AION 2 combat power: how to raise it, and CP vs item level

AION 2 combat power: a Daeva surrounded by a weapon, an Arcana card, wings and a Pantheon statue — What raises your combat power, as of 13/11/2026.

Updated 13 November 2026 · Sources: 14

Contents

Item level or combat power: what each one is for
What goes into combat power
Free levers at 45: titles, wardrobe, Pantheon
Kinah levers, from best to worst value
Recommended order by item level
Korea: dungeon entry now uses combat power
Common mistakes

As of 13/11/2026: on Global (level 45), dungeons still open by item level, with Hard mode tier 3 at 2,800 since 11/11 and Ludra at 2,800 (Normal) and 3,000 (Hard). In Korea (level 55 since 11/11), Expeditions, Transcendence, Sanctuaries and the Ascension Trial now require combat power instead of item level (NC's official note).

Item level or combat power: what each one is for

Item level is a plain sum: the item level of each piece you wear, +1 per enhancement level, +1 per Daevanion crystal spent, +1 to +4 per mana stone line depending on colour, 20 to 85 per Arcana card, and the belt, amulet and runes by their own item level. November client readings add +5 per Breakthrough stage (Aion 2 Maps, timesaver.gg). Wings, pets, titles and Soul Binding lines add nothing. The full tier ladder lives in our gear and item level guide.

Combat power (CP) measures how strong you really are: every stat, from every source. Two players at 2,000 and 1,800 item level can show the same CP if the second has better lines, more titles and higher skills (Anders). A dated benchmark: on 04/10, Global's top 500 players had a median item level of 2,161 and a median CP of 100,321 (AION 2 Meta, from official profiles). Check your character sheet before and after every spend: it is the only reliable way to see what actually moves for you.

	Item level	Combat power (CP)
What it counts	Gear only: pieces, enhancement, Breakthrough, stones, Arcana, Daevanion	Every stat: gear, skills, Stigmas, titles, wings, Pantheon, wardrobe, pets
What it opens on Global	Dungeons: 700, 1,400 and 2,100 for Conquest, 1,600 to 2,500 for Transcendence, 2,600 to 2,800 for Hard, 2,800 and 3,000 for Ludra	Nothing official; public groups often ask for it, above the gate
What it opens in Korea	Almost nothing since 11/11 (the Abyss surface layer keeps level 45 and 1,000 item level)	Expeditions, Transcendence, Sanctuaries and the Ascension Trial; recommended CP in Nightmare
Formula	Public and checkable	Not published by NC

What goes into combat power

NC publishes no CP formula, on Global or in Korea. Player readings agree on what raises it: gear and enhancement, mana stones, Daevanion boards, skill levels and Stigmas, pets and Genus Insight, owned titles, wings, Pantheon divine stats and the wardrobe collection bonus. In Korea, the 11/11 note says the calculation was reworked so damage amplification, Smite, cooldown and combat speed weigh more. Nothing like that has been announced for Global.

Table of the 9 AION 2 item level levers that also raise combat power: cost, gain, free or not — Guide data (systems sheet), Global level 45, as of 13/11/2026.

Be wary of the "CP formulas" going around: none is official, and third-party leaderboards sometimes show inconsistent values. The only number that counts is the one on your in-game or official character sheet.

Free levers at 45: titles, wardrobe, Pantheon

These levers give no item level (player readings still disagree for the Pantheon) but real combat power, and nothing is lost when you swap gear. They are the best value in the game: they cost time, not Kinah.

Titles

Every title has an owned effect, active as soon as you earn it, and an equipped effect: you wear three (Attack, Defense, Misc). Global's top 500 players owned about 200 (median) on 04/10 (AION 2 Meta). The easiest ones: kill each field boss in your region once, play each Shugo Festival mini-game three times, clear every 1★ Conquest at least once and claim your achievements. On Global no title gives Smite, unlike Korea. Full effects on the Systems page.

Wardrobe

Every unlocked appearance gives 1 to 4 collection points (Common to Unique), shared by your characters on the server, and you never have to wear it. Weapon appearances raise the Attack of their weapon type, so collect the ones for the weapon you play. Extraction always unlocks a quest piece's look, 25% of the time for field loot and 10% for most dungeon pieces. At around 700 appearances, the "Empty Closet" title gives +3.5% combat speed and +3.5% cooldown reduction when equipped (Anders, Aion 2 Maps).

Pantheon and divine stats

The Pantheon (opened by the level 22 Ascension quest) displays 1 colossus, 4 statues and 12 artworks; anything left in storage gives nothing. Each divine stat point is worth 0.1% on Global. Best picks: the Zikel's Apparition Colossus (14,000 Phantasmal Fragments in the Nightmare shop, +45 Destruction, Justice and Time), the Transcendent Bakarma statue (10 Draupnir Conquest clears, +12 Death, Freedom and Space) and the free statue for binding every kibelisk (+10). For damage, aim for Wisdom, Destruction and Time (your stats).

Daevanion, Stigmas, wings and pets

Each Daevanion crystal spent gives +1 item level plus stats; Global's Ariel board runs on Ariel Fragments from Hard mode (100 fragments per crystal, 30 crystals per character): see the Daevanion guide. Your core Stigma at level 15 is a big damage jump (Stigma guide). Wings and pets count through their owned effects: small one by one, real as a collection (pets and wings guide).

Kinah levers, from best to worst value

Lever	Cost	What you get	When
Amulet, then belt, up to Unique	10 scrolls per grade; 232,000 then 1,579,000 Kinah per piece	≈ +23 then +29 item level per piece, about 100 item level per million for the first grade	From 45; leave Unique +0 → +10 (≈ 5M for +10) for later
Everything to +5, weapon to +10	≈ 0.1M for +5 on a level 54 Unique; 0.49M and 19,440 stones from +0 to +10	+1 item level per level, no failure up to +10	From 45, then guard and bracelets to +10
Stones in all 20 slots	1,000 Abyss Points per lesser Abyssal stone (50 a week), bound stones from the Pass and quests	+1 to +4 item level per line, plus its stats	Always: no empty socket
Arcana	40 Odyle Energy per Transcendence claim; crafting 5 Mysterious Crystals + 2M	20 to 85 item level per card over 5 slots, plus skill levels	From 1,600
Soul Binding lines	Sync Stones (3 a week since 11/11), Soul Codex, Kinah	CP only: lines do not count toward item level	On kept pieces: crafted or Conquest 3★
Genus Insight	4 Soul Crystals and 1,000 Kinah per Analyze	CP; "Unbound by Genus" title (+4.5% PvE Damage Boost) with all 5 boards at 10	Ongoing, no locks before Insight 10
Crafting: accessories, then weapon	Balaur materials, proficiency 55 to 60	Pieces up to level 102, 5 Soul Binding lines	Past 2,100
+11 to +15 and Breakthrough	≈ 11.9M for +10 → +15 on an 86 piece; full Breakthrough ≈ 26M	Under 0.5 item level per million at the top stages	Last, on your final weapon and guard

The price gap is huge: one item level costs about 75 times more between +10 and +15 than between +0 and +5. Price each piece with the Enhancement tool before you spend.

Recommended order by item level

The six steps to raise combat power in AION 2, from free upgrades to Breakthrough — The order advanced Global players follow.

Your item level (Global)	Priority	For CP at the same time
700 to 1,000	Free stuff: crystals, Wisdom Stones, runes to +1, amulet and belt, everything to +5	Easy titles, kibelisks, extracted quest appearances
1,000 to 1,400	Weapon to +10, a stone in every socket, Abyss and Ascension Trial	Core Stigma toward 15, Pantheon filled even with green or blue pieces
1,400 to 2,100	Conquest 2★, Arcana from 1,600, guard and bracelets to +10	10 Draupnir clears for the statue, Nightmare Colossus
2,100 to 2,600	Conquest 3★, crafted accessories, higher grade Arcana	Soul Binding lines on kept pieces, Genus Insight
2,600 to 2,800	Hard mode (2,600, 2,700), Ariel Fragments for the Ariel board	Weekly Sync Stones on weapon and guard
2,800 and up	Hard tier 3, Ludra Normal then Hard (3,000), +11 to +15 and Breakthrough	Endgame titles ("Empty Closet", "Unbound by Genus")

Korea: dungeon entry now uses combat power

Korea's 11/11/2026 note opens season 5 ("Chapter 1, second story"): level cap 55, Breakthrough on Heroic gear up to 7, a new Lumiel Daevanion board and, above all, entry by combat power instead of item level for Expeditions, Transcendence, Sanctuaries and the Ascension Trial; Nightmare moves from a recommended item level to a recommended combat power. Hard mode on tiers 1 to 5 is gone. Published values (names loosely translated):

Content (Korea)	Combat power
Fanatic Urugugu Canyon (new Expedition, level 55)	800,000 Normal, 1,000,000 Hard
Erakus Ruins (new Transcendence, level 55)	800,000, 1,000,000 then 1,200,000
Submerged Life Temple (Transcendence, level 45, solo friendly)	100,000, 200,000, 280,000 and 350,000
Ascension Trial (level 45, 4 difficulties)	50,000, 100,000, 300,000 and 500,000
Nightmare, floor V (recommended CP, not a gate)	800,000 or 1,000,000 depending on the boss

NC does not give the reason for the change; this is our reading of the note. Item level only sees gear, while season 5 piles on gains outside item level: Breakthrough 7, whose effect becomes damage amplification on the weapon, guard and accessories (damage resistance on armour), the Lumiel board, a new "Empyrean Lord's Prayer" system (주신의 기원, loose translation) and re-rollable Arcana skill levels. The same note recalculates CP to value amplification, Smite, cooldown and combat speed more, and cuts divine stats from 0.2% to 0.1% per point, matching Global. A CP gate therefore measures better what a player brings to the party.

On Global, nothing is announced as of 13/11/2026: gates stay on item level and no roadmap mentions level 50 or CP gates. If Global follows one day, players who looked after titles, Pantheon and lines will be ahead. All the differences in Global vs Korea.

Common mistakes

Chasing item level only: low CP (bad lines, few titles) gets you turned down by groups even above the gate (Anders).
Leaving a title category empty, or a Pantheon piece in storage: the effect is lost.
Copying Korean values: on Global, wings cannot be enhanced, pets stop at level 3 and no title gives Smite.
Pushing +11 to +15 or Breakthrough on transition gear: one of the worst item level per Kinah deals in the game.
Extracting a Unique piece for its look: it is worth more as a Transfer or Sync Stone.
Locking Genus Insight lines before level 10: every lock makes every later Analyze more expensive.
Trusting a "CP formula": NC publishes none, compare your sheet before and after.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between item level and combat power in AION 2?

Item level only adds up your gear (pieces, enhancement, stones, Arcana, Daevanion) and opens Global dungeons. Combat power counts every stat, titles, wings, Pantheon and skills included; groups check it, and so do Korean dungeons since 11/11/2026.

How do I increase combat power without Kinah?

Collect titles (field bosses, Shugo Festival, achievements), wardrobe appearances and Pantheon pieces, spend every Daevanion crystal and level your core Stigma. None of it is lost when you change gear.

Do titles and wings raise item level?

No. Titles, wings, pets and Soul Binding lines do not count toward item level, but they do raise combat power. For the Pantheon, player readings still disagree.

How much combat power do I need to enter a dungeon?

On Global, none as of 13/11/2026: entry is by item level, and only public groups set a CP minimum. In Korea, since 11/11, from 50,000 (Ascension Trial, Easy) to 1,200,000 (Erakus Ruins).

Is there a combat power formula?

No, NC publishes none. Compare the value on your sheet before and after a spend to see what pays off for you.

Sources

Cross-checked14 sources · 5 official · updated 12/11/2026