That's not to say that there aren't novelties. All characters get the ability to fly as early as level 10; the Abyss zone introduces a third, AI faction that will interfere in the player-versus-player war; and, most interestingly perhaps, there's the Stigma system, which will allow characters to equip the skills, spells and abilities of other classes.

Aion Gold is a world inverted, and split in two. The landmasses are actually on the insides of two hemispheres, which were once connected by the titular Tower of Eternity. After a holy war to oust the dragon lords who overthrew Aion, the world's god, the Tower of Eternity was shattered, severing the two worlds. The dragon lords were banished to the Abyss that took the tower's place.