Returned to PSO2... and WTF?!?!

[Tunga]

Its not because WB but those FREEBIES.

The best thing about this is that all that noob junk sega gives us will help greatly on SH eqs. Also maybe you don't know this, but you can use some 13*s before you even reach hard...

[Zyrusticae]

Fast-tracking through early content is standard fare for MMO-type games nowadays. Compare, for example, WoW now to what it was back at launch. Same thing with Blade & Soul, Aion, FFXIV, or any other game you can think of that's relatively modern. Power creep is also a standard feature of modern gaming. Just something you have to learn to accept if you want to play these types of games.

It's slightly more visible in PSO2 because they actively phase out lower difficulty levels (to the point where you blow through normal and hard difficulty in a matter of hours as a new player), but when it comes right down to it, it's no different from other games making you skip lower levels with free XP and loot through questing and the like. They want all the players to catch up quickly so they can join the more populated difficulty levels and zones. A fractured player base is an unhealthy player base. Same reason they've kept up with the emergency quest system, despite lots of quibbling from players who want to be able to play them whenever they want (to which they added triggers to quell those complaints while making money at the same time).

I'd say the real issue is the lack of optional high difficulty options that don't involve you self-gimping yourself or hard restrictions (see challenge mode). Solo XQ is about the best we've got in that regard. That being said, I dont miss taking fifteen minutes to down a single boss solo. Again, you can just gimp yourself if you want to experience that. I don't find it entertaining at all. I'm fine with being able to blow them up in seconds outside of XH EQs. Many players feel the same way, hence why the difficulty curve is stuck in this direction. This is just the way things are now.

In short, deal with it. This is the new normal. Even PSO3, whenever it comes, is likely to give us more of the same, just slightly more refined.

[Zysets]

It's important to realize that the difficulty will always be in whatever is the new content that the community focuses on, they throw all the help at you when you start so you can actually play the relevant content that everyone else is playing sooner, instead of being stuck playing the areas no one else does anymore.

It's obvious that you haven't even touched any of the grind filled content everyone does these days, like Collection Files, getting the items to trade in for your first Austere weapon, getting your best possible weapon/unit affixes, etc.

There's honestly much more to the game than just what you get before you even hit Lv 60.

Good thing you mentioned those skill rings. I had a few questions regarding them:

They give you skills of other classes right? Any restrictions besides the casino coins needed to buy them? Can you buy them with meseta from player shops? Leveling them up does what?

You don't get skill rings from the casino, that's way off. You have to mine for materials in free fields to make them, which is all RNG. Restrictions are listed for each ring in their description, usually you just can't wear one if you're already the relevant class, and you can only have one left hand ring and one right hand ring.

No, you can't buy them from others. You can't even buy the materials to make them from others.

Grinding them, which costs meseta and more materials, either adds points to your overall stats, or increases the effectiveness of the skill, like adding more skill points to a class skill.

[Meteor Weapon]

If you think SH Forest and Caves are end game stuff that you can pulverise through with just WB, a single powerful lv1 PA which takes a long time to prepare and charge along with crappy ungrinded weapons...Vol Dragon could easily whoop your ass in a single hit.

[Dammy]

First off... STILL NO PSO2 USA version?

stopped reading there

[IchijinKali]

stopped reading there

I stopped reading after seeing the excessive use of WTF and CAPITAL LETTERS. As if the guy has never played an MMO that changes over the years in his life.

[Lumir]

Fast-tracking through early content is standard fare for MMO-type games nowadays. Compare, for example, WoW now to what it was back at launch. Same thing with Blade & Soul, Aion, FFXIV, or any other game you can think of that's relatively modern. Power creep is also a standard feature of modern gaming. Just something you have to learn to accept if you want to play these types of games.

It's slightly more visible in PSO2 because they actively phase out lower difficulty levels (to the point where you blow through normal and hard difficulty in a matter of hours as a new player), but when it comes right down to it, it's no different from other games making you skip lower levels with free XP and loot through questing and the like. They want all the players to catch up quickly so they can join the more populated difficulty levels and zones. A fractured player base is an unhealthy player base. Same reason they've kept up with the emergency quest system, despite lots of quibbling from players who want to be able to play them whenever they want (to which they added triggers to quell those complaints while making money at the same time).

I'd say the real issue is the lack of optional high difficulty options that don't involve you self-gimping yourself or hard restrictions (see challenge mode). Solo XQ is about the best we've got in that regard. That being said, I dont miss taking fifteen minutes to down a single boss solo. Again, you can just gimp yourself if you want to experience that. I don't find it entertaining at all. I'm fine with being able to blow them up in seconds outside of XH EQs. Many players feel the same way, hence why the difficulty curve is stuck in this direction. This is just the way things are now.

In short, deal with it. This is the new normal. Even PSO3, whenever it comes, is likely to give us more of the same, just slightly more refined.

Cept in WoW you can insta skip to lvl 100 or whatever, and still have acess to lower level content at near original difficulty if you avoid using the new dungeon find features ect. Its nice to experience the game in its original difficulty. The only reason you see the n trend is because of the F2P with cash option games, any pay to play game does not do this, Its a money thing for sure, but we already know that.

It's important to realize that the difficulty will always be in whatever is the new content that the community focuses on, they throw all the help at you when you start so you can actually play the relevant content that everyone else is playing sooner, instead of being stuck playing the areas no one else does anymore.

It's obvious that you haven't even touched any of the grind filled content everyone does these days, like Collection Files, getting the items to trade in for your first Austere weapon, getting your best possible weapon/unit affixes, etc.

There's honestly much more to the game than just what you get before you even hit Lv 60.



You don't get skill rings from the casino, that's way off. You have to mine for materials in free fields to make them, which is all RNG. Restrictions are listed for each ring in their description, usually you just can't wear one if you're already the relevant class, and you can only have one left hand ring and one right hand ring.

No, you can't buy them from others. You can't even buy the materials to make them from others.

Grinding them, which costs meseta and more materials, either adds points to your overall stats, or increases the effectiveness of the skill, like adding more skill points to a class skill.

Having played the game from launch to level 50 or 55 i forget, I can safely say i understand the grind aspect and know what to expect at the new caps of 75. That being said I dont like the "rush" to the newest content feeling, the game is popular enough and fun enough to hold players and make them want to grind without the "i need to rush to end game to play with others feeling". PSO2 being a cash cow I can understand, though with WoW and any other pay to play MMO that was and still is successful we can see the rush to end game content is just a marketing ploy, not something players really desire. Just look at League of Legends and Dota, their endgame is ranked matches and skill tree points, they dont rush you with freebies. As for Aion it died in its first year, fun but failed. If you still dont belive me look at lineage 2 or even Ragnarok online which just recently went all freebie rush to end game because its dying after being out 20+ years.

[Altiea]

It's important to realize that the difficulty will always be in whatever is the new content that the community focuses on, they throw all the help at you when you start so you can actually play the relevant content that everyone else is playing sooner, instead of being stuck playing the areas no one else does anymore.

It's obvious that you haven't even touched any of the grind filled content everyone does these days, like Collection Files, getting the items to trade in for your first Austere weapon, getting your best possible weapon/unit affixes, etc.

There's honestly much more to the game than just what you get before you even hit Lv 60.



You don't get skill rings from the casino, that's way off. You have to mine for materials in free fields to make them, which is all RNG. Restrictions are listed for each ring in their description, usually you just can't wear one if you're already the relevant class, and you can only have one left hand ring and one right hand ring.

No, you can't buy them from others. You can't even buy the materials to make them from others.

Grinding them, which costs meseta and more materials, either adds points to your overall stats, or increases the effectiveness of the skill, like adding more skill points to a class skill.

Just wanna say, they're adding the ability to sell Skill Rings in Player Shops in October.

[Zysets]

Just wanna say, they're adding the ability to sell Skill Rings in Player Shops in October.

Really? That's a bit disappointing in some ways, but I'm not bothered by that. Well I hope I can make a good profit selling off the extra ones I've grinded out for no real reason other than to do them.

[isCasted]

The game got better. It shifted from unbalanced, slow, uncanny mess towards decent action experience akin to DMC, because that's the best suit for its unique combat system. Thanks to various convenience updates (like faster recovery times, iframes, 3-button control scheme) its player skill cap has greatly increased.

Even if game got easier as a result, there's plenty of things to do to get good, because players have much better control over their characters. If you are baffled that Vol Dragon taking 5 minutes is too fast, you are going to have your ass handed to you by future encounters, like Ultimate mobs, solo XQ, DF Loser and PD (especially on XH).