Gear Progression

0:00 Gear progression in Aion 2 is the path a character's equipment takes from disposable leveling gear to dungeon sets, crafted pieces and Abyss gear, measured by item level and Combat Power. FRESHY's guide of September 2026 lays out the order: quest rewards, dungeon drops and progression rewards replace equipment so fast while leveling that there is no point spending materials on it, and upgrades only start to matter once dungeon equipment becomes the focus. Reaching the level cap is covered on Leveling, and the upgrade systems themselves on Enhancement and Soul Imprint.

Quick facts

Item level and Combat Power

2:17 Item level, which players usually call gear score, is what opens content. Society Of Gaming's explainer of May 2026, filmed on the Korean servers, shows each dungeon's minimum: 3,000 for the normal mode of a five-star Expedition he is looking at, 3,500 for its hard mode, and lower numbers for the one- and two-star tiers. NC's releases give the requirements for newer content: 3,200 for Mirror of Scarlet Desire (May 13, 2026), 3,500 for the Chapter 1 dungeons (Jul 1, 2026), 3,700 for Corroded Decontamination Facility (Mar 11, 2026) and 4,000 for the Doom difficulty of the Ascension Trial (NC; NC; NC). How to raise Combat Power is on Combat Power Guide.

3:51 He calls gear score "a fake number". At launch it was the only figure the game showed, and it can be inflated without making a character much stronger, for instance by socketing superior manastones or enhancing Arcana cards, which lets a weak character through dungeon gates. 5:55 A few months after launch the developers added Combat Power, calculated from the character's actual stats, and he treats it as the real measure: his own character showed 3,330 gear score but only 210,000 Combat Power. NC's release of Mar 11, 2026 announced the Combat Power display "in addition to item level", along with a tool tentatively called Combat Analysis for measuring damage per second (Combat System).

3:49 FRESHY adds that Combat Power is itself a requirement for harder content, but that past the early stages the stats on each piece matter more than the headline number: a higher-level item with poor stats for a class is not an upgrade.

From leveling gear to a dungeon set

0:41 At the level cap the first real set comes from Conquest Expedition Dungeons. FRESHY describes three tiers with two dungeons each, one dropping weapons and accessories and the other armor; players start on the one-star pair and move to two and three stars as their gear score rises. 1:22 Full sets rarely drop straight away, so he advises taking what drops and saving the guaranteed rewards for the last few missing pieces. The three-star tier includes the Fire Temple, whose Kromede weapons carry an "extend" effect that lengthens attack range at the cost of a stat slot.

2:34 aselon_eu's review of February 2026 describes how NC softened the grind in Korea: dungeons gained pity mechanics that let players choose a Unique item after a certain number of runs, and later weapon change vouchers for turning a drop meant for another class into one they can use. Grobs sums up the resulting rhythm: clear a dungeon a few times, raise item level, unlock the next one, and repeat.

For the global version, Anders reports that item level requirements are higher than in Korea, so players cannot skip the one-star Expeditions, Krao Cave and Draupnir, as some did there. NC's dungeon stream placed Krao Cave's entry at about 800 item level. 6:11 The first test build showed lower numbers for the first dungeons: EUTOPIA, comparing it with the Korean client after day one of the Launch Scale Test, read Krao Cave at 700 instead of 1,000, Urugugu Canyon at 1,400 instead of 1,600 and the Fire Temple at 2,100 instead of 2,200, with a Unique drop rate that looked lower, 7.5% against Korea's 10%. Every global player climbs the same dungeon ladder together: NC says all instanced content is cross-server, and party matching for dungeons covers the whole region from Oct 5 (only the early access servers before that), so Founder's Pack players and free players gear up in the same groups after launch (NC on Steam; mein-mmo).

Gear stats on the global build

5:07 The global items themselves differ from Korea's. EUTOPIA found that gear in the global test has higher raw base stats, but that the built-in PvE damage boost and PvE damage tolerance of comparable Korean items are missing, replaced by the Potential system; his example is a crafted sword of item level 102 with 485 to 606 attack on global against item level 92 and 372 to 465 in Korea. He also read lower enhancement caps, +5 for green gear and +10 for blue, against +10 and +15 in Korea (Enhancement and Soul Imprint). Anders reached the same conclusion about crafted gear, whose PvE percentage modifier is "a straight removal", and warns that older gearing guides no longer apply (Crafting and Gathering).

Heroic gear and the global launch

22:32 The biggest global change is the missing top grade. Asked about it in the dungeon stream of September 2026, NC's host confirmed that the global launch "will not have heroic gear for season 1": the Fire Temple drops only its regular weapons, without Heroic variants. The team wanted to slow the pace of progression, having seen players in Korea push hard for Heroic gear and treat anything less as unfinished.

Anders had spotted the change in the Japanese stream in August 2026, where no Heroic drops appeared in Conquest dungeons or the Sanctuary, and argued that crafted Heroic gear, "truly a whale item" at the Korean launch, would likely be missing too; by September he reported that NC's North American stream had confirmed no Heroic items at launch from drops or crafting. 3:13 With Heroics gone, Unique is the best drop in the launch dungeons. Unwanted Unique items can be kept for upgrades that need Sync Stones, or extracted for enhancement stones and a chance at the item's skin.

Crafted gear

6:17 Crafted gear is the long-term PvE target. Compared with dungeon equipment of the same tier, FRESHY says, crafted gear has a built-in 5% PvE bonus and more flexible stats, but it costs materials, crafting experience and time, so the switch works best gradually: weapon first, then guard, accessories and armor (Crafting and Gathering).

7:01 aselon_eu found the same on the Korean and Taiwanese servers: crafting is the main source of the best PvE gear, its extra PvE damage bonuses make it much stronger in endgame content, and dungeon drops mostly serve to raise gear score. NC has said it does not want dungeon gear to compete with crafted gear. He calls Kina, which can also be bought with the premium currency, the main bottleneck for progression, and Grobs made the point more bluntly in December 2025, complaining that PvE gear could not be looted in dungeons and had to be crafted or bought on the auction house (Market and Exchange). With Heroic drops removed, CrusherXGaming calls crafted gear the best path to endgame power on the global version.

Abyss gear for PvP

3:39 PvP has its own gear. Xela's summary of the Season 2 roadmap in January 2026 says PvP and PvE gear were separated: Abyss gear now gives PvP power but reduces PvE damage, so it is no longer best in slot for raids, and high-end gear has separate PvP and PvE item levels (Season 2).

6:20 Anders explains that Abyss Points and medals, which he rates even more important because of how they are acquired, are how players buy PvP gear, which is always guaranteed to give up its skin when extracted. Abyss Points come from the Abyss, sieges and PvP modes (The Abyss (Reshanta)). Grobs warned in December 2025 that the best source of that currency is killing other players in the Abyss, so early leaders snowball: more currency buys more gear, which wins more fights. Korea kept adjusting Abyss gear in the weeks before the global launch: the Aug 26, 2026 update raised the Abyss set bonus at every step, to 30% Abyss damage amplification for eight pieces and 40% for twelve (from 15% and 20%), and the Sep 16 update made Abyss monsters drop unbound Potential amplification stones (NC; NC).

Keeping upgrades when gear changes

8:14 Replacing an item does not mean starting over. The transfer system moves progression from an existing item to a new one, including enhancement levels, upgrade stages and soul binding effects; only Potential, the PvE bonus built up on dungeon gear, stays behind. aselon_eu notes that NC also added a stat transfer that copies every stat line to another item, and that a later patch removed its cost of 10 million Kina. The fan site aion2hub dates the Korean Inheritance System to Season 2 (Jan 21, 2026), free inheritance to Feb 11, Inheritance Craft to Apr 8 and guaranteed 100% inheritance to Chapter 1 (Jul 1, 2026).

Other sources of power and new slots

Equipment is only part of a character's strength. Arcana cards from Transcendence dungeons, the Daevanion Boards, pets and titles all add stats (Arcana, Pets and Mounts). Amulets and belts are permanent items upgraded with scrolls from feathers and Strongholds rather than replaced, and Korea's Chapter 1 added Pendant equipment and Hero-grade Amulets and Belts (NC). According to aion2hub, a Brooch slot followed on May 27, 2026. NC's Korean update notes of Sep 9, 2026 added a Seal slot, filled by crafting or by converting equipment change vouchers from the new Sanctuary Snowfield of Sorrow together with Kina, a raid whose three difficulties call for item levels from 5,800 to 6,200 (NC; Inven). Anders says both slots come from raids in Korea, and neither of those raids is in the global season one. In Korea and Taiwan, the growth support system and Sprout Badge help late starters catch up; Sen's run through growth support took his character from about 2,800 to 4,100 gear score.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between item level and Combat Power in Aion 2? Item level, or gear score, reflects the equipment and decides which dungeons a character may enter. Combat Power is calculated from the character's actual stats, so creators treat it as the better measure of strength.

Is crafted gear better than dungeon gear? For PvE, yes. Crafted gear has a built-in PvE bonus and more flexible stats, while dungeon gear is the bridge to it and can gain PvE bonuses through Potential.

Is there Heroic gear on the global version? Not in season one. NC confirmed that the global launch has no Heroic gear, so Unique is the best grade.

How do you get PvP gear? With Abyss Points and medals earned in the Abyss and other PvP content. Since Season 2 in Korea, Abyss gear adds PvP power and reduces PvE damage.

Do you lose your upgrades when you replace gear? Mostly not. The transfer system moves enhancement levels, upgrade stages and soul binding to the new item; Potential does not transfer.

What item level do endgame dungeons need? On the Korean servers, from 3,200 for Mirror of Scarlet Desire to 3,700 for Corroded Decontamination Facility and 4,000 for Ascension Trial Doom, and 5,800 to 6,200 for Snowfield of Sorrow, added on Sep 9, 2026. The global launch dungeons start far lower, with Krao Cave at about 800 item level according to NC's stream.

What is the Seal slot? An equipment slot Korea and Taiwan added on Sep 9, 2026, filled by crafting or by converting vouchers from the Snowfield of Sorrow raid. It is not part of the global season one.

Sources

• Aion 2 Introduces New Sanctuary Dungeon, 'Corroded Decontamination Facility', NC, Mar 11, 2026.
• Aion 2 Launches New Transcendence Dungeon 'Mirror of Scarlet Desire' and Announces June Showcase, NC, May 13, 2026.
• Aion 2 Rolls Out 'Chapter 1. Lands of Sand and Snow' Update, NC, Jul 6, 2026.
• Aion 2 Patch Notes, aion2hub (fan site), retrieved Sep 15, 2026.
• 8/26(수) 업데이트 노트, 9/9(수) 업데이트 노트 and 9/16(수) 업데이트 노트, NC (Korean update notes), Aug 26, Sep 9 and Sep 16, 2026.
• '아이온2' 최고난도 성역 '비탄의 설원' 추가, Inven (Kang Min-woo), Sep 9, 2026.
• "New Servers Opening!", NC on Steam, Sep 30, 2026.
• Aion 2 Server für Europa - Auf welcher Welt sind die großen Streamer?, mein-mmo, Sep 30, 2026.
• Aion 2 PVE Gear Progression Guide | Everything You Need To Know, FRESHY (video), Sep 11, 2026.
• Aion 2 Gear Score vs Combat Power Explained! Beginners Guide, Society Of Gaming (video), May 17, 2026.
• Aion 2: Better or Worse? State of the Game (3 Months Later), aselon_eu (video), Feb 19, 2026.
• [Aion 2] Dungeon Live Gameplay Showcase, Aion 2 Official (video), Sep 4, 2026.
• Aion 2 Global Changes Revealed - No Heroic Gear, Aion 2 Global PVE - Every Dungeon, Raid, and Daily at Launch and Aion 2 Global PVP: From 1v1 Arena to Large-Scale Siege, Anders (videos), Aug 31, Sep 15 and Sep 12, 2026.
• Aion 2 Is Changing Forever - 2026 Season 2 Roadmap, Xela (video), Jan 14, 2026.
• I played Aion 2 for 250 hours… (Final Review) and Aion 2 vs Throne and Liberty, Grobs (videos), Dec 20, 2025 and Aug 28, 2026.
• Aion 2 All 5 Professions Explains, CrusherXGaming (video), Sep 14, 2026.
• Aion 2 FASTEST Catch-Up Gear Guide (Growth Support Explained), Sen (video), Jul 7, 2026.
• Aion 2 Global Guide - What's DIFFERENT From Korea?, EUTOPIA (video), Sep 18, 2026.
• Aion 2 Global Build - Gear Stats Changed Completely, Genus Nerfed, Anders (video), Sep 18, 2026.
• [Aion 2] Everything about the Enchantment System!, Azphel (video), Nov 26, 2025.