What This AION 2 Materials Guide Covers
AION 2 throws a huge number of materials, currencies, upgrade items and system resources at you very quickly. Some should be spent immediately, some should be saved for later breakpoints, and some should never be wasted on temporary gear. This guide explains the most important Global resources, what they do, where they come from, and whether you should keep, use, sell or extract them.
Quick answer: always protect your long-term progression materials first. Keep Kina, Odyle Energy, Enhancement Stones, Manastones, Theostones, Stigma Shards, Arcana resources, and Pet / Genus materials for your real progression path. Do not blindly extract Rare-grade or higher gear, do not overspend premium materials on temporary items, and do not let useful currencies sit capped without a plan.
This page is designed as a master hub. Use it together with our more specific guides on AION 2 Gear Progression, Manastones, Theostones, Arcana, Pets & Genus Insight, Professions, and Abyss progression.
AION 2 Materials Guide at a Glance
| Resource | Main Use | Priority | Rule of Thumb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kina | Core universal currency | Very High | Always keep a reserve |
| Odyle Energy | Dungeon reward cubes | Very High | Do not let it cap |
| Empyrean Traces | Permanent exploration-style progression | High | Collect whenever you see them |
| Enhancement Stones | Upgrade weapon, armor and accessories | Very High | Use on real progression gear first |
| Manastones | Socket direct combat stats | High | Cheap stones early, better stones later |
| Theostones | Weapon proc effects | High | Do not pick only by color |
| Soul Codex | Soul Binding property progression | High | Prioritize key slots |
| Stigma Shards | Level Stigma skills | High | Save for your actual build |
| Training Arcana | Arcana enhancement EXP | High | Use on lasting cards, not junk |
| Mysterious Crystals | Arcana Transmute | Very High | Save for targeted crafts |
| Empathy Candy / Pet materials | Pets and Genus systems | Medium-High | Do not ignore if you want long-term power |
| Gathering & Crafting materials | Professions, consumables and trade | Medium | Keep what supports your profession plan |
What to Keep, Spend, Sell or Extract First
| Category | Default Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Basic currencies and progression materials | Keep | You need them in every phase of the game |
| Odyle Energy | Spend regularly | Capped energy is wasted regeneration |
| Low-value white/green loot | Sell or extract as needed | Mostly inventory and early-resource value |
| Rare+ equipment | Check Market first | It may be worth more sold than extracted |
| Temporary early-game upgrade mats | Spend carefully | Do not overinvest in gear you replace soon |
| Endgame-targeted materials | Save | Harder to replace and more valuable later |
| Duplicate Arcana / pet / gear materials | Review manually | They may be better as feed than as sale trash |
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The Most Important AION 2 Materials, Explained
Kina
Kina is your universal currency. You use it for enhancement attempts, system upgrades, market actions, Soul Binding, Arcana crafting costs, and many everyday progression steps.
Best use: keep a healthy reserve for enhancement, rerolls, Soul Binding, Arcana Transmute and market opportunities.
Do not: waste large amounts of Kina on low-value temporary gear, vanity spending, or systems you do not understand yet.
Good rule: if spending the Kina does not improve your actual character progression in the next few play sessions, delay it.
Odyle Energy
Odyle Energy is one of the most important time-gated resources in AION 2. It is used to claim reward cubes from dungeons and other expedition-style content.
Best use: spend it on the highest-value content your character can clear consistently.
Do not: sit at cap. Capped Odyle Energy means you are losing passive regeneration.
Priority tip: early on, it is fine to spend efficiently rather than perfectly. Later, as your Item Level rises, move the same energy into better-paying dungeons.
For a full route, see our AION 2 Odyle Energy Guide.
Empyrean Traces
Empyrean Traces are easy to underestimate because they often appear during normal exploration and questing. They are still worth collecting whenever you pass them.
Best use: treat them as free permanent progression, not as optional scenery.
Do not: ignore them while rushing every zone as fast as possible.
Enhancement Stones
Enhancement Stones are the backbone of gear progression. They upgrade your weapon, armor and accessories and are one of the first materials new players waste inefficiently.
Best use:
- prioritize your weapon first;
- then accessories or offensive slots for faster PvE clearing;
- then bring the rest of your setup up evenly enough to hit the next content breakpoint.
Do not: throw too many high-value stones into pieces you know you will replace almost immediately.
Smart approach: cheap early progression is good; expensive min-maxing should wait until the gear has some staying power.
Manastones
Manastones are your direct socketed stat materials. They are one of the easiest ways to gain immediate power, but they are also easy to overspend if you chase perfect stats too early.
Best use:
- socket basic useful stones early just to avoid empty slots;
- upgrade to stronger, more specialized stones later;
- prioritize stones that support your class and content type.
Do not: leave sockets empty while waiting for perfect endgame stones. Some value now is usually better than zero value while progressing.
Use our AION 2 Manastone Guide for stat priorities by class.
Theostones
Theostones add proc-based effects to weapons. Many players waste time chasing rarity instead of effect quality.
Best use: choose a Theostone effect that matches your role and content — not simply the highest color item you own.
Do not: assume every Unique effect is automatically better for your build than a better-aligned Epic or Rare option.
Read our AION 2 Theostone Guide for effect breakdowns.
Soul Binding Materials
Soul Binding improves additional equipment properties and is a meaningful power system even when two characters have similar Item Level.
The key materials here are:
| Material | Use | How to Think About It |
|---|---|---|
| Soul Codex | Bind progression | Use on the slots that give the properties your build needs most |
| Soul Codex: Reset | Full property reroll | Better saved for gear worth keeping |
| Sync materials / same-grade gear | Selected property reroll | Useful when you already have one strong base line |
| Kina | Part of the system cost | Keep a reserve; Soul Binding burns currency quickly |
Best use: focus on the slots with the most valuable properties for your class instead of spreading resources randomly across everything.
Do not: hard-force expensive rerolls on gear that is about to be replaced.
Stigma Shards
Stigma Shards level your Stigma skills and directly affect your build quality. They are not cosmetic or optional resources.
Best use: invest in the Stigmas you actually plan to play in PvE or PvP.
Do not: level random side Stigmas too early just because you unlocked them. Build planning matters.
For builds and slot planning, see our AION 2 Stigma Guide.
Arcana Materials
Arcana is one of the biggest material sinks at level 45. Several different resources matter here:
| Material | Main Use | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Training Arcana | Arcana enhancement EXP | High |
| Mysterious Crystal | Arcana Transmute | Very High |
| Shard: Mysterious Crystal | Part of long-term Arcana material path | High |
| Duplicate Arcana | Enhancement feed or extraction value | High |
Best use: save your best Arcana resources for cards that actually fit your final progression path. Mysterious Crystals are especially valuable because they let you move toward targeted Transmute results.
Do not: dump good Training Arcana or rare crystals into throwaway cards that you know you will replace soon.
See our AION 2 Arcana Guide.
Pet and Genus Materials
Pet materials are easy to ignore early, but they become more important as your account matures. The most relevant resources usually include:
- Empathy Candy for pet progression systems;
- Pet Souls or duplicate-pet style materials for upgrades and progression;
- Genus-related materials for collection and insight growth.
Best use: treat pet progression as account value, not just a side system.
Do not: assume pets are only cosmetic. In AION 2, they are a real power layer.
More details: AION 2 Pets & Genus Insight Guide.
Gathering and Crafting Materials
Gathering materials are where many inventories become a mess. Not every herb, ore, hide or other profession ingredient should be treated the same way.
Best use: decide early whether you want to:
- craft for your own character;
- craft to sell;
- gather mainly for raw market income.
Keep: the materials tied to your chosen professions, current recipes, and recurring consumables.
Sell: excess materials that do not fit your profession plan and have stable market value.
Do not: hoard every gathering item forever. Many low-value mats are worth more as market liquidity than as dead Cube weight.
For the full profession route, use our AION 2 Professions Guide.
Special Currencies That Function Like Materials
Not every important progression resource looks like a classic material. Some are currencies, but in practice they must be managed exactly like endgame materials.
| Resource | Main Use | Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Abyss Points | PvP / Abyss progression | Do not spend blindly; plan your progression path |
| Oath Coins | Season / shop purchases | Save for progression-first buys before comfort picks |
| Event currencies | Temporary event shops | Check deadlines and buy priority rewards first |
| Legion Coins | Guild-related value | Spend according to your Legion progression needs |
The Best Early-Game Material Priorities
- Progress the Main Quest and collect easy Empyrean Traces.
- Use low-cost Enhancement Stones to keep your weapon and basic gear competitive.
- Fill empty Manastone sockets with useful basic stats.
- Start managing Kina carefully instead of spending everything immediately.
- Learn to use Quick Store and Quick Extract so your Cube does not become chaos.
- Check the Market before extracting Rare-grade or higher items.
The Best Mid-Game Material Priorities
- Move your best enhancement spending onto gear with more staying power.
- Start caring about Theostones, Soul Binding and better Manastones.
- Use Odyle Energy more efficiently instead of casually.
- Stop wasting valuable upgrade resources on obvious temporary items.
- Build a reserve of Stigma Shards, Arcana materials and Kina.
The Best Endgame Material Priorities
- Protect your high-value resources from impulse spending.
- Use Mysterious Crystals and advanced Arcana materials for targeted upgrades.
- Invest more carefully in Soul Binding, Theostones and optimization systems.
- Turn unneeded duplicates into the most valuable form — feed, extract, or market sale.
- Use market knowledge to convert excess gathering or crafted materials into progression currency.
Common Material Mistakes
- Extracting Rare+ items without checking the Market first.
- Letting Odyle Energy sit at cap.
- Using premium upgrade materials on throwaway gear.
- Leaving Manastone sockets empty for too long.
- Keeping every low-value crafting item forever.
- Selling useful progression materials for short-term Kina.
- Ignoring pet, Arcana or Stigma resources because they seem “later”.
- Wasting Soul Binding materials on gear with no long-term future.
Inventory Management Tips
- Use Quick Store often so stackable materials stay organized.
- Use Quick Extract intentionally, not blindly.
- Separate gear materials, profession materials, and sale items mentally.
- Review your Market options before extracting or vendoring anything valuable.
- Expand your Cube early if inventory pressure is slowing you down.
How to Decide Whether a Material Is Worth Keeping
Ask these 5 questions:
- Does this resource improve a permanent or long-term system?
- Is it hard to farm again?
- Will I need it soon for a breakpoint or unlock?
- Would selling it only solve a short-term problem?
- Does this item have better value as feed, extraction or market sale?
If the answer to the first three questions is yes, you should usually keep it.
AION 2 Materials Guide FAQ
What are the most important materials in AION 2?
Kina, Odyle Energy, Enhancement Stones, Manastones, Theostones, Soul Binding materials, Stigma Shards and Arcana materials are the most important for steady progression.
Should I sell crafting materials?
Sell the excess materials that do not fit your profession plan or current recipes. Keep the ones tied to your actual crafting goals.
Should I extract Rare-grade gear?
Not automatically. Check the Market first, because some Rare+ pieces are worth more sold than extracted.
Should I save Mysterious Crystals?
Yes. They are one of the most valuable Arcana resources and should usually be kept for targeted Transmute progress.
What is the biggest beginner mistake?
Overspending good materials on temporary gear while also ignoring systems like Manastones, Soul Binding, Arcana and Odyle management.
What should I do when my inventory is full?
Organize with Quick Store, sell or extract low-value junk, check the Market for Rare+ items, and stop hoarding profession materials you do not actually plan to use.
Final Advice
The strongest AION 2 players are not only better at combat — they are better at material discipline. If you learn which resources should be saved, which should be spent early, and which should be converted into market value, your account will progress much faster with the same playtime.
This guide will be expanded as the Global material economy develops and more systems, events and endgame loops become relevant.
