MMORPG AION: The Tower of Eternity first launched in 2008 and drew in millions of players with its magical world and its focus on flight and aerial combat. In 2018, developer NC announced it was working on AION 2, a free-to-play sequel that promised to expand on the foundation laid by its predecessor. And on Friday, NC announced that it’s only a few months away: AION 2 will be releasing simultaneously worldwide in September of this year.
The original AION was built in Crytek’s CryEngine, which the dev team had to significantly rewrite to make it work for an MMORPG. But this time, AION 2 has been built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, overhauling the visuals and allowing the dev team much more freedom to realize their full vision.
Where that freedom is most obvious is in the size of the world, which is 36 times bigger than the first game. Not only is the world itself larger, but the regions within it have also grown and are fully open world. Each region is built with verticality in mind, with full flight traversal, and the regions connect into one open world that rewards exploration.
AION 2 takes place 200 years after the original and includes regions that fans of the first game will recognize, remade for a larger world. However, the passage of time means these regions have changed quite a bit. Time has also caused Aether to grow more and more rare, making it difficult for Daevas to survive. Aether is the essence that allowed humans to turn into more powerful Daevas, and you play as one of them. So even if you’re experienced with the world of AION, the world has changed enough that you’ll find it a new and dangerous place.
Combat has expanded and evolved from the original game’s foundation. It’s fast paced with no auto attacking, so you’ll be manually using real-time targeting and attacking. Your character’s skill set is based on the class you choose, and each class’s role is more distinct this time and designed to encourage more synergy with your fellow party members.
There will be eight classes at launch. Gladiator is a tank-bruiser hybrid, Templar is the classic frontline tank, Assassin and Ranger are fast attacking DPS, Sorcerer specializes in burst damage, Spiritmaster commands spirits to control the fight, Cleric is the primary healer, and Chanter is a buff-and-heal hybrid. Neither of those last two are purely support classes, though. Both blend their healing and utility with DPS skills.
There’s a ton of both PvE and PvP content for you to fight your way through. For PvE fans, there are almost 200 dungeons, each of which have a unique feature or mechanic you’ll need to deal with. You can tackle them solo or in parties of four or eight, and co-op dungeons will require that you think about your party’s combinations of classes. There are also field events ranging from small encounters to huge clashes.
If you’re more interested in PvP, there are several different modes that scratch that itch. There are arenas for 1v1 duels and 4v4 team battles, 8v8 battlefields, as well as massive, cross-server realm vs. realm battles for dozens of players at once. The faction-based Abyss from the original AION also returns, where you can fly across open areas and fight for control of contested territory.
For the fashion forward among you, AION 2 also has an extensive character customization system with more than 200 options to get your look just right. Or if you see someone whose look you want, head to the Style Shop, where players can upload their combination of customizations to the official website. Find a look you like, download it, and apply it to your own character.
For the collectors, the versatile pet system hunt monsters to collect their souls and unlock them as pets. These double as mounts, each with their animations and movements.
AION 2 will be available worldwide in September on PC only, through either Steam or PURPLE. To keep up with the latest news and updates, you can check out the game’s official website or stay tuned to IGN.
