Dungeon Basics
AION 2's PvE splits into solo, small-group and raid instances, plus open-world events and PvP. This page maps the whole instance system and what each format is for; mechanics and loot live in the dedicated guides.
Instance Formats
AION 2 groups instanced PvE into three sizes. On the Global version the small-group tier is built for 5 players and the raid tier for 10 — NC expanded both from the earlier 4/8-player KR/TW build.
| Type | Party (Global) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed Dungeons | 1 (solo) | Hidden dungeons scattered across the world; clear them for Wisdom Stones that raise Skill Points. In-game text: "Sealed Dungeons are hidden dungeons scattered throughout the world." |
| Strongholds | 1 (solo) | Short combat challenges found around the world alongside Sealed Dungeons; part of long-term regional progression. |
| Nightmare | 1 (solo) | Boss-focused seasonal challenge that unlocks at level 45. Covered in its own guide. |
| Ascension Trial | 1 (solo) | A separate solo combat challenge with increasing difficulty and progression rewards. |
| Daily Dungeon | 1 (repeatable) | Short repeatable content for quick daily rewards such as Kina and materials. |
| Expedition | 5 | The main party dungeon format: gear, unbound Kina and Arcana. Has three modes — Exploration, Conquest, Transcendence. |
| Transcendence | 5 | Later group content tied to Arcana progression; Arcana cards and their crafting materials come from here. |
| Sanctuary | 10 | The 10-player weekly raid. NOTE: removed at launch and being reworked — see the Raids section. |
Party sizes above are the Global-version figures (5 / 10). The earlier KR/TW build used 4 / 8, and some older community guides still quote those numbers. NC has stated the game contains more than 200 dungeons across formats — treat the exact live count as unverified until counted in-game.
Solo Content
Solo content is where most players build their baseline gear and Skill Points outside the story.
- Sealed Dungeons — community wikis list 162 of them (Verteron & Altgard ~60 each, recommended level 10–40; Eltnen & Morheim ~20 each at level 45; plus the advanced Ruins of the Ancient City of Ru at 45). Confirmed role: they grant Wisdom Stones for Skill Points. Counts and level bands are community-reported — unconfirmed.
- Strongholds — open-world short fights; both Sealed Dungeons and Strongholds feed long-term regional progression.
- Nightmare — the level-45 seasonal boss ladder; see the Nightmare guide.
- Ascension Trial — a solo wave/boss challenge with rising difficulty and progression rewards.
- Daily Dungeon — repeatable quick rewards (Kina, materials).
Small-Group Content (5-player)
Expedition is the standard 5-player format. Per community data its menu unlocks via an episode quest (Wind Breeze Merchants for Elyos, Daeva in a Dream for Asmodians). It has three modes:
- Exploration — baseline group clears.
- Conquest — harder group clears.
- Transcendence — later content; rewards Arcana cards and their crafting materials (community-reported).
Mode names, unlock quests and Arcana drops are community-reported (fextralife wiki). Verify in your client.
Raids (10-player)
Sanctuary is AION 2's 10-player raid and sits near the top of the PvE ladder. In-game text: "Sanctuary is an extremely high-difficulty raid dungeon that requires a thorough understanding of each role."
At Global launch (2026-10-05) NCSoft temporarily removed Sanctuary for rework and said a return date would be announced by 2026-10-16. Treat its live availability as time-sensitive — check the latest patch notes before planning a raid week.
Ludra is reported as a second 10-player raid open at level 45 (single boss, three difficulty levels per community data). Its live status is also pending verification.
Sanctuary/Ludra specifics, boss lists and drop tables are community-reported and not yet verified on this site.
Open World, Casual & PvP
Beyond instanced PvE:
- Shugo Festival — a casual mini-game collection (races, survival games) with its own rewards.
- Dimensional Invasion — a field event in the open world, NOT a dungeon; its rewards can include Centuryroot Tokens for the Festival Shop.
- PvP — Abyss (open-world faction PvP), Arena and Battlefield (instanced PvP), and Spacetime Rift (connects the two factions' territories). World bosses and regional events also run in the open world.
Data Status
| Section | Status |
|---|---|
| Instance format map | Confirmed (in-game text + Global party sizes) |
| Sealed Dungeon counts / level bands | Unconfirmed — community wiki |
| Expedition modes & unlock quests | Unconfirmed — community wiki |
| Sanctuary availability | Time-sensitive — removed at launch, return by 2026-10-16 (NC) |
| Ludra & raid drops | Unconfirmed — community wiki |
Source tiers: Confirmed = in-game text or NC statements cross-checked across sources. Unconfirmed = community wikis/guides, pending in-game verification. We do not repeat pre-launch or datamined numbers as fact.
Last updated: 2026-10-12.
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