The AION 2 Launch Scale Test runs September 17–18, 2026, is open to everyone on Steam and PURPLE with no keys or invites, and lets you play up to level 37 — but the shop, the Market, the Kina↔Quna Exchange and player trading are all switched off, and every character wipes when Day 2 ends. It is a server stress test, not a demo of the endgame, so the smart way to spend your 12 hours is auditioning classes and getting a feel for combat — not min-maxing a character that will not survive the weekend.
This guide covers exactly what you can and cannot do inside the test, how to spend the time if you only get a few hours, and what carries over to Early Access and the October 5 launch (spoiler: nothing does). All of it is checked against NC's own announcement and the coverage that reproduced it — no Korean-build numbers dressed up as global facts.
Key takeaways
- Dates: September 17–18, 2026. 6 hours per day, 12 hours total. Day 1 progress carries into Day 2; everything wipes at the end of Day 2.
- Access: open to everyone on Steam and PURPLE — "no keys, no invites, no registration list." You sign up by installing the free AION 2 Playtest App.
- Level cap: 37. Any content that requires a higher level is locked out for the test.
- Turned off: the cash shop, Quna, passes, Memberships and all payment portals; the Market, the Kina↔Quna Exchange and player-to-player trading; Founder's Pack items; and the full cosmetics closet (default outfits only).
- Nothing transfers. No character, level, item or currency moves to Early Access (Sept 30) or launch (Oct 5).
- After the test, Steam players must uninstall the Playtest App and download AION 2 separately for Advance Access on September 30. PURPLE players do not.
What is the AION 2 Launch Scale Test?
The Launch Scale Test is a two-day, open server test that NC is running immediately before AION 2's global release. NC's framing is blunt about the purpose: it is there to check that servers, logins and matchmaking hold up under a real crowd, not to show off the endgame. As the outlet allthings.how summarised NC's announcement, the test "opens the game to everyone ahead of its global launch on October 5" and NC "is using it to check server and login stability under heavy load."
That distinction matters for how you plan your time. A stress test is deliberately capped and stripped down. If you go in expecting to judge the Abyss faction war, the trading economy or "the meta," you will come away with the wrong read on the game — none of that is switched on. What you can judge is how the game feels to play: the movement, the combat, the class fantasies, and whether your PC runs it well.
AION 2 is NC's Unreal Engine 5 follow-up to the 2008 MMORPG Aion, and it is a different game — not a remaster, not "Aion 2.0," and not Aion Classic. NC's own Steam store pitch is that "AION 2 is the only MMORPG built around a world where the sky is the battlefield," fought across "a world 36 times larger than the original." Those are NC marketing claims, not measured figures, but they set the tone: verticality and flight are meant to be a combat advantage, and this test is your first legitimate hands-on with that idea in the West.
AION 2 Launch Scale Test times
NC published the schedule as a per-day window. The clock below is in PDT and CEST because that is how NC's own post lists it; convert to your local time before Day 1.
| Phase | Window (PDT) | Window (CEST) |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-download | Sept 16, 6:00 AM → Sept 17, 6:00 AM | Sept 16, 15:00 → Sept 17, 15:00 |
| Day 1 play | Sept 17, 6:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Sept 17, 15:00 – 21:00 |
| Day 2 play | Sept 18, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Sept 18, 21:00 → Sept 19, 03:00 |
That is six hours of play per day, twelve hours total. Pre-load during the pre-download window so you are not patching while the servers are live — during a stress test the download servers are exactly what is under strain.
How to join the test
You do not need a code, an invite or a spot on a registration list. NC's wording is that the test is "open to everyone." To get in:
- On Steam: install the free AION 2 Playtest App (a separate Steam entry from the main AION 2 store page) and launch it inside the play windows above.
- On PURPLE: use NC's own launcher/platform — PURPLE players do not need the separate Playtest App.
One thing that trips people up after the weekend: Steam players must uninstall the Playtest App and download AION 2 separately to get into Advance Access on September 30. The playtest client is a throwaway. PURPLE players do not have to reinstall anything.
What's actually playable — and what's locked
This is the part worth reading twice, because a lot of the systems AION 2 is known for are deliberately off during the test.
You can play:
- Character creation and all eight launch classes (see below), with default outfits from the cosmetics closet.
- Levelling up to 37, across the early zones and the content that sits under that cap.
- Combat, movement and flight — the core gameplay loop the test exists to stress.
- Dungeons and group content that fall under the level 37 ceiling.
You cannot use:
- The cash shop, Quna, Daeva Passes, Memberships or any payment portal — all purchases are disabled.
- The Market, the Kina↔Quna Exchange, and player-to-player trading — the entire economy layer is off.
- Founder's Pack items — even if you have bought a pack, its contents do not appear in the test.
- The full cosmetics closet — you get the default outfits only.
- Anything above level 37, including higher-level zones, dungeons and endgame systems.
The level 37 cap is confirmed across every outlet that reported the test. NoisyPixel: players are "capped at level 37, preventing access to content with higher level" requirements. Games Press, from NC's release: "Max level will be limited to 37, which will limit content requiring a higher level." Sportskeeda: "You will only be able to reach level 37. So any content that requires a higher level will not be available to you." When multiple outlets reproduce the same number verbatim from NC, it is safe — but note that NC has not published the game's actual maximum level for launch, so do not read "37" as the level cap of the finished game. It is just the ceiling for this test.
The 8 classes you can try
Character creation is open, and trying the classes is the single best use of the test. AION 2's reported global launch line-up is eight classes:
| Class | Role |
|---|---|
| Templar | Main tank |
| Gladiator | Melee bruiser / off-tank |
| Assassin | Melee DPS, mobility and positioning |
| Ranger | Ranged physical DPS |
| Sorcerer | Ranged magic DPS |
| Spiritmaster (also listed as Elementalist) | Summoner / control |
| Cleric | Primary healer |
| Chanter | Support and buffs, hybrid |
Two honest caveats. First, the summoner class shows up as Spiritmaster in some coverage and Elementalist in others; NC has not published the final global English class names, so treat those as the same class under two labels. Second, there is a ninth class — Brawler — in the Korean version, and NC has not confirmed whether it is in the global launch build. Do not assume it is in this test, and ignore any "Slayer" or "Fist Master" class you see floating around on seller blogs — those are unverified and are not confirmed AION 2 classes.
If you want a full breakdown of what each class does and which one suits how you like to play, our AION 2 classes guide covers all eight. The test is where you turn that reading into a gut feeling.
How to spend 12 hours (and not waste them)
Twelve hours sounds like a lot until you divide it by eight classes. One player in the r/aion2 test threads did the math out loud: "The play test is only twelve hours, six hours each day for two days. With eight classes, that is only 1 hour and 30 minutes per class." Ninety minutes is enough to feel a class's rhythm; it is not enough to master it. So plan.
A sane approach for a limited window:
- Skip character-creation perfectionism. Everything wipes. Make a functional character fast and get into combat — you can make your "sexy ass" main on October 5. The strongest advice in the community threads was exactly this: spend the time playing, not sculpting.
- Narrow before you go wide. If you already know you want a DPS, try the three or four DPS classes and skip the tanks and healer. One tester's plan: "I'm skipping the tanks and cleric and just trying all the DPS out."
- Judge feel, not power. You cannot judge balance from a capped stress test, and you shouldn't. As one r/aion2 regular put it: "All classes are viable in all content if you learn how to play them well… NCSoft is balancing all the time. Just because a class is OP now doesn't mean it will be later." Pick the class you enjoy pressing buttons on.
- Check your performance. This is a stress test — so stress-test your own rig. Watch your frame rate, note any crashes or login queues, and confirm AION 2 runs the way you want before you commit on launch day.
What carries over to Early Access and launch?
Nothing. This is the cleanest fact in the whole test: all progress is wiped at the end of Day 2, and NC has said none of it transfers to Advance Access or to the full launch. Your test character, your level 37, your gear — gone.
The real timeline after the test:
- September 30 – October 4: five-day Advance Access / head start, for Founder's Pack owners only.
- October 5: global launch, free-to-play for everyone on Steam and PURPLE.
NC has not published a server-open clock time or timezone for either the September 30 head start or the October 5 launch. Anyone giving you an exact launch hour right now is guessing. We will update our AION 2 release date guide the moment NC posts one. If you want the head start, the only way in is a Founder's Pack — our AION 2 Early Access guide covers how that works and what the packs actually include.
FAQ
What are the AION 2 Launch Scale Test dates and times? The test runs September 17–18, 2026, with six hours of play each day — 12 hours total. Day 1 is Sept 17, 6:00 AM–12:00 PM PDT (15:00–21:00 CEST); Day 2 is Sept 18, 12:00 PM–6:00 PM PDT (21:00 CEST to 03:00 CEST on Sept 19). Pre-download opened Sept 16.
Do I need a key or invite to join the AION 2 Launch Scale Test? No. NC has said it is "open to everyone. No keys, no invites, no registration list." You join by installing the free AION 2 Playtest App on Steam, or by using the PURPLE launcher. There is no sign-up list to get onto.
What is the level cap in the AION 2 Launch Scale Test? Level 37. Any content that requires a higher level is locked during the test. This is only the test's ceiling — NC has not published AION 2's actual maximum level for the finished game, so do not treat 37 as the launch level cap.
Can I trade, use the Market or buy anything during the test? No. The cash shop, Quna, passes, Memberships and payment portals are all disabled, and the Market, the Kina↔Quna Exchange and player-to-player trading are all switched off. The economy layer is entirely off for the test.
Does my Launch Scale Test progress carry over to launch? No. Every character and all progress wipes at the end of Day 2, and nothing transfers to Advance Access (Sept 30) or the October 5 launch. Treat it purely as a hands-on preview.
Which classes can I play in the test, and how many should I try? All eight launch classes are available: Templar, Gladiator, Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Spiritmaster (also called Elementalist), Cleric and Chanter. With only 12 hours you get roughly 90 minutes per class if you try them all, so most players narrow to the role they want and test two to four classes rather than spreading too thin.
Do I need to reinstall AION 2 after the test? On Steam, yes — you must uninstall the Playtest App and download AION 2 separately to get into Advance Access on September 30. PURPLE players do not need to reinstall.
The bottom line
The Launch Scale Test is a 12-hour, wipe-at-the-end server check that happens to be your first real hands-on with AION 2 in the West. Use it for what it is: audition the eight classes, feel out the combat and flight, and confirm the game runs well on your PC. Don't try to judge the economy or the endgame — NC has switched all of that off on purpose. Then save your real investment for the head start on September 30 or the free-to-play launch on October 5.
Want more AION 2 guides before launch?
- AION 2 classes explained — all 8 and which to start as
- AION 2 release date, Early Access and launch times
- AION 2 Early Access: how the head start works
- All timesaver.gg services
Applies to the AION 2 global Launch Scale Test, September 17–18, 2026. Dates, times and system availability are per NC's official announcement ahead of the October 5, 2026 global launch. NC has not published a server-open clock time for the head start or launch; we'll update this guide when it does.
