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

Ten Ton Hammer's Reuben "Sardu" Waters spoke with Aion Associate Lani Blazier at PAX 2009, and Lani shared more information on what's included with Patch 1.5. Lani will show off some much requested UI and character model improvements and talk a bit about the "training camp" being prepared to help players adjust to Aion's PvPvE environment in the mid-levels.

Next, Lani will take us headlong into the Abyss to show us exactly what PvPvE means in a tactical sense. We'll take on the AI-controlled balaur and confront one of the instance's mini-bosses, then end with a look at the Dark Poeta instance - an alternate history look at a now-beautiful Elyos zone had the rifts remained open and the Balaur and Asmodians been allowed to storm in. That and much more in this information-packed Aion video from PAX 2009!

If you have been anxiously awaiting our next class interview from Aion, the wait is now over. This week we have our class interview for the Sorcerer with Associate Produer, Lani Blazier. Lani was kind enough to tell us all about the sorceress and what makes this class such a deadly force on the battlefield.

The Sorcerer’s main role is as a damage dealer, specifically as ranged magic dps. Sorcerers have numerous ranged attack skills, including AoE attacks that can attack multiple opponents. The additional role that a Sorcerer has is as a mesmerizer (for crowd control). Mesmerizing skills allow a Sorcerer to take on groups of linked creatures one by one. The Sorcerer is invaluable in difficult party quests or for infiltrating regions that are crawling with groups of monsters because of its mesmerizing skills.

• Read the full interview here.
• Discuss this and more on our forums.

Will PvP predominate the Aion experience? What shape will PvP take when North American and European players get deeper into the core PvP play and the Abyss? Players have a number of questions about Aion PvP, and Aion Producer Brian Knox was at San Diego Comic-Con 2009 to clear things up and reveal a little more about Aion's endgame.

Continuing our series on the classes of Aion, Ten Ton Hammer has another great interview for our readers. Check out the burst damage scout known as the Assassin!

This lethal attacker combines stealth and speed to deliver deadly blows in a short span of time. The Assassin class must carefully balance the damage it deals with skills that divert the enemy's attention or the entire group can be in jeopardy.

With a bow strapped to his back and a knife tucked into his belt, the Ranger is one of the most iconic classes in fantasy MMORPGs.  The Ranger often comes equipped with a bag of tricks and a keen eye.  These, sometimes more so than his bow, are what allow him to stop the enemy dead in it's tracks and to unleash a barrage of attacks killing the foe before it even had the chance to catch sight of the arrow.

In Aion, you can expect the same deadly skill and intent in their version of the Ranger with the added bonus of not just being another leather-clad bow jockey.  With a wide variety of weapons and character customization beyond what you see in typical MMOGs, Aion brings the Ranger from the shadows and allows for them to enjoy the same epic look that the big boys in plate typically get.

To continue our series of class interviews, Aion Community Manager Lani Blazier graciously answered a few questions for Ten Ton Hammer about the Ranger covering a wide range of topics.  Learn about armor and weapons, skills, and find out why you don't want to be within range of this deadly opponent on the battlefield!

Last week, the Ten Ton Hammer staff had the fantastic opportunity to
sit down with fiifty MMO fans and Ten Ton Hammer readers in a Vooncast
focused specifically on NCsoft’s upcoming MMO, Aion: The Tower of Eternity.
Since Aion has been such a popular topic, the Ten Ton Hammer staff
quickly transcribed the entirety of the Aion
audio recording
and we now have the text version up for you to enjoy. But, if you
really want to listen to the subtle nuances hinted at in the Vooncast, make
sure you click here!

Ten
Ton Hammer: The idea of crafting in Aion has been a little bit
misconstrued in the community. Can you talk a little bit about crafting
in Aion? Is it like a traditional MMO? Or a little different?

Brian: We give a lot of option in our crafting system.
You’ll
actually be able to pick up every profession: weaponsmith, armorsmith,
alchemist… You can take all of those – I think
– up a few hundred
points. At that time, you’ll need to choose one of those to
take up to
an expert level. We try to give everyone a little bit of everything,
it’s kinda similar to our class system as well.

• To read the rest of the Aion Vooncast
  Q&A, click here!

Without a doubt, boasting a set of extreme-looking armor is one of the coolest elements of any fantasy MMO. Many of those "Whoa" moments come when a player first observes a special type of in-game armor. Out of all the classes in Aion, the melee-based Templar sports the best armor in the game, and according to the NCsoft devs makes them look like "metal gods."

In our second exclusive Aion class interview, it seemed appropriate to talk about the Gladiator's more heavily armored brethren, so the Ten Ton Hammer staff quizzed the Aion team about the Templars. The answers we received were excellent. Armor, abilities, lore and more subjects were all explored, so make sure you check it out!

Ten Ton Hammer: Templars seem like a very melee-oriented sort of class. How does this affect the flight mechanic in Aion? Will Templars be powerless once they leave the ground?

NCsoft: All classes are more vulnerable in the sky, but thanks to the Templar’s higher defensive skills and rating they will be more protected that most.  Strategy of when to fly and when not to fly will affect the Templar’s just as much as any class.

• To read the rest of our exclusive Aion class interview, click here!

If there's one thing that massively multiplayer online gamers love to learn about in upcoming MMOs, it's details about their potential character classes. To sate the ravenous appetite of the players, the Ten Ton Hammer staff will be bringing you exclusive, information-laden sneak peeks at Aion's eight character classes. Along with our other Aion content, we've scheduled the interviews to run on a bi-weekly basis, so make sure you check in with Ten Ton Hammer early and often.

The first class that we're going to be exploring is the Gladiator! As a member of the Warrior archetype, this brute excels at hand-to-hand combat with enormous two-handed weapons. Interested in learning more about this Aion class? Keep on reading!

Ten Ton Hammer: Being able to choose a Gladiator class seems to imply they'll have access to all forms of weapons, while possibly being limited in their armor choice. Will this be the case?

NCsoft: Gladiators are the masters of weaponry and can select from a variety of weapons from polearms to swords to fit their needs in battle. They are also versatile in their armor selection and may opt to use chain armor, but typically plate armor will achieve optimal results.

• To read the rest of our exclusive Aion class interview on the Gladiator, click here!

Ten Ton Hammer tracked down Brian Knox, Aion Producer for NCSoft West, to get an update on one of the most promising MMO titles scheduled for release in 2009. We ask how NCSoft West's localization efforts are progressing and when we can expect to play Aion, what a game that has it's roots deep in Korean gaming culture has to offer PvE-only players, how early in the game players can take advantage of one of the game's most compelling features - flight - and finally how the community can get involved while waiting for beta. All this and more in this brief Aion interview from GDC 2009!