AION 2 global opens without player-to-player trading: what to do before Advanced Access on September 30

NCSOFT's MMORPG AION 2 opens its global version with Advanced Access on September 30. After the two-day Launch Scale Test that began September 17, the team announced that direct trading between players is disabled and that the queue rules are changing[1]. Advanced Access runs through October 4, and the official launch is October 5[1]. Everything below was checked against the official Steam announcements as of September 27, 2026.

Trading goes through the Market only

In the global version you cannot hand items directly to another player. The team calls it an anti-bot measure, and all trading between players goes through the Market[1]. Passing gear straight to a friend or guildmate is not an option.

A priority line in the queue

When a server is full, the queue now splits in two. Accounts in good standing join a priority queue instead of the general one, and both lines move as space opens. The team stresses that priority access is a privilege, not a guarantee: accounts with disciplinary action, or suspected of breaking the Terms of Service, can lose it[1].

Before September 30

If you took part in the test on Steam, there is one step first: uninstall the Playtest app and download AION 2 itself separately to get into Advanced Access[1]. Players on NCSOFT's own PURPLE launcher have nothing to do[1].

Advanced Access is for Founder's Pack buyers[1]. Everyone else can start for free at the October 5 launch, and the Steam store lists it as free to play[2]. Global servers are in North America, South America, Europe and Japan[3].

Sources

[1] NCSOFT. Launch Scale Test Comes to a Close: What's Next?. Steam announcement, September 19, 2026.

[2] Valve. Steam app details API, appid 3393110. Accessed September 27, 2026.

[3] NCSOFT. Steam Pre-release FAQ. Steam announcement, September 16, 2026.