Curse

Aion has recently undergone a major update by way of patch 1.9. This new patch has reworked several important game mechanics to broaden the appeal of the game from strictly the hardcore, to a more casual and fun-loving western audience. The development team took a strong interest in feedback given by players and has been working, since the launch of the game, on progressing several key features based on that community feedback. 

One of the biggest issues gamers faced in the early days of Aion was the intense grind and getting very poor loot in dungeons. Both of these issues have been solved by the team at NCsoft with more quests, daily quests, the ability to group with players in a more effective way, enhancements to the loot system, and less penalties for the player on death. By addressing these issues the 1.9 patch will allow gamers to enjoy combat, quests, and the experience Aion has to offer without some of the harsh penalties players might have experienced earlier in the life of the game. A few of the most notable changes include:

• The cost of Soul Healing (Amount paid to remove the penalties of dying) has been drastically reduced. This allows players to get back to questing, combat, and playing the game without having to worry as much about repercussions from dying.
• The cost of Flight Transportation has been reduced. This will allow players to travel to locations for a fraction of the previous cost, making it easier to group with friends, complete quests, and navigate the massive world of Atreia.
• The cost associated with Soul Binding has also been reduced. Binding is now based on difficulty of the zone, so lower level zones will see the greatest price cuts.

 While making the game easier to play and enjoy, the team at NCsoft has also added more content to the game. There are several new daily quests added that encourage players to socialize and group together to complete them. They unlock  every morning and will offer exciting challenges to players looking to obtain loot and make money in the game. These will also help address grind issues players have noticed during the later half of Aion, making the game far more enjoyable to anyone and everyone as they progress through content.

While creating a large number of new daily quests NCsoft has also made numerous modifications to instances. They have lowered the entry requirements for several instances and have allowed players to enter certain instances at any time by removing the prerequisite quests that segregated groups. These enhancements to the instancing system give players instant and easier access to intense zones that provide hours of gameplay.

There have also been UI enhancements to Aion, including the introduction of a highly demanded LFG panel. Rather than spamming chat or running around and hoping to encounter a good group you can open the new UI and join groups that are looking for your specific class. If you're the one doing the searching you can also narrow your search down by keywords, levels, and even brackets to make sure get exactly what you need in your group.

Looking For Group UI




Searching for a group isn't the only thing NCsoft made easier with the 1.9 patch. You can also use new sorting settings to clean up your skill list for adding the most deadly spells to your skillbar, hiding lower level versions of your skills from sight. This makes it much easier to upgrade characters and make sure they have the best skills available for their level.

New Skill UI and Sorting Options

In addition to new sorting options that make it easier to find and upgrade skills, there have also been several new skills added to the game. The skills are designed to make playing characters more exciting, and enhancing the experience for each class for both PvP and PvE. With 15 new skills available, players can modify their characters better and increase their level of specialization in parties and groups.

New Skills Available With Aion 1.9 Patch

To summarize, the Aion 1.9 update includes:

• New Class Skills
• New Zone Quests
• Daily Quests
• Increased Experience Point Gain, Which Mean Less Grind
• Increased Quest Rewards and Drop Rates
• Enhanced User Interface
• And more …

All in all Aion's 1.9 update features new content and game enhancements specifically requested by the player community to improve content accessibility and the overall game experience. This update is expected to set the stage for the recently revealed AION: Assault on Balaurea update slated to release later this year. So, if you have yet to join, or are looking to come back, now is a great time to jump into the action and re-acquainted with the game and all the recent community-oriented enhancements.