Plan on 10 to 15 hours of main story to reach level 45 on your first character, or closer to 20 to 25 if you do side content as you go. Main story alone is the quickest way to 45, but it leaves your character weaker than the level says. The smart route mixes in side content zone by zone.
Aion 2 marks its content by colour, and each colour pays in something different.
So yellow gets you levels and green gets you strength. You need both by 45.
That rhythm is slower on paper than pure main story. It's faster overall, because you arrive at 45 ready for endgame instead of going back to farm points.
Enhance your gear while levelling, weapon first. When a better piece drops, extract the old one and every enhancement stone comes back.
The one thing you don't get back is the Kinah you paid to enhance. Early on it's small change. By the mid-levels it adds up, so keep your weapon enhanced and let the rest wait.
Level 45 on global servers. Korea and Taiwan moved to 50 in July; NC hasn't dated that change for global.
At 45, progression shifts from XP to gear, points and PvP. Endgame dungeons open up, and Kinah matters more because enhancement gets expensive. In the Korean and Taiwanese versions, two Daevanion boards also unlock at 45: one for damage against monsters, one against players. Fill the one that matches how you'll play first.
