AION 2 is about to put its infrastructure through a public, two-day Launch Scale Test (LST) before Founder’s Pack Advanced Access begins on September 30. The test runs September 17–18 on Steam and PURPLE, is open to all players without keys or registration, and provides a deliberately limited slice of the upcoming online game.
The headline is simple: this is an access test rather than an early start. Players can make progress from the first LST session into the second, but every character and all progression will be wiped when the test ends. Nothing earned during these sessions will carry into Advanced Access or the eventual launch environment.
AION 2 Launch Scale Test schedule
Pre-download opens at 6 a.m. PT on Wednesday, September 16, and remains available until 6 a.m. PT on Thursday, September 17. The testing itself is divided into two six-hour windows:
- LST Day 1: Thursday, September 17, from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. PT.
- LST Day 2: Friday, September 18, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. PT.
The limited windows matter. A scale test is typically focused on observing how game servers and associated online systems behave while many people attempt to log in, create characters, move through early content, and interact with services at once. It is not framed as a preview period intended to let players get a lasting head start.
For prospective players, the practical takeaway is to download ahead of the first session if possible and treat the available time as temporary. There is no key chase attached to participation: Steam and PURPLE users can join without an invitation, access code, or prior registration list.
What carries over—and what absolutely does not
Progress will persist between the two test days, which gives participants a little continuity rather than requiring a full restart on September 18. That is the only carryover promised. At the conclusion of Day 2, the test progression will be deleted and will not move to Founder’s Pack Advanced Access on September 30.
That distinction is important in an MMO-style game. Character level, equipment, currency, unlocks, and other advancement normally form the basis of long-term time investment. During this LST, they should be viewed as test data rather than a permanent account foundation. Players interested primarily in preserving early leveling progress should wait for the appropriate post-test access period rather than assume the LST is part of it.
The wipe also makes the test a cleaner exercise for the game’s online setup. Everyone begins within the same constrained environment, while the later access period can start independently of temporary characters and inventories created for the infrastructure check.
Commerce, currency and trading are switched off
NC is disabling all purchase-related systems for the LST. The in-game shop, Quna, passes, memberships, and payment portals will not be available. Founder’s Pack items will likewise be unavailable during the two testing windows.
Several player-economy features are also off limits: the marketplace, Quna exchange, and player-to-player trading are disabled. In plain terms, participants will not be able to buy items through the test client, use the game’s Quna-related systems, list or acquire goods through the marketplace, or transfer items directly between players.
Quna is a named system in AION 2’s commercial structure, while the exchange and marketplace are systems that can connect players to item and currency activity. Turning them off separates this test from real-money transactions and a functioning player economy. It also means the LST cannot answer every question a player may have about passes, memberships, monetization flows, market behavior, or Founder’s Pack benefits. Those features are specifically outside the test’s scope.
Level cap and cosmetic restrictions define the playable slice
The LST caps characters at level 37. Any content requiring a higher level will therefore be inaccessible. This is not a statement about AION 2’s final level range or full content structure; it is a stated restriction for this particular test.
Cosmetic options are restricted as well. The closet is disabled, leaving players in default outfits. As a result, the LST will not be the place to evaluate the game’s outfit selection or how clothing customization works in practice. Character customization is described as a major part of AION 2, but the test’s clothing limitation draws a clear line between creating a character and accessing all appearance-related options.
The restrictions help establish realistic expectations. The LST can offer a first look at the core early-game experience and the technical state of an open public session, but it is not a full tour of every system or endgame activity. The level ceiling alone prevents access to content beyond the threshold, while the shut-down commerce and social economy systems remove large portions of the game’s broader service layer.
Steam users have one important post-test step
Steam players will need to uninstall the AION 2 Playtest App and download AION 2 separately in order to access Advanced Access on September 30. Installing the scale-test client does not, by itself, prepare a Steam account for the later build.
PURPLE players do not have additional steps to take after the test. That platform difference is worth noting for anyone who expects to move directly from the LST into Advanced Access. Steam users should plan for a separate install rather than discover the distinction on the day access opens.
More broadly, separate test and release applications are a meaningful dividing line. They reinforce that the LST build is temporary and technically distinct from the build used for Advanced Access. Uninstalling the Playtest App is not presented as optional housekeeping; it is part of the required Steam transition.
What AION 2 is aiming to test
AION 2 is built in Unreal Engine 5 and positioned as an evolution of AION. Its world is described as more than 36 times larger than that of the original game. That scale is a notable ambition, but the core point for this test is that a larger online world brings more server and infrastructure demands when a large group of players enters it together.
Flight is central to AION 2’s combat, with three-dimensional aerial battles built around positioning, timing, and control. “Three-dimensional” in this context means the combat space is not limited to movement across a flat ground plane: vertical placement and aerial maneuvering are intended to be part of the encounter. A player’s location above, below, or alongside another combatant can matter alongside more familiar decisions about timing and control.
The stated activity lineup also extends across PvE and PvP. PvE, or player-versus-environment, refers to challenges against game-controlled content. AION 2 is said to include more than 200 dungeons and massive raids. Dungeons are typically structured combat areas for players to clear, while raids denote larger-scale group challenges; the available information does not specify their individual formats, group sizes, or requirements.
On the competitive side, the game includes the Abyss PvP conflict. PvP means player-versus-player, distinguishing this conflict from PvE activities against computer-controlled foes. The LST announcement identifies the Abyss as part of the game’s feature set, but does not establish whether the level-37 test cap will permit access to it, so players should not assume every listed mode is available during the test.
How to approach the public test
With the wipe, cap, and disabled systems in mind, the most useful reason to join is to assess the portions that are actually active: getting into the game, moving through its early experience, trying its combat and aerial movement, and seeing how the service holds up during the scheduled windows. The test is also an opportunity to learn whether its control and timing emphasis feels appealing before the September 30 Advanced Access date.
It is less suited to anyone looking to secure permanent advancement, use Founder’s Pack items, trade with friends, engage with the marketplace, or judge the complete cosmetic and monetization ecosystems. Those are explicitly unavailable or restricted. Separating those expectations from what the LST is designed to do should make the short event easier to evaluate on its own terms.
AION 2’s open format also lowers the barrier for curious players: no invite status needs to be earned, and no payment systems are operating during the event. The trade-off is that the test is tightly bounded in time and content. Participants should expect an infrastructure-focused public build, not a permanent account launch.
For PC players tracking forthcoming milestones, AION 2’s two-day test arrives amid a busy release schedule that also includes Worship’s planned PC and PS5 1.0 release. AION 2’s immediate calendar, however, is clear: download before September 17 if needed, use the September 17–18 LST to sample the limited build, and remember that Steam requires a separate AION 2 download for September 30 Advanced Access.
