Phantasy Star Online 2: NEW GENESIS is a game set in the same universe as Phantasy Star Online 2, which we’ll be calling PSO2 Classic from now on. PSO2:NGS being the newer game, why would you want to play PSO2 Classic? There are a few reasons.
- The story is interesting, and if, like me, you played PSO2:NGS first, you’ll see a lot of things you already know about, but you’ll learn more/find interesting stuff about it.
- Not only is the story interesting in itself, but it will give you lots of insight about the possible current PSO2:NGS storyline, and where it may be going, as well as answer a few questions you may not even know you have!
- The Classic game is actually quite fun to play, once you get the hang of it (it certainly IS a learning curve)
- PSO2 Classic also has a Personal Shop, where you may find some cool stuff that still holds its own in PSO2:NGS. Prices are jacked, but it’s easier to make Meseta in Classic, too.
These two games are so entertwined, that you can actually move from one to another through the game itself with a Ryuker Device in PSO2:NGS (Block Transfer -> Transfer to PSO2 Block) and with a Block Transport in PSO2 Classic (Transfer to a PSO2:NGS Block).
While the games are very similar, they’re just different enough to make it a bit of a brain glitch to swap between the two. Here are my recommendations:
Create a character that will be for PSO2 Classic specifically. It doesn’t mean you can’t ever play NGS on it, or at least go in NGS to get seasonal points and the like, but it helps to keep a boundary where your PSO2 Classic character doesn’t mesh too much with PSO2:NGS. Why? Because of the uncanny resemblance between the games. Separating the two this way makes it easier see Classic and NGS as two separate games, and keep each game’s mechanics from getting blurry.
Use a different class than your PSO2:NGS main. Classes have been thoroughly reworked for NGS, and keeping the same class may bring you LOTS of confusion. If you’re unsure, I’d say Gunner and Summoner are two really fun PSO2 Classic classes to play, and they work really well in solo. Having played Gunner and Waker in NGS, I found both quite refreshing in Classic. Waker (or Summoner in Classic) is a bit of a learning curve, but this Summoner Guide is super useful for it!
Set aside some time to fully commit to PSO2 Classic when you decide to start. You will need some time to actually unlearn NGS a bit, and fully focus on the PSO2 Classic-specific mechanics. If you only spend half an hour on it and go back to NGS, it will just make it more confusing once you get back to Classic (ask me how I know THAT!). I’m not saying you should spend a week in Classic either, but I’d set aside a solid 3-5 hours window.
Keep in mind that PSO2 Classic is an older game. Many things got better with PSO2:NGS, and many things simply disappeared. And in some cases, I wish that a few PSO2 Classic features actually did show up in NGS!
Things have changed… And you need to know about it
This is an overview. Most things will be explained in more detail in the following guides.
Some of the most obvious changes comes from the UI.
Not gonna lie, the PSO2 Classic UI looks… not that great. It’s okay, it’s just not very good-looking. That affects your menu, quick menu, vendors and item lab looks.
Speaking of vendors, you can’t just magically sell your stuff in Classic! You’ll need to find someone to buy your stuff. There are plenty of people that can do that, just don’t mistake the “discard” option for a “sell for meseta” option. “Discard” will do exactly what it says it will, throw away your stuff for nothing in return.
Your NGS easy-access storage? Kiss it goodbye! While you can (and should) deposit things into your storage at any time, you won’t be able to retrieve anything unless you go to a Storage terminal. Don’t worry though, they’re all over the place.
Augments in PSO2: Classic act really weird. It’s a complicated process, and it’s very different from NGS.
Picking up loot is a thing. There is a bit of auto-loot possible, but you still have to bring your character physically where the loot is, and it only auto-loots some things.
No dashing! No double-jumping(until lvl 40)! Shame.
Class Skill Trees, apart from looking ghastly, also don’t require any cocoons; instead, skill points are earned by leveling and a few specific quests that reward SP.
What’s up with the storyline?
One thing you’ll notice really early on is that the “Story Quests” at the Quest Counter feel odd. There’s a reason for it, though!
The Story Quests, especially in chapter 1-3, are a bunch of cutscenes in no specific order, with random dates (flashbacks are a thing and the dates are just all over the place) and random NPCs in it. That’s because, way before you or I played PSO2, the Story Quests were not available at the Quest Counter; you had to find a certain icon in the wilds of Explorations to piece everything together.
If you’re confused about the quests, know that it wasn’t much better before, AND it was a big hassle to find each specific spot for these short cutscenes. When you go through the Story Quests, just keep in mind the setting that you’ve been running around doing stuff and happened to run into this cutscene. They weren’t meant to be watched one after the other (although you totally can, and I totally did).
Episode 1, 2 and 3 especially, are very all over the place. While they are not all that interesting, you’ll probably want to go through all the stories and cutscenes, as you’ll get a lot of SG rewards scattered across them. Besides, your ARKS Missions will also require you to play through the story for more rewards.
Having tried both “random” and “binge-watching” Story, I recommend that you just sit down and enjoy the show. It’s a bit time consuming, but there are links between certain cutscenes that could be missed if you randomly pop a cutscene or two every two weeks. Again, it’s just a recommendation, you do what you want!
Practice Quests
A fun way to figure out if you want to swap classes is through Practice Quests (Quest Counter). They exist for all classes, and they provide you with mock equipment/spells/etc., so you can get a feel of them. I kinda wish they had that in NGS? Trying out classes has cost me a bit more N-Meseta than I care to admit…
Well, then!
That’s the overview, but I can certainly walk you through PSO2 Classic some more! I’ve broken it into a few more posts, so you can skip things you don’t want to read about.
