Aion: A Nostalgic Picture Diary

“A thousand devs of the NCsoft empire descend upon you. Their nerfs will blot out the sun.”

“Then we shall QQ in the shade.”

It has been recently announced that the long-awaited Aion 2.5 patch has arrived on the Player Test Server.  The new patch will bring additional content in the form of PvE instances, a graphics overhaul, optimization of existing systems, such as crafting and enchanting, and the introduction of new ones, such as the Helper system. Legion features will be further  improved, character customization will receive an expansion and there will also be several tweaks and fixes to gameplay.

Having avoided logging in to the game since the end of 2009, I find myself strangely curious about the news. The urge to give this game another try seems to be getting worse, like an annoying itch that you can’t quite shake off. Instead of giving in, I decided to resist the temptation because I generally don’t go back to games that have burned me once. I’m just spiteful like that. Instead, I’m writing up this diary entry that will serve as a visual depiction of some of the entertaining things I still remember about the title. Follow along and remember to click on the thumbnails to enlarge them.

All RvR games start with a rivalry. Having amassed a huge community on the forums before launch, all that Aion-related threads needed was one spark, one short reply and everything was engulfed in the holy fire of a flame-war. Both Asmodians and Elyos would call each other names and comment on the looks of their opponents. The picture presented above is a good example.

When I saw the high-level wings for the Asmodian side, I sh@t bricks.

I witnessed quite a few amusing contests on various forums. This one depicts a funny take on Aion’s transformation feature that allowed characters to change in to certain creatures found in Atreia.

One of the starter cities in Asmodae had a big crab as a mini-boss that would roam around the newbie area. If you were unfortunate  to get caught off guard by the monster, your chances of survival directly related to your distance from the town’s gates. Even if you were fast enough, the evil crab could still follow you right inside the town, destroying everyone and everything in sight.

Aion has always impressed me with a sense of beauty and integrity to the game’s visual style. Some of the portrayed creatures and scenes are simply pleasant to look at.

Holy cr@p! – thats how you could describe my reaction when I first found out who was protecting an enemy fortress.

Its the year 2011 and a lot of us have moved on from Aion to other titles. Nevertheless, some of the game’s best moments will be remembered by players for a long time.