PSO2 Alpha Test 2: Item Lab (Weapon Grinding and Abilities)

The Alpha Test 2 is over, but there are other aspects we didn't get a chance to cover. Phantasy Star Online 2 allows you to grind the strength and attributes, as well as add a special ability.

Item Lab

  • アイテム強化 Item Grinding
  • 属性強化 Attribute Grinding
  • 特殊能力追加 Add a special ability

Item Grinding

When you grind items you increase the strength of the weapons. Select the item you wish to grind and pay the meseta and grinder cost that's required. As you grind, your weapon will have a +number after their name. A grind value of 6 would make your VitaRod +6. If you fail a grind, the + value drops and you'll have to pay again to grind it back up.

Required

  • グラインダー数 Grinder Cost
  • メセタ Meseta

On the grinding screen, it will tell you the success rate which is color coded:

成功確率: Success Rate (color)

  • 確実: Assured
  • 安全: Safe
  • 注意: Caution
  • 危険: Danger

And your biggest risk: 最大リスク tells you how many grind values you will drop when you fail a grind.  In your first grind you won't have any risk so you won't drop below zero.

Grind Cost

*These values may be different depending on rarity.

  • Up to +6 : 1 grinder.
  • +7 and up: 2 Grinders

Biggest Risk (Grind Failure for Weapons)

*These values may be different depending on rarity.

  • +1 ~ 3: Grind Value will not drop
  • +3 ~  6: Grind Value may drop by -1
  • +6 ~ 9: Grind Value may drop by -2
  • +9 ~ 10 Grind Value may drop by -3

Biggest Risk (Grind Failure for Units)

*These values may be different depending on rarity.

  • +1 ~ 5: Grind Value will not drop
  • +6 ~ 8: Grind Value may drop by -1
  • ??

Attribute Grinding

Grinding attributes requires using the same weapon name, it doesn't matter what + values or element it has, as long as it is the same weapon. But in order to grind an attribute, the weapon should have an attribute anyway.

 

From the screenshot, the red box shows your 対象アイテム target item. This item will gain attributes when finished. The green box shows items of the same name that you can add to the grind. The purple box shows the 素材アイテム material items. Whatever items you selected in the green box will become the material items used for attribute grinding.

Possible Material Items

  • Weapons of the same name
  • Weapons of No Attribute
  • Weapons with different attribute from the target item.
  • Weapons with same attribute of the target item.

Each weapon you use will add a certain amount to the attribute value, those discovered so far are:

  • +1: No Attribute
  • +1: Different Attribute
  • +2: Different Attribute over 30
  • +2: Same Attribute

The highest attribute value you can grind to is 50% in alpha test 2.

Special Abilities

Special abilities lets you customize your items by adding various bonuses and parameters to them. Basically you will transfer an ability from one item to another.

The red box in the screenshot above is the target item 対象アイテム, the green box shows the list of possible items you can choose for 素材アイテム material items. The orange box shows you what ability the item has already.

This target item has 2 abilities, in our tests, items with 2 abilities needed another item with 2 or more abilities. Items with zero abilities used items with 1 or  more abilities.

Target Ability Number

  • 0 Abilities needs items with 1 or more abilities.
  • 1 Ability needs items with 1 or more abilities.
  • 2 Abilities needs items with 2 or more abilities.

Ability Description

  • The ability description box will tell you what ability is already on the weapon. It is on the third page of the item window. Some abilities will change your stats. This is displayed in the パラメーター補正 Parameter adjustment area.
  • For example Power パワー will increase striking stat by 10. Shoot シュート increase Range Stat +10, React リアクト: increases your shooting defense +10, Stun スタン increases the Stun Level, ロックベア・ソール: Rockbear Soul increases your striking by 25, HP +50, and ability stat decreases by 5.

Merging Abilities

  • If your target weapon and material weapon have the same ability, it will allow you to upgrade that ability's level.
  • For example: Power 1 パワーI (target) + Power 1 パワーI (material) = Power 2パワーII which adds 20 striking.
  • However Power 2 has an even less of a chance of transferring over.

Transfer Success Rate

  • When you transfer abilities they will each have a success rate percentage. In addition you also get an extra slot. For example, a weapon that already has 1 ability, will get 1 extra slot, which will create a weapon with 2 abilities. A weapon with 2 abilities will get an extra slot to make 3 abilities, and so on…
  • As you add abilities onto a weapon, the success rate will drop.

In the screenshot above, the target weapon has 2 abilities already, and the material weapon also has 2 abilities. Each weapon has Shoot I already attached, thus Shoot II is now selectable from the list. Though it is 80% now, it will drop as I add more abilities onto the weapon.

 [some info via nanika]

Character Stats

Character stats from the wiki. You can click on a column's heading, to sort the stats.

Phantasy Star Online 2 Billing Status

In a recent magazine interview with Famitsu Connect-on, Sakai said he plans to talk about Phantasy Star Online 2's billing procedures between the Closed and Open beta test. He did not discuss any details about what they might be, and how it would work. Please wait until the announcement is made.

PSO2 Alpha Test 2: Auto Words

Even though Alpha Test 2 is over, there's still some features left to discuss. Phantasy Star Online 2 inherited a feature from Phantasy Star Portable 2 called Autowords. These Autowords allow you to say phrases whenever certain things happen during missions.

 

In the main menu, go to Community, and select the last option, "オートワード設定" and then choose オートワード

 

The cool thing about PSO2's version of autowords is that you can say up to 3 phrases in one event, breaking up the monotony of constantly saying the same thing over and over.

 

Autoword list

There are three tabs, Event, Member, and Action. Corresponding Autowords are underneath these tabs.

Event:

  • クエスト開始時 At the start of the quest.
  • クエストクリア時 At the end of the quest.
  • Eトライアル発生 Start of the Emergency Trial
  • Eトライアル成功 Emergency Trial Completed
  • Eトライアル失敗 Emergency Trial Failure
  • PSE発生 PSE Occurs
  • PSEレベルアップ PSE Level Up
  • PSEバースト PSE Burst
  • クエストを受注した Received a Quest
  • キーを拾った Pick up a key
  • ロックを解除した: Unlocked (a gate/door)
  • 罠に引っかかった: Caught in a trap
  • 罠から救助された: Rescued from the trap
  • 罠から仲間を救助: Rescued party member from the trap.

Member

  • 自分がレベルアップ I leveled up
  • 仲間がレベルアップ Party Member Leveled up
  • 回復してもらった Healed
  • 補助してもらった Buffed

Action

  • 戦闘不能になった Incapacitated
  • 復活 Revive
  • 瀕死になった Near Death
  • 残りHPが30%未満 HP less than 30%
  • 残りHPが10%未満 HP less than 10%
  • 回復アイテム使用: Used Healing Item
  • レアアイテム取得: Got a Rare
  • 小ダメージ: Received Light Damage
  • 中ダメージ Medium Damage
  • 大ダメージ: Heavy Damage
  • アタック: Attack
  • フォトンアーツ発動 When doing Photon Arts
  • ジャストガード成功 Just Guard
  • 緊急回避時: Dodge Rolling
  • スキル発動: Doing a Skill

 

 

 

PSO2: Alpha Test 2 Status Report

We're coming down to our last Alpha Test 2 date. I had a major HD failure while playing the game, maybe I pushed it too hard with Shader settings? Anyway today's update from Sakai is a simple one.

 

Sakai came out to play for a while and participated in the "water fountain." A term meaning a clump of people  jumping together in the lobby which resembles a water fountain spouting up in the air.

 

On the first day the gamepad controls weren't implemented properly, so they had to play with the keyboard and mouse. On the 2nd and 3rd day, they fixed this issue through a patch. But for all 3 days, the servers were really congested which caused considerable lag. When there are lots of people playing at the same time, the damage numbers gets delayed, and it takes a long time to pick up items. They will have to take some counter measures in improving these server problems when the closed beta test occurs.

The good news is that 70% of those accepted participated in this test, which is about the same percentage of the previous test. Sakai was expecting 50% of the winners to play.

 

Today's porori images are about the prologue movie and story.

 

People said they didn't understand the story after watching the opening movie, which is absolutely right.  There is actually another movie coming up known as the  "prologue movie" which should let you know about this whole "world" we are playing in. It would explain the Oracle fleet, as well as introduce the three races.

 

This movie is going to have some narration as well, post-production work is starting next week. In addition, since characters from previous series do not appear in this game, all the voice actors have changed places.

 

The script is about 3 volumes.

Even though Alpha Test 1 and 2 doesn't have much of a story,  you can expect by the time PSO2 comes out, a story where your character is the main character.  Story development, you could say, is sort of like PSO, where major developments come into view through a fragmented story.

See you next time!

[via psblog]