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

Ten Ton Hammer: One of the concerns of playing a Mage class, such as the Sorcerer, is the fear of boredom in being “the nuker.” Is there more to playing the Sorcerer than just hitting a few high-powered spells repeatedly, such as allowing for crowd control capabilities, buffs, or debuffs? What variety does this class have that will give the player diversity of play and fun level after level?

Lani: Having any class become a single-button, one trick pony character that does the same exact thing over and over is something the designers wanted to avoid from the get go. Aion has built-in game mechanics to avoid this tendency in any class:

·         Chain skills provide variety of spell/skill use and tactics. They are only available once you decide to use another skill.

·         You select manastones to socket into your character’s equipment that provide stat bonuses or that trigger other abilities or bonuses. Manastones let a player highlight different strengths in a character or give an item have slightly different abilities or bonuses that allow for variety of play.

·         The Stigma system lets your character collect and use an extended array of powerful skills that your character’s class does not normally have access to.

·         The positional combat system boosts your character’s stats depending on the direction your character is moving during combat.

All of these make for a diverse and customized gaming experience.

Ten Ton Hammer: Movement seems to be a key factor in staying alive in PvP with flight combat in Aion. Are Mages able to cast while on the move, both on the ground and in the air?

Lani: You’re right, movement is important in Aion especially because of the stat bonuses that characters get during use of the positional combat system in melee combat. Sorcerers can perform their melee attack while running, but Sorcerers most often cast spells. Much like a ranger can’t fire an arrow while moving, a Sorcerer needs concentration for spellcasting, and as a result, it can’t move while spellcasting. Sorcerers can fly and cast—they just have to be stationary in flight and not moving.  A Sorcerer can use immobilizing or slowing spells when it is a good distance away from a target so that it has time to throw a couple of spells before a target can close the distance to the Sorcerer. Tangling with a Sorcerer is still quite dangerous, even though it has to stand still for casting.

Ten Ton Hammer: Mana or power is the force that allows Mages to cast their magic but every game is different in how it works. How does the mana system work in Aion? Does it regenerate slowly on its own or will the Mage need to replenish it through meditation or other means? Do bigger damage spells use more mana than smaller spells?

Lani: The basic answer is that mana regenerates slowly on its own. Sorcerers normally take steps to boost their mana regeneration when feasible. Yes, high damage spells consume a high amount of MP. However, plenty of items in the game (potions, consumables, buffs, manastones) help a character to recover MP. Resting your character is also another quick way to regenerate mana. (The default key command to rest is a comma.)

Players who enjoy calculating and managing stats will not regret selecting this class.

Ten Ton Hammer:  At some time or another, a Mage might find itself face to face in melee combat. What sort of weapons do Mages use, and do they need to worry about casting being interrupted or slower if they are engaging in close combat?

Lani: Sorcerers can use spellbooks and orbs as weapons. A spell always has a chance of being interrupted during combat. Some items in the game (like manastones) help reduce the chance of being interrupted while spellcasting. A Sorcerer has plenty of spells up its sleeve in order to get out of close combat situations. The best part is that most of them have relatively quick casting times. Here’s an example of a Sorcerer close combat attack routine that my character uses: First restrain your enemy, essentially rooting it in place (an instant cast). Then take a Blind Leap (another instant cast that teleports a character 15 meters back) in order to gain some distance. Follow this with Ice Chain (two-second cast), which reduces an opponent’s movement and unlocks the chain skills Frozen Shock or Cold Wave. End with a Frozen Shock or Cold Wave, both of which deliver a devastating knockback.