FYI:
1) Patch 2.5 went live last week. The biggest thing for a dirty casual like me is the revamped graphics engine. It's really really
really pretty.
2) If you've never played before, you can now get a free trial for 10 days. Go here -
http://na.aiononline.com/news/announcements/aion-free-trials3) If you have played before and your account lapsed because uh... well for whatever reason, this coming Friday the 3rd, through the 13th, is
Reactivation Week, meaning all dead accounts magically just work for 10 days. If you wanna see what's new or what's changed or whatnot, there you are.
4) If you were in the PC guild, then you're Asmodian, and if you're Asmodian, you magically get tons of free stuff now as their incentive program for rolling the less-favored faction. The biggest thing is the 50 +50% XP amulets, which last an hour and have an hour cooldown, ergo you are permanently XP buffed. Info here -
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Faction%20Incentive%20Program