Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis previews show what new features to expect

With Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis slated for 2021, we still have a ways to go, but Sega doesn’t mind sharing previews of what’s to come. The revisions to its MMO will be significant in bringing the game into the modern age. The changes will assuredly also bring plenty of future enjoyment to fans. Sega’s hour long livestream during the Tokyo Game Show focused on the open-world map, the three new player classes, RPG elements, and more. There’s a lot of stuff in the full video, but we’ve collected the highlights for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis.

Starting with the open world aspects, we’re pleased to see that the segmentation is indeed gone from most of the experience. There will still be battle and exploration zones, but we will generally be able to roam in an unhindered experience and enjoy the game’s beautiful engine from more angles and perspectives. Along with the map changes, there will also be new ways to navigate it. You can dash or glide to save some time and of course, look cool.

Choose your class

The other major feature worth mentioning from the preview for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis was the introduction of the new player classes. You will be able to choose from the Ranger, Force, and Hunter classes at launch. Each class deals damage in a unique way with special abilities to boot. The Hunter is great for getting up close and personal with high damage melee attacks, but it also comes with high risk in many cases. Therefore, you can opt to choose the Force class if you like to sit back and throw ranged attacks while having access to an array of abilities. The Ranger looks especially dynamic though, as it supports high mobility and impressive ranged damage. We will have to see how these all balance out, but we’re excited to say the least.

If you’re looking to get into Phantasy Star Online 2, now is still a great time. It recently launched on Steam and clearly still enjoys a massive population of players. There’s new content via Episode 4 to enjoy too, and a host of Valve crossover items you can use. Once New Genesis launches, the game will move over to that platform. Sega still has yet to provide all the details on how that will work.