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]