The following news is a very insightful Q&A about Aion available over at Aion Gold Source.com. It was translated by AionSource.com member tylendel. It contains information about Closed beta 3 and much more. Answers are given by the Aion Development/NCsoft Studio 5 team and originally posted on Korean sites.

Q: What is the focus of CBT3? Will characters and other information from CBT2 be deleted?

A: The focus will be on the Abyss, thus CBT2 data will not be deleted.

Q: Is the Abyss completed?

A: It is completed and will be revealed during CBT3. There will be testing of the details of the timed portals (rifts) also.

Q: Will new areas be unveiled?

A: Yes, several, including previously seen areas that were revealed in 2006. However these areas have been heavily altered and look vastly different from their original looks then.

Q: Many players are concerned that there is lack of content in the game. How will this be addressed?

A: The information released thus far is not the full content of the game. The areas released are only those requiring testing. There will be more content for players to experience when the game is officially released.

Also, the two new areas and the single Abyss area to be released in CBT3 contain a large number of quests and content, allowing players level 34 or more to be challenged, hence this should not be a problem.

Q: What is the reason why Asmodeans level faster than Elyos?

A: As stated in a previous interview, Asmodeans level fast in early game but after mid-game will face harder leveling. There will be penalties when attacking mobs with a significant level difference and lastly, the time required for both races to reach level 50 will be the same.

However, due to players' interests, the Elyos population is almost sure to be larger. Fewer leveling grounds and other reasons will cause players to feel that they are leveling more slowly.

Some people will think 'Since Asmodeans level faster, they will possess better skills more quickly and be able to complete higher level quests with better rewards. Wouldn't that mean they will reach the level cap faster than the Elyos?' However, Aion Gold is not a game with quests at its core (the Abyss is core). The Asmodean population will be relatively smaller, with the same amount of experience required to gain levels, the time both races will take to reach the level cap will be the same.