AION 2 Crafting system Guide and Progression explanation for beginners

Storyline (as discussed)

• The subtitles don’t present a traditional narrative storyline. Instead, they frame the “progression” story as a player’s journey through crafting stages—from high-risk crafting in early seasons to a safer upgrade/transfer system after changes.
• The goal is to keep players engaged rather than punishing them with long setbacks.

Gameplay / Crafting System Highlights (what changed)

Problem in Seasons 1–2: High-risk crafting

High-end weapon crafting required multiple sequential steps, such as:

• Artifacts → proc/components
• Large material requirements

If crafting failed:

• Players lost a lot of resources, especially large amounts of kina.

Example given:

• A single failed crafting attempt could cost ~300 million kina.
• This was compared to ~$400+ value during earlier seasons.

Impact:

• Players could “fall behind” and lose motivation after repeated failures for months.

What was added/changed in the newer system (to narrow the pay vs. free gap)

The creator describes two main systems:

1) “Guaranteed star craft” acceleration (seasonal store)

• Players can obtain a guaranteed craft resource (“star craft”) purchased from the seasonal store.
• You can get 5 pieces per server per season (not per character).
• It’s framed as crafting acceleration.

If the target item isn’t available:

• The system uses an alternative craft.
• Example described:
  • If a certain level Crismon isn’t available, you craft an alternative such as a level 94 Jamunik.
  • A low-level defense item may be required as an input.

2) Transfer/upgrade (“porting” / transference) instead of repeating full-failure risk

After an initial high-risk upgrade (described as using star dragon-type crafting / “splendor”), progression shifts to a transfer-based upgrade loop rather than returning to the most punishing crafting stages.

The described workflow:

• Build a baseline upgraded item (examples involve splendor and higher-level dragon-related versions).
• Use transfer to move value from an older weapon to a newer one.
• Key detail when recycling:
  • You don’t lose charge
  • You don’t lose soul bindings
  • You only pay additional required materials/costs

Example Progression Loop (simplified from subtitles)

1. Get through an easier early crafting stage
   • Craft the “first stage” / initial required component to unlock the real upgrade path.
2. Reach a first major upgraded tier (“star dragon” / high-level splendor stage)
   • Higher risk, but treated as the entry point.
3. Use splendor + materials to port/transfer onward
   • Insert the older splendor weapon into the next upgrade system.
   • If an upgrade fails, the system provides a safety net (example: pay a small-to-moderate amount and receive a guaranteed target tier).
4. Apply endgame enhancement systems
   • Add sockets
   • Add “charm”
   • Add characteristic lines
   • Bind soul / maximize
5. Perform gear transfer
   • Recycle the old weapon into the new weapon.
   • Costs increase, but progress is preserved—reducing “months lost” from repeated failures.

Key Strategy / Tips Emphasized

• Don’t craft the hardest items directly from scratch repeatedly.
  • The creator claims players will avoid direct high-failure crafting because it’s too expensive and discouraging.
  • Instead, players gradually improve using the transfer/upgrade safety nets.
• Transfer system = time preservation
  • Previously, paying players could accelerate by repurchasing materials after failures.
  • Now, free players lose less progress/time when upgrades fail.
• Pay gap narrowed, but not fully removed
  • Pay-to-win isn’t eliminated: paid players can still buy items/materials outright and progress faster.
  • However, free players aren’t hit as often by massive time loss.

Class-specific focus: Rangers vs other classes

• Rangers should focus on bows (not other weapon types).
• Example provided: “Dragon Horned Bow” has six important stats:
  • combat speed, weapon damage, status, damage boost, multi-hit chance, power
• Lower-level weapons may have only four stats; for rangers, missing stats like multi-hit/power matter more.

Additional Item Example Mentioned

• The same upgrade/transfer logic is said to apply to other equipment such as shoulder pads, not only weapons.
• The creator references Korean players “crying over” failures in older systems, implying the new transfer approach prevents repeated total-loss scenarios.

Sources / Gamers Featured (mentioned at the end)

• Gear Up (Singaporean company): sponsor/utility mentioned for ping reduction (no specific gamer named).
• No specific game streamers, creators, or named gamers are listed in the subtitles beyond the narrator/YouTube channel host.
• Referenced video/link:
  • “How to play AION for free on Taiwanese and Korean servers” (the creator’s related video).