Aion Classic Comes to North America June 23rd

NCsoft seem to be taking a page from Blizzard’s book with their relaunch of MMORPG Aion, which originally released in North America way back in 2009. In Aion Classic, players will once again get to earn their wings as they explore Atreia, re-experiencing all the original zones and content. Aion Classic will also launch with a significant change: the time it takes to level to 50 has been reduced. Whether this will attract or retain players remains to be seen, but it is an interesting decision, and a stark departure from the WoW Classic model.

Aion Classic will be hosted on a separate server from the current Live server, and will begin with the content of Aion 1.0. The Classic server will advance to 1.5/1.7 “based on how quickly players progress through the content, among other factors,” according to the press release. However, the client will run on version 2.7, which contains some skill rebalancing, among other improvements.

The game will remain free-to-play, with Siel’s Aura being a purchasable buff to experience and loot rewards. Players will receive one free hour of the aura each day, with 30 days of Siel’s Aura costing $15, and 90 days $42. There are of course pre-order bonuses that include exclusive titles, costumes, and some Siel’s Aura days.

You can learn more about the features of Aion Classic from the official Aion Classic portal. See you at the Tower of Eternity!