Most MMO mount systems are wallpaper. AION 2's is not.

The creature you ride is the same creature that stands beside you when you dismount, and that single design choice changes how you should farm, spend, and prioritize from day one. We tracked the system across Korea and Taiwan servers, and here is what actually moves your account forward versus what just looks good in a loading screen.

By the end of this guide, you will know how fragments unlock free mounts, which of the 300+ collectibles are worth chasing first, why level 5 is the real finish line, and whether the cash shop can buy anyone an edge.

• Mounts and Pets Are the Same Creature
• How to Unlock Free Mounts: The Fragment Loop
• The Four Free Mount Categories
• Cogni: The Nostalgia Farm
• Fera: Beasts With Attitude
• Natura: Spirits and Elementals
• Variant: The Weird Bin
• Cash Shop Mounts: Cosmetic Only
• Genus Insight and Why Level 5 Is the Real Target
• Can Mounts Fly? Gliding vs Flying
• Best Mount Strategy for Global Launch
• The Farming Loop We Recommend
• Mistakes That Waste Your Grind
• Chasing Looks Before Progression
• Ignoring Fragments While Leveling
• Unlocking Everything, Leveling Nothing
• Assuming Winged Models Can Fly
• FAQ
• How many mounts and pets are in AION 2?
• Are mounts and pets separate in AION 2?
• How do you unlock free mounts?
• Are cash-shop mounts pay-to-win?
• Can mounts fly in AION 2?
• Start the Grind Before Launch Does It For You

↖ Mounts and Pets Are the Same Creature

Here is the mistake every new player makes: treating mounts as a cosmetic tab and pets as a separate vanity slot. In AION 2, they are one asset with two states.

Takeaway: you are not picking between a mount and a pet. You are picking one companion that does both jobs.

Why does this matter? Because if you only chase the best-looking model, you skip the part of the system tied to fragments, creature levels, and Genus Insight. There is no single best mount. There is only a stronger or weaker collection habit.

↖ How to Unlock Free Mounts: The Fragment Loop

Free mounts are earned, not bought. The loop is simple, and if you already farm mobs for quests, you are halfway there without knowing it.

1. Defeat monsters in the open world or dungeons.

2. Collect the fragments tied to that creature type.

3. Reach 10 fragments to unlock it as a mount and pet.

4. Keep farming fragments to push it toward level 5.

Takeaway: if you are grinding a zone for quest mobs, check what fragments are dropping before you leave. That habit alone saves hours later.

Almost any enemy family qualifies, including classic humanoid mobs, beasts, spirits, slimes, golems, mutants, and mini-boss-style monsters. If you find yourself parked on one mob for a quest chain, that is free fragment farming running in the background.

↖ The Four Free Mount Categories

AION 2 sorts its farmable creatures into four families: Cogni, Fera, Natura, and Variant. Special mounts sit outside this structure entirely, and we cover those separately below.

Takeaway: these four categories are gameplay-locked. No amount of money skips the fragment requirement.

↖ Cogni: The Nostalgia Farm

If you played the original AION, Cogni is where the familiar faces live. Kerubar variants, Drakan Watchers, and Naga Elite Priests all fall here, and most of them drop from regular combat zones you are already clearing.

From our own farming runs, the efficient move is not chasing one Cogni model because it looks cool. Farm whatever overlaps with your quest route or dungeon path. Style can wait; efficiency cannot.

↖ Fera: Beasts With Attitude

Fera is the widest category by creature count, covering bears, spiders, crabs, insects, and beast-type mobs. Here is the catch: several Fera models look airborne, like the Giant Bee or Cave Bat, but they function as ground mounts, not flyers.

If you are grinding beast-heavy zones, check fragment progress before you move on. Push your most-used Fera mount to level 5 first instead of spreading fragments across ten half-finished creatures.

↖ Natura: Spirits and Elementals

Natura leans fantasy. Wind Spirits, Fire Spirits, Forest Guardians, and tree-type monsters like Agrint all belong here, and this is the category most likely to fool you into expecting flight.

They do not fly. They glide, and only after you hit specific progression thresholds.

↖ Variant: The Weird Bin

Variant is slimes, golems, mutants, and parasite swarms, and it is the most personality-driven category in the game. Some entries, like the standard Slime, are simply funny. Others, like the Parasite Swarm, are built to be unsettling on purpose.

If you want a collection with character instead of a stable of matching horses, farm Variant hard.

↖ Cash Shop Mounts: Cosmetic Only

This is the question every new player asks first, and it is the right one to ask: can someone buy a stronger mount than mine?

No.

Special mounts, like the Black Dragon, Sky Whale, or Kumiho, come from anniversary rewards, Founder-style packages, Kinah purchases such as the observed 2 million Kinah Pagati, and real-money or Kuna shop bundles. They look sharper than most free mounts. They carry zero stats.

Takeaway: buy the cosmetic if you like the look. Do not mistake it for progression, because it is not built to replace one.

↖ Genus Insight and Why Level 5 Is the Real Target

Unlocking a creature is step one. Leveling it is where the system actually pays you back, through a progression layer called Genus Insight.

What this actually means for your build: the mount system is not a checklist, it is a power feed. If every creature you own sits at level 1, that feed is running dry.

If you are planning for global launch, assume the grind is real. Korea and Taiwan servers reportedly saw fragment-acquisition boosts at points, but global players should expect a standard grind at release unless stated otherwise.

↖ Can Mounts Fly? Gliding vs Flying

Short answer: no true flight. Longer answer below.

Takeaway: do not judge mobility by wings. A model can flap, hover, or glow, and still be grounded until you level it.

One detail worth flagging: mounts work inside dungeons. That sounds small until you have used one to skip a dead sprint back to a boss room after a wipe. Multiply that across hundreds of runs and the time saved adds up fast.

↖ Best Mount Strategy for Global Launch

Stop hunting for one perfect mount. Build a system instead.

Takeaway: track fragments from session one, and your collection grows as a byproduct of normal play instead of a separate grind.

↖ The Farming Loop We Recommend

1. Quest through a zone normally.

2. Check which fragments are dropping.

3. Stay longer if you are close to an unlock or a level milestone.

4. Prioritize mobs that overlap with quests or materials.

5. Push chosen creatures to level 5 instead of spreading effort thin.

6. Treat cosmetics as style purchases, not power purchases.

If you are already killing a mob family for materials, that is a mount farming session in disguise. Do not split the grind unless you have a specific unlock in mind.

↖ Mistakes That Waste Your Grind

↖ Chasing Looks Before Progression

Shop mounts are designed to look better than free ones. That is intentional. Appearance is not power, so buy the skin because you like it, not because you think it helps.

↖ Ignoring Fragments While Leveling

Fragments are easy to skip past while you are focused on gear or dungeons. Skip them long enough, and you will be backtracking through old zones just to catch up.

↖ Unlocking Everything, Leveling Nothing

A wide collection at level 1 feels productive. It is not. Pick targets, finish them, then expand.

↖ Assuming Winged Models Can Fly

Visual design and function are separate systems here. Gliding is earned through progression. Full flight is not part of the standard mount kit at all.

↖ FAQ

↖ How many mounts and pets are in AION 2?

More than 300, with the total sitting around 340 based on Korea and Taiwan server data. This spans free monster-based mounts, event rewards, shop cosmetics, and special package mounts.

↖ Are mounts and pets separate in AION 2?

No. They are the same creature. Mount it to ride, dismount it to see it stand beside you as a pet.

↖ How do you unlock free mounts?

Farm mobs in the open world or dungeons and collect their fragments. Most creatures unlock at 10 fragments.

↖ Are cash-shop mounts pay-to-win?

No. They carry zero stats. Real progression comes from fragments, creature levels, and Genus Insight, none of which are for sale.

↖ Can mounts fly in AION 2?

No. Mounts are ground-based with optional gliding after hitting progression thresholds like level 5. Winged designs are cosmetic, not functional flight.

↖ Start the Grind Before Launch Does It For You

Every mob pack you clear is either wasted or working for your collection, and that choice is entirely yours. Track fragments while you quest, push your best creatures to level 5, and let Genus Insight turn that effort into real stats. Save the cosmetic shop for the mount you actually want to look at, and let the fragment grind build the one you actually need.