AION 2 Gives Every Player a Free Launch Gift: Redeem TAKEFLIGHTAION2 Now

AION 2 has reached number one on Steam's global Top Sellers chart, so NC has decided to celebrate in the traditional MMO fashion: by giving everybody some free stuff.

Players can now redeem the promotional code TAKEFLIGHTAION2 for a small bundle of useful launch items. The code became active following the October 1 maintenance and works across all AION 2 Global servers.

There is no Founder's Pack requirement, no Twitch viewing requirement and no complicated event progression involved. You enter the code, collect the rewards and return to whatever enormous list of quests was currently demanding your attention.

What Does TAKEFLIGHTAION2 Give You?

The free launch bundle contains:

• Small Od (Bound) x4
• Resurrection Spiritstone (Bound) x5
• Combat Enhancement Scroll (Bound) x10

None of these items will suddenly turn a new character into an unstoppable Daeva, but they are useful consumables during early progression and there is little reason to leave them unclaimed.

The code is part of NC's thank-you celebration after AION 2 reached number one on Steam's worldwide Top Sellers list and topped the sales charts in 13 individual countries. That momentum is also reflected in the player numbers: we recently reported that AION 2 reached 171,530 concurrent Steam players during Advanced Access, more than doubling the peak from the Global Launch Scale Test.

How to Redeem TAKEFLIGHTAION2

The process is refreshingly straightforward.

1. Log into AION 2.
2. Open Settings.
3. Select Miscellaneous.
4. Open Account.
5. Select Enter Coupon.
6. Enter TAKEFLIGHTAION2.
7. Press Confirm.

The code can be redeemed once per account, and the reward items are bound, which means they cannot be traded to other players.

For European players, the code expires on October 14 at 08:00 CEST. North American players have until October 13 at 11:00 PM PDT.

Another Free Reward During a Busy Launch

TAKEFLIGHTAION2 joins an increasingly long list of things players can collect around Global launch.

Players who completed the pre-registration campaign can already claim the companions covered in our AION 2 free pre-registration rewards guide, while the launch period also includes AION 2 Twitch Drops with cosmetic and progression rewards.

If you are only just starting now, our AION 2 Before You Play guide remains a useful checklist for account rewards, classes, factions, servers and the other decisions worth sorting out before getting too deeply invested in your first character.

Server choice is particularly worth thinking about while populations are still settling. NC has already confirmed that free AION 2 server transfers begin October 14, although Advanced Access characters remain restricted to other Advanced Access servers and transfers cannot change faction.

The Code Works on All Servers

One useful detail is that TAKEFLIGHTAION2 is not limited to Advanced Access worlds.

NC states that the code works on all servers, which means players arriving with the October 5 free-to-play Global launch will also have time to redeem it. That gives new players more than a week after launch before the European deadline arrives.

It is not the most spectacular reward package AION 2 will ever distribute, but free consumables are still free consumables.

And unlike defeating a boss, reaching level cap or surviving an Abyss battle, entering twelve letters into a coupon box is an achievement most of us can manage before breakfast.

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AION 2 Free Server Transfers Begin October 14: Here Are the Restrictions

AION 2 has been live for barely a day, and we have already reached one of the great traditions of MMO launches: everyone wants to be on the same server, preferably the one currently surrounded by a queue.

NC has now provided an escape route. AION 2 server transfers will become available starting October 14, and transfers will initially be free. The system gives players who picked a crowded server, ended up separated from friends or simply regret their opening-night decision a chance to move without immediately reaching for their wallet.

There are, however, several restrictions worth understanding before deciding that server choice no longer matters.

Server Transfers Start October 14

NC announced the transfer date while responding to the heavy demand surrounding Advanced Access. Players waiting in queues are being encouraged to create characters on recommended servers instead of insisting on squeezing into the most populated worlds.

That advice makes considerably more sense now that we know a transfer system is only two weeks away.

Before launch, we explained that AION 2 planned to introduce server transfers after populations had settled, but several important details were still missing. We did not know when transfers would begin, whether they would cost money or exactly which servers would be allowed to exchange characters.

We now have answers to several of those questions.

• Server transfers begin October 14.
• Transfers will initially be free.
• You can only transfer to a server belonging to the same faction.
• Advanced Access characters can only move between Advanced Access servers.
• Advanced Access characters cannot transfer to the new October 5 Launch Servers.

NC has not yet explained how long the free-transfer period will remain available, so players should not assume transfers will permanently cost nothing.

You Cannot Use Transfers to Change Faction

The same-faction restriction is particularly important because AION 2 separates Elyos and Asmodians across dedicated worlds.

An Elyos character cannot use the transfer system as a convenient shortcut into an Asmodian server, or vice versa. The faction decision remains part of your character identity rather than something the transfer service quietly erases.

That also means players coordinating with friends still need to agree on faction first. Our Advanced Access server matchup guide explains which Elyos and Asmodian worlds were initially paired for faction warfare, while our overview of AION 2's Global server regions covers the larger geographical structure.

Advanced Access Players Cannot Transfer to October 5 Servers

The other major restriction prevents Advanced Access players from moving their five-day progression advantage onto one of the fresh servers opening with the free-to-play launch on October 5.

That distinction is sensible. The new Launch Servers are specifically designed to give incoming free players a cleaner starting environment rather than immediately surrounding them with characters who have already spent five days gearing, gathering and progressing.

If you started during AION 2 Advanced Access on September 30, your transfer options will therefore remain within the Advanced Access server pool.

The October 5 worlds remain their own group for transfer purposes, at least when the system first launches.

You Can Already Run Dungeons Across Servers

There is another reason NC is telling players not to sit endlessly in queues simply because their friends chose a different server.

All instanced content, including dungeons, already supports cross-server play.

So if your group has temporarily ended up scattered across several servers, that does not necessarily prevent you from running instanced PvE together. AION 2 was designed with regional cross-server matchmaking precisely because individual server populations should not determine

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AION 2 Hits 171,530 Concurrent Steam Players Before Free-to-Play Launch

AION 2 has not even reached its free-to-play launch yet, and apparently nobody told the players they were supposed to wait.

During its first day of Advanced Access, AION 2 reached an all-time Steam peak of 171,530 concurrent players. That is an enormous jump from the recent Launch Scale Test and particularly impressive considering that the September 30 opening is only available to players who purchased a Founder's Pack.

The actual number of people playing AION 2 was almost certainly higher. SteamDB can only show Steam activity, while AION 2 is also available through NC's PURPLE launcher. NC has not published a combined concurrency number, so 171,530 should be treated as the confirmed Steam figure rather than the total Global population.

Still, 171,530 people buying their way into an MMO five days before it becomes free is not exactly a quiet opening.

AION 2 More Than Doubled Its Launch Scale Test Peak

The most useful comparison comes from only two weeks ago.

During the Global Launch Scale Test, we reported that AION 2 reached 73,761 concurrent Steam players. That was already a strong result for a short test where characters would eventually be wiped and most of the permanent economy was disabled.

Advanced Access has now pushed that figure to 171,530.

In other words, AION 2 has more than doubled its Steam test peak before the doors have even opened to free-to-play players.

That makes the timing particularly interesting. AION 2's full Global launch does not happen until October 5, when players no longer need a Founder's Pack to enter. If Advanced Access can attract more than 170,000 simultaneous Steam users behind a paid entry requirement, October 5 will be the first real stress test for just how much demand is waiting outside.

AION 2 Is Also Number One on Steam's Top Sellers

The concurrency figure is not the only launch statistic getting attention.

AION 2 has also reached #1 on Steam's Top Sellers chart. That makes sense when every Steam player currently inside Advanced Access has necessarily bought one of the Founder's Packs, but reaching the top of the global chart still demonstrates how much interest has built around the Western release.

That interest was already visible before launch. Players piled into the test, the Advanced Access preload began two days before opening, and NC published the first permanent server matchups only shortly before players entered Atreia.

Then everybody arrived at once. MMO launches do enjoy tradition.

The Steam Reviews Are Positive, But Hardly Unanimous

The player count tells us people are interested. It does not automatically tell us everybody is happy.

At the time of writing, roughly 71 percent of Steam user reviews are positive. That is actually fairly close to what we saw during testing, when AION 2 finished its Launch Scale Test at 69 percent positive.

The arguments remain familiar. Some players praise the combat, visuals, enormous world and sheer quantity of MMO systems to dig into. Others remain less enthusiastic about progression design, monetization and the unmistakable structure of a modern Korean MMORPG.

In other words, the test did a surprisingly good job of predicting the conversation.

There is also some useful context when looking at the Steam numbers. AION 2 remained unavailable through Steam in several countries immediately before Advanced Access, while PURPLE players are completely invisible to SteamDB's concurrency chart.

October 5 Is the Number That Really Matters Next

For now, 171,530 is an extremely strong opening figure.

But Advanced Access is still a peculiar sample. Everyone currently playing was interested enough to spend money before a game that becomes free only five days later. Those are, by definition, some of AION 2's most motivated players.

October 5 changes the equation.

That is when the paywall disappears, new Launch Servers open and the much larger group of players who decided to simply wait can finally enter Atreia.

The Launch Scale Test peaked at 73,761. Advanced Access has already reached 171,530.

Now we get to see what happens when the doors are actually open.

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AION 2 launches into Advanced Access today, which means thousands of players will naturally celebrate by doing the most MMO thing imaginable: watching somebody else play it.

There is at least a reward for doing so.

AION 2's Global Twitch Drops system is now part of the launch period, with players already sharing images of the free outfit connected to the campaign. The cosmetic has quickly become one of the more talked-about launch freebies, particularly because it gives Global players another appearance option without buying one of the more expensive Founder's Packs.

It also finally puts NC's official AION 2 Twitch Drops page to practical use after the infrastructure appeared before launch.

Yes, You Need to Link Your Account First

The important part is not simply opening Twitch and leaving an AION 2 stream running somewhere behind seventeen browser tabs.

Your Twitch account needs to be connected to the account you actually use for AION 2. Steam players should pay particular attention here because NC specifically tells them to select the Steam icon when linking their account.

We already covered the complete setup in our AION 2 Twitch Drops guide, including account linking, claiming rewards and how progress works when moving between participating channels.

Once a campaign is active, Twitch tracks your viewing progress automatically on eligible streams. You do not have to remain with the same creator for the entire requirement, so switching between participating channels does not throw away the time you have already accumulated.

The Free Outfit Is Getting Plenty of Attention

The interesting part today is the cosmetic reward itself.

Players are already showing off the launch outfit, and the initial reaction has been remarkably enthusiastic for something being handed out through a viewing campaign. Naturally, fashion remains one of the few true endgame systems every MMO launches with completely functional.

There is also an amusing regional wrinkle. Players familiar with the Taiwan version have pointed out that the same or equivalent outfit was previously distributed there extremely cheaply or effectively free. Global appears to be using Twitch instead, turning the cosmetic into part of the launch marketing campaign rather than simply placing it directly into everyone's wardrobe.

That fits neatly with NC's broader launch strategy. War for Atreia already makes Twitch activity part of its scoring system, and the competition itself puts 60 creators into six Elyos and Asmodian Legions during the opening weeks of Global service.

NC therefore has a fairly obvious reason to give ordinary players something for watching.

War for Atreia Is Part of the Launch Push

The Twitch campaign is closely tied to a much larger creator push surrounding AION 2.

We first covered War for Atreia when NC announced the two-week faction competition. Since then, the six Captains and full creator teams have been revealed, with North America, Europe and Latin America each fielding an Elyos and an Asmodian Legion.

That event begins alongside AION 2 Advanced Access on September 30 and continues through the October 5 free-to-play launch.

Even players with absolutely no interest in watching streamers argue about faction superiority therefore have a reason to keep an eye on Twitch during the launch period.

Do Not Forget the Other Free Launch Rewards

Twitch Drops are also separate from AION 2's other launch rewards.

Players who completed the pre-registration requirements can receive free companions, which we covered in our guide to AION 2's free pre-registration pets. Founder's Pack bonuses are separate again, as are any future event rewards.

Our AION 2 Before You Play checklist covers the various account jobs worth completing around launch, because there are now enough free pets, Twitch connections, server choices and platform accounts involved that starting an MMO occasionally feels disturbingly similar to completing paperwork.

Still, a free outfit is a free outfit.

And in AION, where wings and fashion have been serious business since 2009, looking good while waiting for the next dungeon group is practically a core mechanic.

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AION 2 Korea Adds an Eight-Minute Rule to Stop Endless Abyss Battles

There are few traditions more deeply rooted in faction-based MMOs than several hundred players arriving for a glorious battle and eventually discovering that nobody can actually finish it.

NC has apparently decided that eight minutes is enough.

A new AION 2 Korean update released September 30 makes another significant adjustment to the Abyss, introducing a new mechanic designed specifically to stop Artifact Occupation Wars from dragging on indefinitely. If the Dimensional Core survives for eight minutes after the battle begins, it now receives a debuff that makes it progressively easier to destroy.

It is another interesting adjustment to a PvP system global players have only just started getting acquainted with through AION 2's Abyss, Rift and Arena showcase.

The Dimensional Core Now Has an Eight-Minute Problem

The new mechanic is called Waning Power. If players fail to destroy the Dimensional Core within eight minutes of an Artifact Occupation War starting, the Core receives the debuff, reducing both its Damage Tolerance and Double Resist.

In practical terms, the longer the Core survives beyond that point, the easier NC wants it to be for attackers to finally finish the objective.

That may sound like a fairly modest balance adjustment, but it targets one of the more awkward problems large-scale faction PvP inevitably creates. When objectives are too durable, a supposedly dramatic battle can turn into twenty minutes of everybody throwing abilities at an enormous health bar while wondering whether dinner was a better idea.

The Dimensional Core has already required attention from NC. Earlier this year, we covered an AION 2 update that included compensation after Dimensional Core rewards failed to distribute correctly. More recent Korean changes have also altered Core health and PvP damage calculations as NC continues tuning large-scale Abyss battles.

Artifact War Times Are Changing Too

The September 30 patch also rearranges the Artifact Occupation War schedule. Battles still take place on Wednesday and Saturday, but Korea's three matchmaking groups now begin at 9:20 PM, 9:50 PM and 10:20 PM.

The Abyss bosses appearing after those wars have moved with them. Bosses in Chaotic Lower and Middle Reshanta now spawn at 9:45 PM, 10:15 PM and 10:45 PM depending on matchmaking group.

Guardian Lord Nahma also receives adjusted spawn times for Groups 2 and 3, while NC fixed an issue that prevented the enraged version of Nahma from correctly receiving the same Waning Power mechanic.

It all points toward the same objective: making an evening in the Abyss more predictable and preventing one stubborn encounter from pushing everything after it increasingly late.

This Is a Korean Change, Not a Confirmed Global Patch

There is an important distinction for players entering AION 2 Global during Advanced Access and the October 5 launch: this is a Korean update.

Global AION 2 is launching with a modified version of Season 1 rather than simply copying Korea's current client. NC has already explained that Global will inherit many lessons and quality-of-life improvements from Korea's first year, but that does not mean every current Korean mechanic will immediately exist in the Western version.

We also saw during the Launch Scale Test that Global progression and balance already differ substantially from Korea. Numbers, gearing systems and progression routes have been altered rather than copied wholesale.

So the new eight-minute rule should not be treated as a Global patch note.

It should, however, be treated as a useful glimpse at where NC believes Abyss design needs to go.

NC Clearly Does Not Want Endless Abyss Stalemates

The interesting part is not really the number eight. It is the philosophy behind it.

AION 2 is built around Elyos and Asmodians fighting over objectives, and the Abyss remains one of the game's central PvP spaces. But giant faction battles only remain exciting while something is actually happening.

Once both sides become trapped around an objective nobody can realistically kill, spectacle turns into administration.

NC's answer is rather direct. If the battle lasts too long, weaken the thing everybody is trying to destroy.

Sometimes sophisticated MMO design comes down to knowing when enough people have hit the same enormous crystal for long enough.

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AION 2 Advanced Access Starts Today at 15:00 CEST: The Launch Time Is Finally Confirmed

We have spent more time discussing AION 2's launch clock than anyone should reasonably spend discussing a clock, but the guessing is finally over.

AION 2 Advanced Access begins today, September 30, at 13:00 UTC, which is 15:00 CEST in Central Europe. The full free-to-play launch follows at the same hour on October 5. That finally confirms the timing we previously spotted through Steam when we reported that AION 2 appeared to be heading for a 13:00 UTC global launch. At the time, the date was official but the exact hour was not. Now the calendar can stop looking suspiciously unfinished.

AION 2 Advanced Access Starts at 13:00 UTC

For players entering through a Founder's Pack, September 30 is effectively launch day. Characters created during Advanced Access are permanent, progression continues into the full release, and all three Founder's Pack tiers provide the same five-day head start. If you are still deciding whether that is worth paying for, our complete AION 2 global release and Advanced Access guide covers the launch dates and what the packs actually include.

The important times are now straightforward:

• US West Coast: 6:00 AM PDT
• US East Coast: 9:00 AM EDT
• Brazil: 10:00 AM BRT
• United Kingdom: 2:00 PM BST
• Central Europe: 3:00 PM CEST
• Eastern Europe: 4:00 PM EEST
• Japan: 10:00 PM JST

The same schedule applies to the October 5 free-to-play opening, which should make the second launch considerably easier to plan.

Do Not Forget About the Encrypted Preload

There is, however, one small piece of traditional PC gaming theatre standing between players and Atreia. The AION 2 preload is already available, but the downloaded files are encrypted and must be decrypted before the client can run. That does not mean downloading the entire game again, but the process can still take time depending on your storage and PC hardware.

In other words, having the game downloaded does not necessarily mean you can press Play at 14:59 and glide gracefully into Atreia sixty seconds later. We have also looked specifically at why the encrypted AION 2 preload could delay some players at Advanced Access.

Steam users who participated in the Launch Scale Test should also make sure they are using the correct client. NC instructed test players to uninstall the separate Playtest application and install the normal retail version instead. PURPLE users have a simpler transition, although anyone still choosing between the two platforms should read our Steam versus PURPLE comparison before buying anything, since Founder's Pack purchases are tied to the platform where they are made.

Choose Your Server Before the Gates Open

Launch preparation is not only about downloading files. AION 2 separates Elyos and Asmodians onto different servers and then pairs those servers for cross-faction activities such as the Abyss. NC has already revealed the first Advanced Access matchups, so groups planning to play together should settle their faction and server choices before character creation begins rather than discovering five minutes later that half the guild has wandered into the wrong version of Atreia.

That is particularly important because AION 2's global server structure covers Europe, North America, South America and Asia, and the opening days are likely to be busy. Our AION 2 Before You Play checklist also covers factions, classes, rewards, storage requirements and the other small decisions that are considerably more pleasant to make before a login queue appears.

This Time the Characters Stay

The Launch Scale Test was useful, but everything there was temporary. Today is different. Levels matter, items matter, character names matter and the strange creature you spend twenty minutes perfecting in the character creator is now somebody you may still be staring at hundreds of hours later.

For Founder's Pack owners, AION 2 starts today at 15:00 CEST. Everyone else joins the same adventure on October 5.

After months of trailers, Korean updates, tests, monetization debates and launch preparation, we have finally reached the wonderfully simple part.

Now we actually get to play it.

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AION Reforged Arrives October 20, Giving the Original MMO a New Start Beside AION 2

Apparently one new AION is not enough for October.

While most of the attention is currently fixed on AION 2's global launch on October 5, NC is also preparing something rather interesting for players who are not quite ready to leave the original game behind. AION Reforged is scheduled to open on October 20, introducing a new Reforged server built around a heavily revised version of familiar AION locations, systems and progression.

That places it only fifteen days after AION 2's free-to-play global release. For a franchise that spent several years moving at a fairly leisurely MMO pace, October is suddenly becoming extremely crowded.

What Is AION Reforged?

The easiest mistake would be to think Reforged is simply another ordinary fresh-start server. NC's own Reforged preregistration page suggests something considerably more ambitious.

The promotional material shows familiar parts of Atreia being rebuilt or reorganized. Poeta and Ishalgen are presented as a new starting adventure, Eltnen and Morheim feature redesigned dungeon entrances, the Bella Borderlands include a large safe zone, Heiron and Beluslan retain Rift-based faction conflict, while the Sulfur Tree Archipelago is described as an "Abyss Reimagined." There is even a redesigned Twisted Poeta among the locations NC is currently teasing.

In other words, this is still recognisably AION, but it is not simply the same old server with everybody reset to level one.

That distinction matters because the original game has already been living several different lives. AION Classic remains an actively maintained MMO in 2026, while updates such as Classic's Ignite update brought returning players back into Atreia. Reforged now creates another branch between preserving old AION and completely replacing it.

NC Is Updating More Than the World

We already know that Reforged will also arrive alongside changes to some of AION's surrounding systems. NC has confirmed that the costume system is being revamped for both the upcoming Reforged server and AION Classic 5.5, ending the existing quarterly costume rotation on those versions.

That may sound like a small detail, but it helps illustrate what Reforged appears to be trying to do. This is not quite Classic, not quite Live and certainly not AION 2's much more modern interpretation of the franchise. It sits somewhere in the middle, keeping the places, factions and fundamental identity veteran players remember while reconsidering how those pieces fit together.

There is a certain logic to that. AION 2 is deliberately changing things. Its eight launch classes may have familiar names, but combat, progression and group content have been rebuilt around a very different MMO. Its global version is also arriving with major progression and monetization changes compared with Korea and Taiwan.

Reforged offers NC another option: modernize AION without requiring players to abandon AION.

Pre-Registration Is Already Open

Players can already pre-register for Reforged through NC's official site. Registration remains open until October 19, with reward coupons becoming usable when the Reforged service opens on October 20.

Reforged players receive a Dazzling Wings of Dawn Box, allowing them to choose between Aerope's Wings, Persephone's Wings, Boreas's Wings or Tyr's Wings. Interestingly, NC is also giving Classic players a separate preregistration reward consisting of 30 Enchantment Stones, reinforcing the idea that Reforged is being launched alongside the existing AION ecosystem rather than quietly replacing it.

October Is Becoming a Very Strange Month for AION

The timing is easily the most fascinating part.

AION 2 Founder's Pack players begin Advanced Access on September 30. The full sequel launches globally on October 5. Players will then spend two weeks exploring its enormous new Atreia, testing its economy and discovering whether concerns surrounding Membership, the Market and Quna actually matter at endgame.

Then, on October 20, NC invites everyone back to the old game again.

It sounds slightly mad, but there is also something rather appealing about it. AION 2 is trying to answer the question of what AION should become. Reforged is asking a different question: how much of the original AION can be changed before it stops feeling like AION?

For longtime Daevas, October may end up providing the answer to both.

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AION 2 Preload Is Encrypted: Why You May Still Have to Wait at Advanced Access

If you have already preloaded AION 2 for Advanced Access, there is one small detail worth knowing before September 30: the files currently sitting on your PC are encrypted.

That means Steam will still need to decrypt the installation before AION 2 can actually start. NC has specifically warned players about this because it can look suspiciously like the game has decided to download itself all over again at exactly the moment everybody wants to log in.

It has not.

The important distinction is simple: decryption is not a reinstallation.

What Happens When Advanced Access Begins?

NC's official preload instructions are unusually straightforward. Download AION 2 now, wait for September 30, allow the client to decrypt the files, then play.

The preloaded files are deliberately encrypted so the playable game cannot simply be extracted and launched before Advanced Access officially begins.

Once the release condition is met, the client must process those encrypted files and turn them into the usable installation.

NC specifically notes that the amount of time required will vary depending on the player's PC specifications.

So even if your entire preload finished yesterday, you should not assume pressing Play will immediately place you at character creation.

Steam May Look Busy Without Downloading the Whole Game Again

This is the part most likely to cause launch-day panic.

You have already downloaded AION 2.

September 30 arrives.

Steam suddenly starts doing a lot of disk activity.

The progress bar moves slowly.

And somewhere, somebody immediately decides that deleting everything and starting over is clearly the sensible solution.

Don't.

NC's official preload announcement specifically says that the decryption process is not a reinstallation. Let the process finish unless Steam actually reports an error.

Preloading Is Still Worth Doing

The existence of a decryption step does not make preloading pointless.

Without the preload, players starting on September 30 still need to download the entire game before installation and launch. How long that takes depends heavily on internet speed.

Preloading moves the large network transfer out of launch day.

You are effectively exchanging a large download for a local processing step.

If you have already followed our AION 2 preload guide, the main job is done. Steam Launch Scale Test players should have removed the separate Playtest client and installed the normal retail AION 2 application instead.

Do Not Fill the Drive After Preloading

It is also sensible to leave some free storage available rather than finishing the preload and immediately filling the rest of the drive with something else.

AION 2's official PC requirements call for 100 GB of available storage, with an SSD recommended. Our complete PC requirements guide covers the hardware in more detail.

The amount downloaded during preload does not necessarily represent the final installed footprint in exactly the same way, because packaged and processed game data can behave differently during installation.

The easy rule is therefore: give Steam some breathing room.

Should You Restart Steam at Launch?

If the Advanced Access time arrives and Steam still shows AION 2 as locked, restarting the Steam client is a reasonable first troubleshooting step.

But once Steam begins decrypting or unpacking the preload, leave it alone.

Repeatedly restarting the client, cancelling the process or deleting files because the progress bar is not moving quickly enough is far more likely to create extra work than save time.

NC has already told players to expect this stage.

What About PURPLE?

NC's preload announcement applies to both Steam and PURPLE players, and the company warns generally that the downloaded files are encrypted and need to be decrypted before play.

The exact interface will naturally look different between the two launchers, but the principle is the same: the preload gets the files onto the PC before Advanced Access, while the final processing happens when the game becomes playable.

If you are still choosing between the two platforms, our Steam vs PURPLE comparison covers the more important long-term differences.

The Last Thing You Want to Do Is Panic-Reinstall

We are now at the point where AION 2 launch preparation is mostly about avoiding unnecessary problems.

Claim the rewards. Pick the faction. Coordinate the server. Install the correct client. Leave enough disk space. Our Before You Play checklist covers the rest.

And on September 30, remember one final thing:

If Steam starts processing AION 2 even though you already downloaded it, that does not necessarily mean something has gone wrong.

The preload is encrypted.

It still needs to be decrypted.

Let the launcher do its job before sacrificing the entire installation to the traditional MMO launch gods.

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AION 2 Advanced Access Server Matchups Revealed: Who Will Your Server Fight?

Two days ago, we were still asking where everybody was supposed to play. One day before AION 2 Advanced Access, NC has finally started filling in the blanks.

The first Advanced Access server matchups are now official, showing which Elyos and Asmodian worlds will initially be paired against one another when permanent progression begins on September 30.

That matters because AION 2 does something slightly different from the original game. Elyos and Asmodians do not simply share one normal home server and occasionally decide to make each other's afternoon unpleasant. Each world belongs to a faction, and those faction servers are then matched together for competitive cross-server content.

In other words, choosing a server also tells you something about who your first enemy is going to be.

NC Has Finally Published the Advanced Access Server Information

Only two days ago, we reported that AION 2 still had no final Advanced Access server information. We knew the regions, we knew servers were separated by faction, and we knew how the two-wave launch structure worked. What players did not have was enough information to make an actual permanent world choice.

That has now changed.

NC has published its Advanced Access server information together with the opening matchmaking structure, allowing Founder’s Pack players to identify both their home faction server and the opposing world they are initially connected to.

The timing is admittedly cutting things rather fine. Advanced Access begins tomorrow, September 30.

Still, late information is considerably more useful than discovering your server rival while somebody is already trying to remove you from the Abyss with a very large sword.

Why Are Elyos and Asmodian Servers Paired?

AION 2 separates Elyos and Asmodians at the server level, but that does not mean the factions live in completely isolated versions of the game.

The two sides meet through competitive systems including the Abyss and Spacetime Rifts. Server matchmaking determines which populations are placed against one another when those faction-war systems become active.

That makes the pairing system one of the foundations of AION 2's PvP structure. Our earlier look at the Abyss, Rifts and Arena showed how heavily NC is leaning into faction warfare without forcing every piece of the game into open PvP.

Your dungeon experience is much less dependent on the individual world. PvE party matchmaking works across Advanced Access servers within the same geographical region.

Your first major faction rivalry, however, is now considerably more personal.

The Matchups Are Not Necessarily Permanent

This is the part players should remember before spending the next ten years developing an irrational hatred of one particular server name.

The opening matchups are exactly that: opening matchups.

NC has previously explained that after the full October 5 launch, PvP matchmaking can take server progression and relative strength into account. The goal is to avoid placing a newly opened or significantly weaker population against a world that has already raced far ahead.

That means your first opponent does not necessarily remain your opponent forever.

The Korean service already uses server rematching as part of its live PvP structure, adjusting groups as populations and combat strength develop. Global may follow the same broad philosophy even if its exact schedules and criteria differ.

Advanced Access Servers Fight Other Advanced Access Servers First

The September 30 opening period is deliberately contained.

As explained in our complete Advanced Access server guide, the first wave of worlds opens for Founder’s Pack owners. During this five-day period, Abyss matchmaking remains inside that Advanced Access population.

When AION 2 becomes free-to-play on October 5, a second wave of Launch Servers joins the service.

NC does not intend to immediately throw brand-new October 5 worlds against servers whose players have already enjoyed five days of permanent leveling and gearing. Later matchmaking can instead take progression into account.

That is a sensible distinction when our PvE gear progression guide already demonstrates just how much character development can happen once Expeditions, Enhancement, Soul Binding and other systems begin stacking together.

Server Choice Still Matters Even With Cross-Server Systems

It is tempting to look at cross-server dungeons and dynamic PvP matchmaking and conclude that the home server barely matters.

That would be going too far.

Your world still influences your Legion community, local population and Server Market. With direct player-to-player trading disabled for Global launch, that local Market becomes even more important.

Groups should therefore still coordinate their region, faction and world before character creation.

If everybody owns a Founder’s Pack, the answer is straightforward: pick together tomorrow.

If some friends are waiting for October 5, remember that they can attempt to join your Advanced Access server later as long as that world remains open to new characters.

One Less Mystery Before September 30

AION 2's final pre-launch week has felt slightly like assembling furniture while somebody delivers the instruction manual one page at a time.

We now have the preload. We have the permanent opening time. We have the Advanced Access server information. And we finally know how those faction worlds begin matching against one another.

For players interested primarily in PvE, this is useful background information.

For anyone planning to spend serious time in the Abyss, it is considerably more interesting.

Your first AION 2 enemy server has now been chosen.

Tomorrow, we get to find out whether everybody remains polite about it.

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AION 2 Stats Guide: What Every Combat Stat Actually Does

AION 2 has reached that wonderful stage of MMO life where an item can show you Attack, Max Attack, Weapon Damage Boost, Critical Hit, Critical Damage, Accuracy, Combat Speed, Multi-hit and several other numbers before politely expecting you to know which one is actually better.

The short answer is that there is no single stat you should blindly stack forever. Some increase your basic damage, some multiply other parts of the damage calculation, while stats such as Accuracy and Critical Hit become dramatically more valuable when you are below the amount required for the content you are fighting.

There is also one particularly important warning for Global players: do not copy Korean stat targets directly into your launch build. The Global Launch Scale Test already used different stat ranges on gear, different item levels and different progression values. Our Global vs Korea comparison showed just how significant some of those changes can be.

Attack

Attack is the most straightforward offensive stat and generally one of the safest things to improve. It contributes directly to the attack value used before many of AION 2's later damage multipliers are applied.

The important distinction is that Attack is not the same thing as Attack Bonus or Max Attack.

Community testing of the Korean damage formula consistently places regular Attack ahead of both when comparing equivalent flat amounts. That does not mean you should ignore every other stat for Attack, but if two otherwise similar items differ mainly by a healthy chunk of Attack, the number matters.

Min Attack and Max Attack

Weapons have a damage range rather than one fixed value. Min Attack controls the bottom of that range, while Max Attack increases the highest possible result.

Increasing Max Attack also raises the average output of the weapon because the top of the range moves upward. This makes it useful, but generally not quite as efficient point-for-point as adding normal Attack.

There are also systems such as Perfect Chance that interact with the weapon range by helping produce maximum-range results, which means Max Attack should not be evaluated completely in isolation.

Attack Bonus

Attack Bonus sounds better than it usually is.

The reason is where it enters the damage calculation. Community testing indicates that ordinary Attack contributes earlier to the offensive calculation, allowing other multipliers to work on it, while Attack Bonus is added later.

That makes Attack Bonus useful rather than useless, but if you are choosing between comparable amounts of Attack and Attack Bonus, ordinary Attack normally wins.

Weapon Damage Boost

This is where things start becoming more interesting.

Weapon Damage Boost acts as a multiplier on the weapon-related portion of your offensive power. Because it occupies a different part of the damage calculation from ordinary Damage Boost, it can remain very valuable even when your character already has a large amount of generic damage bonuses.

This is one reason simply sorting equipment by Combat Power can be misleading. Two pieces can produce similar overall CP while having very different offensive value depending on which stat buckets they improve.

If you are working through our AION 2 PvE gear progression guide, Weapon Damage Boost is exactly the kind of stat that becomes increasingly important once you stop asking “is this item higher level?” and start asking “is this item actually better?”

Damage Boost

Damage Boost increases outgoing damage, but there is a catch: AION 2 combines several related damage bonuses into broader buckets.

Generic Damage Boost can therefore suffer from diminishing relative value as more bonuses are stacked into the same part of the formula. Adding another 1% when you have very little is not necessarily worth exactly the same relative increase as adding 1% when your total damage modifiers are already enormous.

This is one reason Korean endgame stat rankings should not be treated as launch commandments. Mature KR characters are operating with far more accumulated stats than fresh Global characters will have.

Smite / Double Chance

You may see guides referring to Smite, while other community resources call the same underlying mechanic Double Chance. Translation and terminology have shifted between regional information and community tools.

The concept is much easier than the naming.

When it activates, the mechanic effectively gives the attack an additional full-damage occurrence. That makes the stat extremely powerful because it operates as its own offensive layer rather than merely adding another small number to an already crowded damage bucket.

Community modeling from Korea places it among the strongest offensive percentage stats, but once again, the exact Global values and terminology should be verified against the permanent client before building a launch spreadsheet around Korean percentages.

Multi-hit Chance

Multi-hit Chance is different from Smite. Instead of duplicating the full attack, it provides a chance for an additional smaller hit.

This can still be valuable, particularly when additional hits interact with class mechanics, procs or other effects. But a Multi-hit should not be mentally translated into “another complete attack.”

The distinction matters when comparing stat lines that appear superficially similar.

Critical Hit

Critical Hit controls your chance of landing a critical attack after the target's resistance is taken into account.

This is one of the clearest examples of why stat priorities depend on the content.

If you already have enough Critical Hit to perform comfortably against the boss you are fighting, adding more may be less valuable than improving another multiplier. If the boss has enough resistance to push your effective crit chance down significantly, however, Critical Hit suddenly becomes extremely important.

Community testing indicates that critical chance is capped, so blindly stacking it beyond useful thresholds wastes potential stat budget.

Critical Damage Boost

Once an attack actually crits, Critical Damage Boost determines how much more valuable that critical result becomes.

This naturally creates a relationship between Critical Hit and Critical Damage Boost.

Huge critical damage is not particularly exciting if you rarely crit. Likewise, extremely high crit chance loses some attraction if the critical hits themselves are barely stronger than normal attacks.

Class abilities complicate this further. Some classes already receive significant crit-related bonuses from their own skills or passives, which can change the relative value of adding more through gear.

Accuracy

Accuracy is one of the easiest stats to underestimate because it does not create an exciting number when everything is already working.

Its job is to counter defensive mechanics such as Block.

Community testing indicates that Accuracy and target Block interact directly. If you are short on Accuracy against a particular enemy, attacks can be parried or blocked more frequently, cutting the damage of those hits substantially.

This means Accuracy behaves almost like a requirement in harder content. Once you have enough, additional offensive stats may become more attractive. When you do not have enough, chasing another shiny damage multiplier while attacks are being mitigated is usually a poor trade.

Older Korean raid guides contain specific Accuracy targets, but we would not use those as Global targets yet. The Launch Scale Test showed different Accuracy values on equivalent equipment, sometimes by substantial amounts.

Combat Speed

Combat Speed affects how quickly many combat animations are performed, allowing more actions to fit into the same amount of time.

That makes it particularly powerful because it does not merely make the character feel faster. Crossing useful animation breakpoints can translate directly into higher damage output and smoother rotations.

It also interacts with something no item tooltip can fix: latency.

AION 2 is an action-heavy MMO, and high ping can eat into the practical benefit of extremely fast rotations. This is one reason the Global server region you choose matters beyond simply deciding which community you want to join.

Combat Speed remains one of the most attractive offensive stats, but the amount your particular class wants will depend on its animations, buffs and useful breakpoints.

Front Attack and Back Attack

AION 2 also rewards positioning.

Front Attack and Back Attack bonuses improve attacks made from the corresponding position relative to the target. Because these bonuses can occupy their own multiplier layer, they can be extremely strong when you consistently maintain the correct position.

The obvious problem is that bosses have an irritating habit of moving.

A theoretical Back Attack bonus assumes nothing if the encounter forces you to spend half the fight somewhere else. Melee players in organized groups may maintain excellent positional uptime, while ranged or highly mobile encounters can produce a completely different result.

So positional bonuses should be evaluated against how you actually play rather than a perfect training-dummy scenario.

Might and Precision

Might and Precision are broader character stats that feed into other combat attributes rather than functioning as simple “+1% damage” modifiers.

You will find them across equipment, progression systems and later build optimization. Their value therefore depends partly on what secondary thresholds or bonuses your character is trying to reach.

This is another area where Global is clearly different from KR/TW. Launch Scale Test item data showed much lower Might and Precision values on several Global items while simultaneously giving Global gear higher values in stats such as Attack, Critical Hit and Accuracy.

That is not a small localization difference. It changes how early characters reach stat thresholds.

Perfect Chance

Perfect Chance helps attacks produce the maximum result from the weapon's damage range.

It sounds spectacular, but community calculations generally place its raw damage contribution below many of the major offensive multipliers.

That does not make it bad. It simply means “Perfect” is a considerably more exciting word than its actual place in most damage spreadsheets.

Defense, Penetration and Damage Tolerance

Not everything is about making the number above the enemy larger.

Defense reduces incoming physical damage, while Penetration counters defensive value before damage is calculated. Damage Tolerance works against corresponding Damage Boost effects, making it particularly relevant when evaluating survivability and PvP.

Tanks obviously care more about these systems, but other classes should not automatically treat every defensive line as worthless. Dead players famously maintain very poor DPS.

So Which Stats Should You Prioritize?

There is no universal order that remains correct for every class, every gear level and every encounter.

For general PvE damage, the useful principle is:

• Make sure Accuracy is sufficient for the content.
• Build enough Critical Hit to reach sensible effective crit levels.
• Value Combat Speed highly when it improves your class rotation.
• Look seriously at powerful independent multipliers such as Weapon Damage Boost and Smite.
• Prioritize normal Attack over equivalent amounts of weaker flat attack variants.
• Use positional bonuses when your class can maintain the required position.
• Do not sacrifice everything simply to increase the Combat Power number.

The exact order changes with your class and current character sheet.

Global Makes Old Stat Guides Useful, Not Sacred

The biggest mistake Global players can make is finding a beautifully formatted Korean endgame spreadsheet and assuming every number applies directly on September 30.

It does not.

Data extracted from the Global Launch Scale Test already shows different weapon attack ranges and different Soul Binding values for Combat Speed, Damage Boost, Weapon Damage Boost, Might, Precision, Critical Hit, Accuracy and several other stats compared with KR/TW versions of the same equipment.

We saw the same philosophy elsewhere in progression, which is why systems such as Soul Engraving and later quality-of-life changes need to be evaluated specifically for Global rather than copied directly from Korea.

The good news is that the underlying logic remains useful.

Attack builds the foundation. Accuracy makes sure attacks actually work. Critical Hit determines how often they crit. Critical Damage makes those crits hurt more. Combat Speed lets you perform more actions. Weapon Damage Boost and other independent multipliers amplify different parts of the equation.

Once you understand that, AION 2's character sheet stops looking like somebody spilled an Excel spreadsheet into an MMO.

And when Global goes permanently live, we can start replacing the Korean estimates with numbers measured on the version we are actually playing.

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AION 2 Steam Is Still Unavailable in 18 Countries Two Days Before Advanced Access

AION 2 Advanced Access begins on September 30, but not every potential Global player can currently access the game through Steam. With only two days remaining, the AION 2 Steam package is still restricted in 18 countries and territories, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Serbia and Slovakia.

The situation is particularly interesting in Belgium and the Netherlands because NC addressed those countries months ago. The company said it was reviewing local regulatory requirements to make sure AION 2 would be compliant ahead of launch.

September 30 is now almost here, and the Steam restrictions remain.

Which Countries Are Restricted on Steam?

Steam package data currently lists the following 18 countries and territories as places where the AION 2 package cannot be activated:

• Aruba
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
• China
• Cuba
• Curaçao
• Hong Kong
• Macau
• Netherlands
• Russia
• Serbia
• Sint Maarten
• Slovakia
• South Korea
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Vietnam

Several names on that list are unsurprising. South Korea and Taiwan already operate their own AION 2 services, for example, so their presence does not mean those players have no version of AION 2 available.

Belgium and the Netherlands are much more relevant to the European Global launch.

NC Previously Addressed Belgium and the Netherlands

Back in April, European players noticed that the AION 2 Steam store page was unavailable in some countries. An official NC community representative responded directly and said the company was reviewing local regulatory requirements in Belgium and the Netherlands to ensure the game was fully compliant ahead of launch.

NC did not say which specific mechanic or regulation was responsible, and we should not fill that gap with guesses.

Both countries have well-known regulatory frameworks around paid randomized game mechanics, but NC's statement only refers generally to local regulatory requirements. Until the company provides a more detailed explanation, that is as far as the factual answer goes.

The Netherlands and Belgium Are Still Restricted on Steam

The interesting part is the timing.

AION 2's Advanced Access preload is beginning today, permanent characters arrive September 30 and the full free-to-play launch follows on October 5.

Yet the Steam package still lists both Belgium and the Netherlands among its restricted territories.

There has been no public NC announcement confirming that those restrictions will disappear before Advanced Access.

That does not mean they cannot change quickly. Steam regional availability can be updated without weeks of warning. But with September 30 this close, Belgian and Dutch players should not assume Steam access is guaranteed until the store itself becomes available.

What About PURPLE?

This is where the distinction becomes important.

The 18-country list comes from Steam package data. It does not automatically prove that every one of those territories is blocked from AION 2 through NC's PURPLE launcher.

NC is launching AION 2 Global through both Steam and PURPLE, and our Steam vs PURPLE guide already explains that the two platforms share the Global game service while handling purchases and account entitlements differently.

Players should therefore check availability through their intended platform rather than interpreting the Steam restriction list as a universal list of countries where AION 2 cannot exist.

We would also strongly avoid VPN workarounds or registering accounts under a false country. Regional restrictions can involve payment, account and legal requirements, and circumventing them is a wonderful way to turn launch excitement into a support ticket.

Not Every Restricted Country Has the Same Explanation

Another trap is assuming all 18 countries are blocked for the same reason.

They almost certainly are not.

South Korea and Taiwan have separate regional services. Belgium and the Netherlands have received an explicit regulatory explanation from NC. Other countries may involve publishing, legal, sanctions, commercial or platform-specific considerations.

Without an official explanation for each territory, assigning a reason would simply be speculation.

The useful information is much simpler: the Steam package currently cannot be activated in those locations.

AION 2 Global Is Very Close, but Regional Questions Remain

Regional availability is one of several small pieces of launch information that remain unsettled surprisingly close to Advanced Access. We have already been waiting for the final permanent server list, while players are simultaneously preparing clients, choosing factions and coordinating September 30 groups through our Before You Play checklist.

For most Global regions, none of this changes the launch plan.

But if you are in Belgium or the Netherlands and intend to play through Steam, this is something worth checking before spending the evening staring at a preload button that never appears.

NC said it was working through the regulatory situation. Two days before Advanced Access, Steam is still waiting for the answer.

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AION 2 Advanced Access Preload Starts Today: Steam Players Need a New Client

AION 2 is officially entering the stage of an MMO launch where checking your hard drive becomes more important than studying another tier list. Advanced Access pre-download begins today, September 28, at 6:00 AM PDT / 13:00 UTC / 15:00 CEST, giving Founder's Pack owners two days to get the retail client installed before permanent progression begins on September 30.

There is one particularly important warning for anyone who participated in the recent Launch Scale Test: Steam players cannot simply keep using the Playtest installation. NC has specifically instructed Steam users to uninstall the AION 2 Playtest app and download the normal AION 2 client separately. PURPLE players do not need to perform the same cleanup.

In other words, that 100 GB sitting on your SSD from the test may look like AION 2, smell like AION 2 and contain an alarming quantity of AION 2, but Steam still considers it a different application.

AION 2 Preload Begins at 15:00 CEST Today

NC's latest launch promotion confirms that the Advanced Access pre-download begins September 28 at 6:00 AM PDT. That converts to 9:00 AM EDT, 13:00 UTC, 14:00 BST and 15:00 CEST.

This is only the pre-download window. It does not mean the servers open today.

Founder's Pack owners enter permanent Advanced Access on September 30, followed by the full free-to-play release on October 5. We have covered the complete timeline in our AION 2 Global release date and Advanced Access guide.

NC still has not published a final exact server-opening hour for September 30. Any specific login time circulating before an official announcement should therefore be treated separately from today's confirmed preload time.

Steam Test Players Need to Uninstall AION 2 Playtest

This is the step most likely to catch people out.

After the Launch Scale Test ended, NC explicitly told Steam players to uninstall the Playtest App and download AION 2 separately for Advanced Access. The temporary test client does not convert into the retail game.

If you still have AION 2 Playtest installed, removing it before starting today's preload is the sensible move. Your test progression was wiped anyway, so there is nothing inside that installation worth preserving.

PURPLE works differently. NC says players who participated through PURPLE have no further steps needed as part of the test-to-launch transition.

If you are still deciding which platform to use permanently, our Steam vs PURPLE comparison covers the differences. The important thing is to settle that question before spending money, because Founder's Pack purchases are tied to the platform where they were purchased.

Make Sure You Have at Least 100 GB Available

AION 2's official PC requirements list 100 GB of available storage, with an SSD recommended. We do not yet have a reliable final download-size figure for today's retail preload, which is not necessarily identical to the amount of storage required after installation.

The safest approach is simply to have comfortably more than 100 GB available before pressing Install.

Our full AION 2 PC requirements guide covers the rest of the hardware. The minimum specification starts surprisingly low with a GTX 1050 Ti and 8 GB of RAM, although NC only targets 1080p Very Low settings with that configuration. Recommended hardware moves to an RTX 2070 and 16 GB RAM.

NVIDIA users should also make sure their drivers are current, particularly if they intend to use the game's DLSS 4.5 features.

Who Can Preload Today?

Today's pre-download is being promoted specifically for Advanced Access, which is included with the AION 2 Founder's Packs.

All three Founder's Pack tiers provide access beginning September 30. Players who are waiting for the free-to-play launch enter on October 5.

NC has not yet clearly announced a separate pre-download schedule for players without a Founder's Pack, so free players should not assume today's window automatically applies to them.

That distinction is worth remembering because AION 2 has several overlapping launch dates at the moment. September 28 is preload day for Advanced Access. September 30 begins Advanced Access. October 5 is the full free-to-play Global launch.

Do Not Confuse Preload With Server Opening

Downloading AION 2 today gets the client onto your PC. It does not create a character, reserve a server or allow you to enter Atreia early.

There are still several launch details worth sorting out while the download runs. Decide whether your group is going Elyos or Asmodian, choose your first class and agree on your regional server plans. Our Before You Play checklist covers the things actually worth preparing before permanent characters go live.

Server choice remains particularly important for mixed groups because Advanced Access servers and October 5 Launch Servers work in two waves. Free-to-play friends may be able to join an earlier server later, but only while character creation remains available there.

Your AION 2 Preload Checklist

• September 28, 15:00 CEST: Advanced Access preload begins
• Steam test players: uninstall AION 2 Playtest first
• Steam: install the normal AION 2 retail client
• PURPLE test players: NC says no additional test-client step is required
• Storage: have at least 100 GB available, preferably with extra headroom
• Drivers: update your GPU driver before launch
• September 30: permanent Advanced Access begins
• October 5: full free-to-play Global launch

Delete the Test Client Before It Gets the Last Laugh

Most of today's preparation is wonderfully boring, which is exactly what launch preparation should be. Download the client. Check the storage space. Update the drivers. Make sure you are installing the right application.

The important part is the Steam distinction. The Launch Scale Test client was temporary, its characters are gone, and it will not transform into the permanent version simply because September 30 arrives.

If you played through Steam, remove AION 2 Playtest and install AION 2 fresh when the preload opens today.

Discovering that now is considerably nicer than discovering it while everyone else is creating characters on Wednesday.

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