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Soon, NCsoft will formally invite select players and members of the press to the Aion beta test to play in the first Aion preview weekend. Players will take their first fledgling steps in a world of unparalleled splendor and intrigue. Choosing between two powerful races and among eight character classes and thousands upon thousands of avatar customization options, players will embark on a journey where they must choose sides in a celestial civil war that threatens to destroy the once-peaceful world of Atreia.

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The first Aion beta preview event, which begins after E3 2009, opens June 5, 2009 and runs through June 7, 2009. In this first event, beta testers will play Aion as the Elyos, who occupy the bottom half of Atreia, known as Elysea. Shortly afterward, more players will be invited to join in these beta events, with each event giving players a different taste of the game.