This content represents a substantial expansion, titled "Stars: Episode 6," for the massive online action RPG, Phantasy Star Online 2. Released in 2019, this update significantly broadens the scope of the core game, requiring the base title to access its new narrative and gameplay elements. It delves deeper into the science-fiction roots of the franchise, pushing players into confrontations that challenge the technological supremacy of the ARKS forces.

Narrative Progression and Setting

The storyline of Episode 6 centers on a critical escalation in the conflict against powerful new adversaries. The narrative follows the assault by Shiva and her cohorts, Varuna and Mithra, culminating in a successful takeover of the ARKS Mothership, Xiao, leading to serious injury. To secure a future for ARKS, the heroes must venture to Amduskia, where a fragment of Xiao’s consciousness is merged with a dormant Xion clone named Kashina to create a new vessel. Subsequent missions involve thwarting a Luminmech invasion on Harukotan alongside Sukunahime, followed by a dramatic return to Earth to defend against a massive Photoner offensive across Tokyo. The ultimate goal shifts to utilizing Omega to seal Shiva’s universal abilities.

What new combat options are introduced in this expansion?

This expansion introduces the Phantom, a successor class that utilizes three distinct weapon types: the Katana, the Assault Rifle, and the Rod. The Phantom functions primarily as a debuffer, focusing on protecting allies through the application of abnormal conditions and skills that reduce enemy attack power. Gameplay centered around this class emphasizes varied actions heavily reliant on technique usage.

Furthermore, the update expands the scale of cooperative play with the introduction of new high-level emergency quests. A notable addition was the eight-person emergency quest, "End of Fleet Interception," which pits players against the "End of Fleet" flash models in space combat scenarios. Players also gain access to specialized equipment for these orbital engagements, such as the A.I.S Vega.

Community and System Enhancements

Beyond combat and story, the expansion focuses on enhancing the overall player experience. New characters are integrated into the ongoing saga, and community functions within the game receive notable enhancements, encouraging greater interaction among players as they venture into the newly explored "flash universe."

Platform Availability and Content Scope

This content is available across the established platforms for the parent game: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. As a major episodic expansion, it delivers a substantial continuation of the core Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, and Arcade-style gameplay loops that define the main title, integrating seamlessly into the existing progression structure.