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Book of the Asmodians

Knite — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:45:04

Prologue:

It wasn't always like this. The world, Atreia, had one side, not two, and we were all brothers. We looked the same, we had the same ideals, and we shared a common purpose: to protect the Tower of Eternity. When they failed, they destroyed everything. Our world and our people ripped into two divided halves.

This half of the world is Asmodae, the Asmodian home. After the Cataclysm, we adapted and survived to live in the darkness and to face the unknowns that now lived in that darkness. Every day we learned from our new environment, and this land opened our eyes to new possibilities, giving us unwavering strength to rebuild. We have achieved much, though what we learned we did through hard-won experience. It isn't every day you are given the opportunity to start over, to right your wrongs.

My name is Kineas, and I am a Daeva, an Asmodian created during the great struggle against the Balaur. My people have done whatever we had to in order to secure our rightful place in Atreia, and we will do whatever we need to in order to protect what is rightfully ours. If the Elyos crave war, then war they shall have. The time for peace is gone, and retribution is now our only recourse.

It is my duty to set the record straight. I have written this diary to recount what led to our current situation, so that whoever reads it understands who is responsible.
Read on, and learn what it is to be Asmodian!

Chapter 1: Unity

Before my time, Atreia was full of green lands and bountiful pastures. It was a world in which the ancient humans prospered and lived happily with their families. There were no Elyos or Asmodians, just one united human race. Atreia was one, was whole. There was no divide, not between our worlds, nor among our people.

By all accounts, our ancestors were content while countless years passed. The ancients were bafflingly blithe about their good fortune and did not celebrate the paradise that they lived in. Perhaps they took their lot for granted. Only through the benefit of hindsight do we really understand those treasures that we once had. Perhaps even the wasteland that we now call home is a paradise compared to some other land, though I find it difficult to imagine a place more trying than this.

The glory of ancient Atreia was fleeting. Little did our ancestors imagine the sleeping horror that would soon bare its vicious teeth and attack.

Chapter 2: An Ungodly Creation

The slumbering horrors, the nightmares I spoke of, were the Drakan. Aion created the Drakan to rule the world. They were terrifying to behold. Our people's makeshift weapons were useless against their toughened hides. Worse still, they could spread their wings and take to the skies at a moment's notice, rendering our meager defenses ineffective in a heartbeat. Our people learned to hide from them in order to survive, for without a natural predator to challenge them, the number of Drakan and their confidence grew.

The Drakan's desire for power was insatiable. Entire species withered and died under their fury. They left little in their wake but charred and ruined lands. Worse, they were not only power-hungry and rapacious, they were cunning. After seeing the warlike tendencies of the Krall and the Mau, the Drakan did not destroy those races, but subjugated their remaining numbers, saving them only after they had sworn eternal allegiance to the Drakan.

Around the time of that subjugation, some Drakan underwent a transformation: They grew larger, stronger, and more intelligent than their peers. The first of these creatures, the five largest and most powerful, took command of the rest, becoming the Dragon Lords.

These five Dragon Lords quickly reorganized their forces, established military ranks throughout their society, and renamed their people "the Balaur." They attacked with renewed vigor, devastating the few remaining groups who dared resist.

Still they were not satisfied, and in seeking more powerful opponents, they turned their attention to their creator and demanded the same powers that Aion wielded. When the god refused, the Balaur, blinded with rage and driven by greed, turned on him, and gathered their forces for an attack on the great Tower of Eternity.

Chapter 3: The Millennium War

In retaliation for the disobedience of his Balaur subjects, Aion created the twelve Empyrean Lords by imbuing humans with his own Aetheric energy. These twelve possessed beauty and strength far beyond anything seen before in Atreia, and thanks to their Aether-induced powers, they could take flight like the Balaur. Aion rewarded our faith and our devotion to Atreia: The Empyrean Lords were lifted up from among our number to save our world.

The inevitable battle between the Balaur and the Empyrean Lords and their cohorts soon drew out into a long and bloody war. The forces of the Empyrean Lords found sanctuary near the Tower of Eternity, inside the Aetheric Field that Aion created for us. However, the Field was small, and the land outside its boundaries remained under Balaur control.

The Balaur now drew their power from some source beyond Atreia that we could not comprehend, and Aion's Aether weakened them. Outside the Aetheric Field, however, the Empyrean Lords were vulnerable. Once the Balaur realized this, they lined up innocent creatures just outside its boundary and butchered them in an attempt to lure our Lords outside. These depraved actions only solidified our hatred for them.
This era was the time known as the Millennium War, a time in which humans prospered once again under the protective wings of our Empyrean Lords. I was born during the Millennium War. While I grew into a young man, I discovered that Aether responded to me, and I to it, and soon the Daevas noticed my talents. These Daevas were human at birth, but they possessed an innate ability to manipulate the Aether, just as the Empyrean Lords did. I became a Daeva and was ushered into their ranks. They mentored me.

Slowly I learned to master Daevic abilities. While I could only chill the air around me at first, within months I could freeze opponents in place and summon balls of fire to engulf the Balaur. I was revered like a god, and those who had once held me close now placed me on a mighty pedestal. The fact that I, the son of a simple farmer, could cause suffering to the Balaur was intoxicating. This ability was a blessing from Aion that I could never hope to repay.

Soon the number of Daevas swelled enough for our Empyrean Lords to mobilize us into a fighting force. I joined a Legion and progressed quickly through the ranks, leaving my child, an infant boy named Phalaris, behind.

Chapter 4: Cowardice

I excelled as a sorcerer, and within the year, I was granted control of a Legion. My Legion fought fiercely, and we were often in harm's way while striking against the Balaur, though our Empyrean Lords were careful to protect us. Our skills and tactics improved, and eventually we could kill the younger, more foolish dragons before we were forced to retreat behind the Aetheric Field.
Then the day that staggered us all dawned.

Lord Israphel, one of the two Guardians of the Tower of Eternity--Lord Israphel, who despised the Balaur like no other--declared that we should make peace with the Dragon Lords. The purpose of the Millennium War, he reasoned, was not to annihilate the Balaur. It was to protect Aion.

I was astonished--astonished that one of our saviors had lost his resolve so easily, astonished that his courage and fierce determination had slipped so--so suddenly. At first, the Empyrean Lords were shocked and concerned. The mere prospect of peace was unthinkable. We were all of one mind: Israphel's proposal was absurd.

Shortly, however, the weaker Lords showed that they had never had the stomach for the fight. Lady Ariel capitulated first. With honeyed words, she spoke of Israphel's wisdom, his forethought, his bravery--bravery!--in daring to propose peace. She had the audacity to tell us how we, as Daevas, should think and act.

How quickly she and her followers forgot the sacrifices of a thousand years. What meager value they placed upon the shed blood of so many of our kin.

Others of the Lords still had true steel in their spirits. I had grown to know some of our Lords, and the one with whom I worked best was the great and dignified Lord Azphel. His resolve was always strong, and it was on his missions that we had the most success. His skill and his determination were an inspiration to many of us, so when Ariel's insipid pleading began to sway some, and I saw the grimace on Azphel's face, I knew where my own allegiance lay. Lord Azphel stood to speak, and we stood with him. He berated Ariel for her disdain for the honored dead, and he blasted the peace initiative as a naive and misguided waste of time.

The hall erupted with fury. The words still ring in my memory--the roaring, the confusion, the hateful accusations. Each side railed against the other. I saw Israphel pull Lady Siel to one side and speak impassioned words to her. When he returned to address the group, he continued to insist that we could defend Aion by working toward peace. To my horror, Lady Siel was nodding as if his words might hold merit.

To preserve some fragment of concord, all of us agreed to depart and leave the twelve Empyrean Lords to their discussion. I left with my comrades-in-arms, those who supported Lord Azphel, but others slunk off in the company of their fellow cowards. Already we were dividing into separate camps: those who we sided with the worthy or those who clung to the weak.

We waited patiently for the outcome of the discussion of the Empyrean Lords that night. I recall looking across our world, seeing plumes of fire burning in the distance, and knowing that there could never be peace between Daevas and Balaur. I thought back and remembered the decades of perpetual fighting, remembered those dark soulless eyes, unblinking and unrelenting, as they massacred my friends and my family for no better reason than a desire for domination.

I was sure that Siel would reject Israphel's proposal. I knew that Azphel would argue his case, our case, and that the others, even Lady Ariel, would see sense and agree. Yet when the Empyrean Lords emerged, the decision they had made shook me to the core and left my Legion reeling. Lady Siel had succumbed.
For all our protests, she and Israphel, as Guardians of the Tower, held supreme authority over the twelve. The decision was final. We were to treat with the Balaur. I heard Ariel's voice raised in jubilant triumph, and the sound of her four cohorts singing an inane chant of peace.

Azphel left, his face carved of pure fury. I took flight after him, with many of my fellow Daevas in tow.

Chapter 5: The Cataclysm

Within days, the misguided peace conference began. As a mark of respect, the Empyrean Lords invited the Dragon Lords to enter the Tower of Eternity for the negotiations. The Aetheric Field was lowered to allow them to go inside. During those moments after the Field was down, time slowed to a crawl, a lifetime passed in the space of a few minutes for me.

I saw the mistrust and anger that I felt in my fellow legionaries as the Balaur walked into the Tower. How could our Lords' convictions have been so weak as to let these beasts, who wanted us to kneel before them even now, negotiate with us? I turned to my most trusted centurion to speak with him, in that moment, everything changed. The crowd shouted and milled about in startled confusion. One of the Balaur had fallen, and Lord Azphel was standing ready to fight, his eyes blazing.

The Balaur attacked. We screamed for Siel and Israphel to raise the Aetheric Field once again, but for the second time, they failed us. They were overwhelmed and distracted in the tumult, and they did not act in concert to defend the Tower. Under the Balaur's raging claws and weapons, the Tower began to splinter and fragment.

Israphel's tortured face, wracked with guilt, is seared in my memory as he directed Lord Azphel and all his Daeva Legions to the north, while Siel marshaled Ariel and hers to the south. Only one hope remained. Working in two groups, one at each end of the Tower, the Empyrean Lords would do all in their power to prevent the Tower's collapse.

With the steel of our spirit, the very iron of our will, we held fast. Those in the south did not.
Our world was plunged into darkness as the Tower's light was snuffed out. People screamed and ran in all directions.

I remember that moment as though it were yesterday. I remember looking up and watching shards of the Tower snap and fall, illuminated only by the flickering light of the great structure. I stood rooted to the spot as a huge fragment splintered from the Tower and fell toward me. I remember that day well. It was the day I found the other gift that being a Daeva grants me: immortality.

I awoke, gazed across our great world, and saw Atreia shattered into two halves. The lower half was bathed in bright, fierce light. Our half was plunged into icy darkness.
The peace conference was over.

Chapter 6: Aftermath

Slowly our eyes adjusted, and we found each other. Our people were distraught, terrified. No one knew how we had survived. I told everyone to make camp and stay warm, and I then set off toward the stump that had once been the Tower.

There I found the five Empyrean Lords who had been sent to the north to protect Aion and hold the Tower. These steadfast five, who we renamed the Shedim Lords, were still alive. They traveled to our camp and explained, as best they could, what had happened. They told us that our world had changed forever. The cost of the ill-advised peace attempt was millions of lives. Siel and Israphel, the two Guardians of the Tower, had sacrificed themselves so that we might live. In life, they had committed a great folly, but their deaths had not been without honor.We honored them in with respectful silence.
We knew that we had to work quickly if we wanted to avoid further losses. We constructed a huge fire as a beacon to other survivors. Over the next few days, thousands flocked to us, battered, bruised, and demoralized. I was fortunate enough to find Phalaris, my child, among the survivors, though no one else survived from my settlement that I knew.

Days passed, then weeks. Our world, though shattered, stabilized, and our destiny was once again in our hands. We could no longer feel the presence of our god, and we believed that Aion was lost, along with the Aether that had empowered us. For the first time in many years, I felt vulnerable. I rejected letting fear drive me, and I spoke with Azphel and planned the founding of a new home for us with him.
Hundreds of long years passed, and we changed. We soon stopped needing fires for light and warmth. Our eyes adapted to the darkness, and our bodies grew hardier and resistant to the cold. We built a glorious city and named it Pandaemonium. Our people flourished, adapted, evolved against all odds, always under the direction of our Shedim Lords.

Our skin grew pale in this engulfing darkness, and the hard ground, littered with razor-sharp debris, turned our feet into claws. Our hands acquired talons so that none of our race would ever go unarmed again. Though these changes in our bodies were difficult to accept, they were necessary for our survival. In time, we prided ourselves on our stronger, fiercer forms. Our land became Asmodae, and ourselves, Asmodians.

My son, Phalaris, grew old and died, along with his children, and their children. Such is the life of a Daeva.

Chapter 7: The Abyss

During the Cataclsym, shards of the Tower had scattered across Asmodae. One day, we began receiving reports from outlying regions that some of them had begun to emanate light and to levitate into the air. Azphel ordered our strongest Daevas, the Archons--of which I was now one--to investigate.
We left immediately and found a portal that took us to a region located between Asmodae and the lower half of Atreia, an expanse where pillars and islands of rock floated. The Aether that in ancient times had given us our powers was present in abundance. I was heady with relief upon feeling my abilities flood back into me. I returned to Pandaemonium and told our Shedim Lords what we had seen. Azphel immediately ordered other Archons to guard this portal. When I asked the reason why, he did not answer, but rather gazed at the sky, toward the lower half of Atreia.

Two days later while we were planning a second expedition through the portal, the guards, which we had stationed in Morheim, did not report in. Zikel, Lord of Destruction, took the remaining Archons, including me, to search for them.

We hadn't traveled long when we encounterd a group of beings standing their ground, weapons drawn. They said little, but their condescension and judgmental expressions told the whole tale. We soon realized that these beings were the same soft-hearted cretins who had welcomed the Dragon Lords into our Tower during full-scale war. What gall! They judged us for a crime that they, not we, had committed.

Zikel's rage was evident at their presumption. Zikel threw these "Elyos" to the ground, demanding that they disavow Nezakan, the Empyrean Lord they worshiped. Time, Zikel spat, had proven which side was at fault. Would these Elyos acknowledge their Lords' mistake and condemn them for their foolishness?

The Elyos leader, a man named Deltras, refused. With the pride that is the taint of all the Elyos, he piously refused to acknowledge the fault of or blame his Lords. Instead, he cursed Zikel. Both sides drew their swords, and we charged, cutting the Elyos down like the cowards that they were. Some of their numbers escaped, but most fled toward our home city where in their anger they butchered our women and children before we finished them. Two ran back to their homeland, bloodied but not vanquished. Not yet.

Chapter 8: A New Enemy, an Old Enemy

We returned to Pandaemonium that day and began gathering our forces for battle against these Elyos. The next day we met with them in combat again, and full-scale war broke out between our people.
Shortly after the war began, the Balaur, long exiled in some strange dimension beyond Atreia, found a way out of their prison to enter the Abyss, though for now they are still unable to cross into Asmodae. Their thirst for blood is just as insatiable as in ancient time. With their old allies by their side again, their power is considerable.

And now yet another immediate and urgent threat faces us. We have discovered that our planet is hemorrhaging Aether. We spent many months searching for the source of this bleed, probing throughout the Abyss and Asmodae. In the end, we found it was right in front of us.

It's the two stumps of the Tower. A mighty resonance still exists between them, vibrating invisibly between the two halves of our sundered world. As an echo of the lost Tower of Eternity, they cry out to each other across the void. This reverberation has created the Abyss.

The Abyss absorbs Aether, drains it away like water pouring into a crevasse. Aether is spread thinner and thinner each minute of each day. Soon this Aetheric leeching will affect our Daevas and our planet. Atreia is held together by the Aetheric ties Siel and Israphel created when they drained their own ethereal bodies of Aether, a process that ended their own lives. Soon the Abyss will weaken these ties, and if they break, our atmosphere will collapse, and everyone on this planet would perish.

There remains one hope. The resonance will cease if only one stump of the Tower survives. Our path is clear: We must destroy the Tower of Light. Then the Aetheric bleed will end, safeguarding the lives of the Asmodian people and simultaneously ending the arrogant tyranny with which the Elyos threaten us.
We will not hesitate. We will not staying our blades. We strike with a brutal and irresistible wave of destruction that will finally rid our home of the arrogant and na?ve fools that infest our lands.
Our fate is our own hands. We are Asmodians. We will not fail.

--Kineas, Praefectus Castrorum of the Asmodian Archons

The Book of the Elyos

Knite — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:36:19

Prologue:

One year ago this day, those gloom-cursed Asmodians shattered my life. Their Daevas appeared from nowhere, leaping through a Rift into our world only a few moments after our legionaries had left. The cowards. They butchered the humans of my village where they stood. Though our bravest tried to resist the attack, what hope did they have against these immortals? I ran. I have no shame in saying it. I ran and hid while the Asmodian invaders slew my friends, my neighbors, and my family.
We need to remember acts like these. By contemplating such acts, we sort the honorable from the wicked.

When I returned to my settlement, I helped bury the dead. I asked myself repeatedly, "Why would someone do this?" It was then that I realized how little history I knew. I researched what had happened years ago to drive the Elyos to war with those we had once considered brothers. Within these pages, you can read what I have learned about Atreia--about those who once lived and those of us who still live in these sacred lands.

Are we an arrogant people? Perhaps. I have seen arrogance amongst the Elyos--just as I have seen warmth and generosity. The Asmodians, on the other hand, are hard and cruel. They have made me taste my own blood. Is it not obvious that those creatures, twisted into such vile monsters, have been cursed by Aion? Aren't we Elyos blessed? Are the two peoples reflections of the lands in which we have survived, or are we reflections of each other? I do not know.

My name is Rafaela, and I have detailed my research in this book. I hope you find my notes useful, and that they can aid you in ridding this beautiful, now-broken world of the Asmodians that infest it.

Chapter 1: Creation

Millennia ago, our god, Aion, created Atreia, and filled it with life and color. Aion also created the Tower of Eternity to span the inner core of our world and imbued it with Aether, his own life essence. Humans lived on Atreia as one people. We were not divided into Elyos and Asmodians. Our world was a bountiful home illuminated only by the soft, gentle glow of the Tower. The Tower nurtured us, gave us hope, and supported us in every way.

We, in turn, were fully subservient to our god. There is no shame in this. We know this through not only stories and tales passed down through generations, but also from various artifacts and inscriptions that our archaeologists have found at dig sites throughout Elysea.

The reason why Aion created this world remains a mystery. We do know that our god had a monumental challenge in store for us. He summoned us forth into existence in order to battle a terrible monstrosity that he had unleashed on the world.

Chapter 2: The Age of the Balaur

At the time when Aion created humans, the Drakan ruled the world. These beasts were appalling to behold. Our oldest folk tales concern them. At night, we still tell misbehaving children of their furious anger and thirst for blood. The ancient humans quickly learned that it was no use fighting them. Their only hope was to hide, something that they soon became quite good at. Still the Drakan killed thousands of our kind, and they obliterated entire races of creatures, wiping them out under their relentless onslaught. The Drakan enslaved the Mau and the Krall, keeping them alive only so that their brute strength could be used against other enemies of the Drakan.

These Drakan, originally sent by Aion to watch over Atreia, quickly become confident as their numbers swelled. As their greed for power grew, they forgot their mission--and their respect for their god. We are not sure how, but something changed in the Drakan. They became more organized, and a few of their number gained dominance over the others. Many scholars now suspect that the Drakan gained access to some source of power from beyond Aion, or even from beyond our world entirely. We later learned these Drakan called the event their "awakening." It was around this time that their new masters, the five Dragon Lords, renamed themselves and their kin with the term that we still use today: the Balaur.

The first time our ancestors saw the Balaur, they thought the Balaur were a new species, such was the difference in physical appearance and ability from the Drakan. It was only after the first Balaur assaults that our ancestors recognized the sheer brutality of the Balaur attacks and their unrelenting desire to extinguish life. Then the truth dawned on our ancestors. It seemed that such power could only have come with a blessing from Aion, but how could our beleaguered ancestors square that with the way in which the Balaur were ruthlessly wiping race after race from the face of Atreia?

Eventually, in a terrifying act of hubris, the Balaur turned on their god. They rallied their more warlike subjects and threatened the Tower of Eternity itself.

Chapter 3: The Millennium War

Our ancestors were brave and stood united in defense of the Tower and the god that they had come to love. However, the Balaur tore through our ancestors' ranks with brute force, slaughtering thousands where they stood. In a desperate move, Aion decided that the humans needed a powerful force to counter the Balaur, and imbued twelve of the most devoted humans with his own life force, Aether, creating the Empyrean Lords.

Aion tasked these powerful guardians with reining in the marauding Balaur and restoring order to Atreia. Because the Balaur drew their power from outside our world, Aion's Aetheric energy was anathema to them. Aion created a protective Aetheric Field around the Tower to shield it from the Balaur. It allowed the remaining humans slowly to slowly restore some semblance of civilization within its boundary.
Thus began the Millennium War, during which the lands and creatures outside the Aetheric Field burned as the Balaur took out their frustrations on anything that dared show even the slightest resistance. Our people prospered as the Empyrean Lords bravely fought the Balaur.

During this time, some humans became capable of using the Aether in similar ways to the Empyrean Lords. These individuals were known as Daevas. The Daevas' Aetheric abilities grew, and they unlocked great power within themselves. They became almost demigods and were instrumental in our fortunes as a race and in the war. Their ability to fly led many of us to believe they were angels sent by Aion to bring order and stability to our world. I, myself, am a Daeva who ascended right at the end of the Millennium War.
The war raged for years. While one side would occasionally gain the upper hand, the contest was finely balanced. If either side were to claim victory, the cost to its own people would be almost unbearable.
Afraid of continuing this crippling and demoralizing war, some of our Empyrean Lords started looking at other ways to end this struggle.

Chapter 4: Hope

Of all the Empyrean Lords, the one who communicated most frequently to us, the people, was a beautiful figure named Ariel. On one of her first evenings on Atreia, Ariel came down from the Tower of Eternity and spoke with us around a campfire. By all accounts, she was patient and caring, and she told us everything that we needed to hear. The Balaur, mighty and terrifying as they were, would not dare cross the boundaries of the Aetheric Field. For the first time in many, many years, we were safe. We still have the stone carving depicting that evening, showing this great female figure with open arms, watching us weep tears of joy and relief, as we celebrated for the first time in many, many years.

I tell you of Ariel now, because it was she who first recognized the wisdom in Lord Israphel's unexpected proposal that a negotiated peace was the only option to end the war. It was she who had the foresight to know that victory, if possible at all, would come at a price we would regret. It was she who was brave enough to confront her fellow Empyrean Lords and condemn their thirst for endless battle as the vainglorious, stubborn notion it truly was.

She echoed Israphel's view that, if we were still trapped in this same war after one thousand years, what guarantee would we have that this war wouldn't still be raging after two, three, or ten thousand years? Ariel saw, as Israphel had seen, that by continuing this exhausting war, we risked losing more than mere numbers. We would lose the one thing that elevated us above the Balaur and the other ferocious beasts within our world: our humanity. It was well known that Israphel detested the Balaur more than anything. If he could overcome his loathing in the name of peace, then everyone could--should--follow his example.
While we have no records of what exactly was said between the Empyrean Lords in the wake of Israphel's announcement, we know there was a dispute between Ariel and some of the more martial Empyrean Lords. The decision to seek peace was opposed, and for the first time, a rift appeared in the united front of humankind.

Even the warmongers and gloryhounds, rant and froth as they did, could not deny the authority of Israphel and Siel acting in concert as Guardians of the Tower. Lady Ariel and the four blessed Lords who took her side argued for many long hours, but it was Lady Siel's agreement that sealed the issue. The Guardians had spoken: There would be peace.

We rejoiced. How could we not? The bombastic wrath of Lord Azphel and his underlings in response to the decision for peace was just so much sound and fury, the petulance of children denied. As his followers broke off and winged their way into the cold night, no one doubted that they would be back eventually after their tempers had cooled. The path was clearly laid before us now, and none would dare to rebel.
Ariel led her faithful followers in a song of praise and thanks to Aion, and for the first time in many, many centuries, we dared to hope.

Chapter 5: The Cataclysm

The morning of the peace conference dawned. We awoke to find the five Dragon Lords, leaders of the Balaur, standing alone outside the Aetheric Field. The drawings we have of the day show them to be huge creatures, much larger than the other Balaur.

Siel and Israphel, the two Empyrean Lords charged with protecting the Tower itself, lowered the Aetheric Field and invited the Dragon Lords inside the Tower for negotiations. The Dragon Lords could have destroyed us, and yet they chose not to, instead walking peacefully through their settlements and into the Tower. Perhaps my people had gained the respect of the Balaur through our resilience and determination, and perhaps the trust that Ariel and we had placed in the Balaur was justified. Azphel and his cronies we present, and their faces showed their anger and displeasure. The peace conference began, and for a short time, negotiations progressed well.

In a moment's breath, that changed.

We still speak of the events that followed that day, of the sudden shouts of panic. A sickening certainty gripped us that the warmongers had decided that they would have their way even if they had to sacrifice all of Atreia to achieve it. Azphel moved swiftly and suddenly, and one of the Dragon Lords collapsed. The Balaur did not waste time with words. In an instant, carnage and chaos reigned.

The Balaur's hatred toward our people and the Tower of Eternity redoubled, and they hacked their way past us to where they could do the most damage to the Tower. The walls of the Tower shivered and cracked, falling away in titanic shards.

Ariel wept as she strove to hold the Tower of Eternity intact. Aion sent her to its southern base, along with all of her attendant Lords, to lend her energy to the Tower, to try to hold it fast. She was now all that stood between Atreia and destruction. Azphel and his group, sent northward with the same purpose, were no doubt too incited with bloodthirst at the sudden resumption of hostilities to do their duty and hold the Tower intact.

Despite Ariel's efforts, the Lords failed. The Tower gave a mighty groan, buckled, and shattered into many pieces.

An unspeakable fear gripped us when the great Tower that spanned the interior of Atreia suddenly shifted and cracked. Thousands ran for their lives, chaos in their wake.

Realizing that Atreia itself was dying, Siel and Israphel came up with a desperate plan. They would drain their bodies of Aether, and use it to shore up the Aetheric Field long enough for our people to get to safety.

Millions died in this event that we now call the Cataclysm. As the debris settled, we could see what had happened to our beautiful world: The Tower of Eternity was shattered, and our world was torn in two.

Chapter 6: Deliverance

I am one of the Elyos, the people who found themselves on the lower half of Atreia. We named our land Elysea. At first, our eyes burned under the light of our nearby star, so fierce compared to the cool, calm glow that had once emanated from the Tower. We soon adapted, though, and found ourselves celebrating the newfound world on which we lived. Our people could look skyward and see the darkened remains of upper Atreia, spinning slowly as it grasped desperately toward our glorious sanctuary.

The light from our new star was magnificent. As it turned our once meager fields into bountiful pastures, it also transformed us into beautiful beings. Elyos' skin glowed with vigor, and Elyos' hearts beat strong and sure. Soon we had found our feet. Some folk quickly resolved that Aion had meant for this to happen. We were the Elyos, Aion's chosen few, and our god had delivered us to paradise! Not even the Balaur could reach this new blessed land. We learned from Ariel that the Balaur had been banished by Siel and Israphel to an unknown void just before those noble Daevas sacrificed themselves during the Cataclysm.

The five Empyrean Lords who were sent to us by Siel and Israphel took us under their wing, renaming themselves the Seraphim Lords. Our Seraphim Lords told us of their struggle, and how the other five Empyrean Lords had provoked and insulted the Balaur, goading them into further conflict. Our world, once so stable and harmonious, was rent in two because of the actions of the other four Empyrean lords and their cursed leader, Azphel.

We began rebuilding our lives. We erect a wondrous new city, a glorious creation fitting for our world and our Lords, and named it Sanctum. We swore to protect our new home, and our Seraphim Lords appointed the strongest Daevas as guardians over it.

Many hundreds of years passed in this manner. We were at peace, and we prospered as best we could.

Chapter 7: The Abyss

All that remained of our great Tower of Eternity following the Cataclysm were the two stumps, one on our world, and the other still visible on Atreia's upper half. The majority of the Tower had been destroyed. Its remains were scattered over the two halves of our world.

One day, however, the earth around these shattered remains began to shift, and slowly the fragments levitated themselves into the air. We sent our bravest Guardians to investigate the phenomenon, and they discovered portals near the remains leading to a bizarre realm where Aether flowed like water and huge chunks of the Tower floated like islands in an Aetheric ocean.

We called this world the Abyss, and slowly our Daevas ventured forth, exploring this new and volatile environment. They found a world rich in Aether and full of ruins from ancient Atreia that had been considered long lost. Many Daevas disappeared while exploring, though. These portals were unstable, and once they closed, they remained shut, stranding anyone who had gone through.

One day, a portal larger and more stable than the others seen before opened. A Guardian by the name of Deltras and his Legion entered it. On the other side of the portal, he found something astounding. His Legion found itself in the upper half of Atreia! When he and his Legion looked up at the sky, they saw not the shaded stump of the Tower and the gloomy upper half of Atreia, but instead their own world of Elysea bathed in warm sunlight.

They moved on slowly and nervously, carefully exploring the strange land that once was part of their home. It was now a dark and foreboding place, full of whispers and fleeting shadows. They discovered the Asmodians, men and women who were once our kin, but who had been twisted into bestial creatures. Even worse, the region Elras's Legion had stumbled into was ruled by one of the murderous Shedim Lords, a cruel being named Zikel.

As Elyos Daevas, Elras and his Legion could not see well in this newfound depth of darkness. Zikel and his clawed followers soon captured the curious Elyos Daevas. Zikel, whom we had once revered alongside the mighty Ariel, threw Deltras to the ground, demanding he curse the Seraphim Lords for their weakness. Deltras, brave, true, and noble as he always was, upheld the pride of the Lords of the Elyos. He refused to curse the Seraphim Lords, and instead cursed haughty Zikel to his face.

The Asmodians attacked. Those of us who were waiting on the other side of the portal tell us that only two of our Daevas returned, bloodied and injured.

Chapter 8: A New Enemy, an Old Enemy

We were stunned. Stunned that anyone had managed to survive on that desolate, frozen wasteland above us, and stunned at what these Asmodians had become. We mobilized our Legions quickly and prepared for war.

Aion had a further test for our resolve, though. Another stable portal opened, and from it spewed a horror we hoped to never see again: the Balaur. The Balaur regrouped their forces quickly, summoning the Krall and Mau back to their side and forcing other weaker races into submission. Their fury was greater than ever before, and it was us who now bore the brunt of their anger.

Our world, this land in which we live, was given the slightest and most fragile of lifelines by the sacrifice of Siel and Israphel. We believed that this lifeline would sustain us, and would eventually allow us the opportunity to savor our victory over the Asmodian fiends that once dared to call us kin. This na?ve hope, though, evaporated like a wisp of steam when we learned, completely by accident, something terrifying.
Atreia is dying. Our world bleeds Aether continually through the Abyss. Unless this bleeding is stemmed, then Atreia's Aetheric life source will be exhausted. Our world, held together by Siel and Israphel's final sacrificial act, will fall apart. The empty halves that once made this great planet will drift through space--cold and empty forever. All that lives here will be extinguished in the blink of an eye, and all that we have achieved, all that we have worked for, will be lost.

Panicked, our priests and our theorists began researching possible solutions--and we found one.
The Abyss is an echo of the great Tower of Eternity that once stood in the midst of our world. It exists only because of the immense arcane forces that still resonate between the two Tower stumps. It is a field of unnatural energy like that which would arise between the poles of a titanic magnet. Were we to destroy the Asmodian Tower of Darkness, that field would collapse, closing the Abyss forever.

When we destroy the Tower of Darknesss, not only would we finally rid this world of the existance of the dark and ugly Asmodian taint, we save our world from destruction, and deliver our people to the eternal paradise granted to us by Aion!

This quest is our final test, our final hurdle before we are able to reap our reward. We must destroy the Asmodians and their pathetic land. We must save Atreia.

--Rafaela Semperti

Twelve Lords of Aion

Hellrose — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:19:29

A bit of lore to change up the pace. Enjoy.
Note: All names are temporary and are likely to change. At this time I've presumed that all the 'Lords' are male.. because, well, they're supposedly 'lords' and lords are generally male. However many of the images definitely seem to hint that they're female -- I just don't have a way of confirming this because the Korean descriptions are genderless.
EDIT: Empyreal changed to Empyrean. 'Ode' changed to 'aether'. Thanks lyana <3
----------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Official Korean Aion Site
----------------------------------------------------------------

The Drakens were Atreia's first beings, but as they grew stronger and prouder they challenged Aion and became a destructive force to Atreia itself. In order to protect the Tower of Eternity, twelve Empyrean Lords were sent as guardians against the Draken warriors who had named themselves the Balaur. After a long war however the Tower was destroyed, and the world of Atreia was split in two.

A brief introduction to the twelve Empyrean Lords:
(Note: These names will also be the names of the Servers for open beta -- in Korea and presumably in the west also)

[Guide] Mage Classes (Sorcerer, Spiritmaster)

Hellrose — Tue, 7 Oct 2008 13:31:25

Guide to Mage Classes

----------------------------
last updated: Oct. 11th 2008
This is a compilation of info found on various Korean sites as well as forums.
Key skills are based on forum posts of players identifying the most often used skills.
Note: All skill names are temporary, and are likely to change in the official release of the game.
----------------------------

1. Introduction

Mages are at once powerful and fragile, using crowd control skills or summons to keep enemies at a distance while using ranged magic spells to attack. If a high-risk offensive class that requires a lot of skill juggling sounds fun to you, than this path is your fit.

You will start the game in the Mage class with a spellbook as your weapon. At level 9 you will be given the Daeva quest, during the course of which you will be able to choose between the Sorcerer and the Spiritmaster as your specialization path (this is the same quest that gives you your wings). Upon completing the quest, your level will be set automatically to 10 in your new class.

The Sorcerer specialization follows a traditional mage path, further focusing on high damage magic spells and crowd control abilities such as sleep and shackles.
The Spiritmaster learns the ability to control spirit summons, and is the only pet controlling class in the game.

----------------------------

2. Mage Base Stats

Strength: 90
Constitution: 90
Agility: 95
Accuracy: 95
Intelligence: 115
Spirit: 115

----------------------------

3. Gear

Armour
Both mage classes can only wear cloth armor, and that's all they should want to, since cloth armor provides the MP and concentration bonuses essential to both classes.

Weapons
While Sorcerers can only use spellbooks, Spiritmasters will have the option of using orbs which have higher attack stats than spellbooks overall.

(Note: In CBT3, stigma skills allowed players of any class to gain mastery of any weapon or armour, so yes it was possible for a mage to wear heavy armour and swing 2H swords around if they so wished. However this is very likely to change for open beta as the lead dev expressed that there were too many balancing issues with this feature. )

Legend
3 Stars: Primary
2 Stars: Useful in certain situations
1 Star : Almost never used
No Star: Unequippable

----------------------------

4. Sorcerer

Playstyle
Damage Dealer, Crowd Control
Sorcerers deal high amounts of magic damage, and use numerous shackle and sleep skills that keep their opponents at a distance.
Comparable classes from other games: WoW Mage, L2 Spellsinger/Sorcerer

Popular Builds
Sorcerers are all about the magic damage, so if you've got the ninja skills to keep your fragile self alive, then by all means max it out. Aion's resident 'glass cannon' class is especially weak to physical attacks though, even more so than you may be used to in other MMOs, so you might decide to trade in some of that damage for HP.

1. Max Damage Build
Gear: +Intelligence Cloth Armour (bonus available on certain Abyss armour)
Enhancements: +Magic Spell Damage
Cooking trade skill highly recommended for +Intelligence food

2. Survivability Build
Gear: + HP Cloth Armour (bonus available on certain Abyss armour)
Enhancements: + Max HP, + Max MP
Cooking trade skill highly recommended for +Intelligence food

Key Skills

See Sorcerer skills on the Wiki

----------------------------

5. Spiritmaster

Playstyle
Damage Dealer
Spiritmasters summon elemental spirits or imbue it within themselves, and is the only summoner class in Aion. They are unique in their role flexibility which can change depending on the spirit they use, but unless in a small casual party Spiritmasters will most likely take a damage dealing role.
Comparable classes from other games: WoW Warlock, L2 Warlock/ES/PS

Popular Builds
Because so much of their abilities come from summons, Spiritmasters are the least gear-influenced class in the game.
With the smallest HP pool in the game however, PvP players will want to get some padding on their health bar to outlast their enemies.

1. Survivability Build
Gear: + HP Cloth Armour (bonus available on certain Abyss armour)
Enhancements: + Max HP
Stigma: Enhanced Health

Summons

1. Fire Elemental

2. Wind Elemental

3. Earth Elemental

4. Water Elemental

Key Skills

See Spiritmaster skills on the Wiki

----------------------------

6. Current State: CBT3

Current State of Sorcerers

Sorcerer players have always been expressing mixed opinions on the class since the beginning of closed beta. Many players complain of mana downtimes and feel frustrated that their low HP and cloth armour make them easy targets in ganks and mass PvP.

Most will agree, though, that in PvP Sorcerers are second to .. well, second to rangers.. :o
In any case, the sorcerer is a strong PvP class. The combination of sleeps and nukes, or shackles/pushbacks and nukes (depending on your playstyle) mean that as long as you're paying attention and constantly watching your back, you have a very good chance at coming out on top.

Mixed reviews also mean that Sorcerers haven't been on NCsoft's radar as a class to neither nerf nor boost -- which, as Spiritmaster players would tell you (and L2 vets will tell you) is a positive thing.

Current State of Spiritmasters

The story of Spiritmasters is a bitter one, from their CBT2 glory to their CBT3 demise.
It's hard to imagine that in CBT2, Spiritmasters were regarded as the most powerful class in Aion - fast to level, great in PvP. The summons always had terrible AI but their high damage and utility made up for the lacks.
Unfortunately, the nerf hammer came down hard, and in CBT3 they were reduced to becoming the least played class in the game. Worst part was, the summons still had the IQ of 'Starcraft dragoons' (whatever that means.. I'm like the only Korean to have never played SC).

It's hard to say what open beta will look like for Spiritmasters. Although NCsoft's lead developer has said that there will be changes, balancing for summoning classes is notoriously tricky and it's likely that NCsoft will tread carefully as to not repeat their mistake in CBT2. As possibly the most complex class in Aion, however, there will always be players that are up for the challenge that this class presents.

----------------------------
Sources: Gamemeca, Thisisgame, Gamechosun, Playforum

Fastest way to become an Elyos Daeva

lyankyj — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 21:40:50

.
I will not link the source, because it is a malicious, noxious one, visiting it wouldn't do any good.
Also, I think none of us should read this right now, perhaps in the future, after release - Lyana

FASTEST WAY TO BECOME AN ELYOS DAEVA

Note: This guide is speed-oriented, not fun-oriented, its purpose to help you become a Daeva as quickly as possible. EXTREME SPOILER ALERT!

"Your heart is up there in the sky,
but the reality is that you’re a mere human
who can only kick against the ground and run."

Areas:

1. Plains of Akarios > Clione Lake
2. Daminu Forest > Melpone’s Camp
3. Kabara Mines > Poja Road

Receive quest 'Lv1. New Mission’ from NPC Elpis who’s standing right across from you as soon as the intro cutscene ends.

Quest ”A Voice from the Dreams” isn’t going so well so let’s exclude that from the list.

Talk to the NPCs with cyan diamonds over their heads to receive quests.

Follow the path and you’ll see Mires. Talk to Mires to complete ‘Lv1. New Mission’ quest and receive ‘Lv1. Hunting Kerubim.’

The Kerubims can be found spread out around Mires, so quickly kill three and talk to him again.

Report to Mires and receive ‘Lv1. Recovering Crops'.

The sacks of crops can be found beyond the hills behind Mires. After collecting [four sacks of crops] return to Mires.

There are some people having trouble finding this area. It’s right over the hill behind Mires so don’t go wandering off somewhere far!

After completing ‘Recovering crops’, report back to Mires. Receive ‘Lv2. Mission Report’.

Follow the path towards Town Akarios and you will see Kales' Farm. Receive ‘Lv2. Problematic Merdion’ from Kales.

Croplicker Merdions can be found in the farm adjacent to Kales’. Report back after you’re done.

This farmer may not be as noticeable because he’s always fighting monsters. Make sure to keep this in mind!

Once you get to level 3 through quests you will receive ‘Lv 3. New Skills’ quest. If you’re not level three yet, kill some mobs around you to get to level 3 then head to Town Akarios.

Once you enter Town Akarios you will automatically receive ‘Lvl 3. Call to Arms’.

Bind yourself to Town Akarios.

Receive ‘Lv3. Lost item without an owner’ from Minaring.

Receive ‘Lv3. Uno’s Ingredients’ from Uno.

Go to your class trainer and complete ‘New Skills’ quest. Purchase up to level five skill books.

Mage trainer was inside the church. He is a kid(…) Lets’ get as many books as we can.

Complete ‘Mission Report’ by talking to Akarios Teleporter Polysia and receive ‘Lv2. (Repeat) Capturing Angelicas’.

Every time you see an Angelica pluck it out.

Complete ‘Lv3. Call to Arms’ with Kalion who is standing in front of Polysia, then receive ‘Lv3. Kerubim Threat’, ‘Lv4. Elym Tribe’s Request,’ ‘Lv7. Explore Kabara Mines,’ ‘Lv8. Odium Purification(?)’.

As you are exiting through the northern entrance, receive ‘Lv4. Book for Namus’ from Melampus.

Renew ‘Lv3. Kerubim Threat’ with Muranes standing next to Melampus.

Seek Peira of Clione Lake and receive ‘Lv4. Unwanted Guest of Clione Lake'.

Peria and Kerubims can be found in these locations.

Get to the opposite side of the lake and obtain six Hive meats.

While you’re at it, kill five Brown Furred Braxes and five Repsma.

Once you’re on the other side of the lake, kill small-horned Kerubims.

Return to Muranes at the town’s entrance and renew ‘Lv3. Kerubim threat’.

Go further in where you found the small-horned Kerubims and collect ‘five Kerubim cuspids’ from Bigfoot Kerubims.

Occasionally the Kerubim boss called Parurura would pop out. He only has a little more health than a regular mob so you shouldn’t really have much trouble killing him.

As you are killing Kerubims make sure to pick up ‘five bottles of wine’ lying around.

Return to Peira and report. Complete ‘Unwanted Guests of Clione Lake’.

Return to Muranes at the entrance and renew ‘Lv3. Kerubim Threat’ once more.

Turn in ‘Kerubim Threat,’ ‘Uno’s Ingredients’, and ‘Lost Item Without an Owner’ to Kalion, Unio, and Minaring, respectively.

Receive ‘Lv6. Hyean’s Clothes’ from the armour/weapons vendor.

Receive ‘Lv6. An Object to Light the Night’ from Pranoua as you are on your way to Daminu Forest.

If you don’t pay attention you’ll walk by him without noticing him..

Then the quests lead you to Melpone Camps and Daminu Forest.

Upon completing the Daeva Chain-Quests there, after the final cut-scene, your character will automatically becomes level 10.

-END-

Post-CBT3 Developer Interview

Hellrose — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 19:52:21

A lengthy interview with Aion lead developer Yong-chan Ji; it summarizes all areas of concern that remain since closed beta phase 3 (CBT3) and gives insight into the direction Aion is headed for open beta (OB).

-------------------------------------------------
Source: Playforum
Writer: Arusin
-------------------------------------------------

It's already been a month (note: this article was posted August 14th) since the 3rd wave of Closed Beta has ended. The Abyss - the key update of CBT3 - was met with mixed reviews. On one hand there was the underlaying concept which felt fresh and exciting; on the other hand were all the issues that come with an untried feature. How is the Aion dev team interpreting all the tester feedback they've received from CBT3, and more importantly, what will they do with it? We had a chance to speak to Yong-chan Ji, the lead developer of Aion, to get a glimpse into Aion's future.

Aion's Lead Developer Yong-chan Ji

Q: Hello.
A: Hello.

Note: Epic intro.

No More Closed Beta Tests

Q: At the last media event we were told that there will be an Open Beta by Q4 this year. Can you share any details on that yet?
A: Details still haven't been decided on, but the plan is still set to start an open beta test between October and December of this year. We will not be holding any more closed beta tests.

CBT3 : A Success

Q: Now that CBT3 has been over for some time, how would you rate CBT3? Did it meet your targets in terms of what you wanted to test?
A: As a beta test it was extremely satisfactory. Many areas of the game that we thought might be problematic, or we weren't sure of, were clarified. It's providing a lot of help and direction in our development.

Changes in the Abyss

Q: The Abyss was the center of attention in CBT3. In the case of Fortresses, the rewards were Legion-centric and many players that weren't a part of large legions felt somewhat left out. What can these players expect for open beta?
A: We're taking much of those concerns into account; changes will be made so that Fortress sieges are more accessible. For one, fortresses will no longer be owned by a single legion, but by multiple legions or groups of players. Our benchmark is to make sure that all players could have a meaningful experience in a Fortress siege, even in a small group with few friends. Secondly, siege objectives will be modified so that it's no longer as simple as taking down the siege boss. We'll be adding a system that gauges various player efforts on the siege, and reward those players appropriately.

Q: Many players found that the 9 Fortresses were all too similar. Can you comment?
A: We're aware of this, in fact, I'd go further and say that I agree. The differentiating elements were there but they were either undiscovered or unused. We are working at exaggerating these elements so that they have more of an effect.

Q: Another disappointing factor was that all the siege bosses were the same. Will this be changed?
A: We will not be changing their appearance, but we will add variances to their behaviour.

Q: Siege weapons seem to be underpowered, especially considering the difficulty in crafting them. Can we expect changes in those as well?
A: We haven't been able to gather proper metrics for siege weapons yet, since they weren't used very often. But we do plan to address some of the issues that were brought up, such as the duration time being too short.

Raising Balaur

Q: The Balaur were met with a lot of criticism. It seems they lack the AI to be a true third faction.
A: We're seeing two sides of the issue with the Balaur. On one hand, players that do not have ownership of a fortress are finding them simple; on the other hand, fortress owners are complaining that they come attacking their fortresses far too often. Some of the Balaur units are strong enough to take on the siege boss 1:1, so that is part of the second complaint. We will find the right middle ground between these two sides and optimize the Balaur as a balancing faction that has enough flexibility to change based on the server's dynamic.

Q: So the fact that the fortresses occupied by the Balaur are easy to take over - this is on purpose?
A: Balaur occupied fortresses will always be easier than player occupied ones, but we are still tuning the difficulty. For example, the current system allows for stronger Balaur units to spawn depending on the server's faction balance - we will be exaggerating this system to strengthen the effect.

Optimization

Q: Are you making progress on dealing with lag issues in mass pvp?
A: This is something we're working on on an ongoing basis. We're also discussing the idea of having a 'mass pvp mode' where we would sacrifice some of the visual elements for smoother gameplay.

Special Stigma Skills

Q: We saw armour and weapon items as well as consumable items as Abyss rewards in CBT3. What else can we expect in open beta?
A: We will be adding stigma items as rewards, which players can use to get new skills. In addition to rewards gained from gathering Abyss points, we'll be adding unique drop-only stigmas. Skills acquired through these stigmas will be especially useful in the Abyss. They won't add massive amounts to your damage or anything like that - but instead they might allow you to put a group of enemies to sleep for 1 minute, for example. These skills will be PvP-focused rather than PvE, so a unique stigma skill will be a highly coveted piece of content for core players.

Class Balancing

Q: What changes do you foresee in terms of class skills?
A: Starting with Templars, we're eliminating the cooldown time on the 'Prey' skill to make it more useful against ranged classes. Gladiators will get additional skills that add to their AoE specialization, such as AoE knock-back skills. Scouts are all about the single target kill, so we'll adjust their skills to further accentuate that specialization. By giving each class more of its own identity, we expect players to enjoy the game in a much more strategic manner. For example, we expect to see Templars pulling in the Gladiators using 'Prey' and Gladiators countering with a knock-back - and this is just within the Warrior classes.

Q: CBT3 saw the rise of a strange hybrid build: polearm-wielding Assassins... and they were unreasonably effective. How is the dev team dealing with this?
A:First of all, we are eliminating all stigma skills that essentially allowed players to wield any weapon they wished. We're switching direction instead to stigmas that heighten the unique qualities of each class. You won't see any polearm Assassins in open beta, at least for a while.

Q: The reason polearm Assassins were so effective was because of knock-back and push-back effects from the polearm, and these effects seemed excessive even on Ranger skills. Will we see a change on these effects?
A: Crowd control effects such as knock-backs and push-backs were proccing far too often, even just from regular hits. This is going to be fixed. We'll reduce the chance percentage of these effects significantly on regular hits, but the chance will be heightened in class skills. Crowd control skills will generally always be a result of explicit control, rather than random chance.

Q: Any more thoughts on class balancing in CBT3, and further balance changes?
A: The two most common reports we received in CBT3 was that the Spiritmasters were too weak and that heal amounts were to small. The healing issue was brought up quite often internally so I played a cleric extensively myself, and I came to agree with the complaints. Some players commented that Priest classes needed stronger offensive abilities, but just from looking at their leveling speeds, we're being careful in balancing them upward in that aspect - in CBT3 Clerics and Chanters leveled faster than any other class. In any case, all these issues are being looked at holistically. Cleric's heal amounts will be increased, and Spiritmasters will be improved. Like I've already mentioned, all changes will occur to reflect the unique qualities of each class.

XP, Drops and Rewards

Q: Hunting in the Abyss areas gave significantly more XP than in other areas, can you explain the reason for this?
A: The Abyss is a much riskier hunting area because of possible PvP attacks, so it makes sense that the rewards are greater. This is a design direction we will continue to take, although we will adjust the balance of risk and reward continuously. For example, our estimates of the difficulty for elite monster areas were off - XP and rewards in these areas will be adjusted upward.

Q: Elite areas were found to be extremely difficult due to linked mobs. Was this intended?
A: Those areas were far more difficult than we had accounted for, and will be adjusted. They will still be party-oriented, but reasonably so.

Q: Aion features prices and taxes that fluctuate with Faction control, but we found that some items differ in price even when the tax and currency rates are the same. What causes this?
A: Prices can differ based on the area. Generally, item prices will be higher in areas where PvP warfare takes place, so it comes down to player choice. Players can choose the convenience of buying close by or they can take the time to travel for lower prices.

Q: Crafting was deemed useless in CBT3 due to drops in the Abyss. Will this change in open beta?
A: Yes, definitely. More crafting-only items will be added, including Drakonic items. The cap on crafting levels will also increase.

Accuracy vs. Critical Rate

Q: Of the player stats, does Accuracy have an effect on the rate of critical damage bursts?
A: No, accuracy has no correlation with critical rates, and only determines how often physical attacks miss or land. The critical rate bonuses indicated on certain Accuracy scrolls are additional bonuses that have no relation to the accuracy bonus itself.

Quest Content

Q: We were told that there will be a new area added for open beta. Can you tell us about the area?
A: Both factions will be able to explore new areas with level 30~50 content. These areas have storylines that integrate to regular areas, as opposed to the Abyss storyline, and feature plenty of hidden content. We're also adding areas with level 20~25 content - and these areas do not spawn dimensional rifts, and therefore will be safe from PvP.

Q: Players have been commenting that there wasn't enough quest content available in CBT3. How much more can we expect for open beta?
A: We still have a large amount of quest content waiting to be implemented, and we're continuously adding to the pile, always with variety in mind. This is more a matter of time than anything.

Racial XP Gap

Q: There was a difference in XP levelling requirements for the two racial factions. Will this change?
A: Yes. The change was there for testing purposes so that we could gauge player patterns for some of the content. We experienced some backlash from it, and since we're done testing what we needed to test, that gap will be removed for open beta.

Aion to Return: Bigger and Better

Q: Thank you for giving us so much of your time. Any last words for the fans?
A: I'd like to thank all the closed beta testers for their feedback. I can personally promise that all the input from the fans are being taken into account. At this point, Aion is already ready to go in terms of quantity of content. We now aim to reach the quality we've been striving for with the help of our testers.

AionSource@ GC & PAX 2008

Mark — Wed, 1 Oct 2008 17:30:21

58,500 total PAX attendees.
203,000 total GC visitors.
1 AionSource.com

I'd like to begin this article by thanking a bunch of people. First, forty-two generous guests and members of AionSource.com. Thanks to them I was able to purchase a ticket to Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig, Germany. I already had purchased a ticket to Penny Arcade Expo 2008 in Seattle, Washington with my own personal funds, but was unable to afford airfare to Germany. Without these forty-two individuals' contributions, AionSource.com would not have had a palpable presence at Games Convention 2008 at all. Thank you, all of you.

Second, I'd like to thank Cori, Lyana, and Szab from Aion Hungary (AionHun.hu), and Fleiva (AionSource.com, Aion-ESP.com, Reign-Gaming.com). Lyana was unable to get to GC08, but she helped me get in contact with Cori. Cori organized lodging, translated German to English, and was a huge help to all of us non-German speaking noobs. Szeb was fun to hang around with; he explored the other halls of GC08 for us while we camped NCsoft's booth. Fleiva made kickin' sweet tshirts that I didn't order enough of and was also fun to chill with. I didn't feel like too much of a stupid American tourist when I stuck with these guys. Thank you, fellow Aion-bag-wearing doods! That was just for GC08. knite16 (AionSource.com, Knights of the Divine Order) organized lodging for PAX08 and offered it to me. I hadn't planned out where I was to sleep at PAX08, due to complications with friends in Portland, OR and a business associate, so knite's timely offer was one I just couldn't refuse. Also, Zinrae (AionSource.com, Noble Phantasm) let me crash in his and his bro's suite the night before I flew out (knite flew out a day earlier than I). Thanks dude! I drooled on the couch, hope housekeeping didn't mind. Worse things have probably been on that couch... ;) Also, thanks to all other Aion fansites (and clans) and their staff, German, Swedish, French, Korean, and all the rest that showed up and shook my hand at both events. It was great to meet you guys and I wish you luck in the future!

Third, and finally, a round of applause for NCsoft itself is in order. Everyone who contributed time and effort to AION's presentation at Games Convention and Penny Arcade Expo deserves a well-earned vacation. I actually asked a few of them if they were planning on taking some time off after the events they attended. All responded: "This was vacation! Now it's back to work." (Or something along those lines.) That's dedication. :) Unfortunately, due to NCsoft's recent move to unify many of their branch offices into one single entity (NCsoft West), a few of the people I met at GC and PAX are no longer with the company. The most obvious loss is Stephen "Rockjaw" Reid (NCsoft Europe Creative Concepts Manager), who helped me massively at GC. Other losses include Charles "kieron" Dane (NCsoft NA Aion Community Coordinator) and Mike Crouch (NCsoft NA PR Manager), whom I met at PAX. I wish them all luck. Thanks guys!

NCsoft Europe riding the bus (+15 speed, -10 cool). Can you spot Rockjaw? Alma and Namiya?
Which guy is Christian-Peter Heimbach (Aion and Lineage 2's Product Manager)?
Who is Jen Bolton (Moxie on the forums, NCsoft EU's Community Manager, Atreid's boss)? Answers later.
I think even David Blundell is visible (PR manager), lol.

Anyhow, the game, the game... What can I say? It's much better in English than in Korean, that's for sure (at least for me, someone who can't actually read Korean).

Between GC and PAX I must have played Aion for a total of around six or seven hours. At GC my time was spent in higher-level areas, level 10 and upwards a bit. At PAX I spent my time in both races' starting areas, realizing that the quests I had been doing during Aion's Korean CBT3 actually were pretty interesting. Indeed, quickly I learned that the storyline differed between the two factions in very specific ways. As an Elyos you're trying to remember your past, remember who you were, and regain your status as a divine being. As an Asmodian you're trying to change the future, to prevent an incredible calamity, and rise through the ranks from being a lowly mercenary human to a Daeva. Both storylines are compelling, however I connected more with the Asmodian storyline.

The Elyos's half of Atriea is exquisite, bright, beautiful. The Asmodian's half is dark but not dreary. No, it's more dreamlike, trancelike, glowing with subtle charm. While Elysea blinds you with light, Asmodae may put you to sleep (I almost did just that during one of the PAX playsessions, I was so tired). The music of both sides matches the areas quite well, enchanting most of the time, powerful and epic when needed, and eerie when called for. The mobs* are the most original things I've ever seen in an MMO since GuildWars. You won't find any generic "slime" monsters here. Think of the mobs as a possible evolutionary twist on everything in our Earthly world, yet imbued with a whimsical atypical Korean fancy. It's quite refreshing, actually.

*Mob stands for "mobile" or "mobile object", pretty much anything that moves in the world. However, I use it to mean NPCs and other server controlled creatures.

There's one specific thing I experienced during a PAX playsession I'd like to relate to you all, a special quest. I didn't receive the quest from an NPC. No, I received the quest after reading a scroll dropped by a mob. The scroll talked about an axe stuck in a tree near a spring in a certain area of Asmodae, the area right after the huge glowing tree: the forest area. The quest didn't point you to the exact location of the axe, it just said the spring was located deep in the forest. After a bit of searching I finally found the spring. I'm actually glad I wasn't given specific coordinates to find the spring, since it's much more...intimate to find it yourself, all alone in a corner of an area where no one would otherwise visit. It felt great, I felt like I was being let in on a secret.

Anyhow, after reaching the spring the axe wasn't immediately visible. I had to turn around and look around the trees surrounding the spring a bit to find it, but it didn't take long. The axe was huge, made of iron. I double clicked it, figuring it would appear in my "cube" or something (your inventory isn't a backpack in Aion, it's a "cube" that Shugo merchants can expand if you pay them enough). Needless to say, the axe didn't appear in my cube. A cutscene began instead; my heart skipped a beat. My character began to tug on the axe in the cutscene, finally dislodging it with such force that it fell into the spring! Suddenly, an old man appeared floating above the stream. He asked me:

"Is this Silver Axe yours?"

"No", I answered. (You can choose yes.)

"Well then, is this Gold Axe yours?"

Again, I answered "no". (Again, you have the option of saying yes.)

"Alright, then this Iron Axe is yours."

For some stupid reason I answered "no" instead of yes like I think was supposed to. But hey, it's not my fault, it really wasn't my axe at all! Some other guy got it stuck in the tree! I was just being honest! Anyhow, the river guy got angry, called me a liar or something, did that thing that the merchant in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening does when you steal from him three times, and gave me the iron axe anyhow.

I can only assume that if I had answered "yes" he would have given me all three axes.

Just remember not to be completely truthful in Aion, it'll get you insulted by a river spirit guy. :(

EDIT: The yes/no questions are in your control! It's not part of the cutscene, you determine the outcome of the quest!

Answers to the picture:

[Rumour] Aion Open Beta: Why it will happen before Nov. 13th

Hellrose — Wed, 1 Oct 2008 13:43:07

I'm translating this by request, but please keep in mind this is one dude's opinion. It is in no way official..
It's still an interesting glimpse at what the Korean market looks like around November though.
--------------------------------------
Source: Thisisgame
Writer: GoryuhMoosa
--------------------------------------
We can easily predict that NCSoft's next MMORPG Aion will open for public beta testing by November - November 13th at latest.

November 13th is not only the day highschool students finish their university entrance exams, but it's also the first day of Gstar 2008 (largest game convention in Korea). Since it's rumoured that NCSoft is planning a large Gstar event for Aion which is said to include an 'open beta experience', it is most likely that open beta would start by this time.

Also, if NCsoft doesn't begin their OB by the beginning of November, Aion will have to go head to head against WoW's expansion title 'Wrath of the Lich King' which begins service on November 18th.

NCsoft is declining to give us details, saying only that "it is difficult to quote a specific date still. We are carefully considering our options."

Meanwhile, Blizzard Korea will not be participating in Gstar this year, concentrating instead on their homegrown Blizzcon which takes place in Anaheim California on Oct. 10th.

[Guide] Warrior Classes (Gladiator, Templar)

Hellrose — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:02:08

Guide to Warrior Classes

----------------------------
last updated: Oct. 08th 2008
* Reworded +Dmg Enhancement to + Physical Attack
This is a compilation of info found on various Korean sites as well as forums.
It should provide a good starting point for those of you browsing Aion info for the first time.. and if you're a regular, well, hopefully you'll learn something new too.
Note: All skill names are temporary, and are likely to change in the official release of the game.
----------------------------

1. Introduction

If you like the taste of melee combat and enjoy being the first to jump into a fray, this is the path for you. Warrior classes are the most resilient in the game, possessing the greatest amount of strength and constitution.

You will start the game as a Warrior and begin your adventures equipped with a 1H sword as your first weapon. At level 9 you will be given the Daeva quest, during the course of which you will be able to choose between the Gladiator and the Templar as your specialization path (this is the same quest that gives you your wings). Upon completing the quest, your level will be set automatically to 10 in your new class.

The Gladiator can wield a wide range of weapons, but mainly uses 2-handed weapons to deliver AoE melee attacks.
The Templar is the primary tanking class of Aion, and should never be without a shield.

----------------------------

2. Warrior Base Stats

Strength: 110
Constitution: 110
Agility: 100
Accuracy: 100
Intelligence: 90
Spirit: 90

----------------------------

3. Gear

Armour
Warriors equip chainmail armour before specialization, after which they switch to plate armour.
Shields in Aion do not add to defense stats, but are used instead for shield blocks (% based) and shield skills.

Weapons
Currently the most popular weapon for Gladiators is the polearm. Templars stick to the usual tanking combo of sword and shield.

Legend
3 Stars: Primary
2 Stars: Useful in certain situations
1 Star : Almost never used
No Star: Unequippable

----------------------------

4. Gladiator

Playstyle
Damage Dealer, Off-tank
Gladiators will see their role shift to output more damage, but with the option of moonlighting as off-tankers or substitute tanks.
Comparable classes from other games: WoW Arms Warrior, L2 Warlord/Destroyer

Popular Builds
Although most players will want to focus on enhancing the Glad's damage dealing ability, more experimental players may want to take advantage of the Gladiator's large range of wield-able weapons and try hybrid builds.

1. Damage Dealing Build
Gear: Polearm/2H Sword
Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate

2. Tanking Build
Gear: 1H Sword/Mace + Shield
Enhancements: + HP, + Shield Rate

3. Dual Weapon Build
Gear: 2 x 1H Sword/Mace
Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate
Stigma Skill: Dual Weapon Mastery

Key Skills

See Gladiator skills on the Wiki

----------------------------

5. Templar

Playstyle
Tank
Templars are the ultimate tanks of Aion, using the shield for both defense and offense while protecting its party members.
Comparable classes from other games: WoW Prot Warrior, L2 TK/SK
View Templar Gameplay Video

Popular Builds
Templar players will want to keep their shields close for shield stun skills and blocks, though PvP players may want to have a 2H in their inventory for initial gank attacks.

1. Tanking Build
Gear: 1H Sword/Mace + Shield
Enhancements: + Shield Rate, + HP

2. PvP Build
Gear: Swap between 1H Sword/Mace + Shield and a 2H Weapon
Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate
Stigma Skill: Prey

3. Offensive PvE Shield Build
Gear: 1H Sword/Mace + Shield
Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate
Stigma Skill: Increased Critical Rate

4. Offensive PvE 2H Build
Gear: Polearm/2H Sword
Enhancements: All + Crit Rate
Stigma Skill: Increased Critical Rate

Key Skills

See Templar skills on the Wiki

----------------------------

6. Current State of Warriors - CBT3

As you might be able to tell from the user ratings, Warriors took a hard hit in popularity in CBT3 with the introduction of the Abyss RvR area. Melee classes were found to be at a disadvantage in PvP (which makes perfect sense when players have the option to fly off) and the few stigma skills that were added to neutralize this (Templar's Prey skill, for example) came with long cooldown times. The slow attack speed both Warrior classes suffer from didn't help either, and at the moment Warrior class forums on Korean sites are flooded with complaints.

Class balancing is on the way for open beta however. In a post-CBT3 dev interview, Ji mentioned some of the Warrior changes to come, a positive sign that NCSoft is actively addressing widespread player concerns. For the Templar, the cooldown on the 'Prey' stigma skill may be removed entirely, while Gladiators will see more knock-back AoE attacks in their arsenal.

PvP balance challenges aside, Warriors remain a staple choice for PvE as the only tanking branch of Aion, and should be the unquestionable first choice for players that enjoy protective roles in parties.

----------------------------
Sources: Gamemeca, Thisisgame, Gamechosun, Playforum

The Best and Worst of CBT3

Hellrose — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:02:45

This is my fav of the CBT3 review articles so hope you guys enjoy it too.
Please keep in mind that most names (of skills, items etc.) are inaccurate, since atm all I can do is take a best guess at how NCsoft will anglicize them.

-----------------------------------------
Source: Playforum
Writer: Arusin
-----------------------------------------

This is a summary of the best and worst moments from my 20 days of Closed Beta testing. I wanted to keep it lively and somewhat objective - so I took into account various opinions I'd come across on forums... though I couldn't help but be subjective at parts. ^^

Best List

Best 1. The graphics... not bad, not bad at all.

Aion's always enjoyed hype over its eye-catching graphics since the game was first announced. What's different in CBT3 is that character customization was much improved - it finally felt like my character had an identity! Many complain simply that all the characters are too... well... too pretty, so as long as you don't have problems with having a 'pretty' character you're in good hands. If NCsoft could diversify the models to include, say, a stocky wrestler type, or a creepy old man, that would be the icing on the cake.

I would say the environment art was also well done. Lots of detail, especially in the cities; beautiful forests and lakes.. it all helps you sink comfortably into the game.

Best 2. Easy breezy interface

Aion's interface is polished, and gives you plenty of freedom in the placement of different windows. The chat window is especially flexible as you can configure it to display exactly the information you want. Quest descriptions were accessible, and the flagging feature on the map is a nice touch. The skill descriptions were puzzling at times, but other than that, the interface is more than adequate.

Best 3. Combo system - FTW

A unique feature in Aion's combat is the combo system. Each class has their own set of combos to play with and overall it's a system that adds a lot of fun to what could easily become a chore. The feature is easy to learn as well, which is a big part of what makes it fun in the first place. Combo activation is chance-based (% depends on the skill) so if you really wanted to, you could spam a single skill until a combo opportunity opens up. As an added element of strategy, some combos are branched so that players will have to make split second decisions during a fight to get the right results.

Best 4. Ready, set, PvP!

PvP has definitely improved since the last CBT, although mass PvP always has a way of coming down to class balancing so some classes may feel better about it than others. But generally I think we can agree that the gap between melee and ranged classes has been dealt with to some extent (although the gap is still there) and damage amounts in PvP have been brought down so players can at least have a chance to react before a fight ends.

Of course there are still those times when you quietly burn in rage as you watch your opponent fly off to safety, and get frustrated from ridiculous knock-back effects certain pole and bow skills have, but the game seems to be headed in the right balancing direction and there's no doubt that more improvements are in the works.

Personally I'd like to see Aion develop more arena-based PvP activities as well, and in addition to the existing arena... perhaps an aerial arena without flight limitations? It's a thought!

Best 5. Flight of the Chicken

Flight is another key feature of Aion that's been enticing us since the beginning. Not just flight, but aerial combat. With the addition of the Abyss in CBT3, we finally had a chance to see aerial combat in its full glory - and yes, we did experience much of that glee we expected in high-speed flight chases.

Aerial combat is an area that still needs a lot of work though. Some of the skills are limited to ground combat, and there are other such restrictions that aren't properly communicated so the flow between air and ground feels clunky and confusing. But separation between two travel modes being inevitable, perhaps aerial-only skills should be added so that we at least don't feel less powerful in flight. In anycase, these are small complaints when put in perspective of how unique the feature is in general.

A 'glide' mode has been added to flight in CBT3, and most players are responding positively to it. It's hard to explain, but the mode just feels.. right, so I found myself using it often, even when I didn't necessarily need it.

As an Asmodian, I always got a kick out of Asmodian players calling the Elysea 'Flying Chickens'. In CBT3 though, the Asmodians got new wings that look like black variations on Elyos' wings... and thus 'Burnt Chickens' were born.

Best 6. Spawn Markers ('Kisks')

CBT3 saw the birth of a new consumable item - 'kisk's. Kisks let you mark a temporary resurrection point so it's an important item to keep with you for missions, PvP, you name it. The system is not without its problems but NCsoft's already mentioned that they're working on improvements.
(Please fix the bug that lets me place kisks in out-of-reach places..)

Best 7. Stigma - because variety is the spice of e-life

The stigma system is a great feature that adds that lil' somethin to your character. The system still needs balancing but it's a great start that allows players to further differentiate their play styles.

Best 8. Parody quests

Some of Aion's quests will have players scratching their heads going "where have I seen this before...". OK, maybe they won't quite scratch their heads, because some of the references are plain obvious - like the Lord of the Ring references, or Gyunu and Jiknyuh (Korean version of Romeo/Juliet) messenger quests. These quests add a quirky tongue-in-cheek humour to the game that might just make you smile.

Best 9. Weapon Enhancements

Aion gives us not one, not two, but THREE ways of adding to our weapons. Three different kinds of stones add either an effect to the weapon or modify its stats. The success of these enhancements are based on chance, so you might shed a tear once in a while (in my case, often) but the success rate isn't ridiculously low and the penalty for failing isn't enough to make you tear your hair out. Basically, the system was one that I enjoyed rather than dreaded.

Worst List

Worst 1. Lag

An issue every MMO faces is the problem of lag, but the problem is amplified when the game revolves around mass PvP. Again in this CBT, many wars broke out in the Abyss, and every time I scrambled to bring down my graphics settings. My poor computer barely kept up.

NCSoft maintains that this is an optimization issue that is being improved continuously so I hope for the best in Open Beta.

Worst 2. The Balaur

The Balaur NPC race launched with hype and soon fizzled. The AI of these guys borders on embarrassing and as it stands, neither player factions are able to take them too seriously. At least NCSoft is now aware of the challenges they face with PvPvE. We can only hope that they find a working solution by open beta.

Worst 3. Abyss environment art

Although I still think Aion's graphics are superb overall, the newly revealed abyss left much to be desired. I understand from the narrative that it is meant to be a bit of a void.. but honestly, voids are no fun. It won't make or break the game, but it did definitely break my experience.

Worst 4. Mob difficulty... here comes the train!

Mob AI and spawn rates still need a lot of tweaking. Especially problematic are ones with linked aggro. As an example, I've had times where an attack on a single mob aggroed all the mobs I saw on screen at once. Even with a full party these kind of situations were impossible to deal with. This is a tweaking issue however, and I'm sure changes will be made.

Worst 5. Different XP pools - why?

Elysea had bigger XP requirements compared to Asmodians for no known reason, attracting complaints from some players. Either the requirements should be the same for both factions, or there should be a systematic/story reason for the differentiation.

Worst 6. Crafting - a lost art

Aion has a typical crafting system that involves choosing a crafting path and gathering material for items, but CBT3 all but eliminated any need for training crafting skills. The reason is obvious - with the addition of the Abyss and Abyss items, it became much faster, easier and entertaining to acquire abyss items rather than tediously gather and create a crafted one.

Crafting skills that are oriented towards consumable items and accessories - such as alchemy and cooking - are still popular, but ones that build armor and weapons have been rendered useless. In the future however, NCsoft will be introducing more crafted items (Drakonic items) so we'll see how that shifts the crafting system.

Worst 7. Quests - just can't get enough

Lower levels are a breeze in Aion, and following quests are enough to have your levels (and time) fly by. Higher level quest content is still sparse though, and as we leveled we found less and less to do to gain XP, resorting to farming mobs and repeatable quests (a.k.a. the old fashioned way).

Having the option of farming as opposed to questing is good. Having to farm because of lack of quests is not so good.
Lets hope that open beta comes with a lot more higher level content.

Worst 8. Spawn more rifts!

Even with the Abyss around, players still fought in wars that broke out around 'Morheim' and 'Eltenen' areas. Problem is, rifts to get to these areas were far too hard to track down. Plus there was also a balance issue of Elysea having easier access to wormholes (through quests etc.) wheras Asmodians were often left to their own devices. Level requirements placed on wormholes were also unintuitive. Since a lot of the quests require players to traverse through rifts, and since the wars that occur through them are fun to begin with, allowing easier access to rifts seems like a pretty good idea.

Worst 9. Minimap

Aion's minimap is, in a word, useless. The 'map' aspect of the minimap is so indiscernable that it really doesn't give me enough information to be of much help. A crisp, more detailed map is needed, and if we could adjust the size and direction of the compass, that would be great too.

-----------------------------------------

Thank you Arusin for a great summary.
Note to those of you porting translations over to other sites: please add a link to the original post, as I often go back and correct mistakes whenever I find them. Thanks.

Aionsource meets Playforum

Hellrose — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 06:14:15

(Yay, first translation... on Aionsource anyway!)

So, as most of us know, Mark had a chance to chat with some peeps at Playforum.net (a Korean game news site). It seems they were just as excited as he was over the bridging of East and West. Here's the gist of what went down -- from their perspective.

Warning: This post is heavy on recursive cross-referencing, also known as referring to self in the third person.

-------------------------------
Source: Playforum
Reporter: Hah Young Lee (Josh)
-------------------------------

It should first be noted that AION hasn't quite been revealed in North America or Europe. The promotional websites are up, but the community there have yet to experience the closed beta craze. Even NCSoft Europe could tell us only that they are targeting an early 2009 closed beta for that region.

A screenshot of www.aionsource.com, the largest AION fansite in North America

Yet still, serveral fansites have sprung up over the game and are enjoying healthy numbers of visitors. Of these sites, Aionsource.com is by far the largest, and at the Leipzig Game Convention I had the chance to speak to Mark who acts as the administrator of the project. He'd flown all the way from Florida USA to get a glimpse of AION.

Mark Wilhelm (www.aionsource.com's administrator and webmaster)

Playforum: Your website is based out of USA. What motivated you to travel all the way over to Germany?

Mark: I'm sure I will get a good chunk of information at next week's PAX, but I doubt the content would be as diverse as what I can experience here. At the moment this is the biggest gaming event as far as AION is concerned so I didn't want to miss the chance to be a part of it. AION has proven to feature the same great quality graphics that we've come to expect from Asian MMO games, but also promises the action and the systems that are needed to make up a great game. Many online gamers including myself are excited over the title.

Playforum: AION hasn't opened for beta yet in North America or Europe. How are you able to collect the information you need for the fansite?

Mark: I try to find a way to participate in the Korean beta. I can swap out some of the files to display the interface etc. in English. I can't translate the quests though, so it's not optimal. We get the rest of the information from Korean game sites. There are programs that translate the articles to a certain extent, so although it's not perfect we can get quite a bit. Playforum is one of the main sites that provide us with information. We're constantly surprised at the amount of information Korean sites are able to pump out.

Playforum: What is your impression of AION so far?

Mark: I believe it will be a game that strikes a balance between PvP and PvE. THe PvE content seems to follow WoW's questing style, but with a deeper narrative. The PvP system remind me of Dark Age of Camelot, like the two systems are brothers. I'm personally looking forward to the latter aspect of the game.

Playforum: I'm told that Aionsource is the largest AION fansite in the west. What is your greatest focus in regards to running the site?

Mark: A lot of players in the west have been burnt by past NCSoft games, and presume AION to be a hardcore grinding game like Lineage2. This is something that we're actively trying to change through our site.

Playforum: Do you have a word for the Korean fansites out there?

Mark: I'm very much impressed with the information we find on Korean fansites. I'd love to try for a joint project with them at some point in the future.

Mark writing that I might write an article on him on Playforum... that article which is now wrote.

-------------------------------

Now some words of thanks to Playforum's writer, presuming he visits back:
이하영님 기사 감사드립니다.. 제가 영문으로 님 이름 바꿔 올렸는데요, spelling틀렸으믄 말씀해 주셔요.
참고로 저는 앞으로 이 사이트의 한국정보 번역을 맡기로한 헬로즈입니다. 마니 부탁 드립니다~ *꾸벅*

Seven Themes of the Abyss

tylendel — Thu, 7 Aug 2008 13:13:56

Seven Themes of the Abyss

Translated from: Chinese Site
Original Korean Source: Official Aion Site

Feel free to download the video clips after each section on the Chinese site. They do give you a good insight as to the various Abyss themes. The themes can also be viewed in the CBT3 Video Thread, link here. The videos are the last seven of the first post, the bottom-most one corresponds to the first theme. My apologies for the lack of pictures.

Fortress Battles

There are nine Fortresses in Atreia.

The Fortresses are located near important, strategic areas and the significance of Fortresses located closer to the centre of the Abyss is higher. The aim of players is to conquer these Fortresses enthusiastically and the means of conquering Fortresses differs significantly from sealing off the Fortress via a seal stone as in previous NCSoft games. In Aion, the means of conquering a Fortress is to defeat the Fortress Guardian located deep within each Fortress and the numerous rewards obtained on securing a Fortress will be the primary motivation for doing so.

Fortress Protective Shield

This shield was mentioned in an earlier article. Fortresses are protected by sturdy walls but they are open air, with one able to view the inner areas of the Fortress from the air. It should be noted that there is unlimited flying in the Abyss, hence each Fortress has a Protective Shield that prevents aerial assault.

However, the protective shield runs on a power source within the Fortress, thus on breaching the Fortress walls, if one is able to destroy the power source (an energy stone), one can remove the shield and allow multi-directional attack of and entry to the Fortress, unrestricted by the placements of the walls.

Fortress Defence & Fortress Gate Stone of Protection

The initial defence of the Fortress revolves around its gates. There is a Stone of Protection within the inner hall of the Fortress that the defending side can continuously repair to increase the defence of the gate, causing more difficulty for the attackers.

However, anything has its own weakness and the gate's weakness was a surprise in CBT3, siege weapons. It can be seen from the video clip that the siege weapon looks like an evolved form of the Spiritmaster's Fire Elemental. (Exact details have yet to be released) These siege weapons are a essential key to winning a Fortress battle.

Fortress Guardian

The Fortress Guardian is the last defence core of the Fortress and differs by race. Once the Fortress Guardian has been defeated, it indicates successful conquering of the Fortress. Once the attackers have brought down the defending Guardian, the Guardian will be regenerated as one of the attackers' race, and will continue to defend the conquered Fortress.

Ancient Weapons

There are many ancient devices left behind in the Fortress and these will be guarded by several powerful Guardians initially. On defeating these Guardians, one will be able to possess these weapons and they can be used during the course of battle. These ancient weapons possess powerful attacks or supporting buffs or can impede enemy movement to a large extent, allowing for an immediate advantage in the battlefield.

Rebirth Point

This is an automatic rebirth point that can be used freely within the Abyss, though there is a time limit. Hence on selecting an appropriate location for one's base and delegating the necessary protection, this will be a very useful tactic during any battle.

Balaur Mothership

Aside from the battle between the Elyos and the Asmodians, the greatest threat in the Abyss is the Balaur, with the Balaur Mothership that can carry and release Balaur being the most threatening. During normal circumstances, the Balaur Mothership will be drifting in the Abyss and players can attack the Mothership in the air. The Mothership also possesses powerful fire cannons that are able to deal fatal damage to any players that approach it.

Enyhtriel's First Steps in Elysea

lyankyj — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:04:48

First of all, sorry for my english, Im not much of an expert in it, but i must share these thoughts with you, one way or an other.

Ive been waitin for this game for quite a long time ('06 summer), and my expectations on a 1-10 scale were like 11, could not accept nor believed this game could be a disappointment.

I never really hoped I can play the game till english CB/OB, but on 19th of July, wonders happened:
Mark was incredibly generous and surprised me with his key for this last day of CBT3!!! I was (am) so happy, cant say it with words, cant thank him enough, im forever in his debt!

Weve all seen enough char-creation vids, so i wont detail that, I created an Elyos Cleric. Cant really say much about the class, only killed a few monsters, basically i just explored the world and enjoyed it, sorry 'bout that.

Theres no way someone could ever describe the first steps in this world. No matter how hard you try, you just cant imagine the perfectness and ultimate beauty of those moments. As I mentioned, my expectations were 11, what i experienced was like a 12321313123130. No Kiddin, you guys have to accept the fact that you just cant imagine what it feels like until youve tried it yourself. The graphics, the environment, those incredible ariettas as you're just standing there and inspect your surroundings..I thought i pretty much got it what feelings I will experience in these first moments, but its not even comparable.
Now matter how skeptic you are, if you're just interested in this game even a little, you still wont forget those moments.

"Ive already seen it on vids, on pics, nothing new can happen to me" you may think --- WROOOONG!
Even if ive imagined i can lead my char over the first area blindsided and was prepared that this part will not be that fun since im familiar with it from vids, i was mistaken! Really, its a completely different experience...you will see.

Enough of this, here are some facts and observations of my first 1,5hrs gameplay (which i felt like it was only 15mins, lol) -
And this was a KOREAN version, couldnt understand a word of it..imagine what it will be to have that in english.... or not, it will still be over whatever your expectations were.

After a 10mins ecstasy, the first you will take notice of is the deepness of your surroundings. Everything lives, everything is moving, breathing, incredible.
Also, everything is connected and reacts differently to everything.
Everything is so detailed, every time you step one forward, you will experience different, unique, interesting things.
Everything, everything, every,every,every,every, STOP...ok, sorry.

Heres an example:
Monsters have infested an abandoned farm. There are fences made of bones, skulls, other remains. Sun is shining, the skulls on the fence are burning on fire, like torches. But as soon as it starts to rain, monsters start to freak out, theyre no longer just standing and guarding, but started to run, patrol or just harassing non-hostile bugs. But weather affects not only living things! With the rain, the burning skulls have stopped burning! Its obviously not a big thing in itself, but its really a nice experience to discover such things. Details..content... Aion has them. - well, at least @ these levels:PP

I was afraid (I dont know for how long, for quite some time) that maps will be linear. We were told, that the first one will be really linear, coz its like a tutorial. Truth is, it is linear, but you wont notice that, only if you intentionally inspect the map whether its linear or not. Its wide, its open, you look far away, there are still mountains, villages, mills, the flying mantha creature.. you just wont notice or care it is linear.

Hmhm, ah, yes, computer specs:
Low-medium config..i think:
P4 2,8 Ghz
2GB DDR2,
Geforce 7800GTX
1280x1024, everything on HIGH, stable 30+ FPS...PERFECT.

Ive tried it on a low-end comp too:
P4, 2,1Ghz
1GB DDR1,
Radeon 9600Pro
1280x800, medium settings: perfect, no lags, no swaps, etc.

Three interesting, sorta negative things id like to discuss:

Small characters:
Yeah, was discussed before, still these small chars really ruin the experience when they show up....their anatomy is not of children, not gnomes, not dwarf...instead, like minipets or some bugs due to graphical errors...i strongly recommend to devs to adjust this a bit more. Its okay for me to have small (not that small, but smaller than usual) chars, but then restrict them with normal body-scales or smg.

Controls:
I dont know whether we can change that or not, but at default, it seems that the two version of controlling is together. Right-click+left click=wasd, left clicking on ground=pnc. What is annoying, is that in the usual wasd movement, if you hold left-click, you can rotate the camera around your character while running, and with right-click you can turn with your character. Here in Aion, right-click is the same, but since p'n'c is on left-click, you cant turn the camera around while running!
Hopefully there are options for that, i cant tell you that coz of the korean version. For the same reason, battles can be annoying as well (at last until you're used to it), since when you want to click on the moving enemy, you click behind it instead, and your char begins to run to that point. You just cant click, inspect as freely as you would expect, you need to be careful, coz one misclick can send your char away and precious seconds can be lost while you're trying to turn towards the enemy again.
I thought that these two control methods will become separate, choosable options, not together, so beside the above mentioned things, it was irritating - but again, its just matter of time to get used to it.

Minimap-sonar navigator:
Its too bright, too shiny, the circles are too sharp, cant really see the actual map because of them. They should be removed.

Last thing i want to mention, was embarassing, and a low-point:
In the first village theres a small temple, sanctuary..I stepped in, music changed to: Gloria, in excelsis deo!.....WTF was that? Seriously!
Gloria, in excelsis deo!!...WHAT???!?! How the hell this could have happened?

CMs, please tell those devs to remove this ridiculous thing and replace it with nice, fantasy-lyrics...annoying, embarassing, ridiculous.

First, its latin... not from world of Aion
Second: Deo - from Deus: its a Masculinum....this is the word for a Male God. Aion is a Female, so either that church was a hideout of a secret cult or i dont know..

REMOVE THAT SONG AND REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE! HIDEOUS!

Thats it, I probably wont play it until english OB, dont want to spoil it for myself, it's just too precious to me.

If you're waiting for this game, keep waitin for it, coz its totally, 1111000% worth it.
COME TO GC WHERE IT WILL BE PLAYABLE!!!!!! MUST!!!

by lyankyj (with L as first letter:P)

here are 4 pics as attachments.

CBT 3 Recap

jameinkaiser — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:53:58

source:http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view...1&subcategory=

2008.07.20 22:30 아이온 시즌3 테스트 종료! 결과는?
The conclusion of CBT 3. And the verdict?
한낮

7월20일 오후 11시. 3주에 걸쳐 진행됐던 <아이온>의 시즌3 클로즈 베타테스트가 종료됐다. 최대 레벨 40까지 플레이 할 수 있었던 이번 테스트에서는 핵심 컨텐츠인 어비스가 첫 선을 보였으며, PvP 전투공식과 직업별 스킬 밸런스 조절 등이 이뤄졌다.

At 11:00, on 20 July 2008, the three-week long beta phase had come to a close. Players were able to enjoy the new level cap of 40, and the game's central content, the Abyss, was showcased. Various skill balances and PvP combat-related factors were tweaked.

테스트가 막 종료된 지금, 시즌3 테스트 중 벌어졌던 이야기들을 간략하게 추려봤다. 보다 자세한 소식들은 이후 업데이트될 시즌3 체험기를 통해 이야기할 예정이다. /디스이즈게임 한낮

I have briefly summed up a recap of CBT 3. Details will be discussed in a more in-depth review later.

The Face of Abyss

이번 테스트에서 가장 많은 관심을 끌었던 것은 <아이온>의 핵심 컨텐츠 ‘어비스’의 등장이었다. 어비스는 상부, 심층부, 하부의 입체적인 모습으로 구성된 일종의 ‘전장’으로 9개의 요새를 사이에 두고 천족과 마족 간의 전쟁이 끊임없이 벌어지는 장소다.

The most notable feature of CBT 3 was the game's central content, the Abyss. The Abyss consists of three layers; top, center, and bottom. They are divided into nine 'battle zones,' where each faction can fight for control.

시즌3 테스트와 함께 등장한 어비스는 테스트 기간 내내 전쟁이 끊이지 않을 정도로 큰 인기를 끌었다. 다만 요새전의 방식이 지나치게 단순하고 반복적이다 보니 대부분의 유저들이 지루함을 느꼈고, 테스트 후반에는 일반 유저의 참여가 급격히 줄어드는 등 많은 문제점들이 발견되기도 했다.

The Abyss was hugely popular, to the point that ceasefire was something rare to be seen. The Fortress Sieges were quite simplified and repetitive, however, which left many players feeling bored, and the number of players participating dropped dramatically towards the later half of the test.

Completely Revamped Combat and Skills

PvP와 PvE의 전투공식이 달라지면서 소위 말하는 유저 간의 ‘한방 싸움’이 사라졌다. 더불어 직업별로 특성에 맞는 스킬이 대거 추가, 또는 변경됐기 때문에 ‘보다 긴 시간 동안 생각하며 싸우는 전투’가 가능해졌다. ‘창살성’이나 ‘무한 물약 사용’처럼 수정해야 할 문제점도 다수 남아 있었지만, PvP만큼은 지난 시즌에 비해서 나아졌다는 평이 많았다.

As the combat in PvP and PvE evolved from its previous state, the notorious 'one-hit-kill' disappeared. A myriad of skills were added to various classes in addition to tweaks to existing skills, which allowed players to participate in more prolonged battles that allowed time for thinking and planning strategy. There were some flaws such as 'infinite potion usage' and 'pole assassin,' but many agreed that PvP improved significantly compared to the last test.

Content, Still Insufficient

모르헤임과 엘테넨 지역의 컨텐츠도 보강됐다. 지역별로 몇몇 퀘스트가 생겼고 보상도 다소 변경됐다. 하지만 여전히 부실한 보상과 지나치게 높은 난이도 등으로 인해 퀘스트가 제 구실을 하지 못하고 있었다. 다음 테스트에서는 단순히 퀘스트의 양만 늘리기보다 적절한 보상에도 신경을 써줬으면 하는 바람이다.

Morheim and Eltnen were supplemented with more content. A few quests were added to each zone, and rewards have seen changes as well. Still, the high difficulty and rather meagre quest rewards still made the quests somewhat obsolete. On the next phase of beta, it would be desirable if the devs concentrate more on the quality of the quests rather than inflating their numbers.

Manastones nerfed, economy in recession?

지난 시즌에서 ‘너무 많이 나와서 고민이었던’ 마석의 드랍률이 눈에 띌 정도로 낮아졌다. 게다가 새로 등장한 마석의 효과까지 절반으로 줄어든 탓에 유저들이 지난 시즌에 모아뒀던 ‘구형 마석’을 구입하기 위해 혈안이 되는 기현상도 벌어졌다.

The drop rate of manastones, which was too high back in CBT 2, dropped significantly to the point of becoming rare. The newly introduced manastones were nerfed in ability, which created a strange phenomenon, leaving players to search for the old manastones from the earlier beta.

아이템의 상점매각 가격이 대폭 줄어들고 어비스 내에서 사용되는 워프 비용이 추가되면서 허리띠를 바짝 졸라매지 않으면 스킬 값을 벌기도 어려운 일종의 ‘스태그플레이션’ 상황이 찾아왔다. 반면 요새를 점령한 레기온은 며칠 사이에 수 억 키나를 벌어들이는 등 부익부 빈익빈 현상도 벌어졌다.

The price of vendor items dropped dramatically, and fees were added for using warps in the Abyss, which created a strange type of 'stagflation'where a player would have to work his/her butt off to make the ends meet (in this context, make enough $$ to buy spellbooks). On the other hand, those in control of fortresses were making hundreds of millions of Qina in a matter of few days.

The Conclusion of the Test. What's next? CBT 4 or Open Beta?

시즌3 테스트가 끝나면서 시즌4 테스트가 이어질지, 아니면 오픈 베타테스트가 시작될지 역시 관심사로 남았다.

As the third phase of closed beta came to a close, what left many wondering was the question: "What's next?" Whether the next course of action would be to move on to an open beta or another closed beta, was a matter of great interest.

우선 이번 테스트에서 원활한 요새전을 위해 유저들의 레벨을 37~40으로 조정해주고 1인당 수 백만 키나를 제공해주었기 때문에 더 이상 정상적인 테스트 진행은 불가능할 것이라는 의견이 지배적이다. 이미 최종 컨텐츠까지 테스트를 했기 때문에 굳이 시즌4 테스트를 진행할 이유가 없다는 의견도 있다.

In order to facilitate Abyss combat, players' levels were adjusted to 37 - 40 and millions of Qina were granted to each player. This makes the continuation of 'normal' tests unlikely, and many agree that there is no need for CBT 4 as the game's central content had debuted with CBT 3.

이와 반대로 레벨 40까지의 컨텐츠만 테스트 했고, 아직 미공개 지역도 있는 만큼 시즌4 테스트가 이어질 것이라는 예상도 있다. 어느 쪽으로 결정이 되더라도 시즌3에서 드러난 문제들은 확실히 해소한 상태로 돌아오기를 바란다. 특히 핵심이자 궁극의 컨텐츠가 될 어비스가 보다 강력해지기를 기대한다. :)

There are also those who argue that only content up to level 40 were revealed, and many unreleased zones which make some to speculate for an upcoming CBT 4. Whatever the case may happen to be, I anticipate that problems clearly shown in CBT 3 are addressed and the game's central content, the Abyss, comes back better than ever.

Mark's Journal, Entry 0.5

Mark — Sun, 6 Jul 2008 18:50:36

Okay, I lied, I didn't delete my Asmodian female and make an Elyos character like I said I would in my last journal entry. Instead I chose to level her up and become a Daeva. Let me tell 'ya, that was interesting even if I didn't know what exactly I was doing.

Imagine this: you've never watched Lord of the Rings trilogy before, since you live in Antarctica. One day you miraculously find a copy in the frozen remains of a dead penguin except it's in a language you can't understand. You watch it anyway and are astounded by the visuals, the action, and the music! How could you not be? They filmed it in New Zealand, one of the most pristine and unique inhabited environments in the whole world, the had top-notch actors and stuntmen, and the visual effects team were pros!

That's pretty much how I feel when playing Aion's Korean CBT3. I'm sorely missing out on the story, but Aion's "everything else" is so polished I can forgive it. The landscapes and soundtrack are amazing, the monster design too. Little details are everywhere and I don't miss a single one, though some of you more "hardcore" people probably will overlook them all. Let me make a little list...

First, this gigantic tree right after the first outpost, it's amazingly beautiful and the music that accompanies it is also. At night it glows. During the short "daytime" the water around it glows too. Judging by the incredible amount of life surrounding it, flora and fauna, I'd say it may be sustaining the local ecosystem all by itself. Detail? This is it, folks. Pay close attention to everything you see and you'll notice these things.

Second, the next zone's (forest) music will inspire you to pick up a banjo or flute and learn how to play it. It sports kangaroo/mountain-goat hybrids and lots of randomly spawned vegetation for you to practice your gathering skills on. Also, more details: ladders leaning up against trees, the same trees oozing fluorescent green sap you see in buckets in other areas (it must serve some purpose), lights hanging from trees, a sign with no names pointing the way on the path over a bridges, a tree growing out of the remains of a ruin, et cetera, et cetera.

The zone after that is more eerie and home to the second bindpoint (or third, if you count the newbie spawn as a bind point) but not a full-fledged town. Here you get more quests and even take on some Asmodian pirates who've made their home on a deathly beautiful "ghost ship". Now you have a choice to make: explore the Mau area (and run into a dead end, like I did) or go to the graveyard area and become a Daeva.

The Mau area reminds me of a oddly spread-out American Indian village (IRL such villages were normally very packed-together, the Mau like open spaces it seems), and contains a "Boss" mob guarding an Abyss gate deep inside a cave. I got all the way to the Abyss gate at level 8 by tagging along with a party I wasn't part of and blasting through a tunnel full of mobs I probably couldn't handle alone in such rapid succession. At the end I watched them take down the big bad mob (he didn't look too hard) but I couldn't follow them through the Abyss gate. I clicked it as hard as I could to no avail, the damn gate wouldn't let a noob like me through. So the Mau area is explorer's dead end at level eight, but there's still quests to complete in there so you shouldn't skip over it if you're going for completion. I recommend giving it a once-over before you head off to the graveyard, since the two areas are connected in a very subtle way that I thought was amazingly well-orchestrated. I'll show you later.

On to the graveyard area to meet my destiny! Just gotta trek past some panther-like cats first and...viola! Blood-red trees! Or are they blood-covered? Either way, remember this vista. It's the entrance to the graveyard area. You'll be seeing something very similar soon. Past this entrance lies a zone full of the most "different" zombies I've ever seen in my life. Most of us have a preconceived notion of what a zombie should look like. NCsoft pretty much threw that all out except for the general "living dead" part. You've gotta see it. Also, I figured out a quest wants you to read the gravestones and fight the ghosts of dead Asmodians that you summon by doing so, which was interesting to say the least.

There's two paths to follow in the graveyard zone. One leads to the Asmodian dude in a crystal who gives you your Daeva quest. The other leads back to the Mau area. If you follow that path until the end you're treated to this sight. See? An identical back door with a white tree instead of red. What are the developers trying to say? This is attention to details.

The second path, like I said, leads you to your past. You've gotta do some chores back in other zones before you can travel back in time, and the chores aren't as cool as gathering water from a pond and bringing it to a talking tree like the Elyos, but it's nothing bad. Just a little trek back (if you don't use your "teleport to bind point" skill) and forth, no big deal. Then the fun starts.

If you're not listening to the music when you enter the Abyss, you're missing the best techno-battle-rock-whatever I've heard in my life. Walk past your NPC comrads cheering your name, "Felicia! Felicia is here!", talk to one of them to activate the scripted flight sequence, and let yourself go to the guitar riff. Land on the rocky explosive fireball excuse for a floating island and kill four Elyos NPCs. That's simple as your past, stronger, self. Wait for the "Boss" Elyos commander to appear and then whip his ***! It's easy at level nine. All to a rockin' tune that's nowhere near the level of annoying the battle music is. If this is anything like the real Abyss I like it already!

But wait, what's this? In a cutscene the Elyos dude whips out a nasty electric combo and sends me sailing! No! This can't be true! Is this really my past? Lame! I was totally winning that battle, NCsoft! Oh well, the dude from the crystal shows up and asks me what I want to be: a Gladiator or a Templar. I pick Templar, because Felicia from Darkstalkers is a good girl who ends up being a nun in some endings (yeah, wtf catgirl-nuns, I know).

Now I'm given the option to go back to the old areas or go to Pandaemonium. Wow, this is a really hard decision...not. Pandaemonium, here I come!

...Alright, loading screen....

And...finished. Here I am! Oh, nice. Waterfall behind me, entrance to the city before me, steep mountains on every side with more waterfalls. Already someone with a cutscene to talk to. Wonder what it's about.

Cutscene starts, guy starts talking to me like he knows me, two guards run up and whip out their blades to attack me but he calls them off and explains who I am. Oops, they bow and go back to their positions. Guess I've got a reputation in this town. :cool:

Let's see, he tells me where to go to find the ringleader of this circus. Down and to the right about one block. A little ball of light with wings, a fairy perhaps, guides the way there just for me. That's cool. Ah, there's the main underground administration chamber. Let's just walk in and...what's this? Different music? Oh my. I'm getting goosebumps. That's some powerful stuff, like Daeva's Oratorio but for Asmodians and set to 11 on the scale of awesome. You've gotta hear it.

Now to talk to the leader. Cutscene starts, people are talking to each other about Felicia while she walks by and up to the leader. He says a few words, blesses and "knights" Felicia after she displays the ability to summon wings, and then the cutscene ends. My class skill-trainer/seller now has something for me, a choice between a one-handed sword, two-handed sword, or two-handed spear (I think). I grab the one-hander, I found a magic-infused sheild on the ground way back in level seven and I don't plan on dropping it until I find a better one (and there's skills that use it). The trainer offers me something else, a choice between two free skillbooks. Hmm, I pick the one with a level requirement that I already match. Who knows what skill it'll actually give me?

Alright, I'm in a hurry, business here is done. I'll come back later and check the city out more thoroughly, but for now I want to try out my wings. Let's head somewhere more appropriate to try them out. Back to the teleporter! He askes if I want to go back to my old haunts or new ones. New ones, please! He opens up a person-sized portal in the air and I jump through it. Ah, another loading screen. LONG DISTANCE TELEPORTATION will always do that, but walking from zone to zone is a seamless affair.

Now a new outpost, this one, appears as I jump out of a portal that spontaneously appeared in the air near the ground. A NPC directs me to the town's leader and his assistant who both combined have a total of ten or so quests for me! Yikes! Better get to work! But first I have to fly up and talk to the NPC standing on the gigantic floating rock that threatens to flatten the town if gravity actually meant something in this world. He tells me to fly around and kill the blobs of magic goo that are just floating in the air. I think it's magic floating goo-cruelty and it's 4:40am and I need sleep, so I take one last screenshot before I log out.

Here it is.

Alright, any questions kiddos?