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guildwarsfnn

This review is mostly about the question puzzling everyone these days, is Aion the WoW killer? Please take note that this is a review from my point of view, your view may differ and the way you perceive similar circumstances may also differ; however, I will attempt to be as un bias as possible.

Also note I will speak of aspect of the game that I have seen in Aion China version so the complete US/EU version may differ. Let us begin.

Aion VS WoW

World Size.
World of Warcraft is comprised of three continents in Azeroth and an off world land, Outland. Aion is in Atreia and comprised of Asmodea, Elysea and a world caught between both lands, Abyss. By direct comparison, WoW is bigger than Aion, far bigger. I will go as far as comparing the entire world of Aion could be comparable to one continent of WoW.

World Freedom.
In Warcraft you can go anywhere, do anything, anytime. In Aion, this isn?t the case. I was disappointed by how limited flying was in the actual world. You can fly in town/abyss, and glide everywhere else. Also, there are A LOT of boundaries in Aion. Boundaries you can not cross (similar to Guild Wars, also most of the zones in the PvE part of Aion are instanced). While playing Aion China version, there was this feeling of being closed in. There was a path and that was the ONLY way, you can?t do as you do in WoW, cross through some bushes jump over some rivers and get to your destination. There was one road from point A to B and that was the only way to get there.

Travel
Like WoW, there are ?flight points? and you can save your character to a certain location. Unlike WoW, other than flight points, travel is painful and takes a lot of time. WoW has several ways of transportation, you can: Fly using flight points, you can ride (so many different mounts I lost count) or you can just jump on your own dragon (one of the many mounts) and fly there. In Aion, you can Fly using flight points, you can run, or you can glide assuming you are going downhill (and assuming your flight time isn?t low).

Quest.
In WoW, you can quest from level 1 ? 80, and even at level 80 there are still probably thousands of quests you haven?t done, places you have never seen. Quests are limited in Aion, VERY limited. There was promise of more coming quest, so far in the Korean version (which has the most quest patches), you are still expected to grind at least 80% of your levels. And seriously, have a repeatable quest that counts? 1/100? seriously? Not to mention the repeatable quest VS reward is REALLY not worth the effort. In WoW repeatable quest have more purpose than filling your bag with junk and gaining minimal XP/Gold.

Class Balance
Ok none of this two games are champion in this as I understand it is pretty though to balance classes. But when you have one class that can beat everyone else bar none, you got a seriously unbalance game. In Aion, I dare you to fight a priest or a sorcerer. I WoW if you have skills, you still had a pretty decent chance. In Aion from what I have read and seen, basically your class determines weather you will win or lose.

PvP
WoW PvP is controlled; you have level ranges in PvP. Some PvPs only level 1-9 can enter another only level 10-19 can enter and max level always have their own PvP part (unless you pick a PvP server then you are fair game to anyone). My very few experience in the Abyss were horrible, you get farmed by people against whom you have absolutely no chance. Get there at level 25 and watch a level 40 come down there and just kill everything, you, your friends, your trainers, quest givers? Everyone. True in WoW people raid too, but most of the time, they can be doing something better; in Aion? what are you going to do? The same repeatable you have been doing since level 30? There isn?t enough content (yet) and the ?last man hit takes castle? and ?most damage dealer get loot?? Seriously? Now WoW also has destructible buildings, siege engines, planes, missile launchers? you name it.

Dungeons/Raids
Let?s not go there. So far Fire Temple VS? Seriously there is too many to name.

Races/Classes
WoW offers 30 classes (10 classes and every class can have 3 different combinations [Insert Talent] in which it can be played) VS Aion?s 8 classes. WoW?s 10 races VS Aion 2 races (3rd race is non playable). Customization? Really, by the way, those aren?t Gnomes they are Midgets, there?s a difference.

In the beginning I really believe Aion was going to take WoW out, but the more I play the game the more I realize this might not be the case. Also not to mention the ?game-destroyers? FARMERS that NCSoft never seems to care about. I have been playing wow since start and since that time I have never seen as much ACTIVE farmers in WoW as I did in the little time I played Aion. Honestly, NCSoft isn?t going to do a darn thing about them and they will ruin the game. The only game that had a chance against WoW, to be honest to my knowledge was Lineage 2. Here is hoping Lineage 3 would one day arrive. Another thing is, when you look at lineage and you look at WoW you see two COMPLETELY different games; Completely different environment. Unfortunately, Aion has turn out to be another imitation of WoW. Same environment, same skills, same professions? The things that would have made Aion succeed have been destroyed? Flying, Combat, Stigmas. You can?t fly (technically speaking I don?t call that flying), Combat is bugged (trying executing a combo as a Gladiator and get to stag 2 of combat and watch your char lock himself to the ground). Spellcasters > Melee regardless what you do. Stigmas, almost all your most important skills are stigmas and they are exactly like talents only fewer, an extension of your class.

Anywho, this is my opinion, I could go on, but my fingers hurt, I will stop here for now. AGAIN this are just my view so far, I still believe Aion has potential if NCSoft would put real energy into it instead of shooting games out of their a$$ hoping one works out?

Aion would grip you but when you first see it but when you really get into it, it gets old pretty fast. It?s like the blond chic from high school you always fantasized about only to get to talk to her and find out she has no personality what so ever. (No offense to blond people).

Eczila

Biggest care-face ever -->

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Bladin

I can't really say i'd agree, I think the combined area of aion, is still smaller than the base wow world(without outlands and without northrend) but 1 continent... maybe, it'd be close
In Aion the game is pretty linear, but so is WoW, i'll say a general "zone" is far more open and traversable then Aion, but WoW does have the artificial borders between areas.
Prior to the cataclysm WoW does not let you fly in the base world, in outlands and northrend you can, and come cataclysm you can in the base world. But yes, the different mounts, and now the lower level access to them has improved WoW to not even be comparable to Aion, it's a lot better. Aion's wings are gimmicky, and imho shouldn't even be in the game and instead just normal mounts. They are pointless.
This I'll agree with, the quest's in aion are utterly inferior to WoW, both in enjoyability, reward, design, and number.
1v1 you're right priests and sorcerors have a edge over everyone else, group content though? I can't say it lasts till 50 either.
WoW is mainly a PvE game, and it started off without... any.... pvp systems? Aion though, theres quite a pvp system in it... but the abyss is terribly designed, and the rift system is pretty bad(worse than warhammers system)too bored to continue disecting it for now, ill do the rest later

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Darkspine

Aion wins imo..

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Paladuck

Sig is full of gold selling links...so how bout a ban instead of arguing with him?

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erickblumb

I find the irony of this incredible, considering one of my posts about how much I loathe gold sellers.

Verdugo

I played both and they suck for me.

I cant hardly understand how can people play such a bad games.

erickblumb

This can be answered simply: Each to their own.

There's an old saying, one man's meat is another man's poison.

Tyrfing

I agree with almost everything he has listed. Surprisingly insightful from a gold seller.

Why isn't he banned yet?

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KREVA

This is absolutely false. WOW has been a PVP game since the game first came out. The battlegrounds was the first addition to the game that made it pvp. When WOW was first released (even before release, in betas), there were PVP servers, meaning you can run up to someone, fight them, and kill them.

Currently, the game is both a PVE/PVP game. I know this because I don't PVE end-game. I don't raid and all I do is PVP. Not just World PVP but I also do Battlegrounds. The biggest addition for PVP that they brought is Wintergrasp, a large map, countless people fighting to gain control of a base which allows you to go into the dungeon, fight the bosses for PVP equip.

Don't get me started on Arena... it's all I do.

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