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NextTime000
Feb 3, 2011

bweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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Previous Thread

JP server: Ship 2
NA server: Vaporware
SEA server: Is bad

Chatplaces:
Discord Server: NolVac
IRC:#psobb on synirc.net (via Mibbit web irc client)

System Requirements:
code:
Item    	Operating environment
OS      	Windows Vista / 7/8 /8.1 32bit / 64bit
CPU 	    	Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 or more
Memory  	Vista / 7/8 / 8.1: 2GB or more
HDD free space  20GB or more (NTFS format)
Monitor       	1280x720 dots or more recommended
Graphics card   NVIDIA GeForce 7800GT / AMD RADEON HD2900XT
Sound card      DirectX compatible sound card (DirectX 9.0c or higher)
DirectX®        DirectX 9.0c or higher
Getting Started:
Official Client Download
While the game is installing/updating, which takes an unreasonably long time, work on these other things!
SEGAID website: Go here to register for a SEGAID account. (Google Translate will help you here, and use this to solve the captcha)
Go here to accept the Terms of Service so your account can login to PSO2
PSO2 Tweaker: A 3rd party launcher program you will need in order to install the English patches

Quick links:
Bumped.org delivers the latest PSO2 news!
Guide and Download for PSO2es, the Android/iOS app/game! PSO2es works perfectly fine on any ISP, and is the easiest/cheapest way to buy ARKs Cash for the full game
List of Error Codes, what they mean, and what you can do about them.
Item Affixing Simulator
Symbol Art editor/creator

English Databases and Japanese wikis: (If you click an item (or select it with the arrow keys), you can hit CTRL+C to copy it to the clipboard, then search one of these places for it.)
PSO2 English Database under construction/tentative title
Visiphone wiki
http://pso2.swiki.jp/ probably the best database right now, but it's all in Japanese
http://pso2es.swiki.jp/ Japanese database for the android game

Watch other people play live on Twitch.tv! (I have no control over the quality of the people playing, so click at your own risk!)

Phantasy Star Online 2 is the 3rd main game in SEGA's Sci-Fi Online Action RPG Franchise, converted from a single-player Turn-Based RPG series from the Master Drive / Genesis era. This game has no direct ties to the previous games (yet) and this iteration is free to download and play

Gameplay
The PSO series is known for being a lot more action-oriented than other Online RPGs; here you are not furiously right-clicking on enemies as fast as your character's attack speed stat would allow, hoping the enemy life bar depletes before your own, but rhythmically timing your button presses, and actively dodging or blocking enemy attacks. While this entry into the series was developed primarily for PC, it lends itself to play just as easily with a controller as with a mouse and keyboard; where the latter only has the advantage in menu shortcuts and using the subpallet (quickbar).

Parties and Multi-Parties
A normal party consists of 4 people, but most of the quests in the game have "Multi-Party Areas" where up to 12 players from multiple parties can play alongside each other.

Player Progression:
In this game, your character does not level up, Only your current main class gains experience. Your current class level dictates your character's base stats, and how many Skill Points you have available for that class. You gain experience by killing enemies, completing quests, completing Emergency Trials that appear mid-quest, and completing Client Orders; this game's term for sidequests. As you progress you will unlock new missions and client orders that you must complete in order to unlock the next areas of the game; but once you unlock an area, it stays permanently unlocked. So even if you change classes you don't need to do everything all over again.

Races:
Human :spergin:
The original race, creators of the CASTs and Newmans, they are more well rounded statistically.

Newman :anime:
Initially created by Humans as a forced next step of evolution, although really intelligent they came out rather physically frail, but now they co-exist peacefully with the rest of the ARKS. Basically space-elves.

CASTs :awesomelon:
Some CASTs were created as Androids, while others are Humans who were too frail to use their photonic abilities without augmentation. While physically strong, they are not the best using Techs. Basically mecha.

Dewman :devil:
Some scientists took weird dragon fossils and jammed them into people for some reason; this resulted in the most anime race of them all. They are good at all offense, but lack in defense and still have more max HP than Newmans.

Racial/Gender stat modifiers:
code:
               	 HP S-ATK R-ATK T-ATK DEX S-DEF R-DEF T-DEF
human male     	105   104   103   100  105  105   100   100 
human female   	104   100   103   104  106  100   100   105 
newman male    	 95   100   102   108  104  100   105   100 
newman female  	 94   100   102   110  104  100   100   105 
cast male      	107   105   104    96  107  105   100    95 
cast female    	106   104   105    96  107  100   105    95 
dewman male    	 96   107   104   105  105  100   100   100
dewman female 	 95   106   105   105  106  100   100   100
You can basically get away with any Race/Gender/Class combination, so feel free to be that Robo-Mage you always wanted to be.

Classes:
After you create your character, you can change your class anytime you are in the lobby at the class counter for no charge.

Hunter :hist101:
Hunters use large, slow weapons that hit hard or have good AoE. Hunters can use Swords, Partisans (spears) Wired Lances (think God of War meets Sonic Unleashed)
Hunter's skills boost striking damage primarily, but also can give a hearty boost to shooting damage. Meanwhile, Hunter also has a good amount of skills that boost your surviveability too! Overall Hunter makes a good subclass to almost any class
Ideal Subclass:

Ranger :hellyeah:
Rangers are a range-damage class that has a wide array of tools and ammunition for their weapons. Rangers have access to Assault Rifles, and Launchers
Ranger is about precise attacks with your assault rifle while using your launcher to clear out the crowds. Most of Ranger's skills only work with Shooting damage, so they don't make that good of a subclass to anything that deals primarily striking or tech damage.
Ideal Subclass:

Force :science:
Forces are typical mages who wield Technics (Spells) to deal elemental damage and inflict nasty status effects in the process. Forces can use Rods, Talis (throwing cards that change how some techs behave).
Force is the Go-to class for dealing damage with Techs. Most of their skills only work with Tech damage, so all it adds as a subclass is that you can act like a less-good Force.
Ideal Subclass:

Braver :japan:
Bravers wield the most Honorable Katanas and "Bullet Bows" in battle, giving them a fair amount of versatility to attack from any range.
Braver's skills include general damage boosts when you attack enemy weaknesses, and special active skills for Katana and Bows.
Katana-focused Subclass:
Bow-focused Subclass:

Bouncer :goku:
Bouncer is a melee/magic hybrid class that sports Dual Blades that summon floating phantomphoton blades that they incorporate into their attacks. Their Technic weapon of choice is Jet Boots, which let you double jump, auto-cast support techs on some Photon Arts, and they change your melee attack element based on the last tech you manually casted.
Bouncer currently lacks skills that make it stand out from other classes for subclassing, nor does it have much in the line of unique main class skills to promote sticking to it as your main class. You are mostly using Bouncer to use Dual Blades or Jet Boots, which are both quite good despite everything.
Ideal Subclasses:

New to Episode 4:
Summoner :shittydog:
Summoners command their pets on the battlefield via their Batons.
The Pets are more of the weapon types of the class than the baton, and they are adding new pets every so often!
Ideal Subclasses:

These classes are not available from character creation, but you can change to them as soon as you reach the lobby:

Fighter :black101:
Fighters are a melee class that focuses on speed, skill, and maneuverability. Fighters can use Twin Daggers, Doublesabers, Knuckles, and Gunslashes
Main class Fighters tend to focus on attacking the enemy from the front with Brave Stance, and use their Limit Break skill to push their damage even further beyond! As a subclass, Most of fighter's skills work with all damage types; making it very versatile in this regard.
Ideal Subclass:

Gunner :commissar:
Gunners use their Twin Mechineguns to do crazy john-woo style action stuff. Gunners also have access to Assault Rifles as their Mechguns are more medium-short ranged weapons.
Gunner's skills work really well for TMGs, but have limited use on other ranged weapons. As a subclass you would mostly just use the Chain Trigger skill to enable some high single-target burst gimmicks.
Ideal Subclasses:

Techer :flame:
Techers are front-line support mages. Their Wands can deal a technic-based explosion in melee combat, but can also use Talises and Gunslashes (why) if they need to.
Techers can be played either as a lesser force that has better support techs, or by utilizing their wand explosions to obliterate large groups of enemies. Oddly versatile as a subclass, you just need to take advantage of Elemental Weak Hit and get weapons to cover elemental weaknesses and you can also use decent support techs too!
Ideal Subclasses:

Subclassing
You can mix and match classes to your desires! After reaching Level 20 in a single class, you unlock a Client Order to enable Subclassing! (like main class, you can change any time you are in the lobby for no charge.)

Benefits your subclass provides:
  • 20% of that classes base stats, if your subclass is higher level than your main class, then you get 20% of the sub-classes stats at the main classes level (example: level 20 Hunter with a level 5 Force gains 20% of Force's level 1 stats, but a level 5 Force with level 20 Hunter sub gains 20% of a level 5 Hunter's stats)
  • The sub-classes currently active skill tree
  • The ability to use the sub-classes Photon Arts or Technics; this does NOT give you access to the subclasses entire arsenal, so you have to use a designated "All Class" weapon. one of the earliest examples of an all-class weapon are the Eight Ouncers
  • Subclasses also gain about 10% of the EXP you are earning on your main class until the subclass is level 55

Mags

Mags, for those not familiar with PSO, are little floating companion robots that you can feed weapons and items to. As you feed it, it gains stats that are in turn passed onto your character. As your Mag levels up, it begins to evolve new functions like occasionally attacking an enemy for you, or healing and buffing you and so on. Eventually your mag can produce a Photon Blast, a powerful attack that can be chained onto other player's PBs to increase their damage or effects. You only get one free mag per character, so be careful what you feed it!

NextTime000 fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Feb 27, 2017

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NextTime000
Feb 3, 2011

bweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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<----------------------------
Other game information:

:siren:New Player Tips:siren:

When you are just starting out, things can get pretty confusing real quick; so here are some handy tips on what you should do.

Try every class! you never know what weapon type you might like more than others; I've seen people think they were going to be Hunters but then realize that they enjoy Ranger a lot more, and vice versa! Be sure to try out a varity of Photon Arts for each weapon too, in some cases they basically make the weapon feel a lot more fun than if you hadn't tried that attack before.

Visit Koffee often! She has all of the important Client Orders for early game progression; including the Area Unlock and Level Cap release orders.

Daily Orders are your friend! They unlock as soon as you reach the Tokyo area (by beating the first Episode 4 story chapter), and they tend to give out a lot of money and EXP; some of them also help build up a buff that increases your passive EXP earned, money dropped, and rare drop rates!

The Featured Quests of the day will give you a gift for clearing each of them once per day, one of the gifts can be a ticket to run a Bonus Quest; where you can quickly get a large good chunk of free EXP!

Dont feed your mag until you know what you want to do! you only get one free one, so unless you dont mind paying actual money to get another mag you should make sure you know what attack stat you want to focus on.

Don't worry too much about gear until you reach Level 50 on your first class, Once you reach Level 40 you can start playing Advanced Quests, which can drop some weapons that can serve you alright until you can begin doing Collection Files from Pudding (she's next to Koffee)

After finding the class you like; try to stick to it until you at least reach Level 70. Reaching the endgame ASAP allows you to participate in a lot more content with other players, and your subclass will still get noticeable exp until it reaches level 50-55; allowing you to take that class into Super Hard without having to suffer through the low-level content again. Change Classes while in the lobby when you go to turn in Client Orders that give out high exp to help your other classes catch up to your main; and be sure to change out before running a Bonus Quest!

There are people on Discord at basically any time of the day, so feel free to swing by for anything else you might want to know!


Special Quest Types

Bonus Quests
Clearing the daily Featured Quests can sometimes reward you with a Bonus Key; these keys are used to access the bonus quest named by that key, and they give you a shot at some decent rare weapons and units, while giving you a hearty chunk of EXP to boot! Be sure to run your Featured Quests!

Emergency Quests (EQ)
Once every few hours at 15 minutes to the hour, there may be an announcement of an incoming Emergency Quest; a special mission that is only available for usually 30 minutes once the hour comes. These can be great for leveling up and finding rare items, because they are usually multiparty areas with lots of enemy spawns and Emergency Trials.

Time Attack Quests (TA)
Time Attack Quests test not only your ability to murder things, but also have some puzzles and stuff (they are kinda bullshit though unless you know what you are doing)

Advanced Quests (AQ)
These quests that are single-party only, and require special items to enter them; clearing an Advanced Quest increases your risk-factor for it, which increases the enemy level and makes them more likely to be boosted. AQs have a permanent double EXP buff on them, so they are be useful for helping a class through levels 40-70.

Extreme Quests (XQ)
Extreme Quests are quests that have you fight through a tower-type area with mixed enemies and special rules to each floor like "no healing for 120 seconds". You can't bring back everything you find on these missions, and enemies do not drop their normal rares here anyway.

Ultimate Quests (UQ)
Remember Ultimate difficulty in PSO1? Well that is what this is, minus the part where you had to leave it for 20-40 levels past when you can actually first access it because the word "miss" is no-longer in PSO's vocabulary. A type of "Bad Future" where a planet has been corrupted by the darkers to the point of no-return; Ultimate Quests feature upgraded version of old enemies, and you will learn to hate them for new and exciting reasons! Designed to be played with a full multiparty of 12 people, it would be a fool's errand to go in alone.

Riding Quests
A new type of Score-Attack quest added with the Las Vegas field. Defeat enemies and clear emergency trials to boost your score, and collect emblems to multiply it! The higher the score the higher the drop rate for rare items from the giant crystal at the end of the quest.

Challenge Mode (CM)
A Revival of PSO1's Challenge Mode. Everybody is stripped of their inventory and forced to play the "Challenger" class. Challenger can use any weapon or skill; provided that you find them! But with 11 other players around, someone should be able to hook you up with what you really want to use. You can drop any item you find in a mission to share with everyone else, loot is still instanced; so pick up everything that drops for you!

Battle Arena
RNG-based PvP. Players are swapped out to the "Battle Warrior" class that resets every match, and gear is randomly generated during battle.

Crafting

PA Customization:
Some Photon Arts can be altered to new forms, and in most cases it is basically a straight upgrade on them.

Tech Customization:
You can also craft Technics to suit have slightly different stats to suit your own needs! do you push the damage farther but risk it costing more PP per cast? or do you reduce the charging time but also gain a Status Effect bonus? It is all up to you!

Timed Abilities:
Create tickets that apply a buff to one of your units a number of days. These buffs are only active in a specific area, so choose wisely!

Gathering
Mine for tomatoes and fish for tin cans! you can trade in materials you gather to acquire Skill Rings that give you new abilities, or use a skill from a different class!

Rare Hunting explained:

NextTime000 fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Feb 27, 2017

MR. J
Nov 22, 2011

Chuck and Fuck
Oh, I thought this was going into the MMO HMO.

Anyway, WELCOME TO URF.

Saagonsa
Dec 29, 2012

Something interesting found in today's patch, along with a shitload of recolored units (including Hiei/Saiki?) and weapons:



NextTime000 posted:

They can Just Attack off of their evasive flip to do deal insane amounts of damage.

Rip Gunner.

Karasu Tengu
Feb 16, 2011

Humble Tengu Newspaper Reporter
I can't wait to be a double catgirl in the MMO that I actually play.

NextTime000
Feb 3, 2011

bweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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<----------------------------

Saagonsa posted:

Rip Gunner.
I think the funnier part of that was that it was in the op for the entirety of episode 3

kirbysuperstar
Nov 11, 2012

Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess.

Saagonsa posted:

Something interesting found in today's patch, along with a shitload of recolored units (including Hiei/Saiki?) and weapons:



Fitting, considering how lovely relic weapons and Austere/Invade are :wooper:

Meowywitch
Jan 14, 2010

Whenever I play dress up in this game, I'm the Phantasy Czar

Reco
Feb 26, 2011

enemy one body to the proximity Zan attack discard the power slap hit.
Anime is real and it's right here, on earth

I'm looking forward to being the resident trash braver once more in episode 4

nerdz
Oct 12, 2004


Complex, statistically improbable things are by their nature more difficult to explain than simple, statistically probable things.
Grimey Drawer
I'll fire this up after the update to see how much of a graphics update it got. Not expecting much, though.

Karasu Tengu
Feb 16, 2011

Humble Tengu Newspaper Reporter
It didn't, at least not yet.

Reco
Feb 26, 2011

enemy one body to the proximity Zan attack discard the power slap hit.

nerdz posted:

I'll fire this up after the update to see how much of a graphics update it got. Not expecting much, though.

You're gonna be waiting a few more months, it's gonna be when the PS4 version launches

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.
All we're getting tonight are a couple of extra sliders in chargen.

Karasu Tengu
Feb 16, 2011

Humble Tengu Newspaper Reporter
Also coats!

Reco
Feb 26, 2011

enemy one body to the proximity Zan attack discard the power slap hit.
help i can't stop loving laughing over how stupid this plot is

kirbysuperstar
Nov 11, 2012

Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess.
Hey kids do you like .hack or SAO or Tron WELL BOY HOWDY HERE WE GO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNkDlH6EAE0

Meowywitch
Jan 14, 2010

kirbysuperstar posted:

Hey kids do you like .hack or SAO or Tron WELL BOY HOWDY HERE WE GO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNkDlH6EAE0

:yeah:

Agoat
Dec 4, 2012

I AM BAD AT GAMES
Lipstick Apathy
Is this one also on the GameCube?

kirbysuperstar
Nov 11, 2012

Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess.

Agoat posted:

Is this one also on the GameCube?

That was PSO1, yeah. PSO2 is..similar in many ways, but different in many more.

Saagonsa
Dec 29, 2012

I am really not liking how it not only forces you to do the story to unlock poo poo, but forces you to leave the block to do the story.

Or maybe it doesn't remove you from the block and I was lied to???

clone on the phone
Aug 5, 2003

Welp decided to give this cool looking game a try that I pretty much know zero about. Download should be done when I wake up!

nerdz
Oct 12, 2004


Complex, statistically improbable things are by their nature more difficult to explain than simple, statistically probable things.
Grimey Drawer
The new field is sorta fun with all the running around.

InfinityComplex
Feb 5, 2011

Nothing better than swinging around a little girl like a flail.

Saagonsa posted:

I am really not liking how it not only forces you to do the story to unlock poo poo, but forces you to leave the block to do the story.

Or maybe it doesn't remove you from the block and I was lied to???

I was able to do the story and stayed in the block I was in.

kirbysuperstar
Nov 11, 2012

Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess.
Episode 4: :shittydog: and :anime:

InfinityComplex
Feb 5, 2011

Nothing better than swinging around a little girl like a flail.
Jesus Christ :shittydog: is bad

NextTime000
Feb 3, 2011

bweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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<----------------------------
gonna get a lot of mileage out of this screenshot I think

Surprise Noodle
Aug 25, 2011
The story is a real "mother cluster", let me tell you.


Also, I am beside myself with amazement that the summoner icon is literally :shittydog:.

InfinityComplex
Feb 5, 2011

Nothing better than swinging around a little girl like a flail.
It's apt for how bad it is.

klapman
Aug 27, 2012

this char is good
solving the japanese captcha is at least 50% of this game's difficulty

Surprise Noodle
Aug 25, 2011
You basically only ever have to do it once or twice, thankfully.

Ciaphas
Nov 20, 2005

> BEWARE, COWARD :ovr:


I wonder if I can remember all my old SegaID credentials and get in on this now that it's easier to English-ify.

Is there a lot left untranslated? Is there a lot of "jank" either in the gameplay or the translations?

(edit) Oh one more thing, I'm guessing if you can switch classes at any time, that means one character can do everything, right? I hate alts :v:

Ciaphas fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Jan 28, 2016

Saagonsa
Dec 29, 2012

The story going in the direction of "gently caress you nothing that happened the past 3 episodes was real" is far more disappointing than I ever could have imagined.

The Tokyo area itself is cool though. I like train way more than some of the latest area bosses.

Ciaphas posted:

I wonder if I can remember all my old SegaID credentials and get in on this now that it's easier to English-ify.

Is there a lot left untranslated? Is there a lot of "jank" either in the gameplay or the translations?

(edit) Oh one more thing, I'm guessing if you can switch classes at any time, that means one character can do everything, right? I hate alts :v:

If you have all of the translation patches installed (and they all happen to be working which is 95% of the time) pretty much the only things not translated will be the tutorials, some later episode 3 minor scenes, and the absolute newest of the new stuff. And yeah one character can do everything. Though you'd probably have to get a couple extra Mags on them since you want to invest in only one attack stat on those.

Saagonsa fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Jan 28, 2016

mango sentinel
Jan 5, 2001

by sebmojo
The PSO2 Anime coming over here means the game is soon to follow, right?

:unsmigghh:

Red Metal
Oct 23, 2012

Let me tell you about Homestuck

Fun Shoe
actually, it's the opposite

Ciaphas
Nov 20, 2005

> BEWARE, COWARD :ovr:


Saagonsa posted:

If you have all of the translation patches installed (and they all happen to be working which is 95% of the time) pretty much the only things not translated will be the tutorials, some later episode 3 minor scenes, and the absolute newest of the new stuff. And yeah one character can do everything. Though you'd probably have to get a couple extra Mags on them since you want to invest in only one attack stat on those.

Sounds good, though untranslated tutorials makes me :ohdear: a little. Guess now all I gotta do is start that tweaker thingy on downloading, and figure out what class to play first.

What do I want to play if I want to make things explode/set them on fire/zap them with lightning :v:

MR. J
Nov 22, 2011

Chuck and Fuck
The tutorials are intuitive enough that you don't really need to be able to read most of them. Force would be your best bet if you wanna make things explode.

Surprise Noodle
Aug 25, 2011
You can easily figure out everything you need without the tutorials that are untranslated.

Translation patches are broken at the moment due to the update, but the major ones will likely be fixed within a few days (possibly even tonight).

The quality of the major patch (user interface text, quest/client orders, enemy names, etc.) is pretty solid. If it tells you anything, the SEA version (which is in English) lifted most of their initial translations directly from this patch. The story patch...I don't use it, so I can't say. I did at one point edit the translations for like 90% of Episode 1, so I can vouch for those being...adequate, but I don't know how the recent stuff is. The item name translations are generally very questionable, but it may well not bother you much.

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.
Right now, most of the English patches don't work, but I expect that to get fixed in the next couple of days.

Reco
Feb 26, 2011

enemy one body to the proximity Zan attack discard the power slap hit.

Saagonsa posted:

The story going in the direction of "gently caress you nothing that happened the past 3 episodes was real" is far more disappointing than I ever could have imagined.

Unless it was real :tinfoil:

Orrrrr they could just go SO3 and everyone was in a tube this whole time

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klapman
Aug 27, 2012

this char is good
im going to post to see how long ive been patching


e: *whistles through his teeth* 2/3rds of the way there!!!!!

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