Hey guys, let me premace this by including some of my gaming background. I've played a good many MMOs, starting when I was 11 years old with EverQuest. I am now 20 and have played (in order) EQ1, WoW, AoC, Warhammer, EQ2, EVE, LotRO, and Guild Wars (didn't get past the trial lol). I've gotten to the end-game in all the games except for LotrO and AoC.

EQ1 - Actually raided when I was about 13 in PoP expansion.. I didn't know what the hell was going on lol.. Like 70 person raids...

WoW - Participated in all end game raids back in vanilla and TBC, conquered it all... Got my rank 11 when PvP was the real deal.. Got WotLK and did the Tier 7 raids. they were a joke and I decided I had played that game too much and for too long, so a few friends were going to play AoC.

AoC - Got through the bugginess and leveled up to about 60 or so, and that's when the mass exodus was going on and no-one was playing anymore.

Warhammer - Friends from work got me into this and I was hooked, played up until about 6 months ago and got renown rank 50, and we were seiging the Inevitable City every night and it got uber boring..

EQ2 - Decided to go back to the roots and try this. This was probably the best game I had played since WoW, in terms of being able to enjoy the content and not feeling like I was just trying to achieve something and be done with it. It however got old once I hit max level and my A.D.D. kicked in lol.

Eve - My stepdad had been playing this for a few months and told me all about it, little did I know it really wasn't very "action packed" and I would have to wait for "skills" to train to be effective in any sort of his corporation's activities..

LotrO - Played the trial and decided to buy it since it was only $10.00. Wasn't very fond of this and I only got to level 25 or so before I gave it up.

GW - Graphically wasn't very appealing to me. I didn't enjoy the game starting with the newbie area, so I uninstalled almost immediately.

What I look for is an MMO that will give me a goal to shoot for, without giving it up to easily, and giving me something to fill all my excess time. I don't have the time to play like I did when I could attend raids with 100% attendance. PvP is fun, in Warhammer I loved being able to jump on and go to where the action was, and get gear and loot just for killing other players, conquering their keeps and controlling zones from the enemy. I like PvE as well, but like I said if the majority of it is about getting your guild on a schedule and having set times when you have to raid I'm not interested.

My question to you, MMORPG community is: Will Aion hold my interests?
 

Mm, no.

Try check out Final Fantasy 14. Little PvP, lots of PvE, but you may still find it refreshing. 

I don't know for sure but I have a hunch that you may need something new (if you had a good time in EQ2 after WoW AoC and WAR).  I don't think Aion will hold your interest for long.

edit: oh, aion forums.. i dont think this topic belongs here, or maybe it does!

Get informed, look at videos, read reviews. That is the solution.

Asking in the forum is asking for trouble - there are only two kinds of people here, normal people who try to find a place to discuss their favorite game and abnormal ones who do not actually want to have to do anything with the game yet still hang out here like. It like having a bunch of annoying Jehova's witnesses who feel that they are on a mission and must convince everyone that they are right.

OP here is AION in all its glory;

- Fluid Open World PVP, from small scale roaming groups to solo ganking to large keep assaults - it caters to all types of PVP'rs. All players drop AP & XP. AP is used to buy the best gear you can get.

- Enjoyable  PVE, Enough solo quests and group quests to level (up until 40, from my experience since im 40). Group Instances and Open Elite areas for every level bracket after 16.

- Crafting and gathering provides XP and some of the best gear you can make in the game. So very rewarding and challenging at the same time to make the best stuff.

Aion is a melting Pot of PVE and PVP .... and its damn fun.

Theres a professional review on this very site and  Aion was rated very highly.

Judging from your history and preferences, I think Aion is defintiely a game you should give a try.

Originally posted by glofish

Get informed, look at videos, read reviews. That is the solution.

Asking in the forum is asking for trouble - there are only two kinds of people here, normal people who try to find a place to discuss their favorite game and abnormal ones who do not actually want to have to do anything with the game yet still hang out here like. It like having a bunch of annoying Jehova's witnesses who feel that they are on a mission and must convince everyone that they are right.

Geeez you're bashing the construcive ciritcism again and the validz opinienz!! You're thee fanboy in denial and just bashing everyone not hyping up Aion as thee best! QQQQ Youre the eviilz! Leave them alooone!

To the OP. Even though Aion is a nice game i dont think Aion will please you with demands like territorial conquering or faction developement etc etc. The fortress are not really about territorial advantages or building up something, but more like practical(closer savespot/faster travel/quests/vendors/dungeonaccess etc) and personal rewards (feeling of accomplishment/bragging rights) for surpassing the other faction in sieges. The whole Abyss is more about a back and forth in combat not a back and fort of you faction/lore/terretory whatever.

I don't think it will, but you will never know until you try yourself. I come from EQ and WOW, Aion in my opinion is one more step towards linear theme park, I didn't feel like being in a living world at all, the game had no soul for me. At some point I realized I was playing it just because I had bought it. When cancelled, it was a relief.

What I look for is an MMO that will give me a goal to shoot for, without giving it up to easily, and giving me something to fill all my excess time. I don't have the time to play like I did when I could attend raids with 100% attendance. PvP is fun, in Warhammer I loved being able to jump on and go to where the action was, and get gear and loot just for killing other players, conquering their keeps and controlling zones from the enemy. I like PvE as well, but like I said if the majority of it is about getting your guild on a schedule and having set times when you have to raid I'm not interested.

 

My question to you, MMORPG community is: Will Aion hold my interests?
 

Aion will keep you busy for years if you set your goals high enough.  Level 50 Abyss gear with the best stones enchanted all the way to +10 is a serious endeavor.  

The PvP is open world and similar to Warhammer.  You siege keeps, take artifacts, and kill other players for points you can spend on PvP gear (and you lose points when you die as well).  Like any open world faction warfare game, its a lot of zerging and ganking.  However its a lot of fun to take a solid 6 man group out and just roam the abyss killing folks.  And a group of 6 good players working together can dismantle a much larger group of people just zerging them.

PvE is pretty weak.  There are several instances (6 man) that work on lockout timers.  The bosses are pretty generic in difficulty, nothing like the highly scripted encounters of WoW for instance.  Gear is decent, but the loot system is inconsistent and generally doesn't drop enough.  Raid bosses are mostly outdoor spawns like EQ,  so whether you'll need to be on a tight schedule to kill them depends on if the other legions on your server camp them or not.

PvP is fun, although it doesn't bloom until you hit the Abyss (level 25).  Obtaining the gear is fun and meaningful.  If your in a full set of Abyss gear its because you earned it, there is no doubt about that.  If you set your goals high enough, the game will occupy you for a very long time.  However it does that the old fashion way... by giving you one hell of a grind.  

A lot of people complain about the grind, but most of those people are trying to do nothing but level as fast as possible.  The trick is to take your time.  Craft a little, rift a little, roam the abyss for PvP, grind different mobs for different mats for crafting, grind a bit in the abyss, do some quests/instances etc... it goes pretty smooth post 25.  You just gotta be careful not to burn yourself out, and instead just enjoy the ride.  It shouldn't be an issue for an older MMO gamer like yourself.

Anyway, for what you are looking for in an MMO.. you should at least try the game and decide for yourself.  Chances are you might really enjoy it.  

Originally posted by comerb .  

A lot of people complain about the grind, but most of those people are trying to do nothing but level as fast as possible.  The trick is to take your time.  Craft a little, rift a little, roam the abyss for PvP, grind different mobs for different mats for crafting, grind a bit in the abyss, do some instances etc... it goes pretty smooth post 25.  You just gotta be careful not to burn yourself out, and instead just enjoy the ride.  It shouldn't be an issue for an older MMO gamer like yourself.

Anyway, for what you are looking for in an MMO.. you should at least try the game and decide for yourself.  Chances are you might really enjoy it.  

Nice explanation.

I find it amusing (and quite educational) that the majority of the positive contributions are substantially better written  than the negative ones. Make your own guess as to why...

 You should try self trepanation its the new rage

I enjoy the game a lot. The main thing is, like was said, spread yourself out. Don't just come in and try to hit cap ASAP. I have done a little crafting, a bunch of PVP, run instances, and just regular PVE'd and have had no problems getting to the mid 30's and mid 20's on two different characters since launch.

I find it to be a nice distraction having a least one alt with a completely different playstyle from my main as well. My main is a Gladiator and my alt is a Sorcerer.

Anyway, good luck in whatever game you play.

If you don't like massive gold spamming and botting, you may want to stay away from the game.  Even though you may report a spammer or botter, there is no guarantee that said spammer/botter will ever get banned.  I don't know if the gm's are a bit slow, have too many requests, or what, but they are lax on the banning. NCSoft did try to get rid of the spamming and it lasted a few days, but they are back. 

On the other hand, if you like the same ole theme park mmo, then you may enjoy the title.  There isn't much different from other MMO's of this sort.  Good luck finding a game that suits you.

{mod edit}

On the topic : Try Champions Online.

Originally posted by Cryptor

 

On the topic : Try Champions Online.

 

Ummm, I would give Champions a few more months to see if the devs actually pull their heads out of their arses.  I have a six month sub and just can't bring myself to log in anymore.  There are major content gaps and some missions that have been bugged from the start  still aren't fixed.  The devs seem more focused on nerfing and the C-Store than on adding content to the game which should be their primary focus.  I'm not planning on renewing my sub after the six months unless there are some major changes with the focus of the devs, at this point its just not worth the price of admission.

Try darkfall, look into it or PM me with questions and I can send you links with info. Many people dislike it, but you seem like someone who could be kept interested in it. Personally, I love the game.

I've just cancelled my Aion sub. Was fun to try for a little while, but here's my opinion, for what it's worth to you:

It's a prettier version of WoW, with less features.

Grind up to max level solely for the purpose of PvPing as an end game.

Graphics are great, itemization is lacking, as is choice. Actually, real choice is near non-existant.

Quests are the same old bag (which is fine), then you realise that both sides are identical. Same quests and areas (if the text and colours aren't quite the same), so no real difference in sides.

Crafting is cute, but drab. No real options for roleplayers. Not likely to ever be any either.

My opinion is of course biased because I enjoy some facets of a game more than others, so me and Aion with it's PvP focus was never gonna work out. But it was fun to try for a few weeks, there's just not enough to keep my interest.

Oh, and it's still awfully crashy for many users, myself included. Seems to be those with high end systems, lots of RAM, and wireless connections have an awful time with lag, rubber-banding, and crashing in capital cities or the Abyss.

Might be the game for you though, so give it a shot if you like. It's not a poor game by any stretch.