AION 2 pre-register: is there a global sign-up?
Not one that reserves anything. For the global version NC has offered two ways to follow the game, a Steam wishlist and a newsletter on the official site, and it has not opened any server or character name reservation. Names are claimed when you create a character, which means 5 October unless you own a Founder’s Pack.
Wishlist and newsletter rewards
NC’s pre-release FAQ has one line on rewards, and it promises details rather than giving them:
“Do we get rewards for wishlisting on Steam or signing up for the newsletter on the official website? The reward details will be shared closer to the global launch date.”
NC has not published those details. Neither step gives Early Access or any head start; the only way to play before 5 October is a Founder’s Pack, covered on the Early Access page. Wishlisting costs nothing, so if a reward does turn up it is worth having done.
Japan has one extra option. NC Japan’s own AION 2 site, run for players there, has a pre-registration page for the same global release:
“Pre-register with your email address or NC account to check rewards and the latest information!”
The name reservation you keep reading about
Search results for AION 2 pre-registration are full of the Korean and Taiwanese launch, which came a year earlier. That service had a real pre-registration through app stores and a server and character name reservation. None of it applies to the global version:
| Question | Korean service | Global version |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-registration | Official site, Google Play and App Store | Steam wishlist and newsletter; NC Japan’s page in Japan |
| Name reservation | Yes, on a PLAYNC account, one name per account | None announced |
| Server list before launch | 20 servers, 10 per faction | Not published |
| Platforms | PC and phones | PC only |
“Ten servers will be available for Elyos and ten for Asmodians, with early closures possible if server capacity is reached.”
(From NC press release: AION 2 Launches Server and Character Name Reservation Event (Korea))
That quote is about the Korean servers. A name you reserved there, or a guide telling you to log in with a PLAYNC account to reserve one, has nothing to do with the servers opening on 30 September. The differences between the two services go further than names; the Taiwan and Korea page lists them.
How to get the name you want anyway
- Pick your region and faction in advance Elyos and Asmodians play on separate servers, so the faction decides which list you choose from. Elyos or Asmodian helps with that.
- Be there when the servers open Early Access players create characters from 30 September, everyone else from 5 October. NC has not published the hour for either day; the release date page has every time it has published.
- Have the character designed before you log in Character creation walks through the options, so you can reach the name box quickly instead of deciding everything on the night.
- Keep a second and third choice ready In Korea a name only had to be unique on its own server. If the global version works the same way, a newer server may still have yours free.