AION 2 News and Updates: Launch, Servers, Patches and Ban Waves

This page brings NEXTARCA's AION 2 news together in one place, newest first. NC launched AION 2 as a free MMORPG on PC through Steam and PURPLE on October 5, 2026, after five days of Advanced Access for Founder's Pack owners. Below you will find the launch itself, the server list and faction matchmaking, the rewards every player can still claim, NC's ban waves against bots and gold farmers, and the patches since launch.

Some AION 2 pages are kept up to date on their own: the redeem codes, the current events and the server transfer rules. For what the game is like to play, read our AION 2 review.

October 22, 2026: AION 2 Patch Adds Hard Mode to Krao Cave and Draupnir and a New Ariel Daevanion Board

NC's October 21 patch for AION 2 adds a Hard mode to two Expedition dungeons, Krao Cave and Draupnir, and a new Daevanion board called Ariel that is filled with the new Hard mode rewards. The patch notes on Steam also let more players into the Abyss at once and give every Abyss boss more health.

The update arrived with the maintenance that began at 06:30 UTC on October 21. That was 2:30 PM in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei (GMT+8), 3:30 PM in Seoul and Tokyo (GMT+9), 8:30 AM in Central Europe (CEST), 7:30 AM in London (BST), 2:30 AM in New York (EDT) and 11:30 PM on October 20 in Los Angeles (PDT).

How Hard mode works

You need item level 2600 to enter. Bosses go into Frenzy after 4 minutes, and each player gets only 3 revives, so a group that survives Normal by picking each other up will have to play cleaner here.

The rewards are the reason to bother:

• A chance at Philosopher's Stone: Revelation (Bound), which you can also choose as the guaranteed reward.

• Ariel Fragments (Bound), with the type of fragment depending on the dungeon.

• A chance at an Expedition Hero Artwork.

• More Kina than Normal difficulty pays.

• Every Unique crafting material from both dungeons, including Wrathful Mind, Wrathful Will and Wrathful Ego.

New achievements cover Expedition (Hard) clears and collecting Hero Artwork, and some of them unlock Unique skins.

The Ariel Daevanion board

Ariel Fragments are the way into the new board. With Substance Morph, 100 fragments become one Daevanion Crystal: Ariel (Bound), up to 30 times per character, and that is how Ariel Daevanion Points are earned. NC says the amount you can gain this way is capped for each dungeon. A single fragment can also be turned into 5 Enhance Stones as often as you like, so spare fragments never go to waste.

Abyss changes, class fixes and a revive event

The Abyss now accepts more players. To keep pace, the Dimensional Core in the Lower Abyss and all Abyss bosses have more HP, and the bosses Kaira and Argo have slightly larger hitboxes. NC also eased the system that stopped some players from listing gathered materials on the Market, although the limit stays in place for others.

Class changes are fixes only. Chanter's Spinning Strike now shows its effects properly. Sorcerer gets several Frostbite fixes on Cold Storm, plus a Fire Wall fix: it had been dealing extra damage to targets without Embers, so some Sorcerers will see a little less damage.

A new event, Rise to the Challenge, sells Resurrection Spiritstones (Season 1) for Kina: 30 for 25,000 Kina, then 30 more for 50,000 Kina, each limited per server per week. It runs until the maintenance of December 15 by Pacific time (December 16 by Central European time). No start time for that maintenance is given yet.

October 21, 2026: AION 2 Restricts 15,380 More Accounts for Bots, Gold Farming and Real Money Trading

NC has restricted 15,380 more AION 2 accounts for breaking its Operation Policy. According to the AION 2 team's notice on Steam, the accounts were tied to botting, gold farming, unauthorized programs and real money trading. The earlier waves are covered further down this page.

When the restrictions were applied

NC lists the time as 6:00 PM PDT on October 20. That is the same moment as:

• 9:00 AM on October 21 in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei (GMT+8), and 10:00 AM in Seoul and Tokyo (GMT+9)

• 3:00 AM on October 21 in Central Europe (CEST), and 2:00 AM in London (BST)

• 9:00 PM on October 20 in New York (EDT), and 6:00 PM in Los Angeles (PDT)

What NC acted on

The notice describes two kinds of offence. One is botting and gold farming, which covers macros, bots and other unapproved tools, as well as organized play that looks like gold farming or real money trading. The other is economy abuse: unusual trades that throw the in-game market off balance.

As in earlier notices, NC says every restriction comes after a review, and that normal play is not touched. Grinding for long hours is not, by itself, a reason to be banned.

Security locks are something else

A small number of other accounts were locked for a while as a precaution. NC says this happens when it spots a login from a device or connection that could point to a stolen account. The team is clear that a lock is there to protect the account and its items, and it is not a penalty. Players who were locked need to contact Customer Support to get back in.

How to appeal and what is still unknown

Anyone who thinks a restriction or lock was a mistake should open a ticket on NC's AION 2 Customer Support page as soon as they can. NC says each request is checked one by one. The notice does not say how long a review takes, how long each restriction lasts, or which regions or servers the accounts came from.

October 17, 2026: AION 2 Restricts 10,326 More Accounts for Bots, Gold Farming and Real Money Trading

NC has restricted another 10,326 AION 2 accounts for breaking its Operation Policy. The AION 2 team says in its latest account restrictions notice that the accounts were caught botting, gold farming, using unauthorized programs or trading for real money. It is the largest single wave in the notices NC has posted on Steam so far.

When the restrictions were applied

NC applied the restrictions at 9:00 PM PDT on 16 October. That is the same moment as:

• 12:00 PM on 17 October in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei (GMT+8), and 1:00 PM in Seoul and Tokyo (GMT+9)

• 6:00 AM on 17 October in Central Europe (CEST), and 5:00 AM in London (BST)

• Midnight going into 17 October in New York (EDT), and 9:00 PM on 16 October in Los Angeles (PDT)

What NC acted on

The notice names two groups of offences. The first is botting and gold farming: macros, bots and other unauthorized tools, plus organized play that looks like gold farming or real money trading. The second is economy abuse, meaning unusual trading that disrupts the in-game market.

NC stresses that every restriction follows a review, and that ordinary play is safe. Long grinding sessions on their own are not treated as a violation, according to the team.

A growing pattern since launch

This is the fifth account restrictions notice NC has posted on Steam since 11 October. The earlier ones listed 4,996, then 10,000, then 9,422 and then 7,933 accounts. Added together with this latest round, that comes to 42,677 restricted accounts in about a week. Every notice gives the same reasons from the sanctions table.

Security locks are not bans

The same notice also explains a separate measure. A small number of accounts were locked for a while because NC saw a login from a device or connection that looked risky, such as a possible account takeover. NC says a security lock is protection, not a penalty, and that players should contact Customer Support to get access back.

How to appeal

Anyone who thinks their account was restricted or locked by mistake should send a ticket through NC's AION 2 Customer Support page as soon as possible. NC says each request is checked one by one. The notice does not say how long reviews take, or what length each restriction is.

October 5, 2026: AION 2 Launches Today as a Free MMORPG on PC. Are You Playing?

The wait is over. AION 2 opens its doors to everyone today, October 5, 2026. NC’s new MMORPG is free to play on Windows PC through Steam and the PURPLE launcher, and you do not need to buy anything to get in.

NC’s published server schedule puts the global launch at 6:00 AM PDT, which is 1:00 PM UTC. Across Asia, that means:

• 8:00 PM in Bangkok and Jakarta (GMT+7)

• 9:00 PM in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Hong Kong and Taipei (GMT+8)

• 10:00 PM in Seoul and Tokyo (GMT+9)

One caution before you set an alarm: the servers come up after a maintenance window, and NC says maintenance times can change. If the login screen is not ready on the hour, check the game’s official channels first.

What you need to jump in

A Steam or PURPLE account and a lot of free disk space. The Steam listing asks for 100 GB of storage, with an SSD recommended. The minimum setup is a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 8 GB of RAM, and the recommended one is an RTX 2070 with 16 GB.

NC’s launch FAQ says Steam and PURPLE players share the same servers and get the same content. You can play on Steam without linking a PURPLE account, although linking is the only way to use one character on both. A controller works, but NC does not officially support it.

The game ships with English, Japanese and Korean voices, and text in English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Japanese and Korean.

Pick your server with care

This is the choice that matters most on day one. In AION 2, each server holds only one faction. Every Elyos server is paired with an Asmodian one, and the two sides meet in shared PvP spaces such as the Abyss. You choose a region first, then a faction, then a server.

Founder’s Pack owners have been playing since September 30, so the first wave of servers already has five days of progress on it. Those characters carry over into launch. If your friends started early, ask which server they are on before you create anything.

Picked the wrong one? NC has said server transfers within the same faction will open on October 14. Dungeons and other instanced content already work across servers, so a different server does not stop you from running a dungeon together.

What is free and what is not

NC describes AION 2 as free to play with an optional monthly membership. The same FAQ lists paid cosmetics, a Battle Pass, and a membership that gives access to the player driven economy and currency exchange. In plain terms, you can level, fly and fight without paying, but trading on the market sits behind that membership. It is worth knowing before you plan how to make your in game money.

Launch week extras

Twitch Drops continue from October 5 to October 16, and NC’s Guides for Glory community event runs from October 5 to November 2. Interest is clearly there: SteamDB recorded a peak of about 171,000 players on Steam during the paid head start alone.

For everything else about the game, from classes to system requirements, see our AION 2 game page.

So, Elyos or Asmodian? Are you logging in tonight, or waiting for the queues to calm down? Tell us in the comments. And if you end up on the wrong server, remember that transfers open on October 14.

October 5, 2026: AION 2 Launch Servers: How Faction Matchmaking Decides Who You Fight

Every AION 2 server holds only one faction, so the enemies you meet in PvP come from a different server that yours has been paired with. NC explained the system, called server matchmaking, and listed the launch servers for each region in a notice on Steam ahead of the free to play launch on October 5.

How server matchmaking works

• One faction per server: Elyos and Asmodians each have their own home servers.

• Paired for PvP: each Elyos server is matched with one Asmodian server for a limited time.

• Where you meet: in cross faction modes such as the Abyss and Spacetime Rifts, the opposing players all come from your matched server.

• Pairings change: NC says it will update the pairings from time to time to keep the factions balanced.

When you start the game you choose a region first, then a faction, then one of the servers open in that region.

Asia servers at launch

The notice lists three new pairs for Asia, with the Elyos server named first:

• Kaisinel and Lumiel

• Yustiel and Marchutan

• Ariel and Azphel

Three more Asia pairs opened earlier for Advanced Access players: Siel and Israphel, Nezekan and Zikel, and Vaizel and Triniel.

Other regions

Europe has the longest list, with nine new pairs on top of nine Advanced Access pairs. NA East gets five new pairs, Latin America four and NA West three. NC says the list will keep changing, so check the official notice before you commit to a server.

Why it matters

Your server choice also picks your rivals, at least for now. If you plan to play with friends, agree on the region, faction and server before anyone creates a character, because both factions never share one server. And since pairings rotate, a one sided matchup today is not permanent.

NC has not said how often pairings will change. Platforms and details are on our AION 2 game page.

October 4, 2026: AION 2 Extends Launch Rewards to Every Player Until December 1

NC is giving every AION 2 player the pre-registration and Steam wishlist rewards, not only the people who signed up early. Anyone who creates an account and logs in before maintenance on December 1 receives them by in-game mail, according to the launch rewards notice NC posted on October 4.

What every player gets

• Pet Chest: the pet Pagati, plus one pet of your choice from Papis, Silver Blade Rotan, Konutin Worker and Black Smoke Murute.

• Wishlist Chest: Resurrection Spiritstone x10, Life Potion x100, Healing Potion x50, Return Scroll x50, Courage Scroll x50, Speed Scroll x50 and Benediction Scroll x50. All of these are bound.

The deadlines

The last chance to log in is December 1 at 11:30 PM PST in Los Angeles. That is the same moment as 2:30 AM on December 2 in New York (EST), 7:30 AM in London (GMT), 8:30 AM in Central Europe (CET), and 3:30 PM on December 2 in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei (GMT+8), 4:30 PM in Seoul and Tokyo (GMT+9).

The mail carrying the rewards expires on December 8 at 11:30 PM PST, which works out the same way: early on December 9 in New York, London and Central Europe, and the afternoon of December 9 in Asia.

One note of caution: the European times in the same notice sit an hour apart from the Pacific ones. Do not leave it to the final hour.

Founder’s Pack cosmetics will work on every character

In a separate notice, NC says Founder’s Pack outfits will become usable on all characters on an account, on any server. The studio says players told it the current lock got in the way of playing with friends on other servers and of leveling a second class.

• Standard: the unique title.

• Deluxe: the title, an armor skin and a weapon skin.

• Ultimate: everything above, plus a second armor skin, a pet and wings.

The 30 day membership, the Daeva’s Campaign Supply Chest and the Daeva’s Styling Chest are not included. They stay as one time rewards.

The change is not live yet. NC says it may take several days and will be finished after Early Access ends. If it makes you want a higher tier, PURPLE players can upgrade their pack, and Steam players who buy a higher tier on the same account will be able to request a refund of the cheaper one through Customer Support. NC has promised a follow up with the exact steps.

Asia launch servers

Each server holds one faction, paired with a rival server. The Asia pairs, with Elyos first, are:

• Siel and Israphel (Advanced Access)

• Nezekan and Zikel (Advanced Access)

• Vaizel and Triniel (Advanced Access)

• Kaisinel and Lumiel (new at launch)

• Yustiel and Marchutan (new at launch)

• Ariel and Azphel (new at launch)

NC’s separate matchmaking notice lists only the first five Asia pairs, so Ariel and Azphel may open a little later than the others. Pairings are also not permanent. NC says it will change them from time to time to keep the factions balanced.

For the launch time, platforms and requirements, see our AION 2 game page. Which side are you joining, Elyos or Asmodian?

October 1, 2026: AION 2 Tops Steam's Global Top Sellers Chart Before Its Free Launch

AION 2 climbed to number one on Steam's global Top Sellers chart on September 30, the same day Founder's Pack owners were let into the game, NC America announced. The MMORPG does not officially launch until October 5.

According to NC America, AION 2 also took first place in eight individual countries: Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Poland, Singapore, Spain and Thailand. In total it reached the top 10 in 21 countries, including second place in Germany, third in Japan and the United States, and fourth in the United Kingdom.

What the ranking actually measures

Steam sorts its Top Sellers chart by revenue, not by how many people are playing. Because AION 2 will be free-to-play at launch, the sales behind this ranking come from Founder's Packs, the paid bundles that unlock the early access period. Our Advanced Access story covers the three pack tiers and the early access window.

That makes the result a measure of how many players were willing to pay to start early, not a forecast of how many will stay after October 5. The free launch is where the size of the wider player base will become clear.

What NC says comes next

Merv Lee Kwai, Co-CEO of NC America and executive publishing producer for AION 2, called the chart position "a strong start" but said a launch is "only part of how we measure success." He pointed to steady content updates and earning players' trust as the priorities for a game NC wants to run for years.

Early access also overlaps with War for Atreia, NC's creator event. It runs from September 30 to October 14 and has 60 streamers across North America, Europe and South America competing for their faction, with Twitch Drops available while participating creators are live.

Key dates

• Founder's Packs: on sale on Steam and NC's PURPLE launcher until Sunday, October 4
• War for Atreia: September 30 to October 14
• Global launch: October 5, 2026, free-to-play on PC

AION 2 first launched in Korea and Taiwan in November 2025. The global version is built around the same signature flight system, which NC says lets players fly across a world 36 times larger than the original AION, dive underwater and fight in the air in both PvE and PvP. It opens to everyone for free on October 5 through Steam and PURPLE.

September 30, 2026: AION 2 Advanced Access Is Live for Founder's Pack Owners

AION 2 is finally playable. NC's Advanced Access period went live on September 30, giving Founder's Pack owners a five-day head start in Atreia before the MMORPG opens to everyone for free on October 5.

The servers opened at 1:00 PM UTC. Across Asia, that was:

• 8:00 PM in Bangkok and Jakarta (GMT+7)
• 9:00 PM in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Hong Kong and Taipei (GMT+8)
• 10:00 PM in Seoul and Tokyo (GMT+9)
• 6:30 PM in New Delhi (GMT+5:30)

Who can play right now

Advanced Access is only open to players who bought a Founder's Pack. The packs have been reported at three price points, $24.99, $49.99 and $99.99, and every tier includes the same five-day window. The higher tiers add extra rewards, not extra playtime.

AION 2 runs on PC through Steam and NC's own PURPLE launcher. Players who took part in last week's preload can jump straight in without waiting for a full download.

How long Advanced Access lasts

Early play runs until October 4 at 10:00 PM PDT, which is 1:00 PM on October 5 in Asia time (GMT+8). After that, the free-to-play global launch begins and a second wave of launch servers opens alongside the early ones.

That split matters if you plan to play with friends. Characters made on the early servers stay there, so groups that want to start together on launch day should agree on a server before they create characters.

What you are logging into

AION 2 brings back the series' signature idea: you play as a winged Daeva on the side of the Elyos or the Asmodians. Flight and aerial combat are part of both exploration and fighting, across eight classes. Dungeons, open world events and faction PvP in the Abyss round out the endgame.

If you preloaded: what to know

The preload opened on September 28 through Steam and NC's PURPLE launcher. The files stayed encrypted until Advanced Access began. NC said the game then had to decrypt before it could be played, with no reinstall needed, and that the time this takes depends on the player's PC.

Players who joined the earlier Launch Scale Test on Steam had one more step: NC said to uninstall the AION 2 Playtest app and download the separate AION 2 client. According to its test closing notice, PURPLE players did not need to replace their test installation.

A Founder's Pack was required to play during Advanced Access. NC's download announcement did not say that a pack was required simply to download the files.

August 31, 2026: AION 2 Gamescom 2026 Trailer Reveals New Look at Atreia

NC revealed a new AION 2 trailer during Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live, giving players another look at the MMORPG ahead of its October 5, 2026 global PC launch.

The trailer highlights the world of Atreia, large fantasy environments, combat and the wing-based movement that remains one of the franchise’s defining features. AION 2 continues to build around vertical exploration, allowing players to use flight as part of both traversal and combat.

AION 2 heads toward its October launch

AION 2 is scheduled to launch globally on October 5, 2026 for PC through platforms including Steam and PURPLE.

Players who purchase eligible Founder’s Packs will receive earlier access beginning September 30, giving them several days of Advance Access before the general release.

Official information also confirms that AION 2 will retain the franchise’s faction-based setting, with players joining either the Elyos or Asmodians and choosing from multiple classes.

A pre-launch test is also planned

Before release, NC is preparing a Launch Scale Test designed to evaluate server and infrastructure stability under conditions closer to the live game.

For players following AION 2, the Gamescom appearance primarily reinforces the game’s launch direction rather than introducing a completely new system. The focus remains on aerial movement, large-scale fantasy environments, combat and the return to Atreia.

The next major milestone will be the September testing period, followed by Advance Access on September 30 and the worldwide PC launch on October 5, 2026.

What happened next

This trailer was the start of a busy two months. NC opened a Launch Scale Test to everyone on September 17 and 18, Founder's Pack owners got in when Advanced Access went live on September 30, and the free global launch followed on October 5. We have since played it: read our first impressions after four hours as a Sorcerer.

NEXTARCA's take

AION 2's first weeks followed a familiar MMORPG pattern: a strong commercial start, then the slower work of keeping a world healthy. The signs so far are encouraging. NC has posted regular patches, opened new servers, extended the launch rewards to every player until December 1, and taken visible action against bots and gold farmers. The harder test is the next few months, when endgame content such as the new Hard mode Expeditions has to keep players logging in. For anyone starting now, the game is still free, the launch rewards are still waiting, and the matchmaking notes above are worth reading before you pick a side.