When you start an MMO-RPG the first thing to do is create your character and that can be an incredibly intimidating thing. It's no different with Phantasy Star Online 2.
One of your decisions when new to the game is to choose your character's race. Fortunately, there are only four options at the moment, unlike selecting a game like World of Warcraft.
Still, it can be stressful trying to decide which of the four you want to play with. Each race can work with any class, but some races work better due to stat bonuses. That's why here we have an overview of what each breed is and what it brings to the table.
Human
In most games of this genre, humans are the kind of versatile, jack-of-all-trades race; characters who don't lean too heavily in any direction and who are solid in everything. Phantasy Star Online 2 doesn't change that.
Statistics for humans are average across the board, although the choice between male and female can be important. Males have a bit more health and melee attack / defense (S-Attack / S-Defense) while females have higher technical dexterity and attack / defense (T-Attack / T-Defense).
There are also no special cosmetic customization options during creation, as this is the standard breed.
So if you are looking for a breed that is usable in any capacity and you don't want to worry about min-maxing, Human is the race for you.
Newmans
The Newmans are the elven race of Phantasy Star Online 2: they are magically competent and physically weak.
All Newman come with higher tech attack stats than any other race, which comes at the cost of health, melee attacks, dexterity, and ranged attacks (R-Attack). The melee attack is the most successful with Newmans.
In terms of men versus women, men benefit from enhanced range defense (R-Defense) and women have high-tech defense. Like humans, Newman women also have a higher tech attack than their male counterparts, while men have more health.
Newmans have more customization options than Humans, and you can play around with the height and angle of their long, pointy ears.
For players looking to focus on magical spells while resisting ranged attacks, the Newmans are the ideal choice.
CAST
Due to their metallic bodies, CASTs are strong and powerful. They come with the most health and dexterity of any breed. Their melee and ranged attacks are also higher than most. These improved stats, however, come at the cost of reduced tech attack and defense.
Male CASTs come with more health and melee attack / defense and females have greater range attack / defense stats.
Their customization options are also great. You can choose from a variety of robotic heads, as well as humanoid heads with markings. You can mix and match their arms, torso, and legs to create your own look as well.
They also come with their own purely cosmetic movement option where they slip on rocket boots, which is pretty awesome.
For a melee character capable of tanking large groups, a male CAST is the way to go, while for a sniper who can take out enemies from afar with ease, the female is the better choice.
Deumans
The Deumans have good stats all around: They have a bit more health than the Newmans while sharing similar melee defense, and their ranged and tech defense stats are on par with humans. However, they sport the strongest melee attack in the game with a ranged attack equal to that of CAST. Their technology, however, is slightly inferior to that of Newmans.
Their males are the same as other classes with higher health and melee attack, while their females have more dexterity and ranged attack.
The Deumans come with two customization options: first if their horns. A male has one unicorn-like horn and females have two. You can change the height and angle of these horns. The second option is their heterochromatic eyes.
If you're looking for a character who doesn't care about their defense and want to focus on their attack stats, the Deuman is the one for you. Males are for maximum scrum and females for maximum distance.
Here; the four races you can choose from when creating your character in Phantasy Star Online 2. While you can't go wrong with any of them, each offers bonuses specific to different playstyles.
Remember, once you reach the end of the game, your gear will be so solid that it doesn't really matter which race you choose.
Phantasy Star Online 2 is out now on PC and Xbox One in North America, and will be available on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in Japan.
