Open world lobbies are contentious
So Sega just implemented huge, devastating Gigantix enemies into the world of Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, which appear at certain intervals and can be taken on as world bosses for rewards. That’s good! On paper at least. The bad news is that the rollout has been extremely divisive, given where these enemies actually spawn and the nuances therein.
If you weren’t familiar, New Genesis is a much more open game than PSO 2 proper, given that the entire affair takes place in an open world. Generally players are in lobbies of up to 32 players, and can queue into instances like “Urgent Quests,” which provide matchmaking for endgame events. As a rule, you won’t see a giant squad of players in one place: typically under 10.
But that changes with the Gigantix enemies. The purple-mist foes are so strong that you basically need a full lobby of people to take them down, especially given that they’re on a timer. Yep, Gigantix spawn in weather conditions like rain, and leave when that weather is over and done with. So it’s a DPS race, and they’re multiple levels ahead of the max cap right now of 20. Everyone needs to be at the top of their game, not die (they can one-shot many players), and be geared up to race successfully.
To that end, some players are hassling folks under level 20 or who aren’t geared enough, telling them to “get out of the zone so more geared people can come in.” This isn’t something anyone — from the players to the developers — want in a game like this. No one wants to deal with the extreme conditions in which you need to race, either.
Sega has responded to the issues noting that they’ve extended weather patterns, but haven’t addressed the potential of passworded lobbies for alliances (guilds) to band together and take down a Gigantix enemy (the current peak endgame content) together without the hassle of forming a group.
It’s growing pains for New Genesis, a game that is currently fun; but could be an instant-recommend and one of the best free-to-play games on the market with some updates under its belt.