On September 30, 2026, Aion 2 has launched in Early Access, the largest theme park MMORPG in years. MeinMMO editor and genre expert Karsten Scholz immediately dove into the servers and reveals what awaits you.
Although Aion 2 is launching in the West today, we already know quite well what the new MMORPG from NCSoft offers and what its strengths and weaknesses are. Thanks to the versions from Taiwan and Korea, which have been live for quite a while, but also due to the stress test in September.
Nevertheless, there were still open questions beforehand. Especially regarding the launch and the performance of the servers; can everyone really play at the promised launch time? But also, when it comes to details like monetization or character progression; are there adjustments for the Western version that have not been communicated beforehand?
I dived into the registration for you at exactly 3 PM and report from the Early Access front. I also draw an initial preliminary conclusion and tell you why I am eagerly looking forward to the grind in Aion 2, which is not entirely due to Aion 2 itself.
How the Early Access of Aion 2 went
Unfortunately, it didn’t start on time at 3 PM. The developers discovered a technical problem prior to the launch and announced a half-hour delay. There was an extension of the maintenance phase. In the end, it took until shortly before 4 PM before I landed on the server of my choice. Others weren’t so lucky, due to queues. MMORPG launches… they rarely go smoothly.
From then on, however, not everything went smoothly for me either. Several times, I struggled through the very short tutorial before character creation, as the game kept kicking me off the server. Once I finally got through that part and could create an assassin, things started to look up. The leveling phase plays out quickly, and the performance is impressive despite the many players in the world.
Only small annoyances remain. For example, the automated pathfinding often gets stuck. Or I can’t reach NPCs because the game occasionally forgets that the characters of other players have no collision detection. All in all, I have experienced far worse MMO launches.
The best new MMORPG in years, but…
Already in the first hours, Aion 2 shows what it has to offer: a beautiful game world, action-packed, very fast battles, and a colorful theme park with a PvE focus, unique in recent years. Those who eagerly engage in quests, solo challenges, dungeons, world bosses, and raids should find plenty to enjoy for weeks and months.
All classes are important and worth playing. Options like the mini-games from the Shugo Festival, the pet collection, or the various PvP activities add variety. The early start in the home market now provides us with pleasingly polished elements (aside from the rocky start). And thanks to free-to-play access, you can experience all this (from October 5th) without spending a single cent.
To be fair, the Asian peculiarities of Aion 2 become apparent from the first minute. The monetization still offers pay-to-win elements despite all adjustments. It’s also annoying that the use of the marketplace and currency exchange is tied to the optional subscription. Moreover, the grind factor is high, which could drive some players to real-money investments.
At times, it’s sadly clear that Aion 2 has a mobile history, such as with the menus, the camera, the rather simple skill system, or functions like auto-run. And then there’s the look of the models and skins, as well as character progression overloaded with systems, currencies, and luck factors. You can instantly see where Aion 2 comes from.
Those who value a strong story and meaningful leveling will likely also feel disappointed in Aion 2. With some experience, you can get any character to max level in a few hours, and if I take the first half of the Elyos storyline, you won’t be missing much (aside from a few nicely staged sequences).
Personally, what bothers me most is that the partly spectacularly presented bosses go down in seconds. The difficulty level is not worth mentioning so far. You just breeze through the leveling stages.
You can find out more about Aion 2 on our MeinMMO YouTube channel:
What does this mean in conclusion? Anyone who has observed the MMORPG genre in recent decades knows that aside from Final Fantasy XIV, there has not been a single Asian online RPG that has managed to establish itself sustainably alongside the big players in the West. Even strong representatives like Black Desert or Lost Ark managed to engage only within a certain niche.
The first Aion also fell by the wayside due to strong competition, although it did generate some hype at launch (like almost all major releases during the peak phase of MMORPGs).
Similar would likely happen to Aion 2 today if there were fresh competition from the West in the genre. However, there isn’t. The large theme park MMORPGs that have launched since 2014 can be counted on one hand.
That I am now diving into the fray with such great anticipation and fun with my freshly created Elyos assassin is, of course, partly due to the strengths of the game. Aion 2 does a lot right and does it well. More importantly, however, is that it’s a large theme park MMORPG with a PvE focus, and those are as rare as unicorns these days.
I am really looking forward to the grind, discovering everything, diving deep into all systems, mastering every PvE content, and playing through the first season. I consciously ignore the clear weaknesses during this time.
However, I also see WoW: Forever appearing on the horizon, which will be released on November 4th/5th. And the beta of Guild Wars 3 next year. Therefore, Aion 2 is for me an MMORPG with an foreseeable expiration date. Until then, it must deliver to build a strong enough community. I am very curious whether the game can achieve this. What do you think? Do you feel the same way? And how do you rate Aion 2 in Early Access? Let me know in the comments!
Speaking of diving deep into all systems: We have already prepared useful guides for many areas of the game to ease your start, help you bypass errors, and boost your performance in battles. Sounds interesting? Then check this out: All guides, tips, and lists for Aion 2 at a glance
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