Although we naturally discuss the margins for improvement more than the things we don't wish to change, I've enjoyed reading the Accomplishments thread the last few days and wanted to encourage more positive vibes in this one. With that in mind, I'd like to hear what aspects of the game folks have been enjoying in Episode 6 as there's still a lot of content/classes/fashion I've yet to explore!

Feel free to talk about any aspect of the game, but I could see positive experiences falling into at least 3 categories.

Gameplay:

• Only on Chapter 3, but I'm enjoying the Episode 6 story more than Ep 4 & 5. I'm not exactly sure why, but it may just be that I like how it involves the whole Oracle Fleet more directly and that characters from Ep1-3 are featured more prominently than in Ep 4/5.
• Really liked the Armada UQ for multiple reasons - little bit of randomness in how it plays out each time, the addition of clearing objectives (easier) + point-based objectives (harder), and the fact that you can complete a 15 star Collection Folder in one sitting (at least on UH).
• Enjoyed the challenge of solo UH PD while working on my Rivalate. Got used to skipping damage phases and not worrying about getting hit on EH so this was a nice kick in the pants. Also liked that I could run this to work towards my Rivalate while people who prefer playing in groups could run MBD VR so there were options for multiple playstyles. Similarly liked how Ship Infiltration scaled based on the number of players.
• Plenty more to go into, but I'll stop here and just add that I'm looking forward to getting into Divide Quests and the new Extreme Quests.

Character Evolution:

• Have felt noticeable improvements each time I've upgraded gear in Ep 6: forging a Rivalate, chipping away at 13 star TB units, unlocking Riv plus potential, saving up for weeks to get S4: Precise Balance and resetting my skill tree to optimize it, emptying the vault again to get Skydance Support this past week, etc.
• My 2 alts also feel better with the hand-out gear and Croesus weapons; have been enjoying my Hero in particular
• Build-up PAs have been a nice addition and they've incentivized me to swtich weapons more frequently. PP batteries have done the same although I still need to save up for S3: Lucent Adversity to add to a Genon.
• Loved the EXP boost/items from Ultra PSO2 Day and am looking forward to trying out Phantom, Etiole, and Luster more seriously.

Cosmetics

• Jolly ol' Santa Umbra > It's a Wonderful Life + White Christmas
• Really enjoyed the Tundra Rappies in Franca's Cafe (so many slides!)
• Polar bear mag device was so cheap I finally changed up the default mags on my 2 alts and it's great how the bear walks when you walk and then sits when you stop moving
• Looking forward to getting into the true endgame now that we're almost caught up with JP's content

And with that, it's your turn! What have you been enjoying lately? Any cool alliance/community stories to share? Anything you're working towards/looking forward to? Enquiring ARKS want to know!

Well considering I cleared the ending of episode 6, and all side stories, I'm just level grinding at the moment, while I wait for the graphical overhaul, whenever it hits, so I can begin updating my characters faces. That and saving SG up so I can attempt to get a specific reward from the astral guardians scratch.

The snow cafe was nice to enjoy for me as well, but now with it gone, it's nice to revisit the cafe I first saw almost a year ago when the game first launched. It brings back memories of how I started, and it's also a fun way to again remember that a year has gone by in a flash. Although that could be due to being placed in a lockdown situation, where you have a stay at home mandate, and so you pass the time playing Phantasy Star Online 2, because it perfectly happens to launch the same year, lol.

I also like that they brought back Arks festival music for a time, We Are ARKS, and Rare Drop Koi Koi are fun to listen to before an urgent. The English dubbing is way better than it has any rights to be. With four characters, I've been doing the urgents as often as possible. Persona Ultra Hard is a lot more fun than Profound Darkness in my opinion. I definitely agree with you about the Photoner Armada UQ. I'm personally holding off on worrying too much about getting the best gear, at least until I know all the weapons series have released.

I apologize that my response isn't as well organized as your original post, but I've never been good at that sort of thing. I just speak from my heart and go with it. Hopefully anyone else that replied is as vague about episode 6 as I was, as to not spoil anything. At least until NGS comes out so we can talk about the stuff we loved about the story.

I liked the Armada UQ, especially the ""ship defence" -> Enemy Attack -> Exterminate" route. Too bad they didn't do another version of it for the final battle at the end of EP6.

I also liked that they updated the photon booster shop with more OT weapon camos / the mission badge shop at the beginning of EP6 although we're still missing many OT weapon skins and the mission badge shop should also have some voice tickets for the related characters (especially since licencing isn't an issue here).

What a nice little thread!

I haven’t finished story yet but I’m very close, I’ve been enjoying each chapter, it feels like a movie.

I didn’t like the photon fleet UQ at first but it grew on me and not gonna lie, I run it every time to hear the final boss song. I love it so much!

Cosmetics have been wonderful, we finally got Rainbow Blade! I’ve been wanting it since I saw a jp video months ago. It’s my new favorite camo, it makes me smile every time I see it.

I haven’t done all of the fresh new content yet but I did try divide quests and that’s a lot of fun, too.

Overall I’m very pleased with ep6. I can’t wait to see more

Great to hear from you all!

@Anarchy-Marine Stream of consciousness is just as good! I started back in May and the lockdown has definitely amplified my play time and appreciation of the game. It's nice to hear that you've been reminiscing as of late and I agree that I can keep track of my pandemic journey by thinking of what I was doing during all the various content releases/in-game events (Independence Day = so many Rising Weapon Badges!).

You also reminded me that I need to look through the Astral Guardians scratch and that I should check out the dubbed music more often (typically play on mute while listening to podcasts). Also agree that the Persona UH has been fun (great boss for counters) and the new twist after the previous final phase was a pleasant surprise!

@Ryoga Good points! I also liked how Armada let you experience different parts of the big battle as opposed to putting them in an intro cutscene and just dropping us off at the final battle. Would definitely love to see more of those style UQs in NGS if they didn't go that route for the final fight in Ep6.

And I'm glad you reminded me about the camos in the photon booster + mission badge shops as I haven't really looked in awhile! Here's to hoping they dump in more of the missing old content once we're fully caught up, get the graphical update, and NGS is out of beta.

@Milk I agree that the pacing and scope of the story makes it feel like a movie and am glad you've been enjoying it! I'm also embarrassed to admit I haven't heard the song during the Armada UQ so this is yet another reason I need to try unmuting the game from time to time.

And I definitely need to up my camo game so I'll be sure to check out Rainbow Blade the next time I log in! It's also great to hear that your initial impression of divide quests was positive as I'm looking forward to diving in at some point in the near future.