Aion
has one of the
more exceptional character creation
systems of the MMORPG genre. Whether you want to make a titan of a
Templar, or a miniature assassin that everyone will hate in PvP,...Aion
has one of the
more exceptional character creation
systems of the MMORPG genre. Whether you want to make a titan of a
Templar, or a miniature assassin that everyone will hate in PvP, your
options are limitless. That class choice might be the hardest
decision
of all, with no slider available for 'Enjoyment' during
creation. You're going to be investing an awful lot of time in
this character, so
why not make sure the class is right for you?

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74499" target="_blank"> style="width: 200px; float: right;" alt="Aion Warrior"
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With
shield in hand, you
serve as a tank comparable to other
games.  You also surpass those tanks in almost every
aspect. You are
by far and away the best tank of the game, well, you're the only real
tank of the game. With trainable potent cooldowns, stigmas
that can
give you everything from self heals to a surprisingly potent offense,
and the ability to use Great Swords when you're tearing through small
fry you'll be ready for any situation solo or in a group. Even
with a
variety of threat increasing moves and passives, you'll have to be
careful when grouping though. Crowd Control moves such as
Root and
Sleep will make the monster absolutely despise that guy or gal in
robes. Rotating your taunts around is imperative and even
taunting
that monster who isn't even active is just as important. In
PvP you
are just as difficult to take down, but just like in PvE your DPS
leaves something to be desired. You can still burst with the
best, but
your burst is heavily reliant on stigmas and DP. Once you
unload that,
you better hope the target is dead because your abilities will be
cooling for a long time.

Whatever you choose, it'll
involve both hands on a weapon and not
a shield. You'll still be wearing the same heavy plate as the
Templar,
but without the shield and respective taunting/defensive passives,
don't expect to tank except in emergencies. You do still have
quite
the HP pool but you'll be slotting your armor with offensive boosters
rather than defensives, so you can do what you do best--cleave
skulls! Your AoE is exceptional, and if you pull
hate in the process
it doesn't matter nearly as much as the other classes since you've got
a whole lot more toughness than those cloth and leather
sissies. The
challenge of a gladiator is timing. You do massive damage
with each
attack, but similar to some old WoW Slam tactics, you have to time your
special attacks in between your standard attacks to get the most out of
the class. Gladiators also benefit from having
knockdown/daze/midair
capable classes around them, as they're not terrible good at inflicting
these negative statuses, but have skills that can definitely capitalize
on them heavily. Even if you're the king of the big weapons,
the king
of the big shield will still pose a problem to even the best
gladiators.   Pick and choose your fights and don't
charge wildly ahead
to AoE a crowd. Then again, no guts, no glory, and
glory is what a
gladiator is all about!

Priests
- Holy Men in Chain that can Still Bring the Pain

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74496" target="_blank"> style="width: 200px; float: right;" alt="Aion Priest"
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If
you want to dish it out, take it, and heal it with a side of
buffing, this is you. You can do a little of everything, but
the only
things you excel at are heals over time and Mantras, which act like
Auras in Diablo/WoW. These can add considerable
offensive and
defensive effects, and even run and flight speed. A chanter,
much like
a classic Bard, is always welcome in a group. Your
heal over time
will not stack with the Cleric version, so if you're backing up another
healer, make sure and clarify who is going to be casting what, so you
can focus your mana pool offensively rather than hovering over health
bars. You can use a mace and shield when you need to be ready
for
anything, but primarily you will be twirling a staff like a
badass. You have a wide variety of debuffing attacks and one
of the most
powerful stuns in the game later on, so your offense is not to be
underestimated. It's entirely possible to solo heal
a group for a
long time as a Chanter, but a Cleric will do it quicker, easier, and
with less mana used typically. Plus, you'd rather be beating
people
up, right? You are the ultimate support for anyone and
everyone, and
you won't have any trouble making friends if you decide to pick
Chanter, so long as you don't screw up!

It's the
healbot! Clerics are the all powerful healers, with
large, extremely potent single target and group heals. 
Stigmas will
give you a variety of buffs and debuffs, from no MP cost to blinding
targets that are trying to stop you from casting that next big
heal. A
mace and a shield will be your constant companions, but your offense
will be primarily ranged once you get into the 30's and
beyond. You'll
burn through mana at a remarkable rate, so slotting for MP in your
Chain (which tends to not have much of any magical stats for your duty)
is advised if you're going to be solo healing through any boss
encounters. You might be tempted to wear mage pajamas to the
fight for
the massive MP boosts, but resist it because you can't afford to get
hit by that stray boss AoE... or that stray assassin who wandered into
your instance and has you on his list to kill. You have the
lovely
ability to cannibalize your HP to MP, but be advised that if anyone in
PvP sees you getting desperate, you're probably on Death's
door! You
won't provide the awesome buffs of the Chanter, but you will bring a
Templar from the brink to maximum in one big cast.

Scouts
- Your Leather Bow + Dagger Guys, Possibly Named
xLegolasx

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74498" target="_blank"> style="width: 200px; float: right;" alt="Aion Ranger"
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Before
you beeline for this
class, this is not your typical ranged
class.  You will be meleeing well into your late teens and
possibly
early 20s.  You will not kill faster than anyone else for a
while. This is a class of patience and kiting. A
class of
perfection. A
class that sneaks up on a target from above, and bombards them with a
hail of arrows before the enemy can even locate you in the
sky. You
won't match the damage of the assassin, but you have a much better
advantage over him in PvP.  He cannot kill if he is not in
melee
range. You cannot kill if you ARE in melee range. The
further you are
from your opponent typically, the better off you are, and with
strafe-shots and other moving/midair attacks possible, you are a highly
mobile force of destruction compared to the other ranged
casters. The
problem is, you'll have to make the most of this to be a real threat to
anyone. It's still an awesomely potent class with good snares
and
control, but you have to maintain control of the fight both in solo PvE
and PvP to feel powerful. Nothing beats that feeling of
dusting a
melee class virtually untouched.

Sorcerors

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74497" target="_blank"> style="width: 200px; float: right;" alt="Aion Mage"
src="/image/view/74497">

Just
make stuff blow up. That's the name of the
game. You'll burn
through mana and chains remarkably fast. You'll gain hate
faster than
Bernie Madoff. But in the
end, as long as your target falls
before
your feet and doesn't actually reach you, you'll be
fine. You are
made of paper, but you hurl scissors, and no matter how armored your
foe, they will cut through as if they were paper too. You
have a
powerful root, and a powerful set of sleep spells to control runners
and how combat is started. You have to make sure you have a
back up
plan though, because landing more than one crowd control spell pretty
much seals the deal--that crab is coming after your ass and will ignore
a million bucks in the sand until you're dead. Your mobile
offense is
quite limited, and you'll be relying on chains and stigma for abilities
to use on the move for the most part. But where most classes
will take
15-20 seconds to kill an equal level standard monster, you'll do it in
10, if that.  Keep your MP high, and keep 'em
coming. 





Spiritmasters



Stow
sent out AIR SPIRIT. Go, Air Spirit! Use Thunder
attack now!  That's
pretty much how you'll work as a spiritmaster. You don't have
the
nuking potential of the Sorceror, but you replace the nuking lines with
outstanding DoTs and debuffs. You can slow and cripple people
in
marvelous ways, but these build a lot of hate just like the crowd
control of the other man in robes. Fortunately, you can dump
that on
your spirit with a little swap spell, which makes leveling and PvE
tactics incredibly simple, or can allow you to pull something off your
pet as it's about to die for instance.  PvP can be a little
aggravating
since you're much less effective in the air than you are on the ground
due to the whole pet mechanic, but with a little dancing, you can keep
the enemy between you and your pet, and aggravated as they attempt to
catch you while the spirit has its way with them. You can
only have
one spirit out at a time, but each one specializes in a different brand
of pain so you can be ready for anything. Keep good track of
your pet,
your enemy, and yourself and you'll be invincible. Lose one,
and you
might as well be a robe with wings taking a dirt nap.

The
classes aren't too hard to figure out, but knowing the strengths and
weaknesses takes a little more than a glance for PvP. Whether
you
decide on a melee powerhouse or a ranged artillery piece, you won't be
disappointed in what you pick as long as you slug it out to the higher
levels of the game when the class really comes into its
own. The grind
might get to you, but try and resist that urge to create an alt or
you'll never get past your 2nd or 3rd leveling area. However
with the
massive focus on PvP, it's important to know what every class can do to
you! Pick your favorite and take it to the top of the Abyss
rankings!