Launch Scale Test

12:29 The Launch Scale Test (LST) was an open two-day test of Aion 2's global PC version, held on Sep 17 and 18, 2026 ahead of Founder's Pack early access, Advanced Access, on Sep 30 and the Global Release on Oct 5. As its name suggests, it tested the servers at the scale of a launch. Anyone could join on Steam or PURPLE, with no keys, invites or registration list, for six hours on each day; characters could reach level 37, nothing could be bought or traded, and all progress was wiped at the end. NC's hosts had announced it on their dungeon stream of Sep 4 with exactly those dates, the pre-load on Sep 16, sessions of about six hours and the level cap of 37. On Steam the test peaked at 73,761 concurrent players, and in Europe NC added two pairs of servers within the first 90 minutes.

Quick facts

Schedule

NC's Steam post of Aug 26, 2026 set out the timetable, and the test ran to it. It was not continuous: each day was a single six-hour window, and the two windows fell at different times of day, the first suiting Europe and the second the Americas.

Between the two windows the servers were down for a planned maintenance of about 24 hours from 12:00 PDT on Sep 17, during which NC shipped a hotfix. MassivelyOP's preview gave the day 2 start as 12:00 EDT; NC's time was 12:00 PDT, which is 15:00 EDT.

2:52 CrusherXGaming had warned beforehand that many players had circled Sep 16 as the first day of play: it was only the pre-download date, and anyone who logged in then would be watching a download bar. He also stressed that access was free and separate from the paid early access beginning on Sep 30, so no Founder's Pack was needed.

How to join

On Steam the test ran as its own app, Aion 2 Playtest (4972320), listed on Aug 26, 2026 for Windows; players requested access from the Aion 2 store page. On PURPLE it ran through NC's launcher. After the test, Steam players had to uninstall the Playtest app and download Aion 2 separately for Advanced Access on Sep 30, while PURPLE players needed to do nothing further. The test used the same hardware requirements as the full game (System Requirements, Platforms).

Limits

NC's posts listed what was switched off. No purchases of any kind were possible: the shop, Quna, passes, Memberships and every payment portal were disabled, as were the Market, the Quna exchange and player-to-player trading. Founder's Packs items were unavailable. The maximum level was 37, "which will limit content requiring a higher level". Progress carried from day 1 to day 2, was wiped at the end of day 2, and nothing transferred to Advanced Access or launch. Reports on outfits differed: NC's August post said the closet would be disabled, so that characters would wear default outfits, and MassivelyOP's preview of Sep 16 also said outfit customization would be off, but NC's X account said on Sep 16 that "Wardrobe and Character Customization" would be available.

1:02:02 NC's hosts had presented the missing shop as a benefit: with no marketplace or shop portal open, players could focus purely on gameplay or on character creation.

1:57 OmniPower pointed out what the cap meant in practice: level 37 limited both the dungeons players could clear and how far they could follow the main story, which made the test most useful to those who had not already played the Taiwanese version (Leveling).

7:27 Society Of Gaming, who plays the Korean and Taiwanese version, explained what losing the closet would cost: it is the account-wide wardrobe of collected skins, and in Aion 2 collecting skins also adds to a character's power.

8:08 He saw nothing surprising in the loss of trading, the marketplace and paid Memberships: the point of the test was to put the servers under load, so there was no reason to switch on an economy.

What could be played

On Sep 14, 2026 Society Of Gaming used a level 37 character on the Korean and Taiwanese servers to show what the cap was expected to leave in and out. NC did not publish a full list, so this was his reading of the level requirements.

2:13 Out of reach were season missions and Transcendence Dungeons, which also meant no Arcana, and the solo Nightmare and Ascension Trial content.

3:20 The Abyss, the open-world PvP zone, was also closed; it opens at level 45 (The Abyss (Reshanta)).

16:05 NC confirmed the rule on its PvP stream of Sep 11, 2026: PvP unlocks at level 45, which put ranked Arena (1v1 and 5v5), the Battlefield and the Abyss out of reach during the test.

9:02 Anders added that the Spacetime Rift and Battlefield were on the list of modes disabled for the test, but that duels were not, so dueling was expected to be the only PvP available before launch.

4:14 What remained was substantial. The Exploration modes of three Expeditions could be played within the cap: Krao Cave from level 20, Urugugu Canyon from 28 and the Fire Temple from 35. Their Conquest modes need level 45 (Expedition Dungeons).

5:19 Crafting was expected to be open in all five professions (blacksmithing, armorsmithing, handicrafting, alchemy and cooking), which he considered important because crafting supplies the best PvE gear; he also noted that the global version has no Heroic gear to craft (Crafting and Gathering).

Beyond those, he expected pets and Genus Insight, substance morphing, legions, wings, daily dungeons, the Pantheon, achievements, titles, Daevanion boards and skills to be available (Pets and Mounts, Daevanion Boards, Daily Dungeons and Shugo Festa).

12:46 All eight launch classes were expected to be playable; the Brawler, Korea's ninth class, is not part of the global version at launch (Classes, Brawler).

Making use of the test

12:54 NC's own advice was to take it slowly: its senior producer recommended enjoying the main story quest and exploring Atreia rather than racing to level 37, although players who wanted to practice their leveling for launch were free to.

3:41 CrusherXGaming's priorities were practical. Play the two or three classes you are torn between far enough past the tutorial to feel their rotations; benchmark your connection under real combat load, not standing in town; and set up keybinds and camera then rather than on launch day.

Day 1: full servers in Europe

The test opened on Sep 17 at 06:00 PDT (13:00 UTC). In Europe NC opened only two servers per faction, and both were full within the first five minutes, mein-mmo's Sophia Weiss reported; a third server per faction appeared about half an hour in, and the third Asmodian server filled again almost at once. NC's own notice records two European pairs added that morning: Vaizel (Elyos) and Triniel (Asmodian) at 06:48 PDT, and Kaisinel and Lumiel at 07:28 PDT. NC announced no additions in any other region (Servers).

Once in, players found the test stable. The Munich-based mein-mmo tester measured about 10 ms of ping to the European data center and saw no stutter, and with players spread across instances and channels the open world did not feel crowded. MassivelyOP's reviewer noticed mild stuttering in the main town with several dozen players about, and otherwise called the test technically sound. NC ran polls on X during the day, on faction, class and favorite moment, and at 12:00 PDT the servers went down for the planned maintenance.

15:43 Some players raced to the cap. When NC's broadcaster Stella asked her chat on the second day whether anyone had already hit level 37, one yes after another came in, and she noted that some had reached it on the first day.

The hotfix

NC's hotfix of Sep 18, released at 04:00 UTC, made four changes: a slightly larger interaction radius for quest objects; no appearance change tickets for characters below level 10; a fix for a chat and macro reporting error that wrongly said the other party could not be verified; and fixes for client crashes. Players were told to download it before day 2. MMOHuts summed up NC's changes during and after the test as crash fixes, better quest-object interaction ranges and additional European servers.

Day 2 and the War for Atreia

11:53 Day 2 opened at 12:00 PDT on Sep 18 (19:00 UTC), and NC's Community Broadcaster Stella streamed it on NC's own channel. She played as an Asmodian on "the one NA West server that was live yesterday" and promised Founder's Pack giveaways, plus an announcement at the end of the stream involving "your favorite MMO RPG content creators". NC announced no server additions or incidents on day 2.

1:54:54 The announcement was War for Atreia: 60 creators in six teams across North America, Europe and Latin America, fighting "a two week long skirmish" with viewer challenges and Twitch drops, starting on Sep 30 with early access. Stella named the captains and set the draft stream for Sep 23. NC posted a short reveal video the same evening, and the event began on Sep 30 as planned (Advanced Access).

Turnout

SteamDB recorded a Steam peak of 73,761 concurrent players on Sep 17, and the day 2 window nearly matched it at 73,739, as MMOHuts reported; as of Sep 30, 2026 SteamDB still showed 73,761 as the Playtest app's all-time peak. Both figures count Steam only: PURPLE players are not included, and NC published no combined figure.

Korean press repeated the number before early access. The Elec rounded it to 70,000 in its headline, and Newspim quoted Hana Securities analyst Lee Jun-ho reading the peak as a sign that many global players were waiting. Newspim also reported that NC's Throne and Liberty had drawn about 60,000 concurrent players in its own pre-launch test. On Sep 30 Advanced Access, open only to Founder's Pack owners, more than doubled the LST peak on Steam (Advanced Access).

Reception

Steam reviews of the Playtest app were below 50% positive in a snapshot on day 1, MMOHuts reported, and 69% positive when it wrote on Sep 20. As of Sep 30, 2026 the app stood at Mostly Positive, with 132 of 187 reviews (70.6%) positive.

What testers liked, according to The Elec's summary of overseas reaction, was the graphics, the world design, flight and technical stability. MassivelyOP's Tyler F.M. Edwards praised the very deep character customization, high production values with full voice acting and good translations, an open world with swimming and flight almost from the start, and above all the soundtrack and world design. Sophia Weiss of mein-mmo, a Final Fantasy XIV player new to action combat, enjoyed the hybrid of tab-target and action combat, and found that the German translation read well. Kevin Link of S4G (space4games), who reached level 30 in about 12 hours, felt the combat "feels right", liked the Daevanion boards, Stigma skills, pet collection and Shugo Festa minigames, and called first flight the highlight of the test.

The criticism was as consistent. MMOHuts summarized player complaints as a mobile-like interface, auto-navigation, auto-potions, guided questing and a very easy opening, and The Elec listed combat impact, the interface and the early game. MassivelyOP found both combat modes undercooked, with too many keybinds, sprint tied to dodge and no active block even for shield classes, attacks that lacked impact, classes that felt alike, "kill ten rats" quests and a story hard to follow for newcomers; it also noted that the Brawler would be missing from the western launch. S4G's biggest complaint was a heavily instanced world split into channels, which felt solitary; it also found leveling too fast, the first dungeon, Krao Cave, over in five minutes, and crafting materials rare (Combat System, Leveling).

What NC changed after the test

NC closed the test at 18:00 PDT on Sep 18 and published its wrap-up on Steam that evening. It announced two changes. As an anti-bot measure, direct player-to-player trades were disabled, and "The Market remains our central hub for trading between players"; since the Market requires a Membership, free players have no way to trade directly, mein-mmo pointed out. NC's Membership notice, updated on Sep 28, still listed personal trade among the perks (Market and Exchange, Membership).

The queue policy also changed. When a server is at capacity, "members in good standing" join a priority queue instead of the general queue, both queues move as space opens, and NC may revoke the privilege from accounts with disciplinary action against them or suspected of breaking the Terms of Service. NC did not say whether "members" means Membership holders (Servers).

After the test

All progress was deleted at the end of day 2. The launch level cap is 45, according to S4G and mein-mmo, eight levels above the test's cap.

1:10:15 Asked on stream whether there would be another test, Stella answered no, because early access was so close. Founder's Pack owners started again on Sep 30, when Advanced Access opened, and everyone else could start on Oct 5.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Aion 2 Launch Scale Test? On Sep 17, 2026 from 06:00 to 12:00 PDT and on Sep 18 from 12:00 to 18:00 PDT, with pre-download from 06:00 PDT on Sep 16.

Did you need a key or a Founder's Pack for the Launch Scale Test? No. It was open to everyone on Steam and PURPLE, with no keys, invites or registration list.

Did Launch Scale Test progress carry over to launch? No. Progress carried from the first day to the second, then everything was wiped; nothing transferred to Advanced Access or launch.

What was the level cap in the Launch Scale Test? Level 37, which kept players out of content that needs a higher level, including the Abyss, arenas and Conquest dungeons. The cap at launch is 45, according to press.

How many people played the Launch Scale Test? SteamDB recorded a peak of 73,761 concurrent players on Steam on Sep 17, 2026, and 73,739 on Sep 18. PURPLE players are not counted, and NC gave no total.

What changed after the Launch Scale Test? NC disabled direct player-to-player trading as an anti-bot measure, leaving the Membership-gated Market, and added a priority queue for "members in good standing" when a server is full. It also added European servers during the test and shipped a crash-fix hotfix before day 2.

Will there be another test? No. NC's broadcaster Stella said on Sep 18 that there would be no further test because early access was so close; Advanced Access opened on Sep 30.

What did Steam players need to do after the test? Uninstall the Aion 2 Playtest app and download Aion 2 separately before Advanced Access on Sep 30. PURPLE players needed to do nothing.

Sources

• "Launch Scale Test Coming Up", NC on Steam, Aug 26, 2026
• "Launch Scale Test: Pre-download Now!", NC on Steam, Sep 16, 2026
• "Launch Scale Test: Day 1", NC on Steam, Sep 17, 2026
• "Launch Scale Test: Day 2", NC on Steam, Sep 18, 2026
• "Launch Scale Test Comes to a Close: What's Next?", NC on Steam, Sep 19, 2026
• "New LST Servers Opening: Day 1", "Scheduled Maintenance: September 17" and "Aion 2 Hot Fix Update", NC, Sep 17 and 18, 2026
• "8/18 (Tues) New Product Info: Special Quai Membership (Updated 9/28)", NC, updated Sep 28, 2026
• Post on wardrobe and character customization in the test, NC on X, Sep 16, 2026
• Aion 2 Playtest charts, SteamDB, read Sep 30, 2026
• Aion 2 Playtest user reviews, Valve, read Sep 30, 2026
• Aion 2 Playtest app details, Valve, retrieved Sep 15, 2026
• Aion 2 playtest ends with mixed Steam reviews and a 73,761 player peak, MMOHuts, Sep 20, 2026
• Aion 2 stress test played, Sep 18, 2026, and Aion 2 stress test combat system, Sep 21, 2026, mein-mmo (Sophia Weiss, in German)
• Aion 2 servers in Europe, mein-mmo (Karsten Scholz, in German), Sep 30, 2026
• Aion 2 is holding a launch scale open stress test that anyone can hop in to this Thursday and Friday, MassivelyOP, Sep 16, 2026
• First impressions: Aion 2 feels surprisingly familiar, MassivelyOP (Tyler F.M. Edwards), Sep 22, 2026
• Aion 2 hands-on, S4G (Kevin Link), Sep 24, 2026
• Aion 2 global launch, The Elec (Kim Sung-jin), Sep 30, 2026
• Aion 2 global launch preview, Newspim (Jung Seung-won, in Korean), Sep 30, 2026
• Gamescom 2026: Aion 2 makes its global debut October 5 following stress test and headstart, MassivelyOP, Aug 25, 2026
• Dungeon Live Gameplay Showcase, Sep 4, 2026, PvP Gameplay Live Showcase, Sep 11, 2026, and Launch Scale Test | Let's Play with Stella, Sep 18, 2026, Aion 2 Official (videos)
• Aion 2 Pre Launch Guide Test Dates, Fast Leveling & Alts, CrusherXGaming, Sep 5, 2026 (video)
• Aion 2: Launch Scale Test Prep & 2nd Dev Stream Highlights!, OmniPower, Sep 7, 2026 (video)
• Aion 2 Free Steam Open Beta: Level 37 Cap, What You Can Actually Play (Dates + Limits), Society Of Gaming, Sep 14, 2026 (video)
• Aion 2 Global PVP: From 1v1 Arena to Large-Scale Siege, Anders, Sep 12, 2026 (video)