Returning to Aetolia

Xeriel

Hello everyone.

I've been out of the game for a few years now and was thinking of coming back and had a few questions.  I've been trying to think of where best to pick up at again and would like your help.  I've usually played magic types, mainly casters, and was curious about the different guilds that fit this role. Of note, I'm strongly interested in the Sciomancers and Ascendril.  I'm also curious about the general state of the world. So my questions:

1. Besides the "shadow" vs "spirit", what themes do the two above mentioned guilds tend to follow and how do they stack up against each other?

2. Where does a good amount of RP and story seem to be happening both at the moment and in general?

3. What other guilds might fit into the caster role, and how does their RP stack up against others?

4. What types of quests are in the game now? When I had left, it seemed most of them were just kill creature A give to person B.

5. What are the opinions on combat/hunting for caster types?

I welcome any and all insight offered - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Please keep opinions to the questions and categories requested, and don't attack players.  I'd like to know strong and weak points if possible. Thanks again

Irruel

For caster-types, there are also Shamans, Indorani and Cabalists.

The mage (scio/ascendril) classes have loads of utility. They're fun to play, and everyone loves to have them around in group pvp.

They suffer a bit in single combat right now, except when they utilise one particularly hated room-effect ability (retardation vibe). Having said that, they are about to undergo (as part of the class liaison process) a comprehensive set of tweaks and changes which it is believed will fix that. Hopefully.

I believe that cabalists/indorani might be a bit weak pvp-wise at the moment, though they're probably just as nice utility-wise as they've always been. I don't really know because I hardly ever see anyone fighting as one, which generally only happens to classes that are in a bad way.

Shamans are well balanced for pvp, and a good choice if the RP appeals to you.

You questioned RP. There is light, shadow and nature. Nature and light both fall on the side of life (in the life vs undeath conflict) but don't always get on perfectly. Shadow/Undeath is basically split between two cities that don't always get on, rather than two angles of RP. I'm not really sure what their RP differences are these days.

For RP, most of Aetolia (maybe all) is strong for it these days, probably more so than at any other point I remember. I can't speak for individual guilds but I wouldn't let that worry you - if you join a guild that is a bit quiet you'll find it easy to stir stuff up and there will be plenty of people in your city to RP with as well. There are also plenty of active PVPers that also like to rp.

Quests... no idea. I haven't gotten around to trying out the new quests/quest system yet.

Eleanor

The Cabal isn't really "Caster-type", lorewise- in fact, it tries to go away from magic- so if you want to be a fancy mage, you're probably better off in the Scios or the Ascendril.

As far as RP goes, I can say that Spinesreach is rich with it, and if things are quiet it's super easy to stir up. Can't speak for the Sciomancers, but I got the impression it was a bit thin on the ground in there, can't say for sure though. There seem to be plenty of active people in the Ascendril, so you'll likely find people to interact with there.

With the spirit/shadow alignment business... honestly, finding your own character's point and RP is much richer a resource than depending specifically on the thematic stuff.

In terms of quests, there are some pretty interesting new ones around, especially in Mournhold and developing in Stormcaller, but all the ol' traditional bear butt collecting things are still there.

Ciarelle

The Ascendril and Sciomancers are basically both groups of mages. In regards to skills, Enchantment and Crystalism are the same. Elemancy and Sciomancy are similar, different skills based on the channeling of different elements that at first glance seem to mirror one another, but there are a few differences, some of which are being addressed with the upcoming tweaks Irruel mentioned.

Other than that, I can't really speak for the Sciomancers beyond what the help files say, sorry - there's no epic Ascendril/Sciomancers feud happening and it would be fairer for them to talk about themselves if they want anyhow. My answers from here are going to be in regards to the Ascendril only. 

As Eleanor said, it's best to find your own RP perspective and go with it - the themes are really a starting point only and you'll find it's a bit dark across the board. The help files will tell you that the Ascendril tend to be more scholarly while the Sciomancers tend to be fighters. Tend to is important, though - what you choose to emphasise is up to you. In the Ascendril, some people really seize on the whole learning, scholarly side of things while some people seize more on the magical side of things, and either or both is fine. Fighting happens to whatever extent you want it to - we have one guy who, while on a bit of a hiatus at the moment, logs on and basically sits around testing attacks, while other people are into other aspects.

As well as what your character focuses on doing, there's a fair bit of scope in terms of ideals and values. While the Ascendril are based in Enorian, the guild doesn't go in for the more zealous viewpoints even if individual members might, and it's closer to neutral than the more traditional Enorianite guilds. The characters that join tend to be diverse, which is generally a good thing. We do tend to get people from all sorts of backgrounds, and it does mean we get quite a few older characters that have been through other guilds first. I admit that it can get quiet, especially off-peak (which is when I tend to be around most, alas), but activity has picked up recently and the upside of the quietness is that it's actually pretty easy for your character to get higher positions if you stick around and that's what you're looking for. 

Irruel covered the class side of things already. Currently, we're waiting on the tweaks etc. but hunting isn't bad right now if you choose your enhancements well - it will take you longer to kill stuff than it might take people in some other classes, but use reflections to support yourself and you'll be safer. 1v1 combat is possible but challenging, but a mage's role in group combat is fairly easy to grasp.

Finally, the nifty class guide is here - http://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/840/newbie-class-guide-ascendril#latest

Moirean

It should be noted that every guild in Aetolia has opportunity for non-physical stuff and plenty of room to explore a more magical/non-weapon sort of role. Roleplay really is king here and you can find a unique outlook that fits what you want wherever you go if you're creative:

Sentaari: telepathy

Indorani: tarot, necromancy, chaos plans, demonology

Luminary: devotion (religious/spiritual magic), work with angelic spirits, fire magic

Daru: fire magic 

Cabalists: necromancy, demonology, exploration for the science unpinning the phenomena known as "magic"

Teradrim: earth magic, really awesome connection to the Earthen shackled to the pillars of the earth

Shamans: ancestral spirits, harnessing the elements, prophecy/visions

Ascendril/Sciomancers: archetypal mages, tap into the elemental planes

Carnifex: soul control and deathlore magics

Templars: bladefire

Syssin: illusions

Sentinels: ancestral spirit stuff and preternatural affinity to the wilds (mostly RP vs mechanic)

Vampires: blood magic stuff

Bloodborn: blood magic stuff, rituals, basically blood mages

Atabahi/Bakutu: shapeshifting

So. If you're interested in magical/casting stuff from a roleplay standpoint you really can explore that wherever you go. From a PK standpoint, not nearly as much, as weapon/physical stuff is the focus for many classes, but RP-wise? That sort of focused outlook is not only encouraged, it could start you out in a pretty cool niche for your class - for Carnifex, for example, we have a few members who focus heavily on the soul control/deathlore magic aspect of the class, and I go out of my way to get them special things like a workroom with shackled souls to help encourage that more unique approach and feed them RP opportunities.

Areka

Templar: Bladefire and RIGHTEOUSNESS, (two of our skillsets are actually magic based) awwyeah. Magical blade empowerments for slicing and dicing, healing blessings and auras as well as damaging ones, releasing built up blade charges to make lightning strike down our foes or freeze them in place!

P. much what Moi said though - you can find attributes everywhere, and most guilds have enough flexibility (even in Templar!) where if that's what you want to focus on, you can!