AION 2’s global launch is here, and it’s taking the world by storm, racking up more than 400,000 concurrent players with ease. It’s one of 2026’s biggest MMORPG launches, but some of the discourse around the game has been hampered by claims that it’s a pay-to-win title with nefarious monetization tactics at play.
But is that the case?
I’m taking a dive into AION 2’s monetization model to see what the truth is and to determine if people are bagging on the game for the wrong reasons.
What Can You Buy in AION 2?
AION 2 is officially free-to-play, but, as you can imagine, it has a monetization mode that includes several base systems: optional cosmetics, a battle pass, premium currency, and a monthly premium membership. That’s all part and parcel of the MMORPG loop, and I don’t know a single one that doesn’t offer those elements, so why is the AION 2 pay-to-win argument surfacing so strongly?
The global version of AION 2 uses a premium currency called Quna, which you can buy with real money. Once you’ve got your Quna, you can use it in the digital in-game store and across the battle pass ecosystem. Again, that’s nothing weird.
The in-game shop includes paid cosmetic content, while your battle pass does what a battle pass does and offers rewards that you can unlock as you progress further through the game. Like other MMORPGs, this game features both a free and a premium track in that battle pass system.
But the real issues start when we’re looking at the AION 2 monthly membership.
This optional membership (read: entirely optional) gives players access to the player-driven economy and currency exchange systems. That means that you transcend being a truly free player and access a powerful economic feature.
However, consider that much of the game’s progression loop is tied to that economy. Players earn Kina as they explore AION 2, and Quna serves as the premium currency; the in-game exchange system divides them. You pay a membership to access this marketplace, but you can only trade things that you can unlock through normal gameplay, so it’s pay-to-get-more-convenience, if anything.
But it gets a bit tricky.
You can use that membership to convert real money into in-game currency that you can spend to obtain gear, upgrade materials, or other power that free players cannot obtain as efficiently. That’s the crux of the debate.
RELATED: AION 2 Hits 400,000 Concurrent Users
But is AION 2 Pay-to-Win?
Not necessarily. It’s pay-for-convenience, and that’s an important distinction to make. If paying players are proven to consistently progress faster or gain economic advantages over the players who spend nothing, then we have a different discussion starting to emerge, but for now, it’s mostly fine. It needs the game to develop and be explored further before we can judge it either way.
Ultimately, AION 2 is free, and you can start playing without spending a single penny. The consensus from the team at NC is that all the purchases bolted on to the game are entirely optional and not needed to enjoy the base game whatsoever.
But do players feel pressured to get that membership?
It’s a similar argument with Fallout 76’s Fallout 1st subscription. That’s another MMORPG that offers a premium service, and again, it’s argued that it’s pay-to-win, when really, it’s pay-for-convenience. Fallout 1st allows users to get a rampant array of bonuses and boosts for their monthly subscription, much of which gives them a huge upper hand over free players, but does it enable them to ‘win more’ than a free player? No.
It’s mostly enhanced storage solutions, exclusive rewards, free in-game currency every month, private server hosting, and so on.
AION 2 doesn’t have the most aggressive pay-to-win model I’ve ever seen in the F2P MMORPG space, but the subscription circuit is a bit tricky to justify. It certainly impacts the economy, and that’s being reflected in the game’s review scores and sentiment.
But what do you think? Do you think NC has created an inherent problem with AION 2’s monetization model? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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