Wings Over Atreia: The bittersweet reality of Aion's Fast Track

 
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I called it!

Way back in the far recesses of time (also known as last summer), we learned about a major change heading to Aion with the 3.1 patch: the Fast Track server. Although I could certainly see the benefits of a PvP-free leveling zone that heaped XP upon players even more than before, I also questioned whether such a move would herald the untimely death of the corresponding areas on the main servers.

Fast forward to the pre-spring of 2013, by which time Deavas have had time to acclimate to the new feature, stretching their level-55-or-under wings on the Fast track server if they were so inclined. So what's the consensus? Is it all that and a bag of dado chips, or has the game lost a part of that special something that made Aion, Aion? In my opinion, there's enough of the latter to call the Fast Track server a mixed blessing.

First a disclaimer: As I don't have enough character slots (*hint hint NCsoft!*) or accounts to roam through every faction on every server, my observations are largely confined to the two servers I play, one as Asmodian and one as Elyos. And even between the two servers, I see a disparity in the effects of the Fast Track server, so your server may have a slightly different experience than noted here.

Looking on the bright side
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Trumpeted as a way for folks to get things done without the threat of being hounded and killed by enemy forces, the Fast Track really did meet this goal; nary an enemy interrupts your questing while over in these protected lands. But what about another hopeful result -- has it been a boon to the population, enticing and keeping new players as they navigate the wilds of Atreia?

I definitely can't give any hard numbers here, but just last week I grouped with someone who indicated that the particular dungeon we were starting was the very first he'd ever been to in Aion. I still run across players who are obviously less familiar with the game, so I know new players exist and are utilizing the Fast Track server. If group offerings are any indication, I might even venture to say that the Asmodian side is bustling with new folks, but that could also just be a flood of alts using the server as a springboard to reach max-level as fast as possible. Buy Aion Gold

There were definitely plenty of groups to be had on the Fast Track server, at least for Asmos. The Elyos side? Not so much. When searching for a group in Asmodae, I actually had to scroll to see all the available offerings! One of the greatest benefits of this server is the fact that everyone from all the different servers congregates in one, expanding the pool of available groupmates. If you can't find enough people to run Fire Temple or Nochsana Training Camp with you on your home server, just pop on over to Fast Track and chances are you will find yourself a posse. (Point of note: Even though the NTC is in the Abyss, which is not a part of the combined server, you can access this dungeon via an NPC standing in the fortress in Morheim or Eltnen)

Sadly, my experience has been that the Elyos have had much fewer offerings on the Fast Track each time I have checked. Then again, I did find groups on my regular server, so maybe the combined server is just used less frequently by the light-winged of some servers.
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Dark side of the server

So while I'll be the first to admit that the introduction of the new server has not been all bad, it hasn't been without consequences. As much as this feature has brought to Aion, it's also taken some things away, things that we can't get back now. It also heralded, in my opinion, a bit of a philosophical change for the game.

What's been lost? On at least one server, groups simply cannot be found to do any content; those NTC and FT groups that abounded on Fast Track were glaringly absent on the regular server. While searching for some folks to party with, I was advised to just switch over to the Fast Track. But the point was I didn't want to switch; I wanted to play on the regular servers. Sadly, the lower-level zones on home servers have become a bit like ghost towns.

Why would I prefer the regular servers? Because part of what I loved about Aion -- and what I feel made it special -- was that sense of danger I experienced while playing. You had to be looking over your shoulder lest an enemy sneak up on you! It's not that those pesky red dots always swarmed and crashed your hunting party, but just the chance that it could happen at any time was one of the key elements of the game. You had to pay attention or suffer the consequences. On the Fast Track, there is no such feeling. Aion Items
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The sense of accomplishment for completing tasks despite the danger and difficulties is also missing. The chance of happening upon an enemy and engaging in a good fight is stripped away, as is the chance to bump into enemies and engage in amusing pseudo-conversations. The memories of conquering despite the odds, escaping by the skin of your teeth, or even losing spectacularly are not possible. Sure, those can be had at endgame, but who the heck wants to wait until then to enjoy an integral aspect of the game? Frankly, I find the combined server dull and use it as little as possible. Unfortunately, I am forced to if I want to find groups to complete certain tasks or dungeons.

While I agree that easing a harsh level grind is certainly not a bad thing, I hate that the game seems to be ever-spiraling toward satisfying the whims of the instant gratification crowd. When will the influx of easy buttons stop? What's wrong with enjoying the game as you go; why does it have to be about getting to the end now now now before you can really start "playing"? The Fast Track server sends the message, whether intended or not, that any content below the max levels is basically just something that must be temporarily endured until you make it to the "real" game. When introducing the Fast Track server (and even before that when offering double XP before other major expansions), NCsoft noted that it wanted folks to be able to get to the new content faster so they don't miss out. Who says playing below max level is missing out?!

Personally, I totally disagree with this philosophy. The world of Atreia is beautiful, and the stories and quips throughout the quest lines are worth experiencing. So why rush through and lose such a huge part of the game? Daevas who barrel through really cheat themselves out of the full experience. They also have fewer ties to the game, especially those bonds forged through sharing experiences. Heck, they curtail their chances of even having experiences, period! And let's not forget that fewer ties make it easier to walk away.

At least this aspect could have been avoided had the Fast Track server just focused on its role of bringing people together for groups and left off the XP bonus. I am all for having more folks to do things with, but it didn't have to be at the expense of content. What do you think? Has the Fast Track server been a boon or bane to the game? Or has it not made a difference one way or the other? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Join the Premier Club – Now Available until February 4th

There’s still time to join the Premier Club to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the amazing members’ updates in 2013!

Entry to the Premier Club was originally due to end at the close of January. However, due to popular demand, this period has been extended until Monday, 4th February 2013. Epic new quests, skills and bosses are set to land in RuneScape this year and choosing one of the three Premier Club packages will ensure you don’t miss out. sell cheap runescape gold

Choose the Gold package and you’ll receive:
1.12 months RuneScape membership.
2.10% discount in Solomon’s General Store.
3.An extra daily Squeal of Fortune spin (for a total of three).
4.Paladin armour and helmet, sword and shield.
5.Priority access to all RuneScape closed betas in 2013.
6.2000 RuneCoins.
7.A range of special cosmetic items.
8.Entry into a prize draw to win a trip for two to Jagex HQ (Cambridge, UK)*.
9.Quarterly Premier Club newsletter, packed with information and offers.
10.Terms and Conditions apply. sell rs cheap powerleveling

Entry to the Premier Club is open until Monday, 4th February 2013 23:59 (GMT). To join and find full details of all three packages, click here.

Any additional questions? Be sure to check out our Premier Club FAQ.
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Aion 3.5 finally lands on EU servers today

   While North American Daevas have been enjoying all the goodies that came with Aion 3.5 since last October, folks across the pond had to continue to wait for their turn. Now, though, the wait is finally over as Gameforge has released patch 3.5 on the European servers. EU Daevas can get their PvP on in new arenas, enjoy special legion quests (along with a legion level cap increase to eight), and dive into new dungeons like Tiamat's Stronghold. Players wanting a break from the adventuring side of life can take part in the new village improvement process to get new housing designs and add NPCs to the neighborhood.

   Get a glimpse of Tiamat as she awaits you in the trailer after the break, then hop in game to face her for yourself!Cheap Aion Kina world of warcraft gold

Why RuneScape has a Future...

     

     Between all the negativity and other screams of, "See, this is why RS will be dead in a year!" I thought it was high time to take a different look and provide something of a counter-argument.

     What is one of the most common complaints? Well, besides yet another training spot being swarmed by bots, it's always been that some recent update has ruined some aspect of the game, or some evidence of Jagex being in serious trouble.

     But the same updates that ruin the lives of so many shut-ins also bring back people who quit long ago. Most people who subscribe to RuneScape (about 1.3 million now) have invested enough time in it, and made enough progress with their characters to check back with the game after a while.

    The EoC is a perfect example of this. Many people couldn't adjust to the new combat system and either quit, or stopped using combat altogether, something that is now painfully visible in the PvP clan world. But others liked it enough to return to RuneScape, sometimes helped by the fact that this combat system is more like the ones seen in similar games like World of Warcraft.

   While you can definitely point out the more destructive updates when looking back, it's hard to say if it had any significant impact on the game at all. Subscriber numbers occasionally dip but the general trend is still upwards.

   So people keep coming back to this game, but are the updates the only reason? Most games you will eventually complete. Sure, RuneScape is always changing, and there is something new to do almost every week. But is that all?

   Some people take it for granted these days, but saving your progress is done automatically. Even when X-ing out, whatever you did last (provided you're not about to be mauled to death) and wherever you did it is what you'll find next time you start playing. And you can start playing from the other side of the world without the need for an elaborate installation process.

   Yes, other games have that too, but RuneScape is a little more elaborate than Angry Birds.  sell  rs cheap powerleveling

   Sadly, RuneScape is still missing a vital element that the previously mentioned games do have. World of Warcraft and Angry Birds are mainstream enough that you can talk about it at parties without looking like a massive awkward idiot. But how many times have you gone red-faced when someone asked you what you were doing with all those hours spent online? Or did you just lie about it?

   I wonder what would happen if RuneScape was advertised during the evening news, rather than just on Cartoon Network. Or if they got someone to plug RS that HASN'T already been employed by Blizzard. Seriously, the list is endless, and it looks like they hired every single reject from the first Expendables movie.

   While 10 million subscribers is probably Mark Gerhard's wet dream, judging how people spend their money these days, I think that the F2P worlds would see the most traffic increase. But all it takes is for RuneScape to be mentioned once in the next viral music video of Gangnam Style proportions for the servers to be unreachable for a week.

   Speaking of reachability, isn't it annoying that you have to fire up your laptop before you can log in to spin the Squeal?

   Last we heard from MMG, he was "... happy to report that we also have a dedicated Future Tech team working on bringing the game to your favourite tablets, platforms and even smart TVs in due course..."


   Playing RS on my smartphone.
   Say what you want about the competition, but World of Warcraft, Skyrim, League of Legends, Guild Wars, you name it. None of those games are actually working on getting their stuff off of your computer, and on to your TV and hand held devices. They are investigating it, sure. But in business terms that means nothing but procrastination.  Buy Runescape Items

   In the end, none of this should come as a surprise to any of you. Anyone who's played RuneScape long enough knows that the game will always be there for them when they feel like playing it. The twist is this time is not about whether or not you are still playing "your" RuneScape, it is about HOW you will be playing RuneScape.

   Happy New Year, everyone. May 2013 guide you to calmer waters.

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Guild Wars 2's Wintersday is Here

    It's finally here! Oh joy, Wintersday is here! The snow machines have begun to cover the ground with snow, the presents are out, and the candy canes are ready for eating! ArenaNet has kicked off the huge holiday event in the world of Guild Wars 2, and it's been a blast.

    Much like the Halloween event in October, ArenaNet has changed the face of Lion's Arch to fit the holiday feel. The ground is covered with snow, and presents are laying around at every corner. Players are also sporting a nice new look, with a town outfit that would keep anyone warm in the cold. Other players are showing of their brand new Wintersday weapon skins, which can now be purchased separately. This is a very welcomed change, but I do wonder if 200 gems are a bit much for a single weapon skin. But at least you now have a chance to get exactly what you want without having to go through hundreds of random loot boxes. Some players are even finding their desired weapon skins in their gifts.（1）

    It would seem that a new jumping puzzle will indeed be introduced for each holiday. Wintersday throws players into the mystic forge, which is now a huge snow globe, for them to test their jumping abilities. Players must jump on snow flakes, candy canes, and exploding presents over a snowy forest to reach their goal. The pressure is on as the snow flakes begin to melt, and your health slowly drops.

   It seems that the puzzle would be easier than the Mad King's Clock Tower, and it is. You aren't in nearly as much of a rush, and most of the jumping surfaces are pretty big. ArenaNet also split the players up a bit, by taking a large group, and sending them on 3 separate paths. All the paths do connect at the half way point, but the first time jumpers will have fallen by then, so large groups aren't that big of a problem this time around.（2） buy or sell GW2 items

    Another welcomed change was in the waiting area itself. Piles of snowballs offered you a chance to take out your frustrations by beaming snowballs at other players. It keeps you occupied enough ‘til it’s time to start jumping again. Overall it's a vast improvement from the Clock Tower. It only took me 7 tries to conquer it. I'd say all those years of playing Mario games have paid off.

   ArenaNet threw in a really nice PVP map, and it's just what I wanted! Players are placed into two teams, and forced to fight over gifts, armed with only the snow. You can pick between a number of skill sets. I went with a support set, allowing me to construct snow wall barriers. I could also freeze the ground beneath the enemy's feet, watching them slip and fall on their butts. My favorite skill had to be the ability to turn my character into a huge snowball rolling around trampling other players, bringing chaos to their ordered tactical strikes. I wish real snowball fights were this much fun.（3） cheapest dekaron dil  cheap wow gold

    A big item on my Wintersday wish list was to play through a Wintersday themed dungeon. Tixx is an amazing toy maker, but he needs help. A large group of Skritt decided to be a bunch of Grentchs, and ruin Wintersday. Players have to help keep the Skritt threat under control. And just when you think your job is done, the toys themselves start to get a bit glitchy. The dungeon is pretty basic, taking place all in one room, giving players numerous tasks to complete in order to keep operations running smoothly.

   ArenaNet has posted a schedule for when and where Tixx will visit, and so far it seems he will be visiting a major city everyday until 20th, where he will remain at Lion's Arch until the 3rd of January. When he visits a new city it adds tasks in the dungeon. Based on the new tasks, you get rewards to build yourself a new toy. For example, let's say one day you help paint some princess dolls. After completing the dungeon, you're rewarded with parts to help you build a princess doll. What’s Wintersday without toys?  Cheap Ragnarok Online2 Zeny     Ragnarok Online 2's

   I feel like every wish on my Wintersday list has been granted. It’s only been 3 days into the event and there’s still much more fun to be had. If you haven’t yet, get your friends together, and some may be able to get family members as well, and join in on the holiday festivities. The holidays are always better with others. What do you think of Guild Wars 2's second holiday event so far? Are you enjoying the fact that it's much more available at ranging times of day? Let us know in the comments!

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   I Orc weapons of war, the mining, the head of the professional tailor, anti-halo gem, PVP equipped graduation, who ruby ??red force tough, yellow full-tough, gloves, belts no reward with yellow tough, shoulders pants enchant endurance single BUFF command 42W blood. Always wanted to write a detailed career duel experience 5.0 would have wanted to write, but because the version is too short, and I hit a lot of content results cafes computer error led to all content all gone so I did not write, see to the most recent doldrums soldiers district PVP, committed to taking the time to write a duel experiences.

1V1 is the basis of the PVP, although Blizzard claimed long ago abandoned 1V1, 2V2 balance, but I think the 1V1 is still familiar the PVP go the first step, all the conditions of the duel in use conditions Arena, so the total on birds, not to mention the rocket boots like.

Duel adhering to the Chinese principle of "no-first-use of weapons." Each other on birds I have the tortoiseshell to play down the other rocket boots I Frostweave network.



Cat Germany


Cat Tak outbreak, incarnation after the brain destruction outbreak can you Mandizhaoya while the cat Tak is three minutes a man. Three minutes once a real man to deal best with the gods, and so on reckless CD.

1: incarnation must pay attention to their blood line, too easy to seakill, a good sword in harm reduction.

: Hands Defensive Stance attack to eat set not panic, I woke up with aid care + assault or fauna + EU then Sasser, assault without contact Sasser have a great chance to count network delays lead Sasser venting.

3: The first Sasser use Berserker Rage, cheated out of the bark, and then into the the small German Open incarnation and Intimidating live conventional output stage, the small German solution Intimidating shockwave reckless set directly killed. If you understand this Intimidating at least dragged on for 8 seconds the incarnation time, stabilize the blood line.

4: badge is generally left to the brute force Slam, opened reckless instantaneous blow if possible solutions to this hair. For small German blood line must be fully predictable, newborn + violent recovery + druid survival instinct is still very hard.

Cat Germany is a very strong opponent, fight not to be taken lightly, do not believe that the resilience of the recovery too.

Civil war

I do not like to fight for civil war, the current version of the civil war who are willing to open skills who won, who face the same equipment cases who won equipment recast method is to ensure that the hit> crit> precision> mastery> haste And I Orc civil war or certain advantages.

The the Entertainment Bureau with the bloody, CD good fast can pick wheel war, the glass slide Bureau of words with the gods.

1: the glass slide Bureau then talent with Ares, recovery, shock, shock, defend, god.

2: sword beheaded near the line to stay in open life insurance, disarm, assembled Similarly, under normal circumstances, do not open the shield wall is hung to death during the shield wall, the blood can not get back, the blood line of the opponent soon rose to 35% of the one to one to a comeback opportunity.

3: hands with a defensive posture, because you're not sure who will first assault. If you are the first assault to eat Ares + shock wave, and you battle stance, then lost a lot. If you assault to the opponent, and then switch back to the fighting stance to fight a wave of dizzy end and then cut back to the defensive posture.

4:4.3 when strong conclude that body + card 8 yards with a windmill Bust opponent, watching opponents anxious tips, entertainment, when you can play, but can now defend the senki breaking fixed body so little value .

This is my field of honor the number 4.3 during the duel of winning is probably 2500 wins and 1000 losses like a comprehensive winning about 70% during the 5.0-5.1 duel is probably about 80% of the consolidated 2000 wins and 500 losses like winning.

Winning and not on behalf of my arena how how, but at least that I write duel experience after the actual study of one thousand field, rather than casually to playing immediately battlefield seat of your pants to write. PS: cross clothing duel encountered a law of God duel has a winning percentage of 90%! 10000 wins and 1000 losses, I really admire him.

The PVP first criteria: Behind the people beyond. To maintain modesty learning to constantly progress.

Some people say: not the most professional, only the strongest players. I think these words can be used to encourage new PVP enthusiasm, but certainly not the truth. 1V1 duel occupational imbalance everywhere, the same level of operating circumstances, some occupations is invincible, some professional is vulnerable. 4.3 soldiers without the aid of props, absolutely can not win the same level of Rogue, Mage, Hunter, Feral.

One day we wake up, it was found that the own hands yesterday playing career is no longer the front of that career.

At this time, you need to have this consciousness: choose any career is like to choose their own destiny, and destiny is Blizzard. Sometimes a strong career, to cherish the fate of such opportunities, and make good use of the advantages, and vulnerable do not be discouraged, and you can only do our best, but you can not be masters of our destiny.

Last, but fortunately this is just a game., Refuses to accept We can still REROLL the.Undo editsNew! Click the words above to edit and view alternate translations.

The big sword 90 experience.

1-10 scale Birthplace Scarlet frozen beginning on the next task, has been the story of the task to Daguai, soon you will be 10 to turn the first professional plus point according to certain growth targets to add C can see the property bar above the power of intellectual agility arranged down, with a growth target strength =? intelligence =? agility =? say to 10 when the number of points must be added to the growth target like this can be super, but did not have to meet the requirements of the points to get this growth task, after every 10 grow tasks can then birthplace officials next task, we must remember, jewelry increase the number of points is invalid.

10-20 grade 10 after the growth of the task is done, send the combo skills combo skills is an activated skills batter status is activated when pressing the combo skills, then the screen will appear on a Charge paddling bar, from left to right, this is the combo system, how can we achieve the batter too! We first run under the Charge bar Charge bar is divided into 3 grid, the grid on the left is the longest almost right 2 squares, relatively short in order to achieve the batter must when the the Charge bar appears across the first grid, second grid and third grid when press skills, and then immediately enters the second connected, and so on and so on, the more connected to the back of the second grid and the grid will become smaller combo skills PK and leveling are very easy to use, everyone leveling a lot and thought feel batter state the attack upgrade their skills to enhance speed crit rate increase! say something to put even move when the same moves can not be continuously used twice, put strokes without blood (in this case, otherwise interrupt even strokes)

Skills under the first say, divided into 8 stages, just come out a novice can see the skill points above 0/15 novice K this your current skill level is novice stage 0, when you rise to the novice stage 15 can be turned into the next phase of the regular army, learning skills, you will find that the occupational level, or can not learn, and that is your skill level is not enough, know that played RF, and RF inside the PT is a nature of high-level , the skill level is not the same garbage a. skills divided into the swordsmen the magic passive dedicated four categories, the game is not called so inside, but you can put it this way, the swordsman is majoring skills, good skills of the magic inside blood back other are remote skill used Yinguai the the fine, passive skills follow your swordsman skills to enhance the skill level, when the the swordsman skill level to the regular army, it also can learn passive regular army magic the dedicated skills are skills no career growth task send a inside

Previously learned skills I do not Yiyi explained, did not watch the game, just saying it, beginning with a lightning absorb surgery magic, this is very good with 2 cell group of offensive skill. Skills inside the range is 2 even group attacking skills casting distance of the front are generally 1 cyclone chop casting range is 1-3, which is 3 grid, I used to use multi-stage 70, a 1-7 magic change cyclones and human PK useful, others run when hit, but also to people down.

20-30 is still the same then the task of leveling the basic liters are soon to growth of 20 tasks to send an instant strengthen skills, enhance attack hit force evasion, crit rate, defense, many, instant strengthen a level with your level 10 upgrade.

30-40 level to 30 do the the growth task, but also sent a second strengthening skills, this skill can add 100 points of blood, as well as attack, defense, hit and evaded more than instant strengthen the blood, at the same time and instantly strengthen use long as the SP is enough. grade and your grade 10 lifting one.

40-50 level to 40 you will receive a growth task done after creating the Association eligible to officials at select create guilds do not need money. Guild 110 individuals received.

50-70 class 50 can be said to be a leap, learn to fight state inside the second enhancement, Death Scythe. Everybody called called transfiguration. Swordsman becomes blue to take the scythe of death, even made a change in body the dedicated spinner sickle skills, ultra-high attack, can used to seckill. transfiguration after ultrafast use normal attack 打怪 speed, but also a group attack.

50 can do the task enter the Fourth maps, harbor.

51 in the fourth map, find the magic merchant then the task will be sent to the production Toolbox With this you can create something per person functions select a production, there are treasures. Heavy equipment, light equipment, heavy weapons artificial equipment see you to choose which, if it is to play with, we can each choose one, do not have to do the same, when the waste material is enough to make equipment and jewelry plus skills experience, the other did not need to go do, too difficult liters, 2 production, ingredients Daguai out.

Growth of 60 task is to send the blue too gold heavy gloves +3, so we do not go red too gold hands, something to send to the 60. Still the +4 defense the best hand, is a 2-hole, stone smashing better.

65 can take the task into five maps

70 the growth task is to send equipment, this is to send the blue too gold heavy head, head, when I play also waste a lot of stones to bash in the head and hands, and so sent feel loss.

The 70-80 level recommended we go into the new map, first do not do the task, and go directly to the Daguai, I got to look strange are yellow at the edge of the edge joint task liters, so as not to slow, or a change in the map, the former 5 liters quickly followed by five Daguai experience little, not any new maps you change a lot of time that will drag down.

80, then the task can enter the land of the undead grocer to buy a the western drug ring replica from Scarlet Bingfeng playing ghost one entrance

85 can take the task to send the map of the land of the undead and send the password, the name is death serac the moment, I have not done, as if this task BUG.

85 seems to also be able to take the task into the lake at dusk, 85 or 86 forget, anyway, received the mission will be able to hold the map piece from the the bloodsucking mosquitoes Queen despair oasis where the entrance into the lake at dusk, where the strange experience very high into the brush very good experience and equipment.