State of the aion??? Come back?

[Vandekist-DN]

I heard the 5 servers merged onto two so im guessing that it is pretty active but what i want to know is the state of the game as far as the lore and content and is ppl doing siege and open world abyss pvp. Is aion pve easy to group up in or do you have to wait for 50mins to hours?

[Aly-DN]

Not sure how long you have been gone and what level you are currently and that will make a difference on your success in finding quick groups for the higher tier PvE and for your success in open world PvP.

I am level 75 and decently geared. PvE groups for me fill very quickly. I can find open world PvP whenever I wish to, though it can get rather zergy. 

Sieges on DN are running 200+ on each side, though a certain percent of those are afk.

The game is still free, so I don't see an issue with coming back and deciding for yourself. Obviously, if you have friends or an active legion, you will fair much better than if you are totally alone.

[Belldandy-KT]

Heres the brutal truth:

Its a quiet lonely ride from 1-65. Once you leave Poeta/Ishalgen, you'll soon realize no one groups, no one does instances, no one does anything open world related. There's just the solo mad rush to 65. (Even LFG chat is dead.) You'll often find yourself wondering if theres anyone even left playing. 

66-75 is a hardcore grind wherein you'll be navigating through hacker infested waters, breakable gear, horrendous RNG mechanics, and endless/mundane and frustrating, (see hackers), hardcore grinding. Just to hope for the 3% chance to upgrade your gear without the extremely frustrating RNG mechanics exploding said gear and taking you back to square one. All in the name of going out and hoping you don't get insta-pwned in 2 seconds flat by some ultra mega whale, while you're headed to that dull instance you need to run daily just so you can grind through yet even more frustrating mechanics.

If none of that scares you, then by all means give it a try. It is free after all.

[DevilNest-KT]

Damn boy! i can smell the salt from over here.

Lv 1 to 65 is really easy now, with the extra exp from Fast Track Server, the ridiculous amount of exp from blue quests (in some cases like 10 times higher than common quests from the same area) and the adition of free  Fledgling Gear  a Lv 10 set with stats from a Lv 50 set all enchanted to +10, and in lv 55 you get another free set with stats like gear lv 68/69 ( Elite Fledgling Orb Lv 55 vs Orb of Adma Lv 69 ) 

This means you can easily lv up all by yourself, but that is your choice.  The majority of the game population is playing in the new content Lv +66 onwards so there might not be a lots of groups going on in lower lvls, but you always can post and form a group, no need to wait for someone else to make one, besides all the old instances  were nerfed several times, so the best is to run Duo or Trio you can always find ppl for Fire Temple and Beshmundir Temple ( it seems the middle instances like Teo Lab and Adma stronghold goa bit unnoticed, but some ppl run them too )

Leveling from 66 to 70 is not hardcore at all -_-" is fairly easy,  in Lv 71-72 you start to see the things slowing down but again is not hardcore, the real exp Grind is lv 73-75, and we are at 5.6 now compared to 5.0 things are much softer, there are a lot of Big Exp quest, Like 5 Archdaeva Instances were nerfed they are so much more easy now and mobs inside give more exp, we had a lot Exp events 100% 200%  for entire weeks heck we even had 400% buff, damn my alts are lv 70 and 71 from afk Lunas and Running Kumuki.

We have 5.8 incoming in a few months and guess what... the main instance for lvling is Fissure of Oblivion, mobs there are going to give 1.5 to 2x more exp, more instances nerfed, a lot more quest with big exp rewards a New coin to get gear, Lv 80 Abyss gear won't break anymore, some accesories (not all) will have a safe checkpoint in +6, so no more reseting to +0

 

Well i guess i really didn't answer exactly your questions, but hey Aly and Orihime already have done that, you have the optimistic and pessimistic answers choose your side 

[Mempo-KT]

I think if we are all vocal enough about actual PvP events we might actually get one.

BRING BACK DAEVADOME

[Calista-DN]

3 minutes ago, DevilNest-KT said:

Damn boy! i can smell the salt from over here.

Lv 1 to 65 is really easy now, with the extra exp from Fast Track Server, the ridiculous amount of exp from blue quests (in some cases like 10 times higher than common quests from the same area) and the adition of free  Fledgling Gear  a Lv 10 set with stats from a Lv 50 set all enchanted to +10, and in lv 55 you get another free set with stats like gear lv 68/69 ( Elite Fledgling Orb Lv 55 vs Orb of Adma Lv 69 ) 

This means you can easily lv up all by yourself, but that is your choice.  The majority of the game population is playing in the new content Lv +66 onwards so there might not be a lots of groups going on in lower lvls, but you always can post and form a group, no need to wait for someone else to make one, besides all the old instances  were nerfed several times, so the best is to run Duo or Trio you can always find ppl for Fire Temple and Beshmundir Temple ( it seems the middle instances like Teo Lab and Adma stronghold goa bit unnoticed, but some ppl run them too )

Leveling from 66 to 70 is not hardcore at all -_-" is fairly easy,  in Lv 71-72 you start to see the things slowing down but again is not hardcore, the real exp Grind is lv 73-75, and we are at 5.6 now compared to 5.0 things are much softer, there are a lot of Big Exp quest, Like 5 Archdaeva Instances were nerfed they are so much more easy now and mobs inside give more exp, we had a lot Exp events 100% 200%  for entire weeks heck we even had 400% buff, damn my alts are lv 70 and 71 from afk Lunas and Running Kumuki.

We have 5.8 incoming in a few months and guess what... the main instance for lvling is Fissure of Oblivion, mobs there are going to give 1.5 to 2x more exp, more instances nerfed, a lot more quest with big exp rewards a New coin to get gear, Lv 80 Abyss gear won't break anymore, some accesories (not all) will have a safe checkpoint in +6, so no more reseting to +0

 

Well i guess i really didn't answer exactly your questions, but hey Aly and Orihime already have done that, you have the optimistic and pessimistic answers choose your side 

Realistically, if most people want to level from 71 onwards, there isn't anything now but the the same repetitive quests and solo dungeons (agreed, we did have XP events). There are no interesting quest lines , no player-driven or interactive events that give experience.

Since it's so repetitive, players soon lose any sense of immersion, so they get bored. Personally, I already have a job, I don't need to log in and do they same damn thing every day on multiple alts just to get ahead   every..single..damn...day.... For MONTHS. I got to 75 on my main, but there's no way I ever want to level my alts to 75.

Some people only play Aion, and they're so hooked on it, they don't realize that anything else does or can exist - until you see that you really can have fun in a game.

[DevilNest-KT]

well you don't need to be 75 to have fun neither, and you can look for variety yourself i only did Fissure during exp events not everyday, and there are several instances you can run solo or duo and get some tasty omegas while you level up. people need to look for alternatives for themselves instead of complaining and do nothing, for example during the 400% exp buff i was already 75 but wanted to fool around in CoE solo, every mob was giving me 200 / 260 Million exp each one, faster than killing fatties in Fissure and more fun at least for me.

[Calista-DN]

You can argue as much as you want, however, running  a very limited number of instances solo (or even duo) doesn't qualify as fun for a significant number of people. I don't think you understand that, a by now people know how to level, unless they are completely new to the game - the issue is that it isn't worth  the time it takes (the return on investment). Why wouldn't someone spend time on another  activity (game)  that is more enjoyable? what does Aion have to offer that is better than another game?

Answer that question, then you attract new and casual players.

 

[Ashlayna-DN]

3 minutes ago, Calista-DN said:

You can argue as much as you want, however, running  a very limited number of instances solo (or even duo) doesn't qualify as fun for a significant number of people. I don't think you understand that, a by now people know how to level, unless they are completely new to the game - the issue is that it isn't worth  the time it takes (the return on investment). Why wouldn't someone spend time on another  activity (game)  that is more enjoyable? what does Aion have to offer that is better than another game?

Answer that question, then you attract new and casual players.

 

Actually, I have a better question:  If you're not having any fun, why are you still here?  I realize that that is going to come across as salty, but it's not intended that way, at all.  I quit having fun at the game 3 years back, and I left.  I didn't rage quit, and leave an essay on the forums either, I just logged out and moved on.  However, I was here for a very long time, before that.

What kept me here as long as I was here was my Legion, and that's true in any MMO, regardless of what they refer to it as, legion, guild, clan, what have you, if you have the right people in there, they can make the game fun.  That's something that new/returning players will be denied, however, unless they make their own, because if they're not 70+, nobody's looking to recruit them.  Having a Legion full of people means that you might be able to fill a FT group, if there isn't one going, even if it's mentored.  It means that you may not have to do what I did today, and watch a C Dredge pop go the entire time, w/out getting a group to pop.  So, I submit to you that the answer to your question is, quite simply, a good legion.

[Azzmaria-KT]

5 hours ago, DevilNest-KT said:

Damn boy! i can smell the salt from over here.

Lv 1 to 65 is really easy now, with the extra exp from Fast Track Server, the ridiculous amount of exp from blue quests (in some cases like 10 times higher than common quests from the same area) and the adition of free  Fledgling Gear  a Lv 10 set with stats from a Lv 50 set all enchanted to +10, and in lv 55 you get another free set with stats like gear lv 68/69 ( Elite Fledgling Orb Lv 55 vs Orb of Adma Lv 69 ) 

This means you can easily lv up all by yourself, but that is your choice.  The majority of the game population is playing in the new content Lv +66 onwards so there might not be a lots of groups going on in lower lvls, but you always can post and form a group, no need to wait for someone else to make one, besides all the old instances  were nerfed several times, so the best is to run Duo or Trio you can always find ppl for Fire Temple and Beshmundir Temple ( it seems the middle instances like Teo Lab and Adma stronghold goa bit unnoticed, but some ppl run them too )

Leveling from 66 to 70 is not hardcore at all -_-" is fairly easy,  (...)  we had a lot Exp events 100% 200%  for entire weeks heck we even had 400% buff, damn my alts are lv 70 and 71 from afk Lunas and Running Kumuki.

We have 5.8 incoming in a few months (...)

All that is really cool if you want to make an alt. To be honest for me is so much easier to do that now. Some years ago creating a new toon and reaching lvl 45 - 50 on it, required so much time and effort. Also the veterans will find the profit in events and we are into the game so we find lunas, kumuki and other grinding things like something nice. 

But for a new player who never tried Aion before, is so boring and no attractive. You need to have early content at lower levels for them. You need groups in the first maps so the people start having fun and talking to people from that point. We do not like to start a new and unknow game and having to grind alone for some days just to see if it becomes better later. Usually if you have a bad first impression from a game, you leave. 

And yes, we had a merge. Our numbers were higher for some weeks, but is going down again. The game is the same. Merging wasn´t the solution. People left cause the content was not so so good as before, not because we hate the number 5 and having that amount of servers was the problem. But some of us are optimistic about the next patches. I think that NCsoft realized about this, and probably is working on some of the issues and we may have soon some features more similar to previous versions. 

[Calista-DN]

2 hours ago, Ashlayna-DN said:

Actually, I have a better question:  If you're not having any fun, why are you still here?  I realize that that is going to come across as salty, but it's not intended that way, at all.  I quit having fun at the game 3 years back, and I left.  I didn't rage quit, and leave an essay on the forums either, I just logged out and moved on.  However, I was here for a very long time, before that.

What kept me here as long as I was here was my Legion, and that's true in any MMO, regardless of what they refer to it as, legion, guild, clan, what have you, if you have the right people in there, they can make the game fun.  That's something that new/returning players will be denied, however, unless they make their own, because if they're not 70+, nobody's looking to recruit them.  Having a Legion full of people means that you might be able to fill a FT group, if there isn't one going, even if it's mentored.  It means that you may not have to do what I did today, and watch a C Dredge pop go the entire time, w/out getting a group to pop.  So, I submit to you that the answer to your question is, quite simply, a good legion.

1- The question under discussion is why casual and/or new players would start or stay. Adding a critical post doesn't imply that someone has or intends to rage quit because they don't like some aspects (as I never stated that I had no fun at all), shouldn't they expect the publisher and/or game developer to take their feedback and respond? Typically it is in the game developers best interests, especially if the player population is decreasing ( oh wait- they DID survey the KR population- what a coincidence).  

2- Legions can definitely help, but they can't create content. Some good legions can get quite creative, a good legion will help some upcoming players, run events, do a mix of PVE/PVP, but eventually, if the game  has serious game design and/or content issues they can only do so much to retain players. 

 

[Ashlayna-DN]

3 hours ago, Calista-DN said:

1- The question under discussion is why casual and/or new players would start or stay. Adding a critical post doesn't imply that someone has or intends to rage quit because they don't like some aspects (as I never stated that I had no fun at all), shouldn't they expect the publisher and/or game developer to take their feedback and respond? Typically it is in the game developers best interests, especially if the player population is decreasing ( oh wait- they DID survey the KR population- what a coincidence).  

2- Legions can definitely help, but they can't create content. Some good legions can get quite creative, a good legion will help some upcoming players, run events, do a mix of PVE/PVP, but eventually, if the game  has serious game design and/or content issues they can only do so much to retain players. 

 

Which is why I stated that salt wasn't intended, just a legitimate question based on the post.  There's nothing critical about it, just wondering, because it's a fairly common theme in a lot of MMO forums. Legions can't create content, but they can make existing content fun, and cut the dull out of a grind.  I played Rappelz for about 5 years.  At the time, the grind there made this look like a cake walk.  You could grind out party after party for 4 hours a night to make 1-2% of a level.  But I played the grind because my guild was fun, and made it more bearable.  The same concept could help retain players.  Instead of ostracizing them from the start with "Recruiting lvl 70+, geared players".  Not a very good way to retain any new or casual players, or to get returning players to stick around, especially if they, as I did, come back to a dead legion.  So while it would indeed behoove developers to keep players interested, it would also behoove the community to make an effort to help new players/casual players become more invested in the game.

A lot, however, depends on why a player is "casual".  If it's a case of "they have a life", there's not much anyone can do, other than make a schedule of things to do while they're on.  If it's simply that they don't want to invest the time to get the gear for PvP, or that they're not interested in PvP there's still nothing that can be done.  PvP is at the core of this game, and always has been.  Back in the early days, you could find yourself doing nothing but lowbie PvP in either lowbie zone, or in Beluslan, or Heiron, or even the abyss.  It was a selling point for me in the closed betas.  It sucked for casuals, or could, if there weren't any players willing to go fight the rifters, which is something that I spent a lot of time doing over several alts on several different classes.  It garnered a sense of community, even if they weren't in your legion, they felt like they were actually part of the faction.  Nowadays, from what I'm seeing, it's a case of "You're on your own".  This hurts the game every bit as much as "no content".

[Vandekist-DN]

Honestly

I have to say that i truly appreciate every response given as it has given me a very clear view of the state ofbthe game and answered my questions. I currently have a 59sm and a 35 sorc.

The thing that really made me love this game initially was the community and the lore. To be the 13th emperean lord and to he immortal and to play a game where its three factions two of them being player and the thirs being the ai and knowing a dredgion ship could come and the wars that took place. It was all fantastic and innovative at its time. I will be watching from the side and wait to see if the devs actually listen to kr community and help because the players are out there waiting and there is no game out at this moment that gives the same feels Aion did.

Thanks again everyone

[KallSu-KT]

The Aion's lore is very interesting indeed. Although I've been moved playing the main story of other games (both MMO and single player) and I never poured a single tear playing Aion, I must admit that the lore itself is one of the best I've read in a videogame.

The problem is that it's told in a very fragmented way, it lacks a bit of emotional involvement (from my point of view). Maybe the "click to read" breaks some pathos (although there are also cutscenes), idk exactly why. Especially now, it seems a puzzle of random pieces put together somehow. I'm not sure that a completely new player would understand the lore only from the main campaigns, without any further explanation from other sources.

But yeah, a good one.

[Neleth-KT]

I did poured tears for phantasy star online,even that game has no voice acting  but the story is really good and breaking my heart

[Belldandy-KT]

23 hours ago, Calista-DN said:

Realistically, if most people want to level from 71 onwards, there isn't anything now but the the same repetitive quests and solo dungeons (agreed, we did have XP events). There are no interesting quest lines , no player-driven or interactive events that give experience.

Since it's so repetitive, players soon lose any sense of immersion, so they get bored. Personally, I already have a job, I don't need to log in and do they same damn thing every day on multiple alts just to get ahead   every..single..damn...day.... For MONTHS. I got to 75 on my main, but there's no way I ever want to level my alts to 75.

Some people only play Aion, and they're so hooked on it, they don't realize that anything else does or can exist - until you see that you really can have fun in a game.

Well said, agree 100%. We subject ourselves to dull repetitive chores each and every day in RL. Why use up our precious free time simulating that experience in a video game?

Aion is supposed to be a game. A Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game no less.

Having to endure playing through 75% of this game solo, just to earn the "privilege" of subjecting myself to daily, torturously monotonous and repetitive grinds for months on end, (through seemingly endless hackers, catastrophic RNG and self immolating gear), in order for my toon to be considered "pro enuff" to take part in the remaining 25% of this game, is NOT something I could, in all good conciousness, call FUN. Not to mention, defeats the purpose of playing an MMORPG, does it not?

Thats not subjectiveness, that's simply fact. Tediousness is not fun.

Well, unless you're a masochist.

[Aly-DN]

17 minutes ago, Orihime-KT said:

*snip*

Having to endure playing through 75% of this game solo, just to earn the "privilege" of subjecting myself to daily, torturously monotonous and repetitive grinds for months on end, (through seemingly endless hackers, catastrophic RNG and self immolating gear), in order for my toon to be considered "pro enuff" to take part in the remaining 25% of this game, is NOT something I could, in all good conciousness, call FUN.

*snip*

 

That's just horrible.. and kind of what we do, huh?

Though, I would say, there is no need to spend 75% of the game alone. Find a good legion! They are out there. The torture is a lot easier to tolerate when you aren't alone.

[StaNooblaitK-KT]

I quit and uninstalled and feel great if that tells you anything.

[Ashlayna-DN]

17 hours ago, Aly-DN said:

That's just horrible.. and kind of what we do, huh?

Though, I would say, there is no need to spend 75% of the game alone. Find a good legion! They are out there. The torture is a lot easier to tolerate when you aren't alone.

Is your legion actively recruiting, anywhere, other than 70+?  I haven't seen any legion recruitment messages in almost a month back for anything other than 70+, with one ad running saying 72+ and geared so that they could "learn the game together".  We actually agree, however, that a legion is a good solution.  The problem is availability of said legions.  End game is where it's at, is what I was told in the "Filthy Casuals" thread, and end game is the only place legions are recruiting.

[Aly-DN]

Nope. We don't actively recruit. People find us. Level and gear doesn't really matter. 

That being said, I see a handful of legions that recruit exclusively casual players and say so in their recruit messages and I see them pretty much daily. Will try and look out for them and copy them here.

[Vantheria-DN]

My legion (Musicians For Hire) regularly posts recruit messages in lfg that always include something along the lines of "new and casual players welcome." We have several lowbies in the legion. I also see Black Fire and a couple others posting recruit ads for casual players. This is all DN-A though. Maybe you're DN-E.

[Aly-DN]

2 minutes ago, Vantheria-DN said:

My legion (Musicians For Hire) regularly posts recruit messages in lfg that always include something along the lines of "new and casual players welcome." We have several lowbies in the legion. I also see Black Fire and a couple others posting recruit ads for casual players. This is all DN-A though. Maybe you're DN-E.

There! I thought that MFH was one of them. Thinking Defcon, too? Do they have a level requirement?

[Vantheria-DN]

Mmm. I think Defcon is 66+, but I could be mistaken. I don't think Secabis Caelum has a level restriction or Dark Seraphim.

[Ashlayna-DN]

I seem to remember Defcon being around back before I went on "vacation", or maybe retirement is a better word, since it was 3 years long, and that's a heck of a vacation.  For me, at this point, I like my Legion's name too much to let it go, I came up with it years ago, and it has been a source of amusement for Asmos and Elyos alike:  We Ate Tutty.  It's a great troll name, since it's really not much of a troll, but it does put a dig on the Elyos version of Where's Rae.  We even got a screenshot of us standing around Tutty on the spit in Dark Poeta for the emblem.  I had to get a new one though, since the legion had been dead for a year when I got back around to Aion.

[playdatfnkymusic-KT]

I kind of miss the days of Katalam, Danaria, Sarpan etc when you could go through the game skipping a good 200 quests, only doing a small fraction of instances, and still reach max level without repeating any quests. Like life, Aion, or any other game is nothing more than what you make of it. If you make it fun, it will be fun. I don't care for the grind at 71+, but i don't sit for hours repeating the same quest over, and over in one sitting. We log in do a few quests, and the next time we log in, we do different ones. Our legion will accept new members from level 1 up. If you want it to be fun, you can make this, or any game fun.