Pick a Launch Server if you're starting fresh on 5 Oct and want a level start. Pick an Early Access Server only if your friends are already on one, because NC says Early Access players will only be able to transfer between Early Access Servers, not to Launch Servers.

That makes your first server the hardest choice in Aion 2 to undo, since it also sets your faction and your Market. Everything below comes from NC's official notices, checked on 2 Oct.

Early Access Servers vs Launch Servers

Early Access Servers opened on 30 Sep for Founder's Pack owners. NC also calls them Advanced Access Servers. It kept adding more as queues built, and there are now 32 across Europe, NA East, NA West, Latin America and Asia. Free players can join one at launch if it's still open and has room.

Launch Servers are a second wave that opens on 5 Oct at 13:00 UTC: 9pm in Perth, 11pm in Brisbane, midnight in Sydney and Melbourne, and 2am Tuesday in Auckland. It follows an eight-hour maintenance NC says could move, and NC hasn't named them yet.

Every server holds one faction, Elyos or Asmodian, so the server you pick also picks your side. Our faction guide covers that half of the choice.

Aion 2 server list

As of 2 Oct there are 32 Early Access Servers, Elyos first, then Asmodian:

  • Europe: Siel, Nezekan, Vaizel, Kaisinel, Yustiel, Ariel, Fregion and Meslamtaeda; Israphel, Zikel, Triniel, Lumiel, Marchutan, Azphel, Ereshkigal and Beritra.
  • NA East: Siel, Nezekan and Vaizel; Israphel, Zikel and Triniel.
  • NA West: Siel and Nezekan; Israphel and Zikel.
  • Latin America: Siel and Nezekan; Israphel and Zikel.
  • Asia: Siel; Israphel.

Can you transfer servers in Aion 2?

From 14 Oct, NC says, with three limits:

  • Same faction only. Transfers move you between servers of your own faction, not across to the other side.
  • Early Access stays Early Access. NC says Early Access players can only transfer between Early Access Servers, not to Launch Servers. Assume that covers any character on an Early Access Server, including one you make on 5 Oct.
  • Free at first. NC says transfers will be free when they open, but not for how long.

NC hasn't said whether a Launch Server character can move the other way, onto an Early Access Server. Until it does, pick as if you can't.

What's the same on every server

A lot of Aion 2 doesn't care where you land:

  • Dungeons and other instances: NC says all instanced content is cross-server, and dungeon party matching pools every Early Access and Launch Server in your region, so you can queue with same-faction friends anywhere.
  • Friends lists: you can add each other across servers.

What your server decides

  • Your Market. Each server has its own Server Market. NC will open a Cross-Server Market for each region later, once servers reach a similar stage. Until then, your server's economy is the one you trade in.
  • Your Abyss rivals. Each server is paired with one from the other faction for PvP, and NC rotates the pairings. After launch, NC says it will weigh server progress and strength, so a fresh Launch Server shouldn't be paired with a five-day-old one.
  • Your queue. Popular Early Access Servers had long queues, enough for NC to send out compensation. When a server is full, NC says members in good standing join a priority queue instead of the general one, though both move as space opens.

Which Aion 2 server should you pick?

  • New, solo or with other newcomers: a Launch Server, and you're not behind. Everyone starts the same day, and the Market fills up with you.
  • Friends already on an Early Access Server: join them, if it still has room on 5 Oct. You'll share a Market and the open world from day one.
  • Friends split across both kinds: don't stress, as long as you share a faction. Dungeons are cross-server, so the main loss is the shared Market and open world.
  • Playing from Australia or New Zealand: there's no Oceania region. NC's server locations are North America, South America, Europe and Japan, so Asia (likely the Japan servers) and NA West should be closest. Asia has only one server per faction so far, so check your ping and the queue in the launcher before you commit.

Starting on a fresh server

A brand-new Launch Server opens with an empty Market and little Kinah to go round, so expect early materials to be pricey until supply catches up. To earn your own, start with how to make Kinah in Aion 2.

Want a buffer for that first week? We sell Kinah on every Early Access Server, delivered through its Auction House (the in-game Market), and Launch Servers join the list once NC names them. You'll need NC's Membership for it (is it worth it?).

Know the trade-off first: buying Kinah from us breaks NC's Operation Policy, while NC's own Kina–Quna Exchange gets you Kinah within the rules. The FAQ on our Aion 2 page sets out the risk.

One more question

Do Early Access characters get wiped at launch? NC hasn't announced a wipe, and its plans assume there isn't one: Early Access Servers stay open for free players at launch, and from 14 Oct their characters can transfer between them. Our catch-up guide covers how far ahead that leaves Founder's players.