AION 2 Beginner Guide
How to start AION 2: pick a class, follow the main story, and level efficiently through the early game.
The two mistakes that slow new players down
The first is treating class choice as a permanent verdict. AION 2 locks your class at creation, and gear investment makes starting over genuinely expensive — so people over-think the pick for weeks instead of reading two pages and starting. Our class guides include difficulty and beginner-friendliness ratings for exactly this reason: the best class is the one you will still enjoy in a hundred hours, not the one with the highest tier label.
The second is spending the first ten hours of the game solo. Solo play is fine while you learn the rotation, but group content is where the XP and the loot actually are — and for healers and supports specifically, you can queue for organized content from the start because groups always need one. The gap between solo and grouped leveling widens as you approach endgame, not narrows.
Everything else on this page is built around those two mistakes: the step order below avoids the second, and the gear table avoids spreading upgrade materials across a full set before your weapon is current.
What to upgrade first
Most new players spread upgrade materials across everything at once and end up with no meaningfully better piece anywhere. Upgrade in this order instead.
| # | Slot | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weapon | Scales most directly with damage. Replace it the moment a better one drops, even if everything else is still low. |
| 2 | Main stat piece | Matches your class damage type. Second only to the weapon because it multiplies everything else. |
| 3 | Critical rating | Multiplies burst. Below the weapon until you have a full set. |
| 4 | Defense / HP | On a healer or tank this jumps to first or second. On a pure damage dealer it comes after the damage pieces. |
| 5 | Everything else | Filler until the four above stop improving. Do not spread upgrade materials across a full set too early. |
Which class to start with
The full ratings behind every decision. The two columns that matter most for a new player are the last two: whether the class is beginner-friendly, and how hard it is.
| Class | Role | Solo | Group | Difficulty | Beginner friendly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladiator | Melee DPS / Off-tank | S | S | Easy | Yes | Guide |
| Templar | Main Tank | C | S | Medium | Yes | Guide |
| Ranger | Ranged Physical DPS | A | A | Easy | Yes | Guide |
| Spiritmaster | Summoner / Control | S | A | Medium | Yes | Guide |
| Cleric | Main Healer | C | S | Medium | Yes | Guide |
| Chanter | Hybrid Support | B | A | Medium | Yes | Guide |
| Assassin | Melee Burst DPS | B | B | Hard | No | Guide |
| Sorcerer | Magic Burst DPS | B | A | Medium | No | Guide |
Tier ratings are community consensus (L3) as of global launch — balance patches shift them.
Leveling questions
What is the fastest way to level in AION 2?
Follow the Main Story Quest first, because it unlocks new regions and systems as you go and is the highest-XP route in the early game. Once dungeons open up, mix them in — they give both XP and loot that the story path does not. Daily and weekly activities are for materials, not levels, so run them after your level is close to their cap.
Which class levels fastest in AION 2?
The high-damage ranged classes — Ranger and Sorcerer — clear content faster while leveling. But raw speed is not the whole picture: Gladiator holds S solo tier because its survivability means fewer deaths, and a death costs more time than a slower kill. If your ping is high or you play in short sessions, survivability often beats speed.
Should I upgrade my weapon first?
Yes. Weapon investment scales more directly than any other stat in AION 2, and a behind weapon hurts more on damage classes than a behind chest piece. Replace your weapon as soon as a better one drops rather than waiting for a full set.
Do I need to switch classes if I picked wrong?
Class is chosen at character creation, and gear investment makes starting over costly. That is why the class guides here include difficulty and beginner-friendliness ratings — check before you commit rather than after. A character you keep for a hundred hours beats a stronger one you abandon in a week.
When should I join a group?
As soon as dungeons are available. Organized groups are how you reach endgame faster, and support classes in particular can queue immediately because groups always need one. Solo play is fine for the first few hours, but it slows down sharply past the starting zone.
What should I ignore as a new player?
Min-maxing your stats before you understand the rotation, and grinding one zone until you are over-leveled on content rather than moving on. A clean rotation with average gear beats average rotation with perfect gear, because wasted rotation time compounds across every fight.
How long does it take to reach endgame?
We do not publish a verified hour count yet. Leveling speed depends on how much you group, which region you are in, and whether you follow the story path — all of which vary too much for a single number to be honest. We would rather tell you what raises the rate than give you a figure we cannot source.