It’s already a reality in the South Korean version of the game, and the US and EU players have been clamoring for it, as well. NCSoft recently announced that their fantasy MMO Aion will be going free to play in the Western markets with version 3.0, the Ascension expansion.

This new expansion is expected to hit this Spring of 2012, and will bring mounts, new zones and dungeons, and the long-awaited player housing. According the the Aion official website, the new subscription model will be based on that of Lineage II. Players will have access to the full content of the game, including all zones, dungeons, chat channels and the Trade Broker.

Choose the northern-dwelling Asmodians and Lord Azphel, or the Elyos and Lady Ariel of the south for your home faction. You decide which faction was responsible for the destruction of the Tower of Eternity, and only you can swing the balance of power to dominate Atreia.