Some 25,000 players who had bought a community-created weapon within Dota 2 discovered a new item in their inventories after Valve learned it had been copied directly from the MMO Aion.

Valve brought this up on its Steam Workshop blog, probably because 25,000 people noticed they no longer had "Timebreaker," a popular user-created mace that made it into the game earlier this summer. The item is a straight copy of "Marchutan's Blessed Mace" from Aion.

It sounds also like Valve wanted to make an example out of this, as "it took a lot of time for us to investigate and remedy the situation," wrote Dota designer Alden Kroll. While about 1,400 community-created items have been removed from Dota 2, this situation was different because it involved one that had actually gone on sale. "It becomes more complicated if a Workshop item becomes offered for sale on Steam or in a game, and the item later turns out to infringe on someone else's work," Kroll wrote.

The user who made the mace has been banned from the game and is going "to lose out on any proceeds from the sale of the item," said Kroll, who added that 24,603 users spent money on keys to open a chest and receive the mace. He repeated an appeal for the community to flag plagiarized contributions, and for contributors to create only original work and swear to that fact.

Respecting Intellectual Property [Steam Workshop Blog]

Aion: Ascension adapts the "Truly Free" business model today. Utilizing the C.U.B.E. — Customizable User Bundling Experience — system, players will be able to buy Cube from the Black Cloud Marketplace and fill it with whatever items will fit inside.

Confused? I am too, just a little. I've not played Aion for ages. I imagine my character endlessly hovering in the air, cobwebs draped across their magnificent wings. I honestly would not know where to start if I went back.

That's where producer Adam Christensen comes in. He'll guide us through the new features in Aion 3.0, giving us the skinny on what to see, when to see it, and how.

Tips and Tricks in Aion: Ascension

Aion: Ascension will bring with it a whole new experience, whether you are a seasoned player that has been with us since launch, or a brand new player venturing out into Atreia for the first time to earn your wings. The road to endgame is fraught with perils and we want to make your path as clear as possible. We can't do it all for you, however what we can do is offer advice on our four major touch-points in order for you to best take advantage of the new features of our 3.0 update. Take this advice for what it is, advice from one lover of Aion to another… my questions and with help from the team, all of our answers.

• Level Cap Increase
• New Zones/Instances
• Housing
• Mounts

• What is the best and fastest way to get from 55-60?
• 
  What you will want to do first is realize that 55 to 60 is no easy task. The update affords you many opportunities for leveling via the new zones, monsters and instances to explore. The best bet will be to first get to Sarpan, one of the most crucial steps in experiencing the new content.

  To do this, characters must start new campaign quests available in their respective faction's Balaurean stronghold. Elyos characters must go first to Outremus in Inggisson where they can begin the "Assault on Tiamaranta" campaign. Asmodians should see Richelle in Gelkmaros to start "The Grand Assault" campaign.

  
  

  Once you reach Sarpan, the first thing to then do is Aturam Sky Fortress, the new solo instance. It's available at 55 and offers a large breadth of XP gaining opportunities.

  
  

  Get ready to ride in a powerful Steam Tachysphere! This is a whole new experience we've never seen in Atreia before. These powerful steam-powered worker mechs pack a punch but don't overestimate your power, for you'll be facing hordes of powerful enemies that if not carefully handled, even your Tachysphere can't overcome.

  
  

  At 56 you can access Raksang, the prison that holds some of Tiamat's most lethal enemies. Raksang provides great XP, and chances at level 57 Eternal accessories.

  
  
  • What are the best new quests?
  
  The best quests will of course be quickly determined by our most loyal Daevas, but will likely be divided by style of play. There are many quests that cater to our hardcore players, but there are also lower level quests that represent something else entirely. The most exciting lower level experiences will be had in our new housing districts: Oriel and Pernon. There's a lot to do and even more to see. Most notably, in the housing districts, players will want to rush to get their townhouse at level 21 and start decorating to your specific style.

  Test-drive a mount before you choose! A little while after your townhouse acquisition at level 21, you'll continue on in your adventures and level up a few more times and be able to return to your housing district and take a free one-hour joy ride on one of the new mounts at level 30! Quests such as these will make exploring the new housing zones, both fun and informative.

  
  

  The more hard-core players will enjoy exploring the new battleground zones and instances. The "Assault on Tiamaranta" / "The Grand Assault" quests will advance the lore behind the update, and is also necessary for travel to Sarpan which is the first step in gaining access to Tiamaranta and the rest of the story. Once at level 56, players can access the Terath Dredgion and its related quests. This provides a lot of fun PvPvE action while allowing players to get excellent PvP items and abyss points.

  
  

  Zones/Instances

  
  
  • How do we get to Tiamaranta and what's the first thing we'll want to do when we get there?
  
  Tiamaranta can be accessed on foot from Sarpan by walking south. It is also accessible via teleport from Sarpan or the Balaurean strongholds so long as players complete the "Something to Prove" (Elyos) / "Building Bridges" (Asmodian) quests that follow the "assault" campaigns discussed above. Players will find themselves in Rancora Fortress, a neutral area where Elyos and Asmodian troops prepare for battle in Tiamaranta. There are a lot of neutral areas as well as contested areas where PvP is possible. There are also lots of new named monsters to engage in battle with.
  • What should we look out for?
  
  Engaging in Siege Warfare in Tiamaranta is likely to be one of the most exciting new activities for our players. This battle occurs three times each day and allows users to fight to control the four Hearts of Tiamat. These Hearts are contested fortresses and PvP areas. Located in the four corners of Tiamaranta, the Hearts are each controlled by one of Tiamat's Incarnations. When a particular faction defeats the Incarnation, they then control that Heart.

  Carefully plan and reap the rewards! There are a lot of fantastic rewards and special areas related to Siege Warfare, so it will help to become familiar with the schedule, travel methods, and strategy needed to successfully engage in these battles.

  
  

  Housing

  
  
  • How is the auction going to work exactly?
  
  The auction will allow players to bid on houses, mansions, estates, and palaces. These nicer housing options provide better buffs and allow players to change the outside appearance of their house as well. Players can bid for these types of houses or register their own for auction by visiting the Real Estate Auctioneer in Oriel or Pernon.
  Auctions happen weekly:

  

  
  

  Be wise in your bidding. There is a registration fee equal to one third the amount of the starting bid. This registration fee will be returned if the auction is successful, but will be forfeited if nobody bids. It is therefore important not to set the starting bid too high. The higher quality homes have weekly maintenance fees that must be maintained. If these fees become two weeks overdue then the house will automatically go to auction, so players will need to pay close attention to their budgets.

  
  

  

  
  
  • Where do we go to get our free townhouse right away?
  
  The housing area is available to all Daevas (level 10) via teleport, but players must be at least level 21 in order to obtain the free townhouse. Once 21 or higher, they just need to complete a short series of quests in order to get their townhouse. Players will need to find the New House Promoter NPCs in the capital cities. Elyos characters should talk to Harinus in Sanctum and start with "The Living is Easy". Asmodians need to begin with the "Give My Regards to Pernon" quest offered by Randiten in Pandaemonium.

  Find your place to call home. Thinking to yourself, "I don't need a townhouse"? You'd be well served to remember that the housing area offers a variety of special resources such as buffs, extra storage space, and special items. Even Daevas with extreme wanderlust would be wise to find a place to call their own in the new housing districts.

  
  

  Mounts

  
  
  • How much faster will we be when on a mount?
  
  Each mount has its own speed values for movement and flight that are not related to the player's speed. The Blue Surfrider mount, for example, has a movement speed of 10.8. The speed increases to 13.5 when used during flight.
  In contrast, the base speed value for a player is 6.0 when running and 9.0 when flying. This value can be increased by using special skills or scrolls, but it is important to note that these skills and scrolls will not affect the mount's speed.
  Some mounts also have a Sprint Effect that will boost the movement speed while consuming flight time. This is accomplished by holding the Vertical Ascent key while on a mount (in other words, the key used to ascend during flight; default is key). For example, the Airskim Surfrider mount has a movement speed of 11.4 that increases to 13.6 when the Sprint Effect is enabled. The flight time consumed per second that the Sprint Effect is enabled also varies, but 10 seconds is most common. (See the attached table for more detailed information).

  

  
  

  Get there faster on a mount! The acceleration in the new mounts is pretty exciting. Using flight time to boost acceleration and speed not only provides faster travel, but can allow players to do huge jumps off of hills

  
  

  Faster than ever before and even faster still! There is also special method to riding the mounts that provides a sort of "rocket boost." If the player hits the key immediately after a jump, the mounts speed can actually exceed the maximum "sprinting" speed. Mastering this skill can be of great use to players.

  
  
  • How do we acquire each one of the different mounts (drops/boss kills/etc)
  
  Mounts can be purchased from a Mount Merchant or acquired as an item drop when killing instance dungeon bosses or monsters that appear in the housing districts. Mounts tend to be quite expensive and difficult to obtain - a Blue Surfrider, for example, sells for 11,441,367 kinah and the Airskim Surfrider sells for 58,043,000 kinah.

  One last piece of advice:

  
  

  New Players- Follow your campaign (yellow arrow) quests! They offer great XP. When you need help, group up with seasoned veterans every chance you get. There is always strength in numbers.

  
  

  Mid-level Players- Check back on old campaigns you may have missed, many have shorter cool-downs or can now be solo'ed. Don't feel like you have to grind, there are more chances for great XP by strategically choosing your instances and making sure you have the best gear for what your trying to accomplish.

  
  

  High-level Players- Get to Sarpan and begin your path to the battle that rages in Tiamaranta. 3.0 has a lot of amazing new content and you will be the first to enjoy it with your friends.

  
  

Today NCsoft's massively-multiplayer online game Aion upgrades to version 2.5, Empyrean Calling, delivering a host of new content, features, and tweaks aimed at pleasing players current and lapsed. Is it enough to lure fresh MMO fans to the game?

NCsoft seems to think so, choosing today's major update as the launching point for the game's new free trial program. Players new to the game will be able to download the full client starting tomorrow, with ten days and 20 levels of play before they'll need to purchase the full game.

What's Empyrean Calling bringing to the table for existing players? Here's a list.

• Esoterrace Instance: Triumphing over the Esoterrace region deprives the Balaur of vital resources needed for Tiamat's Army to continue the war.

• Empyrean Crucible: The fast-paced battle arena where groups challenge 10 stages of enemies, each containing 5 successively difficult rounds. Who will be strong enough to survive?

• Graphics Updates: An optional upgrade, the new superior graphics engine option adds additional support for high-end graphics cards. When enabled, this setting offers brighter lighting, improved shading and textures. In addition an improved in-game map system offers clearer visuals and increased interactivity.

• News Skills and PvP Gear: Players will enjoy two new skills – Skillbook and Stigma skills – and four custom skills that were added to each class. And while the new Eternal grade PvP armor sets and weapons (Asmodians can acquire the Archon Brigade General's and Elyos the Guardian Brigade General's set) cost a significant amount of Abyss points and Platinum Medals, players will immediately find they were well worth the investment.

• Mentor System: Help out fellow players who are at least 10 levels lower than you through a mutually beneficial arrangement, leading to rewards for everyone involved.

• Improved Character Customisation: Select from new face and body presets available, then change facial expression and shapes during character creation. New character animations and upgraded emotes have been added for an extra touch of style.

• Pet System Improvements: Adopt new pets through quests and new instances. Interact with pets through new emotes making them happier. Happy pets give gifts! Pets also have special functionality of their own which allow them to hold food, drinks and magic items to use automatically on its masters. Furthermore, pets can now loot automatically - no more looting drudgery!

• Legion Expansions: Maximum Legion levels and ranks have increased from 3 to 5, with each level affording increases to maximum member caps and an expansion in the space in a Legion's warehouse. New legion cloaks sport a re-tailored, bold new shape with new customisation options.

2.5 is the latest in a series of major updates rolled out since launch that have shaped Aion into something very different from the game people were playing back in September of 2009.

"Aion is not the same game we launched nearly 21 months ago, as each update we've released brings players exciting new features and content they've been asking for, and the Empyrean Calling is no exception," said Dominic Wai, brand manager, Aion. "The new instances, quality of life updates and the unique mentor reward system are only a few of the features players will experience when logging into the game today, and these are game changing features we are really excited to introduce to our players."

I only managed a couple of months in Aion before general boredom set in, and haven't felt the urge to go back since. Hopefully for NCsoft I'm in the minority, and these new features will help keep players flying high for years to come.

Commenter ValeriaHeart is looking for suggestions for a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game to play with her partner that isn't World of Warcraft in today's episode of Speak-Up on Kotaku. Won't you help her?

Are there any MMORPG players out there that are playing something that isn't WoW? How is that game? Would you recommend it?

My partner and I love the idea of an MMO but getting a bit fed up with WoW, mostly due to the absolutely awful community, so we're hoping to find something a little more welcoming.

Since its release, Korean-born MMO Aion has undergone a profound transformation as developers hone gameplay to suit the needs of a North American audience. NCsoft's Sean Neil tells us how the upcoming 2.5 update will further refine the Aion experience.

Aion is a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game that's been striving to please its players since the North American servers first opened in September of 2009. Players flocked to the graphically stunning title, discovering a Korean-made MMO that tasted of a more western-influenced game. The game favored questing and story development over the grind, something many Korean imports fail to do.

But Aion isn't your average Korean import, given a shoddy English translation and sent on its merry way. NCsoft has a full North American development team that springs to life as new updates arrive, making sure the content and changes will be well-received by the U.S. audience.

Even with such a strong focus on North America, the game has needed more than its fair share of tweaking. Over the course of several major patches the development team has changed the game dramatically, all in response to their player's needs and wants.

"In total we've gone through and increased the experience; we've increased the drop rates; we've increased the crafting system in the game - the basic core systems for the players," says Sean Neil, Aion's associate producer.

Not all of the changes have been well received. Version update 2.0 brought changes to the game's rifting system, which allows player from Aion's two opposing factions to encounter one another, which were not well received by the players, to put it mildly.

Neil says the negative response was a call to action for the team.

"Our immediate reaction was to poll the players, find out what they wanted, and we put in place a change to that system at the end of last year," Neil explains. "And then we actively polled the players after that to ask them what they thought about the changes we were making."

The players responded, and more changes will be coming shortly in a smaller update. Then, with experience point gain balanced, item drop rates increased, and the game as a whole more polished to player specifications, NCsoft will unleash fresh content and new play mechanics in update 2.5 later this year.

The update brings with it plenty of new content for high level players to enjoy. Two new instances will challenge players' skills to their fullest. Araka is an instance in which players of either faction attempt to cut off the supply lines of their common enemy, the Balaur. Both the Asmodians and the Elyos will also be able to prove their worth in the Academy Bootcamp, which pits them against a series of 10 progressively difficult battles for a chance at fame and fortune.

The game's Legion (guild) system is being tweaked to help prepare player groups for the challenges ahead. The Legion level cap is being increased from three to five, with more titles to help organize Legion ranks more efficiently. Legions will gain more warehouse space, and longer, sexier cloaks to show off each players' allegiance.

There's a pet mood system, enhancing the in-game companion system introduced in Aion's 2.0 Assault on Balaurea update. Each player class will gain access to new skills and powers. There's an interactive world map on the way, allowing players to make annotations and set routes. The character creation system is opening up more, giving players more options in crafting their in-game avatar. More crafting formulas will be added to the game, keeping those characters well-equipped and looking good.

The two biggest changes coming in 2.5, however, are the Group Guide system and the Superior Graphics Engine setup option.

The Superior Graphics Engine option is just what it sounds like. Players with high end machines will be able to enjoy a visually enhanced world of Aion, while players with computers on the lower end of the hardware spectrum will be able to play the same as they always have.

"The already beautiful game will be ridiculously gorgeous, " Neil says. "It's almost spooky how real they're trying to make the game look."

The Group Guide system is much like the mentoring system already present in many other MMO titles. It's a system that allows lower level players to get assistance in their quest from characters of a much higher level.

"You can play along with your friends even if they've been playing the game for six months and you haven't played at all," Neil explains. Friends will be able to help out their friends, Legion members can help their mates level alts. Even strangers will be compelled to help out low level characters, thanks to daily quests that reward players for spending time with the newbs.

"We want to give them items. We want to give them coins. We want to give them a system that makes them want to be those big brothers and big sisters."

The entire list of changes coming in 2.5 can been seen over at Aion's PowerWiki. Note that the patch notes are based on the Korean version of the game, and not everything listed in the notes will make it to North America.

"It's really about letting the players create their own experience, from their Legions to the way their character looks to the way they interact with the world around them," says Neil of Aion's update 2.5.

The update is currently on the public test realm of the Korean version of Aion, and the U.S. NCsoft team is hard at work localizing the content for North American audiences. While Neil was hesitant to nail down a release date, he did say he was confident it would be out in 2011.

"We want to get this out to our players as soon as we possibly can in the best possible form we can."

Players of NCSoft's Aion can now use their iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad to stay connected to Atreia on the go, thanks to the Aion Exchange, now available for purchase in the iTunes App Store.

NCsoft is really pushing mobile connectivity in its games lately, first with the reveal of Guild Wars 2's connected features and now with the Aion Exchange. Available now for $1.99, the Aion Exchange allows players to keep track of their characters' items and equipment, track pricing trends in the game's Broker, keep track of stuff they'd like to buy, and monitor their own auctions, with push notifications letting them know when something's been sold.

"The economy within the world of Aion is wonderfully complex and deep and we've found that our fans are always looking for ways to better their interactions and experiences within the game. Aion Exchange is for them," said Chris Hager, producer for Aion, NCsoft West. "Aion Exchange is our first step in offering valuable and profound ways for our community to connect with our games when away from their computers. The applications current offering gives players added insight when buying and selling of in-game items – hint: buy low/sell high."

My favorite feature in the new app is the searchable item database, containing detailed information about every single item in the game. Now I can gawk at all the pretty items I will never own due to real-world time constraints.

The Aion Exchange [iTunes]

Picking up Aion's free Assault On Balaurea expansion at retail has its benefits, including one of several retailer-exclusive pets, each with a special benefit for players possessing it. Dibs on the odd-looking squirrel thing!

Assault On Balaurea, due out on September 7 in North America, adds pets to NCsoft's MMO, but not the useless cosmetic pets you find in other online role-playing games. Aion's pets have a purpose.

Pets in Aion are split up into five groups initially. Companions adventure alongside their owners. Signal pets alert their owners to nearby enemies. Pack pets add inventory slots. Fortune pets give their owners presents after being well-fed. And Purebred pets combine multiple functions into one pet. That's important, for while characters will have 100 pet slots, only one can be active at a time.

Assault On Balaurea is a free expansion, but NCsoft is releasing a new retail SKU combining the expansion with the main game, and inside each copy will be a retailer-exclusive pet, along with a speckled Ailu (Panda), a premium Pack pet which increases a player's warehouse by 12 slots.

Check out the gallery below to see who gets what when Assault On Balaurea launches on September 7.

QVS – Altgard Kitter Companion Pet

Amazon.com – Beluslan Kitter Companion Pet

Wal-Mart – Border Daggie Companion Pet

NCsoft Store – Fuzzy Elroco Companion Pet

NCsoft Store – Fuzzy Elroco Companion Pet

NCsoft Store – Fuzzy Elroco Companion Pet

GameStop – Grassy Drakie Companion Pet

Best Buy/Best Buy Canada – Heiron Kitter Companion Pet

Steam – Skullabra Krall Companion Pet

Everybody

The Elysea and Asmodae take the battle to the Balaur this September, when Ncsoft releases the first major free expansion for the massively-multiplayer online role-playing game Aion, Assault on Balaurea.

Assault on Balaurea is the full name of Aion's 2.0 update, which we've discussed previously at length. The expansion pack sized update gives the player characters a chance to take the fight against the powerful Balaur to their homeworld of Balaurea, gaining five new levels in the process, courtesy of level cap increase to 55.

It's not just about high level content either. New and updated instances and zones, new weapons, and the introduction of functional in-game pets should give players of all levels something to be excited about.

The expansion launches on September 7 in North America and Europe as a free download. Those wishing to pay for their free expansion packs will be able to purchase a retail box on release day in North America (September 10 in Europe) that features exclusive in-game pets.

Check out the new screens below to see how the world of Atreia is changing this fall.

Aion: Assault on Balaurea, will bring a level cap increase, functional in-game pets, new instances to explore, and more to NCsoft's massively-multiplayer online role-playing game, but before it comes out, NCsoft hopes to lure old players back with update 1.9.

Assault on Balaurea is the new name of Aion update 2.0, an expansion pack-sized chunk of content in which the forces of Asmodae and Elysea bring the fight to the home world of the invading Balaur. The update will add in eight new instanced areas and some massive new zones, while increasing the level cap to level 55, giving the top tier players a bit further to reach.

The update also introduces a series of in-game pets that will aid characters in crafting, store the player's items, and sound an alarm when trouble is near, as well as the ability to post screenshots directly to Twitter through the in-game user interface.

An impressive list of new features, but what use are new features if no one is around to play them? That's the issue NCsoft is working on in update 1.9, due out on test servers tomorrow, with a full rollout expected on June 2.

According to Aion's North American lead producer Chris Hager, many early Aion adopters have already fled the coop.

"A lot of our players have already left for a couple of reasons. The game feels too grindy, there's not enough time to play, and costs (for in-game services) are too high."

I last spoke to Hager back in March, when update 1.9 was first bandied about. Back then he told me that 1.9 was all about changing player perceptions. Now he tells us it's a two-pronged update.

"The 1.9 update fixes the road to the new content," Hager explains. "It paves the dirt road of levels 1-50, improving the play experience so when 2.0 comes out players will really want to explore the new instances, new skills and such. 1.9 will fix the issues and 2.0 will bring the new content."

Fixes coming in 1.9 include additional content for the mid-lower levels, and daily quests for players level 30 and above, to help them stay involved with the game.

I stopped playing at level 18, frustrated with my own lack of progress, so 1.9 should definitely strike a chord with me.

As it does with Hager, who regularly plays the game as an anonymous player, eavesdropping on the community and making note of the common complaints he hears.

"I as a player an excited to play this content, not just as a producer," Hager says.

Hopefully that excitement will rub off on those players that cut their Aion flights short.

Aion developer NCsoft and Rooster Teeth have teamed up to educate massively-multiplayer online game players about the dangers of mafia-run power-leveling operations that probably don't exist.

Yes, power-leveling services are a bad idea. You have to hand your username and password over to strangers, who then have access to all of your personal information, or at least your name and address, which they can then use to mail you very nasty letters.

There are dangers involved with employing such services that go beyond breaking a game's end-user agreement, but they can generally be avoided. Changing your password before handing it over to the service, putting in false personal information and then changing it back once the account is back in your hands, and similar precautions can keep the mafia off your back.

But really, why the hell would you power-level anyway? It's all about enjoying the game, isn't it?

Oh, and also, this is not laugh-out-loud funny, no matter what the Aion post says.

The More You MMO #2 - A Bad Deal [Aion]