AION 2 leveling guide
Leveling in AION 2 runs on the main story: episode quests pay the experience, while the side systems you meet on the way mostly make you stronger rather than higher level. How long the climb takes on the global servers is not known yet. The one global data point is the Launch Scale Test, which stopped everyone at level 37.
What is known about pace
- Global launch
- NC has not announced the level cap or any target time. Anything you read with an exact number of hours to max is a guess. The cap itself is on max level.
- Launch Scale Test
- Two days, six hours a day, with the cap at 37 and everything wiped afterwards. Some testers hit the cap; others spent their hours trying classes and never did.
- Korean version
- The cap started at 45 and went to 50 with the Chapter 1 update, which added a new territory for each faction.
Can you reach level 45 on the first day? One player’s estimate:
“Yes, it should only take 4 ~ 10 hours depending on how thorough you are being with the map and whether you are actually reading the story / watching cutscenes.”
That is a feel for the Korean game, not a promise: neither the 45 nor the hours are official for global.
Where the experience comes from
In the Korean version quests come in four kinds. The global client may name them differently.
| Quest type | Rewards | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Episode quests | Experience and currency, with some items as extra rewards | The main story. This is the line that levels you. |
| Local quests | Daevanion crystals, Daeva tokens, cube (inventory) expansions, sometimes gear or a title | Area quests. Worth doing for the Daevanion points alone. |
| Mission quests | Special rewards | Taken from the journal or from order items; five at a time, and the list can be refreshed. |
| Awakening quests | Promotion to the next stage and access to new content | Triggered by filling the Daeva gauge through episode and local quests, garrisons and sealed dungeons. |
The daily dungeons, Nightmare and the other repeatable content pay materials, Kina and ranking points rather than experience, so do not count on them to level you. A Navigator window lists the content suited to your current level, handy when the story runs dry.
Expect to level alone at first
In the Launch Scale Test the story quests were instanced: friends standing next to each other on the minimap were each in their own copy.
“I was playing with a group of friends and we barely ever saw each other despite being next to each other on the mini map.”
So race the story on your own and meet up for dungeons, where group play actually happens. The auto-move that walks you to each objective is optional and steering yourself can be quicker; the beginner guide covers the flight keys.
What not to waste early
- Founder’s Pack items on a test character. The supply chest, title, wings and styling chest bind to the first character that claims them. Claim them on the one you will keep; the full list is on Founder’s Packs compared.
- Membership days you will not play. The 30 days run from the moment you activate, so activate on a day you have hours to spend. See membership cost.
- Kina on one dungeon. In the Korean version, collecting Expedition rewards over and over cuts the Kina rate, down to nothing in the easier Exploration mode after 20 claims. Spread your runs; the numbers are on Kinah and Quna.
- Your peace in the open world. Korean characters start in PvE mode, and switching to PvP mode puts a 70-minute cooldown on switching back. Leave it alone while you level.