Leveling 1–45
The main story (Episode quests) carries you to the level 45 cap and gives about 97% (Elyos) or 99% (Asmodian) of the XP you need. Guides estimate about 10–15 hours on story alone, or 20–25 hours with side content; there's no real player data for Global yet. You stay in your faction's homeland the whole way.
Elyos route
| Levels | Zones | Sealed Dungeons |
|---|---|---|
| 1–9 | Poeta: Daminu Forest, Clione Lake, Phoenix Sky Island, Migzatu Brigade Base | — |
| 10–13 | Verteron: Western and Eastern Cantas Valley | Lv 10 |
| 14–18 | Ellun River Marsh, Contaminated Marsh, Spirit's Rest, Ellun River Midstream, Anguish Hill | Lv 15 |
| 19–22 | Verteron Fortress Ruins, Destroyed Abyss Gate | Lv 20 |
| 23–31 | Tolbas Forest, Pilgrim's Ridge, Forest of Exiles, Aullaeu Village | Lv 25 |
| 32–38 | Altamia Canyon, Altamia Highlands, Rock Tomb Hill, Destroyed Temple Site, Contaminated Sanctum | Lv 30 |
| 39–42 | Kraka Footpath, Drana Cultivation Area, Drana Processing Area, Drana Plantation, Scarlet Forest | Lv 30–40 |
| 43–45 | Nahid Brigade Fortress, Garden of the Illusion God | Lv 40–45 |
Asmodian route
| Levels | Zones | Sealed Dungeons |
|---|---|---|
| 1–9 | Ishalgen: Munihelle Forest, Tunapre Lake, Anturn Cliff, Azrakar Brigade Guard Camp | — |
| 10–14 | Altgard: Dredgion Crash Site, Calderon Canyon, Nameless Cemetery | Lv 10 |
| 15–21 | Silent Hill, Sanctum Outpost, Tranein Highland, Moslan Forest | Lv 15 |
| 22–28 | Uruthumheim, Purifying Forest | Lv 20 |
| 29–32 | Dranactus | Lv 25 |
| 32–35 | Battlescar Mound, Basfelt Ruins | Lv 30 |
| 35–40 | Fafnite Deposit, Western and Eastern Gribade Highland, Idun's Lake | Lv 35–40 |
| 41–45 | Black Claw Village, Lagta Fortress, Impetusium Square | Lv 40–45 |
Level ranges are the game's recommendations and overlap a little. Eltnen and Morheim, which appear in older guides, are Korea-only (Chapter 1) or from the original AION.
Tips
- Never skip Episode quests; they're nearly all your XP and your gear.
- Levels 30–39 are the slowest (the story covers only about 70% of the XP there). Fill the gap with Sealed Dungeons: about 60 solo dungeons in each homeland with no entry limit. Each clear pays Kinah, Enhance Stones, Sealed Wing Featherdown and a title, and clearing them all adds Daevanion and skill points.
- Story boss fights are the hardest solo content while leveling. Upgrade your weapon a little if you get stuck.
- Don't spend rare materials on gear before 45; it all gets replaced.
What unlocks when
| Level | Unlock |
|---|---|
| 4 | Skill points start |
| 5 / 6 | Wings (Elyos at 5, Asmodians at 6) |
| 10 | Crafting quests; first Sealed Dungeons |
| 12 | Daevanion board: Nezekan |
| 20 | Daevanion board: Zikel; Krao Cave (Exploration) |
| 22 | All 13 Stigma skills and Stigma slot 1, after the Ascension quest The One Who Hears the Voice (how Stigmas work) |
| 27 / 32 / 37 | Stigma slots 2, 3 and 4 |
| 28 | Urugugu Canyon (Exploration) |
| 30 | Daevanion board: Vaizel; Daily Dungeon |
| 35 | Fire Temple (Exploration) |
| 40 | Daevanion board: Triniel |
| 45 | Daevanion board: Azphel; Duty Missions; Nightmare, Conquest, Transcendence, Ascension Trial, Subjugation, the Abyss, raids, Arcana |
A launch-day bug note: don't open the Duty tab before level 45, or Duty unlocks a day late (NC was fixing this).
Endgame roadmap
Once you hit 45, work through these in order. Your character item level decides what you can enter; most players reach about 1,000 at 45.
- Finish the level 45 campaign and hunt the level 48 named elites for IL 46 sets: High Commander Lagta (Drana Plantation), Silent Dartan (Southern Altamia Highland) and Soul Ruler Kashapa (Eastern Altamia Highland).
- Run your dailies and weeklies: Nightmare, Duty Missions, Daily Dungeon, then Ascension Trial and Subjugation once you reach 1,000. They pay the Enhance Stones and materials everything else needs.
- 700: Conquest in Krao Cave and Draupnir (Unique IL 54).
- 1,000: the Abyss opens.
- 1,400: Conquest in Urugugu Canyon and Vakron Sky Island (IL 70). Craft a True Dragon Lord piece if you have the mastery.
- 1,600+: Transcendence, your main source of Arcana. Climb its stages (1,900, 2,200, 2,500) as you get stronger.
- 2,100: Conquest in Fire Temple and Ferocious Horn Den (IL 86).
- 2,800: the first raid, Abyssal Forge: Ludra, for IL 102 weapons. Currently closed on Global: NC switched the Ludra raid off for the Global launch to rework its mechanics, and will announce its return date by October 16, 2026. Until then, Splendent Dragon Lord crafts are the route to IL 102 armor and accessories.
PvE and Abyss PvP gear are separate tracks, so pick a main focus rather than splitting your materials.
Dungeons & limits
Weekly limits reset Wednesday at 07:00 UTC and don't carry over. Boss mechanics are in the Dungeon Guides. Hover any entry counter in game for the exact count. Numbers below were read from the Global game files.
| Content | Players | Unlock | Limit | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sealed Dungeons | Solo | Lv 10 | None | Kinah, Enhance Stones, Daevanion Crystals |
| Daily Dungeon | Solo | Lv 30 | 14 a week, shared by your characters on a server | Enhance Stones, more for a higher score |
| Nightmare | Solo | Lv 45 | 2 a day, bank up to 14; only used on a clear | Phantasmal Fragments (Nightmare Shop) |
| Ascension Trial | Solo | Lv 45, 1,000 IL | 3 a week, used on entry | Progression materials |
| Subjugation | 4 | Lv 45, 1,000 IL | 3 tickets a week, used on entry | Materials |
| Growth dungeons | — | Lv 45 | 7 hours a week each, only while inside | Soul Crystals, Enhance Stones |
| Expedition: Exploration | 1–5 | Lv 20+ (varies) | 7 rewards a week per dungeon | Epic and early Unique gear |
| Expedition: Conquest | 1–5 | Lv 45, 700+ IL | 1 reward every 8 h, up to 21; 35 boss kills a week | Unique gear |
| Transcendence | 2–5 | Lv 45, 1,600 IL | 1 reward every 12 h, up to 14; 28 boss kills a week | Arcana, Manastones, Soulstones |
| Sanctuary raids | 10 | 2,800+ IL | Closed on Global for now; normally 4 attempts a week each | IL 102 weapons, bracelets, Soul Binding materials |
Shared limits and energy
- Cubes: Conquest and Transcendence share 10 unopened reward cubes a week per server. Leaving without opening one still uses it up.
- Odyle Energy: most Conquest and Transcendence cubes cost 40 (Exploration 20–30). You regain 15 every 3 hours, even offline, and hold up to 560 (840 with membership).
Solo challenge difficulties
| Difficulty | Item level | Ascension Trial deaths allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 1,000 | 5 |
| Normal | 1,500 | 3 |
| Hard | 2,000 | 2 |
| Challenge / Extreme | 2,500 | 2 |
| Insane / Despair | 3,000 | 2 |
| Hell | 3,500 | 2 |
Where two names are shown, the first is Ascension Trial's and the second is Subjugation's; both use the same item levels. The six Ascension Trial dungeons: Nightmare Altar, Tyrant's Hideout, Sanctum of Loathing, Depository of Fates, Forgotten Repository, Chamber of the Dead. The four Subjugation dungeons: Subjugation Closed, Beritra Brigade Fortress, Orcus's Grave, Fafnite Forge.
Expedition dungeons
| Dungeon | Exploration unlock | Conquest | Exploration boss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krao Cave | Lv 20, 200 IL | 700 IL | Ultimate Berk |
| Urugugu Canyon | Lv 28, 300 IL | 1,400 IL | Divine Auldor |
| Fire Temple | Lv 35, 500 IL | 2,100 IL | — |
| Draupnir | Lv 45, 700 IL | 700 IL | Transcendent Bakarma |
| Vakron Sky Island | Lv 45, 1,400 IL | 1,400 IL | Vakron |
| Ferocious Horn Den | Lv 45, 2,100 IL | 2,100 IL | Ferocious Horn Nuakum |
Five more Expedition dungeons (2,800–3,800 IL) and three more Transcendence dungeons (2,400–3,800 IL) exist in the game files but aren't confirmed open on Global yet. They're marked in the item level gates.
Item level gates
Type your character item level to see what you can enter.
| Content | Item level |
|---|
Read from the Global game files by MetaBot; NC hasn't published an official chart.
Raids
Raids are closed on Global right now. NC switched the Ludra raid off for the Global launch to rework its mechanics, and will announce its return date by October 16, 2026. It will come back with new and changed mechanics, a First Clear event and a reset Hall of Fame. Ludra gear earned in early access was removed and will be given back, with upgrade materials refunded.
Sanctuary raids are 10-player content. Each has 4 attempts a week (used on entry, 2 revives allowed) and a separate weekly cap on final-boss kills.
| Raid | Item level | Final boss kills | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abyssal Forge: Ludra (closed for rework) | 2,800 | 1 a week | Final boss Eternal Ludra; Unique gear at IL 54–102, including IL 102 weapons |
| Corroded Decontamination Facility | 3,500 | 2 a week | 5 bosses, including Terminator Bargott |
| Chalice of Muspel | 4,300 (Advanced 4,500) | 2 a week | Bosses include Kaldrix and Iscariel |
Raids also drop bracelets, Soul Binding materials and Kinah. The two later raids are far above where most players are in October 2026.
The Abyss (PvP)
The Abyss (Reshanta) is where Elyos and Asmodians fight. Global players are in Chaotic Lower Reshanta; Middle and Upper Reshanta exist in the game files but aren't confirmed open.
Getting in
- Level 45 and 1,000 item level.
- 7 hours inside per week (14 with membership). The timer only runs while you're inside and resets on Wednesday. The October 14 patch set the most Abyss time you can hold at 7 hours.
- Two weekly Season Missions ("Spend 1 Hour in the Abyss" and "Defeat the Boss Guardian Lord Nahma Once") give Abyss Entry Stones.
Earning Abyss Points
| Source | Abyss Points |
|---|---|
| Lower Reshanta Duty scrolls (mob hunts) | 1,000 each |
| Duty Missions on your home map (5 a day) | 1,000 each |
| Arena of Solitude / Cooperation | 300 per match, 500 per win |
| Arena of Tactics (10 vs 10) | 1,000 per match, 3,000 per win, plus Silver Medals of Merit |
| Artifact Siege | Set number of top contributors on the winning side |
There are weekly PvE and PvP caps on Abyss Points, but their values aren't published.
Spending them
The Abyss Trade Shop sells Stigma Shards (10,000 rising to 25,000 each, 200 total), Lesser Abyssal Manastones (1,000, 50 a week), Lesser Abyssal Soulstones (2,000), Potential Stones and Silver Medals of Merit.
Artifact Siege
Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 21:00 server time (12:00 UTC). All Global regions share one server clock (UTC+9), so the siege starts at the same moment everywhere; this is community-confirmed rather than announced by NC. A warning appears 10 minutes before. A Dimensional Core appears at each artifact; the faction that lands the last hit claims it. Holding artifacts gives your whole faction an Abyss Point bonus (+2.5% for one, +5% for two, +7.5% for all three), and scheduled bosses follow the siege.
Abyss ranks
Abyss Season 1 runs from September 30 to December 16, 2026. There are 18 ranks, compared within your class and updated hourly. You need 1,500 Rank Points to appear in the ranking at all. Rank Points are separate from Abyss Points and keep counting after you hit the Abyss Point limits.
| Rank (examples) | Place in your class | Rank Points |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme Commander | 1 | 20,000,000 |
| Commander | 2 | 13,000,000 |
| General | 5–6 | 6,000,000 |
| 1-Star Officer | 101–150 | 1,500,000 |
| First-Class Soldier | 151–200 | 1,000,000 |
| Ninth-Class Soldier | 801–1,000 | 3,000 |
Ranks give a PvP buff (at Supreme Commander: up to 5% more PvP damage, 5% less PvP damage taken and 5% more damage in the Abyss) and a Season 1 title. Rank gives no Abyss Point bonus on Global.
Tips
- Flying drains Flight Power; fly through Flight Circles (49 in Lower Reshanta) to refill it. Learn the routes before you need to escape.
- PvE players can still visit: collecting Lower Reshanta's 200 Traces (about 90 minutes) pays Azphel Crystals that raise item level.
Sources
- Leveling guide 1–45 (ExitLag)
- Leveling route by zone (MetaBot)
- Every entry cap and refill (MetaBot)
- October 14 patch notes (aion2hub)
- Leveling to endgame (KeenGamer)
- Endgame at level 45 (timesaver.gg)
- Dungeon list and limits (MetaBot)
- Dungeons (Fextralife)
- Dungeons and rewards (aion2data)
- Global client datamine (metaroad.gg)
- Abyss guide (MetaBot)
- Abyss points, ranks and sieges (aion2builds)
- Update on Sanctuary Raid (NC official notice)
- Ludra removed: what happens to your gear (metaroad.gg)
- Artifact Siege schedule (MetaBot)
- Abyss ranks (Wikily)
- Altgard Sealed Dungeons (allthings.how)
- Leveling time estimate (MeinMMO)
- Artifact Siege explained (allthings.how)