Hands on with the Aion beta: Becoming a Daeva
by Lesley Smith 
Jun 7th 2009 at 3:00PM
Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Bugs, Massively Hands-on
Becoming a Daeva and earning your wings -- literally in this case -- is one of the reasons players have been so excited by Aion. It is your destiny and an inevitable part of the game play but it has some caveats. We'll get to those in a bit but first, join us after the jump, when we take a deeper look into the Ascension quest itself.
By now you're familiar with Akarios Village and Cliona Lake but it's time to venture further to the Kabarah Strip Mine, the Algaric Spore Road and the Timolia Mine. It's in the latter area that something suddenly hits you when you discover an Abyss Gate, a portal to the aerial PvP areas at the shattered core of the planet which is only accessible players who are level 20 and over (I believe the level cap on the live servers in Korea is around 50).
Given the geographically opposing segments of Atreia (Elysea is on the bottom half while Asmodae exists in the top portion of the planet), PvP outside of the Abyss seems impossible. Indeed the only way to get from Poeta to Sanctum (the Elyos' capital city) or to Eltnen is via a transporter which only Daeva can use (as long as they have the money). This means that while you're in Poeta you are safe and, while I can't confirm this due to the lack of Asmodians and limited areas of accessibility, I get the impression that you can't raid the opposing city or even zone into, say, Eltnen if you happen to be Asmodian. Yes, it seems like it's PvE content all the way leaving you free to choose if PvP is your thing. I hate PvP so the idea that my poor mage will only be slaughtered by mobs is oddly appealing.
It's around these levels that you start to learn about how Aion's economy works. Kinah (Aion's form of currency) gets you potions, covers costs for transportation, allows you to pay for new spells or skill upgrades and shiny new weapons. Two broken carapaces from a bug will net you enough to travel from one side of Poeta to the other, a couple more and the odd piece of leather and you can teleport to Sanctum.
Kill a few more and you can bind your soul there too. You can sell almost anything in your cube (your Atreian backpack) and as you get into your teens craft items, farm mats and then return to hubs like Akarios, Sanctum or Verteron to sell your wares. But there are plenty of money sinks too, specifically in the form of Soul Healing (where XP you lose upon death is restored for a fee), the need to rebind at a local Obelisk (yes it costs money every time) or teleport to another land mass. However the drop rates for trash rates are really quite favourable so making a quick Kinah is not too much hassle, even if you do still need to be careful with your money to avoid getting in stuck in Sanctum post-Ascension.
As you level up, learning how to gather herbs and maybe even ore along the way, you start to explore more of Poeta, eventually stumbling across a wise old hermit named Pernos who will be a vital ally in later levels as you search for your destiny. The quest itself is relatively simple, you go collect specific items, talk with Damiru and then get to go on a trip down memory lane where it is revealed you were once a Daeva felled in battle to a nasty Balaur general. Nice. Then it's time to choose your sub-class and off to the beautiful floating city of Sanctum you go for the ceremony which will grant you your wings.
Choosing your subclass comes as part of a dialogue sequence, the pros and cons of each class laid out and then you are locked in. This isn't something I'm particularly keen on, even if it means at around level 11 as a Spiritmaster you get your first minion. However these choices, taken at such a low level, might frustrate players as they hit the beta level cap and it isn't particularly clear if there is a trainer who can help you relearn as a different subclass either but I've not yet found one.
Let's talk about flight. I know it's the one game mechanic which put Aion on a lot of our reader's radar, including mine. Yes, you too can have a giant pair of angels' wings just like Auryn here but it comes with a few downsides. You can only fly for around 60 seconds at a time and only in specific area. Granted this time limit can be extended a little thanks for items made available with the limited CE of the game or buffs but you still have to be careful where you fly.
For now, you get one pair of wings although there is the option of buying two extra pairs from a seller in Sanctum but it's prohibitively expensive. The CE features a varying design which will also enhance the length of flight. Personally I like the classic look, it's very in keeping with the angelic ethos of the Elyos.
Youre first experience of flying is likely to be in the Verteron Citadel. Flying is off limits in the sacred city of Sanctum, apparently, and I couldn't get it working in Poeta either. Aerial combat is an important part of the gameplay and this does not just mean in PvP. For example, if you're mid battle and low on health, all you need to do is press the page up button to summon your wings and flutter just out of the mob's reach while you deliver the final blows. Avoiding death has never been so creative. A timer clicks down from the moment you rise into the air and you can also glide on air currents by pressing the spacebar, all you need is a largish hill.
However the world design prevents free-flight. When you cross from a flying area into one where it is prohibited you'll fly into an invisible wall. Your only recourse is to turn around or land and rely on your feet. This is a bit of a shame as there are no mounts which means getting from A to B can take a while, even with teleportation and bird transportation. Flying is a well beautiful mechanic, even if I found myself looking up my mage's skirts a lot of the time but the controls are easy to master with R making your character rise, F will lower them gently to the ground and page down causes your wings to vanish.
Youre first experience of flying is likely to be in the Verteron Citadel. Flying is off limits in the sacred city of Sanctum, apparently, and I couldn't get it working in Poeta either. Aerial combat is an important part of the gameplay and this does not just mean in PvP. For example, if you're mid battle and low on health, all you need to do is press the page up button to summon your wings and flutter just out of the mob's reach while you deliver the final blows. Avoiding death has never been so creative. A timer clicks down from the moment you rise into the air and you can also glide on air currents by pressing the spacebar, all you need is a largish hill.
However the world design prevents free-flight. When you cross from a flying area into one where it is prohibited you'll fly into an invisible wall. Your only recourse is to turn around or land and rely on your feet. This is a bit of a shame as there are no mounts which means getting from A to B can take a while, even with teleportation and bird transportation. Flying is a well beautiful mechanic, even if I found myself looking up my mage's skirts a lot of the time but the controls are easy to master with R making your character rise, F will lower them gently to the ground and page down causes your wings to vanish.
Having now reached level 10, it's time to leave the safety of Poeta and Sanctum and go out into the world and explore Eltnen. In the meantime, check out our Aion galleries below.
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_thumbnail.jpg "Map of Sanctum")
_thumbnail.jpg "Map of The Abyss 1 of 3")
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tom said on 3:28PM 6-07-2009
While I am mildly interested in this game and think the environments look very good, I have to admit that I am more and more put off by the Aion character models, which appear to me to be very "girly" for both male and female avatars (based on the screenshots and video clips I've seen of this game thus far).
I guess the idea here is to make the characters look very lacey, ethereal, and "angelic," but I cannot say I like the "look" much in terms of the character models I've seen so far. I actually prefer the crude and unpolished look of WoW's dwarves or orcs to the prettified beings of Aion.
The wings, if anything, make the characters look even worse.
I appreciated the article, though. Thanks for keeping us informed. :)
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Takaris said on 7:47PM 6-07-2009
I was saying the same thing in another post. The characters are (my opinion of course) SO androgynous its hard to look at. It just breaks the whole "suspension of disbelief" for me. I never really liked the anime style of characters of the eastern MMO...just yuck.
"Is that a girl? or boy?"
As far as flying....Vanguard has unrestricted flying mounts.
Box said on 3:47PM 6-07-2009
It feels like the game says "Oh look we got wings and you can fly!" and that's what everyone is looking forward to and then they add invisible walls, restrictions for where you can fly and for how long. Even WoW got better flying than that. I'll probably buy Aion but from that I've read thus far can't say I believe I'll like it.
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Thraay said on 5:34PM 6-07-2009
Oh you mean like how you are limited where you can fly in WoW also? Like no flying in the old lands.. ect?
I fail to see how one is different from the other. I am sure there are reasions both of them have restrictions on where and when you can fly around.
Myria said on 5:43PM 6-07-2009
Not to take sides, but you honestly can't see the difference between not being able to fly in Old-world Azeroth and hitting invisible walls?
Seriously?
Verit said on 7:51PM 6-07-2009
I think the fact that WoW can compete at all considering the age of its engine, and the age of the game itself is a sad statement against ncsoft.
SgtBaker said on 12:14AM 6-08-2009
EVE has unlimited flying btw (and plenty of flying PvP) ;-)
Ok, seriously now - this game seems "pretty" and I was looking forward to it, however now the more I read about it the less I actually want to play it.
Definitely not a "3rd-gen" MMO and I'm starting to think there's bit too many "oh, look we've got gimmicky feature x, but nothing else - come play us" - I guess I just want something different for a while - the "generic fantasy MMO" genre has been covered very extensively by WoW-EQII-Lotro-WAR-AoC already. I can't see this game bringing much new to the table.
Box said on 1:27AM 6-08-2009
As far as I'm aware there's no time limit in WoW and neither are there any invisible walls in the flyable areas, then the ability to only at some places evens out. So with that logic WoW has better flying. And then WoW doesn't even have very great flying at all.
snowleopard233 said on 9:55AM 6-08-2009
He’s kind of right about flying in WoW. Sure, you can’t fly in the old world zones, but on the continents you can there are no invisible walls popping out of nowhere and keeping you in place. That to me, just destroys the suspension of disbelief. I’d rather be prevented from flying than be constantly humping the invisible fourth wall.
khai Mann said on 5:03PM 6-07-2009
From the looks of things, Aion is the the MMO that everyone loves to hate. Maybe that's why they decided to hold its release here in the West until all the annoying bugs were squashed.
NCsoft committed a big mistake with TB, taking it offline and all, and many people still haven't forgotten. As a company they have to work hard in proving to their customers that they also care about them, not only their money.
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Jack said on 10:00PM 6-07-2009
The feeling you will get when you get your "Wings" is the same like when you got your first WoW mount!! So its pretty good. After this moment it all going downhill :(
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haidv said on 10:26PM 6-07-2009
Aion offers flying combat and it's fun. There are levels of wings too. You can PvP outside Abyss, attack Asmodian's towns by random portals called Rift. That's what i've got from China version.
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atruehitt said on 10:08AM 6-08-2009
Glad too see we have another MMORPG everyone is ready to bash. I'll be looking forward to seeing everyone bash Champions next. Then Final Fantasy XIV.
Hint: The eastern market doesn't go for all this "freedom" we hail that's so great. It's not in the Asian nature of the term freedom, that's why they are all right with it. The western market hates and bashes anything if it restricts them in the slightest of ways.
It's not bad design, it's just a limitation to keep things in a more controlled enviroment. Which is why I don't like "sandbox" style games honestly. To many random things happen and so many rules the engine has to keep up with that it just never can.
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Fallen Angel said on 1:27AM 6-08-2009
Aion won't revolutionize the genre, but it's a good MMO.
You CAN make non-androgynous characters. There are some good 'Western' models to build from. Game client is one of the best I've seen performance-wise. Quests are run of the mill but no less fun that the average WoW quest. Flight, while limited still enhances gameplay and is a blast. I got a taste of PvP in the Coliseum and potenital is great. I can't wait to face off against the other faction! Aion is a beautiful game, a worthy addition to the genre, but it's not groundbreaking in any way. I'll still be playing at launch.
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Wensbane said on 7:50AM 6-08-2009
In short, this is STILL not the MMO that will drag you away from WoW/LOTRO/EQ2/Whatever. Look elsewhere for that.
With that said, it could very well be a great "first MMO" for a lot of people. Those who have yet to experience the "same ol', same ol'" we've had to endure for the past ten, or so, years.
gerome42 said on 10:39AM 6-08-2009
Wasn't that an NDA I agreed to when I was setting up my Aion account? How are articles like this done if NDA is effect?
Anyway...
Installed the game, played for 5 minutes running around. Graphics are nice for environments, but I really don't dig the "asian" style or whatever. Just my opinion though.
Since I realized I had 3 months free in CoH thanks to the TR cancellation, I've been playing that quite a bit.
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ryan said on 5:32PM 6-27-2009
So what I get from these comments is...
The game is bad cus the players look like they arent real (thought it was advertised as a fantasy game.)
and...
They dont let you fly everywhere (Shocking???)
Why aren't any of these comments about the PvP, gameplay, gui, etc???
Arguing over trivial stuff is rather childish.
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shadowulph_1967 said on 6:54PM 7-27-2009
This is a game that will pull me from WoW. Ive been playing since WoW beta and still love the game but want something totally new and different! I left EQ2 for WoW but still love that game too. AION will have its naysayers just like all the MMO's out there. Bugs, glitches, patches are all part of it. Some will stay, some will go. I'll stay to see how it fairs! And flying here will be completely new in that its not on a mount that costs an arm and a leg. BUT your own wings which is totally cool :)
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