AION 2 — September 9, 2026 Update Notes: Anguish Snowfield, a New Equipment Slot, and Domination Cut to 15 Minutes
Editor's take
Two genuinely new things ship today, and the second one matters more than it looks. The first is a Sanctuary — Anguish Snowfield, three difficulties, a final boss called Deltras. The second is a new equipment slot, the Seal: the first slot AION 2 has added since launch. A new slot is not a new item; it is a new axis of progression that every character now has to fill, and it is fed by the new Sanctuary. Read the two announcements together and the shape of the next month is clear.
The Hall of Fame is the most interesting design decision in this patch. First, second and third kill of Anguish Snowfield Hard are recorded server-wide and permanently — name, server, legion, class, peak Combat Power, peak item level, force position, date and clear time — and renaming afterwards does not change the record. Contribution-less characters are not listed, so being carried does not get you on the board. This is the first time the game has published a competitive record that outlives the run that produced it.
Domination gets rebalanced one week after it launched. Groups drop from five strongholds to four, so the win line moves from "3 of 5" to "3 of 4" — a majority is now harder to defend, not easier. The battle is cut from 25 minutes to 15, flight-power cost is halved while you take part, and — the telling one — repeat kills on the same character inside a short window stop paying contribution, and assist contribution is trimmed. Those last two are anti-farm patches. A week of live data was apparently enough to see people trading kills for the class ranking.
The class section is where the promises land, and they land short. On September 2 NCSOFT published four things for "next week": Templar's Shield Smite becoming mobile, Assassin's Illusive Clone gaining bonus damage, further compensation for Spiritmaster, and a PVE damage increase for Cleric. What arrived today is four bug fixes and one hit effect. No damage number changed on any class. If you rerolled or respecced on the strength of that list, this is the week to note that a "next week" section is a plan, not a patch note.
Finally, the quiet one. The seven Wrathful Draconic materials are redistributed so that eight dungeons now give only the (Bound) form and the tradeable form exists in exactly four places — Hall of Illusion, Azure Breath Island, Citadel of the Fallen Daeva and Consumed Deus Research Base. That is one bullet in the notes and a serious change to the material market: everything you farm below those four is now yours alone, and the price of the tradeable versions is set by a much smaller pool of players.
NCSOFT has published the update notes for Wednesday, September 9. The headline is a new Sanctuary, Anguish Snowfield, and with it the first new equipment slot AION 2 has added since launch: the Seal. It follows the September 2 notes, which launched Domination — and this week already adjusts it.
New Content
Sanctuary: Anguish Snowfield
- A new Sanctuary, Anguish Snowfield, is added.
- It has three difficulties: Easy, Normal and Hard.
- Its final boss is Theostone: Deltras's Loyalty — the kill time on that boss is what the first-clear event and the Hall of Fame are measured against.
New equipment slot: Seal
- A new equipment slot, the Seal, is added.
- It is obtained by crafting, or by material-converting the Gear Change Voucher (Bound) dropped in Anguish Snowfield together with Kina.
This is the first slot the game has added since launch, and the only source of its material is the Sanctuary that shipped in the same patch. Expect the two to move together for some weeks.
New Draconic craft gear
- Craft designs are added for the [True] Genesis Dragon Lord / Nemesis Dragon Lord weapons and guards.
- A Transfer design is added that turns Splendent Genesis Dragon Lord / Nemesis Dragon Lord weapons and guards into the [True] versions.
- Liberated White Night weapons and guards can be material-converted into [True] craft materials.
Draconic Material Redistribution
The seven Draconic materials from the Odyle Energy Cube in Expedition and Sanctuary — Wrathful Mind, Wrathful Will, Wrathful Ego, Wrathful Wish, Wrathful Sublimation, Wrathful Belief, Wrathful Flame — are redistributed. Which form drops now depends entirely on where you farm.
| Where | What drops |
|---|---|
| Krao Cave, Draupnir, Urugugu Canyon, Vakron Sky Island, Fire Temple, Ferocious Horn Den, Dying Dramata's Nest, Cradle of Nihility | (Bound) materials only |
| Hall of Illusion, Azure Breath Island, Citadel of the Fallen Daeva, Consumed Deus Research Base | All seven, in (Bound) and tradeable form |
| Chalice of Muspel | All seven, in (Bound) form |
Read the middle row twice: after this patch the tradeable form of every Wrathful material exists in exactly four dungeons. Everything farmed below them is (Bound) and stays with the character that earned it.
Soul Binding
- Philosopher's Stone: Truth (Bound) is added.
- It is material-converted from 10 × Philosopher's Stone: Power (Bound).
Abyss
Server rematching
- Server rematching runs with this update, and the occupation state of artifacts and the Abyss corridor is reset.
- The rematching result is published separately in the CM Hideout notice.
Abyss Rift Zone
- Boss stats in the Abyss Rift Zone are raised.
- Eight boss types now become invincible for 25 seconds when their HP falls below a threshold — up to twice per fight.
- The per-phase composition changes, and the total number of bosses is reduced.
- Because there are fewer bosses, the Rift Bundle (Bound) reward from each of them is increased.
- Abyss Rift Zone missions are added to [Season Mission – Abyss – Weekly / Season].
A 25-second invincibility twice per boss is a hard floor on kill time, not a damage check: bringing more DPS no longer shortens those 50 seconds.
Spacetime Rift Domination
One week after it launched, Domination gets its first balance pass — and every number moves in the direction of a shorter, denser, harder-to-farm fight.
World map tab
- While Domination is being prepared or is running, a [Domination] tab is added to the world map, showing the state of the whole event at a glance.
- Clicking the icon left of a siege title in the Domination notifier jumps the world map straight to that siege.
Rules and environment
| Launch (Sep 2) | Now (Sep 9) | |
|---|---|---|
| Strongholds per group | 5 | 4 |
| Attackers win at | 3 of 5 | 3 of 4 |
| Defenders win at | majority held | 3 or more protected |
| Battle length | 25 minutes | 15 minutes |
| Flight-power cost while taking part | normal | −50% |
Contribution
- Killing the same character repeatedly within a set window now gives limited contribution.
- Contribution for assisting a kill on an enemy-faction player is slightly reduced.
Both of those are anti-farm changes, and they only get written after the fact. Rewards follow the per-class contribution ranking, which is exactly the shape that rewards trading kills — one week of live data was enough to close it.
Stronghold groups
Each group now holds four strongholds instead of five; one group still opens at random when the event fires.
| Elyos-defended: Verteron | Group | Strongholds |
|---|---|---|
| Verteron | A | Ugaros Marauder Campsite Miros Post Cohta Outpost Deserter Encampment |
| B | Sehna Outpost Sabga Balaur Campsite Maktashan Outpost Romlon's Hideout | |
| C | Gargos Thieves Campsite Canyon Thieves Den Renegade Hideout Plateau Hill Base |
| Asmodian-defended: Altgard | Group | Strongholds |
|---|---|---|
| Altgard | A | Graverobber Den Corrupted Forester Ruins Blades Temporary Outpost Sanctum Outskirts Watch |
| B | Rubek Thieves' Occupied Territory Forest Marauder Campsite Flauke Legion Outpost Latrima Outpost | |
| C | Barahta Extermination Unit Outpost Andsha Forward Base Amurahta Surveillance Base Detlef Thieves Camp |
One stronghold leaves each group: Poacher's Base (Verteron A), Mantasch Patrol Base (B), Forest Shade Execution Site (C), Logger's Rest Ruins (Altgard A), Legion Base Ruins (B) and Granach's Hideout (C). Stronghold names are resolved from the client's own map data, which stores them on each fort's gate marker.
Sanctuary Hall of Fame
A permanent, server-wide record of the first, second and third kill of a Sanctuary's final boss. It applies to Anguish Snowfield on Hard.
- Recorded at the moment the final boss dies: character name, server, legion, class, highest Combat Power reached during the run, highest item level reached during the run, force position, date, and time taken to clear.
- Characters with no contribution are not recorded.
- Renaming the character, server or legion afterwards does not change the record.
- Viewable from the Hall of Fame tab in the top left of the Sanctuary entry screen.
Commendation System
- After the final boss dies in Expedition, Transcendence, Trial and Sanctuary dungeons, you can commend a player.
- You pick a target and a reason, once per dungeon clear. The popup only stays up for a limited time.
- Results are shown once everyone has finished commending, and the totals accumulate per character in the character info window.
- Who may give one: party members who reached a minimum contribution at the final boss kill, and party members still in the party and the dungeon at that moment.
- Who may receive one: the same two groups — and in a Sanctuary, only members of your own party.
- Commendation achievements are added to [Achievement – Growth – Custom].
Quality of Life
World Marker
- A World Marker you can place on the ground is added, usable in the open world, Expedition, Transcendence, Sanctuary and the Abyss.
- Reached from the button next to the minimap, or from a key you assign in [Settings] > [Key Settings] > [Menu].
- The existing marker rules apply, and the popup can be moved wherever you like.
Streamer Mode
- A Streamer Mode option is added to [Settings] > [Other] > [Account].
- Account information hiding and character name hiding are separate toggles.
- With name hiding on, your character name is replaced with "@Player" everywhere it would be shown.
Transfer Craft
- Transfer materials now carry a required enchant level. Only gear that meets it can be used as a Transfer material.
- The material slots are shown from the very first Transfer step, not once you are already deep in it.
- The confirmation popup now previews the result based on the target item, and you must tick a "result checked" box before proceeding.
Wardrobe, Dimensional Invasion and Sanctuary
- [Dress-up] > [Pattern]: pattern width and height can be adjusted independently. Turning [Keep aspect ratio] back on restores the old behaviour.
- Dimensional Invasion: selecting the entry icon now shows the details — title, rewards — before you commit to entering.
- Sanctuary: entering a boss room now creates a portal at the start point that takes you to the boss room door.
Class Changes
Common
| Skill | Change |
|---|---|
 Judgment Dark Crush | Fixed: in certain situations the skill's activation was delayed when chaining into it. |
Both are chain follow-ups — Judgment on Templar, Dark Crush off Impactful Crush on Chanter — which is why one fix covers them together.
Assassin
| Skill | Change |
|---|---|
 Illusive Clone | A hit effect is added when the Spec 4 bonus damage applies. |
Spiritmaster
| Skill | Change |
|---|---|
 Elemental Fusion | Fixed: Elemental Fusion could be used repeatedly while invincible. |
 Jointstrike: Destructive Attack | The spirits' jointstrike skill now fires immediately. |
Cleric
| Skill | Change |
|---|---|
 Salvation | Fixed: with Spec 5, the no-stacking invincibility effect was applied only to the caster and the lowest-HP party member. |
Compare with what was announced a week ago. The September 2 notes listed four changes for "next week": Shield Smite becoming mobile by default on Templar, bonus damage on Illusive Clone, further compensation for Spiritmaster, and a PVE damage increase for Cleric. What shipped is four fixes and one hit effect — no damage value changed on any class this week.
Abyss Set Effects
The PVE stats on Abyss gear are re-tiered — and on the lower ranks, removed outright. X means the set bonus no longer exists at that piece count.
| Gear | Stat | 2-set | 5-set | 8-set | 12-set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decanus | PVE Abyss damage amplification | 15% | 20% | X | X |
| Centurion | 15% | 20% | 25% | X | |
| Tribunus | 20% | 25% | 30% | 35% | |
| High Commander | 25% | 30% | 35% | 40% | |
| Praetorian Captain | 30% | 35% | 40% | 45% |
The ranks are the Abyss gear tiers, lowest first. Two of them lose their top-end set bonus entirely, so a partially upgraded Abyss set can be worth less after this patch than before it.
[Events]
1. Be the First to Lift the Chalice: Anguish Snowfield
- Runs from the September 9 maintenance until the 20th force has cleared.
- First clear is judged on the kill time of the final boss, Theostone: Deltras's Loyalty, and only members of the force at that moment are paid.
| Reward | Who | Claim window |
|---|---|---|
| Title: "First to Break the Sword of Bitter Cold and Frost" Pet: Gilded Void | 1st force to clear | 1 month |
| Pet: Argent Void | 2nd–5th forces | 1 month |
| Pet: Bronze Void | 6th–20th forces | 1 month |
Payout is after NCSOFT has checked the detailed clear data; the date is to be announced separately. The three Void colour variants are not in the client tables yet, so their English names here follow the colour words the client uses elsewhere.
2. Daeva Look Change Week
- From the September 9 maintenance until the September 30 maintenance.
- Customisation cost is halved: 200 Quna ▶ 100 Quna per part, with no limit on the number of changes.
- Dye, material, pattern and pattern colour are all changed from the palette button in the Wardrobe.
[Promotion]
All of the following go on sale after the September 9 maintenance. The prices below are the Korean Purple Store prices; other stores and regions differ — the Taiwanese post lists TWD 1,080 for each suit and TWD 640 for the pet.
| Item | Price | Limit | On sale until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neo Ranger Suit (armour skin set, 4 pieces) | 49,000 KRW | — | Oct 21 |
| Dark Police Suit (armour skin set, 5 pieces) | 49,000 KRW | — | Oct 21 |
| Pinky Spin Helmet (helmet skin) | 300 Quna | — | Oct 21 |
| Agent Black Sunglasses (eye skin) | 300 Quna | 1 per server | Oct 21 |
| Twist Ring Piercing (face skin) | 300 Quna | 1 per server | Oct 21 |
| Pet: Pinky Spin Skateboard | 29,000 KRW | 1 per server | Oct 21 |
| Cutie Drone Wings (wing skin) | 29,000 KRW | 1 per character | Oct 21 |
| 4 × Neo Ranger emotes (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise) | 300 Quna each | 1 per character | Oct 21 |
Deva Pass: "The Flower That Blooms at Night"
- On sale from the September 9 maintenance until October 6, 05:00; missions and reward collection stay open until the October 7 maintenance.
- Basic: 2,000,000 Kina (one purchase per server). Premium: 1,000 Quna, which also pays out 30,000 × Soul Crystal (Bound).
- Pass levels run to 50, with repeat rewards past that. A level can also be bought outright for 50 Quna.
| Pass XP source | XP |
|---|---|
| Daily attendance | 1,000 |
| Defeat 10 monsters | 60 |
| Kill an opposing-faction player | 100 |
| Clear an Expedition or Transcendence | 300 |
| Clear a Sanctuary | 700 |
| Take part in a Shugo Festa | 500 |
| Successful gear enchant | 10 |
| Gear extraction | 10 |
Capped at 15,000 XP per character per week.
[Other] — Improvements & Fixes
Improvements
- NPC shop: the accessory sub-settings in quick sale registration and in server/character warehouse quick registration are reset — a consequence of the new Seal slot. Check them after the update.
- Subscription: with 30 minutes or less left, the HUD and menu subscription icon shows the remaining time; expiry now raises a system message, shown at next login if you were offline.
- Skill window: skill levels can be set per skill preset, and levelling up or resetting now works from a derived skill by resolving to its original / prerequisite skill.
- HUD editor: a boss gimmick gauge UI element is added.
Fixes
- The list-style slot option is removed from the item equip window's slot/list sorting.
- The server transfer tab is removed from the shop.
- The mini chat UI no longer activates for chat whose filter is switched off.
- Nightmare "Dream Layer II": the camera no longer behaves abnormally when hit by certain Mutated Ulgorn skills.
- Expedition Consumed Deus Research Base: certain Atiel skills could not be avoided with focused block or an evasion stance. Fixed.
- Monster placement before Overseer Gromkas in Consumed Deus Research Base is corrected.
- Expedition / Transcendence / Sanctuary: the outline no longer fails to appear when the mouse is over a main interactable object.
- The Upscaler option description under [Settings] > [Graphics] > [Optimisation] is corrected.
- Abyss corridor: the resurrection UI failed to appear when you were removed on the timer while dead. Fixed.
- Empyrean Monolith episode quest: the opposing faction's Empyrean Trace markers were shown on the world map. Fixed.
- The force order in the dungeon waiting room now matches the force order inside the dungeon.