Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis (Japanese: ファンタシースターオンライン2 ニュージェネシス), abbreviated PSO2: NGS, is an update to Phantasy Star Online 2 and the latest entry into the PSO2 series. Announced during Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase as a celebration of the Phantasy Star Online franchise's 20th anniversary, this massive update overhauled the game system and graphics engine. Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis released globally in North America and Japan on June 9, 2021. The game was also released globally on August 31, 2022 for the PlayStation 4.
Recommended Specs[]
The following system specifications are recommended by Sega to play Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis:
Minimum Requirements[]
Software[]
- OS: Windows 10 64 bit
- API: DirectX 11
Hardware[]
- CPU: Intel ® Core™ i3-4150
- RAM: 8GB
- HDD: 103 GB required
- Monitor: 1280x720
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce® GT430
- SPU: DirectX 9.0c (and above) compatible
- Network: Broadband Internet access
Recommended Requirements[]
Software[]
- OS: Windows 10 64 bit
- API: DirectX 11
Hardware[]
- CPU: Intel ® Core™ i9-10900
- RAM: 16GB
- HDD: 103 GB required
- Monitor: 1920ｘ1080
- GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2070 SUPER
- SPU: DirectX 9.0c (and above) compatible
- Network: Broadband Internet access
Plot[]
ARKS ops take on a new threat known as "Dolls."
Setting[]
New Genesis is set 1000 years in the future from Phantasy Star Online 2 and focuses on the new planet of Halpha. Halpha is populated by four major regions: Aelio, a lush and vibrant region, Retem, an arid desert region, Kvaris, a freezing tundra region, and Stia, a tumultuous volcanic region. Halpha is under assault by a mysterious threat called "DOLLS", a race of robotic enemies that appear from the sky. To combat the DOLLS, ARKS established a foothold on Halpha and has begun to recruit the assistance of Meteorn, people who also appear from the sky in strange pods but have exceptional capabilities.
Story[]
While Manon and Aina, ARKS operatives from the beachside village of Aelio Town, scour the edges of Aelio, they witness a Meteorn descending from the sky and intercept the pod. The player emerges from the pod and is escorted to Aelio Town, where they meet Aina's father, Garoa, who also serves as Aelio Town's leader. Garoa inaugurates the player into ARKS and are put through basic training by Aina and Manon. At the dawn of the next day, the player awakens to find Aelio Town under attack by DOLLS, who have the upper hand against the residents. The player assists in repelling them, but they are suddenly beset upon by Dark Falz, a massive DOLL that has threatened Halpha for decades. The player, Aina and Manon escape while Garoa battles Dark Falz; Garoa is subsequently killed when Dark Falz obliterates the town.
The player, Aina, and Manon make their way to Central City, the main base of operations for ARKS in Halpha. After explaining their situation to Crawford, the primary commander of ARKS, he accepts the trio into ARKS proper. They are trained by a fellow ARKS named Bruder, and in doing so help Aina overcome her fear of DOLLS. After the trio settle into ARKS, Crawford reveals their plan to defeat Dark Falz: a massive superweapon called the Central Cannon, which lies at the heart of Central City.
Crawford deploys the trio to the neighboring region of Retem in search of minerals needed to repair the Central Cannon. They meet and gain the trust of Retem City's leader, Nadereh, a descendant of a lineage of singers who have access to a mysterious song-based power. Nadereh fears she cannot lead Retem City because she believes she lacks her mother's powers, but Manon helps Nadereh find the courage to awaken the power of song within herself. The heroes join the ARKS of Retem and lead the charge against Lenus Retem, a sandworm DOLL threatening Retem City, and successfully defeat it with Nadereh's help. With the Central Cannon repaired, Crawford deploys ARKS to battle Dark Falz and attempts to strike it with the Central Cannon; although the attempt is successful, Dark Falz escapes.
To restore the Central Cannon to full operational power, Crawford next deploys the heroes to the northern region of Kvaris to find Ilma, an engineer that Crawford has been in contact with and may have the data needed to fix the Central Cannon. They meet and befriend Merri, one of five quintuplets living in Kvaris, who asks the heroes to help reunite her brothers. After the trio locates three of the four brothers, Merri directs them to Lost Central, where Ilma, the last of the quintuplets, is conducting research. The heroes and the quintuplets head to Lost Central to reunite with Ilma, where they collect the required data from an inoperable second Central Cannon while fending off the powerful Ams Kvaris.
With preparations to engage Dark Falz now complete, Crawford sends the heroes to Stia to track down Dark Falz's whereabouts. They meet with Glen, leader of the forward survey team at Stia, and Kanui, Glen's assistant. The heroes help the survey team push forward through uncharted regions of Stia, but while exploring Dext Base they suddenly encounter a DOLL named Nils Stia. The heroes battle Nils Stia but it escapes while leaving the survey team with heavy casualties. Kanui reveals to the player and Aina that Glen and Crawford were once on a team together, but after an encounter with Nils Stia killed one of their close friends their relationship grew strained. Aina convinces Glen to put the past behind him and keep moving forward, reinvigorating Glen's spirit. The heroes enter the inside of Stia's volcano and discover a DOLLS base where Dark Falz lays sleeping inside. Before they can act, they are once again attacked by Nils Stia, but this time Crawford comes to their aid personally, subjugating Nils Stia and giving the player and Glen the opportunity to kill it once and for all. Their actions cause Dark Falz to reawaken and exit the base; upon doing so, Crawford commands Bruder to fire the Central Cannon, striking Dark Falz directly and inflicting massive damage before it escapes once more.
As Dark Falz is now weakened, the heroes gear up for one final assault against the DOLL. Dark Falz unveils its true form as Dark Falz Aegis and launches an all-out attack against Halpha, with operatives all across the planet helping to repel it and its minions. After Crawford weakens it even further with the Central Cannon, the player gathers positive photonic energy from across all of Halpha and concentrates it within themselves, gathering enough power to deal the final blow to Dark Falz Aegis, killing it once and for all.
The night after the climatic battle, Manon suddenly disappears. The player and Aina desperately scour for clues as to her possible whereabouts and discover that she has gone to Leciel, the floating black structure hovering above Halpha. With Ilma's help, the player and Aina locate a secret teleporter in Lost Central and follow Manon to Leciel. Aboard Leciel, they find simulated recreations of Halpha's environments, as well as a cloning lab and strange personnel who dress just like Manon. They catch up with Manon, who has been detained by Zephetto, Manon's superior. Zephetto challenges the trio to combat with a DOLLS mech, but is defeated after a grueling battle. The defeated Zephetto reveals the complete truth: 500 years after the defeat of the Profound Darkness, a new threat called the Starless attacked Oracle. Weakened after centuries of peace, ARKS was unable to defend itself and was nearly destroyed, only surviving when the Starless suddenly vanished. A faction of the survivors believed that the Starless would return, and to prepare for them they would need to regain their lost strength. The faction, called "Resurgent ARKS", created Halpha and the DOLLS and for the last 300 years have simulated a war between artificial ARKS operatives and DOLLS to train them to become stronger, with the player, officially named "RA9G3-T909", finally exceeding that power. Zephetto is suddenly cut short by the reappearance of the Starless, who bombard Leciel. Entrusting the future to the heroes, Zephetto flies into space to intercept the Starless and seemingly disappears in a flash of light.
After the heroes return to Halpha, Manon takes the player and Aina to Garoa's grave, where she sings a song for those fallen in the war against the DOLLS.
ver. 2[]
Shortly after the incident on Leciel, Crawford recaps the situation with the player and Aina. The staff living on Leciel were successfully escorted to safety and now reside on Halpha. However, they still do not know what the Starless are or the extent of their power; furthermore, the DOLLS have yet to be stopped, and after the evacuation of Leciel access to the station has been permanently cut off. To prepare for battles ahead, Crawford splits the three heroes into differing roles. Manon is assigned to continue the investigation of Halpha and discover its secrets, Aina is assigned as an instructor to train new recruits, and the player is granted the role of "Guardian", becoming a shining beacon of hope within the organization.
Bruder takes the player and Aina out on an excursion to Resol Forest to investigate the disappearance of a recon squad. In the heart of the forest, they are suddenly attacked by the Starless, who incapacitate Bruder. The player and Aina barely manage to hold them off and escort Bruder to safety. They relay their encounter who Crawford, who reaffirms his plans and strengthens his resolve to combat this new threat.
As they assist with various investigations around Halpha, the player drops in on their friends' newfound struggles. Aina discovers that instructing is a much harder task than initially thought and seeks guidance from Bruder on how to find her own style of teaching. Manon proves helpful to the investigation effort through the use of Overload, a power she had used in the fight against Nils Stia. One day, Manon suddenly collapses, causing Aina and the player to rush to her side. Faria, a Lecielian, explains that Manon is suffering from Photon deprivation due to extensive use of Overload, which may permanently damage her body if left untreated. Faria reveals that Photon deprivation can be treated with Liminalsignes found in shaded areas at night. Operative across Halpha, including the player, gather enough Liminalsignes to treat Manon, causing her to reawaken. Manon reveals to her friends that she felt extraordinary guilt for lying to the people of Halpha about her role in Resurgent ARKS and believed she didn't deserve to live, but Aina manages to cheer her up by showing her how grateful the people of Halpha are for her help.
Gameplay[]
PSO2: NGS is advertised as an open world online RPG. The worlds themselves are affected by day and night cycles and even have weather effects. The game features a revamped battle system and new methods to traverse the open world.
- Photon Dash: Sprint across the ground with great speed.
- Photon Glide: Descend from the skies in a nimble glide.
The character creator was also highly overhauled utilizing the new graphics engine, allowing the creation of high-fidelity characters. Characters' fingers are even able to grasp and move. Accessories can be placed in unique positions rather than restricted to fixed points.
Classes[]
In PSO2:NGS, Classes determine the weapons a player can equip, as well as their overall playstyle. A player can freely change their Class at Class Counter. Experience, stats, and skills for each Class are tallied separately. It is possible for a single character to reach the maximum Level in every Class, but only the stats and abilities of the currently selected Class will apply at a time.
At release, there were 6 available Classes to choose from: Hunter, Ranger, Force, Fighter, Gunner and Techter. Later updates have introduced new Classes: Braver (August 4, 2021) and Bouncer (October 13, 2021).
It is also possible for the player to choose a Subclass, which the player can change at will, as with the main Class. Setting a Subclass adds a portion of the Subclass' base stats, a portion of the Subclass' skills, and the ability to use Techniques, if the Subclass is Tech-based.
Relationship with PSO2[]
Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis coexists with Phantasy Star Online 2 as two stand alone titles. The same character created on PSO2 can be played on both PSO2 and PSO2: NGS. Furthermore, the graphics engine in PSO2 was upgraded to match that seen in PSO2: NGS.
Premium currency and equipment can be transferred between both games, however, the latter is dependent on the changes implemented in PSO2: NGS's game system. Character growth, consumable items, boost items, skill rings and furniture can't be transferred from PSO2 to PSO2: NGS.
In order to play PSO2 after the update the player needs to clear PSO2: NGS's Prologue and continue clearing quests until they unlock their first Ryuker device. Using the Ryuker device, players are able to use the Block Transfer option to transfer to a PSO2 block.
Game Mechanics Details[]
- Classes, Subclasses and Skills (PSO2NGS)
- Item Enhancement (PSO2NGS)
- Character Stats (PSO2NGS)
- Exploration, Resource Collection and Combat (PSO2NGS)
- Shop Functions (PSO2NGS)
- Social Functions and Appearance (PSO2NGS)
External links[]
- Official Site
- Official Teaser Site
- Announcing Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis on the official site
- The official North American Twitter account
- The official Japanese Twitter account
Gallery[]
Videos[]
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| Playable Races | Type 1 - Type 2 Human - Newman - CAST - Deuman |
|---|---|
| Playable Classes | Hunter - Fighter - Ranger - Gunner - Force - Techter - Braver - Bouncer - Waker - Slayer |
| Major Characters | Protagonist - Aina - Manon - Pharia |
| Aelio Town | Garoa |
| Central City | Crawford - Dozer - Ran - Liu Lin - Rossa - Oranje |
| Retem City | Nadereh - Hadi - Jalil - Mohsen - Rizwana - Munira |
| Kvaris | Meri - Taivas - Tuuli - Ilma - Kukka |
| Stia | Glen - Kanui |
| Antagonists | Zephetto |
| Supporting Cast | Minor characters in PSO2:NGS |
| Planets | Halpha |
| Locals | Aelio Town - Central City - Retem City - Kvaris - Stia |