Aion

You know 'em -- those places shrouded away from the everyday grind of the world where you can chill-out without being interrupted (excepting spouse aggro), a private nook where you know there is a definite beginning and end to your adventure, one that offers the best possible loot. They are areas often steeped in lore.

They are... the instanced dungeon.

There are actually 19 separate PvE dungeons currently in Aion where Daevas can get their dungeon crawl on. If you include the Fortress instances, you can add another 10 dungeons to this list. Adding PvP instances raises the number even higher. However, since fort instances are seriously lacking in lore and fort ownership is required (so availability is not assured), we will forego including them. We'll also omit the Dredgions and PvP arenas to keep the list PvE focused -- after all, there are times you really may not want to bother with fighting the enemy!

This week, Wings Over Atreia explores the first half of the dungeon list for the benefit of both young whippersnappers and old-timer Daevas alike. Why would veterans need it? Because dungeons aren't just for certain levels anymore. For a change of pace or to break out of a rut, grab yourself some lowbies, mentor down, and check out one instance a day -- you'll pass two weeks before ever repeating. You might even have fun, meet new friends, and renew your enthusiasm for Aion.

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OK, so maybe there aren't really any bears. Wait, I take that back -- there are maybe sorta bears... at least alluded to! Polar bears, to be exact. No really, work with me here: What Winter Festival, Atreian or otherwise, doesn't conjure up images of polar bears? We just won't get into the whole dancing bears thing. What we will get into this week in Wings Over Atreia, however, are musings about a few topics of interest that are swirling around lately, most notably Aion's upcoming conversion to free-to-play in Europe, the changes to the veteran reward system, and the aforementioned Winter Festival (sans dancing bears).

Quick quiz now: Other than involving Aion, what else do these three subjects have in common? Give up? Time. While this column usually delves into single topics at a time, the fact that two of these are time-sensitive necessitates that they share face-time, else the news most relevant to Daevas would become obsolete. The third is less time-sensitive but more time-relevant.

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It's ironic: The topic I detest experiencing most in Aion is actually the most fun to write about. Whenever I think back to my favorite columns, the almost-too-surreal-to-believe antics of the drama-impaired (or should I say drama-addicted?) always rank near the top of the list. Perhaps chronicling these antics for the amusement of others is simply my choice form of therapy when I'm confronted with them. They say laughter is the best medicine, and who can't help but laugh when reading over the train-wreck that is drama? Seraphim Lords know that living through it is torture and avoidance truly is the best policy, but something about it can be simply fascinating... from a distance.

Over the past couple of years, Wings Over Atreia has provided the opportunity to witness Aion's drama vicariously without the danger of involvement or having any splatter on you Gallagher-style. During this time, different episodes of Daevas of Our Lives have offered glimpses of the various cast members. But what about a deeper look into the psyche of these seemingly unreal -- yet based on reality -- characters? This week offers a more detailed introduction to the current members of the cast as well as a new addition.

So whether you run away screaming at the first hint of impending drama in game or grab a giant bowl of popcorn and settle in for the show, this handy guide can help keep the who's-who straight for you when you're viewing future (or past) episodes. And if you're a perpetrator of said drama, don't be surprised if your antics are broadcast on the next episode of Daevas of Our Lives.

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Oh NCsoft, you coy devil, you!

Aion's veteran reward system is due for an extreme makeover, and we here at Massively would love to bring you the details. There's just one problem: NCsoft hasn't released any. A cryptic news blurb on the game's official website hints at the changes, and it also touches on the reasoning behind them (apparently the upcoming 3.0 patch is going to make some veteran items obsolete).

Aion players may collect their 28-month vet rewards beginning on January 25th, and claims can also be made in the month of February. After that, though, you may not get another chance since the "current veteran reward system will be discontinued." We'll update you on the situation as we learn more.

They're big! They're bad! They're da boss(es)! And they've got your loot!

That's right: Lurking about all corners of Aion, powerful monsters beckon (lure?) Daevas with promises of tantalizing loot and illustrious glory. Who doesn't like the rush of downing a powerful foe or nabbing a coveted item?

Previous tours of Heiron and Inggison scouted out said monsters and offered some tips as to who was worth fighting and who should be avoided when hunting alone. Those lands focused on higher-level players. However, with double XP weekends throughout January, there will undoubtedly be an influx of players in the lower levels. What better time to take stock of the bosses available to this crowd?

This week, Wings Over Atreia takes a tour of Eltnen to expose the available bosses to treasure-hungry Daevas. Be warned, though: The opportunity to take on these behemoths may be short-lived during a time of double XP, especially when combined with mentoring. So before you move on to bigger, brighter lands, take a moment to stop and smell the roses -- or kill the bosses, as it were.

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You know what's annoying? When people break out Christmas songs after the holidays. I mean, who wants to hear cheerful songs about winter when we can just wallow in the atmosphere of grey slush and sub-zero days in peace? Stupid cheer, get out of here! We want to drink deeply of the well of seasonal affective disorder!

You know what's not annoying? When developers recognize how dull the first couple months of the year are, holiday-wise, and invent their own cause for celebration! Aion is breaking out all the stops with this year's Atreian Winter Festival, and that includes insatiably cheerful penguins and scantily clad avatars.

For the next three weekends (starting today), players will enjoy double XP and drops in Aion from Friday at 1:00 p.m. EST until Monday at the same time. There's also an "adorable" -- their words -- Daru fur costume that you can purchase in the game store for $10 and flaunt to all your friends at the lodge after a long day on the slopes.

Oh, that feeling when a game is new and everything is an adventure! Say what you will, but I cherish those moments of still being a newb and getting to experience things for the first time while exploring a new world (mind you, that is newb as in "new person," not n00b meaning "hopelessly moronic"). The problem is, once you have been in a game for a while, that whole aura dissipates and you lose that feeling of wonder. I envy those just now coming to Aion, as those of us who have been here for the past two plus years have lost that initial excitement. And when you've lost that newbie feeling, then it's gone, gone, gone, whoa whoa whoa...

Or is it?

When you have played the game for a long period of time, you tend to settle into a rut that is hard to break out of. Log in, do dailies, do arenas, do dredge. Toss in a siege. Rinse and repeat. In the past, Wings Over Atreia has delved into some of the reasons to stay in game when things become a bit monotonous and we sludge through some of the more difficult times. But why should we sludge? Why not find ways to make Aion more interesting when you hit that plateau?

Some players have done just that. A little creativity (and sometimes some really insane friends) can really make a difference and bring back that newbie feeling -- or at least make things interesting while adding some variety to gaming.

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If you are perusing this column, chances are you are a fan of virtual worlds and the sandbox genre. Join the club! (Dues will be due on the third Tuesday.) The aspect that compels many aficionados to delve into a game is the ability to make an impact on the world in some small respect instead of making them into Hive Member 1593072 running a static, predetermined gauntlet. How that impact is accomplished, however, varies; there are multiple features that can facilitate it, and which ones are considered most important depends on the player.

With the loss of one of the best sandbox games just last month, some players may be feeling a void. Others still are looking/hoping for the "ultimate" sandbox that contains nearly every virtual world feature. Certainly, there are some upcoming games that make some drool-worthy promises, but what about playing something now? There are actually games out on the market that have at least one aspect of the genre, if not more.

To start off the new year, Some Assembly Required looks at some of the top features of virtual worlds and lists games that incorporate these features. While this list isn't exhaustive (considering the sheer number of games when you include all of the smaller free-to-play titles, I'd run out of column space!), it is a comprehensive enough overview to point you toward some games worth playing that perhaps you hadn't considered before.

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NCsoft's prodigal son has returned, and with him the hopes and dreams of the future of gaming. Well that might be a smidge melodramatic, but fans of the company's games certainly have a good reason to celebrate today as former Lineage II artist Juno Jeong has come back to the fold.

Jeong signed back on with NCsoft as of yesterday to be the art director of an unknown MMO project. This is a marked step up from his previous role in the company as a member of the character production team, and those who know Jeong's art style are already expressing excitement with his current role. Following his stint on Lineage II, Jeong worked for several other game companies including Gravity, NHN, and Npluto.

While speculation is swirling over the exact nature of the project to which he's been assigned, the most common assumptions are either that he's working on another Lineage or Aion title.

Where in the Seraphim Lords did the year go? Daevas aren't the only ones who fly; time certainly has one powerful set of wings (though I haven't quite determined whether they are light or dark)! It's a bit hard for me to believe that a full year has come and gone. Yet even as I doubt, a cursory glance back over the past 12 months shows me I didn't Rip Van Winkle the time away.

In fact, much has transpired in Aion since 2011 rolled in. Between pining away for things to come and dreaming of things that may never be, chronicling the life and social scene of Atreia, offering guides and hints, and reporting on (sometimes surprise) announcements, Wings Over Atreia has covered a variety of topics over the past year. While each column is but one glimpse, together they show the evolution of our game.

Traipse past the break and down memory lane with me as we reminisce about Aion in the time-honored Massively tradition of top-10 lists.

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2011 was an odd duck of a year for MMO news. A huge chunk of the year felt devoid of significant releases, but that was mitigated somewhat by the major launches of RIFT and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Titles got shoved back to 2012 or beyond, MMOs that we thought never would go free-to-play did, and the industry continually surprised us with revelations, ideas, and controversy.

So in my last Perfect Ten of 2011, I put together the 10 most significant MMO stories of the year. Ten seems like an awfully small number for such a great big field, so I had the rest of the staff members chime in with their nominations just to make sure I wasn't too off-base with any of these.

It was a whopper of a year, and Massively was there for all of it -- the ups, the downs, the queues, and the QQs. It's time to wrap it up with a pretty bow and dedicate it to the history museum!

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Aren't I thoughtful? As my present to you, I am going to help banish those Solorius tunes that got stuck in your head a couple of weeks ago. How shall I accomplish this? No, not with a home-delivery amateur lobotomy or a plethora of psychotropics (though these could alternately be helpful I concede) but by replacing them of course! Yes, let's round out the season with a rousing rendition of The Twelve Days of Solorius.

Last year, I shared my first ever Aion holiday wish list. Although nothing from that hopeful list was granted in 2011, there is promise of at least two of those items being introduced to Atreia next year! So while some may have considered my brazen declarations of wants an exercise in futility, I shan't abandon hope! After all, what is a holiday season without hope?

Is there a little something special you'd like to see in Aion? Make your list then check mine twice past the cut.

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Say what?!?

For the second time in less than a month, NCsoft has shown wanton disregard for my already-prepared comments for the week, derailing the scheduled Wings Over Atreia with some out-of-the-blue announcement. And not just any announcement, but one that can have a profound effect on Aion in the coming months. What is this announcement, you say? Shall I help you out from that rock you've been slumbering under? Why, last Wednesday's bold free-to-play announcement, of course!

Now, before hyperventilation sets in -- either from glee or disgust -- note that there are set parameters to this specific conversion, including first and foremost that it is for the European market only. And while details aren't exactly pouring forth, there are a few tidbits to pass along, just enough to whet the appetite of future F2P Daevas or enrage current ones.

Breathe into the paper bag and join me past the break for a look at the details that have been revealed and some thoughts on those that have not!

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Gameforge has released a few details relating to Aion's impending free-to-play conversion. As you know, the business model switch is reserved for the game's European community (for now), so none of these changes will affect the American shards.

Essentially there will be two access levels when the transition occurs in February. New players (or Starters, in Gameforge lingo) get free access to the entire game. Limitations on free play include "reduced access to functions such as the chat and the auction house," though Gameforge has not specified exactly what that means as of yet.

Aion veterans will also enjoy free access to the complete game as well as reduced instance cool-down times and increased PvP coin rewards. There is a cash shop, of course, which will include avatar customization items that may be used to individualize your character. Gameforge's press release also mentions a Gold Pack option that will grant time-limited bonuses, and we'll have more details for you as they become available. In the meantime, check out the official Aion free-to-play website for more on the game's move to F2P.

[Source: Gameforge press release]