What does the future of Aion hold? North American Community Manager Andrew "Tamat" Beegle posted an interesting hint on his Twitter page yesterday: "On November 24th, we will be showing a movie that demonstrates the future of Aion with actual gameplay."

We'll certainly be keeping an eye on the official Aion site and Tamat's Twitter feed next Tuesday. Do you have any speculation as to what Tamat means by his statement? Head over to our Aion general forum if you'd like to add to the discussion.

Today marks the launch of patch 1.5.1 in Aion. This is the update that increases the EXP rewards of many quests in the regions of Eltnen, Theobomos, Interdikah, Morheim, Brusthonin, Beluslan, as well as the quests in Reshanta. The patch notes also indicate that the Kinah and item rewards have been increased for many quests that are level 20 or higher.

Aside from bots, one of the biggest complaints many Aion players have had with the game since it launched in North America and Europe in September has been the grind to 50. This patch attempts to help alleviate the grind with the experience boost to many quests, so be sure to log in and let us know if you notice the difference.

Of course, patch 1.5.1 also includes a number of other changes to Aion. You can read the full notes on the official PowerWiki.

Aion Community Manager (and former ZAM editor-in-chief), Andrew "Tamat" Beegle, recently announced "Aion Around the World," a project meant to highlight the diversity of Aion fans across the globe. It's one of the new ways in which NCSoft has made an effort to establish a more intimate relationship with players and community members, supplemented by the weekly "Eye on Community" series, hosted at the official Aion forums.

"To highlight the global phenomenon that Aion has become, we want to see pictures of our community members in public locations," Tamat wrote. "We’re looking for pictures of our players participating in exciting activities or showcasing Aion-themed merchandise, art, or cosplay." To give community members an example of what the team is looking for, Tamat offered up his own photo submission. He and Ayase show off some Aion swag in front of Pike Place Market in Seattle, joined by a colleague in the UK via laptop. You can find out how to send in your own candid shots by checking out the full announcement here, and stay tuned to ZAM's own Aion portal site for news and information.

Spiritmasters rejoice! The Aion community team confirmed in today's Eye on Community segment that pets will soon be able to fly with their Spiritmasters. The enhancement won't be part of patch 1.5.1, which should be implemented this month, but the Korean development team is working to bring flying pets to Western players sometime in the near future.

You can read the entire Eye on Community segment after the jump. It includes all sorts of links to community happenings, such as this Aion Web comic created by a player on deviantART. Be sure to submit your Aion projects to the community team if you'd like the chance to be featured in an upcoming Eye on Community post.

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle, the new North American community manager for Aion whose name should be familiar to regular ZAM readers, recently spoke with IGN about the grind to level 50 and NCsoft's battle against bots.

Tamat reiterates that the upcoming patch 1.5.1 will adjust experience rewards for a number of quests, but the team is "still reevaluating the experience gain for individual monster kills" and deciding whether new quests are needed in various level ranges. Tamat says we can most likely expect the sizable patch sometime in November.

As for the bots, Tamat says the team is banning thousands of accounts every day, but new accounts are being created with botting in mind regularly. He said progress on the bot front will continue to build over time as more staff members are added to the customer service team. "Spread the word. Buying Kinah online hurts the Aion community and the game experience overall," Tamat said.

With the holiday season quickly descending upon us, NCsoft has announced that the Aion Holiday Ascension Pack will be available at a variety of retailers and include exclusive in-game character items. These items include dyes that will allow you to customize your character's appearance, 20 Lesser Life Potions, 15 Lodas' Amulet, and 15 Lesser Running Scrolls.

Each retailer will carry a specific color dye, so you won't get all of the colors in one box. Amazon is offering the Hot Orange Dye, while Target has the True Red Dye. Best Buy packs will contain Mustard Dye, GameStop gets the True Black dye, and WalMart will have the True White Dye. Of course, NCsoft is also reminding players that Game Time Cards make a perfect stocking stuffer.

We've added screenshots of the new dyes to our gallery. Here they are: black, orange, red, white and yellow. NCsoft also sent along a screenshot for green dye, although the holiday pack announcement didn't mention the color.

According to Gamasutra, NCsoft has reported "an 836 percent leap in year-over-year quarterly profits on revenues that more than doubled" following the global launch of Aion. The company earned $40.6 million in profits and $144 million in revenue in the third quarter thanks to the release of Aion in North America and Europe.

As if that news wasn't good enough for NCsoft, the company's Q3 report states that almost one million copies of Aion have been sold in North America and Europe. Players in the United States have purchases 500,000 copies of the game, while 470,000 copies have been sold in Europe. According to IncGamers, Aion now accounts for half of NCsoft's sales.

Aion recently launched on Sept. 22 in North America and Sept. 25 in Europe, so only time will tell if these numbers remain high for NCsoft. Will you be sticking with Aion?

The newest Eye on Community segment goes out to all you Clerics out there. A player asked how Clerics earn Abyss points, and the community team's response focuses on grouping. A Cleric "will gain the same number of Abyss Points as his fellow group members receive when they fight other players or groups," or when fighting in a one-on-one situation.

As far as medals are concerned, patch 1.5.1 is adding Medal rewards to Legions that successfully defend a fortress throughout a siege. The Brigade General will have the ability to distribute the medals to members of the Legion, including Clerics. You can read the full Eye on Community post below.

Amnesty made a post about this topic in our Aion general forum and asked if this information will determine if you'll play a Cleric. You can add to the discussion in the thread or discuss other topics in our Aion forum.

Last week, NCsoft announced the launch of their Veteran Rewards program. The program will become available today. If you are eligible for the first month's package and have not received your items, don't panic!

From Tamat:

Hey guys,

Today is the first day of Veteran Rewards. If you're eligible but can't receive your Veteran Rewards yet, hang tight, we're still processing some accounts.

You can follow the official updates here. We at ZAM will continue to provide you with new information, so keep checking back.

Tamat published the newest Eye on Community segment over the weekend, and this one focuses on what the NCsoft team is doing to increase the speed of progression in Aion. According to the post, the developers are looking for the "golden middle road" that will allow players to reach the Abyss in a timely manner while still getting time to become immersed in the world of Atreia.

The post reminds players that the experience gained from gathering, crafting, and many quests will be increased in patch 1.5.1. "As we move forward, we have more plans to not only include more quest experience boosts for the higher levels, but also infuse the game with a flow of new content and new mechanics that ensure that gameplay is fun and entertaining," the team said.

You can read the full Eye on Community letter after the jump. It also contains links to some Aion Halloween pumpkins and fan art.