NC held its 'AION2' Summer Festa showcase on June 14. Business Division Head In-seop So and PD Nam-jun Kim took the stage to detail a massive overhaul, covering a new class, fresh territories, expanded story beats, and a level cap increase.

AION2 is pivoting from its previous short-lived seasonal structure to a more robust 'Chapter' model. As In-seop So put it, the disconnect between standard 'seasons' in other titles and AION2's own was becoming glaring. From here on out, updates will be framed as narratives, starting with 'Chapter 1: The Land of Sand and Frost,' which drops on July 1.

With Chapter 1 comes the new melee class, the 'Gwonseong' (Fist Saint). This brawler relies on fists and feet, excelling at closing the gap. You'll mark your position, dash in to wreak havoc, and snap back to your origin, dealing damage and applying debuffs. Instead of mana, it consumes 'Fury'—which builds up during combat. Once it hits the ceiling, you enter a 'Rampage' state, completely transforming your skill kit for maximum carnage. There is no class-change ticket here, but the developers are promising plenty of support for fresh characters.

The world is growing too. The Elyos territory of 'Eltnen' is a desert drained of Aether and the seat of the Dragon Lord Israphel. You’ll be searching for the roots of Ariel alongside Pernos and the Legion of Dawn, joined by a new ally, Chloris. On the flip side, the Asmodian zone 'Morheim' is a volcanic mess of ice and lava—the aftermath of a scrap with a Dragon Lord. Expect deeper lore on Muspel as you adventure with the likes of Kromede and Nemon. Toss in six new outposts and 20 seal dungeons for both factions, and you’ve got plenty of ways to grind for Devian points to expand your Devian Board.

Character progression is also getting a lift, with the level cap jumping from 45 to 50. Amulets and belts can now be upgraded to Hero grade, and there’s a new equipment slot for pendants, which you'll snag when entering Eltnen or Morheim and enhance through missions.

The skill Stigma system is getting a tune-up, extending the cap to level 25. You'll need 'Superior Stigma Shards' to push from 21 to 25. You can slot up to six skills, with certain ones gaining special perks at the new cap. To ease the headache of constant re-specing, resetting your Stigmata is now permanently free.

The equipment inheritance system is getting a quality-of-life boost: superior inheritance attempts are now unlimited, and standard inheritance is not only unlimited but also fixed at a 100% success rate. Even better, previous failures will be retroactively compensated. Arcana is also expanding; you won't need to wipe your existing skill Arcana, as a new 'Stat Arcana' slot is being added. Four slots will open in Chapter 1, with two obtainable per dungeon run.

New dungeon content and system tweaks are on the menu. Party sizes are shifting—standard parties move from 4 to 5, Sanctuaries from 8 to 10, and Forces to a maximum of 20. Naturally, dungeon mechanics and HP bars have been adjusted to compensate. Oh, and you can finally use mounts inside dungeons.

As for the new dungeons: 'Fallen Deva's Castle' is a linear affair, stripping away those annoying team-wipe mechanics in favor of straightforward progression. It drops Hero-grade armor and materials for the Changryong and Meryeong King sets. Then there's 'Neoran's Hidden Legacy,' a story-driven transcendence dungeon where you’ll thwart secret experiments, again designed to be less reliant on collective failure patterns.

The fourth sanctuary raid, 'Sorrowful Snowfield,' arrives mid-to-late Chapter 1, introducing a 'Best Player' selection system to spotlight top performers. Legacy raids like 'Abyssal Smelting: Ludra' and 'Erosion Purification Plant' are ditching entry tickets and limits entirely—grind to your heart's content. Nightmare Floor 4 is also arriving, and the nightmare system is being streamlined so clearing the highest difficulty unlocks all lower tiers with automatic reward payouts.

Four new PvP modes are incoming. 'Chaos Ereshkigal Surface' is a fresh Abyss zone for players with a combat power of 400,000 or less, limited to 7 hours a week. 'Rift: Skirmish' turns on forced PvP when rifts open, tasking attackers with capturing outposts and defenders with holding them. 'Battlefield: Occupation' equalizes stats and skill levels for a pure test of skill, while 'Outland' is a 100-player battle royale-style survival mode where everyone starts on even footing.

The roadmap for horizontal content is looking busy. Expect sailing content where Legion members can hunt, fish, and battle monsters—non-Legion members can join in too. Fishing nets valuable loot, including ancient relics. Housing starts as instanced personal homes, with plans to expand to floating islands where you can let your pets roam free. Sailing and fishing hit first, with housing to follow.

Finally, AION2 is teaming up with idol group fromis_9. You’ll see the members’ likenesses and outfits translated into in-game costumes. Expect clover-themed wings, cat-shaped mounts, and weapon skins inspired by the group. The choreographies are being turned into emotes, and there’s even a dedicated stage feature where you can sync up with other players for a mass dance routine.