Massive Nerd

Part 1 of my in-depth Aion coverage breaks down the character creation process.

Server Selection

Why detail this? Simple, it's a Korean-developed MMO. Eastern games have an interesting standard. The servers at the top of the server list are considered the "best." Those servers are where all the most serious PVPers will be. American gamers that have played these types of games will know this, and follow suit. I believe the servers are listed alphabetically, so any server beginning with 'A' will be the one with the most hardcore PVP crowd. If that's your thing, go for it. Myself, I'll be somewhere near the bottom of the list!

Race

Taken from Aion's homepage:

Elyos: "The Elyos occupy the lower half of Atreia, known as Elysium. After the Epic Cataclysm, they found themselves bathed in sunlight for over 750 years and, as a result, have transformed into a beautiful and radiant people. However, their splendor has also led to the Elyos becoming arrogant; they see themselves as blessed by Aion, while the Asmodians, cast into darkness by the Epic Cataclysm, are seen by the Elyos as cursed creatures."

Asmodian: "The Asmodians are a brave and hardy people, separated from the Elyos by the Epic Cataclysm and plunged into a world of darkness and despair. To survive such desolation is one thing, but to thrive and prosper is quite another. The scars of their history are still exposed for all to see; as the Asmodians sank into their cold and sombre world, their bodies started to change. In the darkness, their skin fell pale, and as their eyes adapted they developed an otherworldly glow about them."

While classes gain some unique skills depending on race, it all comes down to preference.

Personally, I'll be playing Elyos, if for no other reason than I can make a Dwarf!

However, for the Beta, I'll be playing Asmodian. I don't want to ruin all the Elyos content before the game even launches.

Class Selection

You're next taken to the Class Selection screen. This gives a short description of each class and a peek at what you'll look like in high-end armor.

For the Beta, I'll be playing a Warrior.

While those stats may seem high, your base stats do not change as you level, only your HP and MP. Any other stat increases come from upgrading armor.

In-depth discussion of the various classes is an entire post of its own.

Customization

This is where Aion really sets itself apart from most other MMOs.

You can choose from many hairstyles, over 30, I believe. Also, there is a nice selection of other facial features. Not pictured is Eye Color selection. That will be added in a patch before the game goes live.

Now HERE'S the real insanity. That is a staggering number of options that will allow you to make almost anything you can imagine. For the Beta, I just hit "Random" a couple times until something non-grotesque came up. No sense in putting too much time into a character I'll only play for a couple weeks.

Again, a massive amount of options for the body. Again, I did not spend a great deal of time with it. I made him a little taller and gave him some Warrior-like bulk.

Now that you've wasted several hours creating your character, you can finally go PLAY it. Gameplay discussion is coming up soon!