AION 2 Splendent Ruby

Source review: 7 October 2026 · Global. Client-data references below are independent database records, not NC announcements or our own gameplay tests. Routes and spending priorities are editorial suggestions; live unlocks, prices and reward prompts take precedence.

The AION 2 Splendent Ruby is obtained by repeatedly extracting ordinary Ruby deposits. Elyos players should search the Verteron Fortress Ruins in Verteron, while Asmodians should gather around Calderon Canyon in Altgard. The Splendent Ruby is a chance-based result rather than a separate guaranteed node, so continue gathering Rubies until Splendent Ruby (Bound) appears.

This item is required for the [Upgrade] Essence Extraction Specialty Skill quest available at Novice Level 50 in Essence Extraction. Once the item drops, Elyos players return it to Korius, while Asmodians return it to Alzirr, unlocking the Professional tier.

The important limitation is that no reliable fixed drop count or exact drop rate is established. Finding several normal Rubies without receiving the Splendent variant does not mean that you are gathering the wrong resource.

Use the Essence Extraction skill guide to distinguish character level from gathering mastery. Gather nearby Empyrean Traces while moving between nodes; check Kina spending priorities before buying materials.

Quick location summary

The gathering result identifies the quest item as Splendent Ruby (Bound).

Both routes use the same basic method: locate deposits labeled Ruby, perform the normal Essence Extraction action, and repeat the route until the bound quest item appears. You do not need to find a special node labeled Splendent Ruby.

Requirements before starting the search

The relevant level is your Essence Extraction proficiency, not your character level. The specialty upgrade becomes available when Essence Extraction reaches Novice Level 50. At that point, accept or track the upgrade quest before starting a dedicated Ruby circuit so that its objective and turn-in destination remain visible.

Use this pre-run check:

• Confirm that Essence Extraction has reached Novice Level 50.
• Find the [Upgrade] Essence Extraction Specialty Skill quest in your current objectives.
• Check whether the objective asks you to obtain and present a Splendent Ruby.
• Identify your faction-specific destination before teleporting.
• Leave enough inventory space to receive the bound item.
• Plan to extract ordinary Ruby deposits rather than searching for a uniquely named Splendent node.

The faction distinction matters because Elyos and Asmodians level in different regions. Directions for Verteron are for Elyos characters, while the Calderon Canyon route is for Asmodians. Traveling to landmarks from the other faction’s route is unnecessary.

Fast Splendent Ruby walkthrough

1. Reach Novice Level 50 in Essence Extraction and take the specialty upgrade quest.
2. Travel to Verteron if you are Elyos or Altgard if you are Asmodian.
3. Move to the faction-specific Ruby area described below.
4. Look for Ruby mineral deposits and interact with them using normal Essence Extraction.
5. Continue through nearby nodes instead of waiting beside a single occupied location.
6. Check the item obtained after each extraction. Normal Ruby materials can appear before the quest item.
7. Stop when Splendent Ruby (Bound) appears in your inventory and the quest objective is ready to advance.
8. Return to Korius as Elyos or Alzirr as Asmodian.
9. Present the item to complete the specialty test and unlock Professional Essence Extraction.

This is a gathering task, not a combat encounter or a hidden-object puzzle. The only uncertain part is how many Ruby extractions your attempt will require.

Elyos route through Verteron

Elyos players can gather the required Ruby from deposits around the Verteron Fortress Ruins. A reliable starting anchor is the Verteron Fortress Valley waypoint near the Destroyed Abyss Gate. The ruined area lies southeast of the Dawn Legion Base.

After arriving, search along the outer edges of the fortress ruins and around the ruined boundary wall. Ruby deposits are distributed through this area rather than concentrated in one interactable quest spot. The area south of the Garden of the Illusion God Observatory is another useful way to orient the search.

Marked Ruby locations across the Verteron Fortress area.

Use the following circuit instead of standing at a single location:

1. Start from the Verteron Fortress Valley waypoint if it is available to your character.
2. Move toward the Destroyed Abyss Gate and the collapsed structures around the ruins.
3. Scan the ground near the fortress boundary for deposits labeled Ruby.
4. Follow the outside of the ruined wall, extracting every available Ruby on the route.
5. Continue around the perimeter before returning toward the waypoint.
6. Repeat the circuit if the Splendent Ruby has not appeared.

Some Ruby deposits can be close to hostile enemies. You do not need to clear every group in the ruins merely to gather the quest item. Use flight to approach safer deposits and avoid entering enemy aggro range when possible. If a node would force an unnecessary fight, move to the next part of the circuit and return later.

The Ruby nodes are the objective; the waypoint and ruins are navigation anchors. Reaching the correct landmark does not complete the quest by itself. Keep extracting until the bound Splendent item actually enters your inventory.

Asmodian route through Altgard

Asmodian players should travel to Calderon Canyon in Altgard. The useful gathering zone covers the canyon’s western and southern cliffs, including the area near the Mire Campsite. Safe Haven provides a broader orientation point, with the Ruby region lying to its south.

Ruby deposits can appear on the craggy mountainside, along the riverbanks, and around the crashed ship. The canyon marker is a practical center for the circuit, but do not limit the search to the marker itself. The surrounding slopes contain the gathering targets.

Ruby markers cluster along Calderon Canyon near the Mire Campsite and crashed ship area.

A simple Asmodian circuit is:

1. Enter Calderon Canyon and move toward the Mire Campsite side of the region.
2. Check the riverbanks around the canyon marker for Ruby deposits.
3. Continue onto the nearby western and southern cliff faces.
4. Sweep the mountainside near the crashed ship rather than returning immediately to the first node.
5. Extract each available Ruby and continue the loop until Splendent Ruby (Bound) appears.
6. Return to Alzirr once the quest item is in your inventory.

The uneven cliffs make it easy to overlook deposits above or below your current elevation. Scan the slopes as well as the path directly in front of you. If the riverbank nodes are unavailable, continue toward the mountainside instead of treating the route as blocked.

How the Splendent Ruby drop works

Splendent Ruby is a special result obtained while extracting an ordinary Ruby deposit. It is not described as a separate resource node that can be selected directly from the map. This distinction explains why arriving at the correct area may initially produce only normal Ruby materials.

Each useful attempt follows the same sequence:

1. Identify a Ruby deposit.
2. Complete the normal extraction interaction.
3. Review the obtained item.
4. Move to another Ruby deposit if the result is not Splendent Ruby (Bound).
5. Continue until the upgrade quest recognizes the required item.

Treat every available Ruby as another attempt. A short circuit with several nodes is more useful than waiting beside one deposit, particularly when other players are gathering in the same area.

No dependable fixed number of Rubies guarantees the Splendent result. In particular, do not plan the route around claims that gathering a specific quantity of normal Ruby automatically finishes the objective. The supported method is simply to continue extracting Ruby deposits until the special bound item appears.

The item’s bound status is expected for this quest. The goal is to present that item to the faction’s Essence Extraction expert, not to sell or transfer it. Once it appears, stop the farming loop and verify that the quest is ready for its return step.

Making the gathering loop more efficient

Efficiency comes from maintaining a moving route rather than trying to force a result from one spawn point. Ruby deposits are shared world resources, so a missing node may already have been gathered by another player. That does not necessarily mean the map location is wrong.

Use these adjustments when the area is busy:

• Widen the circuit to include the full ruined wall in Verteron or the surrounding cliffs in Calderon Canyon.
• Move between nearby clusters instead of waiting beside an empty position.
• Check different elevations, especially on the canyon slopes.
• Return to the start of the circuit after covering the complete area.
• Confirm that every node you interact with is a Ruby deposit rather than another mineral.
• Keep the quest tracked so you notice when the required result is obtained.

An exact respawn timer is not established, so avoid building the route around a countdown. A full circuit naturally gives previously gathered locations time to become available while also providing more immediate extraction attempts elsewhere.

For Elyos characters, flight is particularly useful for crossing ruined structures and bypassing enemies near deposits. For Asmodians, it can help with the canyon’s changing elevation. Flight improves access, but it does not alter the chance of obtaining the Splendent Ruby.

Completing the specialty upgrade

After receiving Splendent Ruby (Bound), open the quest tracker before leaving the area. Confirm that the collection objective has advanced and that the return step is active.

The final destination depends on faction:

• Elyos: return to Korius.
• Asmodian: return to Alzirr.

Present the bound item to the appropriate expert to finish the upgrade quest. Successful completion advances Essence Extraction from the Novice progression into the Professional tier. The Splendent Ruby is therefore a quest gate for the specialty upgrade, not merely another Ruby material to stockpile.

Do not continue farming after the correct item has appeared unless you have a separate reason to gather normal Ruby materials. For this objective, the next required action is the NPC turn-in.

Troubleshooting a Splendent Ruby run

Only normal Ruby materials are dropping

This is expected while attempting a chance-based gathering result. Verify that you are extracting Ruby deposits, then keep moving through the route. Normal results do not reset or fail the specialty quest, and there is no supported fixed attempt count to wait for.

No Ruby nodes are visible at the marked spot

First, scan the surrounding area rather than the exact point shown on a map. The guides identify gathering regions, not one permanent quest object. Other players can also gather the same deposits before you reach them. Continue along the ruined boundary wall in Verteron or around the riverbanks and cliffs in Calderon Canyon, then loop back.

The route does not match your map

Confirm your faction. Elyos characters use Verteron and the Verteron Fortress Ruins; Asmodians use Altgard and Calderon Canyon. The two sets of directions are alternatives for different factions, not consecutive parts of one route.

The quest objective is unclear

Check that the character has reached Novice Level 50 specifically in Essence Extraction and that the specialty upgrade quest is active. The Splendent Ruby instructions belong to that proficiency upgrade. Character level and Essence Extraction level are separate checks.

The item dropped but the quest is not ready to turn in

Inspect the item name and confirm that you received Splendent Ruby (Bound) rather than ordinary Ruby material. Then review the quest objective and its listed return NPC. Elyos must use Korius, while Asmodians must use Alzirr.

Hostile enemies interrupt gathering

Avoid treating every nearby enemy as mandatory combat. In the Verteron ruins, use flight and approach deposits from outside enemy aggro range where possible. Skip a dangerous node, continue the circuit, and return after checking safer locations.

Repeating one node is taking too long

Switch from waiting to routing. Search the complete faction area, gathering each available Ruby along the way. A moving loop supplies more attempts and reduces dependence on the availability of one contested deposit.

Final completion checklist

Before leaving the gathering area, confirm all of the following:

• You searched the correct faction map.
• You extracted deposits labeled Ruby.
• Your inventory contains Splendent Ruby (Bound), not only normal Ruby materials.
• The specialty quest has advanced to its return step.
• Your Elyos character is returning to Korius, or your Asmodian character is returning to Alzirr.
• You completed the NPC turn-in and unlocked the Professional tier.

If the bound item is still missing, remain on the faction route and continue gathering Ruby deposits. There is no separate Splendent node to locate and no supported guaranteed number of normal Rubies to collect first.

Sources and verification

• gaming.tools Elyos extraction upgrade quest — Independent Global database: mastery 50, Ruby regions, Korius and the Professional upgrade reward; page labels version 2.0.5.0.
• gaming.tools Asmodian extraction upgrade quest — Independent Global database: mastery 50, Ruby regions, Alzirr and the Professional upgrade reward; page labels version 2.0.5.0.
• MetaBot Essence Extraction data — Independent client-data source: gathering skill descriptions and mastery grades.