AION 2 Patch Notes — September 2, 2026
A content week rather than a balance week. The new Rift of Time and Space Contest turns the Verteron and Altgard strongholds into a scheduled 60-to-200-player siege: one random group of five strongholds opens, the attackers must destroy all three Monoliths at three of them inside 25 minutes, S-PVP mode gates combat to participants only, and entry costs one of three weekly Event Keys on top of level 50, item level 4,500, 500.0k combat power and a completed Stronghold Sweep VI. Watcher Kaira's spawn in Lower Reshanta goes from a 20% chance to a guaranteed spawn every four hours, Abyss boss stats and PvP contribution rise sharply again, the Templar's damage is redistributed away from Pummel and Punishing Strike, and the Chanter's Spinning Strike becomes a 20m ranged area attack. Translated from the official Korean update note.
Last updated: September 2, 2026
Content & Systems
The headline is a new large-scale open-world PvP event, the Rift of Time and Space Contest, fought over the Verteron and Altgard strongholds. The rest of the note is a short Abyss pass and a class patch that redistributes Templar damage and turns the Chanter's Spinning Strike into a ranged attack.
Rift of Time and Space Contest
New event content that takes place in the Verteron and Altgard territories. Each race is split into an attacking side and a defending side, and the attackers try to capture a majority of the strongholds while the defenders try to protect them.
Schedule: every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, at 20:00 and 23:00 (rift times).
Side rotation
- The attacking and defending sides swap with each other on a weekly cycle.
- Week 1: Verteron (Elyos defending). Week 2: Altgard (Asmodian defending).
Entry conditions and applying
Only characters meeting all of the following can enter:
- Character level 50 or above.
- Item level 4,500 or above.
- Combat power 500.0k or above.
- Achievements: 'Verteron Stronghold Sweep VI' and 'Altgard Stronghold Sweep VI' complete (every stronghold in that territory cleared).
- Applications are made through the contest alert UI while holding one or more 'Event Key'.
- Event Keys: 3 are auto-recharged each week, and 1 is deducted at the moment the event reward is obtained.
- When the event is active, the [Join] button is only enabled in the defending side's territory.
Format and rules
- Headcount: a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 200 characters enter per side.
- The event begins 5 minutes after the rift portal is created, and the contest then runs for 25 minutes.
- Joining is possible for the 10 minutes the rift portal is maintained.
- While the contest is running, other content — Expedition, Transcendence, Sanctuary and so on — cannot be used.
S-PVP mode
- S-PVP mode activates automatically once the preparation time ends.
- Combat is only possible between characters in S-PVP mode — field monsters, NPCs and other characters in normal mode cannot be attacked. Field guards, however, can attack S-PVP characters.
- An option setting allows the nameplates and appearance of S-PVP characters to be unified.
Stronghold groups
Five strongholds inside the defending side's territory form one group, and when the event fires, one of the groups below opens at random.
| Group | Verteron (Elyos defending) | Altgard (Asmodian defending) |
|---|---|---|
| A | Ugaros Thieves Campsite · Miros Post · Poacher's Base · Cohta Outpost · Deserter Encampment | Graverobber Den · Corrupted Forester Ruins · Blades Temporary Outpost · Sanctum Outskirts Watch · Logger's Rest Ruins |
| B | Mantasch Patrol Base · Sehna Outpost · Sabga Balaur Campsite · Maktashan Outpost · Romlon's Hideout | Rubek Thieves' Occupied Territory · Forest Marauder Campsite · Legion Base Ruins · Flauke Legion Outpost · Latrima Outpost |
| C | Gargos Thieves Campsite · Canyon Thieves Den · Forest Shade Execution Site · Renegade Hideout · Plateau Hill Base | Barahta Extermination Unit Outpost · Andsha Forward Base · Amurahta Surveillance Base · Detlef Thieves Camp · Granach's Hideout |
Capture and victory conditions
- All three Monoliths located in and around a stronghold must be destroyed for that stronghold to count as successfully captured — and as a failed defense.
- Capturing 3 or more of the 5 strongholds wins it for the attacking team; successfully defending a majority within the time limit wins it for the defending team.
Rewards
- Contribution is earned by destroying Monoliths, defeating guardian soldiers, and defeating characters of the opposing side.
- Rewards are paid out by per-class contribution ranking, only to those who met the minimum contribution.
Leaving and rejoining
- You can leave mid-contest with the [Leave] button, and re-enter through the UI after a set time.
- If you resurrect on the main server after dying, or return to the main server through an abnormal disconnect, your participation state is held for a set time; when that time runs out you are automatically withdrawn. You can rejoin through the UI within that window.
New contest-only item
- A contest-only Kisk is added, bought from the general-goods merchant or Wind Breeze Trading.
- Anyone can register at it or withdraw from it regardless of party or force membership, and it holds more players than a Legion Kisk.
- Only the attacking team can place and use it while the contest is running.
Dedicated season missions
- Rift of Time and Space Contest missions are added under [Season Mission – Server – Weekly / Season].
- Caution: play inside the Rift of Time and Space Contest does not count toward field achievements, nor toward the kill-mission counts in 'Rift of Time and Space Season Mission [Challenge] > [Season]'.
Abyss
The spawn chance and spawn cycle of 'Watcher Kaira', who appears in Lower Reshanta in the Abyss, are changed:
- Spawn chance: changed from 20% to 100%.
- Spawn cycle: spawns every 4 hours, counted from 00:00.
- Spawn location: spawns at a random point each time, and as before there is no difference in probability between the locations.
- Abyss boss and Dimensional Core stats, and the contribution obtainable through PvP, are raised sharply again. These numbers may be adjusted further later.
Class Changes
A short, targeted patch after the August 26 overhaul. Two classes are touched substantively and one gets a passive bug fix, and the note closes with an unusual preview of what is coming the following week.
For the Templar, the stated aim is to compensate for the drop in efficiency when chaining skills that use Vicious Strike, and to redistribute damage between skills so that skill choice widens. For the Chanter, Spinning Strike is converted into a ranged attack skill to give dungeon combat more flexibility, with damage adjusted to shore up real-combat DPS.
Templar (수호성)
| Skill | Change |
|---|---|
| Vicious Strike · Decisive Strike · Desperate Strike · Threatening Blow | PvE damage raised by 30%. Spec #4's Punishment cooldown reduction changes from 1s to 2s. |
| Judgment | PvE damage raised by 15%. |
| Punishment | PvE damage raised by 20%. |
| Pummel | PvE damage lowered by 10%. |
| Punishing Strike | PvE damage lowered by 20%. |
Chanter (호법성)
| Skill | Change |
|---|---|
| Spinning Strike | Changed into a 20m ranged area-of-effect skill. PvE damage raised by 50%. Cooldown changed from 15s to 30s. Mana cost changed from 100 to 250. Groggy-gauge damage changed from 10 to 15. |
| Incandescent Blow · Bursting Blow | PvE damage raised by 50%. |
| Impactful Crush | Cooldown changed from 10s to 15s. |
For the Gladiator, a bug where passive effects did not apply while holding a Stigma effect below a certain level is fixed:
Gladiator (검성)
| Skill | Change |
|---|---|
| Protection Armor | Fixed the passive effect not working correctly while holding an Armor of Balance buff below level 15. |
| Experienced Counterstrike | Fixed the passive effect not working correctly while holding a Wave Armor buff below level 10. |
| Murderous Burst | Fixed the passive effect not working correctly while holding a Wave Armor buff below level 15. |
Next week's class changes
The note previews the following week's class patch rather than only announcing it on the day:
- Templar: Shield Smite becomes a move-enabled skill by default and its motion is improved.
- Assassin: an additional-damage effect is added during Illusive Clone, and the impact feel is improved.
- Spiritmaster: the DPS that dropped after the Elemental Fusion bug fix is improved further.
- Cleric: the class's relatively low damage is adjusted so that PvE DPS improves.
Other improvements & fixes
Improvements
- Some Rift of Time and Space missions under [Season Mission – Challenge – Weekly] are changed. The 'Pride of the Elyos/Asmodian Army' mission and the 'Flying the White/Black Flag' mission are merged, so the count now rises when you kill an opposing-faction player anywhere in Verteron, Altgard, Eltnen or Morheim. Kills made inside the Rift of Time and Space Contest are not included.
- The maximum stack count of some items is raised. The affected items are Breakthrough Stone Fragment (Soul-bound), Sync Stone Fragment (Soul-bound), Inheritance Stone Fragment (Soul-bound), Arcana Synthesis Crystal and Arcana Synthesis Crystal Fragment (Soul-bound), and Unstable Stigma Shard (Soul-bound). The change is applied when the inventory sort function is used.
Fixes
- The general-goods shop sale price of 'Mysterious Crystal (Soul-bound)', 'Harmonious Crystal (Soul-bound)' and 'Noble Crystal (Soul-bound)' is corrected to 5,000.
- Dismounting from a pet while falling is corrected so that skills cannot be used, matching the character's current falling state.
- Expedition 'Consumed Deus Research Base' and Transcendence 'Deus Research Base': fixed the hit timing of certain skills used by boss 'Atiel' not matching the animation.
- Fixed the system message not being displayed when Abyss entry fails because the player limit was exceeded.
- Elyos: fixed the whirlwind not being created at a certain location in the 'Mysterious Track' event.
- Fixed being unable to enter Dimensional Invasion while in combat or in flight. The mobile environment will be fixed in the September 9 update.
Recovery and restoration
- Since the August 26 update, cases were confirmed in which a malfunction of the sale-listing and bulk-sell functions caused players to unintentionally sell large quantities of items.
- For characters affected by this, the [Item Recovery] > [NPC Shop Sold Items] recovery count that was consumed is reset.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the Rift of Time and Space Contest in AION 2?
It is a new large-scale open-world PvP event fought in the Verteron and Altgard territories. Each race is assigned an attacking or a defending role, and the roles swap weekly — week one is Verteron with the Elyos defending, week two is Altgard with the Asmodians defending. It runs every Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 20:00 and 23:00. One random group of five strongholds opens; the attackers must destroy all three Monoliths at a stronghold to capture it and need three of the five to win, while the defenders win by holding a majority for the 25-minute duration.
How do I enter the AION 2 Rift of Time and Space Contest?
You need character level 50 or above, item level 4,500 or above, combat power of 500.0k or above, and both the 'Verteron Stronghold Sweep VI' and 'Altgard Stronghold Sweep VI' achievements, which means clearing every stronghold in each territory. You also need at least one Event Key; three recharge automatically each week and one is spent when you claim the event reward. Applications are made through the contest alert UI, and the join button only lights up in the defending side's territory. Each side takes a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 200 players, and you can join for the ten minutes the rift portal stays open.
What is S-PVP mode in AION 2?
S-PVP mode is the combat state used inside the Rift of Time and Space Contest. It switches on automatically once the preparation time ends, and while it is active you can only fight other characters who are also in S-PVP mode — field monsters, NPCs and normal-mode players cannot be attacked. Field guards are the exception and can still attack S-PVP characters. An option lets you unify the nameplates and appearance of S-PVP characters.
What changed for the Chanter's Spinning Strike on September 2, 2026?
Spinning Strike is converted from a melee skill into a 20m ranged area-of-effect skill, which the note frames as giving dungeon combat more flexibility. Its PvE damage is raised by 50%, but the costs go up to match: the cooldown doubles from 15s to 30s and the mana cost rises from 100 to 250, while groggy-gauge damage goes from 10 to 15. Incandescent Blow and Bursting Blow also gain 50% PvE damage, and Impactful Crush's cooldown is lengthened from 10s to 15s.
Is Watcher Kaira guaranteed to spawn in AION 2 now?
Yes. As of the September 2, 2026 update, the spawn chance for Watcher Kaira in Lower Reshanta is raised from 20% to 100%, and the boss now spawns every four hours counted from midnight. The spawn point is still random each time, and as before no location is more likely than another.