| AION 2 | |||
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AION 2 is an MMORPG set in the world of Atreia, where players choose between the Elyos and Asmodians and explore a vast fantasy world. Read on to learn everything we know, our first impressions, and more.
Everything We Know About AION 2
AION 2 Plot
Set 200 years after the original Aion, AION 2 follows Daevas caught in the continuing conflict between the Elyos and Asmodians. Players choose a faction and explore a vastly expanded version of Atreia, with the story eventually leading into large-scale faction conflict and the struggle surrounding the Abyss.
AION 2 Gameplay
AION 2 is an MMORPG built around aerial exploration and combat, with a world 36 times larger than the original Aion. Players can choose from eight classes, chain skills together in combat, explore through flight and underwater traversal, and take on a wide range of PvE content, from solo plays to multi-player dungeons, alongside open-world events and faction-based PvP.
AION 2 Release Date
AION 2 will be released to the general public on October 5, 2026. Players eager to start, can get their hands on the founders pack for $24.99, which lets them have an advance access that started on September 30, 2026.
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| Free-to-Play |
AION 2 Review [First Impressions] | Good Combat Can't Save Its Bigger Problems
Promising Successor That Has Yet to Reach Aion's Heights
Aion, when it was released in the early 2010s, was one of the most ambitious and visually impressive MMOs of its time. Its concept was unique, its world was beautiful, and its systems came together in a way that made the game feel like it was pushing the boundaries of what an MMO could be.
So naturally, I came into AION 2 with a lot of expectations. There is a lot here that shows promise, and I can already see the foundation of what could become another memorable MMO experience. But for all that AION 2 brings to the table, it currently feels more like a successor carrying the legacy of the original than one that truly lives up to it.
Story Assumes You Know Aion's World
There are two factions you can choose from in AION 2: the Elyos and the Asmodian. While the original Aion made these two sides feel incredibly distinct through their aesthetics, In AION 2, the is story doing more of the heavy lifting in establishing what separates the two.
I personally chose the Elyos, partly because my memories of the original Aion still associate them with their radiant, almost heavenly aesthetic. There's something nostalgic about stepping back into that side of the world, even if AION 2's interpretation of the factions doesn't make their differences feel quite as striking as they once did.
Aion 2 takes place after the fall of the Aion Tower, which also ends the war between the Elyos and Asmodians. We take on the role of an amnesiac Daeva who is rescued by the Dawn Legion during their infiltration mission to rescue Phernos. From there, we're pulled into their journey toward Bulwark, which they believe to be a true paradise.
Now, here's where I started having a bit of trouble. AION 2's storytelling isn't exactly the easiest to follow, especially at the beginning. I had to pay much closer attention to the dialogue than I normally would because there were quite a few moments where I was just sitting there thinking, "Huh? What's going on?" Characters would mention certain events, places, or people as if I was already supposed to know what they were talking about, and I found myself trying to piece everything together while the story was already moving forward.
If you've played the original Aion or have a good grasp of its world and lore, this probably won't be as much of a problem. But if you're completely new to the series—or, like me, have simply forgotten a good chunk of what happened all those years ago—AION 2 doesn't exactly make it easy to get back into the world. It often feels like the game expects you to already know the important pieces before it starts putting the puzzle together.
That makes the early story harder to appreciate than it should be. There's clearly a lot going on in AION 2's world, but when you're spending more time trying to figure out what everyone is talking about than actually getting invested in it, the story has a harder time pulling you in.
The Mystery of Our Lost Powers Is More Interesting Than the World Around Us
After that initial setup, the story settles into a very MMO rhythm where, you guessed it, we're sent off on fetch quests. That's essentially how the main story loop unfolds for most of the time: someone needs something, someone needs to be rescued, someone needs us to go somewhere, and somehow our amnesiac Daeva ends up being the person everyone calls when they need something done.
There were quite a few moments where I felt like this wasn't really our story. We're not necessarily the protagonist of the events unfolding around us. Instead, we're often just the person the actual characters use to move their own stories forward. We're there to help them reach their goals, solve their problems, and deal with whatever crisis happens to be in front of us.
Only, that's not always the case. Our amnesia gives AION 2 a much more personal mystery to work with. We don't know why we're a Daeva in the first place, and more importantly, we don't know why we no longer have access to the powers we're supposed to have. That's where the mystery surrounding the "gates" and the hooded figure starts to come into play, giving us questions that aren't simply about helping someone else with their problems.
And this is where the story actually started to pull me in. The overarching narrative may be about much bigger conflicts and the fate of the world, but so far, I don't feel like those events personally concern our character all that much. We're helping the people involved, sure, but there's no real personal stake for us in that conflict—at least not yet. The mystery surrounding our own identity, our lost powers, and what exactly happened to us, on the other hand, is our story.
That's what kept me wanting to see what happens next. Even when I felt like I was just running errands for everyone else, I still had my own questions sitting in the back of my mind. And for an MMO story that can sometimes make you feel like you're simply a convenient pair of hands for its actual characters, having a mystery that is genuinely tied to your character goes a long way.
Hard to Trust the People We're Supposed to Help
Some of the NPCs also make it surprisingly difficult to immediately get attached to the people we're supposed to be helping. Caelid, the leader of Dawn Legion, is probably the easiest example. Why is that, you might ask? It’s because he uses us as a diversion and then leaves us to die, which is already a pretty questionable way to treat someone, but let's remember who exactly he's doing this to.
We're not even part of the Dawn Legion. We were just rescued from enemy territory, we're an amnesiac Daeva who has absolutely no idea what's happening in the world, and we've barely had any time to understand who these people are before Caelid is already willing to throw us into the fire.
That's where I sometimes had trouble putting myself in the protagonist's position. If the people who supposedly rescued me were this quick to use me as bait and leave me behind, I'd probably have a few questions about whether I actually wanted to keep following them around. Yet our character continues helping them, even when the story hasn't quite given us enough reason to believe that this group has earned that loyalty.
Maybe that's intentional. There is something interesting about a world where you can't simply assume that the people who helped you are trustworthy, especially when everyone seems to have their own agenda and the Dawn Legion is so focused on reaching Bulwark. It could even reinforce the idea that this is a world where alliances are built out of necessity rather than genuine trust.
Still, it makes the relationship between our character and the people around them feel a little strange. AION 2 wants me to care about this group, but sometimes its own characters give me plenty of reasons not to trust them. And until the story gives our protagonist a more convincing reason to stick with them, that disconnect is hard to ignore.
Beautiful World Filled With Familiar Faces
On the other hand, the setting is absolutely beautiful. At least in the areas I've unlocked so far, I've constantly found myself stopping to take in these enormous structures, towering landscapes, and fantastical environments that really capture the kind of magical atmosphere I'd expect from Aion. Some areas are overrun with monsters, others are filled with more peaceful wildlife, but there's a consistent sense that every place is part of this much larger, fantastical world. AION 2 does a great job making its world feel like a place I'd actually want to explore.
The character designs, unfortunately, don't leave quite the same impression. A lot of the NPCs share the same facial features and hairstyles, and after a while, it comes off as lazy. What's especially jarring is that their voices and personalities can be completely different, yet I'll look at two characters and realize they practically have the same face. When I'm supposed to remember who someone is because of their personality, role, or the things they've said, having them visually blend into another NPC I've met earlier makes that a little harder.
It's a small thing at first, but it starts to flatten some of the characters. A face is one of the easiest ways for a player to immediately recognize someone, especially in a game where we're constantly being introduced to new NPCs. When everyone starts sharing the same handful of features, that visual shorthand disappears, and characters can feel less distinct than their writing or voice acting suggests they should be.
Thankfully, the more prominent NPCs do get their own distinct designs, which helps them stand out where it matters most. But it also makes the repeated faces among the rest of the cast even more noticeable. The world around them feels huge and full of personality; I just wish more of the people living in it looked like they belonged to different corners of that world, too.
Combat Makes Learning Your Class Feel Natural
Moving on to gameplay, there are a total of eight classes you can choose from. As someone who prefers fighting from a distance and, more importantly, summoning things to do the fighting for me, Spiritmaster is the perfect class for me.
I can't speak for how the melee-focused classes feel, but combat as a Spiritmaster has been really good so far. Skills naturally chain into one another, and as you unlock more abilities, you'll start noticing how one skill leads into the next rather than having to constantly stop and figure out which ability you're supposed to use.
For example, one skill can stagger an enemy, while the next skill on that button automatically switches to a much heavier damage that's specifically useful against staggered enemies. The game is essentially teaching you how to play your class while you're playing it.
That's probably what I appreciate most about the combat. It's smooth and intuitive enough that I didn't feel the need to immediately read through every single skill description just to understand what I was supposed to be doing. You start pressing buttons, see how they interact with each other, and before long, you're naturally building a rotation without necessarily realizing you're learning one.
Is it perfect? No. There are elements that I think could be better, like being able to summon more creatures in the field rather than being limited to just one at a time. However, combat is quick and responsive, which is especially important for an MMO. These are the fights I'm going to be repeating over and over as I level up, farm materials, take on quests, and eventually grind toward whatever endgame AION 2 has waiting for me. When the basic act of fighting already feels this smooth, that makes the inevitable grind a whole lot easier to look forward to rather than dread.
Fast Early Pace Keeps the Story Moving
The pacing is also, at least in my humble opinion, decently handled. If anything, I'd say it's actually on the quicker side. After my first six hours with the game, I was already at Level 13, which isn't so fast that I felt like I was being rushed through everything, but it is noticeably quicker compared to some other MMOs I've played.
Personally, I liked this. There's always something moving me forward, whether it's the next level, a new skill, or the story quest waiting for me. I'm not spending too much time sitting around wondering what I'm supposed to be doing next, which helps keep those early hours feeling active.
That said, I'm expecting this pace to slow down eventually. That's practically an inevitability with an MMO, especially once the game starts asking for more experience and resources to progress. I haven't reached that point yet, but I can already see where the grind is likely to settle in once the early progression starts tapering off.
For now, though, AION 2 does a good job of keeping that early momentum going, and that's exactly what I want from the opening hours of an MMO.
Same Systems With Different Ways to Progress
Progression is split across several different systems, and while they each serve a different purpose, I'm already starting to see a common principle underneath all of them: level up the thing, unlock more of the thing, and make the thing stronger.
Mastery improves skills through skill points, Daeva-related passives are unlocked through crystals, pets can be strengthened by collecting Soul Fragments, and there are several other systems that follow their own version of this same idea.
That isn't necessarily a bad thing. The systems are different enough in how you interact with them that they don't all feel like they're doing exactly the same thing, and having several areas of progression gives me more things to work toward as I play.
But at the same time, I wouldn't call AION 2's progression particularly revolutionary so far. The presentation changes, but the underlying principle is familiar. You're constantly collecting something, investing it somewhere, and watching another part of your character become stronger. And honestly, that's fine. Not every MMO system needs to reinvent progression for it to work. So far, AION 2's different systems are sitting comfortably on the decent side of things, they give me enough to work toward without making progression feel unnecessarily complicated.
Flight Is Supposed to Be AION 2's Big Freedom, But I Rarely Use It
Flight, so far, has been less than appealing. Considering it's one of the major selling points of AION 2, it's a little disappointing that the stamina bar for flying depletes so quickly that I barely find myself using it.
Instead of feeling like I'm being given the freedom to explore the world from above, I often end up looking at that stamina bar and thinking, "What's the point?" I can get into the air, sure, but I can't stay there for very long before I'm forced back onto the ground. That makes flight feel more like a short movement tool than the defining freedom I expected it to be.
Maybe this changes later on. It's possible that we're encouraged to rely more on mounts early in the game and eventually unlock ways to improve our flight stamina as we progress. If that's the case, I could see this becoming less of an issue further into the game.
For now, though, it's still a point of contention. When one of the game's biggest features is something I rarely bother using because its limitations make simply running or riding more convenient, that's hard not to notice.
Sprinting Shouldn't Interrupt Your Momentum
Movement itself also has a small but increasingly annoying problem: sprinting stops your character before actually starting the sprint. Every time I press the sprint button, my character briefly stops moving before taking off again. It sounds minor, but when you're constantly moving around the world, that little interruption happens often enough that it starts to grate on me.
It's especially noticeable because movement otherwise feels fairly straightforward. I'm running from one quest objective to another, trying to get around an enemy, or simply traveling through the world, and then pressing sprint suddenly makes my character come to a brief halt. It's the kind of thing you probably won't think much about during your first few minutes, but after hours of playing, you start feeling every little interruption. When an MMO is going to have me moving around its world for potentially hundreds of hours, movement needs to feel as effortless as possible.
Normal Features in MMOs Shouldn’t Be Behind A Paywall
Most MMOs have some form of player trading, and honestly, it's one of my favorite parts of the genre. Trading isn't just about making money. It's another way of building a community and establishing your own worth within the game. If you're the person everyone knows can get a particular material, craft a particular item, or consistently has something useful to sell, you start developing your own little reputation among other players.
It's one of those systems that makes an MMO feel like an actual community rather than just a bunch of people running around the same world. Unfortunately, AION 2 puts this behind a paywall. To trade with other players and convert real money into in-game currency, you need to pay for a monthly subscription of around $15. In other words, you're not just paying for optional cosmetics or a battle pass, you are paying for access to a mechanic that directly affects how you interact with the game's economy and other players. And that's on top of the other monetization you'd expect from a free-to-play MMO, including monthly battle passes, cosmetics, and whatever else you might want to purchase from the shop.
The latter is much easier to understand. If someone wants to spend money on a cosmetic because they like how it looks, that's an optional purchase. A battle pass can also offer additional rewards for players who want to spend a little more. But trading is fundamentally different because it's a core gameplay and social system. Putting a mechanic that directly connects players and lets them participate in the game's economy behind a subscription makes the free-to-play experience feel considerably more restricted.
And yes, this isn't exactly new to AION 2. The original Aion also had a similar restriction, but the fact that the system existed before doesn't make it any less frustrating to see it carried over into the sequel.
What's even more questionable is that the subscription is tied to the server rather than the account. So if you pay for the subscription on one server and later decide to move to another, you can't simply take that access with you. You would have to pay for another monthly subscription on the new server if you want to trade there as well. For something as fundamental to an MMO's player-driven economy as trading, that's a pretty significant barrier to put between players and one of the systems meant to make the world feel alive.
Advance Access Marred By Server Problems
Now, let's talk about the unstable servers. It's not exactly shocking news that MMOs can have a rough time on launch day. They're notorious for server issues, disconnects, queues, and all sorts of problems when thousands of players suddenly try to squeeze into the game at the same time.
However, no one else here at Game8 was experiencing connectivity issues, so when I started getting disconnected constantly, I initially thought it was a me problem. I started questioning my own PC, my rig isn't exactly the nicest thing in the world, after all. But this is the same PC that can run Crimson Desert, which is arguably a much more demanding game, without giving me these kinds of problems. I had also checked AION 2's system requirements beforehand, and my setup comfortably falls within what the game asks for.
Lo and behold, after doing a bit of digging, I found out I wasn't actually alone. Now, again, I understand that server problems are almost expected when an MMO launches. But here's why I still think it's worth bringing up: this isn't the general launch yet. This is advance access.
NCSoft already knew how many people had purchased the Founder's Pack specifically to get those five days of early access. That means there was already a relatively clear idea of how many players would be trying to get into the game before the actual launch. With AION 2 also sitting among Steam's top-selling games during this period, that influx clearly isn't insignificant.
So while I can forgive some launch-day instability when literally everyone is allowed in at once, it's harder to ignore when players are already paying specifically for the privilege of getting in early, only to spend part of that early access fighting the servers instead of the game's actual enemies.
I do expect this to stabilize. Server issues during an MMO's first few days aren't necessarily representative of what the experience will look like weeks or months down the line, and I'm writing this review during the game's early access period rather than after everything has settled.
But first impressions still matter. If I paid for advance access and then spent hours repeatedly disconnecting before I could get a stable connection, that's time I paid for that I simply couldn't use.
And that also makes the Founder's Pack's value harder to appreciate right now. The Standard Founder's Pack costs $24.99, but its additional inclusions—such as scrolls and pets that can eventually be obtained through the game—don't feel substantial enough to make up for hours spent struggling just to get into a playable session. If you're unlucky with your connection, the biggest obstacle between you and the game isn't progression, combat, or even the grind. It's getting through the front door. That will change as the servers stabilize, and when it does, my assessment of AION 2’s value for money could change with it. For now, though, it's an unfortunate part of the advance-access experience that AION 2 needs to address.
AION 2 Has the Foundation, But It's Too Early to Call It a Successor Worthy of the Name
So far, AION 2 is promising. It has a beautiful world, smooth combat, and enough systems to keep me progressing without overwhelming me, while the mystery surrounding our own character has given me a reason to actually care about where the story is going.
But at the same time, I don't think I've seen enough yet to say that AION 2 has reached the heights of the original. The story can be difficult to follow, flight hasn't lived up to what I expected from one of the game's biggest features, trading being locked behind a subscription is a significant concern, and the unstable servers have made this advance-access period rougher than it should be.
Because of that, I'd recommend waiting until the global release before making a decision, especially if you're considering purchasing a Founder's Pack purely for the sake of getting in early.
Yet, I do have to say though, that despite all of that, I'm still having fun with AION 2. That's probably the most important thing I can say right now. I may not be ready to call it the next great MMO yet, but I am curious enough to keep playing and see where it goes. There is a solid mechanics underneath these early problems, and if AION 2 can build on that foundation as I progress further, it might still have a lot more to show me.
AION 2 Recommended Guides
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Sealed Dungeons
Daily Dungeons
Titles
Pantheon
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Wings
Maps
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Field Bosses
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