# AION 2 Leveling Guide: What to Do Before Level 45
> This guide covers the gear, progression and resource decisions that matter between character creation and level 45 in AION 2, from macros and wing movement to ascension walls and dungeon energy. It is written for new players who want to avoid wasting limited resources while leveling.
- **Game:** AION 2
- **Category:** Getting Started
- **Author:** LongBeam (https://guides-factory.com/authors/longbeam)
- **Difficulty:** Beginner
- **Reading time:** 12 min
- **Published:** 2026-10-25
- **Updated:** 2026-10-25
- **Tags:** AION 2, Leveling, amulet, ascension, beginner, belt, odyle energy, wings
- **Adapted from:** [AION 2: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Level 45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf6Sbad0XRU)
- **Canonical URL:** https://guides-factory.com/guides/aion-2-leveling-guide-what-to-do-before-level-45
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Get from character creation to level 45 in AION 2 without burning resources you will want at max level. Set up a macro and the wing dash in your first hour, know where the main story will stop you, and put your upgrade materials, Kinah and Odyle Energy only where they keep paying off.
## Quick answer
| What | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| Gear to upgrade | Amulet and belt only; other gear gets replaced |
| Ascension walls | Level 22 and level 32 |
| Dungeon cube | Leave it closed on story expeditions; it costs Odyle Energy |
| Feather yield | 4 monolith points per feather, about a quarter of the Korean count |
| Gear score target | 1,400 gear score to start the two-star expeditions |
| Wing dash keys | Fly up on B, dash with right click, stow wings on V |
## Set up a basic macro on day one
Your first two abilities work as a pair: left click generally builds **mana** and right click spends it. Put both into one macro and you can hold a single key with left click to run the whole basic loop 1:00 ↗. You do not need an endgame class build for this.
This is a two-button rotation, not a one-button game. Which skills belong in the macro and which work better in the **stacking skill** system depends on your class, and it only becomes clear once more of your abilities are unlocked. Learn what each new skill does as it arrives, test combinations that stack well, and look up a proper class guide once you are further in.
## Fly farther with the wing dash trick
**Wings** are your real flying mount. **Pets** also act as mounts and every mount can glide, but treat pets as ground transport. Both feel slow at first: collecting more pets and wings raises their speed, and each extra set of wings adds **flight power**, which keeps you airborne longer 2:25 ↗.
The trick is to dash, stow the wings straight away so you keep the momentum, then pull them out and dash again.
Holding B while you dash adds a little lift to each burst, so you carry speed forward without sinking. The real gain is range: the **wing gauge** drains while the wings are out, and stowing them between dashes means you barely touch it, so the same flight power covers far more ground 3:24 ↗. It feels clumsy for the first few tries. Once B, right click and V become one roll of the thumb, it chains cleanly.
## Clear the ascension walls on the way to 45
You cannot follow the main story straight to 45. Around level 22 the first **ascension** wall stops the main quest until you fill the ascension progress bar 3:53 ↗. The second arrives around level 32. At max level the walls change into **gear score** requirements, and the story will not continue until you meet them 4:22 ↗.
| Wall | When it hits | What clears it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| First ascension wall | Around level 22 | Side quests, strongholds and sealed dungeons to fill the progress bar |
| Second ascension wall | Around level 32 | The same content, more of it |
| Gear score requirement | At max level | Permanent upgrades from feathers, strongholds, sealed dungeons, regional quests, skill points and Daevanion progress |
None of this is completionist filler. Every item in that last row turns into permanent gear score, and gear score is what lets you finish the story and move into endgame. Whether you do it while leveling or rush first and come back is a pace decision, covered in the last section.
## Upgrade your amulet and belt first
Spend upgrade resources on your **amulet** and **belt** and nothing else while leveling 4:51 ↗. Weapons and armor get replaced constantly; these two pieces stay with you and keep being upgraded all the way into endgame.
| Piece | Upgraded through | How you find it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amulet | **Feathers** turned in at the **Monolith** | Scattered across the world map |
| Belt | **Strongholds** | Question marks on the map until discovered |
Turning in feathers levels the Monolith, which gives permanent character progression and the materials for the next amulet upgrade. Every stronghold you clear does the same job for the belt, so treat each one as belt progress rather than an optional detour.
On the global version each feather is worth 4 Monolith points instead of 1, so you need roughly a quarter of the feathers Korean servers did to max it 5:48 ↗. Collect them once: visit the Monolith on an alt and sync your feather progress, and that character can upgrade its own amulet without hunting feathers again.
Once either piece reaches +10, use **substance morph** to move it up a rarity: green, then blue, then gold. Gold +10 is the target 6:17 ↗.
Bottleneck ahead
Near level 45 the first thing you run short of is enhancement stones. Shortly after that, Kinah becomes the limit instead. Do not spend Kinah on gear you will replace.
## Do regional quests, strongholds and sealed dungeons
**Regional quests** are the green side quests dotted over your map, and they are easy to skip out of habit. Do not: they hand out gear upgrades, skill points and **Daevanion** progress 6:45 ↗. Daevanion progress makes your character stronger and raises gear score directly. Many of the level 45 regional quests reward actual armor upgrades, so when a gear score wall stops the story, this is the first place to go back to 7:14 ↗.
**Sealed dungeons** are another one-time source of permanent power. Like strongholds, they sit on the map as a question mark until you discover them. Do not confuse them with expedition dungeons 7:42 ↗.
| Activity | On the map | Who runs it | What it gives |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Regional quests | Green side quests | Solo | Gear upgrades, skill points, Daevanion progress; armor upgrades at 45 |
| Strongholds | Question mark until discovered | Solo | Belt upgrades |
| Sealed dungeons | Question mark until discovered | Solo | Skill points, Daevanion progress |
| Expedition dungeons | Main quest and endgame | Five-player group | Loot cube that costs Odyle Energy |
## Leave the expedition cube closed
The main quest sends you through a few expedition dungeons, and each ends with a loot cube you open by spending **Odyle Energy**. Odyle Energy is limited, and you want as much of it as possible for higher-level expeditions. At level 45 with 1,400 gear score you start in the two-star expeditions, which is where that energy buys gear worth keeping 8:11 ↗.
On a story expedition, press Cancel. Start opening cubes once all three of these are true 8:40 ↗:
- You are at max level.
- Your Odyle Energy is close to its cap.
- You know which expeditions drop the gear you want.
## Decide whether to rush level 45
Level 45 opens endgame content on daily and weekly timers, and every reset you are not there for is one you miss. Whether that matters depends on how settled you are and how much you can play.
| Your situation | What to do | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Not settled on a class | Try the classes you are curious about, follow the story, and take each to about level 22 | Expeditions unlock at 22, and from then that character regenerates Odyle Energy even while you play something else 9:10 ↗ |
| Main chosen, limited time in week one | Follow the story; do regional quests, sealed dungeons and strongholds as you find them; grab nearby feathers | You need all of it for 45 anyway, so nothing is lost by taking it in order |
| Main chosen, plenty of time in week one | Rush to 45, then go back for feathers, strongholds, sealed dungeons and regional quests | Starting the daily and weekly timers early banks resets you would otherwise lose 9:37 ↗ |
Rushing only pays if you go back. Banked energy is useless when your gear cannot run the dungeons you want to spend it on, so after hitting 45, upgrade the belt, the amulet and the Daevanion board before anything else 10:06 ↗.
The first breakpoint that matters is around 1,400 gear score, where tier 2 expeditions open 10:29 ↗. Reaching 45 on day one and then leveling alts while your main sits at 800 gear score wastes the head start. Get one main to 1,400, then add alts when you have the time.
## Also worth knowing
Before you spend
- **Odyle Energy wasted at the cap is worse than energy spent on a cube.** It regenerates over time whether or not you are logged in. If you play a few hours a day you will reach the cap regardless, so opening a cube just before you hit it costs nothing. Keeping cubes closed matters most if you reach 45 within your first day or so; either way, never let the energy sit full.
- **Daevanion nodes are not free to reset.** Each reset costs Kinah. One is cheap, but repeated resets add up, so plan the board before unlocking nodes at random.
- **Extract old gear instead of throwing it away.** Low-level gear extracts into upgrade materials and adds its skin to your collection. Four duplicate skins reroll into one new skin, so you can wear better gear and keep the look you like.
- **One side quest adds 5 bag slots.** Inventory space is tight without paying for more, so it is worth doing early.
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## FAQ
### Should I open the loot cube at the end of AION 2 story expeditions?
Opening the cube spends Odyle Energy, which is a limited resource better saved for the higher-level expeditions that unlock at level 45. Players who log in only a few hours a day tend to hit the energy cap anyway, so spending it just before the cap costs nothing. Avoid letting the energy sit at its maximum, since anything beyond the cap is wasted.
### Why can't I continue the main story in AION 2?
The game places ascension walls around level 22 and level 32, and later adds gear score requirements at max level. You clear an ascension wall by filling its progress bar through side quests, strongholds and sealed dungeons. Gear score walls are cleared with the permanent upgrades from feathers, strongholds, regional quests and Daevanion progress.
### Do I need to collect feathers again on each alt in AION 2?
No. After collecting feathers on one character, go to the monolith and sync your feather progress so your other characters can upgrade their own amulets. On the global version each feather also gives four monolith points instead of one.
### Is it worth rushing to level 45 in AION 2?
It depends on how much time you have. Players with plenty of time in their first week benefit because level 45 opens daily and weekly timers that are worth starting early. Everyone else can follow the story, do regional quests, sealed dungeons and strongholds as they appear, and reach 45 without hurry.