AION 2 Leveling Guide: Fastest 1-45 Route for Both Factions

This AION 2 leveling guide takes you from level 1 to 45, the end of the launch leveling path, by the fastest route the game's own numbers support. Both factions follow the same shape: a starter map for levels 1 to 9, one big field map from 10 to 45, and a string of side systems (sealed dungeons, Daevanion boards, Stigma) that open along the way.

We built the route from the global client's data: the EXP table for every level, the EXP of all 1,429 quests, the monster levels in each zone and the recommended level of every sealed dungeon. If you are brand new, read the AION 2 beginner guide first. It covers factions, classes and the basic systems this page assumes you know.

How leveling works in AION 2

The client's level table lists the EXP for every level, and the curve is steep. Levels 1 to 9 cost 89,148 EXP in total, while level 44 alone costs 160,765,875. Going from 1 to 45 takes 754,816,909 EXP, and more than two thirds of that is spent between 40 and 45. In practice, the first 30 levels go by in a few sessions and the last five are the real climb.

Almost all of that EXP comes from one place: the Episode quests, which the quest database lists as the main story for each faction. Regional quests, the side stories in each map, pay far less below 45: about 10 million EXP for Elyos and 11 million for Asmodians in total, under 2% of the climb. Exploration entries pay EXP for clearing sealed dungeons and other instanced spots. Monster kills fill the rest.

Two things stand out. In the starter maps, the story pays exactly the EXP needed to reach level 10. And the 30-39 stretch is the weakest, with the story covering about 70% for both factions. That is where sealed dungeons and a bit of field farming earn their keep.

AION 2 leveling timeline: what unlocks when

Most of AION 2's systems open during the climb, and the story walks you into each one. Here is the order, with every level taken from the client:

1. Levels 1-9
   Starter map and ascension

   Elyos start in Poeta, Asmodians in Ishalgen. You become a Daeva and get your wings at level 5 (Elyos) or 6 (Asmodians). Four skills are ready at level 1 and a new base skill arrives at almost every level from 3 to 17, with skill points from level 4.

2. Levels 10-19
   First field map and Daevanion

   At 10 you move to Verteron or Altgard, and crafting specialty quests unlock. The first Daevanion board, Nezekan, opens at 12, and the level table starts granting Daevanion points that same level. The first sealed dungeons are level 10 and 15.

3. Levels 20-29
   Zikel board and Stigma

   The Zikel board opens at 20. At 22 all 13 of your class's Stigma skills unlock, the first Stigma slot opens and the second Ascension step, The One Who Hears the Voice, is recommended. The second slot opens at 27. Your last base skills arrive at 21, 23 and 25.

4. Levels 30-39
   Vaizel board and the slow stretch

   Vaizel opens at 30, the third Stigma slot at 32 (with the third Ascension step) and the fourth at 37. The story covers only about 70% of the EXP here, so clear sealed dungeons as you pass them.

5. Levels 40-45
   Triniel, Azphel and the finale

   Triniel opens at 40 and Azphel, the fifth board, at 45. The story ends at 45 with the Empyrean Lords' Cores, and the fourth Ascension step is recommended at 45. See the endgame guide for what comes next.

Best leveling zones for Elyos

Elyos level through Poeta and then Verteron, which the story keeps you in all the way to 45. The brackets below use the levels of the monsters the client places in each zone, cross-checked with the recommended level of the sealed dungeons whose entrances sit there.

The Elyos story hits a few landmarks you can use as checkpoints: Dawn Legion at 10 when you arrive in Verteron, Fortress Ruins Infiltration at 20 (after you learn to pass as a Kobold), Kaisinel's Seal at 21, the Fire Temple expedition at 37 and Where the Drana Flows at 40. It closes at 45 with Diverging Paths and Draupnir.

Best leveling zones for Asmodians

Asmodians start in Ishalgen and spend levels 10 to 45 in Altgard. Altgard spreads its zones more evenly, and it puts more of its level 10 sealed dungeons right at the start: 13 of them, against 5 in Verteron.

Asmodian story checkpoints: Finding Nemon at 10 as you land in Altgard, Imminent Threat at 20, Land of Rifts at 29 in the Purifying Forest, The High Priest Awakens at 44, and Zikel's Core and Farewells at 45.

Main story quests: follow the Episode chain

Episode quests are the backbone of AION 2 leveling. Elyos have 89 named Episode quests up to 45 and Asmodians 88. In Poeta and Ishalgen they pay exactly the EXP you need to reach level 10. Later each one is a smaller slice of a much bigger bar: Kaisinel's Seal at 21 pays 456,228 EXP against a level 21 bar of 651,753, and Where the Drana Flows at 40 pays 24,673,715 against 61,684,287.

1. Never skip an Episode quest. It is 97-99% of your EXP to 45, and it opens wings, Stigma and party dungeons on the way.
2. Do the Episode quests in level order. The quest list sorts them by recommended level, and the step list on each quest page shows the map it sends you to.
3. Treat Regional quests as optional below 45. They pay under 2% of the climb. Take the ones on your path for their gear and Kinah, skip detours.
4. Save Regional quests at 45. The 31 Regional quests recommended at 45 pay about 100 million EXP per faction, roughly half of the level 45 bar.

Sealed dungeons while leveling

Sealed dungeons are small instances hidden around the field maps, each with a recommended level and a fixed clear reward. Verteron and Altgard have 61 each, from level 10 to 45. They do not pay much EXP directly, but most have a matching Exploration entry that does, and the clear reward on your own faction's map is one of the best deals in the game.

That table holds for 60 of the 61 sealed dungeons on each faction map. The exception is the level 45 Ruins of the Ancient City of Roah, which has three bosses (Idris, Power-Possessed Kianah and Obsessive Lithla) and pays 20 Featherdown and 20 Statue Scraps instead of 2. The 40 sealed dungeons in Eltnen and Morheim, all level 45, pay only 15,000 Kinah.

Which sealed dungeons to fit in

Verteron has 5 sealed dungeons at level 10, 11 at 15, 6 at 20, 13 at 25, 16 at 30, 4 at 35, 5 at 40 and 1 at 45. Altgard has 13 at 10, 11 at 15, 7 at 20, 5 at 25, 7 at 30, 10 at 35, 7 at 40 and 1 at 45. A few to start with:

• Poacher's Den (Elyos, level 10): in Eastern Cantas Valley, boss Poacher Captain. Your first one.
• Fortress Jail (Elyos, level 20): one of four sealed dungeons in the Verteron Fortress Ruins, right on the story path.
• Kraka's Altar (Elyos, level 30): on the Kraka Footpath, boss Kraka Ritualist.
• Drana Depository (Asmodian, level 25): in Dranactus, boss Depository Manager Arya.
• Abandoned Memorial Room (Asmodian, level 20): in Uruthumheim, boss Priestess Soirel.

Daevanion points while leveling

Daevanion is the board progression that turns into your main power source at 45, and you should start using it as soon as it opens. Every class has five boards: Nezekan (level 12), Zikel (20), Vaizel (30), Triniel (40) and Azphel (45). Completing the first three costs 134 points each, Triniel 168 and Azphel 232, for 802 in total.

• Leveling: the client's level table attaches Daevanion points to every level from 12 onward.
• Sealed dungeons: 2 Daevanion Crystals per clear on your faction's map, so 122 points if you clear all 61.
• Azphel is separate: the level 45 board uses Azphel Daevanion points, so save nothing for it from the other boards.

While leveling, round skill nodes are usually the best spend: each adds a level to one of your skills and can push it past its normal maximum. Plan the path in the Daevanion planner and use the Daevanion guide for class-specific routes.

Skills and Stigma while leveling

Your 12 active and 10 passive base skills all unlock by level 25: four at level 1, one at almost every level from 3 to 17, and the last three at 21, 23 and 25. Base skills go to level 40 and Stigma skills to level 25. Skill points come with levels from 4 up to 45, plus 2 Wisdom Stones per sealed dungeon.

Stigma opens at 22 with all 13 of your class's Stigma skills, and the slots open at 22, 27, 32 and 37. Fill each slot the moment it opens: a new Stigma skill is usually a bigger jump than a few levels on a base skill. The Stigma guide has the best picks per class, and every tooltip is in the skills database.

Party dungeons on the way to 45

You can solo the whole story, but four party dungeons line up with the leveling path. Each allows up to five players, and the boss levels below are from the client.

• Krao Cave: Easy-mode bosses are level 22, the first party dungeon you can realistically run.
• Urugugu Canyon: Easy-mode bosses are level 30.
• Fire Temple: the Elyos story sends you here at 37 for an accessory chest.
• Draupnir: Easy and Normal bosses are level 45, and the Elyos Draupnir quest at 45 pays a Unique Spiritforged Guard.

How to level fast in AION 2: 8 tips

1. Stay on the Episode chain. It is nearly all of your EXP.
2. Activate every Kibelisk. Return Scrolls teleport you to the nearest activated Kibelisk, and the early story hands them out 20 at a time.
3. Clear sealed dungeons at their level. Do them while you are in the zone, not on a return trip.
4. Spend points right away. Daevanion and skill points do nothing in your bag.
5. Do not over-invest in leveling gear. Common and Rare gear stops at item level 35 and Epic at 45, while Unique gear starts at 36 and keeps going. Enhancement is safe, but save Kinah for gear you will keep.
6. Plan for the 30-39 slowdown. It is the bracket where the story covers least, so line up sealed dungeons and a party dungeon there.
7. Ride everywhere. Mounts work in every zone of every map, and all of them run at the same speed.
8. Group up for story dungeons. A party clears Krao Cave or the Fire Temple far faster than a stubborn solo attempt.

What to do at level 45

At 45 the leveling game ends and the gear game starts. The Azphel board opens, the Spacetime Rift regional quests send you through rifts into the other faction's map, and growth dungeons such as Silent Graveyard open at their recommended level of 45. The Nightmare Altar dungeons start with level 45 bosses on Easy. For Elyos, the Draupnir quest is the one that asks how to reach the Abyss, the shared region where both factions meet.

The AION 2 endgame guide takes it from here, and the gear and enhancement guide covers what to do with all those Enhance Stones.