Note: This article describes the situation ahead of the Launch Scale Test in September 2026, before release. The dates and the list of locked content apply to the test, not to the global version that launched on October 5. My overview of the AION 2 Launch Scale Test tells you when you can play, how to get in without a key, and which content will still be locked during the test.
NCSOFT, which now goes simply by NC, is opening AION 2 on September 17 and 18 for one final major stress test ahead of launch. NC calls it the “Launch Scale Test,” or LST. You’ll get a total of 12 hours of playtime split across two sessions, and you won’t need a key or invitation to join.
- Note: The test runs in two short sessions rather than continuously. If you want to catch the second one, be prepared for a late night in Europe: it doesn’t end until 3:00 AM.
You’ll find all our other guides, dates and facts in our AION 2 guide with all tips and solutions at a glance.
All Dates and Times in CEST
| What | When (CEST) |
|---|---|
| Pre-download | September 16, 3:00 PM to September 17, 3:00 PM |
| Day 1 | September 17, 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM |
| Day 2 | September 18, 9:00 PM to September 19, 3:00 AM |
| Advanced Access, Founder’s Pack only | September 30 to October 4 |
| Release | October 5, 2026 |
All times above are in CEST. The difference to Pacific Time is nine hours (check your time zone here).
How Do I Join the Test?
You can play through Steam or NC’s own PURPLE client. Both give you access to the same test. Access is open to everyone. No keys, no invitations, and no registration list.
On Steam, however, access still goes through the platform’s Playtest feature. Here’s how it works:
- Open the regular AION 2 Store page
- Find the AION 2 Playtest box and click Request Access
- Steam will then tell you: “You’ve requested access! Keep an eye out for an email notification from Steam when the developer is ready to accept more participants.”
- Note: Don’t look for a separate Store page for the Playtest, because there isn’t one. Steam generally displays Playtests on the main game’s Store page. Once you’re admitted, “AION 2 Playtest” will appear as a separate entry in your library, independent of AION 2 itself.
The message in step 3 is Steam’s standard wording. Playtests can operate in two ways: developers can admit players in batches, or they can automatically accept every request. NC has not documented which method is being used here. The statement that the test is “open to everyone” with “no registration list” suggests automatic approval.
That leads to one practical recommendation: Request access now rather than waiting until September 17. If players are admitted in batches after all, you’ll already be in the queue. And start pre-loading as soon as the download becomes available on September 16 at 3:00 PM CEST.
- Info: If you’d rather watch the Playtest in a stream, you can do so on my channel during both test sessions. I’ll be spending the full six hours in AION 2 starting Thursday at 3:00 PM and again Friday at 9:00 PM, and I’d be happy to have you there.
What’s Locked During the Test
The following content will not be available during the Launch Scale Test:
Area What’s unavailable Level Maximum level 37; the full game has a level cap of 45 Purchases Shop, Quna purchases, passes, memberships, and all payment portals Economy Market, Quna Exchange, and player-to-player trading PvP Spacetime Rifts, arenas, and PvP Battlefields Endgame Abyss content Cosmetics Closet and storage; only default outfits are available Storage In-game storage Founder’s Pack Founder’s Pack items cannot be used during the test
- Note: PvP is completely off the table. Arenas, Battlefields, Spacetime Rifts, and the Abyss are all locked, which is precisely the kind of content the series has been known for since the original AION. If you’re playing the test mainly to judge the faction war, you won’t get what you’re looking for.
The level cap has a knock-on effect as well: with characters limited to level 37, any content requiring a higher level will also be unavailable. NC has not provided a detailed breakdown of exactly what that includes.
Having this much content disabled makes sense given the purpose of the event. The test is designed to simulate conditions close to the live environment and put the servers and infrastructure under load. Getting to play the game is the side benefit, not the primary reason for the test.
- Important: Your progress from Day 1 carries over to Day 2, but no further. Everything will be wiped at the end of Day 2. Nothing transfers to Advanced Access or the full release.
How Big Are the Groups?
Group sizes have a major impact on how an MMO plays and how many people you need to organize for its content. In AION 2, the current group sizes look like this:
Content Players Expedition and Transcendence dungeons 5 Sanctuary raid (Ludra) 10 Arena of Solitude 1v1 Arena of Cooperation 4v4 Battlefields 10v10
During the test, however, you’ll only get to experience the top half of that table. Everything from the arenas down is locked, as is the Abyss and its large-scale faction warfare. The Abyss doesn’t have a fixed player count anyway.
We asked the developers about exactly this at gamescom: whether there would be content designed for 25, 30, or 40 players. The answer was clear. Outside of PvP, nothing on that scale is currently planned. The development team explained that the trend today is toward smaller groups because they are simply easier to organize. The developers said they would watch how things develop, but stopped short of making any commitments.
So if you’re hoping for classic 25-player raids, keep that in mind. The largest PvE group in the game currently consists of ten players.
Will There Be Just One Meta?
If everyone eventually ends up using the same gear and playing the same way, class choice starts to matter less. We asked about this at the show as well. The team made no secret of the fact that there will be a meta. Certain high-end items are simply best-in-slot, and there’s no real way around that. At the same time, the developers want game mechanics and class abilities to ensure that two players using the same class can still play differently.
Whether that works in practice remains to be seen until release. With the test capped at level 37, you’ll only get a limited glimpse of the endgame systems anyway.
Is Crafting Worth It?
In short: yes. When we asked whether professions would play a major role, the answer was clear. You can craft a wide range of items through the profession system, and the developers described professions as essential later in the game.
That doesn’t mean much during the test because the Market and trading are disabled. Once the game launches in October, however, it’s something worth keeping in mind.
What You Need to Do After the Test
After the second test session ends, there are two things to keep in mind:
- Steam players must uninstall the “AION 2 Playtest” entry and download AION 2 separately for Advanced Access on September 30. They are two different entries in your Steam library; the Playtest does not simply turn into the full game
- PURPLE players don’t need to do anything else
If you miss this, you could find yourself facing an unexpected download on September 30.
What Happens After the Test?
Once the test weekend is over, there’s a short break. Then comes Advanced Access, and the fine print matters here: the five days from September 30 through October 4 are only available to players who purchased a Founder’s Pack. This is not an open early-access period. It also has nothing to do with Steam Early Access, even though the English-language messaging uses similar terminology.
Since August, every Founder’s Pack has also included a 30-day membership, including packs that had already been purchased. Among other benefits, membership provides access to the Market, Quna Exchange, and Remote Storage. NC disabled direct player-to-player trading for launch as an anti-bot measure.
For everyone else, AION 2 launches on October 5, 2026 on Steam and PURPLE as a free-to-play game.
Update Log
- 10/10/2026: Added a pre-release note, removed player-to-player trading from the membership benefits, named Ludra as the Sanctuary raid and aligned the Rift, Battlefield and Market terms with the game client.
- 10/08/2026: Added a link to our AION 2 guide with all tips.
