So How Popular IS PSO2?

[Gourd]

I ask because it's usually a barren deserted wasteland. Unless there's an emergency quest. Even then, there's not as many people as I'd expect.

Every time I try to join a party in a quest on any block no matter what settings "No Parties Found". I actually was convinced by my friend to remake on ship 2. I figured there'd be more or close to just as many players here considering the large population of English speakers playing. Not the case.

And even during the Dark Falz boss, there were usually parties of one.

So I always end up playing with the scrub computer teammates (pretty useless, outside of being distractions while I hammer away from a distance).

It's odd. I play a lot of MMO's and they're pretty populated, but not this game. The best of all of them. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. That happens a lot. :/

[Lostbob117]

There are enough people to have an enjoyable time on the game.

[Cyron Tanryoku]

Its horrible no one plays it

[UnLucky]

And even during the Dark Falz boss, there were usually parties of one.

You, my friend, are in the entirely incorrect Block.

See, 90% of the blocks are always dead no matter what, but a very select few fill up instantly during EQs depending on the difficulty they want to run (B2 for Normal, B4 for Hard, B6 for VH, B10+ for SH, with a similar order for the B200's)

You can also try the other option, "Join a party on another block". It's a bit inaccurate since it doesn't update as fast as searching within your own block, but it can give you a general idea of how popular a certain quest is.

If all else fails, you can join B-20, always tons of people there (in the lobby)

[strikerhunter]

I ask because it's usually a barren deserted wasteland. Unless there's an emergency quest. Even then, there's not as many people as I'd expect.

Every time I try to join a party in a quest on any block no matter what settings "No Parties Found".

Look at the block switch and see the most populated ones and try to get there.


I actually was convinced by my friend to remake on ship 2.I figured there'd be more or close to just as many players here considering the large population of English speakers playing. Not the case.

Ships differ in population.


And even during the Dark Falz boss, there were usually parties of one.

Refer back to what I said at the beginning.



So I always end up playing with the scrub computer teammates (pretty useless, outside of being distractions while I hammer away from a distance).

Refer back to the top. Look for populated blocks and join a very active team.



It's odd. I play a lot of MMO's and they're pretty populated, but not this game. The best of all of them. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. That happens a lot. :/

Population varies among MMOs. Some servers (aka ships in PSO2) or phases (aka blocks in PSO2) are bound to have low-populations thus does not mean that that MMO is not popular.


As for popularity? Dude don't expect like half the population or even more to be English speakers. Remember that this is a JP titled game and JP servers, meaning that the most populated hours is when the JP people comes home or have a day off. So the game is bound to be empty (especially lower populated servers) when the western hemisphere wakes up and plays.

With that fact that, I believe, 4 servers maybe 5 are completely full, that's more than enough to tell bout the game's popularity in Japan. Not to also mention those that are near full as well. The game is not out in the west, so do not expect it to have a high popularity by the westerns nor do not expect a high population of westerns.

Timing, right block, and right ship are all factors into finding more players.

Also note that more players are doing the "endgame" contents than new players leveling up (endgame as in SH, XQ) so lower level maps and stuffs will be deserted.

[Zyrusticae]

It should be noted that you are likely not playing during Japanese prime times (from 6 PM to midnight), which runs from 4 AM to 10 AM for U.S. players on the east coast (i.e. sleeping/morning hours), or from 9 AM to 3 PM for players in the U.K. (i.e. business hours). During these hours the game is absolutely chock FULL of players. Almost alarmingly so.

The game's just massively popular in Japan and a lot of that can be credited to the game's character creation and dressup, oddly enough...

[WildarmsRE5]

The game's just massively popular in Japan and a lot of that can be credited to the game's character creation and dressupQuoted for truth ^^

[Zorafim]

Now, if only they put some resources into actual gameplay. It seems like every time I log in, it gets worse.

Through my time playing, I've noticed that it's hard to find a party to do what you want to do. Granted, the game's pretty well balanced for solo play (so long as you don't expect to get a level or find a drop), so solo hunting is pretty fun. But if you're looking to alleviate some grind, it's tough finding a full hard mode multiparty running tundra.

[EvilMag]

Hell its pretty much almost impossible finding an MPA for any area except Seabeds. I miss the days of finding Coast and Quarry MPAs since they IMO have better drops than Seabeds.

This is seriously why I preferred AQs over MPAs. At least with AQs you would find activity in all of the areas (except caves and sanctum)

[Exiled_Gundam]

Well just play during the time Japanese players are still awake :P My time zone is just 1 hour slower than Japan btw :P

[TaigaUC]

What Zy and Unlucky said. And Zorafim, too.

General impression I get is that many JP people aren't happy with PSO2 (lots of unhappy reviews and comments) but they play it because there isn't much better, and they like their characters.

[Shinamori]

Hell its pretty much almost impossible finding an MPA for any area except Seabeds. I miss the days of finding Coast and Quarry MPAs since they IMO have better drops than Seabeds.

This is seriously why I preferred AQs over MPAs. At least with AQs you would find activity in all of the areas (except caves and sanctum)

Except no one does AQs that much since patched exit/entrance burst.

[Skyly HUmar]

Well, pso2 is one of those games that is really really fun at first, but the more you play the more noticeable it's flaws become. And well... once you realize that the only all around and well implemented thing about the game is the character creator, it just makes most people not wanna play. Or at least not for more than a little bit lol,

[LunSei]

It's funny how those complaining that PSO2 is a boring game with nothing besides the character creator are those who have two lv60 characters. ^^;

I thought I had been playing this game a lot, yet I have lv48 and a lv11 characters. So, perhaps you guys just played the game too much?


As for the game's popularity in Japan, I think it's reasonably popular. There's really not many other mmorpg games that actually sell plushies, shirts and items in real stores.
Until not even a few months ago, every ships would always be orange-full or even red-full. Now, when I play, sadly all the ships are green-full. But it can't be helped since the game is starting to become a bit old perhaps.

[Edson Drake]

As far as I know, not so popular, at least from the Japanese. The PS series is kind of the odd duck in the RPG world(love the series), it has always been this way.

The game has an ok-ish number of players, enough to keep going, but nowhere near what it could be.
The grind is really annoying, but doable since it's just 65 levels, plus subs, but the real offender is the drop rates. The carrot-to-horse kinda thing.

It drove some of my friends out, and I'm sure the japanese have better choices, and I'm not talking about F2P games, better choices for RPGs overall. Some of the friends that got out are still pissed and never got back, went back to PSOBB instead.

I like the game and I'll play it as long I am having fun. So far the experience have been mostly positive, but I can relate to all the anger around.

[Skyly HUmar]

Like i said, the more you play the more you notice ;p. They put out new content every few months and each area is as easy as the last. EDIT: actually, a better way to put it is; gameplay updates are far and few between, and most of them dont do anything/makes something worse.

And my characters are in their 60s but i havnt played outside of TA (friends still ask me to help) in months.

[Zorafim]

It's funny how those complaining that PSO2 is a boring game with nothing besides the character creator are those who have two lv60 characters. ^^;

Stuck at lv49 here. I can't find anything that gives exp, or a reason to level anyway.

[The Walrus]

I just pop on for boosted seabed and run all the quarry orders everyday. Nets a decent amount of exp for little work.

[Zorafim]

That's fine and all, but at lv49, I can't do the ever popular super hard mode.

[gigawuts]

It's alright. It has some standard F2P flaws, but they're not as harsh as others in an attempt to appeal to a more casual audience (and it's working). Other games are definitely better at their core but don't get content updates as often, nor do so many people I already know play those other games.

[The Walrus]

That's fine and all, but at lv49, I can't do the ever popular super hard mode.

Yeah I know, I can't either. My highest leveled class is still a 49 Gunner :/

[pkemr4]

i hate that there is little to no people doing N/H/VH MPA's since SH came out.

[Zorafim]

That's always the case, and it's a huge flaw in the game's design. As far as I know, in PSO, you just played. Even in PSU, you just played (at the same spot, nonstop). But here, it's like you have to grind to play. And playing is also grinding.

[Zyrusticae]

The XP curve gets ridiculously harsh from 45 on up, yeah.

Personally, I haven't had to deal with that problem in awhile since every single one of my classes is already 50+ (except for ranger, because it bores me to tears).

[gigawuts]

The XP curve gets ridiculously harsh from 45 on up, yeah.

Personally, I haven't had to deal with that problem in awhile since every single one of my classes is already 50+ (except for ranger, because it bores me to tears).

Yes and no. PSO1 was one big farming simulator with lasers and everyone knew it. But, then, the droprates on many useful items were common enough that simply playing the game netted you a handful of nice toys, and farming was divvied up across many common items instead of one obscenely rare item. The content itself was also paced more erratically, making it less of a dreary monotonous grind (this room was easy, this room is not, this is my favorite room I love the stuff in it, this room has lots of big guys with nice drops, etc.)

PSO2 farming, grinding, and affixing in PSO1 terms = every rare is a Psycho Wand
PSO1 farming in PSO2 terms = many good rares were about as common as level 16 PAs - just one isn't enough for a complete arsenal, but it's measurable progress and it can't be taken away from you by dudu


The XP curve gets ridiculously harsh from 45 on up, yeah.

Personally, I haven't had to deal with that problem in awhile since every single one of my classes is already 50+ (except for ranger, because it bores me to tears).

Late-game client orders go a long way to bridging the level gap later on. The most notable COs are the 30k exp COs from hans (kill 60 planetary natives in sanctum, coast, and quarry), the slough of quarry COs for simply doing one run and killing the boss on the weak point, and then rare enemy COs for the area you're in should you be lucky enough to find them. I level some classes from 60 up purely through these COs. I don't do all of them every day, and it takes a week or so, but it's not bad for not having to play the class.

[Freshellent]

Well. I like the game still, I am just never logged in to play it.

Not sure what that says though.

[LunSei]

Well. I like the game still, I am just never logged in to play it.

Not sure what that says though.


If you have one, or even two, characters that are level 60, it's pretty normal to stop playing.

I see some people here have the mmorpg mentality that they're supposed to play the same game eternally.
Thankfully PSO2 isn't a real mmorpg, in that it actually has an end. Wether it's finishing that story mode no one cares too much for, or, more likely, reaching max level and exploring all places and gaining all the items and weapons you wanted.

Way I do it, I play it intensively and happily for two-three weeks. Then I can stop playing it for months. Then I come back and there's new content to enjoy! And I haven't yet gone further than level 48.

This is why I like PSO2 - I feel it has a progress that leads to an end, like a normal videogame.
But this is also a fault of PSO2 for many players: mmorpg-type players will stop playing when they realize they actually finished the game, and that's what causes the player base to decrease.

[Freshellent]

Nah, I haven't capped anything outside the betas.

So, it's not that.

[Avereth CAST]

A lot of the inactivity unless there is an EQ is because Sega has basically trained the playerbase to only bother playing during entirely scheduled out events for far easier grouping and oftentimes boosted rates, or when there is a boost event going on. They do it so often that the players simply don't bother playing during the abysmal in comparison regular times.

[Gourd]

Man, you people are quick. I never expect responses this quick let alone 3 pages.

[gigawuts]

What kind of forum do you normally post on where a few pages in 19 hours isn't normal?

It sounds awful.

I'd be replying to myself there.

[The Walrus]

And you'd still never reach 10k posts \o/

[UnLucky]

I've been to plenty of forums where you'd get one post per thread on a good day.

[gigawuts]

And you'd still never reach 10k posts \o/

I prefer it that way, really.

[Zorafim]

Oh we both know you want this.

How did I get 40 posts so quickly after my 10,000th? I need a life.

[BIG OLAF]

I've been to plenty of forums where you'd get one post per thread on a good day.

Yes, most people don't seem to understand that a site like PSOW is actually pretty rare in terms of activity. A good chunk of forums aren't very active at all, and each topic may get a reply or two, maybe three or four, throughout the course of a day, usually.

I don't think Tomee and the staff lie when they say this is the "world's largest Phantasy Star community". It shows, just by the sheer density of activity.

[Laxedrane]

i personally find leveling fairly easy. I honestly don't do a level a day or a half level like I use to post 45 but in 2 hours of playing I can net a quarter level depending on what I am doing.

Between Hanz, revelle, cressy, and the two arkz students you can net alot in one area. Cressy seems to have a habit of having stacking clear this quests orders as of late.(Noticed coast has it's own very hard and super hard line that can be cleared together) Other areas, like free explore floating continent, have the same over lap.. Just a matter of stacking orders really. I usually let dailies decide a zone for me and go all out. After a 2 hour session I usually net a good chunk of exp.

Also the halloween quests very solid for exp this time around, nicest EQ exp since white day. I was able to find a large mpa(8 people when we joined) on hard for this when leveling with my boyfriend I am sure with some effort you can find a block doing very hard for it too.

[Coatl]

Leveling in PSO2 has always been pretty easy imo. Do EQs, play with friends, etc. I don't ever relate it to 'grinding."But if logging onto PSO2 feels like you are putting on your tie and buxe shoes and clocking into work then..

Well I'm sure you can find funner things to do.

[RadiantLegend]

Outside Japan I don't think its that popular. I have no way of knowing for sure. As for my enjoyment of the game, if only hunting rares was viable. The only way I'm able to get the weapon I want is for it to be stupidly easy to buy. I look back on my days as a free player and without at least going premium once I don't think I would have lasted on this game.

To me PSO was about the rares, in PSO2 even when you get the rare then DUDU/MONICA kills any sort of happiness you previously had.

[strikerhunter]

To me PSO was about the rares, in PSO2 even when you get the rare then DUDU/MONICA kills any sort of happiness you previously had.

^ This soo much.



Outside Japan I don't think its that popular. I have no way of knowing for sure.

(sarcastically) Many "would rather prefer to play the localized version".

[Lexical]

I'm new to the game, and I was under the impression that PSO2 was really popular in Japan. Can anyone confirm if it is or not? And does anyone know what the most popular mmorpg(s) are in Japan/Korea?

[Enforcer MKV]

The game is pretty popular in Japan, from what I understand.

Is it good? If you don't worry about getting the best gear, grinding it, affixing it, uh....finding it on your own, being up to date in general...

Hrm...

[Resta]

A lot of my JP friends say JP are not happy about PSO2 and have complaints. And that they only come on for their characters dress up. Also FF14 is big competition.

[Retehi]

Not long ago, 2 of my friends said "they made a PSO2?"

¯\(°_o)/¯

[Zorafim]

Also FF14 is big competition.

Ouch. We're doing that bad?

[The Walrus]

ARR is actually pretty good.

[Zorafim]

Really? When did that happen?

...

What's ARR?

[Zenobia]

No its really good game and ARR=A Realm Reborn A.K.A Full name Final Fantasy 14 A Realm Reborn

I wont lie I found myself playing it to now in between PSO2. Even some of my JP friends say they find themselves playing it a lot over PSO2.

[The Walrus]

A Realm Reborn. The reboot that launched 2-3 months ago.

[pkemr4]

so whats the diference between FF14 ARR and pso2? like drop rates, end game content, exploration, weapon upgradeing, etc.
my friend is playing FF14 and been thinking about joining her in playing.

[Celille]

The best way to describe FFXIV is a final fantasy version of WoW minus pvp (which is supposedly going to be added later). Leveling is easy, quests are simple and the best gear is handed to you on a silver platter, assuming you know what you're doing. It's something to do and it looks pretty but the people who play it seem to run out of stuff to do once they reach max lvl and get the best gear.

In short if you played FFXI and you expect it to be a better version you'll be disappointed but if you want a game to play with your friends then it's a perfect game for that.

[Laxedrane]

As someone who played xi for over ten years and is now playing 14(For about a month and a half) and go back and forth between pso2 and that.

In my opinion pso and ffxi/xiv have almost perfect synergy with each other. Everything you complain about pso Square has down pat.(Story, atmosphere, end game, drops{in 14, you think pso2 bad you should talk to some of us xi vets oye vey.}) Everything YOU WILL find annoying playing FF sega does right.

However to Square credit they are bridging their gap and really making a well rounded game. The customization is laughable (Except for highlights HOLY FUCK SEGA WHY DIDN'T YOU THINK OF THAT) compared to most character creation options in modern games. However in their defense each race is DISTINCT and has unique features to each one.(Another thing they got right) at any distance you will never confuse any of the races for another besides maybe at a great distance an elvaan and a hume(Which have new names now.)

Sorry let's bring this to a close before I make a wall o' text any bigger.

14 is making a huge splash on the mmo scene and is well deserved. However the one thing you will miss sorely from pso is the over all general game play. It's why I still come back to pso and I must say the let's dress up feature is very engaging.

Square's second round out is definitely a home run, they need a bit more to make a grand slam so the next 6 months are vital.

[Mike]

so whats the diference between FF14 ARR and pso2? like drop rates, end game content, exploration, weapon upgradeing, etc.
my friend is playing FF14 and been thinking about joining her in playing.
Drop rates are decent, I suppose. It took me a couple days of farming the first dungeon to get all the "unique" gear I was looking for but that was more of a problem with the class I play and how the duty finder works. A RNG does show up during crafting and that can be frustrating. Using cross-class skills to minimize the effects of the RNG is really satisfying though.

I haven't gotten to end game yet but I've heard it gets really grindy. You do dungeons for a special currency but there is a cap on the maximum amount of currency you can earn in a week. After gearing up, you've got a bunch of boss fights and then a final dungeon/boss. I'm not positive on the order here because I haven't even gotten there yet. An upcoming content patch will add some dungeons and boss fights in to what I guess you could call the middle of end-game.

Exploration? All the maps are static so once you've explored a map, that's it. Many of the maps do have mixed level content so you'll be coming back to an old map to explore new parts of it once you've gotten stronger. The maps all look pretty good too. The early dungeons are an exception though. They're just a bunch of caves. They all have their own themes and stand out from each other but caves is caves.

A large amount of equipment in FF14 has slots in it that you can use to augment stats but there's nothing like PSO's grinding as far as I know. I know you can upgrade your near end-game job specific armor and weapon but I'm not clear on the details. If you get in to crafting, you can craft high quality items that are better than standard ones but you can't upgrade normal quality items in to high quality ones.

FF14 currently (I've heard rumors that cosmetic slots are planned) lacks the dress-up options that PSO2 does. It also, thankfully, lacks the bullshit cash shop PSO2 uses to sell those cosmetic options. You're saddled with a subscription and box price instead. Compared with the alternative, I don't have problem paying it. But if you are serious about playing, watch some videos online or go watch your friend play a bit.

[TimelessDbz]

I'll tell you now . I have FF14 ARR and stop in the first week of october because I ran out of stuff to do. Next big content patch isn't going to fix it either. Like if I have lvl 90 gear why would I want to do crystal tower ( The big next content update 2.1) for lvl 75 gear????

The end game for FF14 ARR isn't there yet and yes end game requires to grind but after that you can DO EVERYTHING that game has to offer. Other then that the game was fun. Just going to wait until ps4 release and hopefully they have something else to do besides coil.

[Zorafim]

Huh. Sounds exactly like WoW. I would say "except prettier," but I've played Mists.