You increase Combat Power in AION 2 by permanently improving your character: better gear, enhancing and Soul Binding that gear, Arcana sets, Stigma skills, Daevanion, wing upgrades and your pets’ Genus Insight all feed the number, while temporary buffs from consumables do not. The steadiest gains come from climbing the dungeon ladder (Expedition, then Transcendence, then Sanctuary) and putting the materials back into your gear.
This guide covers what Combat Power measures, each system that raises it, and what does not. It is built on NC’s announcements for the Korean and Taiwanese version, where Combat Power was added in March 2026. NC has not published patch notes for the global build (Founder’s early access September 30, 2026, launch October 5), so exact numbers such as item level requirements may differ at global launch.
What Combat Power Measures
NC announced the system in March 2026: “In addition to item level, players will be able to check their character’s overall Combat Power value,” alongside a Combat Analysis feature that measures your DPS. In the Korean client, NC’s guidebook calls that tool the Combat Power Meter, though it measures damage rather than the score: it opens from the ESC menu or with Ctrl+X, shows total combat time, DPS and total damage dealt, and has a detailed mode that breaks damage down by skill. Since July 2026 it can start measuring automatically when you attack a boss, the quickest way to check whether an upgrade raised your damage.
On the Korean livestream that followed, development producer Kim Nam-jun explained the difference, as summarized by Korean outlet Inven. Combat Power is shown as a toggle on the existing item level display, and it counts things item level ignores, including armor and pet Genus Insight. Stats from buff items do not count.
Both numbers matter. Item level gates dungeons; in Korea, entry requirements ran from 3,000 for some Expedition and Transcendence dungeons up to 4,500 for the Chalice of Muspel Sanctuary. Combat Power is the fuller picture, and NC uses it too: one Korean PvP zone caps it, and a returning-player package was pitched as reaching “around 300K combat power.”
1. Gear From the Dungeon Ladder
Gear is the biggest lever, and it comes from group PvE:
- Expedition dungeons drop Hero- and Unique-grade equipment, and NC says Hard difficulty raises those drop rates and adds Draconic crafting materials. Conquest runs also guarantee a Gear Change Voucher, which exchanges weapons, armor and accessories.
- Transcendence dungeons supply Arcana crafting materials, with harder tiers opening as your item level rises.
- Sanctuary, the hardest content, drops Hero- and Unique-grade weapons and accessories.
Rewards are claimed with Odyle Energy, and NC’s membership notice lists a higher Odyle Energy cap and an extra injection per reward Cube in Expedition, Transcendence and Sanctuary among the Membership perks. Solo modes help too: NC told VGTimes at gamescom that rewards from solo content “will be taken into account when leveling up your character.” Our solo play guide covers those modes and how party matching fills group runs.
2. Enhance, Soul Bind and Transfer
Raw drops are only the start. NC’s Korean updates describe several layers of upgrades on each piece:
- Enhancement: Enhance Stones raise a piece’s enhancement level, and NC’s notes also describe Amplified enhance levels and upgrade stages on top.
- Soul Binding: adds bonus effects to equipment. Once a piece reaches 100% Soul Binding, the Soul Fuse system lets you apply additional effects with two Philosopher’s Stone: Revelation.
- Sync: NC’s notes describe Sync slots and Sync Stones as another upgrade layer, with more slots and armor options added in Season 2.
The system that changes how you should spend is Transfer, added in Season 2. It moves “Amplified enhance levels, upgrade stages, and Soul Binding effects from existing equipment to new gear,” up to six times per piece. Upgrading gear you plan to replace is therefore not wasted: the investment moves to the new piece.
3. Arcana, Stigma and Daevanion
Three character systems add Combat Power on top of gear:
- Arcana are crafted parts with set effects. NC’s examples include Frenzy (5% boss damage amplification) and Pure Blood (5% Critical Damage Boost), crafted from crystals that specific dungeons drop. Old Arcana can be extracted into crystals for newer sets.
- Stigma skills can now fill up to five slots, and the Korean Chapter 1 update raised the Stigma enhance cap to level 25.
- Daevanion such as Yustiel increase Attack and Defense, with materials from specific Expedition dungeons.
4. Wings, Stats, Monoliths and Pets
The smaller levers add up:
- Wings: a Wings Enhance System lets you upgrade wings “for additional stats,” per NC’s May 2026 update. That update also raised caps for Might, Dexterity, Precision, Willpower, Intelligence and Constitution to 250.
- Monoliths: regional Monoliths grant Deity stats, so exploring each region pays off.
- Pets: Genus Insight counts toward Combat Power, and NC made it server-wide, based on the highest value among your characters on that server. Pet levels are pooled across all your characters there too, so time on an alt still advances your pets, a point our class and server change guide expands on.
Class choice shapes what you do with all that power, and our best class guide covers that side.
What Does Not Raise Combat Power
- Cosmetics: NC’s business model update says shop cosmetics “give no gameplay or combat advantage.”
- Founder’s Pack extras: NC says the pack’s title, armor and weapon skins, pet and wings are “appearance-only products, and no additional stats are granted.” Our Founder’s Pack guide lists them.
- Consumables and buffs: potions and resurrection stones “do not affect gear progression or long-term power,” and buff items are excluded from the calculation.
Spending can still speed progression indirectly. NC’s Daeva Passes are sold per character and include “upgrade materials,” and Quna can be exchanged with other players for Kina, which buys gear on the Market if you have an active Membership. More on the launch is on our AION 2 guides hub and in our pre-download story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Combat Power in AION 2? NC has not published targets for the global version. As Korean reference points, NC pitched a returning-player package as reaching around 300K Combat Power, and a September 2026 Spacetime Rift event required 500K to enter.
Is Combat Power the same as item level? No. Item level reflects your equipment and gates dungeon entry, while Combat Power also counts things like pet Genus Insight. The game lets you toggle between the two.
Do buffs or potions raise Combat Power? No. Stats from buff items are excluded from the calculation, and NC says consumables do not affect long-term power.
Do Founder’s Pack items raise Combat Power? No. NC says the Founder’s Pack cosmetics, title, pet and wings are appearance-only and grant no stats.
What is the fastest way to raise Combat Power? Run the dungeon ladder for better gear, then enhance and Soul Bind it. The Transfer system carries that investment to your next piece, so upgrading early is not wasted.