AION 2

AION 2 opens global advanced access on September 30 at 13:00 UTC (22:00 KST) for players who bought a Founder's Pack. Its free-to-play launch follows on October 5 at the same time[1]. For Korea and Taiwan, this is already familiar territory: their services launched on November 19, 2025, at 00:00 KST, more than ten months earlier[2][3].

Put the Korean and global versions side by side, and one shared restriction stands out. Buying another player's items through the marketplace requires membership. In Korea, nonmembers can sell but cannot buy; globally, membership is required to trade through the marketplace[4][5]. This review draws on NC's official notices and press releases, the Steam store and Steam announcements, as of September 30, 2026.

One faction per server, with battles in the skies and the Abyss

AION 2 is an MMORPG from NC (NCSOFT). Players become winged Daeva, and flight serves as both transportation and a way to fight[6]. According to its Steam description, the world is 36 times the size of the original AION's, with more than 200 dungeons covering solo, 5-player and 10-player content[6].

There are two factions, Elyos and Asmodians, with each server housing just one. An Elyos server is paired with an Asmodian server, and the factions meet in shared battlefields such as the Abyss[1]. Korea's service runs across PC through PURPLE, Android and iOS. The global version is PC-only[2][7].

The Korean version has gradually eased some of its repetitive demands. Season 3, introduced in April, removed a hunting activity that players had found especially tiring. Certain rankings, including Transcendence and Abyss rankings, were reorganized by class, while seasonal rewards shifted from stat benefits to honorary rewards[8]. The major update previewed at June's showcase arrived on July 1, adding a new class and the regions of Eltnen and Morheim[9][13].

Four Quna supply boxes withdrawn on launch afternoon

The Korean launch was troubled from the outset. The Chosun Daily (English edition) reported roughly two hours of connection problems after launch. Accounts that had reserved a name without creating a character could not log in at all[10].

Paid products caused further problems. At 16:30 KST on launch day, NC ended sales of four Quna supply boxes[11]. They ranged from KRW 8,600 to KRW 86,000. The KRW 21,500 box contained 100 combat enhancement scrolls, while the KRW 86,000 box included 50 soul books[11].

Before launch, the game's development producer had said neither item would be sold in the shop. NC apologized during an emergency livestream that day[10]. Alongside withdrawing the four products, it announced that all players would receive 100 combat enhancement scrolls and other items free. It also said it would remove skill reset costs and halve the price of shop consumables[10]. The same report noted that NC's shares closed that day at KRW 191,700, down 14.16%[10].

Membership controls marketplace buying and time in the Abyss

Korea now has a single consolidated membership priced at KRW 25,000[9][12]. At launch, there were three options: KRW 19,700, KRW 29,700, or KRW 45,000 for the two combined[4]. On June 17, NC merged them into one plan, offering the benefits of the former KRW 45,000 package for KRW 25,000[12].

Those benefits go beyond convenience. Membership unlocks marketplace purchases, 5 direct player trades a day, and the exchange for Kina and Quna[4]. It increases the number of Odyle Energy infusions allowed into Expedition, Transcendence and Sanctuary reward cubes from 1 to 2, and raises weekly Abyss access from 7 hours to 14 hours[4]. Benefits apply only to characters on the server where the membership was purchased[4].

The Daeva Pass is a separate purchase. Korea's current "Moon Rabbit's Gift" pass costs 2,000,000 Kina for the basic version or 1,000 Quna for premium, with purchases made per character[13]. Rewards include combat enhancement scrolls, Odyle Energy and dungeon instant-completion tickets. Pass levels can also be purchased for 50 Quna each[13]. Sales of the Korean pass's premium version end on October 20 at 05:00 KST[13].

Global membership costs $15 a month, with direct trading disabled

The global version follows the same broad model. Basic play is free, Kina is earned through play, and Quna is bought with real money[5]. A $15 monthly membership unlocks the marketplace and currency exchange. At the exchange, players buy and sell Kina for Quna with one another; NC does not sell Kina directly[5].

The team says shop cosmetics confer no combat advantages. It also sells consumables such as potions and resurrection stones, which it says do not affect equipment progression and can also be earned through play[5]. The Daeva Pass is sold per character, with a free standard track and a premium track purchased using Quna[5].

There are differences from Korea. The global service disables direct player-to-player trading as an anti-bot measure. When a server is full, members with no sanction history receive queue priority[14]. Founder's Packs range from $24.99 to $99.99, and every pack includes 5 days of advanced access and 30 days of membership[5][6][15]. NC's August notice lists remote storage, the marketplace, the Quna exchange shop and a higher Odyle Energy cap among that membership's perks. The same list also names personal trading, which the September 19 notice has since switched off for everyone[14][15].

Servers are divided among Europe, North America West and East, Latin America, and Asia. Asia has one server pair for advanced access[1]. The minimum PC specification on Steam is 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, a Ryzen 5 2600 or Core i5-10500, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB and 100 GB of storage, with an SSD recommended[6]. The Steam page does not open from Korea, where players use the Korean service through PURPLE or mobile[6].

For players joining the global version through Steam or PURPLE, the dates are September 30 at 13:00 UTC for advanced access and October 5 at 13:00 UTC for the full launch[1][7]. A Founder's Pack covers the first 30 days of membership. The decision after that is whether marketplace access and the other membership benefits justify continuing at $15 a month[5][15].

Sources

[1] NC. Advanced Access Servers. AION 2 Steam announcement, September 29, 2026, accessed September 30, 2026.

[2] NC. Official service launch notice. AION 2 official notice, November 18, 2025, accessed September 30, 2026.

[3] NC Taiwan. AION2 opens at 23:00 on the 18th to strong demand. Press release, November 19, 2025, accessed September 30, 2026.

[4] NC. New subscription products for November 19 (Wednesday). AION 2 official notice, updated April 8, 2026, accessed September 30, 2026.

[5] NC. Team Update. AION 2 global official notice, published July 8, 2026, updated July 17, accessed September 30, 2026.

[6] Valve. AION 2 Steam store page. App information from the US store and access results from the Korean store, accessed September 30, 2026.

[7] NC. Steam Pre-release FAQ. AION 2 Steam announcement, September 16, 2026, accessed September 30, 2026.

[8] NC. AION 2 begins Season 3 on April 8. Press release, April 8, 2026, accessed September 30, 2026.

[9] NC. NC concludes its offline AION 2 showcase. Press release, June 15, 2026, accessed September 30, 2026.

[10] The Chosun Daily (English edition). NCSoft apologizes for Aion 2 launch issues, pledges overhaul. November 19, 2025, accessed September 30, 2026.

[11] NC. End of sales for selected products on November 19 (Wednesday). AION 2 official notice, November 19, 2025, accessed September 30, 2026.

[12] NC. Subscription product overhaul notice, June 14 (Sunday). AION 2 official notice, June 14, 2026, accessed September 30, 2026.

[13] NC. New subscription products for September 23 (Wednesday). AION 2 official notice, September 22, 2026, accessed September 30, 2026.

[14] NC. Launch Scale Test Comes to a Close: What's Next?. AION 2 Steam announcement, September 19, 2026, accessed September 30, 2026.

[15] NC. 30-Day Membership Added to Founder's Packs. AION 2 Steam announcement, August 21, 2026, accessed September 30, 2026.