What to do if aion feels like a grind : Aion - General / Guide - Discussions

Introduction
Hello Aion Source community. I'm Mike, a level 33 Templar on Siel, and believe it or not... I'm extremely happy with the game despite not being level 50. Actually, due to real life circumstances, it took me almost two weeks to get from 32-33. I didn't even notice the wait. That is because I think AION is an extremely fun game and I could care less about what level I am as long as I am able to enjoy the game to its fullest.

If you find yourself in the camp of people that is forcing yourself to "suffer" through levels 1-49, this guide is for you. AION does not have to be a "grind" game where you are constantly feeling like you are waiting to start enjoying it. I hope you will appreciate these tips.

The Amazing, Controversial Thesis
The only way to really take the "grind" out of AION is to actually embrace all of the elements of the game that people classify as "grinds" at the same time. Are you confused? Does that sound like I'm contradicting myself? Read on and you'll understand.

The Truth About Grind
Believe it or not, most people that I have met play MMORPGs in order to experience a "grind." Actually, they wouldn't use that term... they would use the term "character progression." But really, how are those two terms different? In both cases, the primary source of satisfaction that the player is deriving from the game is his/her character constantly becoming better. Hence, the only real difference between the two terms is that "grind" has the connotation of being "forced character progression that is not enjoyed in the process."

Any one element of AION can take on this ugly definition. If you find yourself, as I did, crafting up a storm and suddenly realize that you have never leveled up with your Aether Gathering, you'll be forced to spend hours flying between nodes so that you can continue forward. That is "grind" in its purest form... it is not exciting and it feels completely forced on the player. However, things do not have to be this way.

Character Progression in AION
A mistaken belief that many players have about AION is that character progression is primarily based by your level. This is not true at all. While your level is important, your character's overall strength is actually measured by two other significant factors:

1. Your Gear (which is also measured by 3 things)

a. Your Actual Equipment- Can you afford or obtain the best equipment for your level range?

b. Your Gear's Enchantment Level- I have lost fights against characters 10 levels below me because they had blue/gold +10 gear while I had only green/blue un-enchanted gear. AION's enchantment system is one of the smartest innovations that I have ever seen in an MMORPG. Through the use of enchantment stones, you can focus on getting a few very strong equipment pieces and make them last for 10+ levels. At level 33, I am still using the level 23 equipment that I crafted for myself. Eventually that will need to be replaced for better items, but it's good enough for me to win at PvP in the Abyss.

c. Your Mana Stones- Mana Stones make a huge difference on your overall stats. Can you afford the best ones?

2. Your Consumables
If you want to win at PvP in AION, you will need a steady stream of potions and scrolls. If you do not have health-restoring items, speed boosters, and flight-time potions then expect to be constantly rolled over when facing other players.

What We Have Learned: Character Progression in AION costs MONEY
This is no shocker for an experienced player. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, doesn't making money count as "grind" too? Well, it can, but making money can actually be an extremely enjoyable experience if it is successfully incorporated into other elements of the game.

Four Activities that Will Change Your View of AION
Here are my four recommended activities that you must do SIMULTANEOUSLY in order to defeat the grind.

1. Level up a tradeskill. The actual process of doing work orders is pretty boring, no denying that (I recommend watching Hulu or something while you do it). However, tradeskills allow you to advance your character in very significant ways. If you can't decide on a profession, I recommend that you choose alchemy because the consumables sell on the market and are extremely useful for your character. You'll enjoy the ability to make enough flight potions to never worry about falling from the sky again. You'll also be able to save time when attacking mobs because you can restore your health via potions instead of being forced to sit down.

2. Level up your gathering as you go and gather a lot of materials. Gathering is actually pretty fun if you can do it IN-BETWEEN fighting mobs instead of just gathering in order to increase your skill level over several hours. The materials you get in AION are generally all pretty useful for at least one or two professions. Use the ones that go with your own professions to make cool items and trade/sell the rest of them for cash. If you have a good legion, you can even help out your guildies that have different professions from you and in return have them craft you good stuff. This is substantially cheaper than buying your equipment on the broker!

3. Make the broker your friend. Try to always have all 10 of your "sell slots" filled. If you need help getting started, Aether is always in demand and you can make some decent cash with it. After that, just study what items are being sold for high prices and choose to level-up in areas where you can get those items. You will enjoy logging in to a massive chunk of cash that is waiting for you on most days.

4. Whenever possible, "grind" in the Abyss. In the beginning you will get ganked a lot, but over time you will learn tricks for how to level-up and gather materials in the Abyss while surviving. Experience rewards and item drops are substantially better in the Abyss than other zones. In addition, you'll be gathering AP the whole time which can be used for obtaining even better gear later on. Of course, the best part though is that you'll actually get to do some PvP in the midst of the "grind." I've noticed that the best fights that I get in the Abyss are actually while I'm gathering stuff, because you tend to run into other players that are around your level. Why wait until 50 to do PvP? You can get some good fights in now!

Conclusion: Don't Grind... Progress Your Character
If you follow the above suggestions, your character will develop holistically and you'll always have something else to look forward to. Your gear will be decent enough to survive in PvP. Your consumables will be readily stocked and ready to make your life easy. You can level up while enjoying fighting other players and raking in cash. Furthermore, you'll never find yourself in a situation where you have to do just ONE TASK for hours at a time, be it farming AP points, leveling up your gathering skill, or endlessly grinding mobs to get the next "ding." Variety is the spice of life, as it is in AION as well. And you know what? You can do all of this without ever doing a single quest if you don't want to. Hence, you'll never be bothered by running out of quests again, although you can still enjoy them when they are plentiful.

Thanks for reading! Now go and defeat that grind!