EMERGENCY CODE: GUIDE

Emergency Codes are what helps make every mission an exciting adventure since you'll never know what's going to happen. In some occasion it's mandatory to complete some missions. Most emergency codes are pretty obvious but others are not and with the new update dropping in less then 24 hours with even more emergency codes to remember. It'd be a great idea to have a post just detailing all of them.

EMERGENCY CODE: ATTACK

Objective(s)

Defeat X marked enemies.

Description

A group of monster spawn to try and deter you from completing your goal, it's generally low risk due to the monsters not physically stopping you from advancing. It's a pretty common Emergency Code that will show up in any area and even if you ignore it you'll never fail.

Objective(s)

Defeat a marked enemy

Description

A monster spawns to try and deter you from completing your goal, similar to above there's nothing really physically stopping you from moving on. The monsters that spawn are usually special enemies specific to those areas or a boss. It is not uncommon for a boss to spawn and not be considered a duel.

Objective(s)

Defeat a/X marked enemies while defending ARK member.

Description

Monsters will spawn and you can see a cut-in of a ARKs member on route to help you defeat them, thought it seems to be backwards since you're the one that needs to protect him. Unlike the other two objectives you will fail if you do not protect the ARKs member. Or if you're lucky he'll complete it himself/herself but knowing these AIs.

Objective(s)

Protect the ARK ship from enemies while it repairs.

Description
You will get a warning that a ship is landing(crashing) at an area and you must protect it while it tries to launch again. There's a meter in the middle that builds up slowly as long as there's no enemies near it, if the enemies hit the meter will deplete. You will fail if the meter hits 0 or it takes too long to repair.

Screenshots

Objective(s)
Protect the X crystals from enemies for a period of time.

Description

This one's a bit funky on completing, it's simple enough to just split up and protect all the crystals but sometimes what seems to be successful will still fail. Sometimes I would see enemies go near or even hit the crystal and it'll be completely fine, and other times a single enemy won't even go near but you'll still fail. Have to do more research but it seems to simply just be buggy.

Objective(s)

Protect the ARK member from the enemies

Description

Almost a carbon copy of one of the attack code, you'll see a cut-in of the ark-member and you have to protect him for a set amount of time so he can escape.

EMERGENCY CODE: DUEL

Objective(s)

Defeat the special/Boss enemy

Description

An enemy specific to the area or a boss will spawn that you need to defeat. The boss is usually from the same area you're in but it's possible for other area bosses to show up, sometimes Dark Ragne will even show up.

EMERGENCY CODE: DESTRUCTION

Objective(s)

A strange Darker has appeared, destroy it before it explodes.

Description

This one should take priority if there is multiple codes in action. A large darker sphere will spawn(marked on the map) and you must defeat it before it explodes. If you fail to stop it before it explodes the entire world will be enveloped in a devilish red tint and your life will start draining over-time.

NOT CONFIRMED: if you do fail you can telepipe out and telepipe back in and you won't have lose life anymore.

Screenshots

Stage 1: The sphere is harmless and cannot hurt you, it can however push you back and deal a decent amount of damage when evolving to stage 2.

Stage 2: The sphere doubles in size and grows giant tentacles that will occasionally hit and grapple players.

Stage 4: The final stage before the sphere explodes. *Unconfirmed: as long as you keep hitting the sphere with constant damage it will not explode.

Objective(s)

Collect the X items scattered across the map to unlock the door blocking your way.

Description:

This is a real nuisance sometimes on timed missions. X amount of items will appear on the map and you need to collect them by pressing the action button and return to the door to unlock once you have enough. Anybody can pick up the item and likewise anybody can unlock the door as long as the multi-party picked up enough items to unlock the door. It will show up on the side under the objective if you have enough.

Sometimes there will be left-over keys, they don't need to be collected nor do they count to a bonus. Sometimes there's not enough keys, that means an enemy is hiding it, find the marked enemy to retrieve it.

Objective(s)

Collect the X item from Drill

Description

This one tends to confuse people and the reason I started this. You have to find drills marked on your map, once you find a drill you need to spam the action button when the drill is active. You can tell when the drill is active when it has a light blue circle around it. If you press the action button when there is no aura the meter will decrease so be weary about it.

Another thing to note is often the amount of drills you need to complete is less then the amount that spawns so don't freak out when you see 7, just check the objective to see how many you truly need.

Screenshots

The faint blue circle that appears when you can activate it.

Objective(s)

Collect the X items scattered around and deposit it into telepipe.

Description

Very similar to the first objective however you have to deposit it at a location, the location should show up on the map and look like a telepipe. The person who picks up an item has to personally go and deposit that item, the items that need to be collected do not show up on the map but will be marked when you see them.

Objective(s)

Avoid the marked enemy for a set amount of time.

Description

Simply run away from any marked enemies, they're very fast and can catch up really quickly. However are very sloppy and will miss very often, even if they hit you it most likely won't be enough to kill you. Do be careful if someone else is being chased, it can change it's target with no sign and might kill you without you knowing what happened.

EMERGENCY CODE: RESCUE

Objective(s)

Your ally has been captured, destroy the cage and rescue him.

Description

A strange vortex will appear and begin to chase players, if a player is caught this emergency code begins. If your ally gets captured you need to go to the marked point of the map and destroy the cage by attacking it.

If you are the captured player you will be teleported to a random place on the map and all enemies near by will be aggresive as well as spawn more. You can destroy it from the inside and by yourself but it's going to take a long time.

Warning if a boss is in the area and you get captured they might go towards you, if Dark Ragne is in the area he will teleport to you and continue to attack you.

Description

It's a special type of emergency code that modifies the code that's already in progress with another emergency code. If you're in a EMERGENCY CODE: ATTACK the last enemy won't spawn instead you would get a CHANGEOVER: DUEL and a boss would spawn. This is not a new emergency code but simply a modification of the original one, so it will count only as one code being complete.

PSE Bur-Oh what is that

PSE Burst is one of the many mechanics of the game, I'm not entirely clear on how exactly PSE Burst works but it amounts to leveling up one of the 5 PSE and if you reach lvl.9 you get a PSE BURST which grants you either bonus experience, bonus meseta, or even bonus loot. It's a wonderful system and you can usually catch parties of 12 trying to exploit this in the city for huge experience and item drops.

However sometimes you just don't achieve PSE bursts by planning and preparing, maybe you're just lucky to be running through a mission, or unlucky.

Sorry to BURST your bubble but you don't have time to be fighting mobs, heh, see what I did there?

To make matters worse there was nobody there to help us, it was just the two of us later accompanied by a stray ranger. To add insult to injury we managed to get a ONE MORE!

Short post, just a silly thing happened in the world of PSO, while I write up the latest guide(how-to for every EMERGENCY: CODE). Post in the comments the most ridiculous place you managed to get a PSE Burst.

The Mag Simulator is out

The Mag Simulator is out! (just in time for me to be cautious about where I put points in) and the best part is it's in English. http://file.pso2pso2.syoyu.net/pso2maguEnglish (Ver. 2.0.5)

The simulator really brings back memories of the original mag simulator, all we need now is a mag timer. The actual simulator is very simplistic and barebones but has everything you would need to know about your mag.

• Allows you to level up your mag level by level so you can see exactly how it's affecting your mag.
• The name and type of stat it's dis-positioned with as well as what Photon Blast you get.
• It shows what Trigger Action your mag gains, thought it doesn't seem to show it's auto action.

Of course there could use some improvements such as the obvious AA. Also a way for it to tell you the exact level you get a new trigger action would be nice even if it is pretty self explanatory, and I wish the hyperlink it produced was smaller and neater. With this out I can officially plan for Joruno's mag which I name Gold Experience. What an original name and clearly not another reference to JoJo.

Pretty simple mag right now

If I want to wield the strongest Sword currently out the Ardillo(アーディロウ) I need 458 S.ATK and the strongest Wired Lance Jagriath(ジャグリアス) is also 458 so that's convenient. At the current max level I should have roughly 374 S.ATK as a Male Human. That means I need 74 S.ATK on my mag(I'm getting +10 S.ATK from the passive skill on the skill tree). However I really want Leo which is why I've been going the ability route so it should end up like this.


Lvl.30
Ability: 30

Lvl.95
S.ATK: 47
Ability: 48

Ability has to be higher then all stats combined until you reach level 95. Then at level 100 if S.ATK is higher then Ability it will level into Leo.

Level.100
S.ATK: 52
Ability: 48

Level.122
S.ATK: 74 (goal)
Ability: 48

Not sure where I'm gonna go from there, the Mines are coming out tomorrow and there might be a better weapon coming out or maybe a weapon using the ability stat much like Hyperion(ハイペリオン) or maybe I'll just put the rest into S.DEF so I can wear some pretty good gear. Gear doesn't seem to be as important since there really isn't many AMAZING gear. I would however be able to equip Last Survivor if I did go the S.DEF route.

POSSIBLE BUILD taking that into consideration
Build #1
Level.144 - Leo
S.ATK: 74
Ability: 48
S.DEF: 22

TA.
1.Support / HP Recovery A
2. Support / (Heal) Status Effect A
3.Support / Increase Stats E
4.none

That's my idea, what are your builds? Post it in the comments, curious how everyone is building their mags.

NPCs need to get their shit straight

AI controlled allies has always been a funky thing to mess with. From a game-design perspective you do not want the computer AI to outshine the player and complete stuff for them, nor do you want them to be potato bag that does nothing. A large portion of maybe 30 years have been dedicated to finding that perfect balance and trying to make them someone you'd feel compassion over and a suitable ally but not something that can literally win the game for you. This is especially true in an MMO since you want your players to choose to interact with a human over the computer counter-part.

I'm bringing this up because the AIs in Phantasy Star are beyond atrocious, most of the cast are literally unplayable (mainly the rangers) and don't seem to upgrade their gear as you level up. This becomes incredibly obvious when you have Afin on your team and he hits for 2-6 damage max when you're hitting 100-500 damage and I'm only level 16 and I imagine this will get worse as time goes on. The other issue is they just seem to be complete douchebags in programming who won't do much unless they feel like it and just have a habit of running off and running back when it's convenient or doing things the classes shouldn't do. Like Maloo stops being adorable when she runs in to start hitting the enemy when she clearly has a full PP bar or will stare at me blankly when I am burning to death and won't heal until she gets a tiny scrape and only if I'm out of healing range. Or just (here we go again) Afin who just doesn't do anything.

Afin thank the lord you're here, I've been trying to hack into this mainframe and I need you to distract the enemies so they don't kill me while I finish. 

Afin? I thought you were getting my back I almost died, where are y-

Afin what are you doing... "lol just chilling."

Like how am I supposed to deal with that, I guess it's understandable they weren't the most intelligent after all this is an MMO, you're not supposed to just play with AI you should be building parties with players. My biggest issue is that there are missions that goes against this whole mindset and forces this AI partners on you, there are missions where you are forced to only have that one AI in your party and no one else. Even worse there are EMERGENCY: CODES that require you to protect an AI who is more then willing to 10/10 nose-dive into burning lava. I have yet to venture through many story related missions but I'm pretty sure AI is going to show up sooner or later and if the old quests from PSO are any indicator then I'm expecting a nightmare of a time.

For the most part this was just a rant that came up trying to deal with Afin's garbage in the 遺棄された惑星 quest. I really think the AI needs a complete overhaul, I don't want them to be good but at least competent.

First Look at Mines

Cross-posting from http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-jp-july-18th-update-with-mines/

Planet Lillipa expands with another area called the Subterranean Tunnels! Below the desert exists a facility that the previous civilization left behind.  Eerie sounds of machines still resonate deep within this mining facility. All Arks members who are level 33 and up can get clearance to explore this new area.

But your trip through this area won’t be easy, you’ll have to fight Darkers and brand new types of Mechs you haven’t seen before on the planet’s surface.

This update plans to add new quests, interrupt events and client orders.

Now this is something I'm excited for even despite not being level 33 yet. Still need to complete the level cap mission. Mines used to be my favorite area in Episode 1 and it's good to see some returning faces in PSO2.

Can't jack my style

the successor to the Sinow Beat and Sinow Gold unit. Looks like they got a few upgrades by the gundam department. Looks like he even kept the annoying habit of cloning itself. However the best news is the new boss.

If the video is any indicator this is looking to be a really fun boss fight. All those bullets, missiles, and lasers. Honestly this might look more appropriate

Real in-game footage.

sadly the human males seems to be neglected in costumes this update so that has me a bit disappointed, still going to save up my FUN points to try and Yukata Wear(ユカタヴィア) of course. A short blog post, not much to talk about that isn't already said in the news post. Expect more when the actual mines drop on Tuesday.

About Bumped and what exactly I'm trying to accomplish

I decided it would be important to make a second post about this. Bumped already has a guide for pretty much anything you would need to know (including how to register which I touched on in my last post) so what does this mean about this blog? Quite a bit, it frees up a lot of things I need to write about, but it also means I have to be careful of what I write about. There's no reason to regurgitate what can be found on Bumped.org and I am pretty sure whatever I write would be inferior to Ricardo's. However the core idea of bumped.org is dedicated to the latest updates and tutorials on system updates. Pretty much to help people like myself that don't have a great(or any) understanding of the Japanese language be able to play it without much issues.

However that's where the blog stops, all of his content is impartial and just facts, a perfect website for people trying to play PSO2. My website will do the complete opposite

• I am still going to update whenever there's brand new updates/content and I will usually cross-post to bumped.org. Mainly the post will consist of my own opinion on the update and what it means for us.
• I will also post guides on how to build characters, stats, mags, and opinions on what is better or worse.
• A personal post about my own character and his journey through the story and the world.

I know this post doesn't seem to cover much or really need to say anything but I just felt it was needed, it's also a gateway to my next question. What would you personally like to see that's not on Bumped.org or would like to be clarified?

Look forward to my next post which would be about FUN scratch cards and my opinions on the Mine update on Tuesday.
 

How to register for the Japanese localization of Phantasy Star Online 2. [WARNING PICTURE HEAVY]

Before I go into the guide, just a few precautions and frequently asked questions about signing up for the PSO2.

1. Is this Legal? Of course it is, there is nothing in Sega's localization about foreigners not being allowed to sign-up and play, likewise this means you don't need a Japanese IP to play. The english localization was announced so it is possible this could change once the English version comes out but I highly doubt it due to SEGA's past record regarding foreigners.
2. When the English version comes out can I transfer my character? This seems to be a really common question amongst people playing the Japanese version of any game. There's no answer yet but it is highly unlikely if nigh impossible. It's already been announced that the American cash-shops and Japanese cash-shops will be different due to cultural-differences so I don't see how they can account for it when transferring it, and they have never done so in the past. The only example of character transferring was done by scht-hack on the original PSO private server and it wasn't affiliated by SEGA.
3. How I should I behave on the Japanese servers? This is not apparently obvious and I often see them in the lobby and it does bother a bit. You are guests onto the Japanese server and you should have some respect with other players. If possible keep all conversations within party or whisper instead of spamming English in the lobby, there's nothing wrong with talking out in the open but it's generally respectful. It is the very same as seeing foreigners play the American version and they're talking in the open in a language you don't understand, there's nothing wrong with it but you can't help but be bothered by it.
4. What ship should I join? Most of PSOWorld and similar sites are stationed on Ship 2 but it's generally full so I would recommend finding friends and coordinating what ship to go to if Ship 2 is full. Another option is Ship 6 which is where I am currently stationed at. Once you finish the guide and if you set up in Ship 6 feel free to message me and I will help you get started!

To get started go to http://pso2.jp/players/ and click on the big blue button that reads SEGA ID

SEGA ID is encased in a red box, shouldn't be too hard to find.

 You should see a bright yellow box, it is asking you to input your e-mail address. From there you should click the big blue button

Always use a real email address, they're going to send the rest of the instruction through your e-mail. the confirmation page should look like:

Don't worry it's not an error, that's how the confirmation page. It's just pretty much saying wait 10 minutes for your email to show up and check the junk mail.

Log in to your e-mail and you should see the email, it shouldn't be too hard to find, it's in Japanese.

Click on the first link and it should take you to the following page to fill out information.

It's really cool when you forget to put in random information and have to paint in information. Doesn't it look really professional.

If you scroll down you will see more things to fill out.

I opt to get e-mail from SEGA because it makes me feel SEGA personally cares about me, that's not too sad is it?

  Once you click that button it'll bring you to a page to review your information, scroll down and click the top button.

Click the only button on the page.

Once you click on it will bring you to a page showing all their services and games. However there's only one you care about, scroll down till you see "ファンタシースターオンライン2“

wait is that DIVA.net up there? Do I really want to even play PSO2 anymore?

99 Red Buttons, buttons buttons everywhere, unlimited button works, Fist of the North Buttons. I know we pressed a lot of buttons but we're almost done.

We are finally done, we can finally start playing. Now all you have to do is download the client and patch the game it should only take like 20 hours. Well dammit.

You can find out how to download the client and getting set-up from Ricardo's PSO2 guide at http://bumped.org/psublog/pso2-guide-list/

(I just found out he had a guide to register on his website. I'm going to go out of my way and say mine is better and I'm not bringing mine down, no I'm not sad I just wasted my morning doing this.)

If you have a question do not hesitate to comment/ask.

The Birth of Joruno Jobana

This is the birth of a blog so it seems appropriate to start with the birth of my character, Joruno Jobana. I used to be obsessed with the original Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast as it was the first online experience I ever had. I have put over 1000+ hours over a span of 7 years into that game dedicated to trying to find every weapon and leveling every race/class to the max level of 200(spoiler: I failed, but I did get close). 

Of course I was ecstatic over the news of a new Phantasy Star game as a successor to the original Phantasy Star Online aptly titled Phantasy Star Online 2. Using my basic knowledge of Japanese and pure determination I decided I did not have the patience to wait for a localization to happen and decided to play on the Japanese server. That determination brought forth ジョルノ・ジョバアーナ (Joruno_Jobana) my pet character named after my favorite JoJo from the hit manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Despite spending over 58 minutes in PSO2's amazing character customization I was not able to get him to look much like the JoJo. So I opted to just make him what I deem looks cool, in retrospect it seems like I should of named him Rider since he looks so much like him.

"Look at these guns! The darker's won't know what hit them. - ジョルノ・ジョバアーナ

The resemblance really is uncanny. Well that is it, I guess this introductory blog post is just simply to allude to I'm sure there's other PSO fans out there that really want to get started on PSO2 but does not understand Japanese. Then I'm here to help you, read http://6thfrontier.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-sign-up-for-japanese.html on how to register and join Ship 6 and we can go on amazing adventures.