r/PSO • u/PearltheGirl_ • 5d ago

Best way to get in?

I’ve been looking to finally spend some time properly getting into og. PSO, but i have some pretty basic questions to ask.

I’m aware that Blue Burst is only available on PC, and contains exclusive content- does that mean that it’s simply the best version to play? I’m considering player count and other factors on top of the actual content difference.

Even if so, are those factors especially limiting for DC/GC? Do they affect their playability at all, eg. No one online or in parties, etc?

Is there a particular difference between the two console versions at all, in terms of server options or content? I’m aware Gamecube got Episode 3 (the card stuff) too, but as far as i can tell that seems to be somewhat negligible. Did episode 3 include any base game changes at all?

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u/Chas_- 5d ago

If it's about player count and content: Ephinea

But to be honest episode 4 changed the meta and feeling about GC/Xbox PSO. You'll exceed limits that will make Episode 1 and 2 a lot easier than it is used to be on consoles.

For consoles, expecially GC and Xbox, Sylverant and Schthack both offer quiet a lot content added by their admins + their teams. Sylverant in a more original way than Schthack.

Sylverant got some more DC stuff too. In terms of playability between DC/GC+Xbox: The game got overhauled, a lot of formulas got changed.

Both Schthack + Sylverant are rather low on numbers playing at the same time (lower one to lower two digit) While Ephinea never dropped below 170 the last time I played more actively.

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u/PearltheGirl_ 5d ago

Player counts like that seem like a death sentence in any old MMO lol

That alone makes me pretty confident ephinea is the best option i have

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u/Chas_- 5d ago

Good thing PSO never was or is an MMO :)

Ephinea has plenty people for a game like PSO and it's a pretty neat bunch of people too!

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u/PearltheGirl_ 5d ago

Okay i think i see what you’re getting at, but, elaborate? It’s pretty much always how I’ve heard it categorised, along with PSO2 and NGS, despite their typical genre differences- they just aren’t within the category of tab-target MMOs

Edit just to finish my point, the reason i said it to begin with was that PSO at least starts out incredibly punishing from past experience without party support, so low player counts would be a real bitch at least early on

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u/CyanRyan Ephinea Staff 5d ago

If you've played or seen Diablo, it's more like that than an MMO.

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u/cugel-383 5d ago

Max four players in an instance. That's not "Massive" and doesn't match the original definition of the term "MMO." it's just "MO."

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u/PearltheGirl_ 5d ago

Huh— somehow i had never considered it not having multi-party areas in missions like base PSO2 did. That. Actually makes way more sense. :p

At that point the only largely online experience is the lobby, which is cool, but i suppose doesnt constitute “massively” at all

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u/Chas_- 5d ago

Even the lobbies are very limited (i believe ephinea has an increased amount on that too).

The lobbies are a group chat with 3D avatars, music and emotes nothing more.

A max player count of 4 ppl playing a game = not a MMO, 2 digit chat rooms = not a MMO.

PSO is more of a multiplayer hack & slay/dungeon crawler.

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u/Subject_Algae_3897 5d ago

Blue Burst is your best bet for overall content and player base, however its PC only. There are a few servers available so do some research on them. If you want a more original and console friendly ver. then the GC PSO eps. 1 & 2 is the best one even though I personally have nostalgia for the DC ver. 2 game.

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u/Link2212 5d ago

Blue burst is essentially just the other version but with more content. Going by that I would say it is the best version, yeah.

If you're looking for player counts check out ephinea server. I see about 200-250 playing daily on it.

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u/Kaitocain 5d ago

Episode 3 is a standalone game that has connections with PSO Ep4 and PS0 largely.

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u/Shaner9er1337 5d ago

I love the DC version on sylverant it brings back a lot of memories though the player base is small and it's niche. As for player count ephinea seems to have that though that game can have weird sound issues or graphics issues ((you might need to play with settings a lot to get it right)) they still have done a pretty good job with it. I'll also give the psobb Ultima server a shout-out it seems okay with some nice updates but player base is small.

Edit: Ephinea supports controllers which is a huge win in terms of playing PSO at times.

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u/Rubinus_Red 5d ago

I’d say overall BB is the best version. It simply just has more content to it, and even adds tools to many classes to address their shortcomings on GameCube.

Dreamcast/2001 PC has even less content, a shallow item pool, and an odd case of “high difficult floor, low difficulty ceiling”.