Launching an MMO in 2009 is easy enough. Getting people interested in it is challenging. Keeping those people you convinced to try it after their first month is up? That’s something few recent MMOs have had anything more than moderate success with. There’s a giant elephant in the room, and it seems appropriate to call it out in the opening paragraph. Blizzard’s mighty World of Warcraft, now five years old, dominates the mainstream MMO space to this day, and anyone who has tried to take it on has been left with a tiny fraction of the market or, more commonly, has faded into utter failure.
WoW’s success is likely due primarily to its accessibility. A hardcore MMO, like EverQuest before it, would almost certainly not have achieved the same level of success without players feeling they needed to be supernerds to get anything out of it. That level of accessibility is clearly what NCSoft is aiming for here. The UI and overall experience are extremely streamlined, with essential information for progression never far from your fingertips and helpful details always a well-placed tooltip away.
Aion is set in a fictional universe where previously united human residents have split into opposing factions and begun fighting among themselves. Against the backdrop of this civil war, alien enemies once driven back by humans have returned, and the divided people of Aion are unable to fend them off alone. This story forms the backbone of the core questline you’ll follow while levelling and leads into the end-game, where players take part in an unusual PvPvE conflict while fighting for control of Aion.
Character customization at creation is far superior to WoW and much more in line with what you’d expect from a modern MMO. Numerous presets help you get close to your desired look, and if you want to fine-tune the details, you can open the sliders panel and adjust almost every aspect of your character’s appearance. There are plenty of options, yet you have to work quite hard to create a character that breaks animations or suspension of disbelief. Even extreme choices, such as unusually long legs or exaggerated proportions, rarely expose the system’s limitations.
At the start, you can choose from one of four classes. At level ten, each class can branch into a specialization based on the initial choice. All the classic MMO roles are present, including melee DPS, tanks, ranged DPS, pet classes, and magic users. For the most part, they behave as expected, although WoW’s lag-managing spell queue system delivers a slightly smoother experience for magic users in particular.
Questing feels familiar to players of other MMOs or even offline RPGs, with quest-giving NPCs clearly marked. Quests come in different types, some required to progress the story and others optional. When a quest is assigned, key details in the quest panel are hyperlinked. Clicking these links provides relevant information, such as directions to your destination, enemy locations, or where to find that bottle of wine NPCs always seem to want.
This level of quest assistance goes beyond what even mods offer in WoW, let alone out of the box. However, there is no tooltip or map information provided directly for quests, which feels like a minor omission after the excellent quest tools seen in Age of Conan. Some quests include in-game cinematics that highlight locations or story moments, and certain quest chains even conclude with scenes where townsfolk gather to thank you. These touches help tie the levelling grind together and give the game a notably polished feel.
Combat starts off familiarly, with a small selection of skills and limited mana, and additional abilities unlocked by purchasing books from trainers. As you progress, multiple in-combat resource systems come into play, depending on your class. Managing combos or using DP, which is earned through play and lost on logout, becomes essential for success. While most PvE encounters can eventually be overcome, skillful play leads to noticeably better results.
Alongside the standard Auction House, Aion allows players to open private stores. The interface is straightforward, letting you drag items from your inventory into a shop window and set your own prices. Any non-quest, non-soulbound item can be sold, but your character remains stationary while the store is open. Some players appear to use this feature to stay AFK without logging out, preserving their DP for later.
One standout feature in Aion is flight. From level ten onward, taking to the skies is just a button press away. Flight time is initially limited but increases as you level, with certain items offering additional bonuses. Combat is also possible while airborne, with unique abilities available during flight.
Another notable feature is the ability to switch instances in many areas of the world. This isn’t a technical limitation forcing players onto separate shards, but an optional system that lets you move to a less crowded version of the same area, making it easier to complete quests or fight elite enemies without heavy competition.
Guilds in Aion, known as legions, are more complex than the simple tiered systems seen in many MMOs. Legions must level up, starting with strict size limits that can be expanded through investment. Players can also track end-game progress against other legions using built-in leaderboards that rank performance across the server.
Visually, Aion is highly impressive, not just for its quality but for its scalability. The game runs well on modest PCs while still looking good, yet powerful systems can push the visuals even further. Unlike some technically advanced MMOs, Aion’s art direction is cohesive, with armor, characters, creatures, UI, and architecture all fitting together seamlessly. The result is a game that looks consistently polished from start to finish.
At the time of writing, end-game content is still largely unexplored, with no active raids on the Nezekan server. However, NCSoft has already discussed future updates, and their track record with titles like City of Heroes, Guild Wars, and Lineage suggests there will be plenty to do beyond the levelling phase. A dedicated end-game review will follow once raiding is fully established.
While Aion shares similarities with WoW, its differences are noticeable and will appeal to some players more than others. If you’re looking for a different storyline or want more than just straightforward combat, Aion is well worth considering. It stands as one of the strongest MMO launches to date, reaching a level of polish that took WoW years to achieve.