Sega finally brought Phantasy Star Online 2 westward in 2020 thanks to a partnership with Microsoft. That was the first step in a transformational journey for the action MMO. Today, Sega launched Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, a massive addition to PSO2. It’s not just a traditional expansion to the 2012 game, it’s an entirely new experience. Here’s a quick primer on what to expect upon logging in.
New Genesis may be started from the same launcher as its predecessor, but everything from the world, quests, combat, and enemies are brand new. Sega even gave the game a graphical overhaul, and in the process making PSO2 look like it belongs in 2021. Taking place 1,000 years after the original PSO2, New Genesis lets players’ customized ARKS loose in an open world on the planet Halpha. With this new approach to environmental design comes some changes to movement. ARKS run faster and jump higher than ever before. They can glide through the air to travel long distances, and characters tend to float while slashing away during combat.
Humans, Newmans, Casts, and Deumans are the four playable races currently in the game. They can take up the mantle of six classic Phantasy Star Online classes: Hunter, Fighter, Ranger, Gunner, Force, or Techter. Each class specializes in certain styles of weaponry, filling a specific role on the battlefield. All of these classes were in the base game, though some are missing. Not everything is one-to-one going into New Genesis. Expect some changes when diving into it.
Because New Genesis is contained within the same client as PSO2, players can bring their character over to this new experience. A character’s appearance is the same in both games, including taking a creation from the newly enhanced character editor back to OG PSO2. Unfortunately, there are a few caveats in regards to having a character live in two distinct time periods. A lot of items and gear will not carry over to NGS because they might not even exist in the new game. Character level, experience, class skills, and photon arts also do not make the conversion.
Weapons are a bit more complicated. The visual style of weaponry will remain consistent between versions, but will probably have differing stats and might only be equipped at higher levels. Some weapon classes haven’t made their way to the future, so anything that isn’t in yet will have to wait it out in PSO2 for now.
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is available as of today on PC and current Xbox consoles. Have you had a chance to play some yet? Let us know what you think of it in the comments section below.