Front and back attacks in Aion 2 pay out extra damage depending on which side of an enemy you strike from, but the bonus only lands if you can actually see where the boss is facing. The game can draw that line for you. Turning on the boss orientation indicator paints a coloured arc on bosses so you always know where the front and the rear zones sit.
Quick answer: Open the menu with Escape, go to Settings, then Info Display, then the Combat tab, and set Display Boss Orientation Indicator to ALL.
Enable the boss orientation indicator
The same page sits next to the other range options such as Display Skill Range and Aggro Range Display, so this is a good moment to switch those on too if you want more combat information on screen.
How to read the indicator in a fight
Once the setting is on, engage a boss and look at the ground arc wrapped around it. Two colours mark the two zones you care about.
- Light blue glow marks the front of the boss, where front-attack stats apply.
- Orange curved line runs along the rear, where back-attack stats apply.
You know it worked the moment you land a hit from the correct zone: the damage number pops up labelled, such as FRONT CRITICAL, confirming the positional bonus triggered. Stand in the orange band behind the target and your back-attack stats take over instead.
What front and back attacks actually change
Positional stats only count while you are standing in the matching zone. Pour points into back-attack bonuses and they do nothing on a fight you spend parked in front of the boss, and front-attack bonuses are wasted if your class lives behind enemies. These are the stats the arc helps you line up.
| Stat | Effect |
|---|---|
| Front Attack | Adds Attack when hitting from the front |
| Back Attack | Adds Attack from behind and ignores Block |
| Front Attack Damage Boost | Increases damage dealt from the front |
| Back Attack Damage Boost | Increases damage dealt from the back |
| Front Attack Critical Hit | Increases Critical Hit from the front |
| Back Attack Critical Hit | Increases Critical Hit from the back |
Back attacks carry a second perk worth the extra effort: they ignore the target’s Block. That makes rear positioning especially strong against high-Block enemies, which is the main reason mobile melee classes work to stay behind a boss whenever the mechanics allow it.
Positional Damage Boost sits in its own multiplier rather than stacking into the normal damage pool, so it is only worth prioritising if you can hold the right side for most of the fight. If a boss turns constantly, universal stats such as Attack or Weapon Damage Boost give steadier returns.
Which side to favour by class
Pick one side and commit to it rather than splitting investment between front and back. The right choice comes down to where your class naturally spends the fight.
| Playstyle | Position to favour |
|---|---|
| Tanking or fighting directly in front | Front Attack |
| Rear-positioned melee DPS | Back Attack |
| Ranged DPS that usually stays in front | Front Attack |
Assassins lean into back attacks because parts of their kit already reward hitting from behind, and their mobility makes repositioning easy. Tanks such as the Templar hold aggro and face the boss anyway, so their front-attack stats get far more uptime than any back-attack investment would. That split is also why a common setting split is Back for Assassin and Front for everyone else.
Block, back attacks and the title on your nameplate
Because back attacks bypass Block entirely, any Block you pick up from gear or titles simply does nothing while you strike from the rear. That is worth keeping in mind when a title’s whole appeal is defensive. Through Hell and Back is one example that shows up in combat footage, earned by clearing the Sealed Dungeon at the Ruins of the Ancient City of Ru.
| Title | Owning bonus | Equipped bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Through Hell and Back (Unique) | Block 10 | HP 900, Stamina 225, Cooldown Reduction 3% |
The HP, Stamina and Cooldown Reduction from equipping it still apply in every fight, but the Block 10 it grants carries no weight against an enemy you are hitting from inside the orange arc. For a dedicated back-attacker, that is one more reason to judge titles by their always-on stats rather than their defensive lines.
With the indicator set to ALL, every boss now tells you exactly where its front and back zones are, so you can keep your positional stats active instead of guessing which way the model is turned mid-fight.
