AION 2 Launches Globally With Free Flight And 8 Classes
The launch leans into two design choices that set it apart from recent MMORPGs: a pet system where most field monsters can become rideable mounts, and automatic chat translation built for a global player base spread across eight languages.
Key Facts
- AION 2 launched globally on October 5 at 22:00 for Japan (Asia), North America, South America, and Europe, and is free to download with some item charges.
- AION 2 supports eight languages: Japanese, Korean, English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.
- AION 2 is available on Steam and NC's own PURPLE platform and uses Unreal Engine 5.
- AION 2 has eight classes, including Gladiator, Templer, Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Spirit Master, Cleric, and Chanter, with more than 200 customization options in character creation.
- A Launch Scale Test for AION 2 was held on September 17 and 19, 2026, ahead of the official launch.
Reporting from 3 sources: 4Gamer.net, GAME Watch (Impress), Denfaminicogamer.
NC launched the official service for the cross-world MMORPG AION 2 on October 5 at 22:00. The game is available as a free download with some item charges, and it can be played on Steam and NC's own PURPLE platform. It supports eight languages: Japanese, Korean, English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. The global version covers Japan (Asia), North America, South America, and Europe. AION 2 uses Unreal Engine 5 and offers eight classes inherited from the original AION, including Gladiator, Templer, Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Spirit Master, Cleric, and Chanter. Its world, Atreia, is set 200 years after the collapse of the Tower of Aion and is about 36 times larger than the previous game's field. Character creation includes more than 200 customization options plus costumes and dyeing features. A Launch Scale Test held on September 17 and 19, 2026 gave players early access ahead of launch. To mark the launch, NC is running various events and campaigns, including a collaboration with the gaming brand HyperX.
The writer behind one launch test report, credited as Machiken, spent most of a two-day session collecting pets rather than fighting. In AION 2, pets come from defeating field monsters. Roughly ten kills of the same monster type can trigger a notification that the creature has become a pet.
The surprise is what happens next. Summoning a mount transforms the pet into the mount itself, so the creature the player just killed carries them. Most field monsters can be registered this way. Riding poses change by monster: the writer straddled a beetle's horn and sat cross-legged on a mushroom cap.
Mounts also work inside dungeons, letting players ride past enemies they do not need to kill. One limit showed up in testing: dungeon enemies did not become pets when defeated.
Some monsters travel with their young, and a child registers as a separate pet from the parent. That made other players' mounts clues. Since nearly every pet exists somewhere in the field, a strange mount means an uncollected monster. The writer guessed habitats from ecology, then searched without looking up locations.
Movement ran on mounts rather than wings. Early flight stamina drained fast, and one attempt ended with a plunge into the sea. Flight stamina rises with Elyos or Asmodian rank, a point the writer did not reach during the test.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- 4Gamer.net クロスワールドMMORPG「AION2」，正式サービス開始。Unreal Engine 5で描かれる世界を，自由な飛行と8つのクラスで冒険
- GAME Watch (Impress) NCのPC向けMMORPG「AION2」が正式サービス開始！
- Denfaminicogamer 見渡す限りのモンスターに全部乗れる。鳴り物入りで登場する超大作MMORPG『AION2』は、筆者にとっては収集欲を満たしまくる巨大な“ペット図鑑”だった