AION 2 Expedition Hard mode for Krao Cave and Draupnir: item level 2600 entry, 4-minute Frenzy, 3 revives, rewards, Ariel board and Substance Morph.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[910],"tags":[],"blog_tag":[],"class_list":["post-7885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aion-2"],"acf":{"redactor":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"
AION 2 Expedition Hard mode comes to Krao Cave and Draupnir with the 21 October 2026 (CEST) patch, with entry at item level 2600, a 4-minute boss Frenzy timer and 3 revives per player, according to the NCSOFT patch notes on Steam<\/a>. Below is an overview of the published requirements and rewards; we have not run Hard mode in the client yet.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" TL;DR<\/p>\n Hard mode is added to Krao Cave and Draupnir. Required item level for entry is 2600, a high entry bar for the mode.<\/p>\n Two limits define the mode: the boss Frenzy timer is set to 4 minutes, and each player is limited to 3 revives. The patch notes name both limits but do not describe what Frenzy does when the timer ends.<\/p>\n The patch notes list the Hard rewards below. Chances are stated as chances only; no percentages are given.<\/p>\n The notes say all Unique crafting materials become obtainable from these two dungeons in Hard mode. Which dungeon drops which material is not stated.<\/p>\n Two achievement sets are added: Expedition Hero Artwork Collector and the Expedition (Hard) set. Unique Skins come from completing the Expedition (Hard) achievements.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Reward"},{"header_text":"How you get it"},{"header_text":"Why it matters"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Philosopher's Stone: Revelation (Bound)"},{"cell_text":"Chance drop"},{"cell_text":"Can also be picked as the guaranteed reward"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Ariel Fragment (Bound)"},{"cell_text":"Reward; differs by dungeon"},{"cell_text":"Feeds Substance Morph and the Ariel board"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Expedition Hero Artwork"},{"cell_text":"Chance"},{"cell_text":"Has its own Collector achievement"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Kina"},{"cell_text":"More than on Normal"},{"cell_text":"No amounts given"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Unique crafting materials"},{"cell_text":"All of them, incl. Wrathful Mind, Will, Ego"},{"cell_text":"Every Unique material, not a subset"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Unique Skins"},{"cell_text":"Expedition (Hard) achievements"},{"cell_text":"New achievements added"}]}],"size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Ariel Daevanion Board and Substance Morph Explained","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" The patch also adds a new Ariel Daevanion board. Ariel Daevanion Points are earned by collecting Ariel Fragments from Expedition (Hard) and morphing them through Substance Morph. So the points come from morphing, not from the fragments sitting in your bag.<\/p>\n On top of that, the number obtainable through Substance Morph is limited for each dungeon. The cap itself is a number the patch notes do not give.<\/p>\n Our reading: the crystal route is the one the notes connect to the board, since crystals and board points appear in the same section of the notes. It is also the capped route, at 30 per character.<\/p>\n One fragment yields 5 stones with no limit, so 100 fragments would yield 500 stones, against a single crystal for the same 100. Our reading: stones look like the outlet for fragments you cannot put toward the board, for example after the crystal cap or the per-dungeon limit. The notes do not say what the stones are used for or what a board point buys.<\/p>\n Time cost:<\/strong> filling the crystal cap on one character means 30 x 100 = 3,000 Ariel Fragments (arithmetic from the notes’ numbers). How many clears that takes cannot be calculated, because fragments per clear are not published, and the per-dungeon limit may stop you earlier.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Conversion"},{"header_text":"Input and output"},{"header_text":"Limit"},{"header_text":"Menu path"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Crystal"},{"cell_text":"100 Ariel Fragments into 1 Daevanion Crystal: Ariel (Bound)"},{"cell_text":"Up to 30 times per character"},{"cell_text":"Substance Morph \u203a Special \u203a Daevanion"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Enhance Stones"},{"cell_text":"1 Ariel Fragment into 5 Enhance Stones"},{"cell_text":"Unlimited number of times"},{"cell_text":"Substance Morph \u203a Special \u203a Consumables"}]}],"size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Getting Ready: Item Level 2600 and Limited Revives","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":7892,"caption":"Illustration: AION 2 Daeva kneeling at a crystal cave entrance with three glowing spirit stones in her hand.","alt":"AION 2 Daeva kneeling at a crystal cave entrance with three glowing spirit stones in her hand"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" No NCSOFT post checked gives a route to 2600; the official line is only the entry requirement. The practical starting point is level 45, which is when Duties unlock; see AION 2 level 45 Duties and the tab bug<\/a>. For gear and stigma choices on your class, see AION 2 class builds from the official Armory<\/a>. The Armory shows your Item Level, so check it before queuing.<\/p>\n Because Hard mode caps revives at 3 per player, the event is relevant. During it, Resurrection Spiritstones (Season 1) are sold for Kina under Shop > Wind Breeze Merchants. The event runs until the start of maintenance on 15 December 2026 (PDT\/PST) or 16 December 2026 (CEST\/CET), per the official event post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Buying both steps once adds up to 75,000 Kina for 60 stones (arithmetic from the two rows).<\/p>\n Warning<\/p>\n An earlier patch (6\/7 October) listed Resurrection Spiritstone (Season 1) at 25,000 Kina each, maximum 10 per server weekly. The notes do not say whether that listing is replaced by, or sits next to, the event, so check the Wind Breeze Merchants window before spending Kina.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The event post says only that a stone is used “upon resurrecting a character”; whether it works on another fallen player is not stated, so read the in-game tooltip.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Step"},{"header_text":"Price"},{"header_text":"Quantity"},{"header_text":"Purchase limit"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Step 1"},{"cell_text":"25,000 Kina"},{"cell_text":"30 Resurrection Spiritstones (Season 1)"},{"cell_text":"Per server per week"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Step 2"},{"cell_text":"50,000 Kina"},{"cell_text":"30 Resurrection Spiritstones (Season 1)"},{"cell_text":"Per server per week"}]}],"size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" Conditions from the event post<\/a>:<\/p>\n The notes we read do not give drop rates for Philosopher’s Stone: Revelation or Expedition Hero Artwork, the number of Ariel Fragments per clear, the per-dungeon Substance Morph cap, or the Ariel board’s nodes, bonuses and costs. We have not checked these in-game. Whether Spiritstone use counts toward the 3-revive limit is also not stated.<\/p>\n We have not run Hard mode in the client, so these are not checked either:<\/p>\n Our Take<\/p>\n A gear-gated mode whose payoff depends on numbers NCSOFT has not published.<\/p>\n Hard mode pairs a high entry bar with a tight revive budget, so it suits players already near item level 2600 who want Ariel progress and the Unique materials. The crystal cap and unlimited stones give fragments two outlets, and the choice depends on what the board and stones actually buy. If you are well below 2600, working on your build comes before any Hard mode planning. The next gate is higher: Ludra opens on 4 November at item level 2,800 for normal and 3,000 for hard, see our AION 2 Ludra raid guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" This table separates what the studio has confirmed and what is not confirmed yet. Each claim below is tied to the post and the game version it describes.<\/p>\n\n
Crafting materials: what the notes cover<\/h3>\n
Achievements and Unique Skins<\/h3>\n
Crystals: capped, and tied to the board<\/h3>\n
Enhance Stones: uncapped, but a different use<\/h3>\n
Reaching item level 2600<\/h3>\n
Revives: the Rise to the Challenge event<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Sources and Confidence<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n \nClaim<\/th>\n Where it comes from<\/th>\n Status<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Hard mode, item level 2600, 4-minute Frenzy, 3 revives, rewards<\/td>\n Steam (NCSOFT patch notes, 20 Oct PDT \/ 21 Oct CEST)<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Substance Morph: 100 fragments to 1 crystal, 1 fragment to 5 stones<\/td>\n Steam (NCSOFT patch notes, 20 Oct PDT \/ 21 Oct CEST)<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Rise to the Challenge: Resurrection Spiritstone steps, prices, end date<\/td>\n Steam (NCSOFT event post, 21 Oct 2026)<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Substance Morph table matches the patch notes<\/td>\n allthings.how<\/a><\/td>\n Community-reported; primary source not verified<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"faq","items":[{"question":"What is the item level requirement for AION 2 Expedition Hard mode?","answer":"Entry requires item level 2600 for the Hard mode added to Krao Cave and Draupnir. "},{"question":"How many revives do you get in Hard mode?","answer":"Each player is limited to 3 revives, and the boss Frenzy timer is set to 4 minutes. "},{"question":"How do you get Ariel Daevanion Points?","answer":"Ariel Daevanion Points are earned by collecting Ariel Fragments from Expedition (Hard) and morphing them through Substance Morph. The notes name a 100-fragment crystal conversion capped at 30 per character. "},{"question":"Can you turn Ariel Fragments into anything else?","answer":"Yes, 1 Ariel Fragment converts into 5 Enhance Stones, with no limit on the number of times. "},{"question":"Do we know the Hard mode drop rates?","answer":"No. The patch notes give chances for Philosopher's Stone: Revelation and Expedition Hero Artwork but no percentages, and no fragments-per-clear figure. "}]}],"bottom":[{"acf_fc_layout":"more_articles","heading":"","posts":[],"count":10},{"acf_fc_layout":"chat","heading":""}],"meta_description":"AION 2 Expedition Hard mode for Krao Cave and Draupnir: item level 2600 entry, 4-minute Frenzy, 3 revives, rewards, Ariel board and Substance Morph."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7885"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7890,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7885\/revisions\/7890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7885"},{"taxonomy":"blog_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_tag?post=7885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}