Is Aion Classic a MMORPG worth trying out?
It’s been some time since the release of the game in Europe. Here, I want to give you my honest opinion on whether this game is something worth spending some of your time on or it is just a waste.
What Should You Expect From Aion Classic?
First of all, it’s an old MMORPG that was released in 2008 in Korea, so it’s logical that you will find many things that will remind you of the era of MMORPGs back in the day.
I assume that most of you have a general knowledge of what the game is about. So, here, I will touch on some crucial topics that I think will give you the information you need to decide for yourself if the game is worth trying out and I will also give you my personal opinion about it.
The combat is tap targeted, but gives you the freedom in many cases to move and cast at the same time. And for this reason, it feels alright.
The animations are really good, especially if we consider how many years have passed since its first release. I have to point out here that many things aren’t the same as in the old Aion and have been modified in this version. I won’t get into details, but if you are a returning player, you will notice the differences.
The overall feeling of the game is really nice to me because it gives me many elements from the old days that I liked a lot in MMORPGs.
The leveling process is meaningful with a variety of quests and tasks you need to complete. It surprised me a lot that while I was changing areas and doing the quests, I was remembering them. And that’s something very impressive because I have to play the game for at least 10 years.
The combat with the mobs and the tasks we need to do aren’t that hard, but they aren’t in auto mode, either. We need to pay attention and be careful not to aggro more than two mobs. Otherwise, we will die.
This of course depends on what class we play as well because some classes have some skills that help them get away much easier, like Sorcerers, who can root or sleep the extra targets and deal with one of them every time. But sometimes they will face challenges because they can receive tons of damage quickly.
The gear progression has a very high impact on our gameplay and when we make an upgrade to our weapon or armor, we can see the difference right away.
Nowadays, most MMORPGs have zero challenges and gear is irrelevant until we reach the endgame. I like the feeling of progression that I get from the game a lot and that’s something that I think many of us missed.
Also, the skill progression is meaningful and we can see the difference between level 1 skills and level 2 skills. Every upgrade we do along the way matters and gives us this sense of evolution that we miss in most modern MMORPGs, at least at the early stages of the games.
The barriers some quests have are both very nice and annoying at the same time. For example, the NPC for the quest is spawned at a specific time frame during a game night time and we can’t move forward with it if it’s outside this window. I know that many of you might not like things like that because they were used in the past and are time consuming. But I believe things like that give a different feeling to the game and add flavors to it.
Another thing that we can’t find in modern MMORPGs, even though it is considered very convenient, is how the groups are made for the dungeons, open world PVP, and various activities. The way groups are made in this game is by spamming the chat with recruitment status and what classes we need. That’s something that’s also evolved over the years.
In most MMORPGs, the way to create a group for the dungeons is with a party finder. But that’s something that makes me so happy when I see it again in action because it’s been many years since I saw it in action.
When the chat is moving all the time, it gives life to the world and we feel the activities that take place in the game. It might take more time to create a group and in our minds it might seem stupid for a MMORPG to not have a party finder in our days. But I believe it offers something special and gives me the sense that I am part of a living world.
Even though it’s been a while since the game was released, you will still be able to meet a lot of people along your leveling journey and that’s something really good for the game and for us as well.
This time, I decide to take it slow and not rush into anything as I do in most MMORPGs. And this is the reason why I am so pleased with the feeling I get from the game.
Those two topics were the main points that kept me positive and happy to enjoy the game at my own pace.
Problems You May Face
Because I like to be honest and provide as much information as I can, I must inform you about some other things you will face if you decide to try the game.
First of all, the game isn’t free to play even though they call it that. You will be able to play for free with no restrictions for one hour each day. But if you want to continue playing and don’t want to waste your time, you will need to buy Siel’s Energy.
You can also purchase Siel’s Energy from another player with your Aion Classic Kinah. So, if you stick around, you can get it this way, but this will, of course, hurt your in-game economy a bit.
Another problem that is common to most MMORPGs is bots. And even though they are on a smaller scale than I expected, you will encounter them and see the spam for Aion Classic Kinah, which is the in-game currency in chat.
The main issue has to do with the small idle company, named Gameforge, which is the publisher of Aion Classic for us. There are serious lag problems and disconnects during peak hours most of the time because, as they state, they get a lot of DDoS attacks.
Also, in Sieges, where a lot of people are gathered, it is totally unplayable and the amount of lag is crazy. It’s insane to me how a publisher that has been in the game for so many years can’t provide stable servers without these kinds of problems.
But I hope for the people that enjoy the game will get rid of the majority of those problems. In other words, you will get the whole old MMORPG experience with inconsistencies and lag problems if you decide to start the game.
Conclusion
For me, if you are someone who is looking for an old school MMORPG with a good number of players online, Aion Classic is a game worth trying out at least for a bit to decide for yourself if it fulfills you.
For the new players, I am totally happy for you because you will experience the game for the first time and that’s something unique.
For the returning players, get ready to get hit by Nostalgia if you played back in the day when the game first launched because for me, it’s so great to play this game again.
My final recommendation for you is to try out the game at your own pace without rushing it if you don’t have the time for it. Get a feel for what the game has to offer and if it’s something that makes you want to come back, enjoy it for as long as it lasts.
