Aion level cap reached in 17 days

By Oli Welsh Published 9 October, 2009

Two players tie the race to 50.

It took two-and-a-half weeks for the first Western players of NCsoft's new MMO Aion to reach the level cap of 50 - and the race was a tie.

Almisaela and Drno, a Chanter and a Ranger, both playing on the Elysian side of the European Votan server, reached level 50 "within moments of each other" on Wednesday according to the AionSource forums (via Massively). It took the pair, members of the For The Harmony legion, 17 days since early access began on 20th September.

Apparently they made the attempt as a team, and probably chose their classes to suit - one poster in the thread notes that the top four teams in the race to 50 on the game's Korean release were all Ranger and Chanter duos.

One acquaintance who'd played with the pair most of the way said: "They played about 18 to 20 hours a day and grinded most of the time. There was no account-sharing or something like that. Just an enormous willpower."

That's a lot of key-presses. Aion's is clearly one of the longer levelling curves in modern MMOs. Congratulations to both of them. Now take a break.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (57) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • cianchristopher #1 2 years ago

    Well done you two, your families must be very proud!

  • Kostabi #2 2 years ago

    It's like MMO-Concentrate. Months of playing stuffed into 2 weeks... fook that.

  • rhubarbandcustard #3 2 years ago

    Dismiss them as OCD nutters if you wish but...maybe this is just sign o the times stuff.

    Global recession, unemployed people with no jobs available and with plenty of time to kill, etc, etc

    ...And I bet they've had a better time doing this than I have slaving away at work every bloody day.

  • stepneg #4 2 years ago

    "They played about 18 to 20 hours a day and grinded most of the time."

    I can't imagine how much fun that must have been

  • mingster #5 2 years ago

    If it took them 17 days playing 18-20 hours a day that means for normal people it would probably take about 6 months.

  • davisorle #6 2 years ago

    Well i tend to reach cap lvl fast in MMOs.. and if they did it by mostly grinding then it means the game is BAD in exp gaining from mobs and also bad questing to lvl throughout the game. I can only guess that since i haven't even tried yet Aion even if I was invited for beta.. Then again it took less for Lotro.. less for Age of Conan etc.. ubt wasnt mostly grinding. AoC had bad gaps needing grinding to lvl at specific lvls but now its fine from what I know too.

    At least they can now dedicate their gaming in Aion in learning how to PvP which isnt all that great in Aion :S

  • hiddenranbir #7 2 years ago

    18 to 20 hours a day? Bloody hell.

  • darm #8 2 years ago

    Now that's something to tell grandchildren stories about when you're old!

  • Byzanite #9 2 years ago

    Play Fallen Earth. Its taken me 6 days to get to level 8 haha :D

  • freakzilla #10 2 years ago

    18-20hrs? O.o family? partner? job? sleeping? eating? shitting? God I wish I could completely escape into a fantasy world.

  • Promey #11 2 years ago

    "Now that's something to tell grandchildren stories about when you're old!"

    You think they'll ever have children?

    20 hours a day.... ffs.

  • optimusprym8 #12 2 years ago

    "How can you kill that which has no life" etc

  • hypersp #13 2 years ago

    @optimusprym8

    haha love the south park quote. well i play games about 1 or 2 hours most days and IM a geek apprently? what does this make these two, androids?

  • miiiguel #14 2 years ago

    It seems like ODST Firefight record is 20 Millions which was achieved in a 21 hours session, where the guys drove a Chopper the entire time.

    Point is, there are some pretty hardcore kids out there. No judging here though.

  • mkreku #15 2 years ago

    I guess those two didn't have queueing troubles then.

  • 4thVariety #16 2 years ago

    I guess that means people can now start complaining about there not being enough content and describing Aion as "dead" in an effort justifying the act of not playing it for 20h per day.

  • kangarootoo #17 2 years ago

    If they enjoyed themselves, and they didn't hurt anyone, all power to them I say.

    All this talk of "getting a life" is utter bollox. Sad attempts to feel better about ourselves by lowering our view of others. Glass houses, stones, ring any bells?

  • Slipstream #18 2 years ago

    Now they wont have yo play as much waiting for content updates and doing the occasionall PvP and raids. At least, I assume they'd cool it at this stage...

  • metalmike25 #19 2 years ago

    It would be a funny story but you have to consider that these people don't work, don't spend time with their families and don't do anything useful. They probably feel empty inside after finishing. It's kind of depressing

  • BritishBlue1 #20 2 years ago

    18 to 20 per day of grinding, my god, I just couldn't handle that level of tedium. The post 60 end-game in vanilla WoW was bad enough, I was always being told by people in my guild "get to 60, that's when the real game begins" but the only thing I found was the endless grind for gear. Thinking back, the journey from level 1 to 60 with my humble warrior was where I had the most fun.
    I'm not knocking these guys, they bought the game, they play it how they want but in my opinion there is something wrong with an RPG that makes grinding rather than missions/quests the quickest way to level.

  • Hypercube #21 2 years ago

    I wonder how much time they spent queueing?

  • Nephirion #22 2 years ago

    Can u lvl ma ranger my login is: Nolifer and my password is: wishihadsomerealfriends cheers!!!!!

  • actionfitz #23 2 years ago

    must have stayed online for the entire 17 days.
    I've only been able to fiddle with my level 20 gladiator 2 days in the past week and a half - once was after 10pm.

    perhaps they logged out, relogged back in straight away, got 4 hours sleep while the characters sat in the queues?
    :)

  • ZuluHero #24 2 years ago

    To be honest its all relative. I'd wager that it will take most people the same amount of playtime to reach the cap. The only difference is that they chose to do it over 20 hour day, while most people will do it over several weeks.

    And in regard to some of the comments, MMOs must be the only type of game that 90% of people won't have played, but are quite happy to comment on. I wonder why that is? As people have said here already, there must have been times where most ppl here will have spent whole weekends playing a non-mmo game. I know i have (I crammed Dead Space into a whole sitting very recently), but the still seems to be a social stigma regarding the lifestyle of the average MMO player.

    In the 'old days' it used to be non-gamers looking down on those who played games. Now we have gamers looking down on subsets of other gamers. The way i see it, people can choose to spend there time any way they like, I don't have any right to pass judgement on what others choose to do with their own time and lives.

    EDIT: some sanctimonious little gobshite marked me down. Giggles.
    Edited by 1 at 09/10/09 @ 13:24

  • metalmike25 #25 2 years ago

    @farticusmaximus

    You can't compare this to climbing everest or crossing the channel! Those things are inspiring and give people something to aspire to. No one is going to be inspired by people who sit infront of a computer for 20 hours a day and if they do it's not something to be encouraged

  • TruSmiles #26 2 years ago

    donnie, the concept of a 'real' gamer is stupid in itself. We can't define what makes someone 'a real gamer' or a 'true fan' or a 'hardcore' gamer since everyone has their own definitions. It's as silly as saying 'real men play sports'. Subjective.

  • ZuluHero #27 2 years ago

    @Robthehood

    Well, most of here spend 12 hours + a day behind ours, as we have to work on them. At least these guys were doing what they wanted to do. How many ppl here work 8-9 hours a day on on a PC, only to go home and log on to look at forums and game sites, or play a game as soon as they get home?

  • dingo75 #28 2 years ago

    @ZuluHero:
    I do on days I don't work out or go see friends.
    I made my passion my job lucky me! :)

    Concerning those guys: Kudos.
    "For the Harmony" reminds me of "In Harmony" a world-class WoW guild. Maybe this is their Aion off-spring.

  • sickpuppysoftware #29 2 years ago

    Special Olympics

  • Hantheman #30 2 years ago

    “A man with an obsession is a man who has very little sales resistance."- C.S. Lewis

    They'll be sucking off Aion and the devs for new content now.

  • penhalion #31 2 years ago

    I don't like MMO games for exactly this reason. they are full of dangerously obsessive, creepy people. Oh not all to be sure but, enough to make you hope that some government, somewhere, is keeping a list in order to use them as live bate when the zombies finally come.

  • Metalmikey666 #32 2 years ago

    18-20 hours a day for 17 days... well, as long as they're subsidising themselves (i.e. the taxpayer isn't forking out dole money for them to just sit playing MMOs all day) then i guess it's up to them how they spend their time... but if they're just a pair of jobless wonders on benefits, or students who are meant to be studying (again, all paid for by the taxpayer) then I reckon people should stop defending them and start treating them with the contempt they deserve!

  • gremly #33 2 years ago

    18-20 hours a day for 17 days... well, as long as they're subsidising themselves (i.e. the taxpayer isn't forking out dole money for them to just sit playing MMOs all day) then i guess it's up to them how they spend their time... but if they're just a pair of jobless wonders on benefits, or students who are meant to be studying (again, all paid for by the taxpayer) then I reckon people should stop defending them and start treating them with the contempt they deserve!


    @ Metalmikey666


    ...People can be unemployed and be on benefits for LEGIT reason you know? Not everyone is a fucking yob. If they want to pass the time away by grinding there face off on Aion. I say let them do that. There not your kids :p

  • JahB #34 2 years ago

    @gremly

    if they're on benefits for legit reasons, i'd expect them to be looking for a job. and i tell you this: if you spend 18-20 hours a day looking for a job, it's gonna take a hell of a lot less than 17 days to find one.

  • skabba1972 #35 2 years ago

    How the f**k did they get on the server to do that?

  • DrDamn #36 2 years ago

    @Robthehood
    Like spending time with friends doing something they enjoy? Isn't that what Ashen-Shugar described?

  • Hantheman #37 2 years ago

    Lol, the karma on the posts in this. MMO mega-freaks get +s, anyone with a life gets -s

  • Psi #38 2 years ago

    What a shame, if these people could direct their focus into something productive they'd be millionaires.

  • telboy007 #39 2 years ago

    Hey, their names will go down in the annuals of the interwebs. Some weirdos will make youtube videos about them that I'll never watch. It's all good. :)

  • Rens11 #40 2 years ago

    gimme a G, gimme a E, gimme a E, gimme a K

  • Metalmikey666 #41 2 years ago

    To re-iterate: If they're subsidising themselves I have no objection!

    Of course I understand that people can be unemployed for legitimate reasons, and obviously none of us know the circumstances of these two guys, and like I said, if they're not swindling the taxpayer then all the best to them, whatever floats your boat etc.. but if it's a pair of dossers who are just sitting on their asses when they should be working, then myself and the rest of the taxpaying public have every right to protest because we're bloomin paying for it!

    Am not sure what "legitimate reasons for unemployment" that these two people in the same guild could possibly have, ... but read between the lines dude :)

  • David_Richardson #42 2 years ago

    "Well I have one reason, THE FACT THAT THEY PLAYED A VIDEO GAME FOR 20 HOURS A DAY FOR 17 DAYS STRAIGHT. You might well be "normal" in your perspective, but to me you are not. I think the majority of people would use two weeks holiday to do something constructive, spend time with loved ones or go on a holiday."

    What an incredibly arrogant and sanctimonious person you come across as. He is absolutely 'normal' because he chooses to use his leisure time in the exact way he wishes while still taking care of his responsibilities. Perhaps you can list your usual schedule for me so I can pick apart anything I don't believe to be worthwhile and insult you over it? After all, your holiday destination choices may be shit compared to what I consider to be normal.

    And don't assume you can lump yourself in with the 'majority'. Or was that just because you need reassurance that your bizarre opinions are correct?

  • adhuin #43 2 years ago

    They did it for fame and glory and in the end the news didn't even mention their names.

    D'oh!

  • hiddenranbir #44 2 years ago

    lol@adhuin

  • TheAccursed #45 2 years ago

    lol, RobTheHood comes on a gaming site to bash some gamers about having no life... then sits on eurogamer arguing in a comment box all day, anyone else see the irony?

    on another note, i'd like to point out that to some people having two weeks off to laze around, play games, whatever is more fun than a holiday like you 'normal' people do. I travel to america nearly every year, but i'll admit that the thought of playing an MMO with friends that ive been waiting for beats wasting my time lying on a beach, 'holiday' is a subjective thing.

  • Cassock #46 2 years ago

    Okay then people, For all those that say 'People that spend more then 4 minutes on a Game are Weirdo's and Geeks'

    I have tried desperately to make friends and create a Social life for myself for just under 17 years, 17 YEARS and society hasn't accepted me for been normal.
    So I play a game, COOL. I go online and meet people that don't judge me and congratulate me on the small things, AWESOME.
    I play an MMO and I meet people, thousands of people and join a Guild soon people respect me. Real People. Not people that judge you on looks and voice or any other bull.
    They judge me for me and what I can do.

    These are the 11 Billion+ Gamers around the world that and huge compared too you poor small minded individuals that thrive to be more then yourself.

    And please people stop the God Damn Flame War its PATHETIC!!!!

    Thank you
    /Cassock
    Edited by 1 at 10/10/09 @ 00:57

  • gremly #47 2 years ago

    @JahB - ...Been there done it mate. I worked ever since i left school for 2 years and the company i worked for lost funding. The job center make you go and sit for a 6 hour job search. Keep in mind i live in the middle of fucking NOWHERE. Seriously. If there is so much work availble and you can get a job in 17 days or whatever. You go fucking find it.

  • Metalmikey666 #48 2 years ago

    Missing the point entireley man. An unemployed person who spends 18 hours a day, 17 days in a row, playing MMOs has no right to say that they are "trying" to get a job! There are other places and ways to get a job other than "Going to the job centre for 6 hours" and I would argue that these 17+ hours a day playing Aion would have been better spent learning new skills and making themselves more employeable (if this is even the case, which we don't know). It's an indefensible position and I don't really want to talk about it any more because it's obvious that people here are just trying to disagree for the sake of disagreeing.

    But yeah, like i said, it would be highly unlikeley that two people, in the same guild, would conviniently happen to find themselves in a position where they both had legitimate reasons to be unemployed. As I've said before (twice) - if they're subsidising themselves, fine, if they're sponging off my taxes, then they should be hauled over the coals!

    Anyway, in closing, the only plausible explanations for this are:

    1) They booked a fortnight off work together
    2) They are unemployed dossers who are not even trying to get a job
    3) They are students (unlikeley given that the launch coincided with the start of term)
    4) It was more than two people, working in shifts.
    5) They are two guild-mates who coincidentally have both simoultaneously found themselves in a position of being unable to job-seek during the launch of a major MMO

    I think we can all agree that if it's (1 or 4) then it's their choice and nobody can criticise (except maybe NCsoft on 4, don't know their rules) but if it's 2 or 3 then we hate them. Simples! We can probably discount 5 completely!

  • mr_boogedy #49 2 years ago

    So, this is a site for gamers right? Seriously, I barely have time to play games now I have a wife and family, but I could definitely imagine setting myself a goal/challenge like that if I was younger etc. I'm sure everyone's seen the ridiculous things people do for other records. Also, only two weeks: I remember when I was a student I stayed drunk for 1 whole week. At least they achieved something.

  • WJF #50 2 years ago

    'People that spend more then 4 minutes on a Game are Weirdo's and Geeks...*snip*'

    Well done for missing the point. The people who were getting annoyed were doing so because some guys spent 20 hours for 17 days. There is a massive difference between '4 mins' and 20400 minutes (5100x you're interested).

    MetalMickey's post is the one most on the ball. I would also like to add that if they were not cycling with another person then I'd be more worried for their health then their social lives.
    Edited by 1 at 10/10/09 @ 18:11

  • Trikk #51 2 years ago

    Another blow for NCSoft, the western weeaboos realizing that the game is just grind.

  • captainrentboy #52 2 years ago

    What the hell must their Girlfriends or Wives thought?.........

  • levitate #53 2 years ago

    Good on them. It's a computer game and to each his own.

  • bemaniac #54 2 years ago

    I know about 15 people that are on incapacity benefits and every single one of these people is capable of not just doing simple work but is capable of doing any possibly technical job imaginable. These my friends are my wow guildmates and I join them onc a night after work and we chat about how they joke the benefits system and good on em. Met over 100 people on wow so far that actively claim to go on benefits just so they get more time on wow.

  • moshegy #55 2 years ago

    "I think we can all agree that if it's (1 or 4) then it's their choice and nobody can criticise (except maybe NCsoft on 4, don't know their rules) but if it's 2 or 3 then we hate them. Simples! We can probably discount 5 completely!"

    I wouldn't hate them, but I'd pity them if they're throwing away their educations/etc for a video game. I mean it's their choices and it's probably all fun and games now, but I'd say that chances are they'll regret that in 25 years (and possibly a lot sooner than that).

    I've played MMOs for 11 years now though, and I've known a lot of people who spend part of their vacations on MMO/expansion launches so I wouldn't be surprised if that was it. It's usually people with a good focus in their lives who're capable of exercising the self-control needed to grind for 17 days straight, and as crazy as we may think they are focused people usually have jobs. :p
    Edited by 2 at 12/10/09 @ 06:45

  • gmjapan #56 2 years ago

    "now we can finally start playing the game"
    Save your scorn for the people that tried to do this and still failed. What do they get to do now they are the only 2 people at level cap? Just interested.

  • Mercatoria #57 2 years ago

    How very sad. Who has that much time on their hands to sit around playing for hours like that?