This guide analyzes the recent pet system changes, explains the core mechanics of the Genesis (pet evolution) system, and provides actionable advice for maximizing your power post-update. These strategies are designed to optimize your progress, though some players may choose to buy Aion 2 Kinah to accelerate their pet development and more quickly acquire the necessary resources for the Genesis system.

Part 1: The Pet Nerf - What Changed?

A recent update significantly altered pet progression, impacting a key source of free-to-play power, especially for PvP.

The Core Change: More Chests, Fewer Souls

Old System: Endgame dungeon runs (e.g., Styllen) gave ~40 chests. Each chest contained 10 Pet Souls.

New "Buff": The number of chests per run was doubled (e.g., to ~80).

The Hidden Nerf: The souls per chest were drastically reduced (from 10 to approximately 1-5, varying by tier).

The Result: Despite more chests, the total soul yield is now lower. This slows down the rate at which players can level up their pets and gain critical stats.

Impact on Players

Free-to-Play (F2P) Players Hit Hard: The pet system was a major equalizer, allowing dedicated F2P players to gain substantial power (Crit, Evasion, etc.) to compete with pay-to-win players in PvP. This gap has now widened.

Stat Reduction is Severe: Comparative stats show a massive decrease in critical attributes like Crit Chance and Evasion—reportedly up to 10 times lower than pre-nerf values for similar effort.

Part 2: Understanding the Genesis System (Pet Evolution)

The Genesis system is where pet power is converted into permanent character stats. Understanding it is crucial.

System Layout

The Genesis interface has five main trees (e.g., Cogni, Feral, Natural, Variant, Special). Each tree is leveled independently to unlock powerful stat bonuses.

Key Stat Slots

Primary Slots (1-5): Unlock as you level a tree. Provide major stats like Accuracy, Defensive Crit, etc.

Special Slots (6, the dots): Provide elite stats like Damage Boost and Damage Tolerance. These are highly sought after.

Leveling Resources: Two Types of Crystals

Regular Elemental Crystals (Blue/Red/Green/Yellow):

Source: Obtained by "sacrificing" level 5 pets of the corresponding type.

How it works: Place a max-level (5) pet into the Genesis interface. Each sacrifice yields 1 elemental crystal (e.g., a blue pet gives a blue Cogni crystal). Use these to level up the main trees.

RGB/Rainbow Crystals (The Special Currency):

Source: Events, Black Cloud Merchant. Extremely rare.

Use: ONLY for leveling the "Special" pet tree. These pets (often from events/cash shop) cannot be farmed normally. Do not waste RGB crystals on regular trees.

How to "Feed" Pets for Crystals - Step by Step

Farm Pet Souls: Acquire souls from dungeon chests, quests, and dailies.

Summon and Level Pets: Use souls to summon pets and level them to Level 5.

Sacrifice for Crystals: Go to the Genesis system. Select a max-level pet and "sacrifice" it. You will receive 1 elemental crystal corresponding to that pet's type for every sacrifice.

Invest Crystals: Use the earned crystals to level up your chosen Genesis tree and roll for desired stats on unlocked slots.

Part 3: Strategic Advice & Conclusion

Post-Nerf Priorities

Maximize Dungeon Efficiency: Despite the nerf, dungeons remain the primary soul source. Run them consistently.

Focus on Level 5 Pets: The conversion rate to crystals is fixed (1 pet = 1 crystal). Prioritize getting any pet to level 5 to start feeding the Genesis system.

Guard Your RGB Crystals: Be disciplined. Use rainbow crystals exclusively for the Special pet tree progression.

Final Thoughts

The update represents a significant shift, reducing the pace of F2P power acquisition through pets. While the system is still functional, the grind has intensified. The key to recovering power is now a deep understanding and efficient use of the Genesis system to convert every leveled pet into permanent stats. For players looking to expedite this demanding process, a reliable source of Aion 2 Kinah for sale can be invaluable—for a secure and trusted service, we highly recommend MMOEXP.