AION 2's release date was October 5, 2026, and the game is now live: NC's producer's letter of October 9 says the world opened "a few days ago" to players around the globe. NCSOFT (NC) calls the game free to play. On NC's own wording, though, the Market is not part of the free deal. NC's notice on the Special Quai Membership (announced August 18, updated August 19, 2026) ties Market access, the World Market, personal trading and the Kina ↔ Quna currency exchange to a $14.99, 30-day Membership. Each of NC's three Steam Founder's Packs also includes one 30-day Membership. GamiPrime has not played the game; this report rests on NC's official notices and press coverage, read on October 4, 2026, and NC's post-launch notices, read on October 18, 2026.
AION 2 release date: launched October 5, the hour still unstated
Steam's store page read "Coming soon on October 5, 2026" when GamiPrime checked it on October 4, and press coverage gives the same day. On October 5, GamiPrime checked Steam's store data again: it no longer marks the game as "coming soon", which is consistent with a release on that date, and it shows no launch hour. That is the confirmed part. NC's Founder's Pack notice lists the pack sales period as ending on October 5, 2026, the same calendar date.
Not confirmed: the launch hour. No NC or Steam page we read gives one, so this report gives none. NC's notice list also shows Advanced Access servers open September 30 to October 3 and maintenance scheduled for October 4 and 5; we did not read those posts and draw nothing from them.
Updated October 18, 2026. NC's producer's letter, dated October 9, confirms the launch happened: it says the world opened "a few days ago" to players around the globe. It also says Early Access saw longer queues than expected and that NC adopted a zero queue policy for the official launch. Every notice below carries its own date.
What changed in AION 2's first two weeks, per NC
NC's notice list shows these posts between October 8 and October 17, 2026, all read on October 18:
- Server transfers. The producer's letter announces transfers from October 14, with no cost for the first one. NC's transfer notice (posted October 9, updated October 14) lists a base cost of 0 Quna once per account, 0 Quna per character, and 1,000 Quna per extra character slot needed on the destination server. Early Access servers transfer first (from the October 13 PDT maintenance to the October 20 PDT maintenance), then Launch servers (from October 20 to the October 27 PDT maintenance). Transfers stay within the same faction and region, once per account over the whole period.
- What moves with a character. The same notice says an active Membership transfers and is combined with the Membership on the destination server, and an active Daeva Pass keeps its progress. Kina in Server Storage does not move.
- Cross-server matchmaking. The producer's letter says players can join Expedition and Transcendence instances with friends on other servers while waiting for transfers.
- New servers. NC posted "New Servers Opening (Europe)" on October 8 and "New Servers Opening (NA East)" on October 9. GamiPrime did not read those two posts and lists only their titles.
- What NC says comes next. The producer's letter names "Ludra's return" and "our first seasonal celebrations" as upcoming, without dates.
- Other posts. An October 8 EU service outage compensation notice, an October 15 notice titled "[Notice] Steam Payment Issue Resolved", and several account-restriction notices for policy violations (October 11 to October 17). GamiPrime did not read those posts and draws nothing from them.
What NC's Launch FAQ and Membership notice say
NC's Launch FAQ (September 30, 2026) describes AION 2 as "free to play with an optional monthly membership." It lists optional paid cosmetics, a Battle Pass, and a membership "to access player-driven economy & currency exchanges." Steam and the PURPLE launcher carry the same content and servers. Server regions are North America, South America, Europe and Japan. Progress from the Taiwan and Korea versions does not carry over to the global version.
The Membership notice gives the price as $14.99 for 30 days, down from $15.00 in the first version. Re-read on October 18, 2026, it still carries its August 19 date, and its Market terms are unchanged. NC says prices are based on the Purple Store and may differ by store. Sales started September 30 at 6 a.m. PDT, with a limit of three purchases per server per month.
Free, Membership alone, or Founder's Pack: what NC lists
| Feature | Free player | Membership alone ($14.99) | Founder's Pack Standard ($24.99) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market | "Items cannot be listed for sale"; "Purchase unavailable" | "can be listed"; "Purchase available" | "Special Quai Membership x1" (30 days), so the Membership's Market terms apply for 30 days† |
| World Market | Not listed as a free feature† | Listed in the benefits table (30 days) | Same as Membership, for 30 days† |
| Personal trade | Not listed as a free feature† | "5 times a day," if the other player also has an active Membership | Same as Membership, for 30 days† |
| Kina ↔ Quna exchange | Not listed as a free feature† | Access for 30 days | Same as Membership, for 30 days† |
| Daeva Pass (battle pass) | Basic tier free (Daeva Pass notice, September 30) | Not listed among the Membership benefits† | Not listed among the pack contents† |
| Repurchase | Not applicable | Buyable again when under 60 days of benefits remain, meaning while the Membership is still active† | Not stated in the Founder's Pack notice† |
Quoted text is NC wording; unmarked cells paraphrase NC's notices; cells marked † are GamiPrime's reading of what the notices say or omit, not an NC statement. Every "Same as Membership†" cell holds only if the pack's Membership is the same product as the one in NC's August notice.
The Membership notice also lists remote storage, extra Odyle Energy capacity and more Shugo Festa keys. One line in it sits awkwardly with its own benefits table: "The World Exchange feature has been removed from the membership benefits," yet the World Market remains in the benefits table. NC does not say whether the World Exchange and the World Market are the same feature, or which statement is current.
Do AION 2's Founder's Packs include Membership?
Yes, according to NC. The October 9 producer's letter adds that NC put Membership in the Founder's Packs after player feedback. Its Founder's Pack notice (posted July 22, updated September 28, 2026) lists three Steam packs: Standard at $24.99, Deluxe at $49.99 and Ultimate at $99.99. Each includes "Special Quai Membership x1," which NC gives as 30 days. Each also lists 5-day Early Access, a bound "Daeva's Campaign Supply Chest" (scrolls, potions, 10,000 Power Shard, 5 Resurrection Spiritstone), and the title "Vanguard of Atreia."
Deluxe and Ultimate add cosmetics, as NC describes them: an "Ascended Daeva" armor and an "Eternal Sun" weapon skin. Ultimate adds a styling chest, "Moonlit Aria" armor, a "Black Dragon" pet and "Blazing Sun Wings."
The conditions NC attaches:
- One Founder's Pack per account, one of the three tiers, bought on PURPLE or Steam.
- A Steam purchase is playable only on Steam, and a PURPLE purchase only on PURPLE. All players share the same servers.
- NC's page lists the sales period as July 22, 2026, 6:00 a.m. PDT to October 5, 2026, 8:00 a.m. PDT.
- Upgrades between tiers exist on PURPLE only, not on Steam.
- NC calls the pack a pre-purchase product, sold before the official launch.
The announcement is silent on what happens after the 30 days: it describes no renewal and no conversion into anything else.
Our reading: under NC's published terms, a Membership bought alone ($14.99) and the Standard pack ($24.99, the lowest-priced Founder's Pack) both carry Market access for 30 days, if the pack's Membership is the same product, as flagged under the table. A free player does not, according to NC's notices: the table shows "Items cannot be listed for sale" and "Purchase unavailable." That is a statement about what each option includes, not a judgment on whether any of it is worth buying.
Is AION 2 pay-to-win? What NC sells, and what is not established
It is a common search question, and this report does not answer it with a verdict. GamiPrime's working definition, not NC's: a game is called pay-to-win when spending money buys an edge in play that free players cannot reach. The guide to how free-to-play PC games make money sets out the monetization models behind that label.
Here is what NC's notices say it sells, among other items:
- Membership, $14.99 for 30 days. The Market and exchange access shown in the table, plus the extras listed under it (Membership notice).
- Daeva Pass. Runs September 30 to December 15, 2026. The Basic tier is free; Premium is 1,500 Quna and extra levels are 50 Quna each (Quna is covered below). Most rewards NC lists are bound items (Daeva Pass notice, September 30).
- Cosmetics. NC's Launch FAQ lists optional paid cosmetic items. The Deluxe and Ultimate Founder's Packs include armor, weapon skins, a pet and wings.
- Quna. NC's currency for the Daeva Pass, sold in top-ups from $5.99 (400 Quna) to $59.99 (4,000 Quna). Quna also pays for bound items in NC's Tsenka Merchants shop, such as a Name Change Voucher at 500 Quna.
- "AION 2 Season 1 Starter," $19.99. A bundle of bound items, one purchase per character. NC lists, among others, Resurrection Spiritstones, Life Brew, Battle Enhance Scrolls and Superior Power Shards.
- Founder's Packs, $24.99 to $99.99. Detailed in the section above: each includes 30 days of Membership.
Not established by anything GamiPrime read: what the items above do in play beyond their names, any drop rates or probability disclosures, how much Market trading shapes progress, and the Kina-Quna exchange rate. GamiPrime read no Kina-Quna rate, so it does not calculate one. No pack is recommended here, and there is no affiliate link.
What NCSOFT has not confirmed
- Whether the World Exchange and the World Market are one feature (the odd line under the table). Our reading: if they are, the Membership notice contradicts itself; if they are not, it never says what the World Exchange was.
- What a Founder's Pack buyer has after the 30 days. The pack notice does not say.
- Whether any exception to the AION 2 Market restriction applies at launch. NC's notice says "Purchase unavailable" before Membership; it describes no exception.
- Whether personal trading, meaning direct trades between players, has changed. Some relay sites mention a change; NC's English notice list shows none, so it is not confirmed.
- How the economy behaves after open launch. NC's list shows an October 4 post titled "Warning About Purchasing Illicit Currency" and, since launch, several account-restriction notices; GamiPrime did not read them and draws no conclusion from them.
What it means for AION 2 players on PC
In NC's notices, the free part is the base game and the Basic tier of the Daeva Pass; the Market and personal trading belong to the Membership, however it is obtained. Two of the notices used here have been updated since they were posted (the Membership notice on August 19, the Founder's Pack notice on September 28), so each rule above is only as current as its date. The Membership notice was unchanged when GamiPrime re-read it on October 18.
Worth watching:
- NC's notices for any change to Market or trade rules, or to what the packs include.
- The Launch-server transfer window, from the October 20 to the October 27 PDT maintenance.
- NC's answer on the World Exchange line in the Membership notice.
More free-to-play news this year: free-to-play PC game news.
Frequently asked questions
Is AION 2 free to play?
NC calls it "free to play with an optional monthly membership." The base game and the Basic tier of the Daeva Pass are free; Market access sits behind a $14.99, 30-day Membership, per NC's notices.
Can free players use the Market in AION 2?
Not according to NC. Its Membership notice says that without an active Membership, "Items cannot be listed for sale" and "Purchase unavailable".
Do AION 2 Founder's Packs include a Membership?
Yes. Each of the three Steam packs (Standard at $24.99, Deluxe at $49.99, Ultimate at $99.99) includes one 30-day Special Quai Membership, per NC's Founder's Pack notice.
Does AION 2 progress carry over from the Korean or Taiwanese version?
No. NC's Launch FAQ says progress from the Taiwan and Korea versions does not carry over to the global version.
Sources read
- AION 2 Launch FAQ, NC notice, page dated September 30, 2026; read October 4, 2026.
- Special Quai Membership, NC notice, announced August 18 and updated August 19, 2026; read October 4 and again October 18, 2026.
- Common Product Info, NC notice, page dated September 30, 2026; read October 4, 2026.
- Daeva Pass, NC notice, page dated September 30, 2026; read October 4, 2026.
- Founder's Pack, NC notice, posted July 22 and updated September 28, 2026; read October 4, 2026.
- AION 2 Producer's Letter: Welcome to Atreia!, NC notice, dated October 9, 2026; read October 18, 2026.
- Server Transfer Products Info, NC notice, posted October 9 and updated October 14, 2026; read October 18, 2026.
- NC notice list, NC announcements index; read October 4 and again October 18, 2026.
- AION 2 on Steam, Steam store page; read October 4, 2026, and read again October 5, 2026 via Steam's API.
