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. JohnnyR
    Sep 23, 2009
    6
    Aion's visuals are stunning. The animation is well done. However, the main aspect of the game is where Aion starts to fall off. The class specialization occurs too early to make an informed decision and with no way to back track forces you to start again. The flight combat is nice, but with latency issues it will be harder to fight in air than it would be on the ground if Aion's visuals are stunning. The animation is well done. However, the main aspect of the game is where Aion starts to fall off. The class specialization occurs too early to make an informed decision and with no way to back track forces you to start again. The flight combat is nice, but with latency issues it will be harder to fight in air than it would be on the ground if someone's connection is not up to par. I can agree Aion is a bit of fresh air from the classic MMOs that have been reigning the PC for the past couple of years, but ultimately will become another Age of Conan or Warhammer Online, a forgotten memory.… Expand
  2. EthanD.
    Sep 27, 2009
    6
    Lineage 2 meets Guild wars, good concept but another Korean grind bot courtesy of NC soft, save your money for guild wars 2 if you want a good NC soft game, Aion brings a well polished gaming experience and massive amounts of customization, just like Guild Wars, however fails to prove that NC soft can do more then just a grind bot. Sadly not the "WoW killer" everyone was hoping, one of Lineage 2 meets Guild wars, good concept but another Korean grind bot courtesy of NC soft, save your money for guild wars 2 if you want a good NC soft game, Aion brings a well polished gaming experience and massive amounts of customization, just like Guild Wars, however fails to prove that NC soft can do more then just a grind bot. Sadly not the "WoW killer" everyone was hoping, one of the better ones maybe, but there needs to be more content to prove that it can stand up. If you are looking for a new gaming experience without having to grind till you get cramps pick up Warhammer, EvE or wow. Aion lacks in the pve but in customization it acceles, much like Guild wars. Sorry NC soft, its the truth.… Expand
  3. C4K3
    Nov 13, 2010
    6
    It's a decent game, it's not very original, but it does a good job being a standard MMO. Ganking is a pretty big problem, because between levels 20 and 50 you can't really do anything against it. Personally it felt like I was just playing on autopilot the entire way, wasn't until I got to my 40s and could start doing semi-serious PvP it got any fun. It still takes too long to find partiesIt's a decent game, it's not very original, but it does a good job being a standard MMO. Ganking is a pretty big problem, because between levels 20 and 50 you can't really do anything against it. Personally it felt like I was just playing on autopilot the entire way, wasn't until I got to my 40s and could start doing semi-serious PvP it got any fun. It still takes too long to find parties in my opinion, unless you have at least a couple of hours of constant playtime you can't really do anything but solo grind.

    tl;dr PvEs very grindy, PvPs fun but requires a **** of PvE grinding.    … Expand
  4. Daematune
    Aug 13, 2011
    6
    Aion isn't for everyone. However, if you have a ton of time on your hands and love PvP it could prove to be somewhat rewarding. The leveling process is very slow, it's all grinding. the game starts opening up to you once you hit level 25 which is a real pain to get to. One thing I loved about the game is the character customization and the graphics, definitely amazing. To this day the gameAion isn't for everyone. However, if you have a ton of time on your hands and love PvP it could prove to be somewhat rewarding. The leveling process is very slow, it's all grinding. the game starts opening up to you once you hit level 25 which is a real pain to get to. One thing I loved about the game is the character customization and the graphics, definitely amazing. To this day the game tends to be extremely lifeless and filled with gold farmers. It's worth a try.. but you'll most likely turn the cold shoulder away from Aion.… Expand
  5. dionissos
    Dec 31, 2011
    6
    One of the same boring asian mmorpg. Grinding, grinding and grinding. The game has nice graphics and the same ncsoft style of his game but the same boring gameplay in an world with instances
  6. aatassi
    Jul 31, 2014
    6
    very similar to World of Warcraft in many ways : quests, craft, leveling, potions
    good things : graphics better then WoW or Guild War 1, character speak when casting a spell, wings used during flight, cities architecture, flight into circles to enter Balaurds homeland, flight in some dungeons
    less : quests annoying, timed flight, need potions between fights, not too many dungeons, enemy    very similar to World of Warcraft in many ways : quests, craft, leveling, potions
    good things : graphics better then WoW or Guild War 1, character speak when casting a spell, wings used during flight, cities architecture, flight into circles to enter Balaurds homeland, flight in some dungeons
    less : quests annoying, timed flight, need potions between fights, not too many dungeons, enemy infiltration, exploring enemy world, world vs world, world vs Balaurds

    it is free now with many updates, patches and expansions.

    Game play : 5/10, graphics : 7/10, background : 5/10, lifetime : 7/10, sound : 7/10, community : 6/10    … Expand
  7. Federoff
    Aug 17, 2014
    6
    I really love this game, its a beautiful game, great graphics, great game play...sometimes. You can almost never socket successfully, and you get disconnected from the moment you start playing a lot of the time. The lag is quite real as well. If they can fix this problem then my review can change, but this is the highest i can give it right now.
  8. NateS
    Oct 6, 2009
    5
    The first week with this game was terrible. The 2 day head start would always start with a 3 hour queue time during peak hours, and that queue would continue through out the week. Second week I was able to play without waiting and while the experience was great, the game still just feels like other typical MMOs e.g. Kill 20 of these, pick 15 of these, find this guy then come back to me. The first week with this game was terrible. The 2 day head start would always start with a 3 hour queue time during peak hours, and that queue would continue through out the week. Second week I was able to play without waiting and while the experience was great, the game still just feels like other typical MMOs e.g. Kill 20 of these, pick 15 of these, find this guy then come back to me. The game is pretty polished, animations are smooth, but it feels like they didn't put any effort in creating something unique. This is apparently a PvP centered game, but most of the PvP doesn't start until around level 25, so you would have to tough it out through the boring grind from 1-25 just to see and PvP action. If you are the type to enjoy grinding and are able to handle that repetitiveness then this is probably a game for you. If you hate that type of experience then steer clear from this. This game is most likely going to end up like all the other previous MMOs before it, even though i quit World of Warcraft years ago, even i could tell that this game will not knock Blizzard off their throne.… Expand
  9. ethanDuysen
    Sep 23, 2009
    5
    once you get past the shiney look you see that it's really nothing more run another NCsoft game. you get customization yes but somewhat of a grind bot. you realize it's really nothing more then guild wars meets a pay per month mmo like wow or war. nothing really impressive, save your money for guild wars 2
  10. MacM
    Sep 27, 2009
    5
    Those comparing this to WOW or proclaiming this to be the next big thing are somewhat deluded. Firstly, WOW does not force PvP which puts off a lot of players. Any truly successful MMO will always offer the option for those who don't like PvP to not have to. Aion does not have this, and when you get past level 30 you are forced into areas that are compulsory PVP flagged zones. This Those comparing this to WOW or proclaiming this to be the next big thing are somewhat deluded. Firstly, WOW does not force PvP which puts off a lot of players. Any truly successful MMO will always offer the option for those who don't like PvP to not have to. Aion does not have this, and when you get past level 30 you are forced into areas that are compulsory PVP flagged zones. This is where Aion will ultimately fail. I pre-ordered this game and participated in it's beta events. Troubled by hours and hours of queing just to get into the game, Aion's launch has been somewhat of a mess so far, with lots of downtime without warning, you would think that a game that has already been out there (Korea) for a long time, would have been easy to convert to a smooth release in the West, sadly it wasn't. The game may look beautiful, and it's presentation and combat system are a novelty at first, but just like other MMO's who have tried to implement new systems for the genre, it will likely fail in the long term. The quests in the game are all "samey" and have been done to death in other MMO's. Kill 10 of this and 10 of that, collect 10 of these and 10 of those. Whilst players who haven't researched this game properly will find is that doing these quests whilst being ganked by a bunch of players from the air, it soon gets frustrating and will result in a lot of players used to the comfort of previous zones, leaving the game. If you play MMO's for PvP, and enjoy ganking others, then this game is for you. If you prefer the comfort that PvE provides, then steer clear.… Expand
  11. BrandonR
    Sep 30, 2009
    5
    The other moderate reviews are accurate. The game is good looking, but the MMO part is not developing. Currently lvl 12 and its been all grindage and no group questing. Nothing. Gents we live in a post WOW world; got to get the MMO going good or you might as well stuff the monthly fee and play it on a counsel. I might think differently later, then again is it worth the $15 a month to find out?
  12. JonC
    Nov 20, 2009
    5
    Aion has a lot of potential but suffers from a number of issues that NCSoft do not appear to be fixing. the lore of the world is poorly told and hard to get into, travel between regions is difficult and costly, and restoring XP upon death is also costly. these expenses wouldn't be so crippling if it wasn't for the fact that it's very hard to make money in aion and the Aion has a lot of potential but suffers from a number of issues that NCSoft do not appear to be fixing. the lore of the world is poorly told and hard to get into, travel between regions is difficult and costly, and restoring XP upon death is also costly. these expenses wouldn't be so crippling if it wasn't for the fact that it's very hard to make money in aion and the economy of the game has been ruined by bots and gold spammers.… Expand
  13. MarcF.
    Sep 23, 2009
    5
    Aion is a well polished game, but suffers from obvious bouts of laziness of the developers. The level design is incredibly linear and does not make the player immerse themselves well into the game world, making the game feel less MMORPG and more of an online adventure game. Gathering animations are the same for everything, whether it being fishing, mining, gathering herbs, gathering wood, Aion is a well polished game, but suffers from obvious bouts of laziness of the developers. The level design is incredibly linear and does not make the player immerse themselves well into the game world, making the game feel less MMORPG and more of an online adventure game. Gathering animations are the same for everything, whether it being fishing, mining, gathering herbs, gathering wood, etc. This is justified by saying that daeva's are magical and thus gather without getting their hands dirty, but it's frankly obvious what the attempt was. On that note, being a daeva is somewhat disappointing. If you're supposed to be a badass, immortal god-thing, then you're not going to be too impressive, because everyone else is the exact thing you are. If everyone is 'epic' then no one is 'epic' as I might add. The classes lack any originality and are not very exciting, but the combat is as close to the refinement that WoW accomplished as you're going to get these days. Overall, the game is good and polished, but it leaves you wanting more. I would not recommend.… Expand
  14. sam712
    Sep 22, 2011
    5
    Too much grinding. Visually, Aion is probably the best MMORPG out there, but the gameplay is nowhere near on par with its graphics. This game is designed to be a timesink.
  15. Mogul
    Apr 22, 2012
    5
    The atmosphere is great, the music is great, the visuals are great, but the game itself is average. Combat gets boring quickly, and too often feels like the bad kind of grinding. Flying around with your character is a novelty that doesn't end up working that well. Still, the Truly Free model that Aion recently adopted offers great value, and this game is much better than most otherThe atmosphere is great, the music is great, the visuals are great, but the game itself is average. Combat gets boring quickly, and too often feels like the bad kind of grinding. Flying around with your character is a novelty that doesn't end up working that well. Still, the Truly Free model that Aion recently adopted offers great value, and this game is much better than most other "free" MMOs that are out there right now.… Expand
  16. Rudal
    Nov 13, 2013
    5
    Something that I was curious about after playing WoW for some time.
    I touched Linage 2 and didn't like it for game play and art style.
    When buying Aion I was a little afraid that the art style of the game will be the same of Linage and I was right.
    Aion doesn't discover anything new but at the same time doesn't improve anything.
    Game play was OK but art style wasn't something I liked.
  17. Jaz
    Feb 24, 2013
    5
    Beautiful game with superb character models and animations. Also the ability to flight. The potential was there, but that's it. Never realised. Flight time is too small, in specific areas only, too much grinding required and demanding cash shop. This game could have been so much better.
  18. night4
    May 11, 2016
    5
    You can fly! Oh, wait, you can't really fly in most places.

    There's cool classes! Oh, wait, you can't even change from a cleric to a chanter if you chose priest. You can transfer your account from the US to/from EU versions! Oh, wait, you lose everything, including all your characters. You can solo/duo dungeons! Oh, wait, they're still boring and give terrible loot. There    You can fly! Oh, wait, you can't really fly in most places.

    There's cool classes! Oh, wait, you can't even change from a cleric to a chanter if you chose priest.

    You can transfer your account from the US to/from EU versions! Oh, wait, you lose everything, including all your characters.

    You can solo/duo dungeons! Oh, wait, they're still boring and give terrible loot.

    There are some cool ideas here, but the gameplay itself is too tedious.    … Expand
  19. stelm
    Feb 2, 2020
    5
    Ожидал, что будет хотя бы немного похожа на "линейку". Но, к моему сожаленю, это было не так. Меня хватило где-то на 3-4 месяца.
  20. 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
  21. 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.
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. PaulW
    Jan 13, 2010
    4
    If you
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. 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
  31. 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
  32. 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
  33. 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
  34. 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
  35. 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
  36. 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.
  37. 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.
  38. 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
  39. 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.
  40. 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
  41. 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
  42. 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
  43. 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
  44. 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
  45. 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.
  46. 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
  47. 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!!!!!
  48. 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
  49. 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)
  50. Sorril
    Feb 29, 2012
    2
    If you like Grinding, this is the game for you. I have played many MMO's and many of them did one particular thing better than the others. Aion online does nothing better than any other MMO I've played. To all those people giving this game great reviews: If you like this game then there are other games you would absolutely love a whole lot more...
  51. borged002
    Apr 23, 2013
    2
    Aion is a excellent game, but the western staff has done everything to kill the western playerbase.

    I've been playing this game for over 3 years, and I've been banned a total of 3 times. Players tend to report others simply because they got killed on PvP. The support staff is incompetent, often they refuse to give answers or reasons as why players get banned and they simply ignore    Aion is a excellent game, but the western staff has done everything to kill the western playerbase.

    I've been playing this game for over 3 years, and I've been banned a total of 3 times. Players tend to report others simply because they got killed on PvP. The support staff is incompetent, often they refuse to give answers or reasons as why players get banned and they simply ignore evidence.

    Currently the game has no active Community Managers, they got fired since the Seattle Offices were closed, leaving the players clueless about updates and events.    … Expand
  52. kaanelif
    Mar 16, 2019
    2
    Aion in 2019. Welcome to the cancer :)
    Playing Aion nowadays is very bad idea if you dont have really huge leveled friends. Nobody will accept you to their guild.
    People not helping each other.
    You always need somebody to run but remember what? Nobody will help you.
  53. Genek13
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    FIrst MMO in my life and last one - hate this game...
    Maybe its not game for me, but still there are a lot of better options if you want to play at least a decent MMO type of game.
  54. MatthewF
    Oct 8, 2009
    1
    I played this game during the "head start" week and I preordered this game, there were little to no queues at this time, hoever as the week progressed the queues grew and grew up to the retail release where they ballooned at 3-4 hours. So you come home from work, join the queue, get in the game 4 hours later and log off to goto sleep as its by now really late. Awesome huh! Well the I played this game during the "head start" week and I preordered this game, there were little to no queues at this time, hoever as the week progressed the queues grew and grew up to the retail release where they ballooned at 3-4 hours. So you come home from work, join the queue, get in the game 4 hours later and log off to goto sleep as its by now really late. Awesome huh! Well the "support" and I use the term in the loosest sense of the word, suggested to play at a different time of the day instead. Seriously that was their answer. Well after 2 weeks of 3-4 hour queues every day, I had enough, cancelled my account, and requested a refund under the Sales and Supply of Goods Act 1994. During my brief time in the game, every 10 minutes you get spammed by gold selling bots, and you cant create a ticket about them out of hours... This MMO is a joke steer clear.… Expand
  55. JuhanahG.
    Oct 29, 2009
    1
    Graphics and music are beautiful. The rest of the game is like a typical free Korean MMO. Quest are only for the first 25 levels and they are only "kill ten rats", Asmodae and Eylos are copy/paste of each other. They have nothing different other than land and skin color. Crafting require that you stay in front of an altar for days to accomplish anything, PvP is only about ganking the Graphics and music are beautiful. The rest of the game is like a typical free Korean MMO. Quest are only for the first 25 levels and they are only "kill ten rats", Asmodae and Eylos are copy/paste of each other. They have nothing different other than land and skin color. Crafting require that you stay in front of an altar for days to accomplish anything, PvP is only about ganking the enemy, The story is a typical "we hate the enemy for no apparent reason so we kill them", The land is very small with very less diversity.… Expand
  56. jod
    Sep 27, 2009
    1
    Game keeps crashing and when I do manage to log in after the 6 hour queues the lag is unbelieavable. (Lag in this game come sin the form of rubberbanding so it keeps bouncing you back a couple dozen yards. Its extremely annoying. Sometimes you'll get out of sync with the server and it will boot you out of the game , and then you got to wait 6 more hours to get passed the queue. This Game keeps crashing and when I do manage to log in after the 6 hour queues the lag is unbelieavable. (Lag in this game come sin the form of rubberbanding so it keeps bouncing you back a couple dozen yards. Its extremely annoying. Sometimes you'll get out of sync with the server and it will boot you out of the game , and then you got to wait 6 more hours to get passed the queue. This game is just complete bullshit. DO NOT B UY AT ALL COST !… Expand
  57. GabrielQ
    Jan 19, 2010
    1
    I give this game a '1' because I can use the 2 discs as coasters. Otherwise this game is about 5 minutes of anticipation. For a good 5 minutes I kept thinking, 'this is going to get better right?'. And no...each minute was more disappointing than the last... They should make inmates in prison play this game as punishment. Instead of breaking rocks they could be I give this game a '1' because I can use the 2 discs as coasters. Otherwise this game is about 5 minutes of anticipation. For a good 5 minutes I kept thinking, 'this is going to get better right?'. And no...each minute was more disappointing than the last... They should make inmates in prison play this game as punishment. Instead of breaking rocks they could be grinding quests instead...… Expand
  58. TJexo
    Oct 18, 2009
    1
    Slightly above average korean grindfest, excluding the fact its subbed. I'n sure for people who come from WoW, the graphics are beautiful, but for anyone with a rig less than 2 years old they are far too outdated and often offensive. I ran this on the highest possible settings and the textures were often so stretched that it appears as a single bland, colour. The gimmick of flying Slightly above average korean grindfest, excluding the fact its subbed. I'n sure for people who come from WoW, the graphics are beautiful, but for anyone with a rig less than 2 years old they are far too outdated and often offensive. I ran this on the highest possible settings and the textures were often so stretched that it appears as a single bland, colour. The gimmick of flying soon runs thin when you are actually limited to a small number of areas to actually spread your paper-like wings. PvP, the selling point for me, has some very interesting siege mechanics but is ruined by a lack of diminishing returns on CC. Combat animations are fantastic, but youre going to be watching them over 1000 times every level. The most notable part of aion is its excellent music score lol. Cancelled my CE sub with no intentions of returning. I've played games for over 20 years, alot of that time spent in mmos; while the game doesnt warrant a score this low, nor does it deserve scores so high from professional reviewers who have evidently not played the game.… Expand
  59. AlexM
    Nov 13, 2009
    1
    The game has a great storyline, a variety of classes and abilities, and intense graphics... but it's an overwhelmingly boring game, it feels like the same game over and over doing the same quests, just in different places - kill ten of these, pick up one of these, return to quest giver, rinse & repeat. As a gamer for many years (I've played Dark Age of Camelot, City of Heroes, The game has a great storyline, a variety of classes and abilities, and intense graphics... but it's an overwhelmingly boring game, it feels like the same game over and over doing the same quests, just in different places - kill ten of these, pick up one of these, return to quest giver, rinse & repeat. As a gamer for many years (I've played Dark Age of Camelot, City of Heroes, World of Warcraft, Star Wars Galaxies, Everquest, Guild Wars, etc) I recommend buying this game if you want a visually stunning rpg with great story content to play for maybe an hour a less a day, but not if you want to play an entertaining mmo that seems rewarding - it gets boring FAST.… Expand
  60. JohnC
    Dec 25, 2009
    1
    1 for amazing graphics.... GRIND, GRIND,GRIND,GRIND, GRIND, GRIND, GRIND. Honestly, I was hoping so badly that a game with such beautiful graphics and combat effects would come down to more than grinding and the so-so pvp. The quests aren't NEARLY as well done as games such as WOW, and the PVP only carries the game slightly further. Much too expensive, and if you complained about 1 for amazing graphics.... GRIND, GRIND,GRIND,GRIND, GRIND, GRIND, GRIND. Honestly, I was hoping so badly that a game with such beautiful graphics and combat effects would come down to more than grinding and the so-so pvp. The quests aren't NEARLY as well done as games such as WOW, and the PVP only carries the game slightly further. Much too expensive, and if you complained about subscription fees from games by Blizzard, your going to be blowing arteries at this pricey junk.… Expand
  61. BobbyP
    Sep 30, 2009
    0
    Tried to get excited about this after they said the typical Korean MMO grind had been removed / reduced but it's just more of the same and after seeing how NCsoft treated it's staff and customers in Europe earlier this year, not going to support the company any more.
  62. JonathanB
    Nov 6, 2009
    0
    The graphics on this game is horrible. Who says this has good graphics? When you're zoomed in, it looks pretty good. But no one plays it that zoomed in. Well, at least me. No one that PvPs has it that close. I don't care for music in any game. So, I cant comment on this. It's uhh a Korean game that's subbed, instead of it being a mall. This PvP isn't really The graphics on this game is horrible. Who says this has good graphics? When you're zoomed in, it looks pretty good. But no one plays it that zoomed in. Well, at least me. No one that PvPs has it that close. I don't care for music in any game. So, I cant comment on this. It's uhh a Korean game that's subbed, instead of it being a mall. This PvP isn't really exciting either. I'm going to guess that those expert review places were paid to give them high reviews. Just like BioShock. Another poor game with high reviews. I would not play this longer than I did. It didn't bring anything good to the table. It's the same old BS. And guys, quit talking about WoW. Just because it "seems" better than WoW, doesn't mean it's a good game. WoW is boring like all it's clones. This is just as boring.… Expand
  63. BenL
    Oct 3, 2009
    0
    Dreadful, just awful in every way. Just about every selling point with this game turned out to either be a lie or to be such a tiny little gimmick it's not worth it. The combat is clunky, the flight mechanics are pathetic and the zones are like something out of Guild Wars. That's basically what this game feels like a repaint of some old Guild Wars zones with extra grind Dreadful, just awful in every way. Just about every selling point with this game turned out to either be a lie or to be such a tiny little gimmick it's not worth it. The combat is clunky, the flight mechanics are pathetic and the zones are like something out of Guild Wars. That's basically what this game feels like a repaint of some old Guild Wars zones with extra grind shovelled onto the top. If you like Korean MMOs this may appeal to you but unless you really love that strange Korean/Anime MMO look or your previous experience of online gameing consists entirely of dressing like an angel on IMVU don't buy this since the look is all you are paying for.… Expand
  64. KarlH
    Sep 23, 2009
    0
    After spending 3 days going back and forth with NCSoft support trying to get their download client working properly, I find myself sitting in a server queue for 2 hours. After getting in, I find myself in a generic Anime-inspired grindfest that never ends. If you are a fat goth chick or obsessed with Anime and have too much time on your hands, this is the game for you.
  65. AlexC
    Sep 25, 2009
    0
    Glad I didn't stick with this and stayed with Champions Online. Played Aion in the beta and it was just a boring grind fest, "westernised". Problem being, it still is post release. If you are into fantasy play this. If you are cool like me, and want to be a superhero and not a generic WoW clone, play Chapions Online. Stay away from this grind fest at all costs. They certainly wont be Glad I didn't stick with this and stayed with Champions Online. Played Aion in the beta and it was just a boring grind fest, "westernised". Problem being, it still is post release. If you are into fantasy play this. If you are cool like me, and want to be a superhero and not a generic WoW clone, play Chapions Online. Stay away from this grind fest at all costs. They certainly wont be getting a sub out of me!… Expand
  66. Copainno
    Jan 28, 2010
    0
    The game is terrible. The idea behind it is great! But BAD development led to it's destruction. It looks good, that's great, and in order to do that they make game play BAD, such as you not being able to move thanks to spells, instant cast spells NOT BEING INSTANT, and hey, ridiculously OP attacks. The game is OVERRUN with bots, but the admins don't want to do anything The game is terrible. The idea behind it is great! But BAD development led to it's destruction. It looks good, that's great, and in order to do that they make game play BAD, such as you not being able to move thanks to spells, instant cast spells NOT BEING INSTANT, and hey, ridiculously OP attacks. The game is OVERRUN with bots, but the admins don't want to do anything about it. You know what they DO do though? They make it harder on the players by making it so Aether items (Which you gather while flying, which until higher levels you get almost no time for) poison you and you have to cleanse it... By sitting there and typing random crap while you die from FALL DAMAGE. The game is centered around PVP, and it balances that TERRIBLY. Thanks to different factions having different skills, each class is hindered if it didn't choose the right faction (Such as the Templar's on Elyos's side being hurt bad because while they get a weak shield, their counterpart gets a high damage life drain). Also, in PVP, the TANKS are one of the weakest things. They are the only class with an on demand shield or a good "Get away" skill without a high CD, or even the ability to chase (Their one ability to stop runners gets ruined if it's 10 Damage is partially absorbed). Further more, the Tank class is worse at tanking than the DPS class who is an offbranch of the same class (The Glad, off branch of Warrior), thanks to it having no on demand threat boost ("Instants" have a cast time, thank you good graphics?) where as the Glad's get a stance system to boost threat and take less damage while steal DOING MORE damage, Glad's even get a +BLOCK (Shield Block) Spell when they are supposed to use TWO HAND WEAPONS. Events? Events are terrible. The Christmas even got a Tree. That's it. No Quest, no gifts, no music, nothing.… Expand
  67. AllanS
    Dec 4, 2009
    0
    This game is absolutely BRUTAL!!! Brutal as in: What if I have to play this total piece of crap??? Korean MMO = Korean Grindfest. I'm so deperessed I paid $50 for this game, Oh My God, it is SO incredibly boring. The only fun I had was harassing the dozens of advertising bots selling gold spamming dozens upon dozens of ads in the chat windows...
  68. Coeco
    Oct 24, 2009
    0
    People are giving this horrible MMORPG overkill 10's so im gonna go ahead and throw it a 0. Aion is a too-polished online role playing game where everyone minds their own business untill weeks of grinding (due to an huge lack of quests during low levels) where you hit level 25 to actually start taking notice to other people, in PvP. Adding the idea of flying, only to have it tamed People are giving this horrible MMORPG overkill 10's so im gonna go ahead and throw it a 0. Aion is a too-polished online role playing game where everyone minds their own business untill weeks of grinding (due to an huge lack of quests during low levels) where you hit level 25 to actually start taking notice to other people, in PvP. Adding the idea of flying, only to have it tamed with tons of invisible wall just strangles the game's potential even further along with the temporiarly "eye candy" graphics which lasts only for a few hours, Aion is a bland, boring, average, grinding tank/spank MMORPG which noone should pay for just to be stuck in killing the same monsters over and over again for several weeks.… Expand
  69. Vaner
    Nov 16, 2009
    0
    Aion is a game that looks amazing in all respects. It's probably one of the best looking mmorpgs around today, but even so with any game you need to be able to play it. When you're playing you should be having fun, otherwise it's a job. Through the seemingly endless hours of grinding you'll realize that this game is job more then it is fun, making the game just about Aion is a game that looks amazing in all respects. It's probably one of the best looking mmorpgs around today, but even so with any game you need to be able to play it. When you're playing you should be having fun, otherwise it's a job. Through the seemingly endless hours of grinding you'll realize that this game is job more then it is fun, making the game just about unplayable expect for the most hardcore brain dead players. There are smart ones out there, but rest assured they're not playing Aion. For this unplayability Aion's score is reduced (for me) from easily an 8 for everything else it has, to a 0. It's simply unplayable, epically for those who seek to have any sort of fun with this.… Expand
  70. ValS
    Dec 27, 2009
    0
    If I wanted nice graphics with poor gameplay, I could get a screensaver. This is without a doubt the worst MMO I've EVER played. The amount of unimaginative grinding is unreal. This game is terribly boring. For all you people who love it, I suspect you are the developers posting comments...or you have very 'unique' taste in games...
  71. NushR
    Dec 29, 2009
    0
    Visually, the game is incredible. The character customisation alone drew me into the game, the world is stunning, the creatures are beautiful. I played to level 30 on my main, and I had 6 alts because the start area was pretty fun. What isn't fun is being in the level 17 area and getting ganked continuously by higher level enemy faction members (lvl30+) who camp and kill any lowbie Visually, the game is incredible. The character customisation alone drew me into the game, the world is stunning, the creatures are beautiful. I played to level 30 on my main, and I had 6 alts because the start area was pretty fun. What isn't fun is being in the level 17 area and getting ganked continuously by higher level enemy faction members (lvl30+) who camp and kill any lowbie trying to quest, just for kicks. It's akin to puppy kicking really. Now, I'm all for PvP, but optional PvP would help make this game bearable. Being constantly ganked by players who are 10+ levels higher than you, wearing epic gear, as well as copping the negative modifier a lower level player gets in a PvP battle makes this a rapefest. Not being able to even defend yourself is a joke. The constant grind with little reward is also a soul crusher, and it was definitely at the point when I realised this game was more like paying to work rather than being paid to work that I canceled my subscription. I was playing with friends, playing solo is nearly impossible with the constant gank parties, especially in the Abyss, but even in your own factions lands its pretty bad. The game is like an attractive partner with no depth or complexity, who also enjoys smacking you in the face with a mallet. It's ok at the start, and you let some things slide because they're so beautiful. But it wears on you over a short space of time. I really want to love this game, I really do, I was so excited for it, and all I feel is disappointment. I'm hoping that one day an update will come out and the game will be enjoyable, but I'm not holding my breath.… Expand
  72. MTR
    Jan 23, 2013
    0
    Warning to all new European users! This game at 23/01/2013 is a P2P, you must use real money to buy each month "1 gold pack". Without this item you cant do basic actions like buy/sell in market (broker) and have others big limitations that make impossible to play at level 20+.
  73. PuruRin
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    This game is a massive turd.Massive I say. I logged in and accepted the first quest in the tutorial and it was "kill 3 ..." I thought it was a quest for the purpose of teaching how the combat works, but that was already it. Thats the whole game play. It starts with the first quest and it never ends. Kill X of X, that is it. Everything in his game, and by everything i mean EVERYTHING isThis game is a massive turd.Massive I say. I logged in and accepted the first quest in the tutorial and it was "kill 3 ..." I thought it was a quest for the purpose of teaching how the combat works, but that was already it. Thats the whole game play. It starts with the first quest and it never ends. Kill X of X, that is it. Everything in his game, and by everything i mean EVERYTHING is grind. This game is so bad, it goes to the point that I can not give even a rating of 1/10 for the graphics because this has no purpose. **** is **** and it wont stop being **** if you color it. And tbh ths grafics suck, you zoom in and you see how bad it is. Its just a cruel mix of random colors, looks like greenish brown vomit. Every single texture looks the same, mobs a being reused over and over again until the end of time and space. You are standing in a pool of piss up to your neck and there is a boar trying to take a diarrhea dumb on your head and you have to decide to take a dive in the piss to avoid being **** on or you put up with the diarrhea and take a nice long bath in the piss to wash it off. It was already a failure the moment somebody in NC Soft got the idea to create this game.… Expand
  74. deso
    Jul 13, 2012
    0
    Aion is a beautiful game, with excellent graphics and gorgeous enviroments.I have been playing Aion since the beginning, and it has evolved from a very simple MMO to a huge expansion of activities, in both PvP and PvE. NCsoft's support is fast and reliable, and will address most issues in little to no time. However, the Community Managers (those who rely information to NCsoft) have done aAion is a beautiful game, with excellent graphics and gorgeous enviroments.I have been playing Aion since the beginning, and it has evolved from a very simple MMO to a huge expansion of activities, in both PvP and PvE. NCsoft's support is fast and reliable, and will address most issues in little to no time. However, the Community Managers (those who rely information to NCsoft) have done a terrible job, turning a great concept into a horrible mess. Faction imbalance affects every single server on existence and they have done little to fix this issue, which has lead many players to leave. Currently character creation is open for both factions, and still the majority of new players chose the dominating faction.

    Nevertheless, being on the "dominated" side, Aion brings challenge on certain moments such as PvP instances where differences based on numbers do little.

    Aion might not suit you, but it's a nice game and worth trying.

    Please note that English is not my primary language.    … Expand
  75. tirumati
    Aug 16, 2014
    0
    Pay to Fail... Period. You will never socket manastones or enchant gear without paying $20-$30 for EACH ITEM $140-$210 for a full set. Crafting... yup you will need to pay for a token to level that (if you don't it will take approx 20 successful crafts to go up one level). For all this money on a "free-to-play" game you will get 500-1000 ping during fortress seige battles, no customerPay to Fail... Period. You will never socket manastones or enchant gear without paying $20-$30 for EACH ITEM $140-$210 for a full set. Crafting... yup you will need to pay for a token to level that (if you don't it will take approx 20 successful crafts to go up one level). For all this money on a "free-to-play" game you will get 500-1000 ping during fortress seige battles, no customer support (3 months and still no response to a ticket I submitted), and no community managers in N. America. Terrible, terrible, terrible game...

    Just send a check to S. Korea. Less time consuming, cheaper, and less frustrating.    … Expand
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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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
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