Aion open beta and early access dated

By Oli Welsh Published 28 August, 2009

Opportunities to play throughout September.

NCsoft has put firm dates on the open beta and early access phases for its big MMO launch of the year in the West, Aion: The Tower of Eternity.

Open beta runs from 6th to 13th September. It updates the game to version 1.5, and features a level cap of 30, high enough to get players into the central Abyss zone and have a big old fight with each other.

Closed beta participants and those who've pre-ordered the game will be able to jump straight in, and can get started now by downloading the client. There will be more keys distributed closer to the start of open beta.

On 18th September, pre-orderers will be able to pre-select their servers and character names. They'll then be able to start levelling when the "Headstart" begins and servers open for real on 20th September. You can still opt in by pre-ordering the game now.

The great unwashed will finally join them when the game launches on 22nd September in North America, and 25th September in Europe.

Aion's been doing brisk business in Asia since its launch there last year, but NCsoft has been taking its time with an extensive localisation process, hoping to score the first major hit for a Korean MMO in the West. You can read much more about it at the Aion gamepage.

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.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ZuluHero #1 3 years ago

    And its looking very good indeed. I'm really looking forward to the 20th and i haven't really looked forward to an mmo so much since WoW. Or maybe GWs :)

  • actionfitz #2 3 years ago

    I agree.
    The closed beta weekend I played really impressed me. haven't played an MMO as stable since modern day WoW.
    The world is gorgeous.
    looking forward to starting for real.

    ---

    i pre ordered early from game and nabbed it for 24.99 too :p
    think game have now upped the price to 34.99. \o/
    Edited by actionfitz at 28/08/09 @ 12:53

  • Bearintraining #3 3 years ago

    I'm in as well :-) Fun game!

  • kestral #4 3 years ago

    remember open beta characters get wiped again.

  • ZuluHero #5 3 years ago

    Yep - i'm not playing again till headstart now :)

  • shamblemonkee #6 3 years ago

    How similar in feel is the combat to wow? does it have the same snappiness? Plus are the abilities fairly straightforward?

  • actionfitz #7 3 years ago

    "How similar in feel is the combat to wow? does it have the same snappiness? Plus are the abilities fairly straightforward?"

    very similar.
    but with its own sense oif style I would say.

  • ZuluHero #8 3 years ago

    It feels a bit slower paced to wow's combat because most skills have CDs. Once you get some skill chains the combat becomes really satisfying.

  • Nephirion #9 3 years ago

    Can't wait :)

  • SwedBear #10 3 years ago

    Hrm, the beta client doesn't want to install on Windows 7 :/. Will have to wait until the full game comes out. Got to say I'm curious about it. Looks and sounds great.

  • SleepyMagpie #11 3 years ago

    My post from the Fileplanet forums:

    There was no notice until recently that this initial day of the Aion open beta was North America only.

    I am very used to reading the fine print, and if it had said NA only I would have NEVER purchased a monthly subscription at this point, being located in Europe.

    But right now I am locked out, and told that "Your participation in the closed beta event has been denied due to country restrictions".

    Now I don't know why this is referred to as the closed beta event, but in any case it is locking me and other non-NA citizens out.

    This amounts to fraud committed by Fileplanet. Untruthful, or incomplete information given to lure potential, unknowing costumers to make a fast buck.

    We'll have to see then if this pays in the long run. Right now, it buys them quick cash, and heaps of aggression and ill will from customers in Europe and elsewhere. It even reflects poorly on NCSoft to team up with these gangsters.In the long run, who knows. I know that if this shambles isn't resolved quickly I am boycotting Fileplanet indefinitely.

    Love from Europe, NA citizens. we'd have loved to join you and add where we're coming from and brotherhood to the Aion open beta proceedings, but right now we can't due to another greedy corp giving your part of the world a bad name again.
    Edited by SleepyMagpie at 01/09/09 @ 22:47

  • velocity #12 3 years ago

    Cannt wait to give this a try shame open beta keys are only available from Fileplanet.. wanted so much to try this before buying it.

  • NannouLT #13 3 years ago

    There are some info that eurogamer.net will be giving away beta keys. If that is true, i would like to get one. Thanks!

  • pcmaczone #14 3 years ago

    As usual Europeans get shafted as far as the Open beta goes. I'm a subscriber to Fileplanet but beginning to wonder why. What's with the North Americans Only thing? Also according to NcSoft, Eurogamer is supposed to have beta keys..so where are they? it seems the Italian, German and Spanish gaming sites have had them and of course run out but in the UK we are yet again left without any info. Not much of an "Open" beta if you can't get into it is it?

    Starting to wonder if this is going to be another dissapointing game like Vanguard, AoC and Warhammer.

  • Kalthan #15 3 years ago

    Taken from the French website that has keys, (babel fish translation)

    Already available in South Korea in particular, Aion: The Tower Of Eternity will be marketed next on September 25 in France and in most of l' Europe following the partnership NCsoft/Ubisoft. This roleplay massively multijouor awaited by many players must however make a first exit through what its promoters call l' open beta - a phase of test life size - which will be held of the 6 at September 13. Partners d' Ubisoft for l' occasion, Clubic.com and JeuxVideo.fr propose to you to gain l' one of invaluable sesames allowing to take part in l' event. To obtain one, it is simply necessary to fill the small box email a little low: if we “have stock” do not be long all the same too in expressing you! Will know moreover that this open beta relative will enable you to make progress a hero Élyséens or Asmodéens jusqu' on level 30, but qu' you will have to recover the customer… d' a little more than 9 Go! Taking into account the exceptional size of the thing, we propose to you, in addition to our traditional direct link, from the bonds towards our fellow-members of FilePlanet and GamersHell: free with you to choose the waiters more “in phase” with your connection. Update: the number of keys at our disposal came to a end very quickly proof of l' interest carried to the play of NCsoft. We wish good end of remote loading to the owners of invaluable and let us recall them that beta will begin on September 6 with 21:00.

  • pcmaczone #16 3 years ago

    Ok so here we are, two days from Open Beta. Every other country seems to have been able to hand out keys, where are the keys allocated to Eurogamer? or was this just a ploy to drive more traffic to the site? and why is only one UK site supposed to have them? Something not right about this. How are we supposed to know if the game is for us if we can't test it first?

    I have already spent good money on the likes of Warhammer, LoTro, AoC, Guild Wars and Vanguard, all of which proved to be dissapointing and I didn't subscribe past the 30 days free play time. The only game I have stuck with is World Of Warcraft which myself and my wife have been playing for three years now. Thought Aion might tempt us away but if I'm not about to part with another £30 if I can't try it out first.

  • Kalthan #17 3 years ago

    quote "I have already spent good money on the likes of Warhammer, LoTro, AoC, Guild Wars and Vanguard, all of which proved to be dissapointing and I didn't subscribe past the 30 days free play time. The only game I have stuck with is World Of Warcraft which myself and my wife have been playing for three years now. Thought Aion might tempt us away but if I'm not about to part with another £30 if I can't try it out first. end quote

    I have played wow since beta until lich king. top guild in our server "Guild of Doom" Ahn'Qiraj, we all split since lich king looking for a better game, now this shit of keys before beta that uk citizen's can't get pisses me off. I have beta tested wow warhammer online, age of conan etc and palyed countless other MMO's yet am unable to test this one,

    Why is the UK so subjected to such tyrany.

    (pS so for spelling I am Dyslexic also)

  • draedan #18 3 years ago

    open beta is starting tomorrow, still eurogamer didnt release open beta keys ???

  • chuckbsu #19 3 years ago

    wanna beta key

  • pcmaczone #20 3 years ago

    This is a complete shambles! What was the point of wasting bandwidth downloading the beta client when Eurogamer don't appear to have any keys despite NcSoft listing them as the only site in the UK that has them?

    Why create bad feeling about a game a few weeks before launch? If no other country had keys of course there would be no reason to be annoyed but it seems us lot in the UK are going to be left sitting on the sidelines whilst everyone else get's to try out the game. And Eurogamer seem to care less. It's all about headlines and news bites here. Have they actually contacted NcSoft about this debacle?

    Rapidly going off Aion. If they can't organize beta key releases then what hope for the game itself?

  • bennybot44 #21 3 years ago

    i am in the states right now and we cant even gets keys, so i am trying the uk sites but failing just as bad. i agree with the comment above.

  • pcmaczone #22 3 years ago

    Ok get this, "apparently" all the 5000 keys were handed out last Wednesday!!! See this thread :
    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_posts.php?thread_id=159491
    ]http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_po...[/link]

    That would mean they all went out on the 2nd. I don't remember seeing any mention of it on the site, did anyone else? In anycase how is 5000 people from the UK going to be anywhere near enough to test the servers for load before launch? I would assume NcSoft are hoping for 1 million plus subscribers? What happens on launch day when the servers crash under the "unexpected" load? This all sounds very much like Vanguard, Age Of Conan etc.

    Is there going to be a 10 day trial after launch? Because I'll be damned if I'm shelling out good money on a game I have not had the opportunity to test before hand. Been there, done that and definitely not doing it again.

    My advice to everyone who was looking forward to the open beta is just forget about Aion until after the official launch in a few weeks time and see if there is a free trial available then. If not just forget it altogether because a company that acts in this way toward prospective customers just doesn't deserve your custom.

  • traktor09 #23 3 years ago

    Give me key please! Big Tnx traktor84@yandex.ru or traktor1984@yahoo.com
    Edited by traktor09 at 06/09/09 @ 11:12

  • swc.NeCR #24 3 years ago

    Can i have a key plz? my mail is avatar-1@inbox.ru , or msg me here in PM

  • factorgsi #25 3 years ago

    Plz! Another one here!!! Plz! Plz! Plz!!!!! Just love ncsoft games!

    factorgsi@gmail.com

  • shadowfratze #26 3 years ago

    need a key too pls.

    email: nils245@gmx.net

    thhhhx ;)

  • eXpReSSiOn #27 3 years ago

    I didn't write down the beta key now I lost it and I didn't register at NCsoft :|

    The only reason this account exists is because I wanted the key :|
    Edited by eXpReSSiOn at 09/09/09 @ 20:58

  • barabold #28 3 years ago

    Can i get a beta key for aion please
    email is : Jamjar2k@hotmail.com

    Thanx

  • merkas #29 3 years ago

    Can i get a beta key for aion please
    email is : udjenf@gmail.com

  • enchy #30 3 years ago

    Please send me 1 beta key too
    enchypwnz@gmail.com

  • prigogine #31 1 year ago

    There is a fan based site calle http://www.aiontrial.co.uk that offers a referral service to try out the game. It is currently only for EU servers .