I am so stoked, the upcoming Phantasy Star Online 2 closed beta has finally been detailed! For anyone who might not be in the know, Phantasy Star Online 2 was announced to finally be heading West as part of the Xbox E3 2019 briefing. It was then announced a few months back that a closed beta would be held to test the game for the Xbox platform. Now, the dates of the beta have been revealed by Microsoft as February 7 (starting at 5 PM PT) through February 8 (ending at 11:59 PM PT) with pre-loading for the trial beginning February 3.

Sadly, this beta is pretty dang short but there looks to be more than enough content to make players worry about their time. On top of character customization being available, a number of limited-time quests will also appear through each day of play. Completing these quests will unlock special rewards that players will get when the full game finally launches. A special concert is also planned during playtime that will grant additional character buffs. The breakdown of rewards and quest times is as follows courtesy of Xbox Wire.

Urgent Quests

February 7th Quests

• 8 to 8:30 p.m. PST – Cradle of Darkness

• 10 to 10:30 p.m. PST – Giant Automata: The Awakening

February 8th Quests

• 7 to 7:30 a.m. PST – Cradle of Darkness

• 1 to 1:30 p.m. PST – Giant Automata: The Awakening

• 5 to 5:30 p.m. PST – Cradle of Darkness

• 8:30 to 9 p.m. PST – The Raging Obsidian Arm

• 9 to 9:30 p.m. PST – Elder of the Unfathomable Abyss

Immediate Rewards

Players will receive these rewards immediately after logging in during the Closed Beta Test.

• First Login – Photon Halo B (Accessory) and Beauty Salon Free Pass (Consumable)

• Daily Rewards – EXP Boost +50% (x3), Rare Drop Boost +50% (x3), Meseta Boost +50% (x3) (Consumables)

Special Rewards

Players will receive these rewards when the game officially launches (release date TBA).

• Complete 1 Urgent Quest – Photon Halo C (Accessory), Triboost +100% (Consumable)

• Complete 2 Urgent Quests – Photon Halo A (Accessory), Triboost +100% (Consumable)

• Complete 3 Urgent Quests – Mag Dreamcast (Evolution Device), Triboost +100% (Consumable)

• Complete 4 Urgent Quests – Coated Edge (Weapon Camo), Triboost +100% (x10) (Consumable)

Concerts

• February 8th – 8 to 8:15 p.m. PST – Performing the songs “Our Fighting” and “Eternal Encore”

• Buffs Received – Rare Drop Rate Increase, Meseta Drop Rate Increase, and Experience Points Rate Increase

If you have yet to sign up for the beta you can still do so through the Xbox Insider’s Hub on your Xbox One console. I haven’t found anything yet saying how limited space in the beta is going to be so hopefully most who sign up get in. There has also been no word on any additional betas that might follow in the coming months leading up to the game’s release. I am also wondering how character progression from the beta to the final game will be handled if it is a supported feature at all. Ah well, I expect we will get more answers as the beta approaches.

Are you planning to sign up for the beta if you haven’t already?