Big Download:
The overall experience of the first 11 levels of Aion is one of entertaining tedium. It does not seem to want to do anything particularly exciting, and even restricts one of the major selling points, the flight, until you reach the zone known as the Abyss. You can glide in any zone, but this rarely offers any benefits other than a very brief speed boost. It is certainly not ground-breaking, and feels less like a revolutionary new MMO and more like a patchwork of good ideas. Much like the story, really. We did not get into the dedicated PvP sections, such as the Abyss, by the time of this article, and there's a lot of potential there.
This is not to say that it isn't fun, though. Aion is easily one of the most entertaining MMOs to come along in a while. It has excellent graphics, a functional (and eventually moddable) user interface, rock solid gameplay mechanics, top-notch writing in quests and dialog, and a world that feels like an homage to every mythology ever concocted. If you are looking for a change of setting from your standard western fantasy fare, but don't want to go too far out of your comfort zone in terms of gameplay, Aion is a must buy. For everyone else, it's worth a try, if just for the way that it manages to bring everything together so well.
AION 8.6 patch notes: Burning Blood Fortress, Aphsaranta season reset, new weapon progression, and the biggest endgame changes.
Aion 2 receives major updates in Korea with a new dungeon, Libra system, Abyss changes and progression improvements ahead of global release plans.
Aion 2 launches globally in 2025 with Unreal Engine 5, revamped combat, PvE focus, and a fresh take on the classic MMO experience.
