Aion 2 has officially launched on the Korean and Taiwanese servers, finally letting players get hands-on with the game outside of closed beta tests. After spending some time in the game and reaching level 10, one question stands out more than any other: how pay-to-win is Aion 2 Kinah for sale, and can free-to-play players realistically keep up?

Before even getting into the game, there are a few hurdles. To play, you need to register through the Purple launcher and verify your account with a real phone number. This works even if you're outside Korea or Taiwan—I tested it from Ireland and received the SMS code without issues. Once that's done, you can jump into character creation after a short tutorial that teaches you the basics.

Character Creation and Early Gameplay

The character creator is surprisingly deep, with a lot of customization options. After that, you choose from eight classes: Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Elementalist, Cleric, Chanter, Gladiator, and Templar. I went with Templar, mainly because I'm playing on distant servers and expected latency to make dodging harder.

In terms of feel, combat is decent and movement is smooth. Flying is, as always in Aion, a really cool feature. That said, you can clearly see some mobile-style design choices. There's an auto-move system that can take you from quest to quest with minimal input, to the point where you can almost play with one button until you need to fight or open menus. Auto-move is disabled in dungeons, at least, which is a small relief.

Visually, the world and questing experience feel a bit underwhelming so far, especially compared to newer titles like Where Winds Meet. I also ran into some technical issues—like getting stuck on geometry and having to die just to reset—which may be server-related, but still hurt the first impression.

The Currencies: Kina, Kuna, and Mileage

Now let's get to the real topic: monetization.

Aion 2 uses several currencies:

Kina: The standard in-game currency you earn through normal play. You can buy basic items with it.

Kuna: The premium currency, only obtainable with real money.

Mileage/Promotion Currency: A bonus currency you earn when you spend real money, which can then be used in a special shop for even more items.

The cash shop is packed, and a lot of items are locked behind subscriptions or premium currency. While Kina covers some basics, many useful items require either a subscription or Kuna.

Subscriptions: Not Just Convenience

You unlock the subscription options at level 10, and there are effectively two main subscriptions (plus a bundle that combines them).

The cheaper subscription costs around 430 Taiwanese dollars (roughly $14 / €12 for 28 days—not even a full month). It gives you:

Remote storage access

Personal trade (likely trading between your own characters)

Access to special merchants selling upgrade materials, potions, and buffs (including things like +10% HP, +10% move speed, shields, etc.)

Access to the market (auction house) to sell items

Access to the Kuna exchange

This is huge, because without it, you cannot sell items to other players. Free-to-play players can buy from the market, but they can't sell anything themselves. That means participating in the player-driven economy is effectively paywalled.

The second, more expensive subscription (around $20+ USD / ~€18) directly affects progression and how much content you can farm:

Increased rewards from certain activities (like expeditions/transcendence)

Extra recharge uses (likely tied to playtime or reward limits)

+50% energy (probably letting you run more dungeons or activities)

Double Abyss access time (similar to dungeon or mob farming time windows in games like Throne and Liberty)

In short, this subscription doesn't just make things more convenient—it lets you progress faster and play more.

If you buy the bundle with both subscriptions, you're looking at roughly $32 USD / €27 per 28 days (based on direct currency conversion).

Battle Passes on Top of That

On top of subscriptions, Aion 2 also has battle passes. Each one costs about 1,000 Kuna, which translates to a bit over $15 USD / €13. These passes don't just give cosmetics—they also provide power-related rewards.

There are two battle passes, each lasting two months, and the second one unlocks at level 20 with an even higher price.

If you add everything up—both subscriptions and both battle passes—you're looking at over 2,100 Taiwanese dollars for the full package over two months. Split that in half for a monthly cost, and you're still around 1,500 TWD per month, which is roughly $50+ USD or about €43.

That's… a lot.

So, Is Aion 2 Pay-to-Win?

From these early impressions, Aion 2 is clearly leaning heavily into monetization:

You can buy power, not just cosmetics.

Key systems like selling items on the market are locked behind a subscription.

Another subscription directly boosts how much you can farm and how fast you progress.

Battle passes add even more power on top of that.

Technically, you can play for free—but it looks like you'll be playing at a significant disadvantage, both in progression speed and in access to the economy.

A Big Caveat: This Might Change

It's important to stress that this is based on the Korean and Taiwanese servers. These regions are effectively the testing ground for Aion 2. The developers haven't confirmed what the global monetization model will look like, and it could change significantly based on player feedback and how these versions perform.

So while the current system looks pretty rough for free-to-play players, it's not set in stone for the global release.

Final Thoughts

Right now,Aion 2 Items feels like a game where monetization is deeply baked into progression, not just optional cosmetics or convenience. Between subscriptions, battle passes, and direct power purchases, the costs can stack up quickly—potentially over $50 a month if you want the “full” experience.

I'll keep leveling and see what the endgame actually looks like, because that's where these systems usually matter most. But as it stands, if this model carries over to global, free-to-play players are going to have a pretty uphill battle.

Let's hope the feedback from Korea and Taiwan pushes things in a more player-friendly direction.