The new Aion 2 has launched in Korea and Taiwan. Now players are sharing their first impressions of the MMORPG and explaining its strengths and weaknesses.
What kind of MMORPG is this? The game aims to be a true theme park as a successor to Aion from 2008, concentrating more on PvE content compared to NCSoft’s last MMORPG, Throne and Liberty.
Now that the MMORPG has launched in Korea and Taiwan, it aims to captivate players before the developers release it globally in 2026. Whether it succeeds is what players explain after their first hours in the game.
Here you can watch the trailer for Aion 2:
A lot of positives for Aion 2
How is the MMORPG received? After the first 5-10 hours of gameplay, many players are sharing their first impressions of the new MMORPG on Reddit and in YouTube videos. The combat system is particularly praised, which, while not as creative as the current RPG hit Where Winds Meet, recalls classic MMORPGs.
The combat can be played in both action combat and tab-targeting modes and shines with an interesting mechanic. Skills can trigger multiple “procs” that enhance regular abilities, dealing more damage and effects, making rotations less monotonous.
This is demonstrated by Jay Oddity in his first impression on YouTube. The YouTuber exclusively focuses on MMORPGs on his channel and pays particular attention to games from Korea. You can find his first impression here:
How beautiful is the world: Regarding the game world, the release of Where Winds Meet slightly hurts Aion 2, claims YouTuber Aragon: “The world itself visually leaves something to be desired compared to the game ‘Where Winds Meet’ I’ve just played.” He has recently played the open-world RPG a lot but primarily focuses on MMORPGs and class builds on his channel.
Conversely, YouTuber Jay Oddity states that while the MMORPG looks good, it still retains the typical flair of Unreal Engine 5 that some players are simply tired of seeing. Both YouTubers, however, praise the verticality and the ability to fly early in the game, providing a different perception of the world.
How does it perform technically? According to YouTuber Jay Oddity, there were no issues at launch with performance. The game ran smoothly, with no performance drops or other issues aside from lag caused by poor connections to the Asian servers.
Overall, Aion 2 is very well received by fans; the release seems successful for now, although no one has reached the endgame yet, and topics like raids and PvP remain untested. However, there is one thing players are unhappy about.
Here you can learn more about skills and procs:
When it comes to money, joy ends
How is the monetization working? Aion 2 also implements strong monetization in Korea. The game is free-to-play but has several optional monthly costs. Two subscriptions are offered to players:
- Wind Breeze Membership (430 TWD approx. 12 €):
- Access to the warehouse from anywhere
- Trading with other players allowed
- Own premium trader
- Access to the auction house
- Ability to exchange premium currency for in-game currency
- Tsenka Membership (645 TWD approx. 18 €):
- Double loot per dungeon run
- 50% faster energy recharge
- More reward chances in leisure game modes
- Double time in PvP area
- Special Shugo Membership (980 TWD approx. 27 €):
- Combines the two previous subscriptions for a cheaper price
So, to fully experience Aion 2, for example with access to trading or more loot from dungeons, players hardly escape the two subscriptions. The subscriptions always last for 28 days, or 4 weeks, which means that the fee is paid 13 times a year instead of 12.
However, these are not the only optional costs players will face. In addition to the subscriptions, there are also two battle passes that each run for 62 days, or two months. Here too, in the premium track (which can only be unlocked with real money), there are items that have a direct impact on character strength.
When combining the monthly costs of the combined subscription and the battle passes, the total optional services cost 1,643.5 Taiwanese dollars per month, which amounts to about 45.50 €.
Is that all? No. Aion 2 has an energy system that limits how often players can loot in the dungeon. This concept is well-known from other Asian games. In Aion 2, this energy does recharge slowly for free, but players who pay money can loot more, and they also receive crystals from the battle passes to recharge their energy. Thus, players can enter the dungeon infinitely, but loot is only available to players with energy.
Criticism not only from the West
The entire monetization system annoys many players in the community, who are already condemning Aion 2 and criticizing the developers of NCSoft on Reddit. Players from Korea and Taiwan have also strongly criticized the game. Consequently, NCSoft’s stock fell nearly 15% after the release.
The developers held an emergency livestream on YouTube shortly after launch, announcing initial improvements to the pay-to-win system and plans to mitigate some of the mechanics mentioned above. They also intend to adjust gameplay elements such as balance.
Can we expect this system in the West? No, this is not expected. These systems are likely not to be present in the western version. The developers of Aion 2 aim to test the game and its monetization in Korea and Taiwan before launching globally.
Similarly, NCSoft has shown with Throne and Liberty that many of the pay-to-win elements from Korea were not carried over to the western version. The Asian market and players there usually have fewer issues with pay-to-win elements than cultures in the West.
It was thus expected that western players would experience a form of culture shock. Even after adjustments to the monetization of the game, it is likely that the Asian version will remain more pay-to-win than the version we receive in the West.
The first impression of Aion 2 is quite positive in terms of gameplay. The game seems to be doing many things right, and the negative feedback is currently focused almost exclusively on the pay-to-win aspect, which the developers are already working on. When the release in the West will take place, the publisher recently revealed to its investors: MMORPG Aion 2 announced release window in the West, but one sentence may hurt fans
