If you want a class that can take a spanking and keep on tanking then Aion's warrior is for you. This archetype is the heavy armor wearing tank class for Aion and you will find them at the forefront of battle. Don’t be fooled by the fact that this class wears heavy armor; they can also pack a nasty punch.

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Warriors can solo effectively in the early levels by using their combos and skills effectively.

Warriors are strong defensively because they can wear heavy armor and use shields, and for the first nine levels, they can easily solo just about any challenge they come across.

Strengths

• Strong defensively.
• Can use shields and heavy armors.
• Gains useful combo attacks early.

Weaknesses

• Weak against snare. If snared, there’s not a lot you can do. This is mainly a pain in PvP against ranged attackers.
• Not as strong offensively as more damage oriented classes.

 

The Newbie Warrior

When you first begin as a warrior you won’t have a lot of trouble dispatching a majority of the even level enemies you’ll encounter. More often than not you’ll likely be looking for something else to kill before you finish fertilizing the landscape with the unfortunate creature you’re pounding into the ground. Don’t worry though, there’s a bit more to mastering a warrior than running around grunting, “Hulk Smash!” and you’ll start getting a taste of that when you get your first combo. A big part of Warrior combat will involve utilizing your combos effectively.

As a warrior, there are two things that will decide whether you stand victoriously over the monkey stomped carcass of your fallen enemy or end up having boot leather surgically removed from your backside by the local soul healer. Those two things are gear and combos. Being a heavy tank you’ll have access to armor that some of the other classes won’t be able to wear. This is one of your perks, so enjoy it. You’ll need it if you ever get snared.

Combos won’t be your only important thing to master. You’ll also need to start getting use to all the classic tanking skills that make us the meat shields we all know and love: Aggro Management! However, this won't become too big of a part of the gameplay until you reach level 10 and one of the first of these skills you’ll acquire is called Provoke. If the name itself isn’t self explanatory, it simply means you taunt your target to draw its ire. I'm not sure what the taunt entails, but one can assume it's probably something involving the enemy's mother, whip cream, and some lint covered barb-wire. In any case, aggro management is going to be your next aspect to master at later levels if you ever want to be popular with a group.

Warriors can hold their own in a one on one battle, but it’s really a good idea to avoid adds. While warriors can take a beating and likely manage to take on two enemies if they use their skills effectively, it’s usually best to avoid such encounters as it's easy to find yourself overwhelmed and healing potions can only take you so far.

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Warriors use combos to help boost defense and enhance damage.

Advancement

You can easily advance your way to ascension alone, but if you decide to group up you can get there just as fast. The main earnings of experience will come from completing quests and all the early ones are easily soloable. However, it never hurts to have some company and you can always use that time to hone grouping skills.

Surviving in the Field

Don’t head into battle unprepared. Always make sure you have a fresh stock of bandages, healing potions, and food. Each of these will aid you in decreasing downtime and in some cases they can even save you from an LAPD-style ass kicking.

Reaching Ascension

Once you hit level 9 it’s time to leave these mortals behind. Forget about your remaining quest as you will gain a new one called “Ascension" this is where you get to earn your wings. This quest yields a pretty good amount of experience so you’ll likely be level 10 by its completion. Not only that, you get a nice new shiny set of wings to fly around the skies with. This is also where you will leave the warrior archetype behind and become your chosen profession of either a Templar or Gladiator. And that is a whole new adventure.

So let’s recap.

• Warriors are strong defensively and can pack a nice punch with combos.
• Start learning group basics early.
• Be prepared in the field.
• Ascend when the time comes.
• No, I will not explain the whip cream and lint covered barb wire comment. Use your imagination.

And now you are ready to go unto the world and smite the local wildlife. Go forth with my blessing my legion of critter killers. Unfortunately, most of you can't go fourth until September, so keep trying for those beta keys.