visiting a Godstone Enchanter NPC.
2. Godstone: Suthran's Threat+ Godstone: Suthran's Threat
3.Other recommended God stone: Daze stone; magic fire smash
Tips: there are other Godstones also have bilnd and paralyze effects, I didn’t list all the items. you can also find your own collocation.
When your enemy is blind or paralyzed, you can realize the power of God stone.
2.(KEY) How to choose Stigma stone What is Stigma System?
Sealed within each Stigma Stone is a powerful skill that makes a significant addition to your character's aresenal. While some of these stones are readily available, others can be very rare and therefore prestigious. Stigma Stones can be equipped on your character through the Stigma panel. The number of Stigma Stones you can equip depends on the level of your character.
Level 20: 2 Stigma Slots
Level 30: 3 Stigma Slots
Level 40: 4 Stigma Slots
Here I will talk about how a lvl 40+ assassin choose the Stigma stone
Assassin’s Stigma Skills
• Convenant of Speed I :(lvl20): Self-buff. Increases movement speed by 20% for 30 seconds. 120 second cooldown.
• Convenant of Evasion I :(lvl20): Evades magical attacks twice for a period of time.
• Apply Poison I :(lvl28): Applies poison to weapons. For 120 seconds gives a 2% chance of causing faint to enemies. Consumes 2 Skolopen's poison.
• Smoke Bomb I :(lvl37): Blinds enemies within 15m for 15~25 seconds. 600 second cooldown.
• Ranged Seal II :(lvl40): Deals 55~59 damage to a target within 10m and carves a seal to the 3rd degree. (Lower level of skill available at lvl 34)
• Linked Seal V :(lvl 41): Deals 56~60 physical damage and carves a seal to the 3rd degree. (Lower levels of skill available at lvls 20, 25, 31, 37)
• Sneak Attack IV :(lvl43): Moves behind an enemy within 20m and deals physical damage. Has a chance of causing target to faint. Exact damage numbers unknown. (Lower levels of skill available at lvls 25,31,37)
• Throw Blade I :(lvl44): Deals 582~586 physical damage to a target in an aerial shackle state wtihin 20m.
• Seal Explosion of Light I :(lvl45 Elyos): Causes the seal on a target within 20m to explode, dealing damage and putting target in a fainted state.
• Seal Explosion of Darkness I :(lvl45 Asmo): Causes the seal on a target within 20m to explode, dealing damage and returning a part of the damage as HP. 3600 second cooldown.
The best choice:
1. Sneak Attack(MUST)
2. Convenant of Speed(MUST)
3. Convenant of Evasion(MUST)
And the last one I have two choices: Throw Blade for high attack(PVP), Smoke Bomb for pve and instance (to save you and your team),
And we will have higher stigma skills(I will write about this next time)
4. weapons choice
I’d like to say it depends on your own.
Double daggers : high att-speed, but low normal attack and skill attack
Double sword: low att-speed but high normal and skill attack
Dagger+Sword: mediocre way
5. personal tps:
1. enough supply. Don’t try to save money. You should remember that medicine means survival .
2. we are assassin, we love sneak attack and we run away at the best time.
OK! I hope all assassins can enjoy aion pvp in the Abyss.
