Last updated: 3 November 2026

AION 2 Leveling Guide Route to Level 45

Follow the gold-highlighted main quest from level 1 to the global cap of 45 and treat everything else as gap-filler: the main story supplies most of the experience, while side quests, Regional quests and Sealed Dungeons cover the stretches where the XP bar stalls. One outlet puts a first run at roughly 10 to 15 hours. The cap is only the start of gear progression, so save your enhancement materials. For class choice and skill points see the beginner guide.

01The route in one paragraph

Every guide we checked (MeinMMO, KeenGamer, GamesFuze and the Fextralife wiki) agrees on the backbone: do the main story, called the gold or yellow questline depending on the outlet. KeenGamer says Episode quests provide most of the experience needed for the global cap and also unlock zones, Ascension content, dungeons and Stigmas. MeinMMO and Fextralife both note that story XP alone does not always fill the bar, so you will occasionally need extra content to meet the next quest's level requirement.

02What to do at each stage

Fextralife lists the Elyos story chapters by recommended level. Asmodian chapters follow a different path, so use this only as a pacing guide.

• Levels 1–9: Ishtar's Castle, then Island of Death in Poeta.
• Levels 10–16: Dreaming of Paradise.
• Levels 18–22: Searching for High Priestess Reda.
• Levels 24–30: The Past Behind the Sealed Barrier.
• Levels 32–37: Two-Faced.
• Levels 40–45: Encountering Kaisinel's Core.

Path of Ascension quests sit at levels 5, 22, 32 and 45 (Fextralife; Space4Games reports the same levels in our beginner guide). Do each as soon as it unlocks, because it gates class progression.

03Filling XP gaps: side quests, Regional quests, Sealed Dungeons

Green side quests. MeinMMO advises focusing on the ones that reward gear and accessories, and notes that Sealed Dungeons, green quests and Strongholds scale with your character level.

Regional quests. Fextralife counts 58 per faction, recommended for levels 12 to 45, and they also pay Daevanion Crystals and Wisdom Stones. KeenGamer says they fill several equipment slots; prioritise rings, earrings, necklaces, PvE runes and titles. GamesFuze suggests them when nearby Sealed Dungeons do not meet the story's level requirement. We do not quote a total XP figure: the sources we found disagree by an order of magnitude.

Sealed Dungeons. Fextralife says they appear in the Navigator from level 13 (its own unlock table says 10), have no entry level, and reward EXP and Wisdom Stones. MeinMMO says they and Strongholds advance the Daevanion talent system. KeenGamer calls Sealed Dungeons mostly one-time progression objectives, so clear the ones on your route rather than farming them. Reports differ on what Strongholds reward (Daevanion progress per MeinMMO, belt enhancement per KeenGamer), so check the reward preview in game.

04Mistakes that slow you down

• Grinding mobs or repeating dungeons. MeinMMO says monster grinding, open-world content and repeated dungeon visits yield significantly less XP than the story.
• Doing every quest in an area. GamesFuze says to stay on the current story objective instead.
• Over-investing in temporary gear. MeinMMO suggests upgrading only when you hit a wall; KeenGamer warns against spending premium upgrade materials on quest gear you will replace. Extraction returns materials but not the Kina spent (MeinMMO).
• Switching mains late. KeenGamer advises against changing class after heavy investment.
• Dying carelessly. Fextralife notes that death costs EXP, which you recover at a Soul Healer for a Kina fee.

05How long does it take?

MeinMMO recommends planning about 10 to 15 hours for a first run to level 45. This is the only duration estimate we could confirm from a source we trust, and it depends on how closely you follow the story, so treat it as a rough range.

06After level 45: item level gates

Hitting 45 does not open everything. Fextralife lists item level requirements for max-level content, including 700 for the Krao Cave expedition at Conquest Tier 1 (its first Krao Cave entry is lower, from item level 200), 1,000 for the Abyss (Chaotic Lower Reshanta) and 1,400 for Conquest Tier 2. KeenGamer's progression ladder (700+, 1,400+, then higher tiers) matches. Work toward these with the gear from your Regional quests and Sealed Dungeons, and verify the numbers in game since they may change with patches.