AION 2 Empyrean Traces and Monolith: The Complete Feather Guide
Feathers and Monoliths: What to Know Before the First Pickup
Empyrean Traces in AION 2 are glowing pickups scattered across the open world. Players call them Feathers, and so will this guide. Feathers fill a regional counter and raise your Monolith level, and the Monolith pays out permanent rewards: amulet scrolls, attributes, titles and consumables.
The key numbers: the Verteron (Elyos) and Altgard (Asmodian) Monoliths have 30 levels each, and, according to player reports, the full reward list unlocks at 560 Trace points. One Feather gives 4 points, so about 140 Feathers reach the cap. Check the counter at the Monolith itself, since client versions change values like these.
The Global version launched on October 5, 2026 (F2P, Steam and PURPLE, PC only) with a level cap of 45. The system opens early but matters all game long, because its rewards do not expire together with your starter gear.
How to Unlock It: The Monolith Quest
You meet the Monolith in Episode 2 of the story. You need level 10 to start, and around level 16 is more comfortable. The quest is short: pick up a Feather, return to the Monolith and resonate with it.
Elyos: the Verteron Monolith, NPC Jackson at Dawn Legion Base.
Asmodians: the Altgard Monolith, NPC Ollen at Safe Haven.
The first resonance hands you a Revelation Amulet Enhance Scroll, a good hint at what the whole system is for. Do not stop leveling to hunt Feathers at this point: grab the ones near your quest route and leave the rest.
Your faction locks your region. One character cannot collect both Verteron and Altgard Feathers, and each region keeps its own counter. Whether progress is shared across your account, the game will show: check the Monolith on a second character.
How Many Feathers You Really Need
The 140 versus 560 confusion comes from two different units. 560 is the Trace points the Monolith displays. 140 is the number of Feathers you pick up at a rate of one Feather per 4 points. In earlier versions one Feather meant one point, which is why older notes talk about 560 pickups.
In practice there are noticeably more Feathers on the map than you need. You will never have to chase the last, most remote one - any 140 along your path will do.
Level 2 costs 1 point, so it comes almost at once.
Levels 10, 20 and 30 are the big milestones with titles.
Level 30 needs 560 points.
Monolith Rewards
There is no luck involved: reach the point threshold and you get a specific reward. The list below covers the main reward types, not every prize at every level.
Revelation Amulet Enhance Scrolls - the main value of the system.
Hidden Cube Keys - consumables for opening hidden cubes.
Soul Codex: Reset - a consumable that resets your Soul Codex setup.
Amplify Stone Fragments - material for gear upgrades.
Empyrean Lord attributes - permanent stat increases.
Titles at levels 10, 20 and 30: Inquirer, Guardian and Saint of your region.
For comparison, the Korean and Taiwanese versions tied Feathers to skill points, while on Global they reportedly do not grant any. Get those points from quests and other content.
The Revelation Amulet: Why the Scrolls Matter
The Revelation Amulet is an accessory that, according to player reports, stays with your character through every progression stage. It adds weapon damage and Penetration. You can get it during the main story.
The loop is simple:
Collect Feathers in your region and raise the Monolith level.
Claim the enhance scrolls at each milestone.
Enhance the amulet. According to enhancement calculators, upgrades are safe up to +10; beyond that success is no longer guaranteed, but a failure costs only materials and Kinah, not the item.
At later stages, move the amulet to the next grade. How exactly it works (Substance Morph) is shown in the in-game menu.
If the amulet stays with you for a long time, investment in it pays off. That is the main reason to reach your points early.
How to Collect Feathers Without the Grind
The worst approach is reaching level 45 with zero Feathers, opening a map with hundreds of markers and spending an evening sweeping it. It is easier to pick them up as you play than to chase them at the end.
Take everything on your route. Five seconds now saves an hour later.
Skip big detours while leveling. A Feather a minute away is fine; one across the zone can wait.
Clean up by district. If you do finish them, split the map into areas instead of zigzagging.
Mark what you collected. Any community map with checkboxes prevents repeat trips.
Stop at 560 points. The rest are only for completionists.
One more annoyance: the marker does not show height. A Feather may be high above you or in a cave underneath. For the first, flying helps; for the second, you need to find the entrance.
Abyss Feathers and the Ereshkigal Monolith
Reshanta has its own track: the Ereshkigal Monolith. Its Feathers do not advance the Verteron or Altgard Monolith, and the rewards are built for PvP. According to player reports, it has 20 levels and needs 300 points, with one point per Feather.
Monolith | Levels | Main focus |
|---|---|---|
Verteron / Altgard | 30 | Amulet scrolls, attributes, keys, materials |
Ereshkigal (Abyss) | 20 | PvP stats, Daevanion Crystal: Azphel, titles |
According to player reports, about 200 Abyss Feathers are available now, and roughly 100 more arrive when the Abyss Core opens. The Abyss requires level 45 and Item Level 1,000. Time there is limited weekly - about 7 hours in Lower Reshanta, resetting Wednesdays at 07:00 UTC; check the in-game timer for the exact value.
Spending those hours searching for Feathers is a poor trade. Pick up the ones you pass during regular Abyss activities.
A Short Plan for Your First Days
Reach the Monolith quest in Episode 2 and do the first resonance.
Grab Feathers on your route without slowing your leveling.
Watch the Monolith counter: the target is 560 points, not a fixed number of Feathers.
Put every scroll into the Revelation Amulet.
Leave Abyss Feathers for when you are in Reshanta anyway.
That way the system finishes itself, with no separate hunt and no empty grind.