Aion Classic Review — An MMORPG for Veterans That Cuts Off Newcomers Too Quickly

Aion Classic launched in 2023 and was intended as a return to the original Aion. Since then, the game has gone through several updates, adding new classes, locations, and content. Today, when you first start playing it, the game makes a fairly good initial impression: it quickly unlocks the ability to fly, guides you along the main questline, provides equipment, and hardly wastes the player’s time on unnecessary running around. The first few hours deliver that familiar old-school MMORPG feeling: a target-based combat system, skill bars, text-based quests, faction division, and the atmosphere of a time when the genre hadn’t yet tried to resemble a single-player RPG with co-op elements.

However, the longer you play, the more you realize that the first impressions are somewhat misleading. As long as Aion Classic leads you through the golden quests—the main story chain—the gameplay feels simple and clear. But once that guidance disappears, the game changes dramatically: in its current state, it’s not designed for newcomers, but for players who already know where to go and what to do. If you’re interested in a different approach to RPG, you can check out the best jRPG games, where we highlight best examples of this genre.

As mentioned above, the first hours in Aion Classic are very smooth. The character editor is quite decent for its age: not the deepest, but with enough appearance customization options. On top of that, with 12 classes available, it’s easy to find something that suits your playstyle—from melee fighters to mages and healers.

The combat system also raises no questions. It resembles World of Warcraft: you select a target, use abilities from your hotbar, keep track of cooldowns, and gradually get used to the rhythm of combat. Nothing groundbreaking, but it works.

The main advantage at the start is the brisk pace. The game generously rewards experience for quests and almost immediately provides solid gear. Teleports to most objectives in early zones further speed things up: if the required NPC is in the same area, the game simply transports you to them. You pick up quests, complete them in one spot, teleport back, then move on to the next NPC—and repeat.

I don’t like when MMORPGs spend dozens of hours ramping up—and Aion Classic avoids this routine. I reached level 60 in just a few hours and immediately moved on to the content that usually keeps players engaged in online games.

But that’s where the main problems begin. Once you reach the endgame, the structure falls apart. Quests start sending you to distant locations, teleportation to the required NPCs is no longer always available, and the objectives themselves are sometimes too vague.

At one point, I was just standing on a ship in Tiamaranta, not understanding what to do next. Up until then, Aion Classic had been pushing me forward almost effortlessly. And suddenly, without any preparation, it expected me to figure out dungeons, currencies, stigmas, ways to earn kinah, and PvP activities.

The inventory system adds to the frustration. It’s divided into several sections with unclear logic: one for consumables and equipment, another for quest items, medals, and more. The game doesn’t explain what goes where or why some items can’t be freely moved between tabs.

The same goes for quest reward gear. Aion Classic gives you chests with armor choices but doesn’t indicate which type is actually suitable for your class. If you make a mistake, a proper replacement might not come anytime soon.

Dungeons in Aion Classic aren’t bad. They resemble instances from classic WoW. In Aion Classic and WoW, PvE content is quite similar: a focus on group play, boss fights, and rewards for completion.If you’re specifically looking for games built around teamwork, take a look at the best co-op games, where coordination between players is just as important. The problem is that breaking into the endgame loop isn’t easy.

The built-in group finder here is far less useful than in modern MMORPGs. You often have to sit in a hub waiting for a party or manually assemble one through chat. The issue is that a newcomer doesn’t understand how a specific dungeon works, what roles are needed, or whether their current gear—earned through the story—will be enough.

There’s also another layer of content the game doesn’t rush to explain. In the main city, you can pick up quests for raids, sieges, and specific dungeons. Complete them, and you’ll get valuable rewards for further character progression. Sounds useful, but without a guide or advice from experienced players, it’s easy to overlook these quests entirely.

A similar situation applies to daily quests, which provide experience, currency, and a chance at gear. Some send you to neutral zones where everything is calm. Others lead into areas where PvP is enabled and enemy faction players frequently appear. If you don’t understand how these zones work in advance, such tasks can turn into hours of dying, running back, and simply trying to reach your objective.

Fortunately, the community does help: players give advice and sometimes assist on the spot. There are also legions—local guilds—where experienced players are willing to guide newcomers. Still, this doesn’t change the main issue: too much in Aion Classic relies not on the interface, but on knowledge shared by other players.

Visually, Aion Classic isn’t off-putting, but there’s no reason to stay for the graphics alone. It’s clearly an old game, even if it looks acceptable. Performance drops in large-scale scenes, but in normal gameplay, the client runs without unpleasant surprises, which is a plus if you’re looking for open-world games for low-end PCs and laptops.

Cutscenes were the least memorable part. They exist, but the execution is weak. Voice acting, for example, sounds mechanical and lacks the natural feel modern games have accustomed us to. I tried to follow the story at first, but eventually stopped—not because Aion’s world lacks ideas, but because the presentation leaves much to be desired. It’s hard to compare it to something like Blade & Soul NEO, which does much better job at keeping you engaged, as we mentioned in our review.

Monetization is another topic. Aion Classic includes a premium status and paid progression and convenience features that significantly improve the experience. While access to the game itself isn’t restricted, playing without these paid options is far less enjoyable.

After spending several days in Aion Classic, I was left with a mostly negative impression. Not because the game is outright bad—quite the opposite. The start is energetic, the combat system is clear, leveling is fast, and there are plenty of players. It makes you want to play, but it seems like the game itself isn’t very interested in being played. That’s the irony.

There are games that also don’t explain everything directly, yet still manage to hook you—because you can jump in, pick an activity for the evening, and immediately get absorbed in it. Aion Classic doesn’t quite work like that. You have to spend too much time on self-learning: looking up guides, asking other players in chat, waiting for group formation.

If you’re coming for nostalgia—manual group building and classic MMORPG routines—Aion Classic might still click. For everyone else, it’s probably better to look for more modern multiplayer games. A good starting point would be the latest game releases, which highlight the most exciting projects available right now.