Content:
Key Takeaways
- Cost: AION 2 Global has been free to play since 5 Oct, and the optional Special Quai Membership mostly gates the player economy rather than your combat power.
- Permanent choices: faction, server and class cannot be changed at the moment, and no new transfer period is announced as of 3 Nov, so settle them before you invest hours.
- The cap: level 45 is the launch cap on Global; level 50 exists only on the Korean and Taiwanese service so far.
- Real target: the number to watch is item level, and Global gates (700 for the first Conquest tier) are far lower than some older guides claim.
- Check dates: several popular tables were written before the 28 Oct patch, so treat any unlock level or gate without a date with suspicion.
What AION 2 Costs and What the Membership Gates
AION 2 is an online action RPG from NC, set in the winged world of Atreia, and Global launched on 5 Oct 2026 as a free-to-play game. It runs on Windows PC only, through Steam or NC’s PURPLE launcher. There is no mobile version, and a controller works but is not officially supported. The minimum spec is a Ryzen 5 2600 or Core i5-10500, 8 GB RAM and a GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB, plus 100 GB of disk space (an SSD is recommended). Steam and PURPLE players share the same servers, and nothing carries over from the Korean or Taiwanese service.
NC describes the model as free to play with an optional monthly membership. Money also goes to cosmetics and a Battle Pass. The Special Quai Membership costs 14.99 USD for 30 days (other currencies vary) and you buy it in game under [Subscribe]. Space4Games says one European writer saw it at 12.75 EUR for 30 days. It applies to all characters on the server where you bought it, not to your other servers, and you can top it up only when fewer than 60 days remain, with at most 3 purchases per server per month.
| Feature | Free | With membership |
|---|---|---|
| Market listing and buying | No | Yes |
| Personal Trade | No | Yes, 5 a day, and the other player must also be a member |
| Currency exchange between Kinah and Quna | No | Yes |
| Storage and merchants | Through NPCs only | Remote Storage and Wind Breeze Merchants from the menu |
| Shugo Festa Key cap | 12 | 21 |
| Odyle Energy cap | 560 (client data) | 840 (client data) |
The Odyle figures come from MetaBot and AllThingsHow; NC itself says only that the membership number will be announced later. Members also get Odyle injected twice into Expedition, Transcendence and Sanctuary cubes. Insider Gaming argues that this is where the pay-to-win debate sits, because the membership gates the player economy. That is an opinion, so decide for yourself after you see how much you trade.
Two more paid items are worth knowing about. The Season 1 Starter pack costs 19.99 USD, once per character. The Season 1 Daeva Pass has a free Basic track and a Premium track for 1,500 Quna, runs until 15 Dec. A second pass, Prelude to Flight, runs from 28 Oct to 2 Dec for 1,000 Quna.
Tip: Do not buy a membership on day one. Nothing in the first stretch of leveling needs the Market, and you can add it per server once you know where you will stay.
Pick Your Faction and Server Once
You choose a region first, then a faction, then a server. NC currently lists five regions: Europe, NA East, NA West, South America and Asia, with 106 servers between them. Each server holds one faction only, so the faction you pick decides who you can party with in the open world. Dungeons and other instanced content are cross-server, which means a friend on another server of your region can still run them with you.
Servers are paired for Abyss and Spacetime Rift matchmaking, and NC publishes 53 pairs for each. Since 28 Oct the two lists are separate and the same faction can be matched against itself, so a pairing no longer means Elyos versus Asmodian. Pairings change from time to time, so do not choose a server only because of today’s opponent.
What you cannot fix later matters more. Server transfers ran from 14 to 28 Oct and the shop tab was removed afterwards; as of 3 Nov NC has announced no new period. There is no sign of a faction-change service in the client or the announcements, and a new class means a new character. You get four character slots per server at the start, so alts are possible, and deleting a character now takes a 7-day wait.
Play with friends by agreeing on the region, faction and server before anyone creates a character. Read the in-game server list on the day, because population numbers on third-party sites change hourly and no source gives a reliable answer on a best server.
Choosing a Class Without a Tier List
Global has eight classes: Gladiator, Templar, Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Spiritmaster, Chanter and Cleric. All eight are open to both factions. The summoner is called Spiritmaster on Global, and there is no ninth class: the Brawler exists only on the Korean and Taiwanese service. Each class has 12 active skills, 10 passives and 13 Stigma skills, so none of them is thin.
| Your goal | Class to look at | Weapon | games.gg rating, 12 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absorb hits for a group | Templar | Longsword and shield | Easy |
| Keep people alive | Cleric | Mace | Easy |
| Hit from range with physical damage | Ranger | Bow | Easy |
| Frontline that can tank or deal damage | Gladiator | Greatsword | Moderate |
| Buff the party and heal a little | Chanter | Staff | Moderate |
| Cast magic damage | Sorcerer | Spellbook | Moderate |
| Fight with summons | Spiritmaster | Orb | Moderate to Hard |
| Strike fast with two daggers | Assassin | Two daggers | Hard |
The ratings are games.gg’s opinion, not a rule. Space4Games calls Templar, Ranger and Cleric the most forgiving, while MetaBot and Power Up Gaming name Gladiator as the easiest solo start, so the sources disagree and you should not take one verdict as final. For popularity, NC said in a 23 Oct press release that players had made more than 6.3 million characters in 18 days, with Gladiator the most played, then Chanter and Sorcerer.
We do not rank the classes here. If you want a comparison of damage, group value and endgame use, read the tier list guide.
Your First Hours
Elyos start in Poeta and move on to Verteron; Asmodians start in Ishalgen and then go to Altgard. You get wings and become a Daeva at level 5 as an Elyos (the quest is Fledgling Wings) or level 6 as an Asmodian (Spread Your Wings). Skills open at level 4 and Enhancement at level 9. From there the main story, called Episode quests, is your road: below level 45 it pays 97% of the EXP needed for Elyos and 99% for Asmodians, so extra grinding is rarely needed.
Do not worry if the story stops at level 22 or 32. At those levels the next step is an Ascension quest, and the usual fix is to fill the gap with regional quests and sealed dungeons. The stretch from 30 to 39 is where the story covers least, about 70%, so expect more side content there. Sealed dungeons are worth finding: the main leveling map holds 61 per faction, and each clear pays 2 Daevanion Crystals and 2 Wisdom Stones.
| Source | Time to level 45 |
|---|---|
| AllThingsHow | About 4 to 7 hours optimized, 9 to 12 hours focused on the main story, 15 hours or more casual |
| Space4Games, pre-launch test | Says it reached level 30 in about 12 hours at a relaxed pace |
| MeinMMO, 29 Sep | Says level 45 takes a few hours if you are quick |
These are three writers’ experiences, not a measured average, so plan for the slow end on your first character. More than two thirds of all the EXP to level 45 sits between levels 40 and 45, which is why the last five levels feel so much longer than the first forty. Our leveling guide has a full route if you want one, and leveling help is available if you would rather skip part of it. If you want a hand with the early game, our AION 2 services cover the main routes.
Level Unlocks That Matter
Unlock tables are where guides go wrong, so each row below says where it is a disagreement. Where a single test-client table differs, the higher-confidence value comes first.
| Level | What opens | Do it now or later |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Skills | Now, learn the basics |
| 9 | Enhancement | Light use only |
| 10 | Substance Morph and Crafting | Later, nothing urgent |
| 12 | First Daevanion board, Nezekan (tied to a story quest; one test-client table says 13) | Now |
| 16 | Legions, according to Space4Games | When you find friends |
| 20 | Krao Cave Exploration, with item level 200 (community trackers) | Optional while leveling |
| 22, 27, 32, 37 | The four Stigma slots | Now |
| 25 | Supply Requests | When convenient |
| 28 and 35 | Urugugu Canyon and Fire Temple | Optional |
| 30 | Daily Dungeon | Daily habit |
| 45 | Gathering (since 28 Oct), Abyss, Nightmare, Transcendence, Sanctuary (Ludra from 4 Nov), Arena and Battlefield, Arcana, Spacetime Rifts, Duty Missions, and the Market with membership | After you reach the cap |
The in-game level guide shows recommended levels of 22, 30 and 37 for the three expeditions; those are suggestions, not entry requirements.
Item Level and Gear Basics
NC calls the gate number item level, and many sites call it Gear Score; they mean the same thing. Content gates use item level. Combat power is a different figure that also counts Daevanion, Pantheon and Arcana, so a high combat power does not open a dungeon by itself. A character arriving at level 45 normally sits around item level 700, GamesFuze says (5 Oct).
| Step | Item level needed | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Leveling expedition | 200 at level 20 (community trackers) | Krao Cave Exploration |
| Conquest tier 1 | 700 | Krao Cave, Draupnir |
| Conquest tier 2 | 1,400 | Urugugu Canyon, Vakron Sky Island |
| Conquest tier 3 | 2,100 | Fire Temple, Ferocious Horn Den |
| Transcendence stage 1 | 1,600 | Level 45 content |
| Hard modes | 2,600 (Krao Cave, Draupnir) and 2,700 (Urugugu Canyon, Vakron Sky Island) | Added 21 Oct and 28 Oct |
| Ludra | 2,800 Normal, 3,000 Hard | Returns 4 Nov |
Hard modes also have a 4-minute Frenzy timer and 3 revives. The step from a fresh 45 to the Hard gates is large, and our gear score guide and dungeons guide cover how people close it.
On enhancement, MetaBot reads the Global client and GameWith shows the Korean disclosure, and both agree: unique gear always succeeds up to +10, then the chances are 65%, 50%, 35%, 25% and 20% up to +15, with 5% added after each failure. Treat these as client data: NC has not published a Global table. Per MetaBot’s client data, a failed attempt only costs materials, apart from the PvE rune, which can drop a level. MeinMMO’s advice is to enhance several pieces lightly rather than one piece heavily, and to check item filters before extracting old gear.
Tip: Spend Odyle as it comes while leveling, since the 560 cap fills in under five days; save it only in the last few days before 45.
Core Systems in One Line Each
- Stigma: skills you slot into four spots that open at levels 22, 27, 32 and 37; each class has 13 to choose from.
- Daevanion: boards of nodes that add stats. The first, Nezekan, opens around level 12, then Zikel at 20, Vaizel at 30, Triniel at 40 and Azphel at 45. Ariel joins them from 21 Oct. All six boards cost 1,034 points between them, and node cost runs from 1 for Common to 4 for Unique.
- Ariel board: added on 21 Oct; points come from Ariel Fragments in Expedition Hard via Substance Morph.
- Odyle Energy: a stamina-style resource that refills 15 every 3 hours (120 a day) and opens from around level 22. A reward cube at level-45 Conquest costs 40.
- Hidden Cubes: 206 in the global client, most of them in Verteron (95) and Altgard (59); the client also lists Eltnen and Morheim, which NC has not announced for Global. NC says they spawn more often since 28 Oct.
- Mounts and pets: every released mount runs at the same speed, and pets come from monster souls from level 10, according to Space4Games.
- Shugo Festa: a keyed event whose cap is 12, or 21 with membership; your daily and weekly checklist lists what to do each day.
You will not use all of these in your first week, and you do not need to. Stigma and Daevanion are the two that change your power at once, so make sure they are filled at each unlock.
What To Do First, by Situation
Pick the row that matches you today, and ignore the rest until it applies.
| Situation | Do this first | Skip for now |
|---|---|---|
| Your first hour, no character yet | Agree region, faction and server with friends, then pick a class from the table above | Buying anything; there is nothing to gain from it yet |
| Your first day | Reach wings at level 5 or 6 and follow Episode quests | Enhancement beyond light use, crafting, pets |
| You are stuck at level 22 or 32 | Do an Ascension step, regional quests and sealed dungeons | Grinding mobs in one spot |
| You hit level 30 | Start the Daily Dungeon and fill Stigma slots | Hard modes and Conquest |
| You hit level 45 | Check your item level against the 700 gate, then gather, run Conquest and open the Abyss | Hard modes until your item level is near 2,600 |
| You want a second character | Use one of the four slots per server; same-server alts keep the economy simple | Waiting for class change; there is none |
| You are returning after a break | Read the patch table below, then check your Stigma and Daevanion choices against the patch table | Old tables that predate 28 Oct |
| You are free to play and want the Market | Decide on a membership per server only after you reach 45 | Quna packs bought as a reflex |
If a row takes longer than you have, our dungeon runs and collection help can fill in the gap without changing your choices.
PvE or PvP at Level 45
Level 45 is where the game opens up. You get the Abyss, Nightmare, Transcendence, Sanctuary (Ludra from 4 Nov), Arena and Battlefield, Arcana, the Ascension Trial and Spacetime Rifts. You do not have to do all of it, and you cannot do all of it in one evening.
Spacetime Rifts and the Abyss are where servers meet. A Rift opens every 3 hours at a new spot, and you can stay one hour on the enemy side. The Abyss takes accumulated entry time up to a cap of 7 hours (changed on 14 Oct). Space4Games also reports an item-level gate of 1,000 for the Abyss, but that is a single source, and other sources give level 45 as the entry rule, so check the in-game requirement.
Duty Missions give 5 a day and Nightmare 2 attempts a day. Ludra, the Sanctuary raid, was unavailable from launch and returns on 4 Nov, with its Conquest Check-In and the Daeva Bootcamp running from 4 to 17 Nov. MeinMMO advises visiting the Abyss even if you dislike PvP, and since it is shared with other servers, it is the best place to see how your build compares.
Where Guides Disagree
Many of the numbers above are contested, and the sources disagree in ways you can check. Here is what each one says and which value this guide uses.
| Topic | One source says | Another says | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gathering unlock | Space4Games and MetaBot’s unlock page still print level 10 | NC’s 28 Oct patch notes say 45 | 45 |
| Daevanion first board | MetaBot and Power Up Gaming: level 12 | Space4Games test table: level 13 | 12, tied to a quest |
| Krao Cave Normal gate | aion2hub quotes 1,000 for the Korea and Taiwan data | MetaBot’s Global tier 1 shows 700 | 700 |
| Expedition levels | Space4Games and Power Up Gaming: entry at 20, 28 and 35 | The in-game guide: recommended 22, 30 and 37 | Entry 20, 28, 35 |
| Level cap | Five sites say 45 for Global | Inven Global and aion2hub report 50 on the Korean service | 45 on Global |
| Membership scope | AllThingsHow says account-wide | NC’s notice says per server | Per server |
| Best beginner class | games.gg and Space4Games point to Templar, Ranger, Cleric | MetaBot and Power Up Gaming say Gladiator | Your choice |
The pattern is simple. Pages that read the client early show launch-week data, and the 28 Oct patch moved several values. When you find a page with no date, assume it predates the change.
What Changed Since Launch
Dated changes a new player should know about, newest first. The 4 Nov patch notes are not public yet, so nothing from that update is included.
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 3 Nov 22:30 PST / 4 Nov 07:30 CET | Maintenance of 3 hours, with details to follow; the Halloween event ends before it. On 4 Nov Ludra returns at item level 2,800 Normal and 3,000 Hard |
| 31 Oct and 1 Nov | Time-zone maintenance for NA East and NA West |
| 28 Oct patch | New Abyss and Rift pairings, same-faction pairs possible; base HP at level 45 up by 1,500 for Gladiator and Templar and by 1,000 for the rest; boss attack cut by 15% in Expedition and Transcendence; Urugugu and Vakron Hard at 2,700; Odylium Repository added; gathering at level 45; deletion wait 7 days; idle return to lobby back to 30 minutes; Hidden Cubes spawn more; transfer tab removed; the Prelude to Flight pass (to 2 Dec) opens |
| 28 Oct to 10 Nov (PST) | Odyle Energy Boost: 4 Odyle Energy per account per day by mail |
| 26 Oct | Transfers resumed with level 45 required |
| 24 and 25 Oct | A daily-reset problem on 25 Oct, plus time-zone maintenance for Europe |
| 20 and 21 Oct patch | Krao Cave and Draupnir Hard at 2,600; Ariel Daevanion board; more Abyss capacity |
| 13 and 14 Oct patch | Transfers open; Abyss time cap of 7 hours |
| 6 and 7 Oct patch | Founder’s Pack items usable on all characters and servers; no class changes |
| 4 and 5 Oct maintenance | Advanced Access ends; character deletion wait cut from 168 hours to 24 hours; idle return to lobby raised from 30 minutes to 3 hours |
| 5 Oct | Global launch |
This matters because a guide written before these dates may send you to the wrong content. If NC publishes the 4 Nov notes, they supersede this table.
First-Week Mistakes
- Using Korean or Taiwanese numbers: the 1,000 item level gate for Krao Cave, level 50 and the Brawler belong to the other service, so do not plan around them.
- Letting Odyle sit: the 560 cap fills in under five days, so spend it as it comes while leveling and save it only in the last few days before 45.
- Banking on a transfer: none is announced as of 3 Nov, so a wrong server stays wrong.
- Enhancing one piece too far: spread light upgrades over several items, and remember the PvE rune can drop a level.
- Trusting undated unlock tables: gathering is the clearest example, so check the unlock table above.
- Expecting a class swap: a new class is a new character, so test one in the first levels before you commit your hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AION 2 free to play?
Yes. Global launched on 5 Oct as free to play, with an optional monthly membership. Most purchases cover cosmetics, a Battle Pass or economy features.
Do I need the Special Quai Membership?
Not to level. It is needed for the Market, Personal Trade and the currency exchange, and it applies only to the server where you bought it.
Can I change my faction, class or server later?
Not at the moment. No new transfer period is announced as of 3 Nov, there is no sign of a faction-change service, and a new class means a new character.
What is the level cap and how long does it take?
The launch cap on Global is 45. Reported times vary from about 4 hours for a fast, optimized run to 15 hours or more at a casual pace.
Which class should a beginner pick?
It depends on the role you enjoy, and the sources disagree. See the table above and the tier list guide for a comparison.
What should I do first at level 45?
Check your item level against the 700 gate for Conquest tier 1, gather, and visit the Abyss. If you want help with the early gates, see AION 2 services.
Do my Korean or Taiwanese characters carry over?
No. NC states that progress does not carry over between those services and Global.