Probably my one biggest regrets during the release of Aion is that I can't upgrade my system to enjoy a higher quality of graphics. I updated for EverQuest II and again for Age of Conan, but alas I have been hit by the economic troubles that many have dealing with and I can't splurge this time.  The machine that I run as my main gaming comp is very mediocre.  I can run anything on the market with good stability but because it isn't top of the line, I do need to make some concessions in my graphic choices to get the best of my gaming experience and I want to share my tricks with you!  Please do keep in mind that I am a typical user and not at all a professional. These are my experiences and what works well on my middle line machine.

Anti-aliasing is the best thing since pixels were invented.  To avoid that awful blocky edge that can happen in game you will want to set this as high as you can. My graphic card over rides this setting in game, automatically forcing settings to the highest possible but really all you need to do is try the settings in game to see which is the highest your video card can handle. Bloom effect is something that you want some of, but more than that doesn't really make the in-game appearance too much more appealing.  I don't like harsh bloom so I have mine set on Type 1 in game.  I've been reading that a lot of people prefer Type 2, but it's all personal preference. Just watch the background light (if you can find it in Asmodae!) and choose which appeals to you without making your eyeball hurt.