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AION 2 error 0xFA000002: NCGuard fails to start (fix)

AION 2 won't start. The NCGuard log ends with "ncg was unable to start protect.cpp @ 662" and "exit:: 0xFA000002". One Reddit poster hit it right after a game update.

Also appears as: 0xFA000002, exit:: 0xFA000002, ncg was unable to start, ncg was unable to start protect.cpp, protect.cpp @ 662, aion 2 ncguard unable to start, aion 2 won't launch after update, aion 2 0xFA000002 crash

0xFA000002 is the exit code NCGuard, AION 2's anti-cheat, writes to its log when it can't start, so the game closes before you get in. It looks like a problem on your PC, not NCSoft's servers, but NCSoft hasn't said what the code means. Two players posted it, one on Steam Discussions on 8 October and one on r/Aion2 on 10 October.

The only fixes are from the Reddit thread, and each is one player's report: an antivirus exception for the game, or turning off AMD frame generation. The Steam post has no replies. Other NCGuard codes, such as 0xE0000027 and 0xE0000013, have their own pages.

Fix it, step by step

  1. Add an antivirus exception for the AION 2 folder (one report)

    Add AION 2 to your antivirus's exceptions (exclusions) list, then start the game again. The original poster of the r/Aion2 thread wrote that this "fixed that error" and that the game then started on every reboot. It is a single report, and we haven't confirmed it. Add an exception only; don't turn the antivirus off, as one commenter in that thread objected to that.

  2. Turn off AMD frame generation and reboot (one report)

    A commenter, kohlyy_, wrote that turning off AMD frame generation and rebooting fixed 0xFA000002 for their girlfriend. It is second-hand, one report, and nothing links frame generation to NCGuard failing to start.

  3. Note

    There is no confirmed fix. NCSoft hasn't explained the code, and both fixes above come from a single Reddit thread. The Steam post that quotes the same log has no replies.

    Reported

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What people are saying

Notes from players who've hit this one — no time limit, an answer from months ago is still an answer.

  • Nothing reported here yet.