Well, I'm still somewhat enjoying the game, but there are some glaring issues that's keeping me from falling in love with it.

I'm playing a Gladiator right now, and honestly I'm not finding it too much fun.

Level 18, and there are 4 keys I press for each combat scenario, which NEVER changes. Yes, 1 of those keys has 2 more layers of chain attacks, but that's all they are, more attacks. No stuns or interrupts I can plan, not even a DOT! lol Personally I don't care for DOT's, but I'm surprised that's all there is at this point. I figured by this level the class mechanics would be fleshed out a bit more, but it's really just too simple. Just stand there, and press the exact same sequence of hotkeys every single fight. Repetitive is an understatement.

I'm disappointed in the gear upgrades. I'm wearing the best armor and weapons available, and seriously, I can't tell a difference in wearing basic lower level gear. Sure I might survive a tiny bit longer or kill a tiny bit faster, but it's beginning to feel like AoC and WAR in this aspect. Neither games gave much emphasis on "gear power", and it made the progressive loot rewards seem lackluster. I expect this is a result of a PVP oriented game -- where a pvp fight is supposed to be determined by a person's skill rather than the gear they wear. I understand this to an extent, however, it makes things pretty boring, and those of us that suck just can't seem to get that "edge" in a pvp fight.
 

At level 17 (Elyos), my wife and I ran out of quests to do, except for the elite mob quests.  These mobs require you to be grouped to kill, no exceptions.  We figured since we were both 17, then we should be able to kill the level 16 elites or something (she's a sorceror btw).  No freaking way without a healer.  Each mob seemed to be designed for a full group.  Since we don't care to group up with anyone except ourselves unless we're running instances or similar, we thought this was a bit retarded.  So we had to grind to 18 to open up a couple more quests.  Now we're nearly finished with those quests and only halfway to 19.  So looks like grinding is in our future again. :(

Character development so far isn't there.  You can say manastones this, and enchantments that, but again, like the gear, you see no "real" results.  As I said above, our characters are geared in the absolute best gear we can use, with nearly all the best manastones, etc.  Still don't notice a "jump" in power.   I even equipped my guy with full Physical Crit stones.  Did I notice my crit chance increase?  Nope.  Maybe it's supposed to increase the crit damage?  Didn't notice that either.

I have yet to be able to judge the stigmas, but if it's anything like WAR's Feats (which it sounds like), every class will be a carbon copy all the way to max level until they've obtained nearly all available stigmas and can experiment with different setups. 

They did a great job with the graphics on gear, but I'm seeing ALOT of reused graphics, with slightly different colors.  And sometimes it's the absolute same graphic.  Like when I upgraded my level 16 polearm for the level 18, yeah that was disappointing.  Or when I "tried on" the level 20 helm....it was the exact same as my level 13 helm. :( 

DP -- This is pretty disappointing.  You get one attack called DP Explosion that costs 2000DP to use.  Well, to get that 2k DP you have to fight for a long time before you can use it.  The Gladiator DP skill does around 400 damage on an even level mob, that's about 2x damage of one of your regular skills.  I would hardly call that worth the effort.  They really need to fix this.

Now seriously, I do think Aion is a great game.  They have polished the hell out of it.  Nothing has come out since WoW that has been as crisp as this game.  I just think they've made some bad design decisions and are catering to the masses.  Make it as easy as possible, and not complicate things with character development or gear choices. 

Originally posted by Vhayne

I'm disappointed in the gear upgrades. I'm wearing the best armor and weapons available, and seriously, I can't tell a difference in wearing basic lower level gear.

 You need to stay on top of your gear in this game to make a difference, something that I LOVE. I enchanted a lot of my stuff and it made a pretty big difference to me. 

Did you enchant your gear with Enchantment stones? *And I mean higher than +1 too, btw.*

Hmm, well, you know, OP was kind of right. I mean at 17 I was dead on quests. 

As for skills, OP is right again,  I only press 4 skills.

Originally posted by Vhayne

DP -- This is pretty disappointing.  You get one attack called DP Explosion that costs 2000DP to use.  Well, to get that 2k DP you have to fight for a long time before you can use it.  The Gladiator DP skill does around 400 damage on an even level mob, that's about 2x damage of one of your regular skills.  I would hardly call that worth the effort.  They really need to fix this. 

If you're in the best gear with the best enchants it's amazing that you hit for half of what I was hitting for.  At level 20 with my glad I had 2800 or so hp, all I remember is I could break 3k with my stigma.  With my polearm at +6 I was critting for 600-700, and getting 400+ on my auto attack crits. 

And your DP skill is a guarnteed interupt with a knockdown.  2k DP takes all over 30 mobs to be attain, not that difficult imo.

You can't be serious about expecting Aion to be something new. This game is WoW clone with wings and amazing graphics.

I'm no WoW fan i hate WoW completely but in my opinion Aion is WoW clone with upgraded graphics and wings.

Why is it a WoW clone? Endless grinding, Point and Click gameplay like any asian mmos out there, repetitive quests and ofcourse quests will end at some lvl and you are forced to grind a lvl to get new quest.

I enjoyed the game only cause of the graphics and wing thing other than that it's useless but i got bored after 1 week.

So my tip for you is to move too Mortal Online a fps gameplay with unreal 3 engine graphics meaning new graphics to me the graphics in that game look almost realisitc and much better than Aion. Anyways if you dont like point and click games your only offer is and note that all these games use unreal engine which means no point and click gameplay but amazing graphics and use mouse to do primary attak secondary attack so its fast paced gameplay finally!

Wait for Mortal Online to come out which comes out 13th-14th july i dont know but pre-order opens 13th july and appairently anybody who pre-orders the game will get free beta access and the game is p2p but totally worth it.

Wait for blade & soul to come out and that game is going to be f2p but most likely not come to us in years.

Wait for tera online which will be p2p comes out in a few years.

Wait for C9 which will be f2p comes out in a few years

Wait for dragon nest which will be f2p comes out in a few years.

Obviously your best choice is Mortal Online or Blade & Soul, Mortal Online is awesome and they actually have a rick roll beta footage that is april joke but it's so awesome it shows some funny bugs but also shows the amazing graphics and footage it has to offer so there you go even when the game is at its buggiest it is amazing haha.

Originally posted by Printscreen

Wow, not only constructive, but mature as well.

Truly a response to be proud of...

Originally posted by Vandiego

Originally posted by Vhayne

DP -- This is pretty disappointing.  You get one attack called DP Explosion that costs 2000DP to use.  Well, to get that 2k DP you have to fight for a long time before you can use it.  The Gladiator DP skill does around 400 damage on an even level mob, that's about 2x damage of one of your regular skills.  I would hardly call that worth the effort.  They really need to fix this. 

 

If you're in the best gear with the best enchants it's amazing that you hit for half of what I was hitting for.  At level 20 with my glad I had 2800 or so hp, all I remember is I could break 3k with my stigma.  With my polearm at +6 I was critting for 600-700, and getting 400+ on my auto attack crits. 

And your DP skill is a guarnteed interupt with a knockdown.  2k DP takes all over 30 mobs to be attain, not that difficult imo.

 

If your DP is filling up in 30 mobs then I must be doing something very wrong!
 

Originally posted by Chimps

Point and Click gameplay like any asian mmos out there

 

I stopped reading here, if you can't even figure out how to turn off Click to Move in the options, you really have no place to be calling it the same as other asian mmorpgs.

You claim to have played a week, but I doubt you played further than level 10, if even that far.

Also, you failed to explain what makes it a "WoW Clone" in your opinion. All you did was list things you disliked about the game, there was no comparison ever made, nor was there even a basis for comparison to begin with.

Another biased personal opinion masquerading as fact.

Originally posted by Euphoryk 

I stopped reading here, if you can't even figure out how to turn off Click to Move in the options, you really have no place to be calling it the same as other asian mmorpgs.

You claim to have played a week, but I doubt you played further than level 10, if even that far.

Also, you failed to explain what makes it a "WoW Clone" in your opinion. All you did was list things you disliked about the game, there was no comparison ever made, nor was there even a basis for comparison to begin with.

Another biased personal opinion masquerading as fact.

Also, anyone who calls any game a WoW-clone needs to realize that WoW basically cloned parts of all previous mmorpg's released and combined them. WoW was a clone, too.

Originally posted by Vhayne

 

 I'm wearing the best armor and weapons available, and seriously, I can't tell a difference in wearing basic lower level gear. Sure I might survive a tiny bit longer or kill a tiny bit faster, but it's beginning to feel like AoC and WAR in this aspect. Neither games gave much emphasis on "gear power", and it made the progressive loot rewards seem lackluster. 
 

This is actually encouraging news to me. I worry though that it makes a bigger difference at higher levels, like most games.

I played a glad this beta to 20....I have an assassin and a sorcerer both in their 30's on the chinese retail so I know you'll see how much more the game opens up after 20.  The gear does look great mid 20's and on so dont be dissapointed in low level items...just because they are green, they are still not high level items.  You get many more skills in your 20's as well, plus adding stigmas give you more skills to customize your character to your style.  Everyone has only a few skills to use at the beginning....you will get quite a few more before your 30.  My assassin has 3 bars on the bottom and the right side bar filled!! 

As for quests...there are just enough to keep you going with minimal grinding in the lower levels.  Did you do repeatable quests, harvest quests?  These are essential for leveling up your gathering and getting free gear...all zones will have quite a few gathering quests and you need to stay on top of it.  If your not into that, then expect to grind because your missing out on part of the games quests.  My first time through I missed some of the quests and had to grind some...around level 17, but this time around I did everything and made it to 20 with no problems.  The mission quests you get also give tons of xp and great items, and they really help you to meet other players and learn how to play in a group.  I've found a lot of people play well until they get to this part and the party wipes over and over because they cant play as a party. 

Dont give up on the game yet...theres a lot more to see and do.  Take your time and enjoy it...I dont know why everyone wants to rush to the end game right away.  Your missing out on so much more...

Hearing someone complaining about having to group for some quests is almost refreshing, really.

And Aion feels much more developed in combat at lower levels than, say, WoW does. Hell pre 20 or 25 in WoW all my warrior did was use heroic strike. Then I got slam, then I finally got like mortal strike at 30.

Really they aren't going to totally flesh out the games combat at level 17, no MMO does that. However if you look at all of the different stigmas and skills in the game, via Aion Armory you'll notice that a lot more options open up.

Originally posted by Vhayne

Level 18, and there are 4 keys I press for each combat scenario, which NEVER changes. Yes, 1 of those keys has 2 more layers of chain attacks, but that's all they are, more attacks. No stuns or interrupts I can plan, not even a DOT! lol Personally I don't care for DOT's, but I'm surprised that's all there is at this point. I figured by this level the class mechanics would be fleshed out a bit more, but it's really just too simple. Just stand there, and press the exact same sequence of hotkeys every single fight. Repetitive is an understatement.

At level 50 you can have like 3 bars full of skills, potions, scrolls, etc.

Originally posted by Palebane

Originally posted by Vhayne

 

 I'm wearing the best armor and weapons available, and seriously, I can't tell a difference in wearing basic lower level gear. Sure I might survive a tiny bit longer or kill a tiny bit faster, but it's beginning to feel like AoC and WAR in this aspect. Neither games gave much emphasis on "gear power", and it made the progressive loot rewards seem lackluster. 
 

 

This is actually encouraging news to me. I worry though that it makes a bigger difference at higher levels, like most games.

The little changes in stats you see in this games gear mean a lot more than the +2500 armor you'd see in other games like WoW.  To the newer players not used to this, it might seem like very little difference seeing only +4 to a weapon, +14 to magic boost or adding +6 evasion....why overcomplicate going into quadruple digits to feel powerful.  I can tell a difference in a  full set of regular store bought item...and the green player crafted items. 

Have to agree with StringBoi on this factor. Although the initial stages of the game didn't really 'sparkle' for me, in respect of quests. Once level 20 and above is achieved, it really does start to open up. Almost to the point of breathing fresh enjoyment into the gameplay that definatly encourages you to explore more and maybe even settle down to enjoy the environment. I plan on ordering this game and playing from the word go from what i have seen and enjoyed so far. Most definatly a thumbs up from me so far !

"The OP is stupid"? Really? This guy gives very legitimate reasons for not enjoying himself; and he gets insulted for it?

I'm noticing an interesting trend. Every time closed beta event occurs, there are two types of threads that appear on these forums.

"A long post on why I liked the game."

"A long post on why I hated the game."

The initial positive type is met with "Great post, I agree" "Well thought out post" "Good, that's right" regardless of the quality of the information or how well it's written.

The second, more negative opinion is met with "Op is retarded" "Game gets better at max level, noob" "Ur stupid", again; despite the quality of the post.

The OP even ended with the qualifier "I'm not saying the game is bad!" in an effort to quell your fanboy-ism, but I guess it's to no avail. Delusional MMORPG addicts will cling to this game until we reach the inevitable end of the honey moon period; in which case the forums will be crowded with the collective crying of a thousand customers. Garbage in, garbage out. The cycle continues.

After every weekend, the level in which you're allowed to have an opinion of the game rises. Maybe after the game is out for a few months, we'll see a new variation on this hackneyed defense.

Originally posted by LogothX

"The OP is stupid"? Really? This guy gives very legitimate reasons for not enjoying himself; and he gets insulted for it?

I'm noticing an interesting trend. Every time closed beta event occurs, there are two types of threads that appear on these forums.

 

"A long post on why I liked the game."

 

"A long post on why I hated the game."

 

The initial positive type is met with "Great post, I agree" "Well thought out post" "Good, that's right" regardless of the quality of the information or how well it's written.

The second, more negative opinion is met with "Op is retarded" "Game gets better at max level, noob" "Ur stupid", again; despite the quality of the post.

 

The OP even ended with the qualifier "I'm not saying the game is bad!" in an effort to quell your fanboy-ism, but I guess it's to no avail. Delusional MMORPG addicts will cling to this game until we reach the inevitable end of the honey moon period; in which case the forums will be crowded with the collective crying of a thousand customers. Garbage in, garbage out. The cycle continues.

After every weekend, the level in which you're allowed to have an opinion of the game rises. Maybe after the game is out for a few months, we'll see a new variation of the hackneyed responses.

I disagree with your analasis, i've seen many negative posts that were well thought out get many people to applaud the authors as accurate and good at getting their point across.

I agree with some of the things the OP said, especially how little cusomization there is on actual character development.

However this issue is well known to NCSoft, they said they are thinking of ways to make it better and are adjusting the Stigma system to make it a lot more adaptable too.

We'll have to see what they come up with.

I disagree with your analasis, i've seen many negative posts that were well thought out get many people to applaud the authors as accurate and good at getting their point across.

May I see a few of them? I lurk here quite often and I've never seen such posts. This post is about as good as any negative post I've seen here about the game. The OP doesn't go out of his way to insult anyone, or even the game  yet he's met with hostility. This isn't the first time this has happened; either. Just check out the 20+ page thread by a veteran MMORPG member.

Long time since I have posted.  I am very interested in this game and I am liking the early insight.  Remember it is a beta though and I can't believe there isn't an NDA.  Beta's are still in development and the opportunity to participate in them and communicate with the developers is fabulous as long as you are communicating your concerns on their forums.

This game has reinvigorated and interest for me to get back into MMORPG's.

Originally posted by Camyllib

Long time since I have posted.  I am very interested in this game and I am liking the early insight.  Remember it is a beta though and I can't believe there isn't an NDA.  Beta's are still in development and the opportunity to participate in them and communicate with the developers is fabulous as long as you are communicating your concerns on their forums.

This game has reinvigorated and interest for me to get back into MMORPG's.

The game may be officially be called a beta, but this is a release build. The game has been out for some time overseas; so the game will not be making any drastic changes at this late stage.