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Chapter 1. Lands of Sand and Snow
October 2, 2026 at 04:09 AM
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Chapter 1. Lands of Sand and Snow is a major content update for AION 2 that launched on July 1, 2026 on the Korean and Taiwanese build. NCsoft first revealed it at the June 14, 2026 Summer Festa showcase. It is the first of NCsoft's Chapter-style updates, which group content into a single named release rather than a numbered season. The update has not yet reached the global build, which launches on October 5, 2026, and NCsoft has not stated which parts arrive at global launch, so the content described here reflects the current Korean and Taiwanese live build.
The Chapter 1 update added a new playable class, two new territories, a raised level cap, new PvE and PvP modes, and new growth systems. The headline additions are below.
Addition | What It Is |
|---|---|
A new front-line damage class using the Gauntlets weapon type. Basic attacks and active skills build Rage, and reaching a threshold triggers a Rampage state. All accounts received one free character slot alongside it. See Classes for the roster overview. | |
Level Cap 50 | The maximum character level rose to 50, and the Stigma skill enhancement cap rose to level 25. |
A new Elyos territory with new stories and quests. See World and Regions. | |
A new Asmodian territory with new stories and quests. | |
Growth Systems | New Sealed Dungeons, Strongholds, and Monoliths added as sources of growth rewards and enhancement materials. |
New Dungeons | A level-50 Expedition dungeon (Citadel of the Fallen Daeva) and a Transcendence dungeon (Abyssal Horn Den), both gated at item level 3,500 and up. See Dungeons. |
A stat-equalized battleground where combat power, stats, and skills are normalized for all participants. See PvP and the Abyss. | |
A new contested Abyss field added with the update, with restricted item levels and no bosses or artifacts. |
The Chapter 1 endgame is built around the new level-50 content. Party size for Expedition and Transcendence dungeons expanded to five players and Sanctuary dungeons to ten, and the new instances pay out rewards through Odyle Energy rather than consumable entry tickets, which were removed. Players can also ride pets inside dungeons for the first time. The English names used here are NCsoft's own, published on July 6, 2026; several different community renderings circulated beforehand and are no longer used on this page.
The June 14 Summer Festa showcase also previewed horizontal "AION2 THE NEXT" systems that were not part of the July 1 update and have no firm date: sailing, fishing, and housing. A battle-royale mode reported to support around 100 players, called Outlands, and an additional Sanctuary described as arriving mid-to-late Chapter 1 were previewed the same way. None of these shipped on July 1, so treat them as roadmap content until an official patch dates them.
NCsoft's June 17, 2026 announcement of the showcase listed the full Chapter 1 lineup: the Brawler class; Eltnen and Morheim; the Expedition dungeons Citadel of the Fallen Daeva and Consumed Deus Research Base, plus an Expedition: Ordeal mode with player-set difficulty; updates to the Transcendence dungeons Noiran's Hidden Legacy and Abyssal Horn Den and to the Sanctuary dungeon Snowfield of Sorrow; Chaotic Upper Reshanta; Spacetime Rift: Domination; Battlefield: Siege; and Outlands. Spacetime Rift: Domination went live on the Korean build with the September 2, 2026 update.
NCsoft's Korean live service brands this release as Chapter 1 rather than a numbered season. The update lands around the game's six-month anniversary on the Korean and Taiwanese build, which is why some early framing referred to an anniversary season; the shipped name is the Chapter 1 update.
The Korean title is Chapter 1. 모래와 서리의 땅, literally land of sand and frost, which is where the older English rendering Land of Sand and Frost comes from. NCsoft's English title is Chapter 1. Lands of Sand and Snow.
A class balance patch originally planned for the June 24, 2026 maintenance was moved to July 1 so it landed alongside this update, partly to avoid disrupting the ranking challenge that was running on the live build at the time.
Chapter 1 added one instance at each of the two endgame tiers, and reworked the solo ladders that sit underneath them.
The item level gates differ between NCsoft's two first-party sources. The English press release of July 6, 2026 gives level 50 and a minimum item level of 3,500 for both new dungeons, with higher difficulties needing more. The Korean patch notes for the July 1 update put the lowest gate at 3,800: item level 3,800 for Citadel of the Fallen Daeva on Exploration and Conquest (Normal) and 4,500 on Conquest (Hard), and 3,800, 4,100, 4,500 and 4,800 for Abyssal Horn Den stages 1 to 4.
Content | Type | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Expedition | Level 50, item level 3,500 minimum | Higher difficulties require progressively higher item levels. | |
Transcendence | Level 50, item level 3,500 minimum | Feeds the Transcendence System ladder; higher difficulties gate on item level. | |
Nightmare Layer IV | Solo | Existing Nightmare progression | New bosses. Clearing a specific stage grants the combined rewards of every preceding stage. |
Ascension Trial: Doom | Solo | Item level 4,000 | A new top difficulty above the existing Ascension Trial tiers. |
Chapter 1 opened two new equipment lines and a set of overworld growth sources. Pendant equipment was introduced, alongside Hero-grade Amulets and Belts. Sealed Dungeons, Strongholds and Monoliths were added across the new territories as repeatable sources of the materials that feed enhancement. See Gear and Progression for how those materials are spent.
The same announcement put the new field content at 20 Sealed Dungeons and six Strongholds across Eltnen and Morheim. The Korean patch notes add new field bosses in both territories, with an extra reward box for everyone who contributes to a kill, and new Monoliths whose level rewards include enhancement scrolls for a Hero-grade amulet. See Strongholds and Sealed Dungeons and Monoliths and Empyrean Traces.
Two PvP modes arrived with the update. Chaotic Upper Reshanta is a contested Abyss zone where item level and combat power are capped and no bosses or Artifacts appear, so the fight is decided on play rather than gear. Battlefield: Siege is an objective mode where teams capture three zones for points, with every team starting under identical conditions. Both are covered in more detail on PvP and the Abyss.
Chapter 1's server matching kept widening after launch. The fourth matching group took effect with the August 12, 2026 maintenance, and each re-match resets Artifact occupation and the Abyss corridor, so territory standings start over for the groups involved.
NCsoft shipped a catch-up layer alongside the update. The Sprout Badge is granted to new players and to returning players who log in after at least 28 days away. Established players who run Expedition, Transcendence and Sanctuary content with a badge holder receive half of the Odyle Energy the Sprout player spends, which gives veterans a reason to bring newcomers along. The badge lasts up to 30 days, or until the player passes the combat power and item level thresholds attached to it.
Four optional paid acceleration packages were also added, each activated from a shop token:
Exciting First Step provides equipment and completes Strongholds, Sealed Dungeons and Empyrean Trace content in one go.
Taking Flight pushes a character to roughly 300,000 combat power quickly.
New World Explorer supplies growth materials such as Sync Stones along with cosmetic boxes.
Slow But Steady pays out currencies including Enhance Stones, Potential Stones and Soul Crystals through repeatable missions.