Those who purchase a founder’s pack for Aion 2 are allowed to start Early Access 5 days before the global launch. MeinMMO summarizes what this brings and how Early Access works.
Is there Early Access for Aion 2? Yes, there is. Those who purchase a founder’s pack for Aion 2 receive several cosmetic items and consumables, as well as 5 days of early access to the new MMORPG from NCSoft. All Free2Play players who do not invest money in a founder’s pack must wait until the global launch. Early Access starts on September 30, 2026, at 3 PM.
How much does a founder’s pack cost? There are 3 different founder’s packs:
- The Standard Edition is available for 21.25 Euros and includes five days of Early Access, a “Daeva’s Campaign Supply Chest” and the unique title “Vanguard of Atreia.”
- The Deluxe Edition is available for 42.49 Euros and includes all content from the Standard Edition as well as the armor skins “Ascended Daeva” and the weapon skin “Eternal Sun.”
- The Ultimate Edition is available for 84.99 Euros and includes all content from the Deluxe Edition as well as the “Daeva’s Styling Chest,” the armor skin “Moonlit Aria,” the pet “Black Dragon” and the wings “Blazing Sun.”
Each interested person can only buy one founder’s version per account. All founder’s packs are also supposed to include a 30-day subscription. The skins from the founder’s packs are not supposed to come to the shop at a later date, unlike in Korea.
When does Early Access start? On September 30, the Early Access begins. The servers should be available from 3 PM.
Early Access Servers for Aion 2
What servers will Aion 2 have? For Early Access, the developers will offer dedicated Early Access servers. Only players with a founder’s pack will gain access to these worlds. Then, a second wave of launch servers will follow at the official start.
Free2Play players who want to start only at the global launch can freely choose between the Early Access and launch servers. However, if a server reaches a specific population density, it may happen that the developers will restrict the creation of new characters there. What servers are available, you can find out here:
Are server transfers possible? The developers want to wait for the Early Access and launch phases first and then assess in what form server transfers might be necessary. They want to prevent players who are much further along from negatively impacting the experiences of others.
Matchmaking and Marketplace
How does matchmaking work? Here, the developers differentiate between PvE dungeons and PvP in the Abyss.
- The so-called “Dungeon Party Matching” brings players from all active servers in a region (for us, Europe) together. During Early Access, that means only the Early Access servers. From the global launch on, players with founder’s packs will then also encounter Free2Play players in the dungeons.
- If you and your friends play on different servers, you can still add each other to your friends list and register as a group for a dungeon together.
- For PvP, NCSoft defines server pairs that determine which players you encounter in the Abyss and Rift events.
Note that the two opposing factions Elyos and Asmodians each have their own servers. In the open world, you will only meet characters from your faction.
How does the market work? Aion 2 is supposed to have two different markets through which you can trade with other players:
- Server Market: Here, you trade with players from your server. This market is already available during Early Access, and trading is done with the currency Kina. However, you can also obtain Kina through the real money premium currency Quna.
- Cross-Server Market: Here, players from all servers in a region (for us, Europe) come together to buy or sell. This market is not available during Early Access or directly at launch, but should open at a later date. This way, the developers want to ensure that players with Early Access do not negatively impact the economy of the launch servers.
Be aware that trading through the market will only be possible if you invest money in Aion 2’s optional monthly subscription.
Advantage of Early Access
How significant is the advantage of founder’s packs? It is clear that during the 5-day Early Access phase, you can gain a significant lead. However, in most areas, this should have little to no effect.
At least if the matchmaking in PvP actually works as described and players from the launch servers initially only encounter opponents who also did not have Early Access. The same applies to the Cross-Server Market: The later it goes live, the less relevant the 5-day lead of founder’s pack owners will be.
We currently see potential for trouble only in the dungeons where all players from a region meet from the start. While cooperation is essential there, Aion 2 would not be the first MMORPG where players with less experience or poorer gear are kicked from the group because they do not meet the high demands of certain players.
However, even there, the 5-day advantage from Early Access is likely to play an increasingly smaller role the longer Aion 2 is live.
With the subscription integration confirmed in August and the confirmed exclusivity of the skins, founder’s packs are now seen as more valuable than they were at the time of the initial announcement. You can find out more about this here:
How do you assess the Early Access of Aion 2 and NCSoft’s decisions regarding markets, matchmaking, and server transfers? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! If you’re looking for more information on how to start efficiently in the largest theme park MMORPG in years, check here: Aion 2: Perfect Start in the First Week – Daily and Weekly Checklist
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