That number becomes more interesting when viewed across the entire test. SteamDB recorded the Playtest at around 48 percent positive during an early snapshot on September 17. Later data showed that climbing into the 60s, and after Day 2 the score has reached 69 percent. Steam ratings can continue changing as more people submit reviews, so 69 percent should be treated as a snapshot rather than carved into the walls of Atreia. Still, the direction is notable: the player score improved as the test went on.
AION 2 Finished With 73,761 as Its Steam Peak
The final player numbers are now available as well. AION 2 reached an all-time Steam peak of 73,761 concurrent players on September 17. Day 2 came remarkably close, reaching a 24-hour peak of 73,739, just 22 players short of the first session's record.
That is useful context because the second test window did not collapse after the curiosity of Day 1 wore off. The audience returned at almost exactly the same peak level for another six-hour session, despite knowing that every character would disappear when the servers closed.
As we noted when AION 2 first hit 73,761 concurrent Steam players, these numbers still exclude everyone using NC's PURPLE launcher. The actual global test population was therefore larger, although NC has not provided a combined concurrency figure.
The Review Score Started Much Worse
The change in Steam sentiment may be the most interesting part of the test.
Early reactions were rough. During the opening period, SteamDB captured a review percentage below 50 percent. At that point, many of the complaints focused on exactly the things that make the strongest impression during AION 2's first hour: auto-navigation, the interface, extremely easy introductory combat and the feeling that parts of the game resemble a mobile MMORPG transplanted onto PC.
That criticism did not disappear. Steam discussions are still full of players complaining about auto-run, auto-potions, menu design and the generally streamlined structure of the opening quests. Some players tried the game for twenty minutes, decided they had seen another familiar Korean MMO formula and uninstalled.
But other players did something rather inconvenient for an immediate internet verdict.
They kept playing.
AION 2 Seems to Have a First-Hour Problem
Yesterday we looked at the first AION 2 player impressions after Day 1, and one pattern appeared repeatedly: players who disliked the opening hour sometimes became substantially more positive after additional skills, progression systems and group activities unlocked.
One highly discussed MMO community post came from a player who initially disliked the combat, auto systems and mobile-like presentation, then continued playing with friends for five hours and ended up disappointed when the servers closed. Other reactions described something similar. Combat starts extremely simple, but becomes more interesting once classes gain enough abilities for chained skills and actual rotations to develop.
The Steam review curve does not prove that every negative player simply needed to play longer. Plenty of people remained unconvinced after several hours, and that is perfectly legitimate. But the improvement from an early sub-50 percent snapshot to 69 percent after the full test is at least consistent with the idea that AION 2 makes a weaker first impression than it does a third or fourth impression.
The Mobile-Like UI Is Still the Biggest Recurring Complaint
The criticism that refuses to go away concerns AION 2's interface and automation.
Players repeatedly describe the UI as mobile-like, with large interface elements, strongly guided navigation and several automated conveniences. Auto-movement remains particularly divisive. Some players treat it as a harmless option when moving between quest objectives. Others see its presence as symbolic of exactly the sort of MMO design they hoped AION 2 would avoid.
The strange part is that the world itself is receiving plenty of praise. AION 2's vertical environments, floating architecture and large landscapes are among the most consistently appreciated parts of the test, which makes automatically following a route through them feel particularly odd to players who would rather explore manually.
NC now has a useful problem to solve. The systems that make AION 2 approachable may also be the systems making some veteran MMO players dismiss it before its stronger combat and progression have time to appear.
Combat and Progression Are Helping the Other Side of the Argument
Positive reactions tend to focus on a different set of features: combat once more skills unlock, character progression, the pet and mount collection systems, visual quality and the sheer number of things available to improve.
AION 2 constantly gives the player another number, item, passive tree or system to develop. That can eventually become dangerous in an MMO, because today's satisfying progression menu can become next month's list of mandatory chores. But across twelve hours of temporary testing, many players clearly enjoyed the feeling of continually unlocking something new.
The game's combat also has more going on beneath the simple opening than first appears. NC continues adjusting systems such as animation cancelling and skill chaining, while the eight launch classes develop significantly as additional abilities become available.
That does not erase the criticism of the first few levels. It simply explains why somebody can dislike AION 2 at level 5 and enjoy it considerably more later the same evening.
The Test Was Missing Some of AION 2's Most Controversial Systems
There is another major reason not to treat 69 percent as a review score for the complete game.
The Launch Scale Test disabled the Shop, Quna purchases, Membership, the Market, Quna Exchange and other payment systems. The level cap was 37, Founder's Pack items were unavailable and every piece of progression was wiped after Day 2. NC's official test rules were explicit that this was a limited scale test rather than a complete representation of long-term progression. ([steamdb.info](https://steamdb.info/patchnotes/25369750/))
That means players were unable to properly experience one of AION 2's most controversial subjects: monetization. We have already looked at how the $15 Membership affects Market access and other systems, and NC has now clarified after the test that direct player-to-player trading will be disabled as an anti-bot measure, leaving the Market as the central trading system.
The economic conversation will therefore change considerably once the permanent servers open.
NC Is Already Making Changes After the Test
The Launch Scale Test did more than produce a Steam score. NC used Day 1 feedback to push crash fixes, improve quest-object interaction ranges and open four additional European servers during the test.
After the test closed, NC also confirmed changes to its launch queue policy. Players in good account standing can enter a priority queue when servers are at capacity, although NC stresses that priority does not guarantee immediate entry. Accounts under disciplinary action or suspected of violating the Terms of Service can lose that privilege.
Steam users must now uninstall the separate Playtest application and download the retail AION 2 client before Advanced Access. PURPLE users do not need the same extra step.
69 Percent Is Neither a Disaster Nor a Victory Lap
A 69 percent Steam score is exactly the sort of number that allows everyone to find evidence for whatever they already believed.
If you expected AION 2 to be another polished but over-automated Korean MMO, plenty of reviews will support that conclusion. If you hoped for strong combat, beautiful environments and an enormous progression-heavy MMO, there are plenty of players saying they found exactly that too.
The more useful observation is that sentiment improved during the test while player concurrency remained remarkably stable between the two sessions. AION 2 hit 73,761 players on Day 1 and 73,739 on Day 2, while the Steam review percentage climbed substantially from its early position.
That is a much healthier story than a test where everybody arrives once, hates the first hour and never comes back.
It is also far too early for celebration.
The real test begins when the wipe is gone, the economy is active, Membership matters, endgame progression starts consuming weeks instead of hours and players have to decide whether AION 2 deserves a permanent place in their MMO rotation.
For now, 69 percent positive feels strangely appropriate.
AION 2 has convinced a lot of people. It has annoyed plenty of others. And with Advanced Access beginning September 30, the argument has barely started.
