So...At 20, now what?

[Egner]

I know the cap is very well 30, and I'm very unsure of what way is the best to level besides spamming missions over and over. The only good hard mode I can do is the first cave mission which is extremely boring and lame...

Any suggestions?

[Kanore]

sounds like you've become aware of the problem plaguing all MMOs

the only solution is to stay in the lobby and dance

[Priest]

I believe I just ran normal desert from 20 thru 25, then hard desert 25-30. More specifically ran Desert 1 mission on hard, for code experience.

[Rhypht]

Get with a group of 2 to 3 other people you know and run the multi party area of a hard mode quest for a while. You'll probably run into other groups doing the same thing, and you can really stay in there indefinitely because the mobs are infinitely spawning. It can get really crazy if you have 2 or 3 other groups with you, and the drops and PSEs can get ridiculous if you're in there long enough. You will get stupid large amounts of XP as well. More and more emergency codes will apear, giving you XP for killing the enemies associated with them as well as the XP for clearing them. It's really just a fun time, especially if you're with a bunch of other people doing it as well.

[thablinksta]

Get with a group of 2 to 3 other people you know and run the multi party area of a hard mode quest for a while. You'll probably run into other groups doing the same thing, and you can really stay in there indefinitely because the mobs are infinitely spawning. It can get really crazy if you have 2 or 3 other groups with you, and the drops and PSEs can get ridiculous if you're in there long enough. You will get stupid large amounts of XP as well. More and more emergency codes will apear, giving you XP for killing the enemies associated with them as well as the XP for clearing them. It's really just a fun time, especially if you're with a bunch of other people doing it as well.

I actually think that this is one of my favorite things about pso2. You can grind in a level without ever having to leave that session because the mobs keep coming. Its nice that you aren't forced to fight the boss then re select the quest and fight the boss again etc etc.

[Agitated_AT]

I got the same exact issue. The game isn't engaging enough to wanna start over again at hard. You know what to expect. A game that itself really doesn't challenge you to kill enemies, and at the same time when you do, they're not really a challenge themselves.

This game's problem is that the gameplay beside the amazing combat system, is just too simple. It is even simpler than pso1 and psu. Without koffie you almost feel like the fields are there without reason except for grinding. Where is the great sense of progression within each game? It is nowhere to be found

[Sunzero]

Such is/was the joys of PSO and PSU. ^^

[Rhypht]

I actually think that this is one of my favorite things about pso2. You can grind in a level without ever having to leave that session because the mobs keep coming. Its nice that you aren't forced to fight the boss then re select the quest and fight the boss again etc etc.

Absolutely, and when you get 2 to 4 parties running around in there at once, it gets even more amazing.

[Agitated_AT]

I actually think that this is one of my favorite things about pso2. You can grind in a level without ever having to leave that session because the mobs keep coming. Its nice that you aren't forced to fight the boss then re select the quest and fight the boss again etc etc.

But there is no real sense of progression within that level. Getting to the end is a cakewalk when u can just avoid 90 to 100% of the whole area.

With that logic of liking all these mechanics, they might as well add a "go straight to boss" option. Really they should with how the game is built as of now. Instead the game should make every run satisfactionary, tense and give you goals. Yes pso had simple goals like, kill these enemies and these doors open, press this switch and this door opens, walk on top of this switch and that door opens. I know they were simple, but psycholically you feel a sense of progression, plus the dumb AI monsters at least were determined to kill you. I don't care about having to start over and over as long a run feels like a game. A game has rules and restrictions, this game feels like there is TOO much freedom. Really too much

[darkante]

I just hit 21 myself, and things really is easy on Hard mode.
Don´t see the need for the lv requirement.

[Egner]

I appreciate the details and thoughts, I think I'm going to try and grind with my friend later on and see how that turns out. one thing I can hope for is the emergency mission seeing level 20's can hard mode that. :0

[Kimil Adrayne]

Makes me a bit glad that I can't play; it keeps my level down. Stuck in a hotel that has not internet. Posting this from my phone.

[Mokyu]

I believe I just ran normal desert from 20 thru 25, then hard desert 25-30. More specifically ran Desert 1 mission on hard, for code experience.

Would this be faster than the 1st hard mode cave mission?

[futamieriko]

Also just ran desert mission 1 until 30, seems to be the fastest because of all the codes.

[Cyclon]

But there is no real sense of progression within that level. Getting to the end is a cakewalk when u can just avoid 90 to 100% of the whole area.

With that logic of liking all these mechanics, they might as well add a "go straight to boss" option. Really they should with how the game is built as of now. Instead the game should make every run satisfactionary, tense and give you goals. Yes pso had simple goals like, kill these enemies and these doors open, press this switch and this door opens, walk on top of this switch and that door opens. I know they were simple, but psycholically you feel a sense of progression, plus the dumb AI monsters at least were determined to kill you. I don't care about having to start over and over as long a run feels like a game. A game has rules and restrictions, this game feels like there is TOO much freedom. Really too much

You need to understand that rushing towards the boss yields little to no reward in this game.
Plus, once you actually learn a bit about it, you understand that killing monsters and exploring are heavily rewarded, through PSE and emergency codes respectively. And both give quite a feeling of achievement when they trigger, believe me.

So in the end, you're free not to do it, but you do it anyway. I fail to see the problem here.

...on topic now, level 20 to 25 do suffer from a lack of new content, which is a problem. But that may be something they did because of level 30 cap, to stop people from levelling too fast. So this could change on official. Or we will have the thundra.
In any case, it forced me to play with other people, which I certainly don't regret doing. I'm 26 now, and I sure didn't see those 6 levels go by.

[Ranmaru]

Since this is now becoming a digital thing, I just hope Sega finds a way to add some more difficulty and variety. (Although I'm already still enjoying the content now)

[Agitated_AT]

You need to understand that rushing towards the boss yields little to no reward in this game.
Plus, once you actually learn a bit about it, you understand that killing monsters and exploring are heavily rewarded, through PSE and emergency codes respectively. And both give quite a feeling of achievement when they trigger, believe me.

So in the end, you're free not to do it, but you do it anyway. I fail to see the problem here.


I get your point but it's little things like this that add to an experience of a game. It is not for nothing that action games like DMC or even an El shadai have barriers show up when battles start. It's because avoiding an enemy is easy, but forcing and challenging the player to fight an enemy to accomplish something is a good reward to let them progres. It makes going back to do a level again alot more attractive while now it just feels redundant unless ure out to grind. I am sure even if alot may be defendig the current system, the game would benefit if they adressed this issue. It's a gamebreaking flaw in my opinion, and I have quit after I saw the content so basically the game has very little replayability to me. In my PSO1 doing a dungeon wasnt solely based around grinding, but a sense of accomplishment of going through it as well. Time and time again.

[Cyclon]

I get your point but it's little things like this that add to an experience of a game. It is not for nothing that action games like DMC or even an El shadai have barriers show up when battles start. It's because avoiding an enemy is easy, but forcing and challenging the player to fight an enemy to accomplish something is a good reward to let them progres. It makes going back to do a level again alot more attractive while now it just feels redundant unless ure out to grind. I am sure even if alot may be defendig the current system, the game would benefit if they adressed this issue. It's a gamebreaking flaw in my opinion, and I have quit after I saw the content so basically the game has very little replayability to me. In my PSO1 doing a dungeon wasnt solely based around grinding, but a sense of accomplishment of going through it as well. Time and time again.

But this is no action game. This is more like a mmorpg, actually. How would multi party work with doors everywhere? And infinite respawns? What about emergency codes? Pretty simple; they would have to be removed from the game altogether.
What you are asking for is not an improvement, it's a step backward so the game can be redirected onto the path you want it to follow.

And I have to disagree, I enjoy going back to these open areas where I can explore freely. And if you were referring to the normal missions, well there's a reason free fields are unlocked last. They make most of these obsolete.

Also, just like I said before, rewards are very present in this game. Aside from the obvious ones, like playing with some friends or killing monsters, or those I already mentioned, you are also rewarded for logging in, taking npc characters with you, or cooperating with other unknown players. This game really doesn't need doors to feel rewarding to me.

Anyway, PSO2 indeed feels a lot more like a mmorpg than PSO did. And I do believe, if this game is to become a blockbuster or something, this was a smart move. I'd say take it for what it is, and if you just don't like it, well, move on. But I still think that PSO2 is very good at what it does.

Oh, and yeah, hard mode is a joke btw. They should definitely work on that... well, bosses, at least, are rather tough.

[Agitated_AT]

I'm sorry man, I have been a major pso loyalist and enjoyed the ps portable games to an extent, but it is gamebreaking to me and now im lvl 20 and am done with hard mode, i'm forced to go back to the game I was planning to leave after this game was available, and was mostly endorsing for it's similarities with PSO and it's great inovations in that same formula, which is spiral knights.

All the emergency events and multiparty area's and the respawning enemies would need a thought process to combine with barriers or doors of some sort, but it would be very possible with the right implementations imo. I can think of alot of ways, but it's not worth it to share in this thread

I'm just gonna wait for new content, finish the game, base my conclusions on that and leave the game as that's really what the only apeal is for me at the moment, which is the presentation. The environments and music are very true to PSO, the combat system is better so those are plusses at least.

[MonopolyMan]

Also, just stay in the multiparty area for the Nav Rappy quest.

This is the answer. There's client orders that give lots of EXP, and the monsters in the Nav Rappy area give 40+ each. There's also a small chance to find a rockbear, for lots of exp and a chance at great loot.

Also, the city quest has no level requirement, so you can do hard mode for it(monsters are level 33) as soon as you unlock hard mode.

[sugarFO]

But there is no real sense of progression within that level. Getting to the end is a cakewalk when u can just avoid 90 to 100% of the whole area.

With that logic of liking all these mechanics, they might as well add a "go straight to boss" option. Really they should with how the game is built as of now. Instead the game should make every run satisfactionary, tense and give you goals. Yes pso had simple goals like, kill these enemies and these doors open, press this switch and this door opens, walk on top of this switch and that door opens. I know they were simple, but psycholically you feel a sense of progression, plus the dumb AI monsters at least were determined to kill you. I don't care about having to start over and over as long a run feels like a game. A game has rules and restrictions, this game feels like there is TOO much freedom. Really too much

I disagree. I enjoy the freedom of staying in a multiparty zone and just exploring and looking for codes to complete. Why restart a complete mission when I can do a bunch of emergency codes with a bunch of other people? We clear groups of monsters pretty quickly and move on to the next one, getting PSE Bursts, finding random bosses in the field, rares dropping. How is that not fun?

[Disastorm]

I have to agree with what some people said. People can't possibly like this field system better than the old pso style where you progress through the area killing groups of mobs to unlock doors and progress further until finally after a very long time you reach the final boss of an area. That system was one of the best systems I've seen for online rpgs and I really hope Sega starts adding new areas like that instead of these open areas.

[aduran]

i have seen many level 20s playing hard free fields. No idea how. If you find out, that would be a cool thing to do. LOL

[Arika]

If you don't want to "spam same mission"
then you can do it like me to go follow the client order, and done everything you can. It should be able to at least get you to level 26-27 as what I did. Then I just level normal way from 27-30.

[Mega Ultra Chicken]

Personally, I kinda miss the old dungeon format. But maybe I'm not getting the most out of multi-party areas. Seriously, running through Forest Exploration without the slightest hint of suspicion and then OMGDARKRAGNE is really fun. Maybe I should do more of that, but it would be cool if both formats were in the game some way or another.

[Kanore]

if you want pso's playstyle, it is (or maybe might not be) available with an active community. if you can run pso2 then you could run pso no prob. If it theoretically (with a high probability) still exists of course

PSO2's theme is about freedom of movement

[Macman]

Level 20-25 is a total slog. It's also kind of silly that you need to be at the level cap for ANY free field mission on hard.

[Reia]

This is much the reason I full tuned a LV20 Gear and not a LV30 (And Full tuned LV20 ALREADY 1 hit kills LV30s). Cheaper, less time consuming. I don't even worry on full tuning a LV30 one considering how soon the LV40 patch may come since it will include the AC charge option and I'm pretty sure SEGA want to stop having the no AC income status very soon. Play other games, if not and you still wanna farm better gear, I recommend just get tuned fire element weapons. Probably after LV40 Patch you will require "different elements".

[Somnia]

Level 20-25 is a total slog. It's also kind of silly that you need to be at the level cap for ANY free field mission on hard.

This is the truth, these levels were just really bad. 25+ it's a blast though, and faster. If the OP is still considering playing, these levels you just have to tough it out sadly.

[Ezodagrom]

While lvls 20~25 seem to be slow (I haven't reached there yet, only at lvl 19), I wouldn't be surprised if the next areas to be released (snow and tunnel) filled this level bracket.

[Sp-24]

Would have been nice if it did. And, at the same time, it wouldn't, since it would mean that there would be nothing for a high level character to do in those new areas.

[BIG OLAF]

I remember that PSU also had these 'deadzone' levels. Pretty much between level 70 and level 100, you were at a complete loss, because everyone else was either too low to run with you, or higher-leveled and wanted to do S2-rank missions. So, getting that 30 levels was a slow, agonizing process. You felt such a relief when you hit 100 though, as you could actually party up with people you knew again.

But anyway, yes, getting from 20-25 is hell. 25-30 sucks a little too, but it's faster.

[Ezodagrom]

Would have been nice if it did. And, at the same time, it wouldn't, since it would mean that there would be nothing for a high level character to do in those new areas.
Well, when those areas are released high level players would be playing them in hard mode anyway, instead of normal mode.