Aion (Open Beta, Launch Day Info too!)

[March]

No queue?  do you play off-times?  Just curious.

I checked every server at 7:00 edt yesterday and the shortest queue was 1 hr (1000 +/- deep)... since I had never tried the game, I didn't care what server... so would have gone anywhere if there had been an option.

[Falconeer]

Queue in EU happens only between 7.30pm to 11pm, and they can easily last 1 - 2 hours. Before and after it is supersmooth.

[Xanthippe]

No queue?  do you play off-times?  Just curious.

I checked every server at 7:00 edt yesterday and the shortest queue was 1 hr (1000 +/- deep)... since I had never tried the game, I didn't care what server... so would have gone anywhere if there had been an option.

I logged in a few times yesterday, morning to evening, US pacific time.  No queue at all, although I was told in the evening that I couldn't make any Asmo on the K server unless I had one already.

Why is everyone playing Asmo?  I am because friends are, but I really don't care.  I feel like an Albion.

[amiable]

No queue?  do you play off-times?  Just curious.

I checked every server at 7:00 edt yesterday and the shortest queue was 1 hr (1000 +/- deep)... since I had never tried the game, I didn't care what server... so would have gone anywhere if there had been an option.

I logged in a few times yesterday, morning to evening, US pacific time.  No queue at all, although I was told in the evening that I couldn't make any Asmo on the K server unless I had one already.

Why is everyone playing Asmo?  I am because friends are, but I really don't care.  I feel like an Albion.

I switched to that server too (elyos side though).  It is a pacific server and it does not have queue...  (and lacks the goons lovable antics).

[Venkman]

That's the upshot of playing in East Coast time on a West Coast time server. You're generally ahead of the pack.

Only becomes a problem when you're trying to line up for group events.

[Kail]

I checked every server at 7:00 edt yesterday and the shortest queue was 1 hr (1000 +/- deep)... since I had never tried the game, I didn't care what server... so would have gone anywhere if there had been an option.

That's odd, aside from day 1, there've been two or three servers which have never had queues (that I've seen) at prime time CST. 

Also, didn't see it posted yet, but here's an interesting (cough...) bit from Aionsource:

Hey guys,
I just wanted to let you know that we have had a problem since launch that prevents us from making Administrator replies on our official forums. This means that we simply cannot reply to threads, even if we wanted to. It would be nice if you could communicate this to users somehow, so that they understand that this is why we have practically no official forum presence. We’re working on getting this fixed, but I don’t know how long it will take.

In the meantime we’re trying to keep everyone up to date via Twitter, other forums and IRC. Let me know if you have any questions.
-Ayase

[Venkman]

Err, so they can't log in as a Mod and leave a reply?

[Threash]

All the top levels are saying its much faster to grind for exp than quest, that seems to miss the whole point of having quests.

[Ashamanchill]

All the top levels are saying its much faster to grind for exp than quest, that seems to miss the whole point of having quests.

Man I'm level 10 and I've already found this to be true.

[kondratti]

All the top levels are saying its much faster to grind for exp than quest, that seems to miss the whole point of having quests.

I like the fact that grinding mobs gives good exp again.  Questy people who like quests can do them, too many games have forced us to do 500 quests we dont want to do.

Originally WoW created mega quests to hide the grind, but since then, in most MMOs have been inundated with horrid fedex/collect bear faeces quests.  I am glad someone stopped doing it.  I would much rather kill with friends than spend all my time running across Asheroth.

[Threash]

On a more positive note, exp does come pretty fast so either grinding or questing you are leveling at a pretty fast rate.

[Venkman]

Originally WoW created mega quests to hide the grind, but since then, in most MMOs have been inundated with horrid fedex/collect bear faeces quests.  I am glad someone stopped doing it.  I would much rather kill with friends than spend all my time running across Asheroth.

Jeez. We've come full circle

[Malakili]

Originally WoW created mega quests to hide the grind, but since then, in most MMOs have been inundated with horrid fedex/collect bear faeces quests.  I am glad someone stopped doing it.  I would much rather kill with friends than spend all my time running across Asheroth.

Jeez. We've come full circle

Its kind of true though.  Quests we actually cool when you felt like they meant something or actually had some objective that felt like it matched the setting that surrounded you.  Now, quests are "grind stuff, and we'll give you an exp bonus at the end" except that the bonus is so big (including in game currency usually), that you pretty much just do every quest in order.  This is why I call them "quest grinders" cause you grind quests.  MAYBE the first time through the stories are nice, MAYBE.  But I honestly don't mind the idea of hanging out in the forest hunting, etc. 

I THINK this is closely related to the wanting a "world" rather than a "theme park" argument, but I won't go there.

[ghost]

A good quest line can make the game seem less boring.  The problem with most lengthy quest lines is they eventually throw in some quest that you need a group of 5 to complete, which just makes me want to jump into something else.  I don't really have the patience to sit around and wait for a group in most instances.

[Venkman]

There are good quests. But then there's the quantity of them needed. All modern games balance quest grind vs mob grind so players can make their own choice. But we don't want to go back to the pre-AO days of grind groups. As the only way to play, it sucks except for the very narrow group that was the majority of this genre before WoW showed just how many people WANT to like these games.

[Draegan]

All the top levels are saying its much faster to grind for exp than quest, that seems to miss the whole point of having quests.

Not completely true.  At level 27 in the Abyss I can do a repeatable quest over and over and get pretty decent xp.  14k per kill and 50k per turn in.  The quest is to kill 8 of one mob, 6 of another and 3 of a third.

There are also quests in Morheim that if you do a few in a decent grind spot, each turn in is worth any where from 80-120k per turn in and the mobs are giving 8-10k per kill.

Grouping with one other person speeds things up tremendously as well.

There are a few bald spots in terms of quests though.

There is an instance you have access to at 25/26 in the Abyss fortress for your side.  You can get 300-400k in quest turn ins, and each mob inside gives about 15k experience and it's easier than Deadmines in WOW.  You can run it once a day until level 29 and clearing the place gives 3/4 a level.

I leveled from 25-27 in half the time I leveled from 23-25.

If you've resigned yourself to grinding, which I don't mind doing, find a mob type your class can handle.  There are some mobs out there with less hps than others that are have either less magical resist or less armor allowing certain class to kill them faster.  Tumblers in Morheim are an example.  I can kill them in 1.5 rotations of my abilities and at level 22-23 I was getting 8k per kill solo.

There is another spot in Morheim with Sprigg Gatherers that call their friends.  If you get a Glad/Templar and a Cleric/Chanter with another DPS class you can continuously grind them without stopping ever (if you have some cheap mana pots for your healers).  Very fast experience for that level.  In a four man group I was getting 1 bubble of experience every 10 minutes.

[Falconeer]

In a four man group I was getting 1 bubble of experience every 10 minutes.

And that would be good? Isn't that 200 minutes to level, which is three hours and twenty minutes doing mindless grind in a four man group (which is supposed to speed up things), at mere level 27? I don't know... it doesn't really sound as good to me as you probably wanted it to sound.

[Draegan]

It's a little over 3 hours per level.  That's pretty damn good.  If you want to compare it to WOW, in the latest expansion, it's comparable.

That's level 27 out of 50 also.  Not sure what you're expecting.  How fast should levels come in these types of games?

[Malakili]

It's a little over 3 hours per level.  That's pretty damn good.  If you want to compare it to WOW, in the latest expansion, it's comparable.

That's level 27 out of 50 also.  Not sure what you're expecting.  How fast should levels come in these types of games?

Pretty soon they'll just take leveling out of the game and just start with the loot grind straight away.

[Falconeer]

It doesn't matter my take on how fast or slow it is. I don't really mind, I will do it and I'll swallow it. Just saying that more than three hours of pure mindless grind for one level, halfway through the game, with a full group, in a high XP area (so it's all TOP condition) doesn't sound so sexy.

I could easily compare it with Age of Conan, LotRO or even two years ago Lineage 2, right after the potions drop patch. At level 27, SEEMS slower than all those games. But these are just vague numbers, so we'll see. Maybe I am remembering stuff wrong.

[Ashamanchill]

I'm not the first one to say this in here, but if it feels like grind, it is grind. And this game certainly feels grindy to me anyways. So far I am getting a vaguely Vanguardy feel to it. It's weird, if you asked me what it was that triggered that I couldn't tell you, cause this game is light years ahead of VG, it's just something I'm getting.

[IainC]

I think for me it's that all the quests so far have been either 'kill ten rats', 'go and click on this NPC/interactable object' or very basic variations on those themes. It feels as though you're doing the same quest over and over again even if you take the time to read the story text.

[tmp]

I think for me it's that all the quests so far have been either 'kill ten rats', 'go and click on this NPC/interactable object' or very basic variations on those themes. It feels as though you're doing the same quest over and over again even if you take the time to read the story text.

They do pretty good job inventing all sorts of different reasons for each k10r quest, though

On separate note there seems to be nice addition in version 1.5 of the game -- each capital city has "appearance daeva" who works like the usual barber shops from other MMOs except gives access to the regular character creation screen with all sliders, making it possible to completely change every aspect of the appearance. Even better the service is currently free, though that's probably temporary.

[Xanthippe]

I just learned some things I had no idea about before.  Please skip if you're knew them already - this is for others who don't read up everything before playing a game.  (I also tend to not read instruction manuals, driving my spouse nuts with dumb questions).

**You can deconstruct items that you receive that you can't sell and don't want to vendor (including white items) by buying a set of tools at the general supplies vendor, and then enchant your armor/weapons with the results.  (This is different from inserting manastones.)

**Also, those power shard things you collect? You can use them by pressing B to increase your damage.  You can also buy more from the general supplies vendor (you can also buy bandages and powder for healing/replenishing mana).

This game does feel a little old school grindy.  Even con mobs are more difficult than I would expect, while mobs that are one level lower are a lot easier that I would expect - and it depends upon the type of mob, too, as some have more resistance or less resistance to different things.

The economy is sucking me in.

[Falconeer]

Some quests so far are EXACTLY the same. I mean, at level 15 I am supposed to go to a MuMu camp to do the same identicla things I did in the level 7 MuMu camps! Same camp, same visuals, same mobs, the Cuties and the Mau, same Odella thingie to prevent from being harvested and same sack of grains to fetch! And yes, pretty much all of them are kill ten of this or that. Sometimes it is kill until you get five drops of this, or if you are lucky just kill three of that (although this usually means less XP for you). It doesn't help a certain chronical absence of dungeons or even of a few random bosses to break the monotony. I am not expecting to raid Darathar at level 17, but I guess EQ2 spoiled me when it comes to dungeon vs. open field action in a PvE context at all levels.

I am being critical because this kind of shit is not cool. Luckily enough I don't really care about it, as I am not in Aion for the quests or the PvE. And I STILL love the audio and the visuals. So far, I am enjoying the experience while still able to see what sucks about the game.

[Ashamanchill]

This game does feel a little old school grindy.  Even con mobs are more difficult than I would expect, while mobs that are one level lower are a lot easier that I would expect - and it depends upon the type of mob, too, as some have more resistance or less resistance to different things.
.

This is what makes it feel grindy for me. As a gladiator (lvl 15), I can one, exactly one, mob my level, and then I have to rest. If I feel like living on the edge, I may attempt another one without it. If at any time I am attacking that one another one aggros me, well I'll see you back at my bind spot folks. It's not the same for all the classes though, my roomate plays a sorcerer and he burns through mobs.

And yeah, lack of low level dungeons is is gay. When does pvp start again?

[Xanthippe]

In a four man group I was getting 1 bubble of experience every 10 minutes.

And that would be good? Isn't that 200 minutes to level, which is three hours and twenty minutes doing mindless grind in a four man group (which is supposed to speed up things), at mere level 27? I don't know... it doesn't really sound as good to me as you probably wanted it to sound.

Shades of that garden gnome camp grind in DAOC Midgard.

I despise that sort of play - get in a group and kill mobs for hours.  I hope Aion is a little more interesting than that, or there's an alternate path, or something.  Otherwise, I don't see playing past my first month.

[Xanthippe]

This game does feel a little old school grindy.  Even con mobs are more difficult than I would expect, while mobs that are one level lower are a lot easier that I would expect - and it depends upon the type of mob, too, as some have more resistance or less resistance to different things.
.

This is what makes it feel grindy for me. As a gladiator (lvl 15), I can one, exactly one, mob my level, and then I have to rest. If I feel like living on the edge, I may attempt another one without it. If at any time I am attacking that one another one aggros me, well I'll see you back at my bind spot folks. It's not the same for all the classes though, my roomate plays a sorcerer and he burns through mobs.

And yeah, lack of low level dungeons is is gay. When does pvp start again?

I'm also a gladiator templar.  I was having that problem but am not now since hitting 14.  I bought plate pieces (no green ones, just the crafted steel regulars, cheap off AH).  I deconstructed junk and enchanted my armor.  Changed my manastones to +crit.  Wielding a greatsword.

I can kill even con mumu after mumu without resting, or Mosbears (even con), or elementals (bonus is they drop elemental stones, which I can use in alchemy or sell nicely).  I use my armor/health buff thing every time it's up.

Use bandages and that powder junk instead of resting - it's cheap enough.  Buy from general supplies vendor.

I can't kill the Black Claw easily though.  They hit hard and they have a lot of defense.  I can't kill orange mobs without resting.  I'm not even going to bother doing orange quests unless I have a partner, or go into places with swarming mobs until I'm a level or two above them.

Edit:  I don't even know what class I am, apparently!

[Ard]

This is what makes it feel grindy for me. As a gladiator (lvl 15), I can one, exactly one, mob my level, and then I have to rest.

See, I feel the opposite on my gladiator (16), but I was playing with my wife's cleric(16) last night and another guildie on chanter (19).  We were taking groups of level 18/19's 3 at a time with absolutely no downtime, aoeing them down.   So it might come down to playstyle at that point.

[Falconeer]

I despise that sort of play - get in a group and kill mobs for hours.  I hope Aion is a little more interesting than that, or there's an alternate path, or something.  Otherwise, I don't see playing past my first month.

Well, I would be surprised if it is. That's why I kept saying since forever Aion it's all about the PvP. They masked and skinned it as your regular PvE western title, but it's 49 levels of grind to get to the PvP endgame. As Lineage 2 was. In this case the grind is just more colourful and professionally disguised.

FAKE EDIT: I am a gladiator and I can easily kill two orange mobs at once (although sure, some mobs are harder than others). I am 17 now but it wasn't different when I was 14. Took me some enchanting, some equipment upgrading and some understanding of my skills but I can do that easily and I never died once yet. Seriously, I still have to die. For the records, I never grouped and no one gave me anything yet, not a coin or a weapon. Nothing. So I guess, since it's not a game of skill, and I am by no means better than you, the difference is in very small and subtle details in our attack routines and/or equipment. For downtime, I usually just heal away with our class skill and go looking for the next mob. Every three or four I sit down 30 seconds to regain full life.

[Ashamanchill]

This game does feel a little old school grindy.  Even con mobs are more difficult than I would expect, while mobs that are one level lower are a lot easier that I would expect - and it depends upon the type of mob, too, as some have more resistance or less resistance to different things.
.

This is what makes it feel grindy for me. As a gladiator (lvl 15), I can one, exactly one, mob my level, and then I have to rest. If I feel like living on the edge, I may attempt another one without it. If at any time I am attacking that one another one aggros me, well I'll see you back at my bind spot folks. It's not the same for all the classes though, my roomate plays a sorcerer and he burns through mobs.

And yeah, lack of low level dungeons is is gay. When does pvp start again?

I'm also a gladiator.  I was having that problem but am not now since hitting 14.  I bought plate pieces (no green ones, just the crafted steel regulars, cheap off AH).  I deconstructed junk and enchanted my armor.  Changed my manastones to +crit.  Wielding a greatsword.

I can kill even con mumu after mumu without resting, or Mosbears (even con), or elementals (bonus is they drop elemental stones, which I can use in alchemy or sell nicely).  I use my armor/health buff thing every time it's up.

Use bandages and that powder junk instead of resting - it's cheap enough.  Buy from general supplies vendor.

I can't kill the Black Claw easily though.  They hit hard and they have a lot of defense.  I can't kill orange mobs without resting.  I'm not even going to bother doing orange quests unless I have a partner, or go into places with swarming mobs until I'm a level or two above them.

You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. I just tried this out, worked like a charm.

[Xanthippe]

You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. I just tried this out, worked like a charm.

I'm not a gentleman.  I'm also not a gladiator, I'm a templar.  (See what I mean about how I don't read?)

At any rate, glad this worked for you!  I somehow bumbled through playing in beta without being able to do this, and was ready to quit and not even play the game at all.

[Morfiend]

I also have been finding the game very grindy. I think part of it is that combat never changes for me. Its pretty much always the same (like most others it seems, I am a gladiator). Combat goes like this:

Aggro mob. Auto Attack, Sunder armor (wreck armor?) Skill 1, chain 2, chain 3, AE skill. Auto attack. Repeat until mob dies. Every mob.

I also feel even con mobs take just a little to long to die.

I would again like to address something I said before, that I still very much find true. This game makes you "feel" weak. As some one said, getting an add in combat is almost a disaster. Also, you are supposed to be a Daeva, one to the top 1% of your races most powerful people, and yet you can easily be killed by a small fuzzy animal or a space flamingo. Not only that, I am a winged god of death in full plate armor with a huge magic polearm, spinning around and smashing in to monsters, and then the cute little animal takes like 5% of its health in damage per hit of my giant magic weapon.

I feel this game is channeling EQ1 almost more than any other game. We have long respawns for quest items and mobs. Grind groups. long kill times. Its like they didnt learn at all from WoW. I mean honestly, what is the harm in having static ground spawn items respawn almost instantly. Of that fucking Cute Ribbit.

[Nebu]

The game played very much like a streamlined DAoC or Lineage.  I said this a number of pages back and got a lot of crap for it. 

The attraction of Aion is the endgame PvP.  In order to get to this "fun" you have to trudge through a lot of grindy, weakly implemented pve.  This smacks of a cleaner version of the games that I mention albeit that the pve is a large leap better for a game with a reportedly strong pvp endgame. 

[Threash]

The difference from old school grindy games is the "get in a group" part, you can grind mobs just as easily on your own in Aion while in older games an even con mob needed a full group.  Finding the right mob plays an important part though, theres some stuff i can mow through with no down time and some that requires rest after each kill.