The lonely experience that is PSO2

So I came back to play around with PSO2 again after being largely inactive since 2012. I'm planning to play in the western servers when they open, so I wanted to try out some of the content that wasn't around when I used to play. I originally left because there was a notable fear of region locking the game early-on, but that that obviously didn't happen. I didn't want to sink time and money into something that would potentially kick me out. A bigger problem, though, was the feeling that the NA community just didn't belong.

While they added a bunch of content to the game, it feels... empty, socially anyways. In early PSO2, people used to actually interact in the lobbies, now its just... silent. I feel very alone in this game this time around, and its not that fun as a one player game. Maybe its just that I don't know where people go, but I don't want to draw attention to the fact that I'm a non-JP player, so I just keep to myself, which compounds the problem.

I hope that the NA release feels more like early PSO2, or even PSU. People talking and messing around in the lobbies, joining random parties (met some great people that way, even a few I later knew IRL), dance spamming, and just hanging out. I had 1500 hrs+ in PSU back in the day on PS2/PC, and way over half of it was just interacting with people and team members (the Loli Express, and which became the VCC). PSU had its negatives, but I'm starting to get rose-coloured glasses for it and JP PSO2 isn't what I want.

Here's hoping for the NA PSO2 servers to feel like early PSO2, and PSU (rip).

If you're on ship02, B07 is the new B20. You can go there to see what people are up to.

If you want something more personal, it is best to join a team. Today most teams use Discord to interact, so I hope you have an account at hand. Also, most of the game content these days is focused on the highest difficulty (UH), for which it is best to have a character at level 85+. And usually, for a better experience in the game it is necessary to be Expert, although it is not as if those with Expert are better than the others.

Same check Phantasy Star Fleet in discord for communicate with other players and join MPA's or other things.

yeah basically go to B7
just ignore all of the degeneracy that occasionally happens there

The game is alot different from communication standpoint now

Mostly people are chatting via Discord VC or PS4 VC.

Block 07 is definitely an improvement. Maybe I spoke to soon with this thread... we'll see how this all goes I guess!

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Originally Posted by Kimil Adrayne

Block 07 is definitely an improvement

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thats a bold post

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Originally Posted by Kril

thats a bold post

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i mean, every other Block is dead silent so if you want interactions with stragers B7 is the only place to really hang out.

B1, B2 and B22 sometime have a small chunk of social people in them, and it's not cringy like b7.

JP players usually hang out on the shared blocks if they want to be social in the lobby.

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Originally Posted by XrosBlader821

i mean, every other Block is dead silent so if you want interactions with stragers B7 is the only place to really hang out.

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i know you know the history of B1/7/20, so you know why I said that

Can I request a brief history lesson on B1/7/20? I'm intrigued.

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Originally Posted by Kimil Adrayne

Can I request a brief history lesson on B1/7/20? I'm intrigued.

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They were "designated" social blocks for english players. As it turns out, the kinds of people drawn to "the place everyone else is", also tend to be loud an obnoxious. So the exact block kept changing as people migrated to get away from the rabble. As far as I can tell. I try to stay away from them.

EDIT: And to elaborate, by "loud and obnoxious" I don't just mean talking a lot, I mean spaming pornographic symbol arts and saying racist/sexist/whateverist shit.

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Originally Posted by Kimil Adrayne

Can I request a brief history lesson on B1/7/20? I'm intrigued.

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B20 was the place where most gaijin would gather and do degenerate stuff, then DDoS happened and afterwards people would start gathering at B1. I don't know exactly why B7 became a thing, but it might have something to do with B1 being the main block for newbs and all the degeneracy going on could give them a bad impression.

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Originally Posted by Kondibon

They were "designated" social blocks for english players. As it turns out, the kinds of people drawn to "the place everyone else is", also tend to be loud an obnoxious. So the exact block kept changing as people migrated to get away from the rabble. As far as I can tell. I try to stay away from them.

EDIT: And to elaborate, by "loud and obnoxious" I don't just mean talking a lot, I mean spaming pornographic symbol arts and saying racist/sexist/whateverist shit.

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you put it lightly but it still 100% hits the nail on the head.

For any of you PSU players coming to PSO2, you remember the cancer that was the 4th floor? ya well it never left and continues to fester

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Originally Posted by rokkuman

B20 was the place where most gaijin would gather and do degenerate stuff, then DDoS happened and afterwards people would start gathering at B1. I don't know exactly why B7 became a thing, but it might have something to do with B1 being the main block for newbs and all the degeneracy going on could give them a bad impression.

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B1 was perfect for them

A couple of us are still around. I'll PM you a link to our discord if you wanna come say hey

I don't think you'll really need to worry too much about that. Japan has a different culture in that they do not like to bother others. If they need to, they'd whisper you. Yes, it's the "English Ship", but it doesn't change the fact that this is still a japan based server. That and people generally aren't talkative in mmo's in the first place.

The thing about Block 7 is that it is also the place that a lot of people go to level up. If you look at the block list, Block 7 is designated as the first block for people who want to do Super Hard quests. People seem to want to run FQ4 at the SH difficulty level to level up (especially the boss rush FQ), probably because the SH level range is where leveling slows down.

Anyways, Block 7 tends to attract new players and veteran players for leveling up, and newer players, who haven't yet absorbed PSO2's quiet culture (if they ever will), tend to be less socially reserved. So I think Block 7 naturally became the new home for Block 1/20.

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Originally Posted by Loveless62

If you look at the block list, Block 7 is designated as the first block for people who want to do Super Hard quests.

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They changed this with EP6, or the first update with UH difficulty implemented; B-005 is the first SH block now. But people stayed in B-007 because it was the "default" SH block throughout the entirety of EP5 (or since the Switch version was implemented, which was the previous point that Sega did a rearrangement of blocks).

If I have to take a guess, B-013 will become the "next" social block, since it's the first UH block.

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Originally Posted by Dark Mits

They changed this with EP6, or the first update with UH difficulty implemented; B-005 is the first SH block now. But people stayed in B-007 because it was the "default" SH block throughout the entirety of EP5 (or since the Switch version was implemented, which was the previous point that Sega did a rearrangement of blocks).

If I have to take a guess, B-013 will become the "next" social block, since it's the first UH block.

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I haven't been to the SH blocks in a while (except when I have been automatically dumped there), so I didn't notice changes to their layout.

I don't see that happening to Block 13. Some social activity happens in Block 13, but people there mostly focus on quests. It's been that way for a long time for the first block of the highest difficulty.

In B13 players mostly doing their business and to busy for a social things
Or play a statue with theirs best LA, equipment and costume on while AFking.

I've been alone from the start and stayed like that for all this time since Dec 2014 when I start playing till now I don't have any friends or join a team either.
But If you really like the game it doesn't matter at all. Sadly solo players can't parcipate in Team related campagns (I hate SEGA for holding them) and can't have Team buffs which make good power up (It's a really unfair thing), but for other things like Party Practice Training you always can go to B7 and ask people there.

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Originally Posted by Zulastar

In B13 players mostly doing their business and to busy for a social things
Or play a statue with theirs best LA, equipment and costume on while AFking.

I've been alone from the start and stayed like that for all this time since Dec 2014 when I start playing till now I don't have any friends or join a team either.
But If you really like the game it doesn't matter at all. Sadly solo players can't parcipate in Team related campagns (I hate SEGA for holding them), but for other things like Party Practice Training you always can go to B7 and ask people there.

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i was in that situation by the half or end of EP3 (when kuron was release) becuase my friends got interested in other games which i played btw but they didnt got interested in PSO2 and during EP4 i didnt even tried to convince them to come back , then EP5 came and because of how the BQ allow players to be together no matter the level differences , there was when i was insisting until they agree XD

Solo players usually just make their own team. And just add the main account and their alts.

Not only that, but there definitely exist teams that do not care about "team mpas". You can be in a Team and play entirely solo.

Hell my team is basically a bunch of solo players. We barely do anything together and the stuff we do is usually a trigger that someone doesn't want to solo or whatnot. We talk and have our own discord that's active, but do our own things for the most part and I kinda like it that way. Definitely players in Teams that play solo.

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Originally Posted by UniverseLover

Hell my team is basically a bunch of solo players. We barely do anything together and the stuff we do is usually a trigger that someone doesn't want to solo or whatnot. We talk and have our own discord that's active, but do our own things for the most part and I kinda like it that way. Definitely players in Teams that play solo.

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I suppose this is one of the reasons the Group Chat was implemented. Many players have been in the game for a long time, changing teams during that period and making friends in the process. So, Group Chat would allow them to reconnect with those friends and do things together again ... Or at least I think that was the idea. In practice, I have seen that Group Chat is used more as a second Team Chat, or is not used at all and Discord takes its place.

Group chat is also a great feature for teams to collaborate together on things, as well as a way to sort of merge team rosters without having to actually merge teams.