AION 2 hidden cubes rewards, Monolith and Empyrean Traces

Why explore at 45: free, permanent stats

On Global (level 45), exploring no longer gives XP, but it pays for things no dungeon replaces: scrolls for your Revelation Amulet, deity stats, titles, and hidden cube keys, which means Soul Crystals for your pets' Genus Insight. None of it costs Odyle Energy or Kinah, and it all lasts the whole season.

The Monolith was trimmed on Global: it gives no Wisdom Stones (Daevanion points) and no skins, unlike Korea. Any guide promising them is describing the Korean version.

Spid, quoted in Couga54's guide, puts the Monolith at the end of his level-45 list, after quests, sealed dungeons and Strongholds. Fair enough, as long as you read it as "finish later", not "skip": the first 80 Traces come for free while levelling, and the amulet is the cheapest item level at 45.

Empyrean Traces and the Monolith

Empyrean Traces are feathers scattered around the world; pick them up with F. They count even before the Monolith unlocks, so grab the ones on your path from Verteron (Elyos) or Altgard (Asmodians) onwards. The Monolith opens around level 16 with the episode quest "Monolith of the Empyrean Lord"; on the Elyos side it stands in the Dawn Legion Base.

Turn your Traces in at the Monolith: resonance gains a level at each threshold, 30 levels in both Verteron and Altgard. A region's Traces only work at that region's Monolith, and every level gives one Revelation Amulet scroll.

• Level 10 (80 Traces): 10 scrolls, enough to take the Rare amulet from +0 to +10, every level a guaranteed success.
• Level 20 (255 Traces): 20 scrolls, covering the second grade after Transmutation to Epic.
• Level 30 (560 Traces, every one in the region on our map): 30 scrolls, to finish the Global Unique amulet.
• Milestones add deity stats, titles and 12 hidden cube keys in total.

On 21 Oct, NC moved the Traces that Halloween decorations had made unreachable at the Dawn Legion Base and Zumion Village (Verteron). If one was impossible to grab before that date, go back for it.

Ereshkigal Monolith: the Abyss Traces

The Abyss has its own Monolith, with 20 levels. On Global, Lower Reshanta's 200 Traces pay 36 Azphel Crystals, i.e. +36 item level once spent on the Azphel board (U key), even for PvE players. The later levels wait for Middle Reshanta, not open on Global as of 13 Nov 2026. Expect about 90 minutes of your Abyss time (Soulgrot's run): plan the route on the Lower Reshanta map before going in, and check the Abyss page for access rules.

AION 2 hidden cubes: keys and rewards

Hidden cubes are chests tucked into the scenery, often up high: ledges, roofs, corners. A sparkling sound gives away a nearby cube. On Global every cube needs a "Key: Hidden Cube", bound and used up on opening. The opened cube disappears and another appears elsewhere in its group of spots; the respawn delay is still unconfirmed. Since the 28 Oct update, NC makes them appear more often, without giving a figure.

These amounts and odds come from Global client data compiled by Aion 2 Maps; NC hasn't published them. 1,000 Soul Crystals means 250 Genus Analyzes (4 crystals and 1,000 Kinah each): by far the best crystal source in the game. Silentium sells for 5,000 bound Kinah each at a merchant, or goes into Supply Requests for Abyss Points. Even rare wings count toward your collection without being worn (see our pets and wings guide).

Where to get hidden cube keys

Free total: about 48 keys this season (30 + 12 + 4 + 2), roughly 48,000 Soul Crystals, plus whatever missions and commands drop. The Daeva Pass gives none, and the official reward table of the "Prelude to Flight" pass (28 Oct to 2 Dec) lists none either. That pass does pay 50 EXP per hidden cube opened, within its cap of 15,000 EXP per character per week.

Keyless golden cubes: some English guides (Game8 and others) describe them, with smaller rewards than key cubes, but according to the Global client data compiled by Aion 2 Maps, Global zones only place key cubes (to be confirmed in game as of 13 Nov 2026). To be safe, keep a key in your bag before climbing up to a cube.

The best collection order

1. 1

   While levelling

   Grab every Trace on your path, no detours. Keep the 2 keys from the level 10 quests and open a cube when you come across one: its 1,000 Soul Crystals will be waiting for your pets' Genus Insight.

2. 2

   Around level 16: the first 80 Traces

   Unlock the Monolith and aim for level 10 (80 Traces): the first 10 amulet scrolls will be waiting for you at 45.

3. 3

   Every day at 45: keys

   Run your 5 duty missions on your main and reroll to get a key into the first slots; achievements come as you play.

4. 4

   After quests, sealed dungeons and Strongholds

   Finish your region: 255, then 560 Traces, opening the cubes you pass on the same route. One trip, two rewards.

5. 5

   First trip to the Abyss

   Collect Lower Reshanta's 200 Traces for the Ereshkigal Monolith, then spend the 36 Azphel Crystals on the Azphel board.

6. 6

   Your other characters

   Touch each Monolith to sync its levels instead of collecting everything a second time.

Mistakes to avoid

• Leaving Azphel Crystals and other crystals asleep in your Cube (I): they only count once used.
• Expecting Wisdom Stones from the Global Monolith: it gives none.
• Turning Traces in at the wrong Monolith: Reshanta's only work at Ereshkigal.
• Doing duty missions on an alt: it uses up the whole server's 5 missions for the day.
• Wandering Reshanta without a route: Abyss time is limited and PvP punishes detours.

Where to look: maps by region

Our interactive map shows every Empyrean Trace and every hidden cube spot, and tracks what you've already collected (per character). Spots are positions where a cube can appear, not cubes that exist at the same time.

Poeta, the Elyos starting zone, has no Traces or cubes on our map: it's for your first quests, and the work starts in Verteron. The Eltnen and Morheim counts date from early October, before the second half of those regions opened in Korea on 11 Nov, so they may have changed (to be confirmed), and the Reshanta cubes added in Korea aren't mapped yet.

• Verteron mapThe 560 Traces and cube spots on the Elyos side.
• Altgard mapThe 560 Traces and cube spots on the Asmodian side.
• Lower Reshanta mapThe 200 Traces for the Ereshkigal Monolith.
• Poeta mapThe Elyos starting zone and its quests.
• Eltnen map (Korea)Chapter 1 Traces and cubes on the Elyos side.
• Morheim map (Korea)Chapter 1 Traces and cubes on the Asmodian side.

What your characters on the server share

• Monolith levels: shared by your characters on the same server. On an alt, touch each region's Monolith to sync, without picking up a single extra Trace.
• Hidden cube keys: bound, they can't go through Server Storage. Each character uses its own.
• Genus Insight: its gains apply to the whole server, so an alt's crystals also improve your main's board.
• Duty missions: 5 a day for the whole server. Do them on your main.
• Tracking on our map: per character, so cubes you've opened don't get mixed up.

For everything two characters do or don't share, read our alt character guide.

Korea: big hidden cubes that take 10 keys

In Korea, the 11 Nov update (Chapter 1, second story, level cap 55) added big hidden cubes in Verteron, Altgard, Eltnen and Morheim: each uses 10 keys and pays 10 times a normal cube's reward. So the loot is the same, you just save time. NC fixed how these big cubes paid out the same day, during an emergency maintenance (13:07 to 19:30 Korean time). The same update spreads hidden cubes across Lower and Middle Reshanta: Abyss cubes need no key and notably give Abyss breakthrough stones.

• Soul Crystals: 1,000 per cube in Korea too since 7 Oct (100 before).
• Monolith: it also gives Wisdom Stones in Korea, and since 11 Nov every level gained pays enhancement materials for the Revelation Amulet, now upgradable to +20 at Heroic.
• Eltnen and Morheim have their own Traces and cubes, which Global doesn't have.
• Middle Reshanta is open, so the Ereshkigal Monolith can be completed.

As of 13 Nov 2026, NC hasn't announced big cubes or Abyss cubes for Global. Use your keys on normal cubes: no announcement gives a reason to hoard them.

• Game systemsMonoliths, hidden cubes, Ereshkigal Monolith and Genus Insight, with sources.
• AbyssAccess, weekly time and Lower Reshanta.
• Pets and wingsWhere to spend your Soul Crystals.
• Beginner's guideYour first hours, from character creation to level 45.
• Alt charactersWhat's shared on the server.