Becaome Daeva Fast

This guide is speed-oriented, not fun-oriented, to make you become a Daeva as quickly as possible. If you have quests piling up or haven't played the game yet and are curious about the details, this guide is for you.
Instructions

Plains of Akarios > Clione Lake
1. Plains of Akarios > Clione Lake
2. Daminu Forest > Melpone's Camp
3. Kabara Mines > Poja Road
Receive quest ‘Lv1. New Mission' from NPC Elpis who's standing right across from you as soon as the intro cutscene ends.
Quest "A Voice from the Dreams" isn't going so well so let's exclude that from the list.



Talk to the NPCs with cyan diamonds over their heads to receive quests.
Follow the path and you'll see Mires. Talk to Mires to complete ‘Lv1.



New Mission' quest and receive ‘Lv1. Hunting Kerubim.'


The Kerubims can be found spread out around Mires, so quickly kill three and talk to him again.


Report to Mires and receive ‘Lv1. Recovering Crops.


The sacks of crops can be found beyond the hills behind Mires. After collecting [four sacks of crops] return to Mires.


There are some people having trouble finding this area. It's right over the hill behind Mires so don't go wandering off somewhere far!


After completing ‘Recovering crops,' report back to Mires. Receive ‘Lv2. Mission Report.'


Follow the path towards Town Akarios and you will see Kales Farm. Receive ‘Lv2. Problematic Merdion' from Kales.

Croplicker Merdions can be found in the farm adjacent to Kales'. Report back after you're done.


This farmer may not be as noticeable because he's always fighting monsters. Make sure to keep this in mind!


Once you get to level 3 through quests you will receive ‘Lv 3. New Skills' quest. If you're not level three yet, kill some mobs around you to get to level 3 then head to Town Akarios.


Once you enter Town Akarios you will automatically receive ‘Lvl 3. Call to Arms.'
Save your location to Akarios.
Receive ‘Lv3. Lost item without an owner' from Minaring.
Receive ‘Lv3. Uno's Ingredients' from Uno.

Go to your class trainer and complete ‘New Skills' quest. Purchase up to level five skill books.
Mage trainer was inside the church. But a kid(...) Lets' get as many books as we can.


Complete ‘Mission Report' by talking to Akarios Teleporter Polysia and receive ‘Lv2. (Repeat) Capturing Angelicas.'


Every time you see an Angelica pluck it out.


Complete ‘Lv3. Call to Arms' with Kalion who is standing in front of Polysia, then receive ‘Lv3. Kerubim Threat,' ‘Lv4. Elym Tribe's Request,' ‘Lv7. Explore Kabara Mines,' ‘Lv8. Odium Purification(?),' and ‘Lv9`

As you are exiting through the northern entrance, receive ‘Lv4. Book for Namus' from Melampus.


Renew ‘Lv3. Kerubim Threat' with Muranes standing next to Melampus.


Seek Peira of Clione Lake and receive ‘Lv4. Unwanted Guest of Clione Lake.

Peria and Kerubims can be found in these locations

Get to the opposite side of the lake and obtain six Hive meats.

While you're at it, kill five Brown Furred Braxes and five Repsma.


Once you're on the other side of the lake, kill small-horned Kerubims.

Return to Muranes at the town's entrance and renew ‘Lv3. Kerubim threat.'

Go further in where you found the small-horned Kerubims and collect ‘five Kerubim cuspids' from Bigfoot Kerubims.

Occasionally the Kerubim boss called Parurura would pop out. He only has a little more health than a regular mob so you shouldn't really have much trouble killing him.

As you are killing Kerubims make sure to pick up ‘five bottles of wine' lying around.

Return to Peira and report. Complete ‘Unwanted Guests of Clione Lake.'

Return to Muranes at the entrance and renew ‘Lv3. Kerubim Threat' once more.

Turn in ‘Kerubim Threat,' ‘Uno's Ingredients,' and ‘Lost Item Without an Owner' to Kalion, Unio, and Minaring, respectively.


Receive ‘Lv6. Hyean's Clothes' from the armour/weapons vendor.

Receive ‘Lv6. An Object to Light the Night' from Pranoua as you are on your way to Daminu Forest.

If you don't pay attention you'll walk by him without noticing him..

Then the quests lead you to Melpone Camps and Daminu Forest.

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Aion producer talks stun removal, Dredgion tweaks

The fourth and final interview in the Ask Kinslon series is hot off the presses, wherein Aion producer Chris 'Kinslon' Hager answers a few questions posed by NCSoft's Daeva of Journalism, a.k.a. Aquilanius. For the lengthy encore, Hager touches on user interface improvements, instance changes, and new skills as they relate to the upcoming 1.9 patch.

"So to clarify, all classes will get the stun removing skill at level 40. The duration when this skill is used is seven seconds. It has a one-minute cool-down. I can almost see the Assassin's minds running now with new strategies to combat this. I am honestly very excited to see what the new strategies that this will generate combat. Our players are smart and adaptive, and I have no doubt we'll see some cool combat tactics come out of this," Hager says.

The interview goes on to list some interesting tweaks to the high-level Dredgion instance, as well as movable hotbars and other long overdue UI tweaks. Check it out at the official site.

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Aion North American Public Test Server live

NCSoft has opened the doors to its new Aion North American Public Test Server as of yesterday, offering players the opportunity to poke, prod, and probe content and patches before they make their way to the game's live servers.

Testers are free to create both Asmodian and Elyos avatars, both of which will enjoy substantially increased XP gain, crafting, gathering, and item drop rates, and Abyss Point gain. Accessing the test server requires a separate Aion installation on your hard drive, which can be accomplished by duplicating your existing Aion folder or via a fresh install. 

NCsoft cautions new testers that character wipes may happen at any time, so don't expect the PTS to feature a persistent version of your main with increased XP. Test server characters also will not count against your character number limit on Aion's live servers. 

Check out the installation instructions as well as the technical discussion thread on the official boards. Aion Source has also dedicated a forum to the public test server.

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Aion producer talks casual leveling

Aion's weekly Ask Kinslon interview column is back after a short hiatus. Aquilanius, NCSoft's Daeva of Journalism, has a few questions for producer Chris 'Kinslon' Hager, focused on the Energy of Repose and Energy of Salvation mechanics coming with the 1.9 patch next month.

The new systems appear to be designed to ease the leveling process, which has been a frequent complaint of Aion customers since the title launched last fall. "Energy of Salvation is for players who are leveling more slowly than other players of the same level. You can gain Energy of Salvation starting at level 15. It is intended for casual players, or players that really enjoy exploring and pursuing interests in game that don't drive directly toward leveling as fast as possible. It's also meant for people who get distracted by shiny things instead of leveling," Hager says.

Check out the full interview over at the official Aion web site.

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Wings Over Atreia: The Carebear Reloaded

So I hit level 40 about three weeks ago and, in between bouts of boredom brought on by the grindiness that seems to increase exponentially with each level after 35, I thought it best to take a column and determine what to do next. With luck, a few of you learned readers might even have a suggestion for staving off my particular case of the Atreia blues.

In the interests of full disclosure, there are still many things I absolutely adore about Aion, but the mid to high level grind is beginning to take its toll on my Sorcerer's will to progress. Higher level acquaintances have assured me that upon dinging 50, even more grind awaits in the form of gear sets and all manner of desirables walled off by that crazy Eastern-style treadmill. At the risk of stating the obvious, these were not the words of encouragement that I needed to hear in order to soldier on toward the finish line.

Help a Daeva out after the jump.

Finding Purpose

If it is indeed purpose that drives us, it's no wonder my Sorcerer is stuck going slow in the fast lane, utterly bereft of purpose and unsure of where to go next. When in doubt, make a list I always say, and then get your readers to help you check it twice. The options, as I see them currently, are as follows:

So you're here to save the world...

I can spend my days in Eltnen, ridding the land of annoying Asmodian rifters and earning the love and adoration of low-level Elyos everywhere (and quite possibly the enmity of those same Elyos if they're looking for a fair fight). While I'm there, I could even farm a few omblic petals and sell them to finance the completion of yet another grind: mastercraft alchemy or tailoring.

It's strange, the code is somehow different

I could roll an alt (well, I'd actually have to delete one first, as my character select screen is currently bursting with expendables). This is the most intriguing possibility right off the bat, simply because one of the things I like most about Aion is the combat system, and the notion of approaching it in another class's shoes is quite appealing.

There's also the level 30 Daeva armor to acquire, after which WTF-pwning denizens of Morheim would become considerably less challenging and considerably more amusing. The downside is, of course, more grinding to obtain it, as I would need to level four more characters to 30 to acquire the full set for one of them.

The other downside of the alternate route is going through Poeta, Verteron, and Eltnen for the 3,720th time. Honestly I'd rather be subjected to sixteen straight hours of Rick-rolling, my eyelids peeled back in their best Malcolm McDowell impersonation, than to have to see that fat freaking Porgus turning on a Krall spit one more time. Aion's starter zones, while engaging the first, second, and possibly even third time through, are positively repugnant at this point, and make one long for the diversity of EverQuest II's newb lands, or dare I say it, World of Warcraft's. Given all that, an Asmodian alt beckons, if I could just shave the back hair.

It's good for two things: degreasing engines and killing brain cells

I could become a full time crafter. Thus far I've dabbled my way to the low 300s in both alchemy and tailoring and I haven't really tried to do anything other than level the skills. There is money to be made selling gear and consumables, and I could also knock out a few of the novels on my nightstand while occasionally glancing up to click the work orders.

I know Kung-Fu

Still another option would be to actually learn how to PvP, rather than relying on groups or level disparities. The downside here is that it would take time, and you know, research and stuff. Whoa.

Tumbling down the rabbit hole

Roleplay in Aion has always appealed to me, even though I've done precious little of it. The lore is unique and a great stopping off point for original storytelling, without the clumsy baggage of pre-existing canon or reams of faux history gumming up the works. Trouble is, the game's early levels are undeniably fun and jam packed with quest and PvP content, and it really takes a conscious effort to stop and tell a story. Also, given the lack of personal user space in the form of guild or individual housing, and the fact that everyone mostly rushes about from one quest hub to the next, it's rare to run across random roleplay, and rarer still to find it in the same place twice.

So there you have it my fellow Daevas. What do you think of my list? Have I left out any gameplay avenues or options? Do you have any other suggestions for rekindling the flame? Until next week, keep following the white rabbit.

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Aion retrospective: Six months (and change)

You'll have to forgive us if we're a tad bit tardy with our six-month Aion retrospective. Traditionally we like to get these look-backs out on, or just before, the actual anniversary date, but in Aion's case, we were hoping to be able to drop a bit of information (like, say, a release date) for the 1.9 patch motherlode that NCSoft is poised to unleash on the North American servers.

Alas, deadlines being what they are, the actual six month anniversary came and went and we don't have the earth-shattering news we were hoping for. That said, there have been a few noteworthy tweaks made during the game's initial run, and we've collected them for you after the cut.

Aion played a relatively conservative hand over its first six months, foregoing huge patches and ginormous gameplay changes in favor of bug fixes, optimization, and small-scale class balancing tweaks. The big news was more about the goings on outside of the game, both in the form of account issues and visions of the future.

Of bots and bans

Nearly everyone agrees that one of Aion'smajor problems during the early part of its life was the number of kinah-seller bots. Many of us can recall adding five to ten names (if you can call CcchsjkerhhtWTFlol a name) to our ignore list each time we logged into the game during those first few weeks. As a result,NCSoft lowered the ban hammer on an epic scale, and, while the bot problem has not been completely eradicated, there are noticeably fewer farmers spamming the chat channels. As an additional anti-spam measure, chat channels were restricted to players level ten and higher, as was the whisper/private messaging mechanic and the character search function.

In addition to mass account bannings, a thirty minute AFK timer was also instituted, which cut down on the number of spammer store fronts. Login problems caused by private stores during the title's busy post-launch rush were also alleviated in the process.

Changes aren't permanent, but change is

On the gameplay front, several changes were made to the fortress siege mechanics. Among the most notable were vulnerability timer reductions from two hours to a half hour, general performance tweaks, and additional contribution medal rewards. Additionally, the first six months saw many tweaks to class skills and balance. An exhaustive list of each change is beyond the scope of this article, but a few of the more noteworthy nudges were given to Spiritmasters in the form of magic accuracy boosts, two additional skills, and the ability for their pets to fly. Other classes received love as well, including the Cleric (a buff to the thunderbolt skill) and the Templar (a hate boost for a stigma taunting skill). Smaller, but still noticeable gameplay changes included spell cast range increases, lowered defenses (but raised hit points) on elite mobs, stigma shard cost reductions, and functionality for checking your instance cool down timers.

The biggest gameplay change has, thus far, been semi-permanent. In early 2010, NCSoft began offering double experience weekends on all servers, which resulted in players flooding back to the game on specified weekends and gorging themselves on a forty-eight hour diet of grind-friendly mobs and repeatable quests. Clearly the developers have noticed the player demand for an easier leveling curve, and it will be interesting to see if they take it further (as they've hinted at for upcoming patches) or leave well enough alone and continue the bonus weekends.

Future perfect

No doubt the biggest attention-grabber ofAion's initial six months took place outside of the game itself.

While not a change per se (at least not yet), no doubt the biggest attention-grabber of Aion's initial six months took place outside of the game itself. The title's future potential was showcased in the radicalVisions trailer, and, even though it didn't do anything for current gameplay, it did re-kindle much of the launch period enthusiasm for the game when it debuted in November 2009.

Similarly, NCSoft's plans for the forthcoming 1.9 patch showcased a bit of a directional change for the title in the form of lessened travel and death expenses, signs of an easing leveling curve, and new quest content and group-building tools. Finally, in a move sure to please even the most jaded Atreian cynic, NCSoft just announced a makeover and major functionality upgrade for the much-reviled official forums. Mark April 5 on your calendars for the move to the widely adopted vBulletin forum software.

Endgame

Aion's first six months were relatively quiet when measured against the painful teething of other 2009 MMORPG releases. While there were a fair number of tweaks and balances, major revamps were nowhere to be found, in part because of the smooth nature of the game's launch, and also becauseNCSoft still has a few biscuits in the oven. Stay tuned to Massively for up to the minute Aion news as well as our weekly look at all things Atreia.

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Wings Over Atreia: The Official Aion Magazine Issue One impressions

We here at Massively rarely 'review' MMORPGs, mainly because they're such sprawling, ever-evolving games that by the time we finished penning our initial impressions, they'd likely be out of date. That said, we'll happily give you our review of magazines based on MMORPGs. Under the microscope today is the debut issue of the The Official Aion Magazine.

Crazily enough, this e-zine focuses on NCSoft's Aion, and much like its namesake, the publication is a glossy, heavily produced affair crammed with beautiful avatars, absurd amounts of eye candy, and a gorgeous layout. The similarities end there, however. Whereas the game has a bit of depth and offers a multitude of ways for players to wile away the hours, The Official Aion Magazine's beauty is skin deep, and leaves a little something to be desired in terms of insightful original content.

Fly past the cut for more about the debut issue.

The good

As noted, the magazine looks gorgeous. Cranberry Publishing clearly has some talented graphic artists on staff, as the publication makes fantastic use of both screenshots and concept art to draw the reader into the stylized world of Atreia. Font and page design are equally impressive and complement the images well; the entire affair is easy to read and slickly professional all at once.

The breadth of content is also a plus, as is the three-pronged focus on news, tactics, and community. Additionally, individual players and player legions are spotlighted, including images, interviews, and commentary on everything from server firsts to leveling strategies.

A lengthy interview with NCSoft's European community team was also a highlight. Though the questions were somewhat generic, the interviewees came off as appealing folks who genuinely enjoy their work, and the ability to put faces with names goes a long way towards humanizing development teams from a player perspective.

The bad

Those of you who remember the pre-internet days of scouring the local bookstore for copies of PC Gamer, Nintendo Power, and Cinescape may feel a bit of nostalgia creeping up on you as you flip through the pages of Issue One, but you'll just as easily banish such thoughts with a quick Aion-related Google search. Therein lies the rub with The Official Aion Magazine. All of the visual horsepower in the world can't quite overcome the lack of fresh content. If this were a print publication, a bit of dated and/or glossed up info might be more forgivable, but a digital-only magazine that doesn't offer anything different from what is freely available across many forums and fansites is a bit of a head-scratcher.

As an example, the cover and the contents page pays lip service to the Aion Vision trailer, breathlessly hinting at questions being answered and new insights abounding. Unfortunately, neither comes to pass as you read what amounts to a rehashing of all that's been said about the Visions trailer online over the past several months (which is to say, not much), complete with a paused-frame speculative analysis that has also been done before.

"We'll bring you the official word about the availability of the various innovations showcased in Aion Vision as and when. In the meantime, let's take a look at some of those amazing highlights," proclaims the article, not quite living up to the 'future of Aion revealed' text prominently printed on the cover. To be fair to the magazine publishers, the lack of concrete information about Vision likely stems fromNCSoft, but it is still disappointing to see the lead cover article turn out to be completely devoid of information.

The magazine's guide articles are similarly light on substance, or at least, new substance. The Ultimate Guide to Manastones article does contain some useful information for those new to the world of Atreia and wondering what the heck sockets, criticals, and +60s are all about. There are also some spiffy looking tables detailing success probability and complete manastone lists. However, these things have been discussed and archived ad nauseam over at Aion Source and other online hot spots.

The ugly

Something this beautifully produced cries out to be made manifest in physical form rather than existing solely as a stream of ones and zeros.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm growing increasingly weary of the move to digital distribution across all forms of media. I'd love to hold a copy ofThe Official Aion Magazine in my hands, as you can almost feel the slickness of the pages and smell the fresh print. Something this beautifully produced cries out to be made manifest in physical form rather than existing solely as a stream of ones and zeros subject to the whims of its host server. NCSoft and Cranberry no doubt saved a ton of money by not producing an actual magazine, but, putting on my collector/fanboy hat, I'd prefer to pay more for a real product that I can put on my shelf.

Now, before all you under-30 technophiles burn me at the stake for being a Luddite, understand that I used to write code for a living and never take more than three steps without access to some type of computer. It's not the technology that chafes but rather, the wasted opportunity for expanding the memorabilia collection.

Finally, accessing the magazine during Eastern Prime Time on a weekend was an exercise in frustration. I spent far too long staring at the swirling circle 'loading' graphics as my poor cable modem attempted to suck down the meat of the magazine. Eventually I gave up and decided to try off-peak hours and was finally rewarded with the ability to load all 102 pages. Whether my 6Mbps connection is to blame or not, the point is that this highlights one of the annoyances inherent in digital-only distribution, and should be addressed in the form of subscriber download options.

Final Analysis

At the end of the day, The Official Aion Magazine is exactly what it sets out to be: a fanzine for those hardcore folks who want to collect absolutely everything related to their favorite franchise. For the rest of us, it represents a questionable value, at least judging by the maiden voyage. There's nothing here in terms of content that isn't freely available elsewhere, a fact NCSoft seemed to acknowledge by bundling desirable in-game items exclusively with long-term subscription purchases. While the basis for a good range of coverage is in place, here's to hoping that future issues focus on depth as opposed to breadth, and ramp up the relevant content to match the level of polish.

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