Phantasy Star Online 2's Frozen Resolution update shreds with Floating Boards

Sega has excitedly been exploring new frontiers since the launch of Phantasy Star Online 2 in North America just a few years ago. Millions of users registered over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic period and have watched as the game has grown before their eyes. For the MMO's latest update, titled Frozen Resolution, Phantasy Star Online 2 ventured out into the freezing cold of the Kvaris region and Shacknews recently had a chance to check it out.

The new Kvaris region is part of the latest Frozen Resolution update, which was recently added to last year's New Genesis expansion. Much of the new area is mountainous tundra, requiring players to brave the snowy elements across high elevation. While it's possible to explore on foot, as usual, the most intriguing feature is a ridable Floating Board. As someone who doesn't have a lot of knowledge about PSO2, this struck me right away. Players can only ride the Floating Board for a set period, but over time, they can complete various trials and side objectives in order to boost their time.

What's especially interesting about the Floating Board is that it's more than a cosmetic mount. Players can use it to reach distant areas, while also gliding across the land quickly. It's a genuinely useful item and one that makes the mundane act of traversal a lot more fun.

Of course, Kvaris has its own set of dangers, like massive enemies wielding swords and giant mechanical walkers. It is indeed entirely possible to engage these and other foes on the Floating Board. If anything, it can be a big help, allowing players to dodge incoming projectiles and get to more advantageous positions.

Frozen Resolution also has a slew of new features, including a new level cap of 60. New skills are introduced across PSO2's many classes, including the Hunter, the Fighter, the Techter, the Braver, and the Bouncer. New weapons can be found over the course of the game's new story quests, though being largely unfamiliar with the PSO2 narrative, I couldn't go into too much detail on that. You can check out more of what's now available on the Phantasy Star Online 2 website.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis' Frozen Resolution update is available right now on PC and Xbox. Given what Sega has been adding to the game, it's easy to see why its user base has grown so drastically over the past year. We'll look out for more on this game in the months ahead, so keep it here on Shacknews for the latest updates.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?