Aion

 PC
  • Publisher: NCSOFT
  • Release Date: Sep 22, 2009
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 466 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 249 out of 466
  2. Mixed: 89 out of 466
  3. Negative: 128 out of 466
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  1. AnonymousMC
    Oct 7, 2009
    4
    I've only reached level 20 (of 50) with a couple of characters, but Aion is promising to be another grindfest. A complete failure regarding innovation: travel, kill X mobs, use exactly identical attack sequence, repeat. The much touted flying dynamic is horribly limited and underwhelming. The graphics are well done, and there aren't too many in-game bugs for a brand new MMO (norI've only reached level 20 (of 50) with a couple of characters, but Aion is promising to be another grindfest. A complete failure regarding innovation: travel, kill X mobs, use exactly identical attack sequence, repeat. The much touted flying dynamic is horribly limited and underwhelming. The graphics are well done, and there aren't too many in-game bugs for a brand new MMO (nor should there be).… Expand
  2. JerkOff
    Oct 8, 2009
    4
    Aion looks pretty and feels polished, but under that thin layer of glistening filament is an all too familiar turd. It plays like the bastard child of World of Warcraft and every korean MMO ever created.
  3. NolanS
    Sep 29, 2009
    4
    As many others have said, AION has a very nice polish on the outside, but not a whole lot going on inside. Everything is linear. There is ONE starting zone for each faction and ONE race for each faction. There are no talent trees or customization for your characters. Every Cleric will be the same, aside from maybe 1 or 2 skills, every Assassin will be the same...etc...etc. You have to As many others have said, AION has a very nice polish on the outside, but not a whole lot going on inside. Everything is linear. There is ONE starting zone for each faction and ONE race for each faction. There are no talent trees or customization for your characters. Every Cleric will be the same, aside from maybe 1 or 2 skills, every Assassin will be the same...etc...etc. You have to level gathering on every character. There is no diversity in professions to allow much difference in mechanics there. There are no instances to break the grind, at least not until level 30 (which is probably ~50ish hours of game play in). There are no achievements, no pets, no mounts, no reputation gains. You quest, you grind and (IF you are the right level and IF you get a group and IF the opposing faction is there and IF they are willing) you PvP. That.is.it. But, yes, you look pretty cool doing it. Looks won't make up for lack of content for long though.… Expand
  4. TomN
    Jan 5, 2010
    4
    I like to think of myself that can't be moved by hype, but Aion managed it. I bought the collectors edition, loved the beta events pre-release (capped at level 30) and the graphics/char customisation are incredible. I contributed to an Aion blog and posted regular, well-recieved PvP vids, as well as a popular sorcerer guide, so I was definitely invested in the game. The wings are I like to think of myself that can't be moved by hype, but Aion managed it. I bought the collectors edition, loved the beta events pre-release (capped at level 30) and the graphics/char customisation are incredible. I contributed to an Aion blog and posted regular, well-recieved PvP vids, as well as a popular sorcerer guide, so I was definitely invested in the game. The wings are fortunately not a gimmick and after quitting, I honestly believe that every single MMO in existence should have glide. :) That's the positives. I joined a fantastic legion off the bat and that's the only reason I managed to last two months. At about level 30, the grindwall hits. By level 40 you're a soldier if you keep on going. I quit at 46 after forcing the last three or so levels out of me (approx. 1 level per week, playing 4-8 hrs a day). While normally you might look past this and think it'll all be better at endgame, in Aion's case... no. There's no endgame. It's literally exactly the same stuff as what you've been doing on the way to 50, and in many ways there's even less to do. Aion was released a good year or two too early, which is extremely unfortunate as early game is promising and engaging... capping the betas to level 30 was a very clever trick on NCSoft's part but that's about where their cleverness ends.… Expand
  5. PaulW
    Jan 13, 2010
    4
    If you
  6. IvanD
    Jan 26, 2010
    4
    Pros: - Good graphics - Characters can fly in some areas Cons: - Not nearly enough PvE content - No brains needed for the skillbar arrangement. Just collect the skills for the combo and use it. - Quests are unrewarding and the repeatable quests are a joke. - One needs quite a hardware for not to see the "epic" PvP in a slideshow. - Lots and lots of gold traders and scammers. - The Pros: - Good graphics - Characters can fly in some areas Cons: - Not nearly enough PvE content - No brains needed for the skillbar arrangement. Just collect the skills for the combo and use it. - Quests are unrewarding and the repeatable quests are a joke. - One needs quite a hardware for not to see the "epic" PvP in a slideshow. - Lots and lots of gold traders and scammers. - The community... Well it's almost absent and generally not the friendliest. - Poor end-game content. Overall - A generous 4.… Expand
  7. JohnB
    Jan 4, 2010
    4
    A beautiful game with an amazing avatar creation screen and an engrossing storyline with the entertaining flight system...right up till around the half way mark when it becomes a full-on mindless grindfest. It has to be said in it's defense - the epic feel to the storyline up till the half-way mark is incredible and justifies the box price all by itself (Most high-mark reviewers A beautiful game with an amazing avatar creation screen and an engrossing storyline with the entertaining flight system...right up till around the half way mark when it becomes a full-on mindless grindfest. It has to be said in it's defense - the epic feel to the storyline up till the half-way mark is incredible and justifies the box price all by itself (Most high-mark reviewers likely based their views on the first 40 hours of play)....After that though, expect interesting content to be few and far between, delivered in tasty little morsels yet never enough to keep you motivated through days of bashing the same monsters and running the same instances over and over. PvP generally revolves around ganking the opposing race when they grind or removing roaming groups from your homelands, with a fortress siege or defense. Broken damage/defense scaling in the class systems will have you tearing hair out frequently. On reflection, fairly similar to Rising Force Online - without the all-important 3rd race to allow for power politics, alliances and ever-entertaining backstabbing. The end-game PvPvE is balanced to perfection in both small skirmish and large-scale brawls - solo PvP is not advised. Expect hideous degrees of both server and frame lag in massive fights, plus 3-6 months of serious grinding to get to this stage. Pre-level 45, most classes can expect to be killed in seconds without top-notch equipment...Assuming you make level 50, there is a far, far nastier equipment upgrade grind then an even-worse Abyss-Point grind ahead for the end-game items. As each server gets older, any 'new' level 50 will still be fodder to a veteran level 50 who is deep into their AP equipment grind. Fortunately, very few players will have the perseverance and lack of other activities to make it this far, even over a period of years. The resourcing and crafting systems are static, much like the combat skills progession - everything is preset from material location to success and critical rates (known as a "proc" locally). All crafting and collection involves is triggering the action, then waiting 1-10 seconds for a success, failure or lucky critical - thats right, no skills to assist, no mini-game action (aka SWG PRe-CU ATITD). The equipment skin-altering NPC to make your equipment look like other equipment is the single greatest concession made to individuality in avatars. Expect weeks of watching progression bars to 'Master' a craft - did I mention crafting is entirely optional? Looted gear and AP gear are vastly superior! Crafted goods are generally only used at lower levels or when you don't have the looted version. Grinding revolves around the same 2 sets of key-strokes constantly, with occasional alterations to use a long cooldown-skill. In-game macros are fairly useless due to timing problems and individual lag issues...generally grinding is all manual skill-activation. Plagued with bots (both basic and advanced types), the economy is unstable as the critical mass of players to supply resources is not there yet on many servers. The mass-banning of bots that NCSoft occasionally does are welcome, yet the large scale bot operators are unaffected and advertisement stores return within hours, often starting to use 'real' names rather than gibberish strings of letters. Ultimately, Aion is a niche game - you will grow to love the grind, hate it entirely or simply get bored and slowly stop playing over time.… Expand
  8. GunterF
    Oct 12, 2009
    4
    Aion is pretty and runs very stable. Unfortunately, beside that it's not much more then an upgraded usual free-to-play asian MMORPG. Flat storyline, forced grinding, only a few items and a kind of PvP that already didn't work out in Warhammer Online. Not to mention serious starting problems like long waiting queues and the bot and spam infestation already happening on most Aion is pretty and runs very stable. Unfortunately, beside that it's not much more then an upgraded usual free-to-play asian MMORPG. Flat storyline, forced grinding, only a few items and a kind of PvP that already didn't work out in Warhammer Online. Not to mention serious starting problems like long waiting queues and the bot and spam infestation already happening on most servers without NCsoft intervening.… Expand
  9. RipOff
    Oct 8, 2009
    4
    Korean grind at it's best but definately not worth paying for let alone paying a monthly subscription. Beautiful scenery and decent gameplay but still quite buggy in places that shouldn't see problems. Customer Support is almost non-existent with the majority of Community Rep responses taking place over Twitter which is far from being acceptable. Forums are simply broken with Korean grind at it's best but definately not worth paying for let alone paying a monthly subscription. Beautiful scenery and decent gameplay but still quite buggy in places that shouldn't see problems. Customer Support is almost non-existent with the majority of Community Rep responses taking place over Twitter which is far from being acceptable. Forums are simply broken with people being unable to login or simply not being able to view pages properly. Gameplay is so-and-so with very annoying barriers. In combat you'll see Sorcerers or Rangers mopping the battlefield with melee based classes and in flight see them at a higher level of "0wn4g3" with an even greater chance to flee when the battle turns against them. Fortresses are bland with little excitement after the initial one minute adrenaline rush but after that, spending 30minutes on a boss to cap a fort just isn't interesting as the bosses are hardly challenging. Localization is decent but definately not complete. Voice acting is alright but cutscenes need an overhaul, especially to combat SFX which retains the cringe-worthy Korean chop and swish screams and shouts. If like me you found the whole concept of fortress seiges to be exciting or reminescent of Ragnarok Online then think again. You will not find as good gaemplay as War of Emperium in Aion. The only difference here is there are two factions making PvP round the clock but extremely dull in the Abyss with no real tactic other than zerg whoever happens to be around. Fortress vulnerability timers are seemingly random which makes for poor gameplay and little chance of organising seiges for all... sometimes it can be as bad as to have no fortresses vulnerable for up to three days. A "4" is generous for a game like this requiring you to pay a phenominal amount tied with monthly subscription.… Expand
  10. RobD.
    Sep 27, 2009
    4
    The upsides: * Good looking game (environments/characters) * Flying is cool * Very well optimized, runs smoothly * "Locate" function is fantastic: you don't get lost trying to find a quest NPC or region * Warping back to your bindpoint has a 20 min cooldown vs the standard 60 min. The downsides: * I don't mind the XP debt or cost of dying, but seriously, no respawn points? You The upsides: * Good looking game (environments/characters) * Flying is cool * Very well optimized, runs smoothly * "Locate" function is fantastic: you don't get lost trying to find a quest NPC or region * Warping back to your bindpoint has a 20 min cooldown vs the standard 60 min. The downsides: * I don't mind the XP debt or cost of dying, but seriously, no respawn points? You respawn back at your last bindpoint, which can be super far away. * At this point, a lot of quests are sort of buggy: for example, a very early quest has you pick up wine barrels. Sometimes it won't let you pick up some, but you can others. Or, it may ask you to kill "violent worgs". So you kill some but it doesn't register: go about 2 feet further and the ones you'll encounter register, even though the zone doesn't change. * The chat system sucks. /ignore doesn't prevent people from sending you messages and you still have to see them type, even though they show up in your blocked list. * You get your wings at level 10 and then at about level 11 when you move to the next area, you can't use your wings at all. The entire zone prevents flying (you can glide but that's not nearly as fun and you have to jump off a cliff of which there aren't many). Boring. * The combat is boring. Repeat the same key sequence ad infinitum. * The story is such garbage they might as well have just abandoned it and said "just go kill 10 of these things" for every quest. Since the story is lame and the combat gets boring soon after you get your new skills, it really makes the game feel super grindy, more than most MMOs. I kept wondering when I'd be able to do the real PvP but apparently that's not until like level 20 or so. I just couldn't bring myself to keep playing for that. Got a sorc to level 16, ranger to 11, spirit master to 11, templar to 13 and none were all that fun (though the sorc was the best by far).… Expand
  11. DoeD
    Nov 12, 2009
    4
    Fun and exciting leads to boring and unrewarding, sieges boil down to simple zerg fests with no rewards for defending a captured fortress, finding groups in the abyss is hit or miss, you either roll, get rolled, go back and forth near a guard post, or overwhelm the towers and npc so everyone ports out Really, the grind is okay if you have the patience 44 was my limit, considering there Fun and exciting leads to boring and unrewarding, sieges boil down to simple zerg fests with no rewards for defending a captured fortress, finding groups in the abyss is hit or miss, you either roll, get rolled, go back and forth near a guard post, or overwhelm the towers and npc so everyone ports out Really, the grind is okay if you have the patience 44 was my limit, considering there isnt much to do other then *try* to find entertaining pvp outside arena or grind 2000 plat coins for one piece of gear.… Expand
  12. Itzal
    May 16, 2011
    4
    It is a beautiful environment. For me that is where the good ends. It is a grinder pvp fest. The gear is nothing to write home about due to the poor customization. Gold farmers are present above a level that I am comfortable with. The class system is more of the same. It is a overly gear gear dependent game. The crafting system needs some work as well due to the overall issue withIt is a beautiful environment. For me that is where the good ends. It is a grinder pvp fest. The gear is nothing to write home about due to the poor customization. Gold farmers are present above a level that I am comfortable with. The class system is more of the same. It is a overly gear gear dependent game. The crafting system needs some work as well due to the overall issue with usefulness at lower tiers. When you get in to making gold items then it becomes useful. It is heavily dependent on group play for survival. If you like to mix it up between solo and group play this might not be the game for you.… Expand
  13. TrudiA
    Jan 8, 2010
    3
    Looks flashy, in fact very flashy. Everything in this game is done in a stylish manner. It's easy to pick the game up and also easy to appreciate the game. At first, the game gives you an impression that its somewhat a redux for WoW. None the less you'll be impressed with the, graphics, user interface (including build in quest helper) arial PVP and vast character customization Looks flashy, in fact very flashy. Everything in this game is done in a stylish manner. It's easy to pick the game up and also easy to appreciate the game. At first, the game gives you an impression that its somewhat a redux for WoW. None the less you'll be impressed with the, graphics, user interface (including build in quest helper) arial PVP and vast character customization possibilities. Game play is also quite enjoyable at lower to mid levels, you learn to appreciate the game. Earlier stages of the game I thought bunch of people sat down and asked them selves "how can we improve wow" prior to designing the game. But soon the novelty wears off. For myself the game utterly disappointed me in PvP, versatility of builds, user interface, lack of contents and other balance issues. Firstly the user interface which I adored absolutely in the beginning. Much appreciated inbuilt quest help will more often fail to locate mobs and quest NPC (it is funny how this doesn't really happen until you hit mid 20's coincidence? ). At times I missed my curse client.... The lack of user customization of interfaces will put a frown on your face, if you are used to the likes of WOW and guildwars customization of your HP bar etc (size, color, place etc) then you're going to be extremely disappointed. I'll now move on to game contents Lack of versatility: the game lacks versatility in builds; when I say this I don't mean every second guy will have the same skills. (in this game stigmas are the only ways to differentiate your builds, until lvl 45 you're only allowed to have up to 4 stigmas = thats 4 skills.....) The only times where you'll see the guy next to you is having a different set of skills, is that the poor guy couldn't yet afford the stigmas. this is the worst during your lvl 30's where you can only have 3 stigmas, but really every templar will have unwavering devotion and inescapable judgment equipped, leaving 1 stigma slot for 'your build'. PVP system is quite horrible, at first you may be fooled by the fancy motions and effects, but you'll soon become a victim of auto target. Unlike in WoW a lvl 45 can run into a mob of lvl 38's and wipe them out, and there's nothing you can do to stop the higher lvl. If you encounter someone 5~7 lvl + rest assured you wont' land a single sleep, root, stun, slow etc. Simply there's no way of beating the higher lvl (unless its somewhat 2 ~3 party vs 1). The game lacks in contents. By that I mean it hasn't enough raids. No where near enough. Even though the game may be fairly new what I'm about to describe is unacceptable in my standards. The game only offers a few instances once you hit max level. There are some instances available in abyss (free for all maps), but these have 1 day cool down, and your race must own the respective fortresses for you to be able to enter these instances. Last balance between classes. Most games suffer from balances between classes, but Aion has to be the game that suffers from inbalance from classes in pvp. Since skill play a small role in pvp battles it makes this matter worse. Overall the game is a good eye candy and is very appealing for such a young game, also very easy to pick up and learn. However a lot needs to be worked on in respect to contents user interface and bot problems(customer reps usually will give you a copy and pasted response that had nothing to do with your inquiry, and yes that bot you reported last week will still be around, only richer and 10 lvls higher). I may come back and revisit the game in the future, once more contents are available along with some pvp issues, but until then this game will remain as an eye candy, but nothing more.… Expand
  14. BarnabyR
    Oct 12, 2009
    3
    Even though I was eagerly awaiting this MMO it turned out to be a bitter disapointment. Overall the game just seems like another endless grind similar to lineage or even wow. Pvp doesnt happen till 25 so that also killed it for me. Flying is tedious and you are only aloud to fly in certian areas which made it very annoying to get around. Fighting was far to prolonged and difficult which Even though I was eagerly awaiting this MMO it turned out to be a bitter disapointment. Overall the game just seems like another endless grind similar to lineage or even wow. Pvp doesnt happen till 25 so that also killed it for me. Flying is tedious and you are only aloud to fly in certian areas which made it very annoying to get around. Fighting was far to prolonged and difficult which for some could be a good thing but i just found it boring and depressing when you die to something only a few levels higher than you. Quests were few and far between at lower levels and the game just didnt deliver anything that has not been seen before.… Expand
  15. JohnnyB.
    Sep 25, 2009
    3
    Aion is literally nothing more than grinding. There is hardly anything in it that I would call a game. You grind, grind and grind, and what do you get out of it? Nothing. You don't get equipment; quests almost never give you any, drops are pretty rare (especially weapons), and crafting armor requires such epic, ungodly and preposterous amounts of grinding that you'll never make Aion is literally nothing more than grinding. There is hardly anything in it that I would call a game. You grind, grind and grind, and what do you get out of it? Nothing. You don't get equipment; quests almost never give you any, drops are pretty rare (especially weapons), and crafting armor requires such epic, ungodly and preposterous amounts of grinding that you'll never make anything. Combat is utterly boring and it takes way too long to kill a single mob (which is usually followed by a rest period becaus you'll take so much damage), and leveling up is a very slow process as well. With no equipment or interesting abilities to look forward to, what is the point of all that grinding? The much hyped flying ability is useless as well, because there are few areas where you can use it (and even then for a very short period of time). This isn't a game, this is a job. A job that doesn't pay you anything in any way. And for the record, I have played WoW for several years so this isn't just MMORPG culture shock.… Expand
  16. LucaC
    Oct 14, 2009
    3
    The visually stunning environment quickly grows old as it becomes clear that there is no creativity in the game play. I leveled to 40 and canceled my account after realizing that there is nothing but a grind. The boss fights seemed to be tank and spank, followed by spank and tank for some variety. The crafting system is repetitive and monotonous. Buy mats, hit a station, click go, and The visually stunning environment quickly grows old as it becomes clear that there is no creativity in the game play. I leveled to 40 and canceled my account after realizing that there is nothing but a grind. The boss fights seemed to be tank and spank, followed by spank and tank for some variety. The crafting system is repetitive and monotonous. Buy mats, hit a station, click go, and wait. After a couple minutes you get a point. Repeat 100… Expand
  17. JH
    Oct 19, 2009
    3
    A very pretty grind. That's all you will get out of Aion. Classes are very imbalanced making PvP laughable. The graphics are excellent but it only seems to mask the bleak and boring gameplay.Unlike what Gunter F said.. Warhammer Online has undergone changes and is the best PvP MMO out there if one enjoys that kind of MMO.
  18. JohnM
    Oct 11, 2009
    3
    The game is great up till about lvl 20, then you start to relize how much grinding you have to do and hardly any quests. Horrible support for the game, tickets never get answered and most of the time they are auto closed with no answer.
  19. PhilipK
    Nov 30, 2009
    3
    The PvE is just as generic as every other MMO you've played and will already feel tired and boring if you've played WoW for any stretch of time. The grinding is nearly unbearable for most people, as it's based around 'kill x number mobs' until you run out of quests and then must revert to just killing things soullessly for hours on end until you get your next The PvE is just as generic as every other MMO you've played and will already feel tired and boring if you've played WoW for any stretch of time. The grinding is nearly unbearable for most people, as it's based around 'kill x number mobs' until you run out of quests and then must revert to just killing things soullessly for hours on end until you get your next level. (You'll want to quit by the time you gain PvP access unless you're a masochist). Additionally, once you get near PvP level, the grinding zones are able to be raided by enemy players, making your grinding even more frustrating than normal. (Recall PvP ganking in low level areas on WoW, except there's *absolutely* no way to avoid it.) If for some odd reason you're not tired of grindan for items in Raids, it doesn't matter, because this game is not centered around dungeons (even though they do exist). This game is PvP centric with an absolutely horrific grind to the max level of 50. Endgame consists of structuring your life around in-game, timed events that will probably cause your game to run like crap because there are hundreds of character models loaded simultaneously on screen. Combat is generic; character builds are very limited and unbalanced; some skills are still 'broken' and no patch is expected; and the pvp is more biased to sheer number of players versus tactics or skill. The game is pretty, but only if you have a fairly current graphics card, making the graphics look paltry to many gamers who can't afford updating their rig like myself. Absolutely do not get this game if you were tired of WoW; you're wasting your money. Also do not get this game unless you have a LOT of extra time to invest. That is unless you can handle getting 1/10 of a level every time you log on to play.… Expand
  20. GeorgeV
    Dec 27, 2009
    3
    Failed MMO. Leveled a cleric until lvl28 when the grind wall hit. Servers are getting emptier by the day (my entire 80 ppl legion quit after 2 months). Looks like they ported the game to NA/EU market just for the first 25 levels, the rest from 25-50 is the same mindless grind fest as the Korean version.
  21. FrancisC
    Dec 31, 2009
    3
    I was very hyped about Aion, I had pre-ordered the collectors edition and was ready for what was hailed as the next WoW.... How disappointed I was, when it actually came time to play. As many others have said here, Aion is nothing more than another Korean MMO Grindfest. The flying aspect is a gimmick and is very limited (except in the Abyss, but flying in the Abyss makes you a very easily I was very hyped about Aion, I had pre-ordered the collectors edition and was ready for what was hailed as the next WoW.... How disappointed I was, when it actually came time to play. As many others have said here, Aion is nothing more than another Korean MMO Grindfest. The flying aspect is a gimmick and is very limited (except in the Abyss, but flying in the Abyss makes you a very easily spottable target for ganking). Overall I thought it looked really nice, lots of items and beautiful world, but thats where it stops, the rest is hour upon hour of mindless mob grinding, especially past lv25, where quests arent enough XP anymore and you need to grind half of your levels, which translate into daily 5 hour sessions of grinding to gain 10% of your level. Waste of 65$ (collector's ed), shouldve got the boxed version so I couldve at least sold it to a pawn shop for 5$.… Expand
  22. Flash_Over
    Sep 14, 2011
    3
    This game is very fun at first. The combat is soothing and the graphics are incredible! BUT, The quests are the same old BS. Kills this collect that, Kill 335 of these things to get 1 drop ect ect. But it gets worse folks. After that annoying grind you get to run ALL the way back to base to turn in the quests. Wait, did you say use your mount? Well you have NONE! No Mounts in the game! andThis game is very fun at first. The combat is soothing and the graphics are incredible! BUT, The quests are the same old BS. Kills this collect that, Kill 335 of these things to get 1 drop ect ect. But it gets worse folks. After that annoying grind you get to run ALL the way back to base to turn in the quests. Wait, did you say use your mount? Well you have NONE! No Mounts in the game! and only 1 minute. Thats right 1 minute of flight time and you think flying is cool? Well sorry! You get to only fly in DESIGNATED AREAS. haha! Oh wait you can increase your flight time with enchants, new items ect? Well by the time to get those items or a high enough level you will be so sick of all the boring grinding you will be balled. Also why would i enchant my armor to fly longer when i can get an extra +12 critical strike rating and you cant change armor if you pull aggro while flying. Thank god i bought this game+exsp for only 7 bucks.… Expand
  23. Gueste
    Aug 9, 2013
    3
    Took me ages to decide to check this one out and I am glad I didn't when it was still pay-to-play. After few months of playing I can say that out of big MMOs it's probably one of the worst. Sure it still looks gorgeous compared to most but graphics are not all. Most of the elements of this game are just bad. PvP is weird and forcing it on people trying to do regular quests makes bunch ofTook me ages to decide to check this one out and I am glad I didn't when it was still pay-to-play. After few months of playing I can say that out of big MMOs it's probably one of the worst. Sure it still looks gorgeous compared to most but graphics are not all. Most of the elements of this game are just bad. PvP is weird and forcing it on people trying to do regular quests makes bunch of them quit the game. It's too chaotic. PvE is boring and reduced to mindless grinding same missions 10, 30, 100 times. Classes are not balanced at all. Some depend on gear, some not. The fact that there is actually a PvP gear and you may want to have PvE AND PvP set is ridiculous. Rewards for missions are disappointing. The game is no newbie friendly. I see people having problems pretty often and not all of them are classic dumb noobs. There is bot infestation on every server and reporting does nothing cause nobody cares or checks those reports. Community is one of the worst things in this game though. Most of high level people are self entitled elites who call everyone a noob and refuse to associate with people outside their group of friends/legion (getting a group for instances for example is nearly impossible). And the lowbies are people who will most likely quit after getting ambushed by enemy faction for the first time while they are trying to get Essencetapping skill higher fro 10 hours straight. Cause that's the most important thing in the game along with getting crafting skills high which takes days of pointless standing and wiggling your arms around. Even grinding same stuff in Diablo 3 over and over again isn't as boring and pointless as most of the things in AION. Disappointing.… Expand
  24. XJT
    May 24, 2015
    3
    The game is quite bad, and I was pretty surprised for an old title like this. Initial leveling is fast and then it just bogs down and gets aweful. I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to go to grind and level - so I either ended up killing mobs over my head and then dying or killing trash for no xp. So many people wrote guides on where to go, but they are obsolete after 1-2The game is quite bad, and I was pretty surprised for an old title like this. Initial leveling is fast and then it just bogs down and gets aweful. I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to go to grind and level - so I either ended up killing mobs over my head and then dying or killing trash for no xp. So many people wrote guides on where to go, but they are obsolete after 1-2 years. I gave the game a full 2 weeks, but it was just to horrible to carry on any more. I can't imagine how miserable end game must be. Good luck to anyone to tries to play this horrid game.… Expand
  25. RowanBlack
    Feb 13, 2020
    3
    Visually pleasing, the character creation is pretty good. However, that is where my enjoyment of the game ended. The story is there but it's hidden behind a ton of reading (if I'm going to read a story it's going to be in a novel) and most quests are just point a to b or kill x. As a group up with friends to do this or that, create the story with my group as I go it might have moreVisually pleasing, the character creation is pretty good. However, that is where my enjoyment of the game ended. The story is there but it's hidden behind a ton of reading (if I'm going to read a story it's going to be in a novel) and most quests are just point a to b or kill x. As a group up with friends to do this or that, create the story with my group as I go it might have more appeal...a game as a service. However this is just pretty shell.… Expand
  26. AlexD
    Dec 12, 2009
    2
    Aion is simply a huge, boring grind. It achieves nothing new apart from the hugely hyped, gimmicky feature of flying. Which is on a short timer that can be increased by paying a vendor a huge sum of gold. Most areas even restrict you from flying. Don't waste your money on this generic garbage, spend it on any of the other much, much better MMOs released in the last 5 years.
  27. SugeW
    Sep 22, 2009
    2
    While Aion is very polished and smooth(as it should be considering it's been out almost a year in asia), it feels very linear and generic. Small zones with the exact same quests is cumbersome. Being limited in flight(except in Abyss) is also a very big letdown. I have these awesome wings but can't use them? I also had major problems with class customization, or the lack of i While Aion is very polished and smooth(as it should be considering it's been out almost a year in asia), it feels very linear and generic. Small zones with the exact same quests is cumbersome. Being limited in flight(except in Abyss) is also a very big letdown. I have these awesome wings but can't use them? I also had major problems with class customization, or the lack of i should say. Basically a ranger is a ranger, there are "stigma" but this is a very generic attempt at class customization. Prior to contrary belief there is a decent amount of grinding involved in this game, i don't really like that. The AP system in the abyss is what really pushed me over the edge. After playing the CB and OB and playing in Caion, it was a HUGE letdown to see people refusing to fight unless they have a pure numbers advantage. I prefer small scale fights such as 1v1's and team stuff like 6v6, etc. The way you lose points for fighting limits people from doing just that. Also the fact that you can get AP from doing quests, dungeons and killing mobs also makes me wonder if they actually want people to fight in the game. The fact of the matter is, you can get top ranked pvp status on your server without ever PvPing, pretty silly imo. So overall, great graphics covering shallow gameplay, an NCsoft tradition.… Expand
  28. BillM
    Dec 4, 2009
    2
    I've played a lot of MMO games. Words cannot describe how thoroughly disappointed I am with this game. The graphics are fantastic and it was fun to create my character and play for the first 30 minutes, so I give it a score of a '2'. After character creation the grindfest begins...and it goes all downhill from there...Totally waste your time on this one!!!!!
  29. Hudson
    Nov 7, 2010
    2
    This game is a joke They cant control the bots and gold farmers that have hacked their own game It is overridden with GOLD FARMERS AND BOTS LIKE EVERY OTHER NCSOFT game. It's still a grind. They may have upped the experience gain but that doesn't change the grind involved only lessens the time to gain a level! Asian MMO developers still haven't given up that grind 2 play mentality. WhichThis game is a joke They cant control the bots and gold farmers that have hacked their own game It is overridden with GOLD FARMERS AND BOTS LIKE EVERY OTHER NCSOFT game. It's still a grind. They may have upped the experience gain but that doesn't change the grind involved only lessens the time to gain a level! Asian MMO developers still haven't given up that grind 2 play mentality. Which is not only dumb but also a shame as this game could have been great.… Expand
  30. Mar1nE
    Jun 18, 2011
    2
    Quite a fun MMO up till about level 20.. then BAM grinding smacks you in the face.. takes wayy to long to level and there are not enough quests.. graphically the game is very nice combat is nice but you can get past the grinding. People in the game are also a bunch of jackasses, there are no helpful people in the game (thats if you can find them)
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Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Best PC Game of 2009
17
#17 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
22
#22 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 42
  3. Negative: 1 out of 42
  1. RPG Fan
    90
    Without a doubt, Aion is an incredibly polished experience that refines the best aspects of the genre and creates a spectacular new world. As a fan and critic of the genre, I wholeheartedly recommend Aion to both casual and experienced gamers.
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  2. Eurogamer
    70
    A streamlined, structured, gorgeous grind, an addictive and even rewarding grind if you're that way inclined, but a grind nonetheless. An ultimately grim and unvarying pursuit.
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  3. Gamers.at
    83
    Aion has definitely more potential than other most recently released MMOs. Its already quite a polished game, but lacks still some content especially for the high level range.
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