AION 2 is an MMORPG with a long tail, and most of what makes it hard to pick up is not the combat. It is knowing which decisions are permanent and which of the dozen progression bars actually matter. This page is the short version.
Before You Log In
Decision | Why it is worth a minute |
|---|---|
Region and server | Pick the region your friends are in. There is no region locking, but a server transfer service opened on October 14, 2026, but each account gets one transfer for the whole period, limited to the same faction and region, so it is still worth starting where your friends are. |
Faction | Elyos or Asmodian is permanent on a character, and because Elyos and Asmodian sit on separate servers, it also decides which server list you see. Agree with your group first. The official guidebook adds that the two factions differ in story and starting territory, not in strength. |
Class | There is no class change in the current build. Classes has the roster and Character Creation and Customization has the rest of the creation screen. |
If you want to be wanted in groups, roll Cleric. If you want the most forgiving start, roll Templar or Ranger. If you want the highest ceiling, roll Assassin or Sorcerer.
On the global service the client asks for a region first, then a faction, then a server. If your preferred server has a long queue, NCsoft's advice during Advance Access was to pick a recommended server instead; all instanced content, dungeons included, is cross-server, so friends on different servers can still group for it. See Servers and Regions for the server list.
Controls and Interface
The global version runs on Windows PC through Steam and PURPLE, with the same content on both and shared servers; NCsoft's global FAQ names only Steam and PURPLE on Windows PC as officially supported, and says controllers work but are not officially supported. Two control schemes ship with the game, and the slash key switches between them: the default AION2 mode turns the camera with the mouse and moves with W, A, S and D, while the AION1 mode is click-to-move with a visible pointer. PC Controls has the full default key layout, User Interface explains the main screen, Settings lists every option, and the HUD Editor rearranges the layout. The Korean service also has a mobile client, covered on Mobile Controls.
The First Few Hours
Levelling is quest-driven and the game teaches flight early rather than holding it back as a reward. Work through your starting territory, Verteron for the Elyos and Altgard for the Asmodian, and do not skip the hero quest line: finishing it is what opens the spatial portal to the next territory.
The three things worth learning properly while the content is easy:
Skill chains. Skills prompt a follow-up key. Combat and Skill Chains covers the loop.
Dodging and blocking. Dodge is an active move in the direction you choose. Perfect Parry, and Perfect Shield Block for Templars and Clerics, are not timed inputs: they trigger at a low chance, affected by block chance, and stop most of a hit's damage.
Flight. Aerial Combat and Flight is the pillar the game is built around, and the map hides routes that are only visible from the air.
Dying costs nothing but time: there is no experience or item loss, a free resurrection takes you to a nearby Kibelisk or the dungeon entrance, and a Resurrection Spiritstone lets you stand up where you fell. See Death and Resurrection. If you are unsure what to do next at any level, the Navigator in the menu lists the content suited to your level with shortcuts to each.
Playing With Others
A party holds five players, and on the Korean service a force links up to four parties, twenty players, for large content. Dungeons are entered through cross-server waiting rooms, and the Korean service has made Expedition, Transcendence and Sanctuary rooms cross-faction too. Parties and Forces covers loot rules, markers and kick votes, Friends and Chat the chat channels and friends list, Mail the mailbox, and Legions the guild system.
What to Do at the Cap
Endgame is not a ladder, it is five tracks running in parallel. You do not finish one and move to the next.
Track | What it is | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
The progression you feel most in combat. Level every board you have rather than one. | Levelling, dungeons, achievements, regional quests, sealed dungeons | |
Card sets, where the payoff is the completed set rather than any one card. The longest track in the game. | Transcendence dungeons | |
Pet levels and familiarity, which feed character stats | A daily dungeon and named monsters | |
Gear | Your weapon and equipment, built from PvP currency, dungeon drops or crafting | Expedition , Sanctuary , the Abyss shop, Succession Crafting |
A paintings and statues collection. The slowest track, which is exactly why you start it early. | Dungeons, solo ladders, world bosses, the Market |
The Weekly Shape
AION 2 has weekly limits counted either per character or per server, and Odyle Energy is the budget that decides how many of your runs actually pay out. A reasonable week covers the solo ladders, the daily dungeons that feed pets, your Expedition and Transcendence counts, Abyss time, the scheduled PvP modes, and your Daeva Pass.
Alts can use separate per-character allowances, but server-wide limits are shared. For example, the global Sealed Wing morph recipe allows 20 uses per server per week and the Season 1 Resurrection Spiritstone offer allows 10 purchases per server per week. Check each counter before planning around another character.
Two Things Worth Knowing Early
The Membership is mainly a trading gate. Free accounts can play to the cap and clear the content. What they cannot do is buy on the Market, trade with another player, or use the Kina and Quna Exchange. Members also inject Odyle Energy twice instead of once when opening reward Cubes, so the Membership touches reward throughput too. If you intend to engage with the economy, budget for it. See Monetization and Memberships.
Item level and Combat Power are the two numbers that gate everything. Every dungeon, every capped Abyss layer and every large-scale PvP mode checks one or both. Item Level and Combat Power explains which is which.
New and Returning Players on the Korean Service
The Korean and Taiwanese service runs a catch-up programme that the global build has not announced. Since July 1, 2026 new accounts and players returning after 28 days or more can activate Growth Support packages, starting with the free Exciting First Step from level 10, and the Sprout Badge gives them a small PvP buff while paying other players part of the Odyle Energy the newcomer spends in dungeons. Growth Support explains who qualifies and what each package does.
Launch Week Checklist
The launch coupon TAKEFLIGHTAION2 had an announced redemption window ending October 13 at 11:00 PM PDT on North American servers and October 14 at 08:00 CEST on European servers; coupons are entered under Settings, Miscellaneous, Account, Enter Coupon. See Coupon Codes.
Check your in-game mail for launch gifts and maintenance compensation.
Founder's Pack purchasers can use the dedicated free Shop to obtain eligible skins, titles and other items they do not yet own on every character and server, according to their pack tier. The Shop remains available until NCsoft announces its closure; the pack page explains the original one-time claim rewards.
Read Launch Events for the Transcendence dungeon leaderboard and the community contests that run into November.
If you want to join friends on another server of your faction, the free server transfer period runs from October 14 to before the October 27 PDT / October 28 CET maintenance, Early Access servers in the first week and launch servers from the October 20 PDT / October 21 CEST maintenance; see Server Transfer.
Related Pages
AION 2 Overview · Classes · Dungeons · PvP and the Abyss · Gear and Progression · World and Regions · PC Controls · User Interface · Parties and Forces · Growth Support