AION 2 Servers, Factions and Matchmaking Explained

This page explains how the game’s servers are organized: why each one holds only one faction, how servers are matched for cross-faction modes, why NCSoft changed the matchmaking on October 28, and what that means when you pick a server. It is based on NCSoft’s official server, matchmaking and transfer posts on Steam, checked on November 1, 2026.

How are AION 2 servers organized?

Every server houses a single faction. NCSoft’s Advanced Access Servers post and its New Server and Matchmaking notice describe the order of choices when you start: first a region, then a faction, then one of the servers available for that faction in that region. Elyos and Asmodian characters never share a server, so the faction you pick decides which server list you see.

The server lists use five regions: Europe, NA East, NA West, Latin America (called South America in later notices) and Asia. NCSoft’s Launch FAQ describes the physical locations a little differently, as North America, South America, Europe and Japan. The same FAQ confirms that Steam and PURPLE players share the same servers, so your launcher doesn’t separate you from friends. The platform FAQ covers the rest of those basics.

Servers arrived in waves. The first batch opened for Advanced Access on September 30, launch servers followed with the global launch on October 5 at 6 AM PDT / 13:00 UTC, and NCSoft kept adding pairs afterwards, such as Nathara and Tassin in Europe on October 8 at 09:00 PDT / 18:00 CEST. Our player count page has a table of NCSoft’s official server counts by region.

What does server matchmaking do?

The factions live apart but fight in shared modes, and NCSoft names Spacetime Rifts and the Abyss as examples. To bring the two sides together, each server is matched with another server for a limited time. The opponents you meet in those modes come from that matched server, not from the whole region. NCSoft’s own example: if the Asmodian server Israphel is paired with the Elyos server Siel, every Israphel Asmodian who enters the Abyss runs into Siel’s Elyos.

In practice, the pairing decides who your rivals are for a stretch of time. If the same opponents keep showing up in the Abyss, that is the pairing at work rather than a coincidence.

Why did the pairings change on October 28?

NCSoft said from the start that pairings were temporary. Its Advanced Access and launch matchmaking posts both promised periodic updates to keep the factions balanced and warned that the current opponent could be replaced by a new challenger.

The October 28 notice goes further than a reshuffle. NCSoft now says it updates pairings “to keep the combat balanced”, and as a result the same faction may be matched together, for example Asmodian against Asmodian. The notice also splits matchmaking into two separate lists:

• Abyss Server Pairings name two servers per pair along with each one’s faction. Many of these pairs are Elyos against Elyos or Asmodian against Asmodian.
• Rift Server Pairings still put one Elyos server against one Asmodian server.

Because the lists are separate, your Abyss partner and your Rift partner can be different servers. Server names also repeat across regions, so the same name can have different partners depending on where you play. Siel shows both effects:

Region	Siel’s Abyss pairing	Siel’s Rift pairing
Europe	Israphel (Asmodian)	Triniel (Asmodian)
NA East	Nezekan (Elyos)	Triniel (Asmodian)
NA West	Israphel (Asmodian)	Zikel (Asmodian)
South America	Nezekan (Elyos)	Zikel (Asmodian)
Asia	Zikel (Asmodian)	Zikel (Asmodian)

NCSoft doesn’t say how long this set of pairings will last, so treat any matchup as temporary.

How should you choose a server?

It helps to see the choice as three decisions with different weights.

Region and faction are the hard ones to undo. In the only transfer period so far, NCSoft allowed moves only to a server of the same faction in the same region. An Asmodian character in Europe stayed an Asmodian in Europe. If you plan to play with friends, agree on region and faction before anything else.

The server itself matters less for group play than it may seem. NCSoft has reminded players more than once that all instanced content, dungeons included, is available cross-server. Some things do stay with a server, though: the transfer Q&A treats Server Storage, server-based shop purchase limits and server-based titles as belonging to the server rather than the character.

The current pairing is a weak reason to pick a server. NCSoft reshuffles pairings, so the rival you see today may be gone after the next update.

When servers were crowded, NCSoft’s own advice was simple. During Advanced Access it asked players stuck in queues to consider a recommended server, and when it opened Nathara and Tassin it encouraged players to join new servers as they became available. Starting over is also slower than it used to be: the October 27 (PDT) / October 28 (CET) patch raised the character deletion waiting period from one day to seven, which NCSoft says prevents abuse of repeated character deletion and creation.

Where do server transfers stand now?

The first transfer period ran for two weeks. Early Access servers moved first, then launch servers until before the October 27 (PDT) / October 28 (CET) maintenance. Costs, requirements and what carries over are on the server transfer guide.

The last days were bumpy. On October 26 NCSoft put transfers on hold while it investigated an issue, then updated its notice to say they would resume with Europe at 03:00 PDT / 12:00 CET, with NA East, NA West and South America continuing in their next windows. The same update raised the level requirement for a transfer to 45.

The October 27 (PDT) / October 28 (CET) patch notes then refer to the end of the transfer period. They remove the Server Transfer tab from the shop, promise a schedule for item retrieval and restoration once the period is over, and say Attendance rewards claimed more than once because of a transfer will be reclaimed. NCSoft’s products notice says the transfer service may be sold again in the same or a similar form, but no date has been set.

What do players often get wrong?

• Assuming the Abyss is always Elyos against Asmodian. Since October 28, an Abyss pairing can be two servers of the same faction.
• Treating the Abyss and Rift partners as one server. They come from two different lists and often differ.
• Reading another region’s table. Siel, Israphel and other names exist in every region, each with its own partners.
• Expecting exact spellings. NCSoft’s lists spell some servers differently from post to post: Tahavata, Tahavatha and Tahabata; Kasaka and Kasika; Fregion and Fergion; Hithanya and Hitani. Match on your region and the closest name.
• Mixing up Ludra the server and Ludra the challenge. Ludra is an Asmodian server in Europe and also the name of the content arriving on November 4, which our Ludra guide covers.
• Thinking Steam and PURPLE players are separated. According to the Launch FAQ, they share servers.

What hasn’t been announced?

• How long the October 28 pairings will run, or when the next update is due.
• How NCSoft decides which servers to pair, beyond its stated aim of balanced combat.
• The date or price of a second transfer period, or whether cross-faction or cross-region moves will ever be offered.