Here we are again with another instalment of our F2Pmeter series. This time, it’s all about Aion, a fantasy MMO that transfers players into the amazing and visually astounding realm of Atreia, where they slip into the role of winged Asmodians or Elyos to fly through the air and explore a multitude of story-driven content in this shattered world torn apart by a celestial war.
Originally released in Asia, Aion switched from a subscription-based business model to free-to-play in early 2012 and now offers strong PvE and PvP combat, rich solo adventures, exciting epic group quests, challenging dungeons, and massive Legion raids for free. It’s frequently updated with additional content and enhancements and has been localised for 7 different languages.
Just a quick reminder that our testing candidates begin with a 100% of free-to-play-ness, and depending on how our questions have to be answered, this percentage will change.
Let's get started then...
No. Since Aion switched to free-to-play in February 2012, players are able to create an account, download the client and play without being charged at all.
Yes (optinal) – -15%. Aion officially abandoned all subscription options when adopting an F2P business model and user that had been subscribers before were awarded Veteran status and provided with improved trading and chat options. However, players have the option to pay for Gold Packs to gain a 30-days Premium status, which includes perks allowing them to earn better rewards, to enter instances more frequently and to level up faster, and is pretty much comparable to a non-recurring monthly subscription.
No. Every player can freely access all content included in expansions and update patches that have been released since launch.
Yes – -5%. Aion’s incorporated shop sells a wide variety of supporting and premium items, mounts, pets and cosmetics, all of which becomes available after purchasing the premium currency with real-world money.
No (questionable) – -5%. The shop primarily offers items for purchase which can solely be used for aesthetically customising your character or allow for reaching the level cap faster, which is the case of Gold Packs. However, there are also a few premium items on offer which enable customers to increase specific attributes, which, in our opinion, can hardly be in line with the publisher’s statement that "all players have the same chances in PvP".
No. Regardless of their account type (Starter, Veteran or Gold User), all players are able to customise the UI to some degree in the Game Options, which is absolutely free. They may, for instance, add additional Quickbars, adjust their chatbox and display options, use key mapping or set the Heads Up Display (HUD) from the bottom (default) to the top.
Yes. All classes and races Aion offers for play can be freely accessed by every player.
Yes – -10%. Veterans and Gold Users are able to carry out business with Trade Brokers and can open their own store, whereas non-paying Starter account holders are completely excluded from private trading, which is justified as a means to avoid gold sellers and bots.
Yes – -10%. At the beginning, players are limited to an inventory cube of 27 slots plus 1 additional slot for quest items while their Special Cube is used to automatically store all quest items to free space in their regular inventory cube. It’s possible to expand your inventory by purchasing extra slots from a Cube Artisan who, however, is only able to expand the player’s cube to up to 72 slots. Afterwards, expansion is possible through a few quests and rewards. Veterans are rewarded with a total of 108 inventory slots for a 2-year membership.
Yes. All players are able to access each and every zone and dungeon in Atreia, with the small restriction that some of the instances can only be entered on Wednesdays and/ or Saturdays by Starters and Veterans while Gold Users are granted daily access.
No. The end-game revolving around fortresses battled over for control by individual Legions (guilds) is available to everybody without restrictions. Every player may use siege weapons acquired during end-game PvE raids as they engage in combat against players of the opposing faction and computer-controlled NPCs at the same time.
Yes – +10%. Aion seems to be pretty fair in the end, allowing players to enjoy its content without forcing them to pay anything at all although there does exist the opportunity to pay for premium items or Gold Packs. It’s quite certain that those who opt for spending money on the game will have an easier in-game life through boosters and convenience items. They are also able to pay for a wide range of customisation options and cosmetics, but it’s apparently almost unfeasible to gain an unfair advantage over free-to-play gamers.
Our F2Pmeter test of Aion results in a fair 65% of free-to-play-ness.
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