Aion Review

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MMORPG.com reviewer Sean Bulger turns his sights this week onto NCsoft's newest title, Aion.

While NCSoft's Aion is not actually based on the library of Milton, it would be difficult to say that the developers had not taken some inspiration from his classic works. When winged angelic beings clash, it is hard to not see these parallels. However, Aion actually weaves both a tale and a setting - far different than those we see in Paradise Lost - in which players can fight and explore.

Players create a character from one of two factions, the angelic Elyos - who live on the temperate and blessed half of a shattered world, or the black-winged Asmodians - who brave much harsher climates and have evolved to survive them. While each race might hold a stereotypical hero/villain appearance, neither fit these stereotypes. However, that doesn't mean that players won't be seeing plenty of combat between the two sides, and their true enemy, the NPC-controlled Balaur.

While the story is largely fluff, it does set the stage for Aion's main gameplay mechanic: PvPvE (Player vs. Player vs. Environment). While PvPvE largely focuses on faction-based PvP combat, it still manages to bring in plenty of PvE to add variety, and ensures that all playstyles will get some attention. However, despite its seamless and polished integration of both these systems, Aion still remains a conservative game.

To be straight-forward about it, outside of the flying system, Aion doesn't do anything that you haven't seen before if you're an MMO veteran, but what it does, it does well. 

Character Creation 

The first thing new players will experience with Aion is character creation. This is an area where the developers clearly paid plenty of attention. You aren't just presented with a few choices of heads, or even just a few sliders that slightly alter the way a character looks. Instead, you are presented with a gratuitous number of sliders that have a fairly dramatic effect. If you thought that Oblivion had a pretty impressive character creation system, then think again: Aion actually lets you create a very distinctive looking character, to the point that you can probably tell people apart purely on visuals without looking at their names. 

Given that there are only two races in the game - and technically both sides are only Human - visual diversity is a plus. If you're a fan of traditional fantasy races, you'll have no trouble creating anything that looks like say, a Halfling, an Elf, a Dwarf, or a character akin to an Ogre. 

Players begin with a choice of four classes that represent the normal archetypes you'd expect in an MMO: Warrior, Priest, Scout, and Mage. However, at level 10, each of these classes split off into different directions. Warriors can become Templars (tanks) or Gladiators (AoE-based melee DPS). Priests become Clerics (healers) or Chanters (buffers). Scouts become Rangers (Ranged DPS) or Assassins (single-target melee DPS). Mages become Sorcerers (ranged DPS and CC) or Spiritmasters (Pets).

The classes are all fairly distinct and bring something different to the table, and I can't say any of them felt useless either. While some may seem more powerful than others, the game is largely balanced around groups, and everyone seems to fit into a role pretty well. I can't say I could find any archetype that was noticeably missing either. If there's a class you like to play, you'll probably find it here. Although, once again, you won't find anything new to the genre here either. 

Visuals and Interface 

Visually, Aion is solid. Character models are well detailed and they certainly have a style to them, and - as suggested by character creation - there is plenty of variety. Armor is similarly well detailed and - provided you like the art style - you'll be pleased by how everything looks. Not only are the character models well done, but also the various mobs you'll find in the world also appear to be equally polished. 

The environments themselves can be quite spectacular. Aion definitely features a high fantasy setting with a very magical world, and there are plenty of unique and stunning places to explore. From giant cities, to lush forests, to snow-capped peaks, to great fortresses, and even the floating islands of the Abyss, it is all quite stylized and magical. Needless to say, the art direction pulls it off well. 

There is also an awful lot of variety in each of the large zones as well. While you might start in a snowy region, you will soon find yourself in a lush forest, then in a menacing swamp, then in a desert area, etc... It may not always seem realistic, but it does allow for a fair amount of variety in the places you'll be in, which is nice. 

However, the environments - while they look nice - do not seem to have nearly the amount of resolution and detail seen in the character models. This is a bit of a shame as occasionally you can run into a rather poor, bland looking place, which will seem very strange with a very nice looking character. It creates a disconnected feeling. 

Overall though, the game is a graphical treat, and easily one of the best looking MMOs on the market now. Given that I enjoy the art style, it appeals to me more than any other I've played.

Early Levels 1 - 10 and 11 - 25 

When playing Aion, I noticed that the feeling of gameplay changes depending on your level range. When players begin the game, their character is a Human - as in, they don't have wings, and they only have one of the four basic classes. This part of the game feels like a very generic MMO. There is absolutely nothing in it that will make this part of the game seem different than anything else on the market. However, it does serve as a good introduction to Aion, letting you explore the controls, and it feels comfortable, regardless if you have played any prior games.

 As you level, you will begin to gain some of the abilities of your basic class, learn some of the background of the world, run through quests, and bash some mobs. Eventually you will reach level 9, which gives you your Ascension Quest, that upon completion, will auto-level you to level 10. Here is where you gain your wings, your advanced class, and ascend to join the immortal Daevas! 

Gaining your advanced class can be a pretty big deal, too. For example, my main character was a Chanter. As a Priest, I was mostly using ranged spells as I leveled up as a Human. However, upon ascending and becoming a Chanter, I became less and less reliant on ranged spells, and far more reliant on melee abilities. A Cleric, on the other hand, would notice less of a change as they continued to focus on ranged magical attacks mixed in with their healing abilities. For a Cleric, it is a natural flow, but even for my Chanter, the change was gradual over a few levels as I gained new abilities. 

Even once you have your wings and your new class, Aion still pretty much plays like every other game. Glaringly, your flight is heavily restricted in most of the game. In fact, outside of the Abyss and a few key areas, you won't be able to fly at all.

However, you will be able to glide, which is a bit different. Gliding allows you to leap from high places (or on the tops of downward slopes) to ride air currents. This can speed up your travel significantly, and it can also be used strategically. For example, leaping from a high cliff to avoid being nuked by deadly mobs. As you glide to distant safety, the angry mobs will be stuck shaking their fists at you (well, they won't actually do that, but it creates a wonderful mental image!) 

During this period you'll also get pretty familiar with the combat system, too. Really, it is pretty standard MMO combat. The only catch is Aion puts a greater focus on skill chains than most games. That is, when you use one ability, it will unlock another ability, which might unlock another ability, etc... The further you go down a skill chain, the more powerful the abilities get, but if you need to use an ability outside of the chain, the chain will be broken and you'll need to start over again. 

During the earlier parts of the game, you won't notice much strategy in combat. However, as you go along, you gain more abilities, more chains, and there is a hint that eventually it'll get a bit more strategic, which ultimately it does. 

The Abyss - Levels 25+

 Before you hit level 25 and gain access to the Abyss, there are a few different ways you can experience PvP combat. However, that'll largely be in the Arena in your capital city - which, in my experience, rarely has people in it - or in duels. Around level 20, you'll get yourself into an area that can be invaded by the other side, and you can invade their lands by traveling through Rifts that open randomly in the world. However, even then, you still won't see much in the way of PvP, but you can find it if you look for it.

This drastically changes once you hit level 25. 

When I entered into the Abyss, it felt like I stepped into a different game. The classes were the same, the combat was the same, but the focus of it was entirely different. I could happily quest and attack NPCs in the Abyss - and get an awful lot more experience there doing so than I could in the rest of the world - but now there was one huge difference: there were members of the other faction around the world that could drop down upon me in an instant. 

The Abyss is an area between the two halves of the world that is shared by both sides. Both Asmodians and Elyos hunt and quest there, and most importantly, they battle over great fortresses. While the main focus of the Abyss is on faction-based PvP, and there is plenty of that going on at all times, the real highlight is besieging a Fortress. 

A fortress cannot come under siege at any random time. They only become vulnerable at certain periods of time - which might be a real pain if you can't play during the times they are vulnerable. However, it also means that when a Fortress is open to attack, everyone is there. We are talking battles of purely epic proportions, with hundreds of players on both sides partaking in the fight. 

The actual mechanics of the sieges are similar to Dark Age of Camelot, or Warhammer Online. You are presented with a castle and some doors to batter down with siege equipment. You then head inside to start battling with whoever is defending it - which can also be members of an NPC faction, the Balaur - and you work your way down to the raid-boss fortress guardian, below the surface of the castle. All the while, you'll need to fend off members of the opposing faction who are trying to stop you at any cost. 

Notably, there are a few interesting tweaks to this system. For one, you can purchase mobile bind stones for yourself, your group, or alliance - a gameplay element which gave me flashbacks to PlanetSide. These can be placed down by either attackers of defenders, but can also be destroyed by the enemy, creating another layer of strategy. Also, you cannot fly into the fortresses without destroying what is, effectively, a force field generator inside the castle. Finally, there are artifacts near fortresses that, if captured, can provide powerful bonuses to whatever side did the capturing - including triggering large AoE spells which can exterminate enemy forces.

PvP seems to be rather well balanced. All of the servers have fairly even populations between the two sides, thanks to NCSoft prioritizing the issue. (This created a major headache for people attempting to get onto certain servers at launch.) Some classes are noticeably weak in 1-vs-1 PvP, but there isn't much of that in the Abyss anyway, and all classes seem to be well balanced for group-based PvP. Oh, and yes, you can fly anywhere in the Abyss, and yes, it does create a 3D battlefield. Staying far above your prey can allow for easy ambushes, and spreading your wings can make for fast escapes, and easier kiting. There is no question in my mind that Aion is very much focused on creating fun PvP.

 However, if PvP isn't your thing, you can actually skip it. You don't have to go into the Abyss, and even if you do, you can try your best to avoid other players, or to just run instances. 

Crafting

 Outside of combat and PvPvE, Aion provides you with the other standard gameplay system found in most MMOs: crafting. Crafting is a very straight forward affair in Aion. You have a recipe, you get the materials you need for the recipe, and you click "Craft". Or rather, you gather enough to make multiple versions of an item and click 'Craft All' which automatically queues up everything for you. There's nothing special about it, but it does work. However, I warn all future crafters: you'll take some serious losses while crafting. I've known people to make money with alchemy, but beyond that, unless you're very clever, crafting will be more of a time and money sink than a way to pay the bills.

Polish and Service 

Aion is probably one of the most polished freshly-released MMOs I've ever seen - not surprising, given that it actually was released a year ago in Korean and China - but it does mean that the game is stable, fairly well balanced, and it contains plenty of content. It may not do an awful lot new, but what it does, it does very well.

That said, it isn't a perfect romp either. While my issues with the game are largely limited, the ones I have are actually directed more toward NCSoft, than Aion itself. It seems like customer support in the game is pretty awful. When I get stuck in the world, the last thing I want to see when submitting a ticket is "Average Wait Time: 4 Hours and 14 Minutes" - not to mention the gold spam in Aion is downright horrific, making some public channels next to unusable. Let us not even talk about how painful the first few days of launch were, with locked down servers and giant queues... but, that has since gone away, so I can't really hold it against the game now. 

I have to figure that in, as it is part of the quality of the game. Yet, it is an unfortunate blemish on what is otherwise a very solid, very enjoyable MMO experience. So, even with that said, I am still more than willing to recommend it.

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