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 href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/254"
target="_blank">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 href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/67258" target="_blank">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: Will the
two factions in Aion
have any influence on the classes that characters select? Will a
Templar of one faction be stronger than a Templar of another?
style="font-weight: bold;">


NCsoft: The
strength of a Templar is completely dependent on the skill set of the
player, so no; being on a particular faction doesn’t give you
an advantage. Each side has a rich history and background and I think
that will be one of the biggest parts of why a player chooses a side.



Ten Ton Hammer: Will the
Templar be seen as more of a “meat shield” type of
tank, with the Gladiator being seen as a higher DPS
alternative?  Or will the Templar be playing a different role?
style="font-weight: bold;">


NCsoft: Calling
the Templar a maestro of defense wouldn’t be far from the
truth, but I wouldn’t say its only purpose is to be an
Atreian punching bag. With their high defense and various shield
skills, they can inflict some serious damage on their opponents. Also,
depending on the situation, a Templar can change the sword, mace or
shield into a great sword and can morph into a “damage
delay” form. So while its attack is lower when compared to
the Gladiator, it would be unwise to ignore the Templar’s
powerful attacks.



Ten Ton Hammer: What kind
of backstory have you given Templar characters? What is their purpose
in the world? Will the Templar have any religious aspects in relation
to the gods of the game?



NCsoft: The
first Templars were elite soldiers chosen to be an honor guard for
humanity’s grand temples—including the Tower of
Eternity itself. No duty could be more prestigious, so soldiers
competed fiercely to become a Templar. When the monstrous Balaur
besieged all of humanity, the Templars served as a reserve force of
last resort, leaving their temples only when humanity’s
defenses were about to collapse. To this day, Templars quote the
proverb: “When all else fails, send a Templar.”

In Ancient Atreia, the Templars were dedicated to the service of Lord
Nezekan, the Empyrean Lord of Justice, and while modern Asmodian
Templars believe that he turned his back on them when he chose to be
faithful to Ariel, they uphold the concept of justice as strongly as
ever.



At the start of the Abyss War, each century (100 soldiers) had 10
heavily armored Templars that would serve as living “rally
points” for the other soldiers. As the war progressed, the
Asmodians and Elyos started experimenting with more flexible
organizations, and now Templars can be found in units large and small.
But the notion of protecting the other soldiers—and being at
ground zero of the fight—is never far from a
Templar’s mind. Many Templars go so far as to inscribe their
comrades’ names on the inside of their shield to symbolize
that the shield stands between those soldiers and the perils of the
Abyss.



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?
style="font-weight: bold;">


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.

Ten
Ton Hammer: Can you
describe some of the Templar’s skills and abilities to the
reader? What are the areas they really stand out? Do they prefer
knockback sort of maneuvers?
style="font-weight: bold;">

NCsoft: Templar’s
really shine in grabbing and holding agro from mobs and then smashing
them back with their shield.  They have direct taunts, as well
as AoE taunts. Combine that with a Stigma skill that allows them to
blow off the doors of a castle; they do everything they can to keep the
damage off of their party members. In fact, they even have a skill that
allows them to target a party member and take on their damage.



The shield is what enables knockbacks and by Level 13, the Templar
already has 4 different skills utilize the shield.  At first
your shield will merely stun the enemy for a brief time but after you
progress some more you will be able to knock enemies right to the
ground.  This will open the enemy up to be blasted by more
chain skills by you or your group.



Ten Ton Hammer: In some
games, Templar-like classes have some healing abilities. Will this be
the case in Aion?
Will Templar’s be able to tank and heal?
style="font-weight: bold;">


NCsoft: Yes!
More specifically, they can heal themselves while tanking - they can
fight with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, while
chanting spells of protection. Healing as they defend from the
frontline of the battlefield is one of the best features of being a
Templar.



Ten Ton Hammer: What kind
of armor progression will a Templar have? Will Templar characters be
given full plate from the first day? Or will they need to work through
the levels to gain better armor?
style="font-weight: bold;">


NCost: Before
you choose the path of the Templar you’ll play as a Warrior
for the first 9 levels, at this point you have a choice of cloth,
leather or chain. Once you get to level 10 and have chosen the path of
the Templar you will be given the option to wear plate armor.



And even though the Templar has health increasing properties,
it’s still a good idea to raise your survival rate by
equipping manastones that increase health, such as Manastone: HP.
 



Ten Ton Hammer: What kind
of weapons will a Templar be using? Are they limited in any way? Or are
we going to be seeing Templars wielding all sorts of weapons?
style="font-weight: bold;">


NCsoft: The
Templar is similar to the Gladiator in its equipment, but it has fewer
weapons that it can choose from. The Templar’s primary weapon
is the one-handed sword, mace and two-handed sword. For the
defense-heavy Templar to maximize its abilities, it’s best to
equip plate armor and a shield. A shield also doubles as a weapon,
because it deals heavy damage and stuns. I’d say its greatest
characteristic is its accurate chain skills and its various conditional
skills that activate depending on the situation. When a great sword is
equipped, you can still use all the chain and attack skills of the
sword and mace – which is, obviously, an awesome perk. As for
limitations, the Templar isn’t as mobile in combat as the
other classes but it possesses more than enough defense to protect
itself and its many skills for interfering with the
opponent’s movements fully makes up for it.

Ten Ton Hammer: The
notion of “organic armor” has been one of the more
intriguing features in Aion.
Will Templar armor in particular have special situational effects? Will
it do anything beyond glowing in pretty colors?
style="font-weight: bold;">


NCsoft: Templar’s
do have the advantage of being able to wear all 4 types of armor,
cloth, leather, chain and plate.  All classes will have the
ability to change and manipulate their items so that they get the stats
they want and the look they want. The actual armor design (look/feel)
is very organic; we wanted them to be able to mix and match their armor
and still have it look kick-ass, we also wanted the players to feel
like they had cool looking armor from level 1. I realize it’s
not a fashion show but still, it’s no fun waiting to complete
a set before you look “complete”.



Ten Ton Hammer: Is there
anything else you can tell the Ten Ton Hammer readers and style="font-style: italic;">Aion fans about the
Templar?



NCsoft: The
armor, flat out, rocks. When a Templar is really decked out they look
like metal gods. They’ll be your opponents will instinctively
target since they’re so noticeable – which is the
way it should be!