AION 2 free-to-play on 5 October: what really changes

The 5 October timeline

NC warns that maintenance times can change, so follow its official announcements. The first weekly reset is expected on Wednesday 7 October, at a time NC has not published.

What changes on 5 October

• No Founder’s Pack needed. NC writes that the game is “accessible to every player with no purchase required” and announces the end of pack sales on 5 October at 17:00 CEST.
• A second wave of servers opens. NC announced “Launch Servers” on top of the early-access servers; as of 3 October their list was not published. Players without a pack will also be able to join early-access servers if they stay open.
• Dungeon matchmaking widens. During early access, parties form across the early-access servers of one region; at launch the pool also includes the launch servers.
• Abyss pairing evolves. During early access only early-access servers fight each other; after launch NC pairs servers by how far along and how strong they are.
• The Market stays local. Your server’s Market has existed since the start of early access; the Cross-Server Market will open neither at early access nor at launch, but “after release”, once servers reach a similar stage.

What does not change

• Your progress. Early-access servers keep running at launch (NC announcement of 17 July), and NC only plans transfers for their characters: they stay where they are. No wipe is announced.
• The modified Season 1. Global keeps the level 45 cap, eight classes, 5 Daevanion boards, 5-player dungeons and a 10-player raid. Korea is at level 50 with a 9th class (Brawler) since 1 July, and 8 boards. Korean and Taiwanese progress does not transfer.
• One PC population. Steam and PURPLE share the same servers; the game stays PC-only, with French and English UI and subtitles.

What you can do without paying

The base game is fully accessible. The optional Special Quai Membership costs $14.99 for 30 days and applies to all your characters on a single server, the one where you buy it.

On the shop side, NC says cosmetics (outfits, wings, pets, weapon skins, accessories) have no effect on gameplay and that the potions and resurrection stones sold can also be earned in play. The Daeva Pass is sold per character, with a free track and a paid track in Quna. To earn money without the Market, read our Kinah article.

Founder’s Packs: do they still matter?

The three packs ($24.99, $49.99 and $99.99) gave five days of early access, 30 days of membership and an increasingly rich set of cosmetics. From 5 October they no longer unlock the game: they are only worth their cosmetics.

On 3 October, after player criticism, NC committed to making the pack cosmetics (title, armor and weapon skins, pet, wings) usable on every character of your account on every server. It may take several days and will be completed after early access ends. The supply chest, the styling chest and the 30 days of membership stay one-time rewards. On PURPLE you can upgrade to a higher pack; on Steam you will be able to request a refund of the cheaper pack if you buy a pricier one.

Servers, queues and transfers

In Europe, NC opened nine server pairs during early access: Siel/Israphel, Nezekan/Zikel, Vaizel/Triniel, Kaisinel/Lumiel, Yustiel/Marchutan, Ariel/Azphel, Fregion/Ereshkigal, Meslamtaeda/Beritra and Hithanya/Nemon (Elyos first). Each server hosts a single faction, and every Elyos server is paired with an Asmodian one for the Abyss and rifts. The full list is on the Regions page.

• Queues. NC advises players waiting for a spot to create their character on a “recommended” server, and opens new servers in pairs. Expect some waiting if you log in right at opening.
• Transfers from 14 October. They are free at first and limited to servers of your faction. An early-access character can only go to another early-access server; NC has not detailed the rules for launch servers.
• Meanwhile, instanced content, dungeons included, is open across servers: you can play with friends even if they are elsewhere. To choose, read our faction and server guide.

Tips for a good start

1. 1

   Prepare the install

   Plan for about 100 GB, preferably on an SSD. Pre-download was opened to pack owners; as of 3 October NC had announced nothing for other players. In Belgium and the Netherlands, Steam does not sell the game: use PURPLE. If you want to link Steam and PURPLE, create your PURPLE account first.

2. 2

   Pick your server with your friends

   Same region, same faction, same server. Favor a “recommended” server; the original pairs, Siel/Israphel first, are the busiest.

3. 3

   Claim the gifts

   Enter the code TAKEFLIGHTAION2 (Settings, Miscellaneous, Account, Enter Coupon): 4 Odyle Energy, 5 resurrection spiritstones and 10 battle enhancement scrolls, all bound, one per account, until 14 October at 08:00 CEST. If you played early access, empty your mailbox before the period ends: NC sent 5 engraved battle enhancement scrolls. Three Twitch Drops campaigns are also planned (2 to 4, 7 to 9 and 12 to 14 October).

4. 4

   Do not rush

   Follow the story to level 22, then aim for 45 without detours: read our beginner’s guide and our leveling route, then open your Routine.

What players are saying

As of 4 October, Steam shows “Mostly Positive”: 4,096 positive reviews out of 5,446, about 75%. In the reviews, players praise the visuals, flight, character creation and fast leveling; some find combat “mobile-like” or too simple. Criticism mostly targets monetization: a membership tied to a server, a Daeva Pass tied to a character, Founder’s cosmetics tied to the first character (NC committed on 3 October to making them valid on every character) and a Market reserved for members.

Season 1 content is complete without paying, but a free player stays out of the Market: no selling, no buying. If trading matters to you, plan the membership on your main character’s server, and nowhere else.