Massive Attack
Halting the grind
Levelling in AION has never been easier, but is it enough? by Chris Perry
Aion is often the poster child for grind-heavy MMOs. At launch, this was very true, but NCsoft has made a lot of changes over the years in an
attempt to alleviate some of that monotony,
although some modifications have been
more effective than others. Recent changes
drew me back to see if I could climb out of
the leveling ravine.
At the core of these changes is the
Mentor system, where high-level players
can lend a helping hand to low-level players
looking to power through quests. Mentors
help their mentees by increasing the power
of the group, and group members gain XP
based on the level of the players in the
group (excluding the Mentor). It’s an effective system—I found that a group was able
to slice and dice through hordes of enemies
easily and increase the rewards (both XP
and drops) exponentially, and finding
players who wanted a Mentor was a breeze.
And that reward system is a two-way
street. While I was selflessly mentoring
young Daeva through their difficult journeys, I was able to complete Mentor quests,
earning rewards such as unique weapons
and armor.
After spending a good chunk of time as a
Mentor, however, I was ready for some
action, so I headed toward the Empyrean
Crucible. Longing for the camaraderie I
had benefited from while mentoring, I
chose to fight with a group, rather than
taking the solo option. As my hearty crew
and I battled our way through the stages ( 10
total, with five rounds per stage) the fights
became increasingly difficult. Forced to
coordinate, we fought back to back as wave
after wave after wave of enemies intent on
turning us into corpses rushed at us with
wanton abandon.
In the end, I once again found myself
overwhelmed with the continued tediousness that accompanies leveling in Aion. The
mentor system is a definite improvement,
and NCsoft’s continued efforts to smooth
level ascension are admirable. The grind
still rears its ugly head all too often, though.
If you’ve taken a break, and haven’t seen the
new content, then unbind your wings and
take to the not-so-friendly skies. Otherwise,
follow Archangel’s lead and remove those
wings for good. ■
Kickin’ ass in stylish boots.
Ah, crap. He’s
gonna fall on me.
com
www.pcgamer.com
