AION

Aion is a high fantasy, free-to-play MMORPG that centers on the war between the game’s two factions: The Asmodians and the Elyos. Developed by the Aion Team and published by a number of publishers worldwide (most notably NCSoft in the US and GameForge in the EU),

New players will choose a faction and then choose one of 6 classes (Warrior, Scout, Mage, Priest, Technist, and Muse) to start the game and will have the chance to further specialize this class upon “Ascending” when you reach level 10. This is also when players will receive the feature Aion may most well be known for, your wings. Using these wings, players can glide and swoop their way down onto foes in both PvE and PvP content.

Since its initial Western launch, Aion has undergone many changes to shed the stigma of the “grindy” game it was viewed as at launch. New content has been added to streamline leveling, a new “Fast Track” server where players can play at a faster experience rate was introduced, and early game content has been streamlined to push players into the newer updates and expansions faster.

PvE players will find a plethora of dungeons (solo, duo, and party varieties) to tackle and can look forward to late game raiding (note that “raids” in Aion are small party affairs) as well.

PvP and PvPvE was, perhaps, the most notable feature in the game when it launched as the flight aspect of PvP introduced a new take on player combat. PvPvE also pits both factions against each other in the Abyss while introducing monsters and NPC characters that both factions have to contend with at the same time. The Abyss also features points like castles that can be taken over by players as this zone is highly dynamic when on an active server.

Aion is available on Steam or through a direct download and still enjoys regular updates.