With Aion's first birthday taking place today, we decided to sit down and chat with Producer Chris Hager about the game's latest expansion, Assault on Balaurea, and their plans for the future!

With Aion's one-year anniversary happening today and NCsoft hosting the Daeva's Day event to mark the occasion, it's always fun to sit down with the team to discuss the past, present and future of the game. This time around, with Aion's anniversary so close to the launch of their latest expansion, Assault on Balaurea, we've got a lot of new things to look forward to, in addition to hearing Producer Chris Hager's thoughts on some controversial issues. What issues, you ask? How about the PvP Rifting change (take that, geared out level 30s who were ruining my Krom runs!) and the hint that there might be some pets on the way with abilities you've never seen before!

Either way, Happy Anniversary Aion, and the best of wishes in going into this next year! Let's get down to business!

ZAM: Hi there, and thanks for taking the time to chat with us about Aion's birthday and newest expansion, Assault on Balaurea!

Chris Hager: Pleasure to be here!

ZAM: First of all, congratulations on making it to Aion's very first anniversary in North America! While the Daeva's Day event is planned for Aion's birthday, can players expect to see some more exciting events throughout this year, in comparison to last year?

Hager: In game events are something that, aside from solo instances, excite me the most.  Our writing team is hard at work editing files for the events we're already planning, and I can't wait to get in and 'test' them out.  We have a lot of events in the works, from Harvest Revel (Halloween) and Solorius Festival to Valentine's Day and even April Fool's Day; all of which are in game events with quests and NPCs as well as event specific items.  This year's events are a large step up from last year's events and we are very excited for players to get in and experience them.

ZAM: It must have been a hectic month for you to get all of this content out the door by early September! How has player feedback been, overall, for this expansion?

Hager: The player feedback has been awesome.  If you're an end level player we've added 5 more levels of content, new solo, group and multi-group instances and new high-level zones to battle brand new creatures and bosses.  For new or returning players we've added new quests in lower levels, added 2 new solo instances in the 1-50 range, and increased the drop rate for a lot of boss creatures in the existing instances.  For everyone we've gone through and dramatically increased the experience rewards for quests, and have added a functional pet system so everyone can have a companion on their adventures.  There truly is something for everyone with the Assault on Balaurea expansion.

ZAM: For most MMO content updates, a lot of the focus tends to be placed on endgame content, with only a few new morsels to be had for lower level players. Aion, on the other hand, has devoted a significant amount of its content updates to bolstering the low and mid level experience, with the addition of daily quests in patch 1.9 and two massive solo instances for lower levels in patch 2.0. Will future expansions follow in this same vein of fresh content for low levels, in addition to expanding the endgame content, or should we expect to see more focus being placed on endgame content in later updates?

Hager: We are always evaluating our content across all level ranges and classes.  When you add new end game content and increase the level cap, you need to go back and re-evaluate what it takes new players (or players that create new characters) to reach that new cap.  In Assault on Balaurea's case, we were able to identify some areas where the players felt the progression was slow in lower levels and add new content in the form of new quests and solo instances to help these parts of the game feel better.  Revisiting and changing existing content gives current players the chance to make a new character with a class they've always been curious about and not have to go through the same old content.

ZAM: Speaking of the new solo instances that have been added with Assault on Balaurea, the players I've spoken to all seem to be fairly pleased with these innovative dungeons. Are there plans for future solo instances? Perhaps a very difficult 'endgame' solo instance for players to get gear?

Hager: When we release new content, we're always evaluating player feedback and incorporating likes and dislikes into future content.  Player feedback and overall satisfaction with the instances is a big driving point for us to include new solo and group instance content in the future.  Like you've already said, the player feedback has been extremely positive, so I think it's safe to say we are always looking to give players more of what they like and want.