Pets are among the franchise’s most beloved systems, and in the sequel they gained an extra role. With Aion 2 pet transformation, your character takes on the form of your equipped pet for a few minutes.
The catch is that this feature does not show up right away. To unlock Aion 2 pet transformation, you need to level up a pet, collect a specific item and understand where it comes from.
In short, Aion 2 pet transformation works like this: raise a regular pet to Insight level 3, equip it and use an Empathy Candy, which transforms your character for five minutes. Throughout this guide, we flag that these details come from global client data and community observation.
Aion 2 Pet Transformation: How It Works
Before chasing the items, understand what the transformation does and which pets can use it.
What Happens When You Transform
When you transform, your character takes on the look of your equipped pet, with that creature’s own movement. According to client data, each transformation lasts 300 seconds, or five minutes.
A few details reported by the community help you get more out of it:
- Size varies: each pet has its own size when transformed.
- Switching requires canceling: to become another pet, cancel your current transformation first.
- There is a cooldown: players report a short wait between transformations.
Which Pets Can Be Used
Global client data lists 207 pets. Of these, seven are Special pets, such as the dragon variants, and they cannot be used for transformation.
In practice, almost the entire collection is available. Therefore, your pick depends more on taste than on restrictions.
The Pet System: From Your First Pet to Insight 3
The pet system in Aion 2 is built on monster collection. Every monster type has a pet version, and defeating it can award that pet’s souls.
How Soul Collection Works
According to client data, your first pet comes from an episode quest around level 10. From there, each new pet unlocks once you collect five souls of the matching creature.
In addition, owning pets grants passive stat effects. As a result, even pets you never use still add to your character’s power.
How to Level Up Your Pet
Knowing how to level up your pet is the key step to unlocking transformation. The numbers below come from client data compiled by the community:
| Insight level | Souls needed | What it unlocks | Information status |
| 1 | 5 souls | Pet unlocked and usable as a mount | Client data, via community |
| 2 | +25 souls | Mount gliding and better passive effects | Client data, via community |
| 3 | +75 souls | Transformation and max passive effects | Client data, via community |
In total, you need 105 souls to get one pet ready for transformation. So, choose carefully which pet to max out first. Since Insight 2 also unlocks gliding, our Aion 2 flight system guide is worth a look.
Keep in mind that Insight 3 refers to the pet’s own level. It should not be confused with Genus Insight, which tracks progress by creature type.
What Is Empathy Candy and Where to Get It
Understanding what is Empathy Candy is the second half of transformation. Without this item, even an Insight 3 pet will not become a playable form.
What Empathy Candy Does
Empathy Candy (Bound) is a consumable that transforms your character into your equipped pet for 300 seconds. Since it is bound, it cannot be traded between players.
Each use consumes one unit. Therefore, players who enjoy transforming often need a steady source of the item.
The Main Sources of Empathy Candy
So far, the community has identified three main sources:
- Pet collection milestones: every 50 pets you own grants 10 Empathy Candy. With milestones at 50, 100, 150 and 200, that adds up to 40 candies.
- Shugo Festival shop: each Empathy Candy costs 20 Centuryroot Tokens.
- Events: special events also hand out the item as a reward.
Among these options, the Shugo Festival shop is the most accessible day to day. After all, collection milestones are limited and events depend on NC’s calendar.
Shugo Festival: Your Most Reliable Empathy Candy Source
The Shugo Festival is a set of minigames that runs in cycles throughout the day. NC officially describes it as a festival of minigames that awards wings, skins, pets and décor, as shown on the official Aion 2 Steam page. According to community reports, it unlocks at level 13.
How Keys and Tokens Work
To claim rewards, you need a Shugo Festival Reward Key. After finishing a minigame, the key opens a selection of reward cards.
According to community data on the global version, the system works like this:
- Daily refill: you get three keys per day.
- Storage cap: up to 12 keys, or 21 for members.
- Score matters: the better you perform, the more cards you can pick.
Rewards include Centuryroot Tokens, enchantment stones and other progression materials.
What to Buy at the Festival Shop
Centuryroot Tokens compete with several useful items in the shop. That is why it pays to plan your purchases:
- First, secure the progression consumables you need most, such as Daevanion Crystals and Wisdom Stones.
- Next, set aside tokens for Empathy Candy based on how often you transform.
- Finally, leave cosmetics and décor for when you have currency to spare.
Moreover, the festival’s own achievements award a good amount of extra tokens. As a result, trying all nine different minigames pays off in the first weeks.
How to Farm Items for Your Pet
Knowing how to farm items for your pet speeds up both your collection and your climb to Insight 3.
Where Pet Souls Come From
Souls can come from several sources, according to the community:
- Open-world monsters: defeating the matching creature can award souls.
- Reward chests: pet chests and chests from various activities contain souls.
- Black Cloud Merchants: they sell specific pets.
- Shops and events: including the Shugo Festival shop.
To find where each creature spawns, open the pet’s Source tab in the Pets menu. It shows the locations where that creature appears.
A Simple Pet Farming Routine
To progress without wasting time, follow this order:
- Pick a regular pet you want to use for transformation.
- Check its Source tab to see where the creature spawns.
- Farm that pet’s souls while questing in the same region.
- Use your Shugo Festival keys before they hit the cap.
- Track collection milestones to earn free Empathy Candy.
Pro Tips and Common Pet Mistakes in Aion 2
A few habits make your collection grow much faster.
Pro Tips: Pets and Transformation
- Farm while leveling: grabbing souls from local creatures during the story saves you a trip back later.
- Never let festival keys cap out: a capped key is a lost reward, since the refill stops stacking.
- Collect for quantity, not just quality: every 50-pet milestone grants candy, and owned pets give passive bonuses.
- Focus on one pet at a time: pouring all 105 souls into a single pet unlocks transformation much sooner.
- Save candy for the right moments: transforming during events and screenshots makes the most of those five minutes.
Common Mistakes Aion 2 Players Make
- Maxing a Special pet expecting to transform: the seven Special pets do not use transformation. Fix: pick a regular pet.
- Confusing pet Insight with Genus Insight: the requirement is the pet’s own level. Fix: check Insight on that specific pet’s panel.
- Spending every token on cosmetics: you will miss progression items later. Fix: buy what speeds up your character first.
- Skipping the Shugo Festival as “just minigames”: it is the steadiest Empathy Candy source. Fix: add the festival to your daily routine.
How Does ExitLag Help in the Shugo Festival and Pet Farming?
Shugo Festival minigames rely on reaction time, and your score decides how many reward cards you get to pick. That is why connection delay means fewer rewards.
A Stable Connection in Minigames
ExitLag is not a VPN: it analyzes multiple routes in real time and picks the fastest, most stable one to the Aion 2 servers. With fewer ping spikes, your jumps and dodges in minigames land at the right moment.
Furthermore, a disconnect mid-festival can cost you the match and the chance to use your key in that cycle.
Features That Help With Pet Farming
- Multipath: sends your data through more than one path, keeping you connected if a route fails.
- Multi-Internet: combines up to four connections, and if one drops, another takes over instantly.
- PC Boost: frees up memory and trims background processes to keep FPS stable.
ExitLag also does not modify game files or interact with anti-cheat systems. You can run an Aion 2 ping test to check your latency, then grab the ExitLag Download to play with more stability.
Aion 2 Pet Transformation: Your Next Step
To wrap up, turn this guide into a practical plan.
In Your First Sessions
Grab your first pet from the episode quest and start farming souls from creatures in your region. If you are just starting out, our Aion 2 beginner guide helps you fit this routine into the early game.
From Level 13 Onward
Add the Shugo Festival to your daily routine and save Centuryroot Tokens for Empathy Candy. With an Insight 3 pet and a few candies in your bag, Aion 2 pet transformation is always just one click away.
All game images used in this blog post belong to NC. They are used for informational and educational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or affiliation with the rights holders.
