NCsoft has sent us a recent update regarding some of the holiday gift-giver gaming packages they've put together for the holiday season!

Here's more in the official announcement from NCsoft:

Aion, the biggest MMORPG of the year, is bound to appear on several wish lists this holiday season thanks to its blend of rich storylines, state of the art graphics and robust community. At a time when entertainment costs are still rising, the value of an MMORPG gift this season can't be denied. For the price of one videogame, Aion delivers hundreds of hours of entertainment to players who will work side-by-side with thousands of others in a quest to save Atreia - a world that has literally sundered in half from centuries of brutal conflict.

 In celebration of the game's success this year, NCsoft is rewarding those who purchase Aion this holiday season from participating retailers with the Aion Holiday Ascension Pack - a  variety of exclusive in-game character enhancements that are perfect holiday gifts for players of all ages.

 The Aion Holiday Ascension Pack, available at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Wal-Mart includes these exclusive in-game characters items:

• Special Dyes for customizing your character's appearance
  • Amazon - Hot Orange Dye
  • Best Buy - Mustard Dye
  • Game Stop - True Black Dye
  • Target - True Red Dye
  • Wal-Mart - True White Dye
• Lesser Life Potions (20)
• Lodas's Amulet (15)
• Lesser Running Scroll (15)

AionSource.com was recently given the opportunity to send in questions related to the announced 1.5.1 patch for Aion and our good friend Lani Blazier (aka Liv) was kind enough to answer them for us.

Be aware that this interview only covered questions about the first part of the 1.5.1 patch notes. We are expecting NCsoft to reveal details about the rest of the patch notes very soon and if more questions arise, we will see if we are able to shed some light on those as well.

Here's a look at the first few questions:

1) We've been told that 24/7 customer support is on the way and the new filter has really cut down spam in chat channels, but we are still seeing goldsellers sitting for days and days in personal shops in major cities (where they cannot be autoreported) with nothing being done to them. Can you elaborate if/when we will see in-game GMs on all servers taking care of these advertisements and, hopefully, bots as well?

• Our CS team is always hard at work providing a lot of support to different areas of the game. Because of their increased efforts, many players have already seen the results you’re talking about from RMT spamming in chat. We are also fighting other forms of exploitation (hacks, bots, etc) and while they aren’t visible, GMs are actively fighting against bots, and gold sellers.

2) The community has been working to help NCsoft find a fix for the memory leaks and crashing during fortress raids. Have there been any advancements with this issue? Is there a fix on the way in the near future?

• We have been actively communicating with the development team on fixes for this memory leak and are especially grateful to the community for the data they’ve been able to submit. The dev team is working on solutions and we hope to have something to announce soon.

For the rest of the invective checkout the AionSource Interview of Liv!

A discussion has kicked off on AionSource.com about the most recent Aion community address posted yesterday! For feedback and comments from the community visit the October Community Address on AionSource.com.

Here's the official address from www.AionOnline.com:

It’s been a month now since Aion opened its doors to players in North America and Europe. In that month, the growth of the game’s community has signaled Aion’s success. We’ve received an amazing amount of feedback, both positive and negative. We’d like to reiterate that we’ve been listening. We have been working around the clock toward solutions to the problems many of you have experienced.

You’ve told us that it’s difficult to advance within certain level ranges. To address this issue, we’re planning to raise quest experience, in addition to reevaluating the experience rewards characters gain for individual kills. We understand how frustrating it can be to repetitively kill enemies. Our goal is to limit the need to mindlessly “grind.”

In this week’s Eye on Community, we answered a question that a player had about client instability. In the reply, we noted that most of the claims stem from the infamous “Crysystem.dll error.” We’ve been working with members of the community to identify the cause of the problem in order to find a permanent solution. Our development team is currently investigating, and will be testing a variety of different short- and long-term solutions. These include adding additional and improved display options to the Aion client, as well as system and memory optimizations.

We’ve heard your unhappiness about the chat spam and bots in Aion and recognize it as an annoying problem. We’ve taken measures to reduce the amount of chat spam you’ll be subjected to and have already seen substantial improvements in this area. We’ve been expanding our GM customer service staff, and we have also assembled a special team dedicated to hunting down and eliminating botting operations. It’s obvious these activities erode your gameplay experience far too much to be acceptable. They also harm us from a business standpoint due to the RMT organizations’ frequent use of stolen credit cards.

Many of you have asked us why we haven’t spent more time communicating the specifics of our plans. The unfortunate truth is that the same people spamming chat channels and setting up bots are also reading our announcements. In order to keep the enemy in the dark, we cannot be too vocal about our plans to fight back.

We want you to know, though, that we’re more dedicated than ever to eliminate chat spam and the use of bots. The good news is that you can help. If you see any suspicious player activity, report it. To quickly report these players, use the /AutoReportHunting feature by typing /AutoReportHunting while a suspicious character is targeted. It’s important to note that this system will actually begin to penalize players after they’ve been reported multiple times. The more of you that use this system—the more effective it will become.

To add more specificity to what we’re discussing here, early next week we’re going to be releasing details about a game update that will go into further detail about how we’ll be fixing some of these issues, in addition to others.

It’s been an exciting month, and the future of Aion is full of promise. Please continue to send us your feedback and never forget that patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

-The Aion Community Team

We've received a press release from the folks at NCSoft his morning about Aion!

Aion has been officially released today by NCSoft on this historic day! In Aion, gamers explore a celestial world of breath-taking beauty and epic adventure. Players create either winged Elyos or Asmodian avatars, sworn enemy races that discover a common foe: the twisted and depraved Balaur. Aion is among the biggest MMO games in the East and has wowed millions of gamers with its breathtaking graphics, innovative gameplay and engrossing story.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online experience where flight offers much more than just a way to explore the landscape – it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets.

Having sold out of its Limited Collector’s Edition version and tallying more preorders than any other massively multiplayer online (MMO) game this year, Aion’s release marks the biggest MMO launch of the year and is already being touted as one of the must-have games this holiday season. Aion also released today in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and launches this Friday, September 25, in Europe.

Hundreds of thousands of players assisted in the beta test process and have helped polish this game to it's latest release patch V1.5.

If you're looking to get into Aion we've got you covered! Visit these Curse fansite for all the tools and information you'll need to start stomping:

AionSource.com - The #1 Aion Community on the internet. Get your fill of guides, strategy, game banter, and social connections that'll keep you competitive and get your questions answered! We have a full moderation staff and provide over thirty distinct focused forums for you to find your niche!

AionArmory.com - The #1 Aion Database website. Get item and question information in real time, check out the latest gear your friend picked up, or use our interactive mapping system to find what you're looking for in-game!

This shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the game since its Korean release late last year, or those of you who frequent AionSource -- the leading English-speaking Aion fansite in the world -- but Aion has broken records for preorders, and now looks to be the biggest MMO release in North America and Europe of 2009.

With more than 400,000 preorders so far, the game kicks off its headstart for all of those eager players with tomorrow's server pre-selection, and then opening up the game itself on September 20th -- just 3 short days from now -- for a 2-day headstart. Are you as excited as we are for the release of this game? Check out the press release below, or head over to AionSource and AionArmory to get acquainted with the game in preparation for release!

It’s official – Aion is the biggest MMO launch of the year and is one of the must-have games this holiday season. NCsoft today revealed the latest preorder figures for its newest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Aion, which is nearing 400,000 preorders and outpacing other major MMO launches this year.

Already topping preorder sales charts, securing accolades from major media outlets, garnering event awards, including gamescom 2009’s “Best Online Game” and PAX’s “Best MMO” by Inside Gaming, and receiving rave reviews from players in the game’s beta testing, Aion has steadily built its reputation as the biggest MMO release in recent years. And unlike many Eastern MMO imports, Aion has been uniquely designed to appeal to Western audiences. Along with a completely rewritten storyline spanning more than two-million words, players will experience enhanced character customization with a host of Western styles, new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing.

As a bonus to the nearly 400,000 players who have preordered their copy of Aion, they will be treated to server Pre-Selection (beginning tomorrow September 18) and a two-day Headstart period (beginning September 20) allowing them to get a jump start on their exploration and progression prior to the official launch on September 22. Players can still participate in Aion’s Pre-Selection and Headstart programs by preordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including the NCsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry’s Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online experience where flight offers much more than just a way to explore the landscape – it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets.

The Aion 1.5 Client has been placed on FilePlanet!

Just to clarify, you need to be a FilePlanet member in order to download from their servers but you do not need to be a PAID subscriber.
 Here is the FULL 1.5 CLIENT on FilePlanet for those anxiously awaiting open beta or who need to upgrade their CBT clients! Aion's Open Beta Test featuring version 1.5 will take place September 6 - 13 and will include numerous Western enhancements, including improvements to Aion's innovative character customization with a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements.

Aion's coming out Sept 22nd, and if you want to get a Collectors Edition you should orders soon! They're sold out at several retailers!

Learn more about Aion with our:

Guides and Analysis forums

Aion Q&A Forums

Aion Discussion Forums

Class Guides Forums

AionSource.com has posted the recently announced dates for Aion's Open Beta and the Pre-Select headstart programs! Players who have preordered Aion will be treated to a Pre-Select and a two-day Headstart period giving them the opportunity to explore, organize and progress through the game prior to the official launch.

Here's more about the Aion Open Beta Dates and Headstart Program:

Players are now one step closer to the release of the year's biggest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Aion.

Within the next four weeks, NCsoft will treat North American and European gamers to two opportunities to jump into the world of Aion and explore Atreia as Asmodian or Elyos characters ahead of its release in North America on September 22 and Europe September 25. Aion's Open Beta Test featuring version 1.5 will take place September 6 - 13 and will include numerous Western enhancements, including improvements to Aion's innovative character customization with a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements. Open Beta will retain a level cap for both Elyos and Asmodians characters at 30 allowing players to focus on getting to the same level so they can explore the lands of Atreia together, as well as the Abyss.

Players who have preordered Aion will be treated to a Pre-Select and a two-day Headstart period giving them the opportunity to explore, organize and progress through the game prior to the official launch. Pre-Select will take place on September 18, while Aion's Headstart will begin September 20. Players can still participate in the Aion's Pre-Select and Headstart programs by preordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including Aiononline.com, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry's Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online experience where flight offers much more than just a way to explore the landscape - it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets.

For more information about Aion go to http://www.aiononline.com.

In anticipation of the launch of this year’s biggest MMORPG release, Aion, NCsoft announced an exclusive cross promotion today giving players the ability to call upon the Aion wings emote within the Guild Wars family of games. Players can use a special emote in Guild Wars that will display their Aion wings!

Here's more information on how exactly this will work and how you can get it:

 Designed as an added value and a way to say thanks to our biggest fans of the Guild Wars and Aion franchises, players that purchase an Aion Collector’s Edition or a first run Aion Steelbook Edition will be rewarded with a Guild Wars emote that displays the wings that have become synonymous with Aion.

While the Aion wings emote will stay active in a players account forever, the promotion has a limited run. In order to guarantee a Guild Wars Aion wings emote code, players are encouraged to pre-order Aion at several participating retailers, including GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics and EB Games.

For more information on the Guild Wars Aion Wings promotion, please visit www.guildwars.com/aion.

AionSource.com has picked up new wallpapers for Aion and a recent press release detailing the number of hours logged for NA and EU players so far, information about Aion at GamesCom and PAX, and the limited availability as Aion continues to sell extremely well!

Here's a look at the official press release:

The wait is almost over for the year's biggest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Aion.

Today, NCsoft, the world's premier publisher and developer of MMOs, confirmed that Aion has been released to manufacturing. Aion is the highly anticipated game that has already taken Asia by storm and has quickly become one of the world?s largest MMO franchises ahead of its release in North America on September 22nd.

In advance of the game's launch, Aion will be showcased at both GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany, as well as the Penny Arcade Expo 2009 in Seattle, Washington. Both events will feature exclusive hands-on access to the 1.5 version of the game, which has yet to be unveiled to Western audiences. This version of the game introduces numerous enhancements, including continued improvements to Aion's innovative character customization that will now include a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements.

Aion has already built major momentum among gamers across Europe and North America, with more than three million hours of gameplay logged in the game's closed best testing alone. Additionally, the Limited Collector's Edition version of the game is nearly sold out in retailers, and Aion is currently on the best-seller lists for PC games weeks ahead of the game's launch. Aion is available for pre-order from several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including Aiononline.com, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry's Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online experience where flight offers much more than just a way to explore the landscape - it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets.

For more information about Aion go to http://www.aiononline.com.

Here's a look at the new wallpapers which can also be found at AionSource.com:

 

NCSoft's second quarter profits have increased over 450% after the successful launch of Aion and the continued strength of Lineage II. The release of Aion last November in Korea and July in Japan and Taiwan brought in nearly 40 Billion Korean Won (About $37 Million).

The company has had such strong performances the first few quarters they've raised their outlook for the year to around $470 million in sales and around $150 million in operating profits.

Aion is due to release late September in North America and is expected one of the best MMORPG releases of 2009.

Here's the original story from IndustryGamers.com about NCSoft's Q2 Profits Jump 451%:

After five successful closed beta events, Aion is announcing the sixth and final closed beta that will take place this weekend. The final beta will begin Friday, August 14th at noon PDT, and go through Monday August 17th.

The final closed beta test will conclude with several story driven in-game events which will also give players an insight into upcoming content changes when the game is released. The events will highlight the transition between the world of Atreia from patch 1.0 to 1.5. The level cap will remain at 30 to keep players within the same level range and playing together.

More details we be posted when Aion enters open beta, and AionSource.com will post the information as soon as it's available!

Here's the official announcement about the final Aion closed beta test dates:

Following five successful and productive beta events, we now have in front of us the pinnacle of closed beta mountain. We now cast our eyes toward the promising horizon, revealing the approaching open beta and the much-anticipated release of Aion.

This upcoming sixth and final closed beta event marks the end of an era. As such, we have decided to make the most out of it. We will not be raising the level limit from that of the previous event. The maximum level will be level 30 for Elyos and Asmodians alike, encouraging you to spend some time to catch up with your friends or explore the vast lands of Atreia.

We want to conclude closed beta testing on a high note, so we are arranging a series of story-driven in-game events, in part hinting at some of the much-anticipated content forthcoming in with our massive release day patch. Keep that F5 key handy, since more information on these live events is headed your way later this week!

Closed beta 6 is primed to rocket onto the servers on Friday, August 14, 2009, noon PT (8 p.m. BST, 9 p.m. CEST). Our beta forums open their gates two hours earlier, and access to them will be ongoing throughout the weekend until Monday.

Keep in mind that you will need either an exclusive Aion closed beta 6 access key, a full-access key acquired through fansite program competitions, or have preordered the game in order to partake in the event. A limited number of closed beta 6 access keys will be given away by a few selected gaming web sites over the coming week, so keep those eagle eyes open if you are looking to grab one.

Look for more information on this upcoming sixth closed beta event shortly. Until then, fly safe!

The events in the game will showcase the transition the world of Atreia and the players will experience from 1.0 to 1.5. We are retaining the level cap for both Elyos and Asmodians at 30 in order to allow players to focus on getting to the same level so they can explore the lands of Atreia together.

Aion Online has released a new cinematic intro and AionSource.com has picked it up from youtube and supplied it for us to take a peak at!

Here's the video and announcement from AionSource.com:

Few things make your heart beat with anticipation and excitement than a good CGI trailer for a game. Aion is certainly holding true with theirs. This video is amazing. Thanks to strayfe for posting this and Killer 842 for the heads up

Discuss this video and find out more about Aion at AionSource.com!

Aion has recently supplied us with two new Prologues for the game; one for the Elyos and one for the Asmodians. Aion will be releasing in September and has currently been running beta tests during the weekends. To find out more about scheduled beta tests, beta key giveaways, and other information for Aion visit our fansite AionSource.com.

Here's a look at the Elyos and Asmodian Prologues:

AionSource.com has posted a recent Aion Trailer for the official 1.5 patch - which is what Aion will release with in September! The video highlights instances including Dark Poeta, Infiltrating the Dreadgion and the Shugo Flying Pirate Ship! The video also highlights some of the new Aion Gear and will give you an eyeful of what's in store when this game releases!

To discuss this video and other important topics regarding Aion head over to AionSource.com and prepare - Aion is coming!

Here's a  look at the Aion 1.5 Patch Trailer:

AionSource.com has tracked down several new screenshots from the Aion Korean website! On the original post at AionSource, Aion Wallpapers, you can comment on your favorites and easily navigate between them.

Here's a look at the new post and the amazing new wallpapers from Aion:

New Wallpapers from the Korean Site

Nothing majorly exciting in this news tidbit, but for those who were looking for a shiny new wallpaper for your desktop, the Official Aion Site for Korea delivers!

These were previously released but worth a look if you haven't seen them:

 

All these wallpapers are 1920x1200. You can also find clean versions in various resolutions here. Enjoy. :)

Fans are wondering if Aion might have started their massive North American Ad campaign this week as Aion popped up on a recent LG monitor advertisment! The LG monitor itself is a beautiful mix of features and quality, and Aion looks amazing on it. Head over to the original article on AionSource.com to see what fans have to say about the Aion LG ad.

Here's a look at the Aion LG Advertisement:

Aion online is having another successful closed beta test weekend and has asked participants to use the powerful Aion character creator to create a likeness of your favorite celebrity! If the creation is good enough your work will be distributed to popular partner websites for all to see! We look forward to seeing some of the pictures on the Curse Aion Fansite: AionSource.com!

Here's the official create a celebrity look-alike post from Aion:

Have you ever picked up a celebrity magazine in a shop, browsed through it and then placed it back onto the shelf afraid of being seen with it? Do you have to restrain yourself from swapping your newspaper with the tabloid that's lying on the seat in the bus next to you? Is the sport or entertainment section the first one you read?

Even if you can honestly deny all of the questions above you will still enjoy the latest feature we've secured for Aion. The ones of you lucky enough to have access to our upcoming CB4 (starting Friday, July 17) now have a tremendous opportunity to create a famous celebrity with Aion's powerful character creator and even get due credit for it, if it's particularly well done. All you need to do is to send us a screenshot of your creation (details further down). We will then pass the best contributions received along to a very popular video games partner web site where they'll get presented to a broader audience in a special feature.

Have you ever picked up a celebrity magazine in a shop, browsed through it and then placed it back onto the shelf afraid of being seen with it? Do you have to restrain yourself from swapping your newspaper with the tabloid that's lying on the seat in the bus next to you? Is the sport or entertainment section the first one you read?

While we can't tell you yet which website this is, we can hint the fact that they're very familiar with stars and will know how to present your character in the best light possible. Here is what you have to do if you want in:

• Find a picture (headshot) of a celebrity of your choice on the web.
• Create the celebrity with Aion's character creator - but don't hit the 'Create' button yet.
• Zoom in to the head of the character and take a screenshot with the 'Print screen' button on your keyboard.
• Paste the screenshot into a picture editing application of your choice (e.g. MS Paint).
• Save the picture as a .jpg - keep the resolution at 1280*720 pixels or higher.
• Send us your picture together with the picture of the real celebrity in an email with the subject line 'Celebrity feature: [celebrity's name]' to ayase@ncsoft.com.
• Last entry date is Tuesday 21st of July (noon PDT, 8 PM BST, 9 PM CEST).

Once this feature hits the partner website in question, we'll be quick to inform you here on the official Aion website (www.aiononline.com). You can then scream loudly, shout wildly and collapse in star-struck tears when viewing the virtual walk of fame created by yourself and your fellow Aion comrades.

Aion has released the latest schedule for the closed beta test weekend event taking place this Friday-Sunday. Players will be able to access the Abyss this weekend and play characters of both factions from level 1-25! More Closed Beta events will follow in July and August, giving those of you haven't yet been able to try the game an excellent chance to do so! AionSource.com has also set up Elysian Leveling Guides, Asmodian Leveling Guides, and Aion Tutorial Videos to get you acquainted with the game and picking the race that's right for you. They will also be giving out more beta keys this weekend before the closed beta test begins so stay tuned!

Here's a list of updates for this weekend:

• Increased server stability
• Various UI fixes
• Various NPC load failure fixes
• Various NPC grammatical fixes
• Various Glossary term grammatical fixes
• New NPC Dialogue/Quest text for Sanctum and Pandaemonium
• GameGuard update

Here's a look at the specific time the servers will be available:

Focus: Elyos and Asmodian levels 1-25, including access to the Abyss.
Starting time: 17th of July (noon PST, 8 PM BST, 9 PM CEST)
Ending time: 20th of July (July 19th 11.59 PM PST, June 20th 8 AM BST/9 AM CEST)

For anyone confused about these time standards, PST is the time on the US west coast, BST is what to look at if you're in London and CEST is for those of you in Central Europe.

To get caught up on the latest Aion news and info be sure and visit AionSource.com!

Aion has recently said that the North American launch will release as v1.5 and people have been clamoring to find out just what exactly is IN v1.5.  AionSource.com has translated the patch news and updated the v1.5 page with the latest information on just what exactly Aion will be launching with!

For the latest on what exactly Aion will go live with checkout the AionSource V1.5 - Shadow of Balaur page; here's a quick look at some of the major features in V1.5:

With recent news letting everyone know that Aion will be released at 1.5 people have been craving to know what we'll be seeing and Aionsource is happy to deliver.

Just to give you all a brief overview of what the latest patch entails:

• 12 New Instance Dungeons!
• Pirate Ships ;o
• An arcade-styled battleground, the Dreadgion of all things.
• Brand new skills and advanced stigma customization.
• New costumes!
• Item tweaks and changes, brand new sets!
• Changes/Additions to the Gathering system.
• UI changes.
• Greater levels of character customization.

Do be sure to check out the full article, not to mention our other translations.

AionSource.com has posted information regarding our second patch to the AionArmory! We're dedicated to making our AionArmory the number one resource for all your Aion needs, we've fixed bugs and added several new additions.

Here's a look at what AionSource.com had to say about the recent Aion Armory Update:

It brings a smile to my face to announce AionArmory's second patch has just gone live, a big thanks to Nic (Sank) for his continued great work as the Armory's head developer. As usual you can submit feedback/bug reports/questions at our AA forum. Oh and yeah I know the image I used in this post needs to be updated, that'll be done in a sec :D

Right off the bat you should have noticed the main page has changed and now sports a rather dashing young Asmodian, you may be seeing more of him very soon. Don't ask for details though, I'll take that secret to the grave ;)


Bug Fixes:

• Crafting materials will no longer show recipes.
• Cooking items will no longer display incorrect values.
• Fixed some missing/hidden items (e.g. Od)
• All spells should have correct values now.
• General bug fixes in all areas.

Improvements/Additions:

• Users can now submit multiple item drops at a time.
• Users can now submit data edits which will go into an admin approval queue.
• Users can also submit new entries(right now only guides) that also go into an admin approval queue, further additions/tweaks pending.
• Items now include manastone/godstone stocks.
• Recipes now display required level.
• Items that start quests now show it on the item page, a filter has been added also.
• Title list now shows the quest required to obtain each title.
• Additional filters have been added for new item fields.
• Spell filters added.
• Description filter on items added.
• SpiritMaster spells now show which pet they are related to.
• Spells now state if they are stigma-based.
• Recipes show rarity, filter added.
• Weight-scale is now pinnable, upgrade tab on items.
• Items can now be marked as World-drops or faction zone specific.
• Enhanced editing bar for submissions (currently Guides)
• Syndication search box support.
• Latest edits menu added.
• More items have been marked for their particular race/faction.
• Latest edits/submissions added on user profiles.
• Hefty increase in item drop data.

Please note that if you are unable to see the new image on the Armory itself you'll probably need to clear your cache =)


Patch one can be found here.

Aion has released new news for the 3rd scheduled beta weekend event! It will take place this weekend from Thursday through Monday; that's July 2nd-6th! There will be at least three more beta events and lots of discussion on the AionSource Forums so make sure you keep up with what looks to be one of the hottest titles of the year!

Here's the official Aion beta news update:

Closed Beta Event #3 News and Schedule

Take part in the sizzling action in Aion this Fourth of July/Canada Day weekend! The third closed beta event starts with a bang this holiday weekend on Thursday, July 2 (12:00 PM PT, 9:00 PM CEST, 8:00 PM BST) and ends Monday, July 6 (12:00 PM PT, 9:00 PM CEST, 8:00 PM BST).

For this event, it's time to choose where your loyalties lie in the explosive war for Atreia. Dedicated testers will focus on the first 20 levels of both the Elyos and Asmodians, including brand new localized content for both factions.

Are you playing in this weekend's hottest event? Drop by the official beta forums beginning on July 1 at 8:00 AM PST to share your experiences while testing Aion.

Thanks to the continued diligence from the first two closed beta events, the third event includes several updates and changes in the game content:

- Added GameGuard beta file for Windows 7; please note this file is still in testing and is not yet an official public release
- Added a new full installer (found on FilePlanet)
- Added new launch quality content for the following zones: Poeta, Verteron, Altgard and Morheim
- Various text changes that fixed broken quests and trainers
- Various text changes that fixed minor grammatical errors in quests and NPC dialogues

Don't forget about even more closed beta events coming your way this summer!

Upcoming Closed Beta Events:

Closed Beta Event #4 - July 17-July 20 Focus: Elyos and Asmodian levels 1-25
Closed Beta Event #5 - July 31-August 3 Focus: TBD
Closed Beta Event #6 - August 14-August 17 Focus: TBD

As always, stay tuned to the official web site and the Aion team Twitters (@aion_ayase, @aion_amboss, @aion_liv, and @aion_xaen) for more news and your chance to be a part of the closed beta.

Happy Fourth of July! And Happy Canada Day! from the Aion team, and we'll see you in Atreia this weekend!

Original Article.

AionSource.com has translated a few new PvP guides and added new videos to the Aion Video Tutorials thread! AionSource has released several tutorials recently and helped staff the latest addition to the Curse database family AionArmory.com! Both AionSource and Curse are dedicated in creating the most useful environments possible for fans of the upcoming hit Aion, so be sure and bookmark us and get to know the AionSource.com community today!

Here's the original post from AionSource.com about the newly Translated Aion PVP Guides and the Aion Tutorial Videos:

New Translated PvP How-To's and New Video Tutorials up!

AionSource.com has posted an update about a new area available in Aion, Beluslan! There's also a new open letter to the community from Lance Sites, who is the lead of NCsoft West's game production studio in Seattle. The letter is an excellent read and the new area tour is enough to get any Asmodian packing their bags to check it out!

Here's the official notice from AionSource.com about Beluslan and the new open letter to the community:

New area tour: Beluslan, and another NCsoft Open Letter to the Community

The official date for the release of Aion has been announced! The game will release Sept 22nd in the U.S. and the 25th in the EU! To coincide with this massive announcement AionSource.com has decided to run a new contest allowing users to create motivational and de-motivational posters for the game using characters, locations, and other media available from Aion!

Here's the official Aion Release date and AionSource.com contest announcement:

NCsoft announces Aion's Official Release Date! We hold a contest to celebrate!

I can't even begin to say how excited I am to be able to deliver this news to everyone. For me personally, this has been 3 years in the making. This is Aion's most important announcement yet.

Aion has official release dates for North America and Europe!

NA
09/22/2009

EU
09/25/2009

Now, before you go all "OMG non-simultaneous release dates! NCsoft lied!" on me you have to realize that game retailers in NA and game retailers in EU put product on their shelves different days of the week.

However, I've confirmed with Ayase that early access service for Aion NA and EU will launch on the same day.

From www.AionOnline.com

Your adventures in Aion begin this September! NCsoft is proud to announce that Aion launches in North America on September 22, 2009 and makes its official debut in Europe starting September 25, 2009.

Read the full article here.

To celebrate this awesome occasion, we've organized another contest for you all.

Motivational posters are a big internet hit and we wanted this contest to be accessible to all the Aion fans who visit us for their news so, with the help of Big Huge Labs and their Motivational Poster Generator, we bring you... cue the big bold text!

The AionSource Official Release Date Contest





Step 1: Visit the Motivational Poster Generator
Step 2: Create your own Aion-themed Motivational or Demotivational Poster!
Step 3: Host it and Post it!

The Rules:

The Rewards:

One (1) first place winner will receive a copy of the Aion: Collector's Edition!

One (1) second place winner will receive a copy of the Aion: Regular Edition!

Three (3) third place winners will receive an Aion Beta Event key good for the remaining events!


The Details:

All AionSource members are eligible to participate in this contest, excluding moderation staff.

Entries will be judged by AionSource and Curse staff.

The contest begins at the time of this posting. That's right now. Go!

You may submit multiple entries, just don't spam us. Let's say not more than 8.

All entries received before 11:59pm on Monday, June 29th, 2009 are eligible for judging.


There you have it. What a big day for Aion fans everywhere. We've all waited so long and now our time has almost come. Have a fantastic day, Aion fans!



Edit: Help us solve the Mysterious Mystery!

AionSource.com has prepared two excellent level 1-10 starting guides for players fortunate enough to be playing this weekend in the beta! If you didn't get a beta key yet don't worry! Several retailers are offering early Aion beta-entry keys for people who purchase boxes there! Once you're in take a look at this story and the amazing guides provided by AionSource.com:

In preparation for this beta weekend, we posted a leveling guide for you all for the Asmodian side and with the recent addition of the Elyos, we've also posted our 1-10 Elyos guide! Choose your faction below for the corresponding guide!