The New Genesis PlayStation port arrives on August 31, 2022

After over a year with Xbox console exclusivity under its belt, we're getting a Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis PlayStation port.

Announced this morning, Sega intends to bring the game to PlayStation 4 on August 31, 2022, which will bring it in line with the PC and Xbox editions of the game. This will include all prior content updates of course, including the recent Kvaris region expansion. Previously the game (which is a more action-oriented spinoff that takes place 1000 years after the PSO 2 proper narrative) launched on June 9, 2021 after a lot of fanfare fro??m Microsoft, but the console exclusivity period is done.

The publisher also confirmed today that it will hold a Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis event at Anime Expo that will honor the whole PSO2 subseries. Here's the info:

"In honor of the upcoming launch, SEGA has commissioned one-of-a-kind art that will be displayed all weekend at Anime Expo 2022 in Los Angeles. The gallery will also feature concept art, figurines, and additional artwork commemorating PSO2's recent milestones. There will also be a SEGA photo booth that will transport Anime Expo attendees into the world of PSO2:NGS! Booth visitors will also receive codes to redeem in-game items like ARKS Expo shirts, a mag form, an emote, and a sticker. A limited selection of PSO2: NGS merchandise, including shi?rts and pins, will be available for purchase; these items are exclusive to Anime Expo and ARKS Expo in Japan."

Sega provided us with a tease of the Anime Expo New Genesis PlayStation concept art, which you can view in the gallery below!

[gallery link="file" ids="332916,332917,332918"]

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This is a fun game to come back to

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis' launch was fun, but over time, a lot of people became lapsed players due to the lack of content. At some point the game is going to hit a critical mass and tack on so many quality of life features that it'll be a must-try: and that could arguably happen this summer for some. Enter the New Genesis Kvaris region.

To prepare for the big summer update that adds this new snowy region into the game, the New Genesis?? team just debuted another "NGS Headline," which serves as a Nintendo direct-like presentation.

Here's the gist for the New Genesis Kvaris region info from the Headline stream:

• There's new enemy types (Proctys Ael, Proctys Retem, new dolls, Malachroids) as well as a new boss enemy (Crocodylis)
• You can ice surf around on "floating boards" (one portion of the video even shows an event where you can battle a flying ship and do tricks off ramps to attack it)
• Ice crystals in the region can be used as weapons
• There's a new narrative/set of story quests, with additional characters
• New 6-star rarity weapons are in
• The update title is called "Frozen Resolution"

If you're just interested in seeing Kvaris, that bit starts at roughly 25:00 in. According to the latest inf??o from the Headline, "it's coming in June."

//www.youtube.com/watch?app?=desktop&v=k567RVYXhw?8

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Kvaris is the snowy opposite to Retem's arid desert

We're heading back into classic JRPG biome town (eventually, we need every portion of Final Fantasy VII represented, it's just the rules), as the next Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis region is the snowy mountains of Kvaris. The New Genesis Kvaris update will be deployed in June, and will be the second major content addition to the game since launch following Retem, which?? was added roughly four months ago.

The news all comes from the below NGS Headline, which is essentially Sega's Nintendo Direct-like stream series for the game. It'll coincide with the 10th anniversary of PSO 2 (that's literally just Phantasy Star Online 2, the one game) on July 4 of this year, which will spur the launch o?f "several special projects." That includes item design, illustration, and online cosplay contests. Tying in with all that, Sega is us??ing an "NGS Official Creator" program with "influencers certified by the NGS team," and essentially paid in "regular in-game rewards."

We also got a date for the next NGS Headline: April 28. FYI, if all you care about is seeing Kvaris in action, that starts at 19:38 in the below video.

Hopefully Kvaris will be a little meatier in terms of content, as Retem, while very fun to explore, was extremely light on ?things to do. With mountainsides being a key focus of the region, I think they can go big here and add a lot of layers within the caves below and the peaks above.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHy4euDv5qA

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The New Genesis level cap is now 40

There's a new Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis level cap in town, ?and it's double what we've had sinc??e launch.

Recently, Sega revealed more info on the big February update, which included, among many other things, a level cap increase. It's a huge increase actually, as the level cap since launch has been 20: now it's 40. That means every single class can move beyond that prior limit now. Given that New Genesis allows you to level up a subclass in tandem (with XP limitations), this should spur even more playtime from dedicated people looking to reach the new cap: like Final Fantasy XIV, one character can grind up every class.

As a reminder, here are the main elements of the New Genesis February Update:

• Level cap will be raised to 40
• Chapter 2 in the newly added Chapter 2 Side Story.
• Rank 3 will be added to Mt Magnus and Vanford Laboratory Ruins
• Rank 2 will be added to Resol Forest
• Rank 2 Battledias will be added to Aelio
• Rank 2 of every Urgent Quest will be available across regions
• An increased chance for Chaos Trials
• A new enemy type, Megalotix

The other big deals ??include the Retem City concert (which will also be streamed to a monitor in Central City), and the ARKS ID feature. My favorite low-key quality of life upgrade: the ability to accept urgent quests across different regio??ns.

If you're interested in the concert, you can watch ??it below. It starts at rou?ghly 7:30 in.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4yJA9KvSNU

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It's coming on February 9

The PSO 2 New Genesis February Update is coming soon, and it'll raise the level cap to 40, am??ong a few other big additions.

All this news comes via the "NGS Headline" stream, which is a periodic show that recaps things coming to New Genesis, as well as recent happenings with the development team. In addition to a ton of gameplay and content news, we also got word that music from the Phantasy Star series would be coming to "download and streaming platforms," starting this week. That includes works from PSO (the original), PSO Episode 3 Card Revolution, and PSO Blue Burst. PSO 2 songs are "coming soon."

Here are the main elements of the New Genesis February Update:

• Level cap will be raised to 40
• Chapter 2 in the newly added Chapter 2 Side Story.
• Rank 3 will be added to Mt Magnus and Vanford Laboratory Ruins
• Rank 2 will be added to Resol Forest
• Rank 2 Battledias will be added to Aelio
• Rank 2 of every Urgent Quest will be available across regions
• An increased chance for Chaos Trials
• A new enemy type, Megalotix

As is customary, it was capped off by an "Operation Report," which highl?ights (sometimes cutting) questions from the community, and the developer response.

Here's a recap of that bit:

• More CAST parts are coming in 2022, now that a system is in place to produce them quicker
• The team is planning to release more tickets for revival (classic) items by popular demand
• There are no plans to release weapons more significant than the Relik series in the near future
• There are no plans to change the schedule of the new level cap of 60 in June, but after that, level caps will slow down
• The team is going to increase Meseta drops for "specific enemies" (to not change the economy too much) starting in February

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9CDzkBnxgE

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The Retem region is live

I've been waiting a long time for this Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis expansion. The game has a lot of potential under the hood with its frantic action system and freeing locomotion; ?the game just needed more content to sustain itself long term. It just got a ton of i??t.

As of now, the December content update, which includes said New Genesis expansion, is live. The biggest bit is the new (desert-based) Retem region, which was teased at the end of the original 1.0 campaign, and continues the stor??yline. It's a st?ark contrast to the lush plains and mountains of Aelio, and they did a pretty fantastic job with its design.

Other big changes include additional skills for every class (including the newish Bouncer), on top of an increased level cap from 20 to 35, wind/light/dark elements, new enemies, and enhanced "world trials.??" Sega describes them in the new update: "Unlike normal Trials, they will occur over multiple Sectors for an extended period of time. For example, the objective of the World Trial: Stella Grace Recovery ?Operation is to collect as much of the Stellar Grace that appears in the Exploration Sectors as possible within the time limit to receive rewards."

This is all happening with a winter event in progress. So if y??ou've been a lapsed pl??ayer, now is the time to dive back in.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLNyaWoeRP8

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It's the 'first major update' for the game

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is still trucking, and even though I don't play it as much as I used to, I'm eagerly awaiting any excuse to jump back in. The occasional new class updates did the trick, and now the first massive New Genesis update since launch is definitely going to spur me into action.

If you're a lapsed fan, you definitely want to check out the video below, which clocks in at a whopping 40 minutes and goes over every facet of the upcoming New Genesis update. Let's dig in.

• For starters, the name: Sandstorm Requiem. This is actually "Chapter 2" of New Genesis, following the same nomenclature as PSO 2 proper.
• The big event is Retem, a new zone. It's that big desert we saw at the end of the Chapter 1 story, and will feature "rocky terrain, canyons, and sand dunes." At least four new enemy types are confirmed.
• The level cap is increasing to 35, from 20.
• Every class gets a new skill:

1. Hunter Class will gain the 'Sword Arts Change Avenger' skill
2. Fighter Class will gain the 'Dagger Spin Axle' skill
3. Ranger Class will gain the 'Spread Shot Wide Range' skill
4. Gunner Class will gain the 'Rising Drive' skill
5. Force Class will gain the 'Technique Domination' skill
6. Techter Class will gain the 'Overemphasis' skill
7. Braver Class will gain the 'Brave Spirit' skill
8. Bouncer Class will gain the 'Blade Arts Parry' skill

• Wind, light, and dark elements are being added to the game, which could mix up combat significantly
• A title system is coming, which include in-game achievements to grind for.

Before all the New Genesis update arrives on December 15, the next event is kicking off on November 4 in Central City. It's a belated Halloween event that has the typical "quests and seasonal enemies" play. If you're a current player and want some inside baseball news on some lingering bugs or quality of life upgrades, check out this part of the video, where they address questions from fans.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yRZzGol6O8

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Sadly, it's not a nod to The Bouncer on PS2

Today is the day! The Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis Bouncer class has arrived, bringing its mid-range combat style to the game and allowing even more class diversity. It wields blades and jet boots as its weapons, making it a fairly unconventional class, and it's super easy to pick it up: it's included in the free update automatically, you just need to go to Deirdre in Central City to grab it. As a reminder, you can find that NPC here, right behind the main Central City warp.

There's a lot of other things going on in the New Genesis world too with the Bouncer updat??e. If you type "Congrats_9M_ARKS" in chat (even just gibberish to yourself) you'll get an SG 100 Ticket. The game is also "celebrating" the addition of the mission pass, which is basically a season pass, with an appropriate gold level with more rewards. While these are often contentious in free-to-play games in terms of gating items, we will get the first gold pass for free, provided we log in from now until November 3. Plus there's a Halloween Fiesta event with tons of spooky items, on top of a? Bouncer celebration campaign with various challenges and rewards.

If you're interested in seeing more footage of The Bouncer before you log in and try it, Sega dumped a ton of it here in their recent ??????????????????????????"NGS Headline" Direct-like presentation. It also has more info o??n all of the events I noted above. The next one will air on November 2, an?d will contain info on the big December update: which should breathe new life into the game with a brand new area and other additions.

They even previewed the upcoming zone (Retem) in video form here. It looks pretty expansive, which could go a long way in terms of keeping people playing and bringing back re??lapsed players.

In that sense, PSO 2 New Genesis has sort of become a sleeping giant. It's been addi??ng more content bit by bit, and while it might not be enough to satisfy some people on a daily basis, by the time the December update hits, it'll all be there to prop up the foundation.

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A community blog by Retrofraction

_{As part of September's Bloggers Wanted prompt Down the Rabbit Hole, long-time Destructoid reader Retrofraction writes about how Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis broke through and clicked in ways that other MMOs have not. It's a neat perspective for a neat game. In a past life, I was definitely an MMO merchant too. �strong>Jordan}

These past two months, I have been playing a game: Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis.

I don’t really remember ever starting an MMO when it first launched, and NGS is no different in that it took me a month to even consider pl?aying the game. I typically go for action-adventure games or RPGs are my first choice in games because I like to master concepts and then reach an end game and be done with an exp??erience.

There really hasn’t been a time where I was not hooked on video games as the pastime of choice. Given my own knowledge of myself any personality I typical?ly went out of my way to avoid MMOs as generally they seem to lack an ending which makes it hard to determine progression.

_{[Image credit: MobyGames]}

I had played other Phantasy Star games and version 1&?;2 on the Sega Dreamcast. All of which in the single-player experience. Sega Net in the town I lived in was an added expense and with all of the “stories�going around town, my parents thought it would be better not to have internet connection in a video game console. Which to be fair, by the time it probably would have been worth doing so, Sega would have already canceled the service.

The Dreamcast version of Phantasy Star Online is completely playable in solo format, but the world and even the cent?ral hub of the game gave off the feel li??ke there was much about the game that was not accessible solo.

I don’t usually take MMOs seriously; I previously played Guild Wars 2 and Warframe, and while I enjoyed pla??ying them, they were more of a fun social thing and I never bothered macro-ing out the time spent into the most optimal paths. Even if I did bother reading something, it would be a guide made by some person who played through the majority of the content in? advance.

I feel like Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis really gave me the first ??opportunity to be one of few who ??started out early in an MMO.

MMOs are interesting games, they can be a second job, life, and social hangout. Starting up a new game is very much like being born ?into a digital world and while the benevolent developers have dropped starting bonuses of cash and items�you really have?? no idea what you should be doing with those items.

Much like every Phantasy Star Online game, the first thing you will do is create a character. Sega is generally fantastic when it comes to character creators, and the Phantasy Star Online series ??really has set the bar high when it comes?? to customization and options. So after a few hours, I was ready to jump into the digital world.

//youtu.be/NFIxvVr8Ykg

After completing the light story intro, the world opens up completely and I was able to do pretty much anything I wanted. Much like in Warframe when you get the Star Chart, the developers kick you off the edge of a cliff to see where you fall.

Phantasy Star Online New Genesis currently respects players�time to a detriment. Many other? games have content blocked off by story progression, t??ime gates, and or actually having some sort of energy system.

All classes are unlocked after a tutorial, all weapons are ea?sily obtained in shops, and the only thing player “have to�do is level up each clas??s to 20 to get a power bonus but all the skills are unlocked after completing challenge rooms that only have to be completed once per character.

It is entirely possible to unlock all the skills in ?5-10 hours of starting the?? game. Which has had some interesting effects on the community base.

MMOs again are kind of an interesting take on living in an alternate reality where you can live and do whatever you like. (Within reason.) I had a lot of fun in Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis figuring out what I wanted to do.

There are like three major activities that happen in New Genesis: Farming, gathering, and trading.

At first, I spent a long time just farming �I wanted to get both my c??lass and subclass to level 20 so that I could go on the Urgent Quests. Urgent Quests are random quests that pop up and allow the players to party up in eight-player teams on a small raid that ends up on a boss fight with one of the regional bosses.

After g??etting access to that, I had come to my first conundrum:

Now that I have access to everything and there is no more story content to ??c??onsume�What do I do now?

This is an issue that every MMO has, even stuff like New World, where eventually there is no more content to consume. Generally, I end up at this state much later than most players because I do not obsess about stats or getting the best gear. But in terms of Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, it simply is very easy to get to the endgame because th??e developers didn’t pad out the game with hundreds of filler quests to?? do.

So, I took my previous experience with Warframe t?o carefully consider the best action moving forward.

Inflation is a constant problem in MMOs, in that currencies can lose value due to the player base grinding out more and more currency every day. One of the largest controversies is that players felt like they were getting less currency per kill from farming in Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis. There rea?lly was not anything stopping a player from playing 24 hours a day and constantly grinding, but progress would only be 75,000 ?N-Meseta Per hour if you really knew what you were doing.

So after building a spreadsheet to find the theoretical maximum amount of money the most dedicated player could make�I thought it would be better t??o invest in a different currency.

Most MMOs have paid for currency; PSO has Arks Cash or AC for short. AC is not a tradable commodity, unlike some other games??.

But PSO has the “Player Trading Market,�and in that market players are allowed to sell Augments, Weapons, Armor, and AC Scratch Ticket Items. New Genesis has raffles for cosmetic items that are independent (meaning y??ou can get the same item more than once). Players can choose between trading that item for an AC Recycle Badge or selling that item on the market for�N-Meseta.

?So that is when I decided I wanted to be a merchant.

Grinding to get N-Meseta so that I could buy AC Ticket Items for cheap. This strate?gy was simple to implement. Buying AC Items that would always appreciate on the market and then selling them at a later date when inflation had settled in.

I have also spent real money in-game to get AC Ticket Items to outright sell to then fund the buying of more AC Items??.

Which, the more I reflect on it, it really seems like it was the first time I could participate in late stage capitalism when it came to investments and trading. I was buying low, with the intention of selling higher l?ater.

AC Raffles change every month or so, which means that besides market inflation demand for the items will go up eventually. So ??any item purchased will certainly have a return on investment, but some items will be more profitable than others.

So every t??i??cket raffle that goes buy I simply purchase one of every item I can find for a low price and then simply see the investments return.

Because AC ??Items do cost a bunch of N-Meseta, I have had to find other routes of getting the money to b??uy them. So I created a gameplay loop that I think works the best for me right now:

• First I complete any of the daily quests; it's basically free XP and Money.
• Then I mine for minerals across the entire map. While I do that I kill all the enemies in those areas as they will drop capsules which then I can use the minerals to trade up for better capsules.
• After that, I will roam the maps looking for veteran monsters and maybe grind in a find area and do a couple PSE bursts for the money and XP.

Lastly, I go ba?ck to the central hub area to do all the trading that I need to get done ?with all the new resources that I have acquired. By then it's been 1-4 hours (3-4 if I do everything) and I stop for the day.

Japan is pretty good about wanting people to have a balance between gaming and their real-life activities. And I really do appreciate that most of the content is gated in suc??h a way that it's better to only play?? a maximum of four hours a day and then have the rest of the day to do something else.

Perhaps that is not the way that most players in the west like their style of MMO. But I am still pr?etty casual when it comes to MMOs or gaming as I typically only have 1-2 hours per day that I really can dedicate to playing.

I have fun playing the game currently; it's not a riveting story or adventure game. But I do like the open world and having several jobs to comp??lete to keep up a wide variety of valuable items to sell to the? community.

The biggest controversy is the lack of content. I agree that the world is mostly empty of NPCs or Dungeons, and some sort of system of adding them to the game would be fantastic a?s it would add another layer for people to enjoy the game in a different way.

Though the people asking for such things point to PSO2 for?? reference, and it makes me wonder if they simply would want something like Cradle of Darkness, where players get huge rewards for a repeatable quest.

Just how I have seen things implemented, it seems that if Sega did add such content, it p??robably wou??ld have the rewards reduced to the point where it's the same as doing any of the other current activities for that period of time.

_{[Image credit: PC Invasion]}

Another controversy is the lack of free passes to the Player Shop, which is where players go to sell their items on t??he market to other players.

While I do understand that in the past Sega did allow such things to take place and grandfathered over any remaining passes to Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis from PSO2�??It does make sense that for a game that does not have any base cost, they would need some sort of incentive to have players want to pay for something in their game.

It costs $????7 to get a 30-day pass to sell items in the Player Shop.

Obviously not everyone sees value in the same places, and for some, this is a large price to pay. I typically don’t pay for subscriptions, but for where I am at right now, paying $7 a month when I want ?to sell items is not a problem for me.

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis has opened up a lot of things to me about the nature of MMOs. I think that the MMO is a fun and interesting type of escapist genre as you are sort o??f living a second life and doing hard work in that wo??rld. But it will be interesting seeing the game change over time instead of watching from afar for eight years.

//youtu.be/PQLmZoIzA68

But yeah, I am going down the ?rabbi?t hole with this game.

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There's free and paid stuff

[Update: The campaign is live today. You can find the layout of the daily login rewards below, which you'll be greeted by when booting up the game?? (with a short clip of Roger Craig Smiths' Sonic!). The front end of the pass is stamps, with Sonic earrings and shoes as the main events near the end.]

Sonic and PSO are best buds. Sega has been running Sonic collaborations for many years throughout the series, and now we're getting another one in PSO 2 New Genesis next month.

Revealed as part of the NGS Headline stream (which is sort of like a Nintendo Direct for PSO), Sega unveiled a Sonic event that will kick off on September 1, and run through September 28 ?at 7PM PT.

A ton of items will be doled out for free via daily login bonuses, as well as a Tails MAG item "at a later date" if the campaign is popularized on Twitter enoug?h. Sonic and Tails outfits, a Sonic spin motion emote, and tails accessories (actual twin tails) are in as premium items (if you use AC, or premium currency). Oh, and type "Zutomayo" into the main chat to unlock a free hairstyle and "head mount" accessory.

For more info, you can check out the bit in the NGS Headline video below, starting at 19:30. The next PSO 2 New Genesis headline stream is set for October 5.

Again, we're a little ways away from the "big winter update" that will add a new area and significantly increase the level cap. This is all kind of laying the groundwork here, with the recent Braver class, as well as the upcoming Bouncer class. Hopefully once that update hits everyone will have more reasons to log into New Genesis, because the foundation is fantastic.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXsIEgJuyvE

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The first big New Genesis update is still coming later this year

Phantasy Star Online New Genesis got a minor update this week, with a f??ocus on new enemy types??, quests, and items.

One of the big additions is the Mining Base Defense: Aelio Urgent Quest. So Urgent Quests are kind of like "light raids," in which groups of players (premade or via matchmaking) can take on endgame tasks and/or bosses. In this case it's a protection mission, as a group of eight needs to defend mining rigs from waves of enemies. It's here that the new enemies will factor in, as you need to take out Bom??s (which are self-destructing bomb??s) and Destagras. You only need to have one rig left standing at the end of the mission to win.

If you haven't been catching up or are a lapsed player, here's the full roadmap through winter. So we're already to the "Braver" phase, and now we're on to the Bouncer part entering the fall. That's when we'll get the titular Bouncer class, as well as a mission pass and title system. From ??there it's another wait until winter, which is where the real meat is.

That "first major update" is a big one. It'll sport a new region (one of which was teased at the e?nd of the main story, am??id a walled-off snowy zone), as well as a level cap increase from 20 to 35, and new class skills and techniques. It's kind of like a miniature free expansion.

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The Braver class is a free update, here's how to play it

While Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is struggling in some ways in terms of content, the Braver class is here to shake things up.

Here's how to unlock it, and what it does.

The first step to snagging the Braver class is logging in! Seriously, it's just innately part of every character now and you can swap to it at the job counter immediately. You'll want to take this quest from Deirdre near the southwest end of ??the central hub though, as she'll introduce you to th??e basics.

From there you can grab a basic level one katana and run out into the wilderness to take out a few enemies. And that's pret?ty much all the hand-holding you'll get: you're on your own after that.

Like all low-level classes, one of the best ways to power-level is to go to a Level II ranked zone with your ??main (some of you are the max of 20 at this point) and put Braver as your off-class. That way any residual XP will go to it and you'll level up extremely quickly. Just keep in mind that the subclass cap of 15 applies.

After that you can swap Braver to your main and go ?nuts grinding to le?vel 20.

You also might want to go grab a bow from the player marketplace in town. The main gimmick of the Braver is the ability to utilize the katana and bow weapon types for close and ranged combat, while triggering the "Brave Combat" skill, which "reduces PP consumption for a set amount of time while active." Bravers also can alter their combos b?y using photon arts (abilities) rapidly one after another??, and excel at very fast close-range tactics.

While I'm not sure it's going to be my new main (I'm still comfortable with Hunter), the Braver has been a source of fun so far since it launched this week. And lord knows that New Genesis could use an injection of something! We'll have to wait a little long??er on the more massive content patches.

Here's a reminder of the roadmap!

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The New Genesis Braver is out on August 4

So PSO 2: New Genesis is off to a slow start, but that's going to improve with each subsequent major update. Based on the livestream this week that showed off the New Genesis Braver class, as well as other content, August is going t??o be a d??ecent month.

This update, including the New Genesis Braver class, arrives on August 4. But we??'re also getting new uniforms/cosmetics, as well as a new side story (A Melancholy Monument), and a few quality of life features like a visible MAG toggle. Oh and finally, a new Urgent Request (Mining Rig Defense in Central Aelio), which launches on August 18.

The Braver is the core highlig?ht though, as they can swap between a katana and a photon bow on a whim, focusing on close and ranged combat depending on the situation. ?While other classes can do this now with weapon-swapping, the Braver is built around it, with an interesting and unique array of attacks for each style to boot. I also really dig the way that there are action changes when you use the same Photon Art multiple times: it's flashy and helps differentiate the Braver from everyone else. It also sports a PP consumption reduction ability. When it hits, I'm definitely going to be leveling one.

With all that said, New Genesis definitely needs even more content over heaps of cosmetics, on top of all the bug chasing they have to do.

Here's the full announcement video:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgBEnoThp4U

And here's the m?ost relevant bits, with the Braver intro starting at 2:00 in:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC1Cs1IjfY0

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From now through August 4

It's a pretty good time for Phantasy Star Online 2 right now: on multiple levels. So we have PSO 2 still going strong in the west, after a lengthy period in which it was exclusive to Japan. Every time I log in the lobbies are dotted with people heavily geared and still playing. Then we have New Genesis, which is a brand new take on the PSO formula, and more open world/action based. It's in its infancy, but there's plenty of room to grow. And amid all this, the Phantasy Star Online 2 9th Anniversary is happening for both games.

As noted on the official site Sega is running a Phantasy Star Online 2 9th Anniversary event for the game from now through August 4. The festivities range from your typical Sega login bonuses, to specific challenges for rewards, to more in-depth item/stamp design contests. Glissen is also a go, and will be the first elemental weapon series in New Genesis, dealing with lightning elemental damage. Conveniently, many enemies in-game (typically denoted by a special anniversary symbol on their heads) will be weak to lightning during the event. Then there's AC scratch tickets: of course there's plenty of scratch tickets, it's PSO2!

Here's a breakdown of the contest element, if you're interested: "Players are encouraged to use their artistic skills to partake in celebratory contests: Item Design Contest, Stamp-Drawing Contest, and Screenshot Submission Campaign. Submit outfit and accessory designs to the Item Design Contest; the item you design could be a huge hit in-game! Design anniversary and general stamps for the PSO2 Team Global to review. Winning Items and Stamps will be featured in PSO2 and Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, so send in your best entries."

At the moment I'm enjoying popping into PSO 2 proper and watching New Genesis continue to iterate. I think by the end of the year the latter will be a pretty formidable free-to-play ac??tion game.

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Broadcasted during a new update stream today

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis has updates coming throughout the year (big and s?mall), and now it's time to focus on what's going to arrive in the near future. Sega's Hiro Arai who has been dubbed the "official navi?gator," has been presenting these update streams, and another one aired today.

To kick off the broadcast he shared a message from the development team, apologizing for the game's initial set of bugs:

"We apologize for the extended maintenance on launch day, and the start delay, as well as the lag, login difficulties, and other bugs since launch. We are working hard to make improvements as soon as posisble. For us? and the development and operations teams, seeing so many new players as well as continuing players makes it all worthwhile."

Now, onto the good stuff: July's content update!

Water battle suits are confirmed (which have swimming effects), as well as butler clothing, new emotes, and the first of an elem??ental weapon s?eries (Glissen).

The game's main hub will also be decorated for the 9th anniversary of the series from July 7 through August 4, with limited-time daily and weekly tasks that offer points; which you can exchange for items. Seasonal enemies (including a new Gigantix??) with markers on their head will also appear in the world, and will be weak to lightning.\

Most importantly, we got a look at the Braver class, which is coming in August. Bravers are a popular class in the series, and utilize katanas and photon bows in New Genesis. You can find their intro here at roughly 20:45 into the video, near the end. My first thought? Within the New Genesis system, this is one of the flashiest looking bow classes in any action game. The katana style is looking hot too, and it should be a treat to ?witness in-game, flying around.

You can watch the entire b?roadcast below, w?hich is in English.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUhNHfGadlE

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Open world lobbies are contentious

So Sega just implemented huge, devastating Gigantix enemies into the world of Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, which appear at certain intervals and can be taken on as worl??d bosses for rewards. That's good! On paper at least. The bad news is that the rollout has b?een extremely divisive, given where these enemies actually spawn and the nuances therein.

If you weren't familiar, New Genesis is a much more open game than PSO 2 proper, given that the entire affair takes place in an open world. Generally players are in?? lobbies of up to 32 players, and can queue into instances like "Urgent Quests," which provide matchmaking for endgame events. As a rule, you won't ?see a giant squad of players in one place: typically under 10.

But that changes with the Gigantix enemies. The purple-mist foes are so strong that you basically need a full lobby of people to take them down, especially given that they're on a timer. Yep, Gigant??ix spawn in weather conditions like rain, and leave when that weather is over and done with. So it's a DPS race, and they're multiple levels ahead of the max cap right now of 20. Everyone needs to be at the top of their game, not die (they can one-shot many player?s), and be geared up to race successfully.

To that end, some players are hassling folks under l??evel 20 or who aren't geared enough, telling them to "get out of the zone so more geared people can come in." This isn't something?? anyone �from the players to the developers �want in a game like this. No one wants to deal with the extreme conditions in which you need to race, either.

Sega has responded to ?the issues noting that they've extended weather patterns, but haven't addressed the potential of passworded lobbies for all??iances (guilds) to band together and take down a Gigantix enemy (the current peak endgame content) together without the hassle of forming a group.

It's growing pains for New Genesis, a game that is currently fun; but could be an instant-recommend and?? one of the best free-to-play games on the market with some updates under its belt.

The post Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis just got Gigantix enemies, and the playerbase i??s divided on the rol??lout appeared first on Destructoid.

Just head to the fast travel Ryuker posts

So I've been playing a lot of Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, and?? have been picking up little tips here and there.

One big one, now that the initial flood of new?? prospective players is done, is how to swap zones so that you can play with more people. It's pretty easy, but not obvious!

So first just head to any?? Ryuker (fast travel post) on the map. Ideally, it's easi?er if you just go to the zone you have a quest in or are leveling around.

Then interact with the Ryuker to open up a ??menu. From t??here, click or select "block transfer."

?After that you'll see a huge list of blocks, which represent population.

You generally want to be in a place with lots of people in it, to be able to more quickly cause PSE bursts or hunt down world map enemies.

And that's it! You can also quickly cook food at a Ryuker device, as wel??l as access your storage screen (?which you can do from anywhere in the game).

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See if you were impacted

So I'm really enjoying Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis so far, despite the current lack of endgame content. I'm trying to max out several classes (or get pretty close), and it hasn't gotten old for me yet. A few New Genesis bugs like lag and errant issues have, but thankfully Sega has been pretty v??igilant in terms of logging those issues; which looks good for the long term h??ealth of the game.

So if you check out the announcements page for Phantasy Star Online, you'll see any number of bug repa??ir status pages. Any??thing from freezes to money loss to ability problems are logged here, so if you're having an issue, it's worth checking out to see if they're on the case. Likewise, you can use it as a word of warning to avoid stepping into any problem bugs.

Oh and just in case you missed it, Sega is also running a "PSO Day" celebra??tion throug??h June 23 at 7:59PM ET. It'll happen on the 21st of every month, but for now, you can get 44 SG and some extra boosts. Sadly, the offer is only for premium members (both forms of PSO 2 offer "subscription-like" premium tiers through the in-g??ame shop).

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Go do your urgent quests on your schedule

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis is a fun little free romp, but there are some rough edges to be sure. Things like material spawning aren't precise, as the game doesn't really do a good job of telling you when said materials will be back, or where they might be located. It's also annoying to log in for a session and not get any urgent quest notifications (the current core endgame). Community member kosnag thankfully answered the call, crafting this online, ?interactive map to help players along.

The map pretty much does it all, provi??ding locations of containers (most notably red ones, which are static and have the best rewards), cocoons, towers, Ryuker Devices (fast travel spots), minerals, and urgent quests. Yep, it's super helpful!

Make sure you use it to get ?all of the cocoon, Ryuker, and tower locations first, which should serve as a fast travel staging opportunity for you to get everything else. Plus, maxing out your skill points should help you raise your battle power. From there you can fly around the map at will and get the minerals?? you need. Then go get the region MAG locations so they always show up on your personal map.

The really cool thing about this map long-term is that you can use it for spying urgent quests away from the game. When you see one, click on it, check the required battle power, and then rush to your controller to join! It's also useful to see where the urgent quests even are, so you can leave the game close ??to one and instantly run to it.

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I'm looking forward to seeing this plant grow

My first impression of Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, as a long-time PSO fan, was positive. On a base level, a more action-oriented PSO is something a lot of fol?ks have wanted for....oh a few decades or so, and we get that framework here after all these years.

After nearly a week with?? ?it, I'm still very much enjoying myself; but there are plenty of things Sega needs to address both in the short and long term lifespan of the game.

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis (PC [reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X [tested])
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Released: June 9, 2021
MSRP: Free-to-play (with microtransactions)

New Genesis is an interesting beast of a game. I'll get right into the dirtiness first though, so you know what to expect. After all, free-to-play games don't cost money upfront, but they do cost time. It's ki?nd of important?? to know if it's worth the investment!

Right now New Genesis is about where PSO 2 was at during launch in terms of content: that is to say, it's roughly 15 hours worth of story and a tenuous endgame, which relies heavily on how much you like playing as a whole up to that point. The campaign will end around level 13-15 or so (the level cap is 20 at the moment), and from there, you have the opportunity to embark upon Urgent Quests (boss battles that are the main endgame at the moment), level up all six classes on the same character, or try and max out your loot. Core chapter beats will frequently divulge bits of sto?ry regarding the conflict against the DOLL threat, then ask players to meet a "battle power" req?uirement, which serves as a way to gate people from continuing.

There are several ways to raise your battle power: literally leveling up, grabbing skill points from cocoons and towers (micro-dungeons that test your platforming and combat skills), and getting better gear/upgrading your gear. In MMOs, this concept is colloquially referred to as "gearscore." Now as an MMO veteran, I'm completely familiar with the concept and don't mind, well, exploring the world and leveling up ??as needed. If folks just want to rush through the main story, you might bash up against a wall.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u_iFGKW9m8

For me, the delight of the adventure itself far outweighed the reliance on battle power, or the need to immediately do what's next. The open world of Aelio is an absolute joy to run around in, in no small part because Sega made movement so freeing and fun. Every character has access to a very generous dash, double jump, and glide, which can be used to traverse nearly any obstacle in the game. "If you see something, you can go there" is such a shlocky way to describe an open world game, but it's pretty much true here, because of the anime-esque over-the-top way that movement is handled in New Genesis.

The thrill of racing across the map to help a team fight off a big ass monster still hasn't gotten old. Speaking of, New Genesis employs the Guild War 2 style of open world cooperation, where you'll randomly come across players in the wild and get full credit for quests when participating in battles: even if you aren't actually "hard partied" up. Hidden chests (some of which are random, some of which are deliberate, like open world collectibles, with rare gear to boot), a concept I don't always partake in with games like these, are equally fun to seek out for that exact same reason. Easy fast travel from a map menu is the cherry on top, and I was inspired to explore every inch of New Genesis. This is an absolutely stunning world, and I've taken too many screenshots to ?possibly share here.

Combat is just as interactive. It's fast and the aforementioned movement focus ensures th?at you're always zipping around, seeking out enemy weak spots with positionals. Some of the bosses are towering and formidable, and when I'm in the fray with a group of diverse classes, it feels like everyone is contributing: and looking cool while doing it. Dashing and very big super jumps allow you to get up to the level of skyscraper-high enemies, and the floaty combat lets you ?stay there and bash.

I primarily tested Hunter (melee DPS), Ranger (ranged gun DPS), and Force (ranged magic DPS) for this assessment, but have dabbled in every class: all of them are unique and distinct. Sega has made a point of allowing every weapon type to shine, with unique animations and very "showey" abilities. While the active ability count is lower at launch than one might expect, the addition of subclasses lets players experiment with passives and active abilities enough to allow for a degree of depth.

Let's dive into a few of the more technical aspects for a moment. For the purposes of this review, I played on ?PC and Xbox Series X, and encountered several sore spots that extended? to both platforms. Minor problems include framerate hitches for a few seconds when transitioning between zones (which is not a problem 99% of the time, and more desirable than a loading screen), and a wonky player auction house system, with a busted search for player market items.

Major issues extend to server lag, which is a gigantic pain point for the entire playerbase. It's better at certain times of day, but for the most part, it is present to some degree. Sega has addressed the issue early, and will seemingly attempt to combat it going forward, but the sooner, the better. Some other portions of Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis work a lot smoother. My cross-progression "just worked," as my PSO 2 character was ready to be imported (which follows a separate progression line for each game). I even had access to my bank, and select items transferred over to New Genesis.

Microtransactions are about on par with PSO 2 so far: there's a huge focus on cosmetics, with options for more storage and the like (which won't be a problem if you're starting completely fresh here). Going back to the perspective of whether or not it's worth investing in New Genesis, if I had one chance to give prospective players advice, it would be to take your time. If it doesn't blow up now into a widely successful free-to-play game, it has the potential to do so with more updates under i??ts belt. A level 35 cap increase is coming. A new zone is teased at the end of the ca?mpaign.

More story chapters, content, and classes are coming. Braver and Bouncer classes are slated for the fall, with the winter seeing the first major update with the aforementioned level cap and new region. It's going to be a bit of a wait, but for many of you out there, New Genesis is worth playi?ng now. After all, it is free: there's? no subscription and no buy-in. If you cap out and get bored, take a break and come back: your character will be waiting for you.

I’m not sure if New Genesis is going to live up to the nine-year-and-still-going legacy of PSO 2, but it’s a start. Sega does have their work cut out for them, though. It’s a lot easier to localize years-old PSO 2 content for the west than it is to make entirely new content for New Genesis and also localize it. New Genesis will live and ??die by its updates. For now, it’s free. Enjoy it, even for just ?a bit.

The post Review: Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis appeared first on Destructoid.

It ended last night

Look, Sega doesn't have to sell me on a new Phantasy Star Online project.

It's been... a while since we've gotten one of those. I mean the west just got PSO 2 recently, which is great! But the ??prospect of starting something on a completely level playing field, at the ground level, is extremely enticing.

Based on what I've played of the PSO2: New Genesis beta, I'm even more jazzed for ?that day to come.

Just like in the past, you'll get the chance?? to create your own character and unleash them upon the online world.

Here's the race selection as of the beta period:

And here's the class list as of now:

It's enough! But the thing is, you'll definitely want to rapidly create and try every class, because they're a little more pronounced in New Genesis.

The key is the enhanced focus on locomotion. With a controller, it feels like a fully-fledged character action game. Dashing (anime style), double-jumping, and even gliding are in, adding a whole new flavor to aerial rave attacks as melee DPS. Once you start to really dig in though it gets even more interesting, particularly when you add wall-kicking (Mario 64!) and gliding into updrafts into the mix. It's just shy of being a ful??l-on action platformer, though those sections do exist in the form of the "cocoon" mini-dun?geons.

It was, to be frank, a shock. New Genesis completely reinvents the way the series plays, although the implications of those mechanics have yet to be seen. As a rule, you have so much direct control, that it??'s very easy to whizz and air dash past the threats we've seen so far. It's a beta after all, with a limited scope of the narrative, so maybe they'll change.

Speaking of, the core loop is really simple and doesn't crib from the classic Dreamcast concept of "select missions from a menu and wait for a loading screen." You'll zone into the main hub, which is kind of like a sandboxy M??MO HQ that leads directly into the core mission area. You can dash around quicker than most games allow you to move mounted, and the "open world" is seconds away (with fast travel posts for good measure).

It's ultimately the same idea: you level-up, chase loot, and kill bigger badder monsters. The real question is how long will this hold our collective attention. The sandbox nature is refreshing, but it needs to keep us all interested beyond the flashing neon lights and cool looking combat. Will it have enough to do, and will the endgame be enough? It's something you don't really know until after a live service game is actually out. PSO has traditionally?? been smart about leaning into the grind, s?o I have hope.

In any case, I'll be there to figure that out and judge it accordingly with the rest of the community. While the weekend beta is over, you'll have a chance to play the full game soon enough. It actually launches next month!

The post Phantasy Star On?line 2: New Genesis has a lot of ??potential, based on the beta appeared first on Destructoid.

Out globally in June

The Final Fantasy XIV really nails the "producer live letter" format, which is basically a fireside chat of everything going on with the game at different intervals. It's a very easy-to-follow concept and I dig the non-produced, realism of it. Well, Sega just held one of its own today for Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, and it was super enlightening and gave us a ton of details for the upcoming ga??me.

First up, New Genesis will arrive in June of this year, and it will be a global launch. That's huge, as there is no lead time (like say, years) for the Japanese version; everyone is getting it. It's very important to understand here that the team does plan on providing global patches, so unlike the current version of PSO 2 was with the western launch, there will be no "lag time" between updates. There's also going to be a "starter package" out on August 19, which will contain codes for nine in-game items, plus a "Limited Edition," with a mini soun??dtrack and new artwork.

You can watch the full hour-ish presentation below. As a note, it does have English voiceovers in this global version of the stream, so you can fully along without wo??nky YouTube subtitles.

Oh, and we also got some PSO 2 basic news today. As of June 2021, it will be caught up with the Japanese edition! So we'll have full Phantasy Star Online parity in just a few months.

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May 14-16

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is still s??omewhat shrouded in mystery, but the veil is being peeled back in just a month.

Sega has announced that they're running a global beta period for New Genesis: you read that right, it is not limited to Japan. It'll take place from May 14 through May 16, which will be a fairly narrow window for sure, but a way to play the game regardless. Registration starts on April 21 at 1PM ET, and you'll be able to do it on the Xbox Insider Hub app.

You can find all of the exact times below. The gist is that it's only for Windows 10 PCs via the Microsoft Store. That's going to be a deal breaker for some! Honestly, I can just wait for the "later in 2021" date to play it myself. But it'll be fun to see more open info on New Genesis in any case.

Just know that Sega says this test "will have a limited number of applicants who can register at a first c??ome, first serv?ed basis." So once that 1PM ET April 21 registration hits, slam that opt in button!

PSO2:NGS Global Closed Beta Test [PSO2]

Start Date: 

05/14 09:00 PM (America/New York)

End Date: 

05/16 10:00 PM (America/New York)

Platform: Windows 10 PC (Microsoft Store)

Registration Starts: 

04/21 01:00 PM (America/New York)

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There's a stream on March 18

You know that Jack Nicholson nodding gif? That's how I feel whenever I hear the phrase Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis.

I mean, I love playing PSO 2 on the Xbox One. I've been waiting for it for years! But there's something special about the idea of playing a Phantasy Star offshoot at the same time with everyone else; sans a giant years-long Japan region lead. It's glorious, and reminds me of when my whole group dove into Phantasy Star Online together on Dreamcast and the OG Xbox.

We've already gleaned a bit of info from various Sega goings-on these past f?ew months, but now we're diving even more headfirst into it really soon. How soon? March 18 at 7AM ET, otherwise known as 21:00 JST. You can watch it right here at that time.

As the listing reminds us, New Genesis is scheduled to be released ??"sometime in 2021" on PC, PS4, and Sw??itch (via cloud version) in Japan. In the US, it'll also arrive on the Xbox One and Series X/S.

PSO 2 [Sega]

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