If you start on 5 Oct and pick a Launch Server, you're not behind on your own server. Everyone there starts the same day you do. The five-day gap only matters if you join an Early Access Server, and even there it closes faster than it looks.

Founder's Pack players get a five-day head start from 30 Sep. In an MMO that sounds like a big lead. In Aion 2, most of it is money, not levels.

Early Access vs Launch Servers

NC runs two waves of servers. Early Access Servers opened on 30 Sep for Founder's Pack owners. Launch Servers open on 5 Oct for everyone. Free players can also join an Early Access Server if it still has room.

Does Early Access progress carry over?

Yes. There is no wipe. Everything Founder's Pack players earn during Early Access carries into the full game, so their head start is real on their own servers.

Where to start if you missed it

Our server guide covers the full Early Access vs Launch choice. The short version:

  • Playing solo or with other new players: take a Launch Server. Level race, market and open-world PvP all start fresh with you.
  • Friends already on an Early Access Server: join them. You start a few days behind, but you can party, queue and trade with them from day one.
  • Just want dungeons with friends: either works. Friends lists and dungeon queues work across servers.

One thing to check before you commit: your server decides your faction, because each server is Elyos-only or Asmodian-only. You can't party with the other faction, wherever they are.

What five days actually buys

On an Early Access Server, the head start shows up in three places:

  • Levels: guides put the main story at 10 to 15 hours, so once early players hit the cap they stop pulling ahead. Our levelling guide has the fastest sensible route.
  • Gear: dungeon rewards are limited over time, so nobody can farm five days of loot in one sitting.
  • Kinah and the market: this is the lasting lead. Early players sell the first materials while supply is short and prices are high.

Your first-week catch-up plan

  • Main story first. It's the fastest route to the cap and unlocks most systems. Pick up side quests in each zone as you pass through.
  • Don't skip your dungeon runs. They're where gear comes from, and missed runs put you further behind than starting late did.
  • Hold your first Kinah. Early market prices swing hard. Spend on what speeds up levelling, not on cosmetics.
  • Expect mixed PvP. Cross-server PvP matchmaking takes server progress and PvP strength into account, so NC is at least trying to keep day-one players away from fully geared early starters.

Week one on a new server

Each server has its own market, and trading across servers opens later, once servers reach a similar stage. On a brand-new Launch Server, that means little Kinah in circulation and high prices for the first materials. If you'd rather earn your own, here's how to make Kinah in Aion 2.

That's the gap we fill: we deliver Kinah on your server through its own Auction House. You need NC's Membership to use the Auction House, and buying Kinah breaks NC's Operation Policy, so read the FAQ on our Aion 2 page before you order.

One more question

Can I move off an Early Access Server later? Only to another Early Access Server. NC says transfers open on 14 Oct, free at first and within your own faction, but Early Access players can't move to Launch Servers. Our server guide has the full rules.