Aion is a fantasy MMORPG developed by Aion Team Development Dept. and published by NCsoft. The game was releases in North America on September 22, 2009, but the first release date was November 25, 2008 in South Korea. At that time the game name was: Aion: The Tower of Eternity.

Aion is rated Teen and received 2 awards: Best MMORPG Of 2009 http://rpgland.com/nis-america/rpgs-of-the-year-2009/ and Best New Game of 2009. http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/253/feature/3892

The action in the game takes place Atreia a fantasy world ruled by Aion. In this world Aion created the humans and some magical creatures called Balaurs. Their role was to protect the humans but soon in their lust for power they turned against Aion and every creature on Atreia. 5 of them became more powerful then the others and they were called Dragon Lords. Since they were looking for more and more power, Aion decided to create twelve Empyrean Lords to protect the Tower of Eternity which was the center of the world. The Empyrean Lords fought against the Balaurs but soon 2 of them died, and they started to argue and fight against each other.Their weakness was what the Balaurs waited for. Attacking the Tower of Eternity and destroying it, the Balaurs divided Atreia in 2. Five Empyrean Lords decided to stay in the light and were called Elyos, but five of them moved on the other side. They were called Asmodae. http://na.aiononline.com/

Aion runs on Microsoft Windows platforms and the system requirements are:

Minimum Requirements

• CPU: Pentium 4 2.8GHz or AMD Athlon 2800+
• RAM: 1 GB RAM
• Graphics: GeForce 6600, Radeon X1550
• HDD: 15GB
• DirectX: 9.0c

Recommended Requirements

• CPU: Pentium Dual Core or AMD Athlon 64 X2
• RAM: 2 GB
• Graphics: GeForce 7600 or Radeon HD 2600
• HDD: 15GB
• DirectX: 9.0c

This step will show you how to start your first character in Aion. You will learn how to select servers, customize your hero or how to choose your races and classes.

1. Installing the game:
   In order to play Aion you need a retail version of the game. If you don’t have one you can always buy it their official website. https://secure.ncsoft.com/cgi-bin/Store.pl?language=en As soon as you get the game, place your DVD in to your computer and install the game following the installation wizard provided.
2. Starting the game:
   After the installation is finished launch the game. The main screen will request your account name and password.
   1. If you don’t have an active account click the New Account button located at the bottom of your screen. You will be redirected to the account creation page.
   2. Follow the instructions, set up your account and then return to the main screen.
   3. Insert your account name and password and start the game.
   4. From the main screen you can also adjust graphic and sound settings. Just click the Options button.
   5. The next window will display the TOS (Terms of Service). You have to accept them in order to start the game.
3. Selecting the server:
   This is the next step. When the server page opens you will see the following fields:
   1. Server Name. Will display the name of the servers your characters were created on.
      ‘’’NOTE: Please be aware that unlike in other MMORPG’s, in Aion you will not be able to transfer your character from a server to another one.’’’
   2. Characters. Will display the total number of the characters you have on a server.
      NOTE: The maximum characters you can have on one account is 8.
   3. Status. This section shows how populated is the server. It can be: Low (few players), Medium, or High (very populated). If the server is Down you will not be able to connect it until the maintenance period is over. Choose the server you wish to play on and click Select Server.
4. Choosing your Race and Class:
   There are 2 races available: Elyos and Asmodians. Each race has 4 classes:
   1. Warriors: - are closed combat specialists using swords and maces. Their power stat is increased. 2 subclasses are available for them: Templars or Gladiators.
   2. Scouts – are also closed combat fighters if they are Assasins (subclass) or ranged if their subclass is a Ranger. In this case they will use bows.
   3. Mages – have increased Knowledge and Will and can deal immense damage at range, by controlling elements (fireballs or ice-chains). Their subclasses are: Sorcerer or Spiritmaster.
   4. Priests – are focused on healing. While they can use maces their armor is low, wearing only cloth and leather. With balanced stats, a Priest can be Cleric or Chanter.
5. Character appearance:

It is the final step and the last window before adventuring into the game. You will be able to name your hero, as well as adjusting his appearance (hair color, tattoos, body type, ear shapes or brows). The last button will give you the chance to change his voice. Take some time and try them all because they will not affect your stats. All of them are just aesthetical features of your character. http://powerwiki.na.aiononline.com/aion/Face+Options

After starting Aion you should familiarize with the game interface and the controls. http://powerwiki.na.aiononline.com/aion/Basic+Interface

1. Game interface:
   The Game Interface can be divided in:
   1. Chat Window – will display all the messages you receive in the game (from friends, party members, etc…). The Chat Window can be customized to display messages from one channel only. To do that, move your mouse cursor on it.
   2. Status Bar – is displayed under your character’s portrait and displays your health bar and mana bar.
   3. QuickBar – is located on the right side of your character’s portrait and can be customized. When you start the game it will show you the default skills and abilities. You can add more. In order to do that, open your skill tree and drag them to your QuickBar.
   4. Minimap – will display your current position and the nearest NPC, monsters and vendors.
   5. Experience Bar – it is located at the bottom of the Game Interface and will display how much experience you need to reach the next level.
2. Game Controls:
   In Aion the game controls are set by default. You can always change them in the game setting. Here is the list with basic movement controls:
   1. To move forward press W;
   2. To move backward press S;
   3. To move to the left press Q;
   4. To move to the right press E;
   5. A and D will make your character to pan left or right;
   6. Press Spacebar to jump and C to toggle between running and walking.

To receive experience points in Aion you can either complete quests or fight monsters. This step will show you how to do that:

1. Questing:
   As soon as you start your adventure you will have to complete some basic quests. A quest-giver is marked with an arrow head pointing down. This means that the NPC has a quest for you and you should go and talk to him.
   1. As soon as you are next to it, click on his character and the quest will be displayed.
   2. Click Accept and the quest will be added to your Quest Log.
      A NPC marked with a star means that you have to turn in the quest. As soon as you do that you will be rewarded and you will get your experience points.
2. Fighting:
   To fight with your enemies, you have to click on them. When your target is selected, on your interface, its portrait will appear. You will be able to see its health bar and mana bar. During the fight your ""Chat Window"" will display messages regarding the battle. To quickly switch targets press ""Tab"". Your closest enemy will then be selected.
3. Looting:
   A dead enemy will sometimes grant you items, and you have to loot it. After it is dead, approach the body and click on it. A new window will open and you can pick up all the items. You can also press Shift and click on the body. This will add all the items to your inventory. http://powerwiki.na.aiononline.com/aion/Looting/
4. Gathering:
   In Aion you can gather fruits, herbs, minerals and other resources from the areas you visit. To collect an item, click on it. Your Collecting skill will increase depending on how many resources you collect. To access your skill you can press the default key K.http://powerwiki.na.aiononline.com/aion/Gathering