I dunno, I tried Aion like right after EU release and it was alright. But then came those "it's too hard" folks and the game kept getting easier.
You're way off.
I experienced Aion in the beta and subsequently when it launched in 2008. The state of the game now is a joke.
I'm currently sitting on about ~3,000,000 soulsickness kinah, having done 10 runs of NTC after the server kicked off and ended up with 11 stigmas, of which 5 were ranger stigmas meant for ELYOS (yet I'm an asmo).
I took down Hulker at level 4 and he gave me blue earrings for level 21.
While doing SR, I defeated a level 47 mob and he dropped a blue sword for level 25.
The grinding isn't an issue; I could hang at one spot and eliminate 10,000 mobs while sipping coffee, jamming to music and relaxed (I used to be into the original Lineage II in 1999 so I do get the grinding concept). It's all about the problems with monetization.
There's a lack of items in the market, causing prices to shoot up, with zero mob drops for either vending or kinah farming.
They're making players buy Deava Coins to trade them for kinah.
Eventually, this game will resemble the NA version.
They've got us owing to nostalgia and nothing more.
Honestly, after testing Aion Riftshade, it's like a breath of fresh air. With Aion 4.8 features and impressive enhancements, like robust server-side anti-cheat and balanced classes, it’s a clear step-up from what GameForge offers. The marketplace thrives and GMs are super active on Discord. Just imagine Q1 2026, the game really comes alive there.