How it was checked
Every number and claim on the site was traced back to a source and, where possible, confirmed by a second, independent one. Sources were trusted in this order:
- NCSOFT itself: official notices and patch notes, the Steam store page, and NC's statements reported by the press.
- The Global game files: sites like MetaBot that read numbers straight from the Global client (version 2.0.x). These are exact, but some content in the files isn't open in game yet.
- The official armory: what top Global players actually equip, used for Stigma and skill picks.
- Community guides: used only when two or more agreed, or clearly labelled when only one said it.
Guides written for the Korean and Taiwanese servers were left out wherever Global differs.
The second pass went after everything that still rested on a single source: Manastone odds, Soul Binding, Arcana, transfers, skill numbers, the Abyss, Sealed Dungeons, named elites and leveling time. It also read every Global patch note since launch, looking for changes.
Confidence by topic
| Topic | Confidence | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Launch date and time, platforms, free-to-play, languages | High | NC notices and Steam |
| 8 classes, level cap 45, no Heroic gear in Season 1 | High | NC's site and livestream, several outlets |
| Global vs Korea differences | High | NC announcements, Wikipedia, several guides |
| Skill and Stigma names, popular Stigma picks | High | Game files plus two independent armory snapshots |
| Stigma slots (22/27/32/37) and shard costs | High | Game files and several guides agree |
| Enhancement caps and +11 to +15 odds | High | Three independent guides agree |
| Server counts, transfers, membership | High | Summaries of NC notices; counts change often |
| Leveling zones, unlock levels, Expedition and raid item levels, entry limits | Medium–High | Read from the Global game files; not all checked in game |
| Manastone odds, Soul Binding costs, Arcana numbers | Medium–High | Confirmed by a second independent source in the second pass |
| Skill numbers in class rotations | Medium–High | Spot-checked against the Global skill database; values grow with skill level |
| Abyss ranks, Season 1 dates | Medium–High | Two sites agree |
| Amplification odds, crafting recipe counts | Medium | One source each |
| Reset time (07:00 UTC) and siege time (12:00 UTC) | Medium | Players agree Global runs on a UTC+9 server clock; NC hasn't published it |
| Skills page: tooltips, cooldowns, unlock levels (all 280 skills) | High | The game's own text, read from the Global client |
| Upgrade cost calculator (item level 102) | High | Per-step costs from the Global client; our expected total matches MetaBot's published 14,986,721 Kina exactly |
| Upgrade costs for item levels 54, 70, 86 | Medium | Scaled from published +0 to +10 totals |
| Event timers (Shugo Festival, Invasion, Rifts, Sieges) | Medium | Consistent across sources, but NC hasn't published the server clock |
| Dungeon guides: Krao Cave, Draupnir, Fire Temple | Medium–High | Mechanics confirmed by two or more guides |
| Dungeon guides: other dungeons | Medium | One detailed Global guide each; labelled on the page |
| Ludra raid mechanics | Korea version | Raid is closed on Global and returning with changed mechanics |
| Build guides: party buffs, debuffs, passives | Medium–High | Read from the Global game files |
| Build guides: PvE Stigma picks | High | What top Global players equip (official armory) |
| Build guides: PvP and solo setups | Starting point | The game's listed PvP swaps plus advice two guides agree on; little PvP data exists yet |
| Class rotations, stat priorities, difficulty, tips | Opinion | Expert guides; balance patches change these |
| Time to reach 45 (10–25 hours) | Estimate | Pre-launch guide estimates; no Global player data yet |
What was corrected
These were wrong, out of date or vague on earlier versions of this site:
| Topic | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Raid item levels | All raids at 2,800 | Ludra 2,800; Corroded Decontamination Facility 3,500; Chalice of Muspel 4,300 |
| Stigma maximum | "Superior shards past level 20" | 20 is the Global maximum (25 is Korea) |
| Server data centres | Virginia, Phoenix, Frankfurt, São Paulo, Tokyo | Removed: only one fan site said this. NC says North America, South America, Europe and Japan. |
| Server count | "86 to 98 servers" | 24 pairs at launch, 49 by October 7, about 53 by October 11 |
| Leveling route | Partial, with a few zone names from one guide | Full zone-by-level tables for both factions from game data |
| Daily Dungeon | "14 a week (one guide says 7)" | 14 a week, shared by your characters on a server |
| Conquest and Transcendence limits | "Disputed" | 1 reward every 8 h (up to 21) and every 12 h (up to 14) |
| Crafting limit | "4 a week" | Removed: no source could confirm it |
| Abyss entry | "1,000 item level (one guide says 1,500)" | 1,000 item level; 7 hours a week, 14 with membership |
| Exploration unlocks | "Varies" | Krao Cave Lv 20, Urugugu Canyon Lv 28, Fire Temple Lv 35 |
| Founder's Pack names | "Standard / Deluxe / Ultimate" | Founder's / Deluxe Founder's / Ultimate Founder's Pack |
| Missing information | — | Added: membership, server transfers, weekly maintenance, Odyle Energy, Duty Missions, Growth dungeons, crafting professions, Amplification, Abyss ranks and shop |
Second pass
| Topic | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Soul Binding | "Unique gear only, 3–5 lines" | Every grade: Common 1, Rare 2, Epic 3, Unique 3–5 lines. Added the extra line at 100%, Reset dropping the rate to zero, and lines locking at 100%. |
| Artifact Siege time | "21:00 server time, time zone unknown" | 21:00 on the shared UTC+9 server clock = 12:00 UTC, shown in your local time |
| Sealed Dungeons | "161 solo dungeons" | About 60 in each homeland (two sources count 60 per region) |
| Time to 45 | "12–15 hours" | 10–15 hours on story alone (two guides), labelled as an estimate |
| Light of Protection | "+10.5%" | +10.5% at skill level 1, rising with its level (22.5% at max) |
| Named elites | "Named elites on your home map" | Level 48 elites with their exact locations |
| Abyss ranks | Two examples | Season 1 dates, a rank table, the 1,500-point minimum and what the buff actually does |
| Weekly maintenance | "Around 4 hours" | 3½–4 hours, longer on Asia servers |
| Ludra raid | Listed as open at 2,800 item level | Closed on Global since launch for a rework; NC will announce its return by October 16. Some guides wrongly say it reopens on October 16. |
Build guides check
Every skill named on the Build Guides page was checked against each class's full skill list from the Global game files: 13 Stigmas and 22 regular skills per class.
| Problem found | Fix |
|---|---|
| Some "buffs you bring" were Stigmas not in that build: Templar's Nezekan's Shield and Comrade in Arms, Cleric's Yustiel's Power, Chanter's Impeding Authority and Barrier Spell | Every buff and debuff now says whether it's always available, part of the build, or a Stigma you'd swap in |
| PvP game plans used Stigmas outside the listed set: Executing Blade, Sealing Arrow, Illusory Arrow, Magic Block, Assault Terror, Root, Fracturing Blow, Ensnaring Mark, Barrier Spell | Plans now only rely on skills you'd have; the others are listed as optional swaps |
| Ranger tip treated Mother Nature's Breath and Explosive Arrow as always available | Marked as Stigmas |
| Spiritmaster debuff listed Cursed Cloud (a Stigma) | Replaced with Jointstrike: Curse (a regular skill); Cursed Cloud marked as a swap |
| Cleric heal list included Benevolence as if always available; "20 m attack range" had one weak source | Benevolence marked as a Stigma; range claim removed |
| Advice to "time Defense debuffs so they don't overlap" assumed a stacking rule nobody documents | Replaced with a note that it's undocumented |
Skill icons come from MetaBot's database of the Global client and are matched to each class, so shared names like Attack Preparation show the right class's icon.
Patches since launch
Every Global patch note so far, and whether it changed anything on this site:
| Date | Main changes | Effect on this site |
|---|---|---|
| October 5 | Launch maintenance; faster character deletion; stronger 5-player bosses; Duty tab bug before level 45 | Duty tab note added |
| October 7 | Founder's items usable on any character or server; Sealed Wings → Enhance Stones capped at 20 per server per week; more Raw Leather drops | Founder's note added |
| October 9 | +500 Flight Power on all Daeva wings; compensation chest | None |
| October 14 | Halloween event (to November 3); server transfers open; Abyss time can bank up to 7 hours; Spiritmaster and Sorcerer bug fixes | Transfers and Abyss time added |
Patch notes for Korea and Taiwan (such as the August and September class balance patches) were ignored except where the Global game files show the same values.
Still uncertain
These are labelled on the pages where they appear. Check them in game before relying on them:
- Official reset time. NC hasn't published it; 07:00 UTC is what players observe.
- The UTC+9 server clock. Reset and siege times rely on it; it's consistent with everything players see, but NC hasn't confirmed it.
- Extra Manastone slot at 100% Soul Binding. Reported by one guide only.
- Soul Binding Reset cost. 300,000 Kinah is reported, but one source suggests that figure is from Korea.
- When to start Krao Cave and Draupnir. The game files say 700 item level; several guides say about 1,000. The site shows 700 and notes the difference.
- Higher content. Several Expedition and Transcendence dungeons (2,400–3,800 item level), Middle and Upper Reshanta, and level 46–50 content are in the game files but not confirmed open on Global.
- Abyss Point weekly caps and crafting limits. They exist on the server but their values aren't published.
- Crafted gear PvE bonus. Reported on other regions, not confirmed for Global.
- Seal equipment slot. Reported by one guide after a September patch.
- Which Ascension step opens the first Stigma slot. Guides disagree; the quest name and level 22 are consistent.
- Class balance. Rotations and picks reflect the first week of Global and will shift with patches.
Keeping it current
Global gets a patch every Wednesday, so numbers will drift. The most reliable places to check for changes:
- NC's notice and update boards at aion2.plaync.com and the Steam news page.
- In-game tooltips: hover any entry counter for its limit and refill countdown.
- Sites that read the Global game files, such as MetaBot.
Key sources
- AION 2 on Steam
- Aion 2 (Wikipedia)
- Launch maintenance notes (aion2hub, from NC)
- October 14 patch notes (aion2hub, from NC)
- Servers and transfers (Neonsect, from NC)
- Dungeons from the game files (MetaBot)
- Entry caps from the game files (MetaBot)
- Leveling route from the game files (MetaBot)
- Stigmas from the official armory (Neonsect)
- Most-used Global builds (Aion2Vault)
- Enhancement and transfer (GameTruth)
- Special Quai Membership (Shugo.GG)
- Soul Binding guide (games.gg)
- Manastones and Soul Binding (metaroad.gg)
- Skill database: Ruinous Blow (MetaBot)
- Artifact Siege schedule (MetaBot)
- Abyss ranks (Wikily)
- October 7 patch notes (aion2hub)
- October 9 patch notes (aion2hub)