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

Crafting itself takes place within Sanctum, and is somewhat easy to learn thanks to the above mentioned work orders you can obtain from various NPCs related to the specific trade you’d like to advance. This weekend I opted to explore Armorsmithing to see if I could craft myself a new set of armor for my Gladiator, which I was able to achieve though it did involve a fair amount of travel to obtain all the necessary components. Most recipes involved a mix of crafted, dropped and harvested subcomponents, adding a layer of complexity to an otherwise straight forward process. Basic recipes could either be purchased from a vendor or granted as work order rewards, with some rare recipes dropped randomly as loot.

As a means of circumventing all the component gathering involved in crafting it was also exceedingly easy to hop on over to the local trade broker, or Aion also allows players to whip out a stool and set up a personal shop anyplace they’d like. These personal shops also allow players to advertise their wares with a small floating text box, or in some cases I saw them being used as recruitment tools for legions, Aion’s version of guilds. While I like the concept and can see the potential for centralized, player-driven swap meets ala the early days of EQ in the East Commonlands tunnel, I can also see the potential means for gold farmers to get some cheap (OK, free) in-game advertising if the system isn’t kept in check. Hopefully towns and outposts won’t become flooded with this kind of thing come launch, but the system itself is a nice way of allowing players to buy and sell items without having to constantly run back to the city to do so.

Overall, based on my experiences this weekend I’d say Aion is coming along exceptionally well, and could quite possibly be the first Korean MMO to make a major impact on the North American market. The extra time spent with localization is paying off, even if some elements haven’t quite fallen into place as of yet. Still, many of the rumors that Aion is simply a grindfest or lacks the flair necessary to appeal to a western audience can finally be put to rest, as the game is already incredibly polished and packed with potential. This is one game to keep your eye on in the coming months, and in the meantime I’m looking forward to getting some hands-on time both with the Asmodians and some of the higher level PvP in the Abyss.