Free-to-play MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2 has received its big new update. Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis is now live.
But not without problems, however. The expected launch was supposed to be June 9, 4 PM Malaysia Time (+8 GMT), but the maintenance period was extended for a couple of hours. It only went live by 12.30 AM, 8 hours later than expected.
But it’s live now, and servers are coping well. Now is the time to hop into the new world of Halphia.
PSO2 NGS is an update to base PSO2. All the platforms where PSO2 is available are now referring to PSO2 NGS (like its Steam page here).
For those that already have PSO2, a download around the size of 30GB is required, which brings the total file size of the game close to 100GB.
All players will need to play through the prologue of PSO2 NGS before being able to access base PSO2 again, which is still available. Your existing characters can also be customised for free using the new and improved salon (character customisation). So should you want to use the new NGS cosmetics before the game starts (or import from the standalone character creator), you can.
PSO2 New Genesis starts a new story of your character arriving on planet Halphia without much memory of the past. Here, you’ll meet new characters, face new enemies and explore a new world now delivered in an “open-field” format. It’s less Monster Hunter-lite (seen in base PSO2) and more Genshin Impact-like in terms of the exploration aspect. There are also slight changes to the combat system as well.
Several aspects from base PSO2 can be carried over to PSO2 NGS (including your character). You can check what transfers and what won’t here.
New players should not worry much, as it’s a new standalone story arc, and character level and skills are not carried over from the original PSO2. In fact, it’s a great place to hop in- New Genesis does a much better job at explaining all the systems and mechanics from what we’ve played of it so far.
PSO2 New Genesis is available globally on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store) and Xbox One. PS4 and Nintendo Switch (via cloud) versions are only available for Japan servers, however.