Launch Scale Test — pre-download and schedule

On 26 August 2026, NCSOFT announced a Launch Scale Test open to everyone on Steam and PURPLE. Its official Steam notice of 16 September adds the precise schedule: pre-download from 16 September 15:00 to 17 September 15:00 CEST; day one on 17 September 15:00–21:00 CEST; and day two on 18 September 21:00–19 September 03:00 CEST. No keys, invites or registration list are required. The test uses Steam Playtest App 4972320, gives six hours per day, carries progression only from day one to day two, then wipes it; nothing transfers to Advance Access on 30 September or launch. Purchases, the shop, Quna, passes, memberships, marketplace, Quna exchange, player trading and Founder’s Pack items are disabled, and the level cap is 37. Steam players must uninstall the Playtest App after the test and download AION 2 separately for Advance Access; PURPLE players need no further step. The same NC Japan press release announces a separate TGS2026 playable preview from 17 to 21 September 2026: AION2 trial stations are installed at six partner booths, using a special build tuned for the show. This is a convention preview, not the Steam Launch Scale Test, and the release does not say that its content carries over. The official Steam Playtest feed records two EU server additions during day one — Vaizel and Triniel at 15:48 CEST, then Kaisinel and Lumiel at 16:28 CEST — and an 18 September hotfix notice published at 05:57 CEST announcing four fixes before day two: quest-object interaction radius, low-level appearance-change tickets, chat/macro report verification and client crashes. NC’s 15 September release also says it will use Microsoft Azure’s global infrastructure for launch traffic, with Microsoft supporting pre-launch performance checks and incident response.

The official Steam notice of 16 September 2026 is the direct source for this update: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3393110/view/1844115010489065. It states the pre-download and two CEST play windows, identifies Steam and PURPLE as the platforms, and links the separate Steam Playtest App 4972320. The publisher’s Japanese portal shows the same hours in Japan time, so its second day appears on 19 September rather than 18; 22:00 JST is 15:00 CEST, and the second session begins at 21:00 CEST on 18 September. The Western Steam notice is used for the schedule shown here. A first-hand NC Japan press release dated 16 September adds a separate TGS2026 playable preview from 17 to 21 September at six partner booths, using a special show-tuned build: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000003062.000001868.html. It does not turn that convention build into the Steam test or state that progress carries over. The official Steam Playtest feed adds the operational follow-up: its 17 September notice records Vaizel and Triniel added at 15:48 CEST, then Kaisinel and Lumiel at 16:28 CEST; its 18 September hotfix notice, published at 05:57 CEST, announces fixes for quest-object interaction radius, low-level appearance-change tickets, chat/macro report verification and client crashes before day two. The Playtest feed is available at https://api.steampowered.com/ISteamNews/GetNewsForApp/v0002/?appid=4972320&count=20&maxlength=100000&format=json. https://about.ncsoft.com/news/article/A2_update_20260915.

The Launch Scale Test has ended after its two CEST sessions. Steam players must uninstall Playtest App 4972320 and download AION 2 separately for Advanced Access on 30 September; PURPLE players need no further step. Full servers now use a priority queue for accounts in good standing, but access is not guaranteed. The closing Steam notice dated 19 September 2026 also clarifies that direct player-to-player trades remain disabled as an anti-bot measure and that the Market is the central trading hub. At capacity, accounts in good standing enter a priority queue rather than the general queue; this is a privilege rather than a guarantee and can be revoked for disciplinary action or suspected Terms of Service violations. The notice is available at https://steamstore-a.akamaihd.net/news/externalpost/steam_community_announcements/1844115010496396.

The two Launch Scale Test sessions are now over. Before anything else: nothing you do here survives. The official Steam schedule at https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3393110/view/1844115010489065 gives CEST for the pre-download and both sessions. Progression is wiped at the end of day two, and it transfers neither to Advance Access nor to launch. A Japanese page shows the same hours in JST, so its second day is dated 19 September; copying that date without the timezone would mislead a European reader. Steam players must uninstall the Playtest App and download AION 2 separately for Advance Access on 30 September, while PURPLE players have nothing further to do.