Seven Themes of the Abyss
Chinese
[Link for Korean site from the Chinese site is wrong >.> It gives an L2 site.]
Feel free to download the video clips after each section on the site. They do give you a good insight as to the various Abyss themes. (I'm not sure if they're up here or anything though.. but the clips are in Korean though, so if it's not up, perhaps someone would like to translate it and upload it?)
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.
(I'm really impressed and amused at the Polymorph skill and really like the idea of them engraving the legion's emblem on the weapon to denote possession.)
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.