Aion 2 preview: wings, wild character creation, and mounts that are also your pets

NCSoft's Aion 2 is heading West in September, and IGN got a closed preview at Summer Game Fest — no hands-on time, but a full walkthrough with five members of the development and publishing team, including Chief Business Officer Seung-Uk Baek and Executive Publishing Producer Merv Lee Kwai.

The demo opened with the character creator, and by all accounts it's a deep one — sliders for everything, a wide range of hairstyles, face shapes, skin tones, and eye and mouth options. The team said the level of detail was intentional so players could build whoever they wanted. From there, the preview moved into the world itself. Your character is a Daeva aligned with one of two factions — the Elyos, guardians of light, or the shadow-forged Asmodians. You don't start with wings; you earn them. Once you do, flight is available any time, and the team described it as fast and open-ended — if you can see it, you can probably fly to it. Pets double as mounts, scaling up dramatically when you ride them. One example shown was a regular-sized cat that transforms into a massive rideable mount. Collecting — pets, wings, gear, and more — is framed as a core loop. Gear comes from boss drops, quest chains, mini-games, or grinding enemy data. Progression layers on top of the standard levels-and-loot structure with world exploration elements; the preview noted feathers scattered across the map and in the environment, hinting at a broader collectible system.

The original Aion launched in Korea in 2008 and reached Western markets in 2009 under NCSoft, building a following around its faction-vs-faction PvPvE structure and signature flight mechanics. Aion 2 is a full sequel rather than a remaster, and the emphasis on deep character customization and pet collecting suggests NCSoft is pitching it at a broader audience than the original's hardcore PvP crowd — while keeping the visual identity and winged Daeva fantasy that defined the first game.

No specific Western launch date beyond September has been confirmed. The preview left several systems — including the full scope of the collectible feather mechanic — unexplained, so there's clearly more to show before release.