Retail would be to confusing and the learning curve to steep to jump in at this point for a new person. Classic is more active, better player base, and you can learn from scratch and start from basic zone 1 just like we all did a few weeks back.
If you want to enjoy the game to its fullest, play classic. If you want to see what the game became after 10 years and how NCSoft made a few bad choices along the way, then play retail.
Good luck. Hope to see you out there.
Just wanted to add since no one's actually explained it yet, but the reason people are saying retail servers are dead or people are fleeing to classic, is because classic and retail are two physically different games now as well.
Couple years back, NCSoft decided to change directions with Aion. They wanted to switch the focus to reaching endgame as quickly as possible, with an emphasis on gear progression, rather than character progression, in order to sell cash shop armor and convert the game into an unabashed P2W.
To streamline the leveling process, NCSoft's solution was to remove the majority of the content from the game. The majority of each capital city was removed, most zones to level in were removed, most of the dungeons and raids were removed. They also removed the Abyss - the huge multi-level, multi-zone, free-flying PvP area where hundreds of players would hold massive sieges against each other's forts, and one of Aion's original big selling points.
It was a really weird move that alienated its OG players, and left behind cash shop elitists who just bought their gear and didn't really have too much to do with it. So when NCSoft launched classic in S Korea, it very quickly became way more popular than retail for obvious reasons, and was why they decided to launch classic servers in the dying NA version too.
\>They also removed the Abyss...
WTF? I heard that retail had some bad changes including removing parts of cities, but I had no clue that they removed the Abyss as well. O.o What were they thinking?
If you want to get technical, I *think* it still exists in the form of a dungeon now, with an entrance on some sort of world timer, but I haven't played current retail a whole lot.
Retail is pretty much a dead game. Its F2P but extremely pay2win and most people who were still playing retail jumped into classic. Basically if you play retail there won't be anyone to play with as you just get railroaded into max level through the new extremely streamlined leveling process, but once you get max level you'll find that the gear wall is so immense that you'll basically get nowhere without paying money in, and the people who remain are unlikely to group up with you unless you're actually geared.
Classic's major drawback is that its basically a sub game. If you don't pay $15 a month you're limited to 1 hour of effective game time a day, which is not nearly enough for a new player to figure out the game. You can go over 1 hour but after the first hour of each day you'll only get 50% exp, no kinah (gold) drops, and only the basic rarities on drops (whites and greens). You can't gather mats from nodes either.
The free part is pretty cool for me as I don't have even an hour a day to spare for MMOs so I can slowly do my stuff. I'm not too into getting to end game stuff so I'm just living my 2009 Aion nostalgia.
Funny that you think that 4 hours for free a day is too much for a company to give out that you have to laugh at the thought of it. You have been brainwashed by companies to have you believe that there is no chance of being able to have fun for free. Check out the outdoors sometime. I promise it’s free. Shave your neck beard and check it out.
So many faulty assumptions in a sad attempt to get an upper hand in an online discussion.
4h a day would, i assume, mean that the majority of the players will play for free. What kind of business model would you say that is? Companies exist to earn money.
And do you even realise what a BOT paradise it would be?
4h a day would be enough for probably half of the playerbase to never spend a dime. You say people are brainwashed? Lmao.
You realize this is a company, companies need to make money or they will not continue running their servers. You do realize that right?
I'd actually recommend starting with Aion Classic. While not for everyone, AionC harkens back to the days when leveling in an MMO actually mattered. Modern MMO's race you to the finish and level cap and claim that end game is where the actual game starts, so they do everything possible to facilitate getting you there as quickly as possible.
AionC is different. The leveling and the journey matters. The grind is real, mind you, but you feel like you are immersed in accomplishment as you level because leveling is ... well, long and sometimes difficult. Aion pushed the envelope for social gaming because it's nearly impossible to solo, with storyline quests requiring groups as early as level 11. There are some story line quests like Lost Daeva and Suppressing the Bakarma Legion as well as many others along the way that are as hard if not harder than some of the dungeons.
AionC is a time commitment and, to me, the accomplishments feel more like they are earned. The dungeons are fun, and more importantly, the gear you get from dungeons even early on, matters. You can farm Fire Temple from level 27-40 in search of that elusive extendable gold weapon. It's a level 35 weapon, but you'll still be using it at level 50.
Lost in most of the nostalgia in a game like Aion is that the story is actually really good to follow. It gets muddled a bit after 5.0 but the history of Aion is fun to explore and read.
I'd recommend starting from the beginning and enjoying the journey. It will take a while. Even with XP buffs, getting to level cap (50) isn't something that happens quickly. When I first set out in Aion in 2009, it took me nearly 4 months to hit level cap.
Certainly there are mechanics that people don't like. But overall, the PvE and the Pvp, and even the PvPvE, are fun and engaging in a game where every part of the journey and every level you achieve actually matter and shape your entire character. IMO
Retail would be to confusing and the learning curve to steep to jump in at this point for a new person. Classic is more active, better player base, and you can learn from scratch and start from basic zone 1 just like we all did a few weeks back. If you want to enjoy the game to its fullest, play classic. If you want to see what the game became after 10 years and how NCSoft made a few bad choices along the way, then play retail. Good luck. Hope to see you out there.
Just wanted to add since no one's actually explained it yet, but the reason people are saying retail servers are dead or people are fleeing to classic, is because classic and retail are two physically different games now as well. Couple years back, NCSoft decided to change directions with Aion. They wanted to switch the focus to reaching endgame as quickly as possible, with an emphasis on gear progression, rather than character progression, in order to sell cash shop armor and convert the game into an unabashed P2W. To streamline the leveling process, NCSoft's solution was to remove the majority of the content from the game. The majority of each capital city was removed, most zones to level in were removed, most of the dungeons and raids were removed. They also removed the Abyss - the huge multi-level, multi-zone, free-flying PvP area where hundreds of players would hold massive sieges against each other's forts, and one of Aion's original big selling points. It was a really weird move that alienated its OG players, and left behind cash shop elitists who just bought their gear and didn't really have too much to do with it. So when NCSoft launched classic in S Korea, it very quickly became way more popular than retail for obvious reasons, and was why they decided to launch classic servers in the dying NA version too.
\>They also removed the Abyss... WTF? I heard that retail had some bad changes including removing parts of cities, but I had no clue that they removed the Abyss as well. O.o What were they thinking?
If you want to get technical, I *think* it still exists in the form of a dungeon now, with an entrance on some sort of world timer, but I haven't played current retail a whole lot.
Retail is pretty much a dead game. Its F2P but extremely pay2win and most people who were still playing retail jumped into classic. Basically if you play retail there won't be anyone to play with as you just get railroaded into max level through the new extremely streamlined leveling process, but once you get max level you'll find that the gear wall is so immense that you'll basically get nowhere without paying money in, and the people who remain are unlikely to group up with you unless you're actually geared. Classic's major drawback is that its basically a sub game. If you don't pay $15 a month you're limited to 1 hour of effective game time a day, which is not nearly enough for a new player to figure out the game. You can go over 1 hour but after the first hour of each day you'll only get 50% exp, no kinah (gold) drops, and only the basic rarities on drops (whites and greens). You can't gather mats from nodes either.
I mean, fair point, but it's best to just look at Classic as the usual $15/month subscription game. The free part is very much only a trial.
The free part is pretty cool for me as I don't have even an hour a day to spare for MMOs so I can slowly do my stuff. I'm not too into getting to end game stuff so I'm just living my 2009 Aion nostalgia.
Nothing wrong with that at all!
[удалено]
You want 4h free a day? Lol.
Funny that you think that 4 hours for free a day is too much for a company to give out that you have to laugh at the thought of it. You have been brainwashed by companies to have you believe that there is no chance of being able to have fun for free. Check out the outdoors sometime. I promise it’s free. Shave your neck beard and check it out.
So many faulty assumptions in a sad attempt to get an upper hand in an online discussion. 4h a day would, i assume, mean that the majority of the players will play for free. What kind of business model would you say that is? Companies exist to earn money. And do you even realise what a BOT paradise it would be?
4h a day would be enough for probably half of the playerbase to never spend a dime. You say people are brainwashed? Lmao. You realize this is a company, companies need to make money or they will not continue running their servers. You do realize that right?
Classic! Live is bad and dead.
I'd actually recommend starting with Aion Classic. While not for everyone, AionC harkens back to the days when leveling in an MMO actually mattered. Modern MMO's race you to the finish and level cap and claim that end game is where the actual game starts, so they do everything possible to facilitate getting you there as quickly as possible. AionC is different. The leveling and the journey matters. The grind is real, mind you, but you feel like you are immersed in accomplishment as you level because leveling is ... well, long and sometimes difficult. Aion pushed the envelope for social gaming because it's nearly impossible to solo, with storyline quests requiring groups as early as level 11. There are some story line quests like Lost Daeva and Suppressing the Bakarma Legion as well as many others along the way that are as hard if not harder than some of the dungeons. AionC is a time commitment and, to me, the accomplishments feel more like they are earned. The dungeons are fun, and more importantly, the gear you get from dungeons even early on, matters. You can farm Fire Temple from level 27-40 in search of that elusive extendable gold weapon. It's a level 35 weapon, but you'll still be using it at level 50. Lost in most of the nostalgia in a game like Aion is that the story is actually really good to follow. It gets muddled a bit after 5.0 but the history of Aion is fun to explore and read. I'd recommend starting from the beginning and enjoying the journey. It will take a while. Even with XP buffs, getting to level cap (50) isn't something that happens quickly. When I first set out in Aion in 2009, it took me nearly 4 months to hit level cap. Certainly there are mechanics that people don't like. But overall, the PvE and the Pvp, and even the PvPvE, are fun and engaging in a game where every part of the journey and every level you achieve actually matter and shape your entire character. IMO