The re-PSUPedia - User contributions [en]

Item synthesis

2007-11-19T20:38:44Z

Bizitmap:

'''Item synthesis''' is the process of creating [[items]] (such as [[weapons]], [[line shields]] and consumables) from base [[materials]] bought from [[synthesis shops]] or found during [[Missions]]. Item Synthesis is affected by success rates; the success rate of synthesizing a particular item depends on the item's type and the levels of the Partner Machinery.

''Update:'' As of mid-November 2007, SEGA has changed the success rates for synthesis, causing them to be much higher, especially if the board being used is rare. In addition, synth failures regularly result in high value materials (such as junaline) offering the player an opportunity to either use the rare material or sell it. In addition, if you use a particularly rare or odd item in a synth (such as a Bil De Vear Horn), You may get that item back intact.

[[Synthesis boards]] are placed into the [[Partner Machinery]] from the inventory and materials are gathered from storage to synthesize the items. Up to 32 synthesis boards can be inserted into your Partner Machinery at a time. If another synthesis board is inserted after the limit is reached, your PM will ask you to select an already inserted synthesis board to replace with the new one.

Consumable items have a 100% synthesis success rate and synthesize immediately. Other items have synthesis success rates that vary with the Partner Machinery's production level (raised by feeding it items) in the corresponding attribute and require time to synthesize, after which they can be retrieved from the Partner Machinery.

== Process ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|- style="background:#cccccc"
! #
! colspan=2 | Process
|- style="background:#dddddd"
| rowspan=1 | '''1'''
| align=center | After inserting the synthesis board into your Partner Machinery (done through the synthesis menu), you put into your Partner Machinery's storage the proper materials the recipe calls for. An X to the left of the item means that you don't have the proper materials in the Partner Machinery storage (you can't just have the items in your inventory, you must have those items in the storage).
|- style="background:#cccccc"
|- style="background:#dddddd"
| rowspan=1 | '''2'''
| align=center | Verify with your PM that the ingredients necessary are there. Note the success rate for your item as well as the number of uses left that recipe can generate at the bottom.
|- style="background:#cccccc"
|- style="background:#dddddd"
| rowspan=1 | '''3'''
| align=center | Wait the specified amount of time; usually 90 minutes. The stronger the item, the more time it takes. If it's a line shield, it takes even more time. Usable items and conversion boards are instant. Note that you can cancel it and get back your materials should you have to, however, if a considerable amount of time has passed, you may not be able to get back the materials used. You can check on the status of your weapons, and how much resource has been used, anything unused will be returned to you, anything used has a success rate of retrieval. The synthesis process might take several hours.
|- style="background:#cccccc"
|- style="background:#dddddd"
| rowspan=1 | '''4'''
| align=center | Finalize synthesis, and pick up your items. Picking up only applies to armors, weapons, and high level refining. This is essentially the moment of truth, time to see if your PM successfully created/refined the item or not. If you fail, you'll end up with a recovery item such as a [[Monomate]] or [[Scape Doll]], or a buff item such as an [[Agtaride]]
|- style="background:#cccccc"
|- style="background:#dddddd"
|}

== Notes ==

For Step #2, keep in mind each type of item built will follow a standard formula that never changes: general items that are catalysts (not usable, like grinders, or resource refining with the exception of high level [[ore]] refining) consist of one item, which is usually the material itself, and labeled as such (things such as "Grinder C Parts"). [[Recovery Items]] and high level ore refining consist of two types of [[ingredients]], chemicals and natural materials, and [[acids]] for usable items; lower level [[ore]] and basic [[photons]]; use more expensive photon for high level refining. Armors require three kinds of resources: photons, [[ores]], and materials (such as nanocarbon, or orta-resin). Finally, weapons require the most of anything, filling all four resource slots, consisting of ores, photons, [[metals]] and [[wood]].

* 6★, 8★, and 10-12★ ranged weapon boards have the option to use [[Kubara Wood]] to produce a [[Kubara]] weapon - an illegal copy of the original. Usually the success rate drops when you do so.

== Synthesis Times ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" border=1 cellspacing=0
|- style="background:#cccccc"
! Rarity !! Weapons !! Armors !! Kubara products
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 1★
| rowspan=3|15m || 1h || rowspan=3|45m
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 2★
| 1h30m
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 3★
| 2h
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 4★
| 45m || 2h30h || rowspan=3|1h15m
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 5★
| 1h || 3h
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 6★
| 1h15m || 3h30m
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 7★
| 3h || 5h || rowspan=3|12h
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 8★
| 6h || 8h
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 9★
| 12h || 16h
|- style="background:#dddddd"
! 10~12★
| 24h || 32h || 24h
|}

{{Gameplay}}
{{Expansion}}

Differences

2007-11-19T20:32:06Z

Bizitmap: /* Grinding */

This page documents the differences between Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Universe.

== Accounts ==
A 'Hunters' License' is now called a ''Guardians' License''. Each account can have up to four characters for Network Mode and four for [[Extra Mode]].
* JP Servers have 8 when the server merge happened before the [[AotI]] came out could this happen fore us to.. - [[User:KyTin|KyTin]] 16:26, 1 November 2007 (CDT)

== Characters ==

=== Race, Sex and Class ===
There are four races in PSU, three of them taken from PSO - [[Humans]], [[Newmans]], [[Casts]] and an all new race - [[Beasts]]. PSU also retains the three class types from PSO - [[Hunter]], [[Ranger]], and [[Force]]. Casts are capable of being Forces.

Whereas in PSO only a number of combinations of race, sex and class were legal for playable characters, this system has been done away with in PSU. All of these can be chosen independently, and [[Character Classes]] can even be switched in the first city, at the costs of [[Meseta]] fees, and independent '[[Class Levels]]' for each class, which are to be distinguished from the static [[Character Level]], and can be increased by doing well in [[Missions]]. Supposedly, classes have been designed such that the game would reach a higher level of balance than PSO did.

Also, the Beast race has been added, which has access to a special racial ability called [[Nanoblast]]. Cast characters (formerly also known as 'androids' or 'humanoids') have been augmented with the ability to use abilities akin to the ''Photon Blast/Photon Mirage'' from PSO known as [[SUV Weapons]].

Finally, '[[Expert Types]]' have been implemented, allowing the player to further focus on one of the three basic types (becoming either a Fortefighter, Fortegunner or Fortetecher), or take on some abilities of a second type (becoming either a Fighgunner, Wartecher or Guntecher), allowing for more customisation.

=== Character Customization ===
The character customization potential in PSU is a lot higher than that in PSO, though for all races but androids, the differences compared to each other are only few. Unlike in PSO, it is now also possible to add voices to one's character. For more in-depth information, please check [[Character Customization]].

== Online Locations ==

=== Ships -> Universes ===
What was known as a 'Ship' in PSO is now known as a ''Universe''. These will have numbers rather than names, and upon log-in a player will be randomly sent to one of them, in order to better distribute activity across the different universes. To be able to see the characters of people on other universes again, characters can always switch among them using special warp blocks that can be found just about anywhere. Each ''Universe'', is capable of holding 1,000 players at any one time.

=== Blocks -> Cities and Rest Points ===
The old ''Blocks'' do not exist anymore in PSU, but have been replaced by a somewhat similar system. There are a number of cities spread out over three planets (plus a space colony) that can be seen in the same way, though they are quite a bit bigger, and can contain a lot more players (if applicable, no limits known as of now). It's possible to travel (read: warp) among these cities using the transport facilities they have. It is to be noted that the term 'Block' is still used in PSU, but now refers to a part of a mission.

=== Games -> Missions ===
While in PSO it was possible to make an instanced game and then load a quest from any lobby, in PSU you will actually have to travel to the location where a certain '[[Mission]]' (the new equivalents of areas and quests) takes place. These are still instanced, but will be limited to six rather than four players at a time. It is possible to change the name, comment, password and item distribution settings of a Mission instance at any time. The latter is capable of having drops (separate for items above the 'rare threshold' of [[Star Rarity]] eight) be distributed randomly, making sure the 'get-whatever-you-can' strategy that was popular among the highly populated parts of PSO, where interpersonal trust was generally low, can be avoided. Whenever a rare item has been picked up, a message will pop up stating the details. The old difficulties (Normal, Hard, Very Hard and Ultimate) are now known as the 'Mission ranks' C, B, A and S. The level restrictions for each of these varies for each Mission.

Not all Missions will have bosses at the end, but those that do not will lead the players to certain 'rest points', areas similar to the cities but with only a vendor NPC at most. From here, new Missions would be accessible, which might have a boss. From this perspective, the system is similar to how a player had to play through the 'Cave 1' and 'Cave 2' areas before being able to play Cave 3 and battle the boss. Also nice to note is that upon log-on in PSU, it is possible to start again at the location from which the character last quit or disconnected by other means. On a sidenote, there are also options to check out the equipment and statistics of characters in the same Mission or Party.

=== NPC Shops ===
[[Shops]] can now be found in cities (and restock NPCs at rest points), rather than in games. The inventories will be different for most shops, but unlike in PSO they will carry useful and cool items, and Meseta will be more scarce. These are different from the new Player Shops that are to be introduced in PSU.

There are a number of different shops, including [[Synthesis Shops]] that sell items for [[Item Synthesis]], [[Weapons Shops]] that sell various weapons and [[Photon Arts]], and [[Armor Shops]].

== My Room ==

=== My Room itself ===
New to PSU, each character will have an instance of a special area called '[[My Room]]'. This room can be decorated by its owner, and can fulfill various other purposes. As with other instanced areas (Missions), only six players can visit them at the same time. The most notable features of the My Room are that it houses an account-based storage place (allowing for items to be transferred to alternate characters without needing other players to hold them), a player's Partner Machinery, and, if applicable, the Player Shop. The My Room can also be locked with a password to prevent unwanted players from entering it. There will be an in-game log of people that entered one's My Room, by which the My Rooms of these players can be tracked.

=== Mags -> Partner Machinery ===
[[Partner Machinery]] (or 'PM' for short) is what replaces the old Mags. They have four stats that can be increased and can evolve like mags, but are apparently limited to one per account, and cannot be equipped. Their statistics will likely be of use after they evolve sufficiently in order to be able to participate in battle, as some sort of 'sidekick NPC'. They can also be used to craft new items in a process called Item Synthesis.

=== Players Shops ===
For a one-time fee, characters will be able to get their own shops in their My Room, to resell the items they do not need. The Partner Machinery will function as an NPC vendor, so that it does not matter whether the buyer and seller are actually online at the same time. It is possible to find other players' personal shops by searching by character/shop name, description keywords or inventory items.

=== Item Synthesis ===
A character's Partner Machinery is capable of synthesizing special '[[Synthesis Boards]]' (also informally referred to as 'recipes') together with '[[Synthesis Ingredients]]' into new items. A PM's statistics are able to influence the success rate and the crafting time at which this happens for certain items, so this system might be seen as to replace the old Section IDs. For some of the craftable items the ingredients used are variable, and changing these influence the statistics of the resulting item, or even what item results from the process itself.

== Communication ==

=== Teams and Parties ===
The 'Team system' from PSO:BB, has also been done away with. Parties can exist even outside of Games/Missions though, allowing for easy communication and staying together to start new Missions.

=== Regular Chat, Party Chat and Simple Mail ===
Regular chat in PSU will appear in chat balloons (not using the same color for each player), will be limited to a similar amount of letters, and will reach all players within the same instance, as in PSO. Party Chat is sort of the same as Team Chat from PSO:BB (meaning it's like an IRC channel for the people that are in it), and Simple Mail hasn't really changed at all other than the addition of a 'reply with quote' option. It is possible to use color tags in regular chat. Obscenity filters still exist, but do not filter regular words containing obscene words ('saturday'; 'basement'; 'shoes') anymore. It is notable that when multiple players in the same instance say the exact same thing using regular chat, the chat balloons will merge into a bigger one, with a bigger font. Chat shortcuts still exist, as before. Options for 'shout' and 'think' chat bubbles have been added.

=== Guild Cards -> Partner Cards ===
'Guild Cards' are now known as ''Partner Cards''. Besides those of players, such cards of NPCs from the Story Mode (one per character, depending on character race) can be obtained, and of one's Partner Machinery as well, in order to have them participate in Missions. Unlike in PSO, whether a player is online will be shown instantly in the Partner Card overview menu. The cards can now only be sorted through numbers ranging from 1 to 5. They can be used to track a player's location and their online/offline status. A player's online status can be checked without 'searching' them, as in PSO - there is a small icon for each card that is grey if the player is offline, and white if the player is online. The card also has the information showing what universe they presently are located in, their current character name and level. It is also possible to trace this for members of the same party.

=== Lobby Animations ===
New versions of the old lobby animations are present. These can For more information, see [[Lobby Animations]].

=== Symbol Chat -> Cut-In Chat ===
Cut-In Chat replaces the old Symbol Chat. The player can choose from a number of facial emotions and angles, append some text, and have both appear in the screen at the same time. Only two of these can be displayed simultaneously, to prevent potential spamming possibilities. For more information and screenshots, check [[Cut-In Chat]] (to be added?).

=== Word Select ===
Like in the US/International version of PSO:BB, Word Select does not exist in PSU, possibly because of the decision to have the Japanese servers be separate from the Western ones.

=== Offensive Users ===
It is possible to 'silence' offensive users, or to kick or ban people (and kick summoned NPCs) from one's games. Also, all private areas (meaning Missions and My Rooms) can be locked with passwords.

== Gameplay and Miscellaneous ==
=== Controls ===
The controls are very similar to those of PSO, and will not take much time getting used to. The moving animations are smoother and faster, but the 'auto run/walk' function from PSO:BB does not exist anymore. Some ranged weapons can now be aimed/fired from first-person view though, and some also support being used while moving around. A targeting system has been implemented reminiscent to that of the The Legend of Zelda series, allowing for sidestepping (but no jumping or rolling and no backflips). New is the ability to wield two weapons at a time (some weapons use up both hands, some use the left hand, some the right), allowing for more diversity in ones attacks. PSU also supports controller vibration.

=== Special Attacks and Techniques -> Photon Arts ===
Special attacks (or 'Extra Attacks') and Techniques still exist in PSU, but they are now part of a system called [[Photon Arts]] (also known as 'PAs'). These rely on a weapon stat called '[[Photon Points]]' (PP), replacing the old Technique Points (TP). There are three sub-types, one native to each of the three main classes: [[Skills]] (Hunters), [[Bullets]] (Rangers) and [[Techniques]] (Forces). Out of these, only Techniques are exclusive to a single class. A character can only know thirty-six (36) PAs at a time. They each have an independent level, that can be increased by just using the PA in question a lot (not on thin air). PAs can be applied to weapons (they can be assigned to different pallet buttons this way), but the details regarding their usage is mostly unique for each sub-type. For more information, please consult their respective pages.

=== Challenge Mode and Battle Mode ===
Challenge Mode and Battle Mode are currently absent in PSU, but may be added later on.

=== Death Penalties ===
Originally, characters did not receive direct penalties for dying in battle, but instead, it would negatively influence one's ratings obtained at the end of a Mission, which would decide the reward (in Meseta and EXP for class levels).

This is no longer true for any version of the game. Now, if a player is killed in a mission, and revived by another player (using a moon atomizer or other item), no penalty occurs. However, if the killed player uses the option to warp back to the lobby and re-enter the mission, there WILL be a penalty.

=== Telepipes and Ryuker -> Block Warps ===
It is not possible to allow for characters to warp to just about any place anymore. Instead, Missions have been split up into a few 'Blocks', at the start of each of which there is a [[Warp Crystal]] to the other ones the party has already reached.

=== Soloing ===
Though characters are restricted to the limits of a single class until they can use Expert Classes, there are still plenty of options to play Missions solo. Players can call in the help of an NPC from Story Mode that has the same class as themselves, as well as of their Partner Machinery (if it is battle-usable yet). Besides that, the stacking limit for some important healing items has been increased (x20 for the old Mates -- Fluids have been replaced), and the game has items that can increase one's stats (similarly to Shifta and Deband from PSO, which also still exist).

=== Stats ===
The old Luck (LCK) stat has been replaced by a new stat called [[Endurance]](?) ([[END]]?). Whereas Luck determined the critical hit rate in PSO, Endurance seems to influence the PP generation rate in PSU. There is also a new stat similar to the old DFP that determines 'magical defense'. The old resistances have been replaced with the [[Shield Line System]].

There is however a new [[Luck]] system, which is completely separate from your stats. This system will allow randomly select players daily to be given special bonus effects. Those effected by [[Luck]] will have a shining star next to their name and numerous bonuses will occur, ranging from more successful grinding to a higher rare drop rate.

=== New Item Types ===
PSU has a number of new sub-types of [[Items]], and of [[Weapons]] specifically, while some old ones have been removed. Please consult their respective pages for more information.

=== Grinding ===
The grinding system has been altered, and is now useful even for Force Weapons. The maximum grind value is now +10 for all items, but each step up will significantly increase its attacking power (a similar magical stat for Force Weapons), as well as its [[PP]]. On the down-side, Grinders are now harder to come by, and attempting to grind an item might break it, rendering it useless. For more information, see [[Grinding]].

This information is no longer true for the lastest patch to the game. Now, if a weapon grind fails, the weapon's grind count and stats reset to their original values, and the max grind level drops. For example, if you have a saber that's been successfully ground 4 times, and you fail the fifth, the weapon's grind count returns to 0, the stats return to what they were originally, and the weapon can now only be ground to +9. The weapon is not broken.

=== Offline Modes ===
There are two modes accessible offline. On one hand there is the [[Story Mode]], featuring Ethan Waber, which is supposed to offer about 50 hours of gameplay. On the other hand, there is [[Extra Mode]], which is mainly different from the former in that it allows players to use their own characters instead (though these are separate from those from the online [[Network Mode]]). In short, Extra Mode is mainly aimed at console players that do not have online access.

=== Vehicles ===
A number of vehicles can be used both online and offline in certain places, including tanks and ridable dinosaurs. For more information, see [[Vehicles]].

=== Content Updates ===
Completely unlike PSO, PSU will supposedly even get new content additions regularly. It has been hinted that there will be an automatic delay on content updates based on the release date for JP PSU compared to US. For example, if, two months after the release of JP PSU, a new quest is released, it will be released two months after the release of US PSU on that version.

=== Monsters ===
Monsters have a somewhat better AI in PSU than they had before, as some monsters will side step or fade back when near you, resulting in your character most likely missing his/her melee combo. There are also special 'leader' versions of monsters (that have the same name as their regular counterparts), that can support and lead their subordinates. Rare enemies also make an appearance (which now include Rag Rappies). PSU features nine bosses, whose battles are more epic than before, featuring huge arenas. Bosses generally have weak points, and have the ability to strengthen themselves. All monsters have one element associated with them, replacing the old attributes (Native, A. Beast, Machine, Dark). These can be used to find out what they might be weak to. There are six elements, with Fire, Ice, Lightning, Light and Dark returning from PSO and a new element - Ground.

{{General Info}}

Differences

2007-11-19T20:28:31Z

Bizitmap: /* Death Penalties */

This page documents the differences between Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Universe.

== Accounts ==
A 'Hunters' License' is now called a ''Guardians' License''. Each account can have up to four characters for Network Mode and four for [[Extra Mode]].
* JP Servers have 8 when the server merge happened before the [[AotI]] came out could this happen fore us to.. - [[User:KyTin|KyTin]] 16:26, 1 November 2007 (CDT)

== Characters ==

=== Race, Sex and Class ===
There are four races in PSU, three of them taken from PSO - [[Humans]], [[Newmans]], [[Casts]] and an all new race - [[Beasts]]. PSU also retains the three class types from PSO - [[Hunter]], [[Ranger]], and [[Force]]. Casts are capable of being Forces.

Whereas in PSO only a number of combinations of race, sex and class were legal for playable characters, this system has been done away with in PSU. All of these can be chosen independently, and [[Character Classes]] can even be switched in the first city, at the costs of [[Meseta]] fees, and independent '[[Class Levels]]' for each class, which are to be distinguished from the static [[Character Level]], and can be increased by doing well in [[Missions]]. Supposedly, classes have been designed such that the game would reach a higher level of balance than PSO did.

Also, the Beast race has been added, which has access to a special racial ability called [[Nanoblast]]. Cast characters (formerly also known as 'androids' or 'humanoids') have been augmented with the ability to use abilities akin to the ''Photon Blast/Photon Mirage'' from PSO known as [[SUV Weapons]].

Finally, '[[Expert Types]]' have been implemented, allowing the player to further focus on one of the three basic types (becoming either a Fortefighter, Fortegunner or Fortetecher), or take on some abilities of a second type (becoming either a Fighgunner, Wartecher or Guntecher), allowing for more customisation.

=== Character Customization ===
The character customization potential in PSU is a lot higher than that in PSO, though for all races but androids, the differences compared to each other are only few. Unlike in PSO, it is now also possible to add voices to one's character. For more in-depth information, please check [[Character Customization]].

== Online Locations ==

=== Ships -> Universes ===
What was known as a 'Ship' in PSO is now known as a ''Universe''. These will have numbers rather than names, and upon log-in a player will be randomly sent to one of them, in order to better distribute activity across the different universes. To be able to see the characters of people on other universes again, characters can always switch among them using special warp blocks that can be found just about anywhere. Each ''Universe'', is capable of holding 1,000 players at any one time.

=== Blocks -> Cities and Rest Points ===
The old ''Blocks'' do not exist anymore in PSU, but have been replaced by a somewhat similar system. There are a number of cities spread out over three planets (plus a space colony) that can be seen in the same way, though they are quite a bit bigger, and can contain a lot more players (if applicable, no limits known as of now). It's possible to travel (read: warp) among these cities using the transport facilities they have. It is to be noted that the term 'Block' is still used in PSU, but now refers to a part of a mission.

=== Games -> Missions ===
While in PSO it was possible to make an instanced game and then load a quest from any lobby, in PSU you will actually have to travel to the location where a certain '[[Mission]]' (the new equivalents of areas and quests) takes place. These are still instanced, but will be limited to six rather than four players at a time. It is possible to change the name, comment, password and item distribution settings of a Mission instance at any time. The latter is capable of having drops (separate for items above the 'rare threshold' of [[Star Rarity]] eight) be distributed randomly, making sure the 'get-whatever-you-can' strategy that was popular among the highly populated parts of PSO, where interpersonal trust was generally low, can be avoided. Whenever a rare item has been picked up, a message will pop up stating the details. The old difficulties (Normal, Hard, Very Hard and Ultimate) are now known as the 'Mission ranks' C, B, A and S. The level restrictions for each of these varies for each Mission.

Not all Missions will have bosses at the end, but those that do not will lead the players to certain 'rest points', areas similar to the cities but with only a vendor NPC at most. From here, new Missions would be accessible, which might have a boss. From this perspective, the system is similar to how a player had to play through the 'Cave 1' and 'Cave 2' areas before being able to play Cave 3 and battle the boss. Also nice to note is that upon log-on in PSU, it is possible to start again at the location from which the character last quit or disconnected by other means. On a sidenote, there are also options to check out the equipment and statistics of characters in the same Mission or Party.

=== NPC Shops ===
[[Shops]] can now be found in cities (and restock NPCs at rest points), rather than in games. The inventories will be different for most shops, but unlike in PSO they will carry useful and cool items, and Meseta will be more scarce. These are different from the new Player Shops that are to be introduced in PSU.

There are a number of different shops, including [[Synthesis Shops]] that sell items for [[Item Synthesis]], [[Weapons Shops]] that sell various weapons and [[Photon Arts]], and [[Armor Shops]].

== My Room ==

=== My Room itself ===
New to PSU, each character will have an instance of a special area called '[[My Room]]'. This room can be decorated by its owner, and can fulfill various other purposes. As with other instanced areas (Missions), only six players can visit them at the same time. The most notable features of the My Room are that it houses an account-based storage place (allowing for items to be transferred to alternate characters without needing other players to hold them), a player's Partner Machinery, and, if applicable, the Player Shop. The My Room can also be locked with a password to prevent unwanted players from entering it. There will be an in-game log of people that entered one's My Room, by which the My Rooms of these players can be tracked.

=== Mags -> Partner Machinery ===
[[Partner Machinery]] (or 'PM' for short) is what replaces the old Mags. They have four stats that can be increased and can evolve like mags, but are apparently limited to one per account, and cannot be equipped. Their statistics will likely be of use after they evolve sufficiently in order to be able to participate in battle, as some sort of 'sidekick NPC'. They can also be used to craft new items in a process called Item Synthesis.

=== Players Shops ===
For a one-time fee, characters will be able to get their own shops in their My Room, to resell the items they do not need. The Partner Machinery will function as an NPC vendor, so that it does not matter whether the buyer and seller are actually online at the same time. It is possible to find other players' personal shops by searching by character/shop name, description keywords or inventory items.

=== Item Synthesis ===
A character's Partner Machinery is capable of synthesizing special '[[Synthesis Boards]]' (also informally referred to as 'recipes') together with '[[Synthesis Ingredients]]' into new items. A PM's statistics are able to influence the success rate and the crafting time at which this happens for certain items, so this system might be seen as to replace the old Section IDs. For some of the craftable items the ingredients used are variable, and changing these influence the statistics of the resulting item, or even what item results from the process itself.

== Communication ==

=== Teams and Parties ===
The 'Team system' from PSO:BB, has also been done away with. Parties can exist even outside of Games/Missions though, allowing for easy communication and staying together to start new Missions.

=== Regular Chat, Party Chat and Simple Mail ===
Regular chat in PSU will appear in chat balloons (not using the same color for each player), will be limited to a similar amount of letters, and will reach all players within the same instance, as in PSO. Party Chat is sort of the same as Team Chat from PSO:BB (meaning it's like an IRC channel for the people that are in it), and Simple Mail hasn't really changed at all other than the addition of a 'reply with quote' option. It is possible to use color tags in regular chat. Obscenity filters still exist, but do not filter regular words containing obscene words ('saturday'; 'basement'; 'shoes') anymore. It is notable that when multiple players in the same instance say the exact same thing using regular chat, the chat balloons will merge into a bigger one, with a bigger font. Chat shortcuts still exist, as before. Options for 'shout' and 'think' chat bubbles have been added.

=== Guild Cards -> Partner Cards ===
'Guild Cards' are now known as ''Partner Cards''. Besides those of players, such cards of NPCs from the Story Mode (one per character, depending on character race) can be obtained, and of one's Partner Machinery as well, in order to have them participate in Missions. Unlike in PSO, whether a player is online will be shown instantly in the Partner Card overview menu. The cards can now only be sorted through numbers ranging from 1 to 5. They can be used to track a player's location and their online/offline status. A player's online status can be checked without 'searching' them, as in PSO - there is a small icon for each card that is grey if the player is offline, and white if the player is online. The card also has the information showing what universe they presently are located in, their current character name and level. It is also possible to trace this for members of the same party.

=== Lobby Animations ===
New versions of the old lobby animations are present. These can For more information, see [[Lobby Animations]].

=== Symbol Chat -> Cut-In Chat ===
Cut-In Chat replaces the old Symbol Chat. The player can choose from a number of facial emotions and angles, append some text, and have both appear in the screen at the same time. Only two of these can be displayed simultaneously, to prevent potential spamming possibilities. For more information and screenshots, check [[Cut-In Chat]] (to be added?).

=== Word Select ===
Like in the US/International version of PSO:BB, Word Select does not exist in PSU, possibly because of the decision to have the Japanese servers be separate from the Western ones.

=== Offensive Users ===
It is possible to 'silence' offensive users, or to kick or ban people (and kick summoned NPCs) from one's games. Also, all private areas (meaning Missions and My Rooms) can be locked with passwords.

== Gameplay and Miscellaneous ==
=== Controls ===
The controls are very similar to those of PSO, and will not take much time getting used to. The moving animations are smoother and faster, but the 'auto run/walk' function from PSO:BB does not exist anymore. Some ranged weapons can now be aimed/fired from first-person view though, and some also support being used while moving around. A targeting system has been implemented reminiscent to that of the The Legend of Zelda series, allowing for sidestepping (but no jumping or rolling and no backflips). New is the ability to wield two weapons at a time (some weapons use up both hands, some use the left hand, some the right), allowing for more diversity in ones attacks. PSU also supports controller vibration.

=== Special Attacks and Techniques -> Photon Arts ===
Special attacks (or 'Extra Attacks') and Techniques still exist in PSU, but they are now part of a system called [[Photon Arts]] (also known as 'PAs'). These rely on a weapon stat called '[[Photon Points]]' (PP), replacing the old Technique Points (TP). There are three sub-types, one native to each of the three main classes: [[Skills]] (Hunters), [[Bullets]] (Rangers) and [[Techniques]] (Forces). Out of these, only Techniques are exclusive to a single class. A character can only know thirty-six (36) PAs at a time. They each have an independent level, that can be increased by just using the PA in question a lot (not on thin air). PAs can be applied to weapons (they can be assigned to different pallet buttons this way), but the details regarding their usage is mostly unique for each sub-type. For more information, please consult their respective pages.

=== Challenge Mode and Battle Mode ===
Challenge Mode and Battle Mode are currently absent in PSU, but may be added later on.

=== Death Penalties ===
Originally, characters did not receive direct penalties for dying in battle, but instead, it would negatively influence one's ratings obtained at the end of a Mission, which would decide the reward (in Meseta and EXP for class levels).

This is no longer true for any version of the game. Now, if a player is killed in a mission, and revived by another player (using a moon atomizer or other item), no penalty occurs. However, if the killed player uses the option to warp back to the lobby and re-enter the mission, there WILL be a penalty.

=== Telepipes and Ryuker -> Block Warps ===
It is not possible to allow for characters to warp to just about any place anymore. Instead, Missions have been split up into a few 'Blocks', at the start of each of which there is a [[Warp Crystal]] to the other ones the party has already reached.

=== Soloing ===
Though characters are restricted to the limits of a single class until they can use Expert Classes, there are still plenty of options to play Missions solo. Players can call in the help of an NPC from Story Mode that has the same class as themselves, as well as of their Partner Machinery (if it is battle-usable yet). Besides that, the stacking limit for some important healing items has been increased (x20 for the old Mates -- Fluids have been replaced), and the game has items that can increase one's stats (similarly to Shifta and Deband from PSO, which also still exist).

=== Stats ===
The old Luck (LCK) stat has been replaced by a new stat called [[Endurance]](?) ([[END]]?). Whereas Luck determined the critical hit rate in PSO, Endurance seems to influence the PP generation rate in PSU. There is also a new stat similar to the old DFP that determines 'magical defense'. The old resistances have been replaced with the [[Shield Line System]].

There is however a new [[Luck]] system, which is completely separate from your stats. This system will allow randomly select players daily to be given special bonus effects. Those effected by [[Luck]] will have a shining star next to their name and numerous bonuses will occur, ranging from more successful grinding to a higher rare drop rate.

=== New Item Types ===
PSU has a number of new sub-types of [[Items]], and of [[Weapons]] specifically, while some old ones have been removed. Please consult their respective pages for more information.

=== Grinding ===
The grinding system has been altered, and is now useful even for Force Weapons. The maximum grind value is now +10 for all items, but each step up will significantly increase its attacking power (a similar magical stat for Force Weapons), as well as its [[PP]]. On the down-side, Grinders are now harder to come by, and attempting to grind an item might break it, rendering it useless. For more information, see [[Grinding]].

=== Offline Modes ===
There are two modes accessible offline. On one hand there is the [[Story Mode]], featuring Ethan Waber, which is supposed to offer about 50 hours of gameplay. On the other hand, there is [[Extra Mode]], which is mainly different from the former in that it allows players to use their own characters instead (though these are separate from those from the online [[Network Mode]]). In short, Extra Mode is mainly aimed at console players that do not have online access.

=== Vehicles ===
A number of vehicles can be used both online and offline in certain places, including tanks and ridable dinosaurs. For more information, see [[Vehicles]].

=== Content Updates ===
Completely unlike PSO, PSU will supposedly even get new content additions regularly. It has been hinted that there will be an automatic delay on content updates based on the release date for JP PSU compared to US. For example, if, two months after the release of JP PSU, a new quest is released, it will be released two months after the release of US PSU on that version.

=== Monsters ===
Monsters have a somewhat better AI in PSU than they had before, as some monsters will side step or fade back when near you, resulting in your character most likely missing his/her melee combo. There are also special 'leader' versions of monsters (that have the same name as their regular counterparts), that can support and lead their subordinates. Rare enemies also make an appearance (which now include Rag Rappies). PSU features nine bosses, whose battles are more epic than before, featuring huge arenas. Bosses generally have weak points, and have the ability to strengthen themselves. All monsters have one element associated with them, replacing the old attributes (Native, A. Beast, Machine, Dark). These can be used to find out what they might be weak to. There are six elements, with Fire, Ice, Lightning, Light and Dark returning from PSO and a new element - Ground.

{{General Info}}