AION 2 beginner guide: classes, servers, level 45, item levels

AION 2 is a free-to-play, PC-only MMORPG from NCSOFT where flight is part of combat, and this AION 2 beginner guide explains how to pick a faction and server, choose a class, reach level 45 and prepare for the item-level gated dungeons live as of the 4 November 2026 patch. It launched globally on Steam on October 5, 2026, and everything below comes from the Steam page and the official announcements on the Steam news hub.

What AION 2 is

NCSOFT pitches AION 2 as the only MMORPG built around aerial combat, set across a world it says is 36 times larger than the original AION, running on Unreal Engine 5. You play a Daeva, and per Steam you "choose your faction" for a war that never really stops. The page promises more than 200 dungeons in solo, five-player and ten-player formats, over 200 character-creation options, and a Shugo Festival of mini-games that pays out wings, skins, pets and decor. Steam files it under action, adventure, massively multiplayer, RPG and free-to-play, with in-app purchases, and more than 15,000 user reviews are on the page already.

Minimum specs per Steam are Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), a Ryzen 5 2600 or Core i5-10500, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB, DirectX 12, broadband and 100 GB of storage, with an SSD recommended. It is Windows only. For the official game site and launcher info, see the AION 2 website.

Choose your region, faction and server

This is the one decision you cannot casually undo, so slow down. NCSOFT's launch notice explains the flow: when you start AION 2, you first choose your Region, then your Faction, and finally one of the available servers in that region. Each server houses only one faction, so an Elyos server contains no Asmodians and vice versa.

The factions still meet. Every Elyos server is paired with an Asmodian server for a limited time, and when you enter the Abyss, Spacetime Rifts or another cross-faction mode, the opposing players you meet come from your matched server. NCSOFT gives the example of the Asmodian server Israphel paired with the Elyos server Siel. Pairings change periodically to keep combat balanced, and recent lists even include same-faction pairings such as Asmodian against Asmodian. Check the latest "Server Matchmaking" notice before you commit to a server, because that pairing decides who you will fight.

All eight classes and how to pick one

AION 2 has eight classes: Gladiator, Templar, Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Spiritmaster, Chanter and Cleric. Your class is tied to your character. Test a few before you settle on a main. NCSOFT does not publish a tier list, and any ranking you read elsewhere is opinion. What the official patch notes do give us is how the studio sees durability.

The studio said the change, together with a cut to boss attack, was meant to improve survivability for melee classes so they can fight bosses head-on. So if you are new to MMOs and want a forgiving start, the two classes that received the biggest health boost, Gladiator and Templar, are a logical place to begin, with the usual series tradition that the Templar is the sturdy front-liner and the Cleric the healer. Treat those role labels as a starting hint, not an official ranking, and read each class's skill descriptions in the character screen.

• Want simple and sturdy: Gladiator or Templar, the two largest HP gains.
• Want ranged damage: Ranger or Sorcerer. Sorcerer skills such as Cold Storm and Fire Wall had bonus-damage bugs fixed in October patches, including elevation fixes that matter for an air-focused game.
• Want to support a party: Chanter or Cleric, and keep in mind that group dungeons reward coordination.
• Want to pounce: Assassin, whose Heightened Sixth Sense HP effect was increased and whose Illusive Clone cooldown was cut from 90 to 60 seconds.

Levelling and what level 45 unlocks

Level 45 is the pivot of the early game. According to official notices, it is the level where several systems open:

• Server transfers require level 45.
• Chaotic Outer Reshanta, the equalised PvP zone added on 4 November, opens at level 45 with three hours of base playtime per week; extra time comes from Outer Entry Stones.
• Abyss shop items such as the Lower Abyss Rift Stone events required level 45 to buy.
• Odyle Energy and Abyss Point event purchases required level 45, so you should aim to hit it before limited-time events end.

Chaotic Outer Reshanta is worth knowing about even as a beginner. NCSOFT standardised all characters' stats, skill levels and Stigma levels there, leaving only the stat bonuses and specialisation effects from class skills and Stigmas, so gear and progress should not decide fights. Abyss Points earned there are reduced by 50 percent, so it is a PvP test bed rather than a farming route.

Dungeons and the item-level gates

After level 45, progression is measured in item level. The official notices list the entry requirements for the harder content, which is the clearest map of the post-leveling climb:

NCSOFT is blunt that the item level is only the ticket: it "does not guarantee a successful clear". Hard mode expeditions drop a chance at a Philosopher's Stone: Revelation (Bound) and a guaranteed Ariel Fragment. Ariel Fragments can be morphed with Substance Morph, 100 into a Daevanion Crystal: Ariel up to 30 times per character, or 1 into 5 Enhance Stones any number of times. Normal Ludra offers the same reward types as Hard, with different drop rates, so you can keep progressing without clearing Hard.

Boss balance also changed on October 28. Normal Expedition and Transcendence Stage 1 boss attack fell 15 percent, Hard Expedition and Transcendence Stages 2 to 4 saw boss attack and damage boost cut 10 percent, and Transcendence Stages 1 and 2 boss HP fell 6.5 percent. Those cuts exist so lower-progression characters are not one-shot, which makes now a friendlier moment to start.

A simple daily routine

1. Log in every dayThe Ludra Awakens check-in runs November 4 to 17 with seven rewards across 14 days, including Bound Kina, Soul Crystals and a Lush Leaf Tiara helmet, and you can miss up to seven days and still finish.
2. Claim Odyle EnergyUntil November 10 you can collect 4x Odyle Energy from your in-game mail each day, which fuels extra expeditions and Transcendence dungeons.
3. Clear daily dungeonsOdylium Repository was added as a Daily Dungeon on October 28 and shares its entry count with the Daeva Bio-Research Base daily dungeon.
4. Use the Resurrection Spiritstone eventUntil mid-December you can buy Resurrection Spiritstones (Season 1) with Kina from Wind Breeze Merchants, 30 for 25,000 Kina at step one and 50,000 at step two, limited per server each week.
5. Spend Kina carefullyInstant Clear Tickets for Nightmare and Daily Dungeon cost 30,000 Kina each, up to 14 per server per week.

Abyss, Artifact Siege and where PvP fits

The Abyss is where the faction war happens. The 4 November patch moved Artifact Siege from three times a week to twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays at 21:00, and compensated by raising Abyss Points from the Abyss Corridor by 50 percent per run. Beginners can skip siege content at first, but learn the Abyss entry rules because Rift stones recharge Lower Abyss time by an hour each. Season Mission rewards also changed, with Lower Abyss Rift Stones now rewarded for the Land Grabs and Watcher Kaira missions in place of Abyss Points.

Common beginner mistakes

• Rushing a server without checking pairing. Your matched server decides your Abyss opponents.
• Ignoring limited-time events. Several, like Resurrection Spiritstones and Ludra check-in, vanish on fixed dates.
• Entering Hard content on item level alone. The gate is a minimum, not a recommendation.
• Trusting third-party Kina sellers. See the warning above.

More PC and MMO coverage lives on our guides hub, and everything we publish on this game is collected on the AION 2 hub.

FAQ

Is AION 2 free to play?

Yes. Steam lists AION 2 as free to play with in-app purchases, and it is PC-only on Windows.

How many classes does AION 2 have?

Eight: Gladiator, Templar, Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Spiritmaster, Chanter and Cleric.

What level should I reach first?

Level 45. It unlocks server transfers, Chaotic Outer Reshanta and several event purchases.

Can I play Elyos and Asmodian together?

Each server holds one faction, so you play with your own faction on your server and meet the opposing faction on your matched server in the Abyss and Rifts.

Is buying Kina from other sites safe?

No. NCSOFT has restricted accounts for buying Kina from third-party sources.

Jules Rivera Souls specialist

Has finished every FromSoftware game at level 1. Writes the boss guides and checks them on every patch.