Starting with things on Aion that reminds me of EQ1:
1- You can meditate (rest) anytime,
2- Could use a nice armor+shield and main heal,
3- Slower Mana/HP regen,
4- Long levels,
5- Roaming world bosses that can see you before you see them, with nice drops.
6- You can grind if you want,
7- You can fail on crafting combines,
8- You lose XP on death (buyback with cash),
9- "train to zone" is back.
10- Spells/skills are again like the tradeable scrolls, missed buying skills ahead.
Some may view the above as step-backs, if so just skip the game.
General pros:
Fantastic customization and character graphics, well modeled monsters, general artistic cohesion with the theme, flight mechanics limited but alright, fun combat and game play, solid crafting (grindy, expensive but good outcome), felt fresh - even after reading this 134 pages thread - I'm still learning the game, end-game with pvp sieges, instances and raids that should be 100% ready for Retail. Loot and stats matter and make sense, armor look upgrades are scarce but look good.
Cons:
Anywhere PVP will give me headaches with the wife / no blue-walling for her, swimming is borked/not done, player shops anywhere fucking sucks, world graphics/textures varies from awesome to early guild wars, it's being marketed as a flying RPG game but that's not quite the truth, flight is limited to the pvp zone or on a really short time elsewhere.
To the guy that is wary of the world pvp, Rifts are on a 2 hours timer (so hardly it would be full-time action, they are moving PVP'ers to the PVP zone) and it shouldn't be a gankfest, here the early protection system that will be in play "Slayer System":
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Penalties of PvP in Low Level Areas
If you go on a killing rampage in enemy territory (does not apply to the Abyss), you will receive penalties for doing so. This is called the Slayer System. The effects are as follows:
1. Depending on the amount of killings you will receive points. If your penalty points go over a certain limit, you will receive the penalty effects. If you kill lower leveled players than you, you will receive more points.
2. The penalty effects are categorized into two. One is a Debuff/Curse and you cannot use rifts. The second is a Judgment and under this effect you cannot be resurrected in any Kiosk placed in the enemy territory, as well as use rifts.
3. The name of the Curse/Judgment depends on the race. If you are Elyos, you will receive Curse/Judgment of Asphel. Asmodians will get Curse/Judgment of Ariel.
4. Once you come under Curse or Judgment, your location will be revealed throughout the local map for the entire opposing faction members. Also, even if you are under a hiding skill, your title will be seen, making it even easier to be spotted.
5. You must go back to your own lands or the Abyss and wait for a certain amount of time for the Curse or Judgment to disappear.
6. If you or someone else kills a slayer, 12 nearby players of the dead body will receive buffs.
7. The killer of the slayer will be announced throughout the area chat under the format of [Race]s Hero [Killer of the Slayer] has defeated [Slayer] while he was under [Judgment or Curse] of [Ariel or Asphel].