AION 2 Beginner Guide: 15 Things to Know at Launch

This AION 2 beginner guide covers the fifteen things worth knowing before you make a character, from the faction choice you cannot easily undo to the systems the game starts throwing at you around level 12. AION 2 is a brand-new NCSOFT MMORPG set in Atreia, the world of the original Aion, and the global version opens on October 5 2026 after a Founder's early access that starts on September 30.

Everything below was checked against the global client's own data files (build 2.0.3.0), the same data behind our AION 2 database. Each section links to a deeper guide, so treat this page as your starting point.

1. Is AION 2 free to play?

Yes. AION 2's global release is free to play, with Steam and NCSOFT's PURPLE launcher as the two ways in. Founder's pack owners get early access from September 30, and everyone else can log in from October 5 2026. The client does contain a battle pass and an in-game shop, so expect the usual free-to-play extras.

Because the launch is staggered, the first few days favor anyone who already knows the plan. The rest of this guide is that plan.

2. Elyos or Asmodian: which faction should you choose?

This is the biggest decision you make at character creation. Elyos and Asmodians are the two rival Daeva factions of Atreia. They level on separate maps, follow separate storylines and only meet in contested content such as the Abyss. Here is how the starts compare in the client data:

Are any classes or stats faction-locked?

No. The class table in the client has no faction field at all, and all 8 classes share the same base stat growth. Gear is where the factions look different: 361 weapons, armor pieces and accessories carry an Elyos or Asmodian tag, and every one of them has an Asmodian or Elyos twin with the same grade, item level, slot and stats. The same goes for wings: the 28 Asmodian wings are listed as versions of the 28 Elyos ones. Titles also come in matching sets of 366 each, plus 12 shared titles.

The Asmodian ascension quest also hands out the Wind-Adorned title, while the Elyos one does not, and the client places more Hidden Cube spawns in Verteron than in Altgard. Neither makes one side stronger in any way that matters past the first week.

3. The 8 AION 2 classes and their roles

AION 2 launches with eight classes, all available to both factions. The client tags each one with party roles, and each has 12 active skills, 10 passives and 13 Stigma skills. Browse them all on the classes hub.

4. What is the best class for beginners?

There is no bad pick, but some classes are more forgiving while you learn. Our reading of the kits:

• Gladiator is the easiest start for solo players. It is the only class tagged both Tank and Damage, so it kills quickly and survives mistakes.
• Templar and Cleric get the easiest party invites, because every group needs a tank and a healer. Expect to learn dungeon mechanics faster than anyone.
• Ranger and Sorcerer let you fight from range, which is safer while you learn enemy attacks. The Sorcerer trades HP and defense for damage, so it punishes mistakes more.
• Chanter is the flexible choice: buffs, backup healing and damage in one kit. It rewards players who like support play.
• Assassin and Spiritmaster have the most moving parts (stealth openers, summons and damage over time). They're great second characters.

For the full ranking with skill-by-skill reasoning, read our AION 2 best class tier list.

5. What is the max level in AION 2?

Level 45 is the end of the leveling path at launch. Every signal in the global client points there: the last named Episode quests are recommended at 45, the next one in the chain is a placeholder that just reads "Wait for the right time", no piece of gear requires more than level 45 to equip, skill points stop growing at 45, and the final Daevanion board opens at 45. The client already holds the Eltnen and Morheim maps with monsters from level 46 up, but their story quests have no English text in the global build.

Getting from 1 to 45 is mostly a matter of following the story, and our AION 2 leveling guide breaks the route down zone by zone for both factions.

6. Follow the Episode quests

The quest list has eight quest types, and the Episode chain (the main story) is the one that matters for leveling. On paper, the Episode quests recommended below level 45 pay 97% (Elyos) and 99% (Asmodian) of the EXP needed to reach 45. In the starter maps the match is exact: the Episode quests there pay precisely the EXP needed to reach level 10. Regional quests fill the map with side stories, Duty quests are the repeatable jobs, and Exploration entries pay EXP for clearing sealed dungeons and other instanced spots.

7. Wings and flight: you ascend at level 5

Flight is a core part of AION 2. Your character becomes a Daeva early in the starter map: Elyos in Fledgling Wings at level 5, Asmodians in Spread Your Wings at level 6, and that is when you get your wings. The Ascension chain continues with Asahr at the Dream Crossroad, recommended at levels 22, 32, 45 and 49 (The One Who Hears the Voice is the level 22 step).

Wings are also a collection. There are 28 designs per faction in the wings database, each with stats while equipped and a separate owned effect that applies even when they are not. The in-game tooltip for Flight Power says it is "Consumed when flying" and that you should "Collect a variety of wings to increase Flight Power", so every pair you unlock lets you fly longer. Our mounts and wings guide covers the best pairs and where they come from.

8. Kibelisks, Kisks and getting around

Kibelisks are the travel points of AION 2. Verteron and Altgard have 61 each, and a Return Scroll teleports you to the nearest Kibelisk you have activated, so touch every one you pass. Your early story quests hand you 20 Return Scrolls at a time.

Kisks are back too, as items. A Kisk Summoning Stone: Personal summons a Kisk only you can use, and Party, Legion and Force versions open it to your group, legion or force. In the original Aion a Kisk was a placeable respawn point; the AION 2 item text only says who can use each one, so check the tooltip in game before you rely on it.

9. What are Hidden Cubes?

Hidden Cubes are small reward cubes tucked into the field maps. The global client defines 206 of them: 95 in Verteron, 59 in Altgard and 26 each in Eltnen and Morheim. Each cube spawns at one of several candidate spots, which is why our map marks every possible spot rather than one dot.

The reward table has 36 items, from potions, Power Shards and Lucky Auras to helm, earring and necklace skins, a Soul Codex and the Radiant Love Wings. They are worth grabbing whenever you pass one, and the interactive map has a Hidden Cube layer you can switch on.

10. Sealed dungeons are free Daevanion and skill points

Sealed dungeons are small instances hidden in the field maps, each with a recommended level and fixed clear rewards. There are 161 in the client, and 61 sit on each faction's main leveling map, from level 10 to 45. On your own faction's map, the clear reward for almost every one is the same bundle: 2 Daevanion Crystals (1 Daevanion point each), 2 Wisdom Stones (1 skill point each), a title, 2 Sealed Wing Featherdown for crafting wings, 1,250 Enhance Stones and 15,000 Kinah.

Clear all 61 once and that is 122 Daevanion points and 122 skill points, plus a stack of titles. Our leveling guide lists which sealed dungeons to fit in at each level, and every one is in the dungeon list.

11. What is Daevanion?

Daevanion is AION 2's board-based progression. Every class gets five 15x15 boards named after Empyrean Lords: Nezekan at level 12, Zikel at 20, Vaizel at 30, Triniel at 40 and Azphel at 45. You spend Daevanion points to open nodes next to ones you already have. Square nodes give stats and round nodes add a level to one of your skills. Common nodes cost 1 point, Rare 2, Epic 3 and Unique 4.

Filling all five boards costs 802 points for every class, so you will be choosing a path for a long time. Azphel, the level 45 board, uses its own Azphel Daevanion points. Plan yours with the Daevanion planner and read the Daevanion guide for the best paths per class.

12. What is Stigma?

Stigma skills are a second skill set on top of your 22 base skills. Every class has 13 of them, all unlocking at level 22, and you can equip a limited number at a time. The client's level table opens the first Stigma slot at 22, a second at 27, a third at 32 and a fourth at 37, and grants Stigma points from level 23 onward. Your base skills are all learned by level 25, so Stigma is where your build starts to differ from other players of your class. See the Stigma guide for the best picks and the skills database for every tooltip.

13. Gear grades and enhancement basics

The game's grade ladder runs Common, Rare, Epic, Unique, Heroic and Mythic, with Special for event and utility items. For weapons, armor and accessories in the global client, Unique is the top grade: Common gear covers item levels 1-20, Rare 9-35, Epic 23-45 and Unique 36-102. Browse it all in the item database.

• Enhancement is safe early. Unique gear always succeeds up to +10. After that the rates are 65%, 50%, 35%, 25% and 20% up to +15, and each failure adds +5% to the next try. Lower grades are fully guaranteed up to their cap.
• Nothing breaks. A failed attempt only costs the materials. The one exception is the PvE rune, which drops a level on failure.
• Amplified Enhancement takes crafted Unique gear past its normal cap: +1 at item level 70, +3 at 86 and +5 at 102.
• Theostones are weapon-only. All 51 in the Theostone list go in the weapon slot.

Run the numbers in the enhancement calculator, and read the gear and enhancement guide before you spend your first big pile of Kinah.

14. Mounts and creatures

The mount collection has 207 creatures, and every one unlocks with 5 souls, which drop from monsters or come from shops and rewards. Creatures are split into Cogni, Fera, Natura and Varian types plus a handful of Special ones, and collecting more of one type raises that type's level and its shared stat bonus. Every released mount runs at the same speed, so pick the look you like and farm souls for the type bonuses you want. You can ride in every zone of every map.

15. Your first-week priorities

Launch week rewards a focused plan. Here is the order we recommend:

1. 1
   Pick a faction with your friends

   There is no stat reason to choose one side, so play with your people.

2. 2
   Follow the Episode chain to 45

   It pays nearly all the EXP you need. Pick up Regional quests in the same area when they are on your way.

3. 3
   Touch every Kibelisk

   Return Scrolls only reach Kibelisks you have activated.

4. 4
   Clear sealed dungeons at their level

   Each one is 2 Daevanion points, 2 skill points and a title on your own faction map.

5. 5
   Spend Daevanion points as boards open

   Nezekan at 12, Zikel at 20, Vaizel at 30, Triniel at 40. Plan in the planner first.

6. 6
   Slot Stigma at 22

   Fill new slots at 27, 32 and 37 as they open.

7. 7
   Learn a crafting specialty at 10

   Specialty quests for Blacksmithing, Armorsmithing, Handicrafting, Alchemy and Cooking unlock at level 10. Start with crafting and gathering.

8. 8
   Hit 45 and look up

   Draupnir, the Abyss and the Nightmare Altar are next.

Once you reach 45, the endgame guide covers the Abyss, Nightmare Altar dungeons and Potential, and the Kinah farming guide shows how to fund your enhancement. At 45 the Elyos story reaches Draupnir, the quest that points you at the Abyss.

• Choose a faction with your group
• Pick a class you will enjoy for 45 levels
• Get your wings at level 5 or 6
• Activate every Kibelisk you pass
• Clear sealed dungeons for Daevanion Crystals and Wisdom Stones
• Open Nezekan at 12 and slot your first Stigma at 22
• Grab Hidden Cubes when they are on your route