Update 2.5 Instance Guide: Empyrean Crucible - Aion (2025)

Challenging new instances will put your skills to the ultimate test in Update 2.5! Today we’re taking a look at the Empyrean Crucible. Learn about what awaits you inside.

Group Training: The Empyrean Crucible

Take on the challenging training scenarios of the Empyrean Crucible together with up to five allies of level 50 and above. Complete your training successfully and you can earn an Empyrean Crucible Reward with the promise of manastones and more!

The instance can be entered once per week and resets weekly on Wednesdays at 9 AM.

Backstory

The Empyrean Crucible is an area of illusions in which the Daevas can test their strength against the phantoms of powerful opponents and hone their skills. Only the most capable Daevas who can coordinate well with their allies will master this challenge, passing all stages and completing the training successfully!

Where Is the Empyrean Crucible?

Elyos keen to learn can register for training at the entrance to the Kaisinel Academy in Sanctum, while Asmodians should head to the entrance of the Marchutan Priory in Pandaemonium.

The Instance

Although the Empyrean Crucible actually only takes place in a single arena, the scenery alters with the changing illusions and provides fresh challenges with each stage. There are ten stages in total, each consisting of five rounds. Talk to the Recordkeeper to start the trial. If you think you’re up to the challenge, you also have the option of starting directly from stage 7.

The goal in each stage is to defeat all of the monsters and then talk to the Recordkeeper to start the next stage. Defeated monsters will increase your score, with more points promising better rewards at the end of the instance.

Respawning skills and items cannot be used in the Crucible, but fallen participants can use a Worthiness Ticket to continue the fight. Any remaining Worthiness Tickets disappear at the end of the training.

You can end the Empyrean Crucible at any time by clicking the Stop Training button in the top right of the screen. The training will also end if your entire group dies.

The Phases

The Empyrean Crucible generally starts off at a pedestrian pace with various novices from the Academy or Priory where you started. Once you’ve proven you have what it takes to best the students, the Instructors themselves will appear to teach you a lesson. Show them that you have nothing more to learn from them and you can earn a few of the aforementioned Worthiness Tickets!

Afterwards it’s time to face a variety of Krall or Mau warriors who’ll have their chieftains in tow. Which of them you face is decided at random. The second stage also includes a bonus round: King Saam will honour you with his presence for a certain length of time, with a few surprises in store.

Next it is time to weather the elements, defeating a variety of elementals until Administrator Arminos sends in his elemental spirits. Each of these spirits may drop their mask!

The next stage whisks you up into the heavens, where you’ll be facing draconeute troops. Once they’ve been defeated, Commander Bakarma will make an appearance, somewhat miffed that you’ve bested his soldiers. The stage ends with another bonus round, as Administrator Arminos sends forth a wave of Drakies which you must slay to earn rewards.

With land and air down, it’s out to sea for the next phase, out to the wreck of the Steel Rake. Again, there are different possibilities for which opponents will stand in your path: either the crew of the Steel Rake themselves, or the Lepharist Revolutionaries who have snuck aboard.

Having bested the rest above the waves, the next stage takes you under them, down into the inky depths where a range of undead terrors lie in wait. These are led by the Equitatus Warrior, whose steely tenacity has stayed with him beyond death through to the other side. A familiar face will appear at the end for another bonus round as Administrator Arminos puts in another appearance. But this time, with his menagerie emptied, he will roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty in challenging you personally!

The next stage sees yet more familiar faces, as the masters from Sanctum and Pandaemonium will lay down the gauntlet and try to teach you a lesson! Do them proud for the right to enter the next stage.

Stage 8 sees big names like Kromede, Queen Alukina and others make an appearance, a trend which will continue in stage 9. At the end of this stage there’s another bonus round, with special rewards for anyone who manages to bring down the nimble Lightning Drakie.

Any valiant Daevas who manage to reach this far will, after a few more tricky bouts, eventually have the honour of going toe-to-toe with Vanktrist Spacetwine! Whosoever manages to survive this epic battle can be rightly proud of having bested the Empyrean Crucible!

Tips and Tricks

Use the time at the end of each stage to recuperate and prepare yourselves before speaking to the Recordkeeper to proceed on to the next stage.

The challenges awaiting you in the Empyrean Crucible are very diverse. Good team communication will be absolutely essential!

Worthiness Tickets can be traded and you can carry multiple of them at once. It would be wise for the tankier members of your party to pass their Worthiness Tickets to the weaker members more likely to kick the bucket than themselves.