AION 2 Beta: The Launch Scale Test Is Over

First, the status: the test is over.

AION 2 never ran a classic closed beta. The global build had one Launch Scale Test. September 17 and 18, six hours each day, on Steam and PURPLE. No key, no invite, no sign-up.

The level cap was 37. The shop, market, trading and every payment portal were switched off. All progress from the two days was wiped at the end.

The only way to play earlier now is a Founder’s Pack, which gets you in from September 30 to October 4.

The basics

What was on, what was off

NC listed the restrictions item by item:

• Off: shop, Quna, passes, memberships, every payment portal
• Off: the Market, Quna exchange, player-to-player trading
• Off: Founder’s Pack items were unusable during the test
• Capped: level 37, which blocks anything requiring a higher level
• On: character customisation and the closet (NC opened these in the Day 1 announcement on the eve of the test, and creators confirmed they worked)

The closet is worth calling out. An earlier notice said “Closet will be disabled”. The Day 1 notice and creator testing both say it worked. The newer statement wins.

Why a stress test rather than a beta

NC stated the purpose in two places: the test existed to build “an environment similar to the actual service to check server and infrastructure stability”.

That explains two design choices. Why only six hours? Cramming players into one window creates real pressure. Why open to everyone with no key distribution? More players means a better stress test.

NC’s gamescom press release frames it as a milestone on the way to launch, not as content testing.

What you could actually do inside it

NC published the level cap only, not a list of reachable dungeons. That part comes from creators who play the Korea and Taiwan service:

• At level 37, open-world Abyss PvP was unavailable (creators put its unlock level at 45)
• Nightmare, Ascension, arena, battlegrounds and raids were all unavailable
• Reachable content was exploration-difficulty entry dungeons (creators named Krao Cave, Uruguay Canyon and Fire Temple), plus daily dungeons and sealed dungeons
• Daily dungeons had 14 entries total, splittable across gold, pet and enhancement tracks
• Fire Temple was enterable manually at level 35; the quest line never routes you there
• Feathers scattered on the map could be handed in at the main town monolith for skill points

Those dungeon names all appear in official Expedition material. But “reachable during the test” is a creator report, not an official list.

The creators’ test priority list

NC published restrictions, not advice. Two creators each published a list; removing the overlap leaves these, and none of them conflict with the official restrictions:

1. Try every class you are curious about, and do not pick by strength. Both put this first. Switching class later means a new character and lost resources, and balance keeps changing. Pick by feel.
2. Save your appearance slider values. There is no one-click preset save. Screenshot or record every slider page and type them in at launch.
3. Get your settings and keybinds usable. Both mention frame drops and latency spikes, and both found that copying someone else’s settings did not fully work.
4. Click through every system without worrying. Enhancement, soulbind, Stigma, pet insight, macros, daily quests - progress gets wiped, so you can safely learn what each button does.
5. Do not burn out on the test. One creator ranks this first. The cap is 37 and real launch is September 30. Save the energy.

These are creator suggestions, not official requirements. With only one day to play, spend it on the first three.

What is left

• Wishlist on Steam or pre-register on the official global teaser site. NC’s FAQ says reward details come closer to launch.
• Buy a Founder’s Pack for the five days of early access from September 30 to October 4.
• Remember the test client and the game are two separate installs. NC’s notice says Steam players must uninstall the playtest app and download AION 2 separately; PURPLE players need no extra step. The playtest client does not upgrade into the retail game.

Missing the test is not really a loss. The two things it gave you - class feel and a working settings baseline - can be rebuilt in a few hours during early access or on launch day. It just eats some launch-day time.

If NC announces another test, read these five fields

Session times and their time zones, level cap, eligible platforms, whether progress is wiped, and whether you need to apply.

This test published all five. The next one likely will too. Those five fields tell you whether it is worth attending.

For how to plan week one, see the beginner guide. For the early-access market and matchmaking split, see the Founder’s Pack comparison.

Sources

• Steam announcements “Launch Scale Test Coming Up”, “Launch Scale Test: Pre-download Now!” and “Launch Scale Test: Day 1”
• NC gamescom 2026 press release, August 25, 2026
• Launch Scale Test section of the official global teaser site
• Creator reports: Society Of Gaming “AION 2 Launch Scale Test Day 1 Priorities”, Spid “AION 2 Is Playable TOMORROW”, xMontu “5 Things You NEED to Do in the Aion 2 Launch Scale Test”, aLuckyRO “AION 2 Launch Scale Test Guide | 15 Things You Should Do”