Fresh details have emerged for Aion 2, the upcoming MMORPG that bears the heavy burden of securing NCSoft’s future. Naturally, the community has been desperate for clarity on the game's monetization, specifically regarding the digital currency and the inevitable microtransactions required for gameplay. Since the very first livestream, the team has been peppered with questions about gacha mechanics and power-ups. The developers have consistently maintained that the core monetization pillars will revolve around monthly memberships, battle passes, and cosmetic items.

Of course, monetization is a living, breathing thing that can shift right up until launch day. Even in the third livestream in September and the final broadcast in October, pricing for several items remained shrouded in mystery, with developers noting that the data simply hadn't been finalised yet. While we cannot claim these mechanics are set in stone, we can certainly piece together a roadmap of how Aion 2’s economy will likely look based on what’s been revealed so far.

Aion 2 operates on three primary currencies: Quna (the paid currency), Kinah (the in-game currency), and Abyss Points. Kinah is earned naturally through gameplay and monster hunting, while Quna is the premium currency you obtain by parting with your real-world cash.

Aion 2 received an 'Adults Only' rating during its initial classification, largely due to its player-to-player marketplace. However, Aion 2 Business Division Chief So In-seop clarified, "The marketplace has been adjusted to function solely using in-game currency." Consequently, all listings and purchases will require Kinah, and the exchange will include a 'tax' fee, which is standard practice for these systems.

Interestingly, the marketplace will support an exchange between Kinah and Quna. It appears players can purchase 'Kinah boxes' registered by others using Quna. While it remains unclear if there’s a distinction between Quna acquired via the exchange and Quna bought with cash, it is confirmed that both can be spent in the Quna shop and for premium packages.

Abyss Points are earned by defeating monsters in the Abyss or taking down members of the opposing faction (Asmodians or Elyos). Be warned: if you fall to an enemy player, you lose a portion of these points. Beyond the Abyss, you can also farm these points through 'Requests' that require gear sacrifices, PvP 'Arenas', and the 'Shugo Festa' mini-game. These points are essential for acquiring gear tailored for PvP and Abyss content.

The development team has repeatedly stressed that Aion 2 will avoid gacha systems for gear, transformations, or classes. It sounds strikingly similar to NCSoft’s other title, Throne and Liberty (TL). Instead, they are pushing memberships, passes, and cosmetics (gear, pets, skins, wings) as the primary revenue drivers, with a particular emphasis on the membership tiers.

There are two main membership options: a 'Convenience' membership at 19,700 Won and an 'Additional Content' membership at 29,700 Won. A bundle containing both at a lower price point is also in the works. The developers have been quite vocal, urging players to at least pick up the convenience tier. These are 28-day subscriptions, and the convenience tier includes perks like expanded marketplace slots.

However, it remains ambiguous whether the Battle Pass is included in these memberships. In the September 11th broadcast, they suggested the Battle Pass would be priced similarly to the memberships, and it was confirmed to be in the game during the fourth broadcast. While membership might be optional, if the Battle Pass isn't bundled, subscribing to both tiers plus the pass could easily exceed 50,000 Won per month—a potentially hefty price tag for the average player.

Beyond memberships, the focus shifts to character aesthetics and customisation. This includes weapon skins, armour skins, accessories, pets, and wings. These items offer no additional stats and do not contribute to a 'Collection Point' system. Furthermore, some costumes and outfits can be earned through in-game activities rather than cash shops. For instance, you can earn currency from the 'Shugo Festa' mini-game to buy wings or hunt specific monsters to obtain pets.

During the broadcast, items were briefly labelled with a '100 Quna' price tag, but the devs dismissed this as placeholder data. For context, if we look at the similar system in Throne and Liberty, armour skin packages were 900 Lucent and weapon skins were 600 Lucent—roughly 24,750 Won and 16,500 Won respectively in their shop.

Unlike Throne and Liberty, Aion 2 seems to allow for customising material textures and dyeing costumes, which might push the price slightly higher. Also, note that costumes are not shared across characters on the same account.

Customisation also burns through Quna. If you use a preset uploaded by another player, roughly 10% of the cost goes to the original creator. The exact fees are still in flux; one broadcast showed a 500 Quna price for appearance and name changes, while a later video bumped it to 600 Quna.

With the launch still ahead, the full picture of the game's economy is incomplete. This has led to some confusion, with leaked test-build content being mistaken for final launch features.

For example, the third broadcast in September showed 'Time Recharge' tickets in the Quna shop (Black Cloud Traders). Players saw these—along with combat buff scrolls and dungeon drop expansion tickets—and immediately cried 'Pay-to-Win' (P2W), causing quite a stir.

Aion 2 Development PD Kim Nam-jun quickly addressed this on YouTube, stating, "Those were temporary test screens; the items you are concerned about will not be included in the launch version." Despite this, the debate over the membership, Battle Pass, and the yet-to-be-confirmed monetization details continues to rage in the community.

Aion 2 is set to officially launch on the 19th. All eyes are on NCSoft to see if they can restore player trust with a fair monetization model and get Aion 2 off to a flying start.