Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Congratulations on making a bunch of food no one could ever possibly want in the first tier of cooking! Your reward is paying to upgrade to a tier where you still can't make anything useful for another 50 levels. Don't fret, it'll all be worthwhile in the end. Getting to that end as efficiently as possible is what we're looking to do, and we show you how to do it in our second part to our cooking guides, 100-199.

As we've discussed in previous articles, Spiritmasters don't significantly bring the pain in grouped up PvE. The caster's DOTS and pets do some damage, but overall the Spiritmaster holds the role of support player. Thus is not the case in PvP with the Spiritmaster playing the role of puppet master. With stuns, fears, dispels and other tricks up their sleeves, Spiritmasters are much more pivotal in PvP. All this and soon
our pets will fly, ensuring havoc throughout the universe. 

Extracting Aether and Vitality from nodes in Aion does not have to be a difficult process. Save that precious gaming time and get the level and locations of the nodes you need to raise your skill level along with valuable tips for gathering.

This guide will lay it all out in a easy to understand format so that you can quickly find what you are looking for while you gather saving not only your time, but also your sanity!

RMT and item shops have hit most major games in the genre and we are seeing our first trickle of it in Aion with the new Holiday Ascension Pack being offered this winter. I think many can agree that selling fluff items to those who wish to fork over the cash for them isn't terribly harmful, but where is the line drawn?

It was announced this last week that NCsoft will be offering an Aion Holiday Ascension Pack. This pack will have a few little goodies in it that combine both fun fluff items and a few minor items that will enhance playability. Armor dye, life potions, a lodas amulet that boosts experience gain, and running scrolls round out the little pack that will be available for purchase this holiday season. While I can say that these things are fairly harmless (assuming that the pack is limited one to an account) this paves the way for future marketing which may put up items that aren't so harmless.

Read up on this topic and review the last week of game and Ten Ton Hammer news in this week's Aion Newsletter!

Now that Alchemy 101 is over, we take it to the next level in our next Alchemy article. Or next 100 levels, I guess. New opportunities for greatness and more importantly profit open up in this range. We get you to 199 with a minimum of effort in our guide to tier 2 of Alchemy, 100-199!

Nearly every MMOG that we play uses character stats in some way to alter the effectiveness and playability of our characters. The stats used and what they do though are unique to each game and this is certainly true of Aion stats.

Knowing what stats you need to focus on is easy once you know what your stats do. This guide will define each stat for you to give you the basic knowledge you need to manipulate your character’s stats for the best gameplay results.

Agility – This determines the ability to evade, block, or parry enemy attacks. Raising this skill will lower the amount of damage a player will take. Melee classes with low defense benefit most from an increase of Agility. Scouts who often solo will find extra survivability with a boost in Agility.

Get the ABCs of Aion stats right here!

As the lowest overall played class in the game, the Spiritmaster has an uphill battle to educate people on why our presence is required in a group. Besides bringing the unique buff of increasing the mobs’ drop rate for loot, we bring a myriad of support skills to the table. From helping with crowd control to watching our pets tear into the enemies, we have a lot going on to manage and damage. For budding Spiritmasters or those wanting to better understand the class, read the rest of our Spiritmaster Grouping Guide.

Food buffs in Aion are wonderful. So subtle in the effects, yet so obvious in the buff icons when targeting someone well fed. Do you have your own buffs to tell people in the abyss that you're prepared for the worst? Join the ranks of the gourmet chefs in Aion as we gear you up for frying more than just your enemies!

Stigmas are the key to class customization.  Whether you are a dedicated PvE player or strive to take out the opposition in PvP gameplay, the stigmas you choose can make all the difference in your hopeful success.  This list will get you started in finding the skills that will benefit you and if you need to know more about the basics of the stigma system in Aion, please visit this guide to learn more. 

The Spiritmaster doesn’t believe in a fair fight. Why go mono y mono when you can sneak a few friends in to fight for you? Using this strategy of more is more, the Spiritmaster conjures both semi-permanent and very temporary elements of Fire, Wind, Earth and Water to fight by his/her side. Understanding the primary benefits of the different types of Spirits and Servants is critical for a Spiritmaster. Read up on the different types of Spirits, Energies, and Servants and the skills best used for each type in this week’s Spiritmaster Pet Guide.

In our next entry in Asmodean Vitality Gathering, we make things much more interesting. You'll be flying between zones, using teleportation, and running for your life at some point. Such is the price you pay for trespassing in level 46+ areas. But hey -- this is as exciting as gathering can ever get. "If I get Aggro, I'll die!", you may say. Good, at least you're still sane. Welcome to the 200+ range of gathering on the ground, folks.

The Spiritmaster is truly the aristocracy of the classes in Aion. Standing away from the fray in elegant robes while the “help” take care of the dirty work, the Spiritmaster almost breaks a sweat while giving orders to the pets and lobbing damage at the bad guys. The optimal balance of direct damage and managing the attention of the enemy play large parts in determining a spell rotation. The goal to the rotation is to defeat the enemy yet expend the least amount of energy doing it, thus we can move on to more enemies (and loot). Read on for more information on the optimum Spiritmaster spell rotation for maximum return on your time and very little downtime on your march to level 25.

A bubblin' brew often means trouble, but in Aion it means progress. It means progress for the greater good of your health, mana, and wings, that much is for sure. The road to any tradeskill can be headbutted down by work orders, but if you'd rather put your money towards more useful things in this game and use the materials you've gathered in this level range? We've got you covered on that for our first in our Alchemy series of guides, 1-99!

Love them or hate them, at one time or another everyone needs a pick up group. Not only can they be frustrating, but they can cost us time, soul healing costs, and occasionally our sanity if we end up in a bad group. They don’t have to be as bad as they are though and with these few simple tips you can survive PUGs!

While most of the Aion playerbase stays quietly tucked away in their blanket of innocence, and epic battle grows between the two sides of the vocal minority as we watch it play out on gaming forums across the web.

Agree or disagree with the vocal, it is hard to turn a blind eye to the bickering. Will you choose sides or will you stand back quietly as the never ending war soldiers on?

Get in on the discussion and catch up with this week's Aion and Ten Ton Hammer news in the latest newsletter!

Patch notes are like politicians, always trying to please and typically failing to do so. Aion’s first round of major patch notes put on a decent show like a politician but for some they won’t go far enough to provide real change. The proof will be in the pudding (or production) but the overall theme of the patch notes seems to be “ease the experience, don’t rock the boat.” Read on for a look at the current notes from NCsoft.

Morheim has one big thing going for it in the way that all of the materials stand out against the terrain. You'd think leveling Vitality Extraction would be a total joke, but with how sparsely populated the hills can seem, you might see it as a daunting task. Fear not. We've got you covered in our next vitality extraction segment to carry you into the 200's!

Stigmas are the key to class customization. Whether you are a dedicated PvE player or strive to take out the opposition in PvP gameplay, the stigmas you choose can make all the difference. This Assassin Stigma List will get you started in finding the skills that will benefit you and aid in your success in Aion.

Other classes are soon to come so bookmark and check back again soon for more great guides!

“That kill was mine, I hope you get eye cancer.” This is from a screenshot off my friend’s computer after a particularly bad day my friend had in Aion. Most of the time the kill stealing is at a minimum, but between bots and griefers, players are bound to run into unsavory characters. The mechanic also precludes a helpful Medeor from lending a helping hand while he runs by someone locked into combat. Is this game mechanic enjoying a welcome return or should it have been left on the shelf?

You’ve emptied your inventory, bought a good supply of potions, and have gathered 5 of your best gaming mates together in Aion. So now what?

With the encouragement of solo content, group content has gotten a bit harder to find and out of the way. This guide will tour through the group content for the first half of the game so you and your group know where to go to make the most of your grouped time.

In the era of slackers it is surprising that there might be a backlash to doing nothing. All kidding aside, downtime is one of those nebulous and often misunderstood ideas in gaming. Aion includes different mechanisms for players to take a break and enjoy some downtime if they so choose. Some players don’t enjoy any downtime and view it as a waste of time. Today we review the different mechanics for downtime in Aion and how it promotes community building if it doesn’t tear apart the player base first.

MMOGs are all about community. After all, there really isn't much point in playing one if you are oblivious to the players around you, right? Does this unique aspect of community make Aion's community management team vital to its success?

Join the discussion on the role of community in a game's well being and get the latest Aion and Ten Ton Hammer news all in this week's Newsletter!

Healing
in Aion
can be a much more complex task than it is in other mainstream MMOGs
for a number of reasons. As picking the right heal for the right
situation can ultimately mean the difference between keeping your tank
alive and certain doom for your entire party, we've put together a
complete guide to healing in Aion for the aspiring Clerics among you.

If
your tank can survive a further beatdown after a wide area of effect
attack, you'll load this heal up.  If you can afford the time
to do it, using Grace of the Empyrean Lord beforehand is advised since
the MP cost is huge on this heal.  Even with the terrible
efficency from an MP perspective, if only a few people need a lot of
healing but they need healing fast, throw this out there and go to work
with single targets after that.

If you're on the lookout for materials to craft something a little bit tougher than Titanium, you're going to need Aether Gems. Since leveling aether extraction is such a pain in general, the price for the good stuff in this area is going to get rather high in a hurry. Why is it so difficult to be self sufficient in this? Alas, your hard work thus far to 200 is about to pay off further. We at Ten Ton Hammer have you covered with our guide to diving into lava on accident, or Aether Extraction 200-299, Asmodean style.

Getting to max level is the goal of an MMOG, right? If that’s the case players have to consider whether to race to the finish line with a class they enjoy along the way or simply tolerate. Aion has many choices for leveling and eight classes to complete the process. Unlike some recent games, Aion has also introduced a significantly steeper leveling curve (or is it longer, I skipped that day of math). Due to the leveling time, choosing a class because of its endgame role may not be in a player’s best interest. Or maybe it is. Read the rest and find out.

Aion Dyes are another fun little aspect of the game that offers another level of customization for our characters. You can take the standard armor that everyone seems to be wearing and make it your own with a simple change of color. Find out how you can add a little color to your own wardrobe in this dye tutorial.

If you've died and you didn't see it coming, then you probably just met an Assassin. Aion's Assassins are the dashingly swift dealers of destruction and while they can't always stand up to a beating, their arsenal of deceptive tactics and poisons make it so they don't often have to.
Part of being a good Assassin is knowing your class and to help you along in that endeavor, we've added to our Assassin class skill list. Get all class skills from level 10 through level 50 including skill name, level, and full in-game description in this simple quick reference guide.