Hello from Aion (Coming from XI/WoW)!
Posted in Other Games on September 29, 2009 
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Aion’s METALLIC Game Box!
What?!
When I told people FFXI was my last MMO, I really mean it… “at that moment”. However, as more MMO came out, I was more than tempted to try. I went to try WoW, ended up taking it to Lv80, gank in Ulduar (I stopped after Ulduar, so no idea about Trial of the Crusader), but Aion’s buzz got me into just buying the game and really give it peek.
I went to EB, pay an extra 10 dollar versus online for an actual pretty-nice metal case of the game :) I really liked the case, not some paper-based boxes. I’m sure everything inside cost more than 10 bucks, so yea, I think the extra 10 was worth it.
Regarding collector’s edition, I’m not really sure if you want to RMT a flapping wing. That’s what you get :D A pair of wings, which you’ll get anyway when you’re Lv10.
Aion’s Character Selection!
First Impression
Installing, and looking at the art was quite amazing. I was pretty pleased with a 500MB update after the DVD installation, which took roughly 40min. I’m glad they download it as one package (not like FFXI, separate file) via BT, extract and install those file individually. I haven’t had time to look at the file system, but I did see individual file installed, not sure if its packed up like MPQ system in WoW, or a modular system like FFXI.
The account creation was nice. They used something similar to WoW system. Web-based registration, then in-game based login. There is also a NCSoft Launcher, which is optional to run. It’s kinda like the WoW launcher, serving you information. However, I see it as promoting their other games too =) Anyawy! So far so good!
Gameplay Experience
Now it really depends on where you’re coming from. For a ton of people who got tired of FFXI, and move directly from FFXI to Aion (such as Sumny, Jowah), they are really excited about a real UI comparing to FFXI (at least it seems like it), the amazing graphics, and just about anything in Aion. There is just one thing I can see, everything is completely new to them. An Abyss to PvP, flying in-game, personalization of your toon, class customization, customization of Action Bars, hell even the powerful macro system.
Now I’ll tell you mines!
Aion’s Character Creation!
I installed, and without even reading the Manual, I launched the game. WoW-style login screen, log right into char creation, then it loads Aion. Character creation is worthwhile to go over though!
Before you read on, play this! Aion’s Character Creation music!
[audio:http://www.staronion.com/maiev/download/Kingdom%20of%20Light.mp3]
You started with a preset. Now, there are a ton of choices. You have roughly 30 preset hairstyle, after you’ve picked, you can adjust a TON of parameters.
Now that you’re done with your face, you will be zoom-ed out and can customize your body. I did try to configure a… Lalafella, but you can’t do a fat waist :( with a skinny body top. But you can create some of the nicest character. If you spend enough time, I’m pretty sure you can even resemble yourself, if not it should be pretty close.
I had a lot of fun with the Character creation, which is what lot of people like anyway :D It’s really, nothing like F5B Taru customization. LOL :D Okay, time to run the game.
Aion’s graphics was shit to begin with, I thought it was my system. Well no, it doesn’t pre-configure your system or auto-detect. Adjust everything to high with a 3GHz HT (single core) with a 256MB X800, raid 0 raptors and 2GB DDR RAM, I manage to be able to play it on a 1920×1200 24″ screen with slight lag. Now common, coming from FFXI, I’m pretty sure Lag is Okay…! We used to have 30fps or less, so 35 in Aion was totally acceptable (but a lot of people won’t accept it!).
Pretty [awesome] [newbie tutorial], although I don’t read it at all. Oh its voice narrated and animated.
Oh, here’s your equipment and inventory box in Aion. AND RMT MESSAGE! LOL (This was taken from initial release date).
Aion’s Questing NPC!
I see a little arrow on a person, figure its an NPC from my WoW experience. Went to talk. Of course, real-human narrated voice saying “Good Morning” :D clicking through it, please slain some mobs. Usual habit of WoW, I like to browse around and of course it has to close the quest box. I wasn’t moving my XYZ, just moving camera (which again, same as WoW, right click hold to move around) and it disengage my NPC talk. That was terribly annoying but I’m sure they will patch it.
I walk towards a mob with WASD, pretty standard. See my action bar spell labeled with 1 2 3 4 5, figured its like WoW, press to cast. Target it with a MOUSE (ZOMG!) and press. Oww it fires. I started as a Mage. So you get.
- Attack/Bitch Slap with a Book (Mage = Scholar look in XI)
- Fire Ball
- Bind/Root
- Loot All
- Forgot/Useless
On your “Action Bar”. Of course you’d figure it out later that maybe u should Fire first then Bind, part of a learning curve of course. You see that there is no global cooldown for all actions so if u want, you can blast and bind. (Or Keyboard smash).
Mob dies in 2 blast, cool! Right click for loot, instinct and of course, it worked. Pretty familiar to WoW, you get a loot box, with a “Loot All” button. Exp/Messages appear on bottom left saying how much Exp you got. Of course, you also get RMT tells.
Mini maps are similar to WoW, you can distinguish NPC from PC, and you can adjust your map to rotate with you, or static location. You kill a few mobs, drink for HP regen. You get the idea. It’s the same quest and kill system in WoW.
A Larger Town in Aion!
Quest givers leads to you other larger town, where you can make purchases and buy stuff (Which, from a FFXI person, much more easier to follow/play). Not too surprisingly, even the item are categorized. Greyed out item are worthless (usually with no description), and can NPC. So you wouldn’t do the same thing in FFXI, where I started off NPCing stacks of Silk Thread (lol) for gil. You would already get “Inscriptions” type stuff in Aion, call Gem and Socket. You can enhance a piece of your equipment conveniently by using the “Gem” onto a piece of your equipment.
I walked by a plant, right click and next thing is… you are a Herbalist. Again, same stuff as WoW. But again, with the pretty graphics :D.
I kept on doing quest for a bit, and I realize… man, this is “just like another MMO”. Difference is, this is WoW v2.0, with BETTER graphics and of course, with a new Toon.
Aion’s Mage Trainer!
Where you coming from Matters.
Depending on which game you play before this, you would get a totally different perspective of Aion.
- If you were a bored FFXI or a quit FFXI long time ago, haven’t play WoW, you would find Aion very new, interesting.
- If you were bored from FFXI, play WoW inbetween and now hoping to Aion, you would find it not too interesting, since it’s exactly WoW, but with a new theme/skin. It would be “just another MMORPG”. Might not necessary like it, but might not necessary hate it.
- If you were a new MMO player and started Aion, you would find it very new, interesting.
- If you play WoW, got bored and go into Aion, you would also find it not too interesting, despite a new skin/theme. You’d still play it though simply because.. WoW’s so watered down from the recent badge changes, so many old-content was burned by the Trial of the Crusader. Though I like Exping in Battleground.
Sorry, no swimming in Aion!
Now lets look deeper into Aion.
Aion.. you can’t swim =P You lose health in water. There is no swim motion like the ones in WoW. You actually run in water :D lol. It looks pretty funny but basically swim don’t exist.
At Lv9/10, you get your Ascension quest, to get your Wings. Well no, you can’t fly anywhere. Obviously you have restricted airspace as well, so you will be gliding. But air is one of the big things in Aion, and there will be Aerial combat. It is definitely something new.
Class specification is kinda like, merits. You can’t really be good in just about everything. You got to pick between being a half ass/hybrid by putting talent/merit points in just about every category, or focusing your talent points in one category, which they refer to class specification.
You’d start to discover the TP system in Aion (and of course, its not call TP). Same as FFXI but this one is… there is no zone =P So you can keep your TP to execute some WS. (Got to make this clear, I was told by Istari, who is actually playing Aion)
Learning new spells is just like WoW and FFXI, you buy a scroll and read it. Of course, there are spells you gain from class specification (hence, you can’t buy).
Of course while you fight/auto attack, you get very sparky and shadowy graphics. Every swing is so epic, it feels like a Relic. Graphics in this game is simply amazing, but if you’re coming from WoW, it’d just be a graphics upgrade.
The Stronghold in Abyss – Aion Online!
The Abyss
Now without being at Lv20/25 (forgot exact number), I wouldn’t be able to really experience the Abyss, perhaps the most interesting part of Aion (well, depends on how you look at it!). If you come from FFXI, this would be mind blowing! As a WoW player, not really. We got that long ago with the Vehicle system. You hop into a F18, you are now a figher pilot (just an example). Aion is wings built-in :D
Yes, PvP while you level. While some like it, some hate it since they can never get anything done. But to compensate for that type of inconvenience, the monster inside the Abyss slight give more experience points!
The designer Aion created “Fortress“, similar to Besiege in FFXI, but with the PvP. You can raid a fortress once every few hours, but by gaining control, you get access to specific PvE dungeons (eg. gain access to Dragon’s Aery), lower taxes, teleportaion. Basically, life easier with it. Therefore, every few hours, there will be a gank feast.
Imagine you and your guildmates gather up, and wanted to goto Dragon’s Aery. Oh shit the other faction have control. Now either you sit there do nothing hoping it goes back to your side (which it might not), or PvP for the access to go into the dungeon. There goes a night. Also, some factions tend to have all the shitty players. If the other faction can never win, you can never enter Dragon’s Aery, which is equally annoying to not getting claim for a week.
You can read more about Abyss here. (Yea, Abyss is like 80% of Aion)
Final Word
Aion’s Talent Point System!
I try to be as non-bias as possible, but I am bias in a certain aspect. However, this is not a review, but simply what I feel like about Aion on Mai blog. I do have to say, my mindset was already set to “not play Aion”, not because its a shitty game, but because I just got to EXP in Real-Life instead. It’s a great game, but I’m using this break between FFXi and FFXIV to get some real life accomplishment.
Shitty graphics might play a role, but I am a very game-play person. I play DotA because the gameplay is fun (shitty graphics). Same goes for FFXI and WoW. Fun goes down when it starts to be repetitive.
But I do have to say, a lot of Asian-based MMO are all grind feast. It’s the same leveling/grinding system that you seen in any other MMO. Me being tired of grinding, I naturally already dislike Aion. However, I do believe a lot of people out there don’t mind it. It gives them time to learn about the game, as well as a way to burn time.
However, I do see it that if you are coming from WoW, you would find it very repetitive. If you hate repetitive and grinding, then I truly think Aion isn’t worth your 50 bucks to even try. Coming from XI, you’d find it interesting. Everything considered, I still enjoy FFXI. I just wish it had better graphics lol.
Anyway, I know I haven’t covered many other game mechanics. Feel free to drop what you feel about Aion in comment. Everyone will have a different perspective, and the above writing is simply my perspective of Aion. :)
17 Responses to “Hello from Aion (Coming from XI/WoW)!”
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Oh wow aion o___o..people were telling me about it >:…every mmorg is tempting me really!..oy oy oy.
omg. D: You are going to update your computer before FFXIV…. right!?! o.o
@Calaera
Yea lol… this rig is like really old, 2003 Decemnber :D but i never felt the need to upgrade, cuz u and i know, ffxi hates PC hardware
i plan to upgrade next year, with Diablo 3, Starcraft II and … FFXIV
Pair some SSD together, oh jesus that thing would be blazing fast XD XD
Seriously, before saying Aion is a grind game you should have played it more :\
I’m into lvl 23 and i haven’t done a single EXP grind session yet.
@Jowah
Well, if getting quest, slaying stuff then coming back to get numerical exp points, I still see it as a grind. A quest IMO is just a mask to grinding.
Again, I think it really depends where you’re coming from. When I started WoW, I didn’t think it’s a Grind killing exp mob for numerical exp points. I mean some are nice, delivering juice for exp, or escort for exp, but the underlying system still involves experience points, and whenever I see quest that involves killing, I already see it as.. “another grind quest”.
Unless you can exp from PvPing, which now WoW provides, now that’s a different type of “grind” :D
The feel I got from Aion is already too strong at lv8 in some anonymous server, I can’t really take it. I have a few more days but… I can’t force myself to login. I’m just soo immune to grinding/exp type MMO i guess.
FFXIV made it different, no NUMBER EXP. Though Guildleve is really just a mask to say “Quest/Raid/Mission”. At least the numerical part is gone :D
You get very little exp when you kill 1 opponent in Aion but they gives you A FUCKTON of Abyss points, which you use to get insanely good gear. (There’s a pair of shoes that are aion gaiters, yay speed :p)
If Aion xp is grind…what is XI one?
Killing the exact same mobs for 75 lvls (now it’s even worse due lvl synch) then you have to whore merits and shit…
Abyss points = Honor Points in WoW Classic. Gets you pretty good gear. The idea is same.
However, PvP in Aion isn’t in a controlled environment and could be unfair. WoW created Arena to make PvP in a fair environment, which rewards you Arena points for a FUCKTON of good gear, mounts (wings), and even a title for being the 0.5 top percentile for PvPing.
Exp in Aion is Grind, FFXI is Grind, hence I kinda stay away from leveling anymore jobs. I level Blue Mage with Tazo RL friend, and I Parry Skillup my Sam to 75. I just hate grinding. :/ I can’t tell myself to Grind a 3rd game.
See I wasn’t that far off! FFXI -> Aion, you’d find it interesting! XD
I can’t really get it. Real grind is…go try Ragnarok Online or the majority of MMOs.
Or have you played Lineage II? THAT’S GRINDING, not Aion.
PVP in Aion IS fair. You dont get any shit of AP if you are uber max rank and go kill a low lvl character, but only if you go for a kill of a person of higher/same pvp rank.
Well, my limit of Grind ended with WoW after FFXI. I had my grind in some of the parry skillup =)
I guess everyone’s definition of grinding and their tolerance is different. You can obviously take more grinding after FFXI. I can’t XD
I play Lineage, not the II, and that was a heart attack for me XD, to have a % pop an item out upon death LOL.
PvP in Aion could be more fair. What if 2 Same Rank people meet an opponent soloing (by himself) same Rank. For the sake of discussion, lets say everyone on the field is worth 100 point each (all same Rank), same PLAYER SKILL but we all know, 2 person will most likely beat a person up. So same level, same rank. But how is that fair?
So the opponent dies. Err… 50 point each? =) Still same rank same level :D The same problem also exists in WoW. They have diminishing return exponentially, still didn’t solve problem, so eventually they invented Arena points for the bestest item, and leave Abyss/Honor points for the okay PvP items.
You could also be “exping” killing a mob with half HP when someone come kill you. You could be equally balanced in skill and rank, but not environment. He was handicap So each get 50? or 25? Is there diminishing return? From what I read, points are equally distributed to their opponent. Well 2v1 isn’t that fair, just because he wasn’t lucky and bump into you in the field.
My previous post refer to “Controlled Environment”. An arena in WoW is a place where:
1. Everyone who engage in combat is 100% in it for PvP. (Hence, not killing an exp mob, 98%hp)
2. They are all equipped for PvP (you could wear damage gear, vs HP gear for pure PvP).
3. No outside interference (hence an EXTRA person come in to aid).
4. Landscape is symmetrical.
5. Gay item such as instant potion, elixirs, cracks and steam pack are disabled. So it is not a money/gil fight, to see who have the most elixirs.
So no, world PvP could be unfair. :D
If you go to abys you can’t complain if you getting ganked. You go to abyss FOR PVP and nothing else. If you are not prepared, QQ person, or hate pvp then just don’t go. Not getting killed in your own region on the other hand can be very easy since all NPCs are friendly (and usually high lvl) who can kill the intruder.
And yes, you will need to get proper pvp gear.
Items are instant use, but there is a huge delay for a second use (items of same kind share the same delay slot -if you use a low tier HP pot you can’t huse an higher tier right after-
I read the post again and…special ed wings you get at lvl 10? Wut? Not really, the wings you have are lvl30 ones. Which have to be equipped. At 30, 40, 50 you have a wing upgrade.
Then again i read Aion has TP…wut? I think i’ve missed that.
The original version of Aion. ;3
In all honesty, I haven’t seen anything terribly new and innovative about Aion that’s made me want to say “OMG, I need to play that *NOW*.” Everything I’ve seen or read about it (aside from Maiev’s “review” here), I can pretty much equate to things that currently exist in WoW at the moment. Granted, the one thing I’ve heard people absolutely rave about is the character creation interface, but that’s not really a selling point to drop 50 bucks plus another monthly fee on a game that’s pretty much the same as one I’m already playing.
Thought I’d donate my 2cents here. I played for a few months now on one of the Asian servers. Maiev has a point, it really depends on where we’re coming from. Aion isn’t a bad game. It’s just not as “next-gen” as I’d hope it to be. I waited for a very long time even since the first trailer; and hoped for something new besides everything out there. FFXI and WoW’s depth is unmatched in the MMO arena, honestly. While it’s not really fair to compare the two with AION, they’re a good benchmark as far as playability and fun.
MMO world has changed, and a lot of us are getting older/have RL stuff to do/have back pain etc…
AION is not bad for passing time for people(like me) who loved seeing stunning graphics and flexible game play style. But, after a few months of game play, I see tons of adjustments need to be made to take the game forward. When you step into 35+, you will start feeling more grind and more unfairness in the PVP system. It’s neither bad or good, just the system and game play design. So I’d say enjoy it when you have the extra bucks and time, it’s not bad. Just below my expectations; and that’s a very subjective thing, expectations.
@Jason
Thank you for your honest input. I have to say my lv6 assassin won’t really prove anything or deep enough to give a review, hence I kinda label it as a “thoughts about Aion”.
FFXI and WoW’s depth are yea, very well developed, but the graphics is what makes people determine if it’s a new or old game, which plays a big role in which MMO people play.
Although WoW kinda slide by the graphics contest by.. well WoW is a little cartoonish so it was kinda “okay” to keep it at that, but one thing is that WoW has really evolved over the years, from a PvP guard-farming ranking-based PvP to a more controlled PvP in both battleground and Arena.
All I can say is, give it a try. Everyone’s tolerance to grinding is different, and everyone’s enjoyment towards mmorpg in general are also different. I gave it a short try, I made an assumption early, but some stuff you really don’t need to play it full to understand it. Hence you see the edge of a building. I think its safe to assume jumping off is dangerous, you don’t have to goto the edge to find out.
Just Mai 2c
With collector�s edition wings at level 30 you get better looking wings that last 30~40 more seconds in flight time — which is pretty useful until you can actually afford 12mil wings.
Aion is awesome! Lvl 38 SM!
I am a level 36 SM on Triniel, and the game is not worth getting that into if you ask me.
I have determined I will wait for FF: XIV. Aion just leaves a lot to be desired. Fun for the initial go around, but once you get to higher levels, the heinous grind, rampant botting, RTMt, and non-functional abyss fort seiges are just not acceptable.
You love wow? GO PLAY RUNES OF MAGIC….its a total wow spin off…BUT w/ a duel class system. OH and ITS FREE>….unless you buy diamonds, which supports it continuin weekly updates…its an amazing game. AS FAR AS AION GOES…..I have been a WOW lover-ultimate fan for a long time…WRATH completely ruined wow, and the EMO words hurt me and make me bleed theme w/ most of teh players on both sides (horde and Gaylliance :) really makes me feel like im in a gd public school and have to watch how i act….BAH isn’t the whole point of playin games is to have fun and dick around? OH AND BTW>>>>WOW WASN”T A PERFECT GAME WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT>>>>>DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PATCHES/UPDATES/EXP. WOW HAS HAD? AND, IMO, WWWWWWWAAY TO MANY PATCHES to fix the balance that WOW can never seem to get right between and too many changes to actually really mess w/ the game. EVER HEARD THE TERM>>>SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE????OR YOU CAN RUIN A PAINTING BY ADDING TO MANY DETAILS??? well obviously blizzard has never heard any of those terms! Aion is a BRAND NEW>>>>and yes, americans are a bit more picky w/ our games, so the adjustments will happen. AND>>>>also, when people say “it needs this, or that” they always refer to something that THEY were familar and used to in WOW or other MMO….I can SOOOOO go on for days about AION’S pvp, but i will say one thing, AION isn’t based on SINGLE PLAYER VS PLAYER! ITS FAMOUS FOR GROUP PVP!
BASICALLY>>….ITS LIKE A MASSIVE GROUP GOIN TO A RAID BUT HAVING OPPOSITION FROM THE OTHER SIDE WHILE DOIN IT>>>>
You never have to worry about takin down a boss in an Instance in wow, and have to worry bout some Gaylliance crew commin to gank ya! BEFORE you start sayin WOW’s pvp IS BETTER….you better KNOW what kind of PVP your talkin about…..AND AS FOR YOU PRE-JUDGING THE GAME BY THE FIRST 6 LEVELS, is very ignorant imo. AION has gotten SOOOOO much better with EVERY LEVEL…..IM a 38 CLERIC on SIEL atm……and let me tell you, IM glad that all clerics have the same heals no matter what and that STONES or CHANTS or w/e don’t add + heals to shit….REASON???? NOW you can REALLY see who knows how to play a healer and not JUST get lucky leet heals by buying GOLD and gettin amazing gear/stats/stones and be very TERRIBAD and SLOW but can heal like a beast cause he’s soooo gear dependant….IN AION….let me tell you, You better know how to play your class. Ive seen so many HORRIBLE TRASH come from wow…but yet…in wow they were SOOOO AMAZING>….LOOK AT ME IN TEH ARMORY DUDE>>>>YA IM a MMO PRO—-lmao…then go run Fire Temple with us and can’t control AGGRO from DPS or GLADS AOE’in when CC’s in place…or SM’S GOING AFTER RANDOM MOB AGGIN everything in site. Im sorry….this game takes skill in PVP and PVE….RESIL. IS FOR PUS*Y’S! RESIL….DOESN”T measure skill….it just lets you resist/evade/block as a supplement to lack of skill……….SO…….COME ON…try to DEBATE ME>…i wll shut you DOWN MAIEV….I’m a MASTERDEBATER :O lmao ;)