Server matchmaking — the new grid and the end of the Elyos-vs-Asmodian rule

In Aion 2 each server hosts a single race. Since the two halves of Atreia live apart, war needs a bridge: server pairing, which decides which server the enemy you meet in the Abyss and the Time-Space Rifts comes from.

Until now that bridge had one assumption: the other side would always be the enemy race. The October 28 notice knocks that down in one line — "the same faction can now be paired". Asmodian vs. Asmodian stopped being an accident and became official configuration.

The structural change in the notice is the split. There are 53 pairs in the Abyss and 53 in the Rifts, across the same five regions and the same servers — but built by different criteria.

The Abyss was paired by population balance, with no regard for faction: 25 of the 53 pairs are internal. The Rifts keep the classic reading — every Elyos server married to an Asmodian, with no exception in any region. In practice, the same server has two different enemies depending on which portal you cross.

The largest grid in the game and the one that grew the most in absolute numbers: 23 pairs in the Abyss, 23 in the Rifts, 46 servers in total — ten more than the launch grid we covered in October, with Fafnir, Atiel, Indnath, Agnita, Tiamat, Gauss, Tassin, Istar, Lamuatan, and Nathara joining the list.

It's also where the new rule shows up the most: 13 of the 23 Abyss pairs join same-faction servers — an absolute majority.

9 pairs per mode, 18 servers — two more than at launch, with Nemon and Hithanya joining the grid.

In the Abyss, 4 of the 9 pairs are internal, including the opening matchup Israphel × Zikel, two Asmodian servers.

The leanest grid, and the only one that hasn't changed size since launch: 5 pairs per mode, 10 servers.

2 of the 5 Abyss pairs are same-faction — Triniel × Marchutan (Asmodian vs. Asmodian) and Kaisinel × Yustiel (Elyos vs. Elyos). With concentrated population, expect to keep meeting the same names on the other side.

6 pairs per mode, 12 servers, the same grid size as launch. It's the region that matters most to players from Brazil — and the one that felt the rule change the hardest.

4 of the 6 Abyss pairs are same-faction: the highest proportion of any region. In practice, the Brazilian player will spend more time measuring strength against their own side than against the enemy race.

The region that grew the most in proportion: from 6 to 10 pairs, from 12 to 20 servers, with Beritra, Hadala, Fregion, Meslamtaeda, Nemon, Hithanya, Nania, and Ereshkigal joining the grid.

And it's the most conservative: only 2 of the 10 Abyss pairs are internal. The other 8 keep Elyos vs. Asmodian, Atreia's classic reading.

The notice goes back to answering the same question from launch — will the pairing always be the same? No. NCSoft says it will update the pairs periodically "to keep combat balanced," and that very clause is exactly what opened the door to same-faction pairs.

The read is straightforward: the system isn't optimizing for narrative, it's optimizing for the queue. When one faction's population doesn't match the other's within a region, the algorithm prefers an internal matchup to an empty queue.