With Aion 2, there is a fresh MMORPG on the market that attracts numerous fans. So does MeinMMO author Nicole, who has grinded to max level. In the process, she learned one main thing: How much World of Warcraft makes it better for her.
Whenever I watched videos or streams about World of Warcraft, my only thought was: That doesn’t look all that great. I never liked the graphics; the environment seemed “flat,” and many areas appeared somewhat orange-brown. I never wanted to play it – not the modern WoW and definitely not Classic. And then came BlizzCon 2026.
The atmosphere at BlizzCon completely swept me away. Whether it was the new heroine for Heroes of the Storm, even though I don’t know much about the game, the announcement of Diablo 5 – or indeed WoW: Forever.
WoW: Forever is a Classic version with new, ongoing content – but the game looks really good. You can find all the info on WoW: Forever here.
That made me check out modern WoW after all. I was a bit curious due to the articles of our MeinMMO demon Cortyn anyway. Especially the housing fascinated me.
A little spoiler ahead: In the past weeks, I have spent over 150 hours in World of Warcraft. And because I then checked out the new, fancy MMORPG Aion 2, I appreciate WoW even more.
Aion 2 looks great, which should please me as a graphics fan. I played for about 35 hours and leveled up to level 45. In the process, the following thoughts crossed my mind:
- Wow, the world looks beautiful.
- There are so many cool pets!
- Later I will finally continue playing WoW.
The pets in Aion 2 are not just cool, but they also bring strong bonuses:
Beautiful world, cute pets, and lots of “buts”
After a slightly bumpy start into the early access phase on September 30, I was finally able to immerse myself in NCSoft’s new MMORPG. I often stopped to take screenshots of the beautiful world. And cute little creatures are bustling around everywhere that you can collect.
Fighting with my nimble ranger is a lot of fun. Collecting resources and flying with the huge wings felt good at first.
Aion 2 does a lot right. But WoW simply does most things “righter”.
For many game elements, I quickly thought: That works better, smoother, or just looks prettier in WoW.
The flying mechanics in Aion 2 quickly annoyed me. The flight stamina increases over time, but you still can’t fly continuously. By the time that might be feasible, a large part of my motivation is already gone.
Of course, you can also explore the world on foot or on a mount. Many mounts have wings, but can only glide – for flying, you use your own wings. However, if the mechanic exists from the start, I want to use it without constantly having to think about whether the stamina will last to the destination or if I need to land temporarily.
When I discovered various resources in the world that can be mined, I was pleased. I love mining ores, picking herbs, and cutting down trees in MMORPGs – whether for crafting or selling.
However, the joy didn’t last long, as mining and crafting feel pretty half-hearted in Aion 2.
Important features feel lazy and uninspired
When mining, a pop-up with two bars opens after an interaction – success and failure – which can be influenced by skill points. However, the character is not really mining, but… casting spells or something. In WoW, your character visibly swings an axe, pick, or sickle instead. That feels much more immersive and cooler.
The crafting process involves a simple click in some menu – without animations or requirements other than materials. Apparently, there are no professions. Thus, a significant part of what keeps me busy in other MMORPGs is missing. There are no professions to level up, no tools, no specializations. In the end, it probably only depends on the storage and inventory space, which materials you collect.
Even looting feels unsatisfying and unexciting in Aion 2. You automatically collect everything, which is convenient, but still, I usually like to see briefly what the monster just dropped. However, the preview on the screen is far too small and disappears too quickly.
That’s a small detail that WoW addresses better. Despite auto-loot, you click on the monster and briefly see the overview. For special items like pets or toys, a small display pops up. In Aion 2, there’s nothing to click because defeated enemies immediately dissipate and shortly later respawn.
Leveling up also feels uneven. You never quite know when and why you level up. Quests reward you with percentage values (e.g., 3% for side quests, 38% for main quests), but without a visible XP bar, it’s unclear where it’s from. Moreover, the XP gap between side and main quests is far too large for similar time investment.
Perhaps these are features that many players of Aion 2 don’t find all that important. However, they quickly stood out to me negatively, and comparisons to World of Warcraft, which has a few more years under its belt, came to mind automatically.
WoW has love for detail – Aion 2 stays on the surface
I am a total WoW noob. My gaming experience so far consists of playing various campaigns with different characters, exploring areas, completing quests, and collecting stuff. That is incredibly fun for me. I don’t need (yet) a challenging endgame with high gear score requirements. My current goals are more like: How do I make my house in the founder’s peak not look like a block? And where can I get beautiful mounts (with which I can actually fly permanently here)?
In almost every area, I find myself stopping and observing loving details. An NPC is cooking, and the pot lid bounces, a lantern swings in the wind, animals lay down in a meadow. NPCs chat with each other, bringing a smile to my face, as for example one of them has defeated numerous demons, but is now struggling to catch a fish and will only leave when she has fished that “cursed fish.” Or hostile pigs with a pink ribbon named “Princess”.
This love for detail is what I miss in Aion 2. The world is pretty but seems lifeless and soulless to me. As if one thought: Okay, what do we need to create an MMORPG world? And then ticked everything off the list but somehow didn’t give the whole thing a soul.
If you ask me where I currently enjoy my time in World of Warcraft, I can tell you that Drustvar has particularly captivated me. I love strolling through the harbor city of Boralus, watching the NPCs, or petting the cook’s cat. I also love exploring the enchanting area around Fallhaven. But Val’Sharah and Suramar with their colors and night elves also inspire me.
In Aion 2, the only area that comes to mind is “the area with the purple trees.”
When I recently closed Aion 2 and launched WoW, I told a friend: It gives me much more pleasure to listen to the music in a rustic tavern in the forest of Elwynn than to walk through the superficially beautiful world of Aion 2. I was glad to be back. And the music in WoW is just incredibly harmonious.
I look forward every time to explore more areas, complete quests, and immerse myself even more in this vast world of World of Warcraft, even though I’m still at the very beginning of my journey. In Aion 2, no quest has stuck in my memory. That is a pity, but it shows me even more that it might just not be THE game from the genre made for me – or I just might not be the target audience for it.
How about you? Have you tried Aion 2 or do you remain loyal to your favorite MMO? Feel free to tell us in the comments!
In the meantime, I’m actually looking forward to WoW: Forever, even if modern WoW appeals to me more visually. But the upcoming WoW is not just a reheated and prettified Classic – because many don’t realize how big WoW: Forever will really be.
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