Hello!

Welcome to the Open Beta Test for Aion in both Europe and North America.

Below you will find a list of the major changes and additions to Aion since you last participated in our Closed Beta Test. We have done our best to provide a comprehensive list of changes. The Open Beta brings the game content up to the 1.5 patch that is available in Korea; the same updates that were made to the Korean live servers are being implemented here, as well. While there may be some differences when comparing the official NA/EU notes to fan site translations of Korea’s official notes, the game content is the same.

Not only does Open Beta bring a number of game improvements and additions, you’ll also notice that we had a major terminology overhaul to complete our effort of Westernizing the game. Many skills and items have changed since the Closed Beta Test and should be a welcome surprise as you explore the world.

While we feel the Open Beta version will provide a complete experience, we wanted to note that this is not our final update before launch. Our launch version is in internal testing, and it will continue to flesh out the 1.5 update with the help of your feedback and experiences in Open Beta.

Please remember this is an Open Beta Test, and while our goal is to provide you with a flawless Aion experience, there are behind-the-scenes infrastructure tests happening to prepare for launch. One very important area that will affect everyone is that we will be balancing races as folks rush to log into the servers. As a result, you may get a “This race cannot be created” message because that server is starting to become unbalanced. It’s important to us that we try and keep a balance of the races during the Open Beta of Aion. If you come across this message, please feel free to try another server or wait until the server balance has tipped back.

Another hot topic has been our Web site and whether we will be bringing over some of the services that Korea has provided to their community. The short answer is yes! Just like the PowerWiki, we will be bringing some of these services to our own site. We hope to begin rolling them out in the coming weeks.

Overall, we are very excited for Open Beta – it is a culmination of a lot of effort and the feedback of our community. For example, one of the most requested features during Closed Beta testing was a suggestion to use the left mouse button to change the camera. We also added more content both in the persistent game world and in instanced dungeons. You’ll see this change and many others were added in this game update, including:

1. New Areas: Theobomos (Elysea) and Brusthonin (Asmodae)
2. New Instances!
3. Over 40 new default faces have been added to character creation.
4. Increased PvPvE rewards
5. UI changes (click-to-move has been disabled by default)
6. New items!
7. New skills + increased balance
8. Tons of new quests.
9. Advanced Stigma Stone System
10. Chat Channels
a. Class
b. Region
c. Looking For Group
d. Languages

Find a full list of patch notes here.

With this update there is a lot of great content and a very fun world to explore, and we hope that during Open Beta you will experience the magic that is Aion.

Open Beta starts 9 a.m. PDT (5 p.m. BST, 6 p.m. CEST) on Sunday, September 6th.

Brian Knox
Producer, Aion

Aion players can now determine the fate of Atreia with the aid of new gaming gear from SteelSeries. The SteelSeries Zboard™ Limited Edition Aion™ Keyset and SteelSeries QcK Limited Edition Aion™ Asmodian Mousepad have been co-designed with NCSoft to provide the ultimate MMO gaming experience through customized functionality and original in-game artwork. The Limited Edition Aion Keyset offers the full breadth of in-game commands and complete customization of each key, while the Limited Edition Aion Asmodian Mousepad provides a precise, consistent glide for mouse movements. SteelSeries’ new Aion gear gives players the tools they need to battle and quest with superior control regardless of their faction or class. Check them out here.

NCsoft and DC Comics have joined forces to present “Aiva’s Story,” a limited edition comic book that spins the tale of the Asmodian Aiva and her quest for vengeance. If you’re wondering how to collect this one-of-a-kind comic, make your way to the NCsoft booth this weekend at the Penny Arcade Expo, where limited copies of the comic will be available. You can also receive the comic when purchasing the game at GameStop stores in the United States, as well as Electronic Boutiques in Canada. See the ethereal world of Aion in a whole new way in Aiva’s Story!

Calling all Daevas in Europe! Fly as fast as your wings will take you to one of these web sites now to get your hands on an Aion open beta key. You will be able to find the full client for download on GamersHell along with a a patch for the closed beta client if you have the core files already. Torrent files and additional client download locations may also be found at several of the below listed web sites.

Open beta keys are available at:

UK
www.eurogamer.net

Nordic
www.GameReactor.net

Italy
www.multiplayer.it
www.gamesource.it
www.aionitalia.it
www.born2play.it (beginning September 4th)

Germany
www.buffed.de
www.gamestar.de
www.pcgames.de
www.onlinewelten.com
www.gamona.de
www.gamers.at
www.spieletipps.de
www.eurogamer.de
www.4xp.de
www.allvatar.com
www.playmassive.de

Netherlands
www.pu.nl

Belgium
www.9lives.be

France
www.clubic.com

Spain
www.hardgame2.com

Congratulations to Louis Media of Houston, TX, the winner of the Aion Launch Party Contest! Louis and his guest are off to Seattle for a fun-filled weekend, including the sold-out Penny Arcade Expo and the exclusive Aion launch party at the Space Needle. A weekend packed with games, excitement, and Aion – what could be better? Congratulations again, Louis!

The Aion open beta begins next week, and the Internet is all abuzz about it! IGN.com and a number of your favorite gaming sites have all the news about the open beta, head start, and pre-select events. You can also find a preview of this weekend’s fun at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle on IGN.com!

Elsewhere on the ‘Net, Ten Ton Hammer offers another great guide this week, this time offering tips on character titles in Aion.

The “Aion Westernization Army” invaded the Web this week with a developer diary on MMORPG.com, as well as a lengthy interview on WarCry.

Check out this week’s great articles, and stay tuned for an influx of Aion news and excitement next week when PAX and open beta kick off!

WarCry recently caught up with the team charged with localizing all of the content in Aion – no easy task, but an impressive lineup of writers tackled the game head on! Hear straight from the Creative Writing Lead Marti McKenna and other members of the writing team to learn more about “Westernizing” Aion, bridging the culture gap between East to West, and more in this fascinating interview.