AION Reforged Arrives October 20, Giving the Original MMO a New Start Beside AION 2

Apparently one new AION is not enough for October.

While most of the attention is currently fixed on AION 2's global launch on October 5, NC is also preparing something rather interesting for players who are not quite ready to leave the original game behind. AION Reforged is scheduled to open on October 20, introducing a new Reforged server built around a heavily revised version of familiar AION locations, systems and progression.

That places it only fifteen days after AION 2's free-to-play global release. For a franchise that spent several years moving at a fairly leisurely MMO pace, October is suddenly becoming extremely crowded.

What Is AION Reforged?

The easiest mistake would be to think Reforged is simply another ordinary fresh-start server. NC's own Reforged preregistration page suggests something considerably more ambitious.

The promotional material shows familiar parts of Atreia being rebuilt or reorganized. Poeta and Ishalgen are presented as a new starting adventure, Eltnen and Morheim feature redesigned dungeon entrances, the Bella Borderlands include a large safe zone, Heiron and Beluslan retain Rift-based faction conflict, while the Sulfur Tree Archipelago is described as an "Abyss Reimagined." There is even a redesigned Twisted Poeta among the locations NC is currently teasing.

In other words, this is still recognisably AION, but it is not simply the same old server with everybody reset to level one.

That distinction matters because the original game has already been living several different lives. AION Classic remains an actively maintained MMO in 2026, while updates such as Classic's Ignite update brought returning players back into Atreia. Reforged now creates another branch between preserving old AION and completely replacing it.

NC Is Updating More Than the World

We already know that Reforged will also arrive alongside changes to some of AION's surrounding systems. NC has confirmed that the costume system is being revamped for both the upcoming Reforged server and AION Classic 5.5, ending the existing quarterly costume rotation on those versions.

That may sound like a small detail, but it helps illustrate what Reforged appears to be trying to do. This is not quite Classic, not quite Live and certainly not AION 2's much more modern interpretation of the franchise. It sits somewhere in the middle, keeping the places, factions and fundamental identity veteran players remember while reconsidering how those pieces fit together.

There is a certain logic to that. AION 2 is deliberately changing things. Its eight launch classes may have familiar names, but combat, progression and group content have been rebuilt around a very different MMO. Its global version is also arriving with major progression and monetization changes compared with Korea and Taiwan.

Reforged offers NC another option: modernize AION without requiring players to abandon AION.

Pre-Registration Is Already Open

Players can already pre-register for Reforged through NC's official site. Registration remains open until October 19, with reward coupons becoming usable when the Reforged service opens on October 20.

Reforged players receive a Dazzling Wings of Dawn Box, allowing them to choose between Aerope's Wings, Persephone's Wings, Boreas's Wings or Tyr's Wings. Interestingly, NC is also giving Classic players a separate preregistration reward consisting of 30 Enchantment Stones, reinforcing the idea that Reforged is being launched alongside the existing AION ecosystem rather than quietly replacing it.

October Is Becoming a Very Strange Month for AION

The timing is easily the most fascinating part.

AION 2 Founder's Pack players begin Advanced Access on September 30. The full sequel launches globally on October 5. Players will then spend two weeks exploring its enormous new Atreia, testing its economy and discovering whether concerns surrounding Membership, the Market and Quna actually matter at endgame.

Then, on October 20, NC invites everyone back to the old game again.

It sounds slightly mad, but there is also something rather appealing about it. AION 2 is trying to answer the question of what AION should become. Reforged is asking a different question: how much of the original AION can be changed before it stops feeling like AION?

For longtime Daevas, October may end up providing the answer to both.

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AION 2 Global Release Date Is October 5, With Early Access Starting September 30

The waiting is almost over. AION 2 will officially launch globally on October 5, 2026, bringing NC's long-awaited MMORPG sequel to Western players after almost a year of watching the Korean version evolve from afar. Players who purchase one of the game's Founder's Packs will not have to wait quite that long, with five days of Advanced Access beginning on September 30.

The date is now confirmed through both the official AION 2 global website and the game's Steam page, finally replacing the broad 2026 release window NC gave us earlier this year. When we first covered AION 2's confirmed global release plans back in February, the important news was simply that the game was coming West. Seven months later, we can finally start counting the remaining days rather than fiscal quarters.

AION 2 Launches Globally on October 5

The full global release arrives on October 5 as a free-to-play PC MMORPG. Players will be able to access AION 2 through Steam and NC's PURPLE platform, with the Steam listing confirming support for online PvP, online co-op and in-game purchases.

NC describes AION 2 as a vastly expanded successor built around aerial exploration and combat. According to the Steam listing, its world is approximately 36 times larger than the original AION, with verticality playing a central role in exploration and battles rather than flight simply being a convenient way to cross the map.

That is a rather substantial step up from the original game's famous wings. In AION 2, apparently, the sky is no longer just somewhere you occasionally go when the flight meter allows it. It is part of the battlefield.

Advanced Access Begins September 30

Players purchasing any of the three Founder's Packs receive five days of Advanced Access beginning September 30. The Standard Founder's Pack is currently listed at $24.99 on Steam, with Deluxe at $49.99 and Ultimate at $99.99. All three include the five-day head start, while the more expensive versions add additional cosmetic items and other bonuses.

The Standard pack also includes a 30-day membership, a Daeva's Campaign Supply Chest and the exclusive Vanguard of Atreia title. Deluxe adds additional skins and weapon cosmetics, while Ultimate adds further character styling items, a Black Dragon pet and Blazing Sun Wings.

None of that is required to play AION 2 once the game launches on October 5. Players who are happy to wait five additional days can simply enter when the free-to-play version opens.

You Can Play AION 2 Before September 30

There is actually one opportunity to get into Atreia even earlier. NC is running the AION 2 Launch Scale Test beginning September 17, giving global players two six-hour sessions to test the game before release. The level cap is 37, several economy systems are disabled and all progression will be wiped when testing ends, but participation is free.

That makes September unusually busy for a game that spent much of this year feeling frustratingly distant. First comes the Launch Scale Test, then Advanced Access, and finally the full October 5 release.

PC Comes First, but Consoles Are Already Planned

October's release is PC-only, but NC is already looking beyond Steam and PURPLE. Game Director Namjoon Kim recently confirmed that an AION 2 console version is already being prepared, although no console platforms or release date have been announced yet.

PC and console cross-play is also far from guaranteed. NC has suggested that differences in platform usage, gameplay and launch timing could make shared play difficult, meaning the future console version may end up with a somewhat separate ecosystem.

For October, however, the message is simple: PC comes first.

From Korean Success to a Global Launch

AION 2 originally launched in South Korea in November 2025 and quickly became one of NC's most important recent PC releases. Since then, the developer has continued expanding progression, dungeons and economic systems, including controversial changes such as the introduction of Bound Kinah. The 2026 AION 2 roadmap also made it clear that NC intends to keep adding content rather than treating launch as the finish line.

For global players, though, all of that has mostly been something happening somewhere else. That changes now.

September 17 brings the test. September 30 brings Advanced Access. October 5 brings the full global launch.

After months of release windows, financial reports, Korean patches and speculation, AION 2 finally has the one thing every MMO eventually needs: a date when everyone else gets to play it.

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AION 2 Launch Scale Test Starts This Week: Dates, Times and Everything You Need to Know

For most of 2026, global AION 2 coverage has involved a familiar MMO ritual: watching another region play the game while patiently studying patch notes, balance changes and increasingly elaborate progression systems from the other side of the window. This week, that finally changes. AION 2's Launch Scale Test begins on September 17, giving global players their first major open opportunity to get into the PC version ahead of Advanced Access on September 30 and the full free-to-play launch in October.

NCSoft is making this one unusually easy to join. According to the official AION 2 Launch Scale Test announcement, the test is available through both Steam and PURPLE and is open to everyone. There are no beta keys to win, no invitation lottery and no mysterious sign-up system where somebody who registered six minutes after you somehow gets access first. If your PC can run AION 2 and the game is available in your region, this is essentially the final public dress rehearsal.

When Does the AION 2 Launch Scale Test Start?

Pre-download begins on September 16 at 15:00 CEST, giving players a full day to install the client before the first session begins.

The Launch Scale Test itself is divided into two six-hour sessions:

• September 17: 15:00 to 21:00 CEST
• September 18: 21:00 to 03:00 CEST on September 19

That gives players a maximum of 12 hours of testing. Progress from the first session carries over into the second, so characters will not reset overnight. Once the Launch Scale Test is finished, however, everything is wiped. Characters, levels, equipment and progression will not carry into Advanced Access or the full launch.

That last part is worth remembering if you are planning to treat the test like the first weekend of a new MMO. This is the time to experiment with classes, test performance, learn the opening areas and discover which keybind you immediately regret. It is probably not the time to become emotionally attached to a level 37 character whose name took longer to create than the character itself.

The Level Cap Is 37

NCSoft has set the maximum level at 37 for the Launch Scale Test, which naturally means that higher-level content will remain inaccessible. Several parts of AION 2's live economy are also deliberately disabled.

The Shop, Quna purchases, passes, memberships and payment functions will not be available. The Marketplace, Quna Exchange and direct player-to-player trading are also disabled, while Founder's Pack items cannot be used during the test. The Closet system is switched off as well, meaning characters will largely be running around in their default appearance.

That makes the Launch Scale Test quite different from the version of AION 2 that has already been operating in Asia. Earlier this year, we followed major economic changes such as AION 2's introduction of Bound Kinah, but much of that machinery is intentionally pushed into the background here. The purpose of this test is primarily to stress the global infrastructure and let players experience the game itself, rather than discover who can become Atreia's most efficient amateur accountant in twelve hours.

Steam Players Need a Separate Playtest Client

There is one practical detail worth knowing before downloading. Steam users will access the Launch Scale Test through a separate AION 2 Playtest application rather than the regular release client.

After the test ends, Steam players will therefore need to uninstall the Playtest version and download the normal AION 2 client if they intend to continue into Advanced Access or the full launch. PURPLE users will not have to perform the same additional download step.

It is hardly a catastrophe, but it is exactly the kind of small technical detail that becomes considerably more annoying when launch day arrives, everybody is trying to log in at once and your friends have already disappeared three zones ahead while you are staring at a progress bar.

AION 2's Global Launch Suddenly Feels Very Close

When we covered NCSoft confirming AION 2's global release plans earlier this year, the Western version still felt relatively distant. The Korean launch had already shown that AION 2 could attract a substantial audience, and the subsequent AION 2 roadmap revealed how quickly NCSoft intended to expand the game, but global players were still largely watching events from the sidelines.

That period is now effectively over. The Launch Scale Test is limited, all progression will eventually disappear and several important systems are disabled, but for players who have spent months wondering how AION 2 actually feels to play, September 17 is the first genuinely important global date.

It is also completely free.

AION 2's global launch is no longer some vague promise hiding somewhere later in 2026. This week, players can finally log in, spread their wings and see whether the sequel has been worth waiting for.

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