u/shingg919

Note: I am a Chinese player in TW ser and this post was translated by Gemini. Please excuse any awkward phrasing

Let’s be real for a second: the PvP in Aion 2 is a textbook example of "Pay-to-Win" gone wrong. It’s not just a skill gap; it’s a math gap that you simply cannot overcome unless you drop a massive amount of cash.

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The "Whale" Build (The God Mode) While PvE is all about stacking attack stats, PvP gear is completely different. It’s all about defense stacking. Whales are currently running hybrid sets (108 Red gear mixed with PvP pieces) even before they get their hands on Commander gear. They are stacking everything:Block/Evasion, Will, HP, Agility, Iron Wall, Regen, Crit Resist, Crit Damage Resist, Weapon Damage Resist... you name it.

On top of that, they’re stuffing their gear with defensive manastones and pushing everything to +5 enchantment. Combined with the damage reduction from "Commander" rank and the insane stat boosts from their transformations, these players are literally unkillable.

If you try to fight them, your screen just spams**"Miss / Block / -1"**. It’s not even a fight; it’s a joke. They can easily 1v10 PvP players and 1v20+ PvE players without breaking a sweat.

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The "F2P" Trap (The Impossible Grind) If you are a monthly sub player or F2P, don’t even bother trying to keep up. The game forces you to choose between PvE and PvP progression because resources are way too scarce to maintain both sets.

The PvE Dilemma: If you try to survive by investing in PvP gear, you’ll get kicked from dungeon groups or rejected instantly because your PvE DPS is too low.

The Reality Check: Even if you dedicate every single resource to your PvP gear for 3 seasons (approx. 5 months), you stillwon't touch the stats that a whale buys on Day 1. It is mathematically impossible to catch up.

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The Only "PvP" Experience Left The only "fun" non-whales get in PvP? Bullying pure PvE players who have zero PvP gear. Against someone without PvP gear, the Time-to-Kill (TTK) is about 1-2 seconds. It feels exactly like killing a trash mob—just spam a few skills, and they’re dead.

 

Is this really the PvP experience we signed up for? At this rate, the gap between the spenders and everyone else is just going to kill the game.

Edit: Before April 15th, you could still use multiple characters (up to 7 alts, similar to Lost Ark) to funnel resources into your main character, narrowing the gap with P2W players. Now, NCsoft has gutted the rewards from alts, making it pointless to grind like a full-time job. You can expect the Global version to follow suit.

I also anticipate some people arguing: "PVP gear is exchanged using Abyss Points (AP), so how is it P2W?" While acquiring the base gear isn't the hardest part, the real cost lies in enchanting, re-rolling defensive stats, and slotting PVP Manastones (which are incredibly expensive). Furthermore, the entry-level PVP gear for certain slots is significantly weaker than Level 108 Red gear—specifically weapons, gloves, chests, and leggings.

Mixing these is currently the "meta", but a regular player has zero chance of crafting a Level 108 Red piece in the early game. Even if you have a full set of Level 68 PVP gear, if it’s not properly enchanted and , you’ll only last about 2 seconds longer against a whale.