AION 2 What to Do After Level 45
Reaching Level 45 in AION 2 is where the game stops pushing you cleanly from one story objective to the next. Instead, you are expected to start pulling power from Strongholds, Sealed Dungeons, exploration, Expeditions, accessories, and other systems until you can break through the next Gear Power requirements.
The biggest mistake at 45 is treating this like a normal MMO gear grind and repeatedly running whatever dungeon drops the highest-rarity armor. Your first priority should be clearing the permanent upgrades you skipped while leveling, then using gear drops to fill the remaining gaps.
Jump To Section:
What to Do First at Level 45
Reach 1,000 Gear Power
Upgrade Your Belt and Amulet
Clear Permanent Upgrades
What to Do After 1,000 GP
Endgame Gear Power Roadmap
What Not to Waste Resources On
What to Do After Level 45 in AION 2
After reaching Level 45, your immediate goal should be getting to 1,000 Gear Power so you can continue the main quest and open the next stage of AION 2's endgame.
Instead of grinding one Expedition over and over, I would work through the content below roughly in this order:
1. Finish your Strongholds and work on your Belt.
2. Collect Empyrean Traces and advance the Monolith for Amulet upgrades.
3. Clear every Sealed Dungeon you skipped while leveling.
4. Finish useful Regional Quests and other side content.
5. Run the highest Expedition you can comfortably clear and claim its guaranteed rewards.
6. Use inexpensive Manastone and gear upgrades to close the remaining Gear Power gap.
7. Hit 1,000 GP and continue the main story.
This works because Strongholds, Sealed Dungeons, Regional Quests, Empyrean Trace progression, and Expeditions all feed different parts of your character rather than competing for the exact same upgrade slot. Those are also the main activities used to bridge the jump into the 1,000 Gear Power requirement.
Your First Goal Is 1,000 Gear Power
If you finished the story around 700 to 900 Gear Power, you have not done anything wrong. The Level 45 wall is effectively the point where AION 2 expects you to go back and engage with the side systems that were optional while leveling.
A player who only follows the Episode quests can arrive at 45 with a strong story weapon but still be missing hundreds of Gear Power from accessories, Strongholds, Sealed Dungeons, the Monolith, and the Daevanion Board.
Do not solve that problem by looking only for a higher-rarity chest piece. AION 2 spreads character power across a lot of systems, and several of the strongest upgrades available to a fresh Level 45 character are guaranteed rather than RNG drops.
If you simply want to see every major source that contributes to the number itself, our AION 2 Combat Power guide breaks those systems down separately.
Upgrade Your Belt and Amulet Before Chasing Perfect Gear
Your Belt and Amulet should be near the top of the list at Level 45.
Strongholds provide the upgrade path for your Belt, while Empyrean Trace and Monolith progress feeds the Amulet side. These slots are especially valuable because they are developed over time rather than being treated like ordinary leveling armor that you throw away as soon as a better dungeon piece drops.
Once one of these pieces reaches +10, it can be advanced through Substance Morph into a higher rarity and then enhanced again. Players who rush the story and arrive at Level 45 unusually low on Gear Power are often missing a substantial amount of power here.
Belt: Prioritize Strongholds and Belt upgrade materials
Amulet: Advance your Monolith and collect its upgrade rewards
At +10: Check Substance Morph for the next rarity
Resource Priority: Put valuable enhancement materials into long-term upgrades before temporary gear
This is one of the biggest differences between an efficient fresh-45 route and simply enhancing every yellow item that appears in your inventory.
Clear the Permanent Power You Skipped While Leveling
After the Belt and Amulet, I would prioritize content that gives permanent character growth rather than another replaceable equipment drop.
Sealed Dungeons are particularly important. They provide Skill Points and Daevanion-related rewards, so leaving a bunch unfinished means you are missing actual character power rather than just Gear Power on the equipment screen. Players also recommend clearing the full set because the rewards continue to matter after your current armor has been replaced.
Regional Quests are another good cleanup target because they can provide Daevanion Board progress and accessories, while Strongholds and Empyrean Trace exploration continue advancing your long-term equipment slots.
Permanent upgrades first:
Sealed Dungeons for Skill Points and Daevanion progress
Strongholds for your Belt
Empyrean Traces and Monolith progress for your Amulet
Regional Quests for additional Board progress and rewards
This is also why going back at 45 can feel like there is suddenly an enormous checklist. Most of it is not filler. It is character power that the main quest allowed you to temporarily ignore.
Use Expeditions to Fill Gear Gaps, Not as Your Entire Plan
Expeditions absolutely belong in the fresh Level 45 route, especially once you reach versions that can reward Unique gear.
Just do not make them the only thing you run.
Claim the one-time or guaranteed reward chests available from the Expedition screen, equip genuine upgrades, and use those drops to fill weak armor slots while you work through your permanent systems.
If you have decent blue gear with useful stats, there is also no need to immediately throw it away because an item has a higher rarity label. A few cheap upgrades can bridge a Gear Power threshold without committing large quantities of Enhancement Stones to something you expect to replace soon.
What to Do After Reaching 1,000 Gear Power
Once you hit 1,000 Gear Power, return to the main quest instead of continuing to grind the same catch-up activities indefinitely.
The 1,000 GP threshold lets you move forward with the later story and Abyss-related content, which opens the broader endgame loop. Finishing the remaining main and Ascension content also leads into additional rewards, including later accessories.
From this point, your priorities begin splitting between vertical gear upgrades and permanent systems.
Nightmares become important for Clash Runes. You can get your early Runes there and later return to stronger versions as your Gear Power rises. If you have not touched that system yet, our AION 2 Clash Runes guide covers the available sources and what to prioritize.
You should also continue developing the Abyss Monolith, Stigma skills, Daevanion Board, pets, and other systems instead of treating your equipped armor as your entire build.
AION 2 Endgame Gear Power Roadmap
Once the initial 1,000 GP wall is behind you, it helps to think of endgame as a series of power brackets rather than one giant list of activities.
Fresh Level 45: Clear skipped permanent upgrades and reach 1,000 GP
1,000+ GP: Finish later story, Abyss content, Nightmares, and character systems
Around 1,400+ GP: Begin pushing Conquests
Around 1,600+ GP: Start Transcendence content and building Arcana sets
Around 2,800+ GP: Move into Sanctuary raids and the hardest seasonal PvE
Conquests are the first major step up because they improve on earlier Expedition-style content with stronger rewards and better Unique gear. Krao Cave is one useful early target because its reward pool includes accessories and a chance at a Unique weapon.
There is also an efficiency argument for conserving some Odyle Energy until you can comfortably run these higher-value activities rather than burning everything immediately after hitting 45. That is an optimization rather than a requirement, but it can improve the return you get from limited energy if you are progressing quickly. Community players specifically recommend holding some energy for the roughly 1,400 GP Conquest range because the rewards, including Kina, improve.
At roughly 1,600 Gear Power, Transcendence becomes another major target. These runs scale through multiple stages and become an important source of Arcana, including higher-rarity pieces used to complete set bonuses.
Sanctuaries sit much later in the curve, around the 2,800+ range. These are much less forgiving than normal Expeditions and introduce mechanics capable of wiping the group if players ignore their roles.
Do Not Ignore the Systems Outside Your Gear Screen
Once you are no longer struggling to reach the next immediate Gear Power gate, start putting more time into the systems that scale your character in the background.
Pets are a good example. Their Owned Effects and Genus Insight bonuses contribute permanent stats, so collecting them becomes increasingly valuable as the easy gear upgrades start drying up. Our AION 2 best pet guide covers which Genus stats are worth prioritizing first.
Field Bosses also feed Pantheon development, while Abyss activities contribute toward Stigma growth and other long-term bonuses. These systems may not produce the same instant jump as replacing a weak armor piece, but together they are a major part of your later character strength.
And once Unique gear starts piling up, do not leave every obsolete piece sitting in your Cube. Extraction can turn old equipment into useful materials and other permanent value. Our AION 2 dismantle gear guide covers how that works.
What Not to Do After Reaching Level 45
The easiest way to slow yourself down is to spend expensive resources trying to perfect equipment that is about to be replaced.
I would avoid heavily enhancing every weapon or armor piece simply because it currently raises your Gear Power. Your Belt and Amulet, permanent unlock systems, and guaranteed content rewards deserve attention before you start pouring Enhancement Stones into temporary pieces.
Avoid: Farming one Expedition while ignoring everything else
Avoid: Dumping Enhancement Stones into every temporary upgrade
Avoid: Leaving Sealed Dungeons and Strongholds unfinished
Avoid: Ignoring Belt and Amulet advancement
Avoid: Treating Gear Power as the only form of character strength
If you have just reached 45 and feel like the game suddenly stopped telling you what to do, use 1,000 Gear Power as your first checkpoint. Clear Strongholds, build your Belt and Amulet, finish Sealed Dungeons, pick up the permanent side-content rewards you skipped, and let Expeditions fill the remaining equipment gaps.
After 1,000, the path becomes much clearer: finish the later story and Abyss content, build Clash Runes and your permanent systems, move into Conquests around 1,400, Transcendence around 1,600, and eventually Sanctuaries once your character is ready for the top end of the current PvE ladder.
