Take a look at Slayer, the new class in Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis

The Slayer class is available starting today for Fantasy Star Online 2 New Genesisthe online RPG series that lets you create your own unique hero and take him on endless adventures.

To say that Slayer benefits from exercise would be a gross understatement. This course thrives on movement. Slayers benefit from the agility built into their actions, or Photon Arts (PA), in addition to unlocking additional actions in their class ability tree. Charmed? You should be, as this class merits further study and considerable practice if mastery is desired.

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There is nothing normal about Slayer

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The Slayer’s basic attack is a triple threat as it performs a series of attacks that can be combined up to three times. Additionally, holding the normal attack button causes the attack to charge up. As if these moves didn’t already defy the term “normal attack,” there are also two charge tiers, with the first charge tier triggering a 5-shot ranged attack and the second charge tier provoking a powerful attack but takes longer to deploy. The Slayer’s basic attacks become even more specialized with the Charged Blade class skill. This not only allows the player to close the distance to their enemy, but also perform a boost attack by pressing the weapon action button at just the right time after a charged normal attack. Finally, the Slayer’s normal attacks can also benefit Photon Arts, as the Relentless Blade class skill provides an additional attack if the normal attack button is pressed at just the right time while a Photon Art is in progress. As you can see, normal attacks can be used effectively in various combat situations, making gaining a general understanding of them a necessity in order to play Slayer.

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The focus of Slayer

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Gunblades aren’t class-specific weapons, and anyone who subclasses Slayer and clears the Slayer class ability gunblade subclass gauge can use them. As focus builds up from landing attacks with the Gunblade and the gear level on the gauge increases, additional benefits such as increased attack power and reduced PP consumption are triggered. However, if you don’t land any attacks for a period of time, the gear level will be completely reset. This gives new meaning to the phrase “Don’t lose focus on the battlefield.”

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The Art of the Slayer

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With each class, there is a certain beauty to a range of Photon Arts at the right time. Executing the optimal pattern of PAs can not only control the battle and mitigate the damage received, but also provide the player with good Photon Power (PP) and healing. The optimal pattern of PAs for the Slayer will likely become the next hot topic (although I’ll get to that in one of the following sections), as there are many variations when it comes to movement or enemy behavior. Optimal Slayer combat isn’t just do an x, do a y, use a big attack, do an x, and repeat the playstyle. No, you need a deeper understanding to really master it.

Her first Photon Art, Shifting Spica, unleashes two quick short-range attacks when cast while standing. When moving, the Slayer attacks its enemy with a piercing attack, then fires a photon ball at point-blank range. This gap closer might not be useful in every combat situation, but for enemies that like to move, it can shave seconds of repositioning.

Flowing Sirius is pretty handy in single and group combat, as it causes the Slayer to perform multiple slam attacks when stationary. If this PA is performed repeatedly, the second attack will become stronger. As it moves, the Slayer performs consecutive area attacks while gaining altitude over the field. Alternating these two forms of flowing Sirius is an excellent way to reposition yourself and take advantage of your enemy’s placement.

Reaping Regulus is a handy temporary respite when performed while stationary, since performing it means hitting a hasty retreat after quickly tossing a photon bomb into the fight. However, this PA really shines during the momentary lull between battles, as it means throwing a photon bomb ahead of you at your nearest group of enemies if you perform it on the move. Using both forms of this PA is a great way to add a few ticks to your gunblade focus meter.

By far the most photogenic PA is Waving Rigel, where the Slayer rams his weapon into the ground, creating a shockwave of Force that hits nearby enemies. If this happens in mid-air (perhaps after the Flowing Sirius move variant has been performed), the Slayer will slam the ground before unleashing the shockwave. If cast while moving, the Slayer will instead rise while waves of Force affect the environment.

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The hunter’s drive

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How does it feel behind the wheel of Slayer? It’s like driving a finely tuned but spirited sports car. See, Slayer essentially has 8 Photon Arts since each of them can be modified by movement, so it takes a while to learn the ropes. Generally, with basic playstyle against solo enemies, you would use Shifting Spica’s stationary form, followed by Flowing Sirius’ stationary form, and repeat this (interspersed with normal attacks) until the Unleashed Rage active ability is available and you’ve done it some advancements in gunblade focus meter. Then follow those two PAs with Unleashed Rage (which will instantly add gears to your focus meter and hopefully max it out) and then Gunblade Focus Overdrive. From there, either continue with the pattern above or use Gunblade Focus Overdrive once again to unleash a single powerful attack.

In multi-enemy combat, the pattern is basically the same, you would just replace the two PAs with the moving version of Flowing Sirius and the moving version of Reaping Regulus. Then you would repeat this (interspersed with normal attacks) until Unleashed Rage is available and your Gunblade Focus Gauge is partially filled. Perform in the same way as above and start again if there are still enemies alive.

The patterns above will help you become familiar with Slayer and the Gunblade Focus Gauge while allowing you to learn the other forms and PAs at your own pace. Once you’re comfortable, remember to use a normal attack at the right time during a PA to activate the extra attack of the Relentless Blade class skill. Also, after dodging or guarding with the gunblade weapon action, use a normal attack or the weapon action a second time to counterattack with the class skill blade counter. The normal attack counter fires a quick shot and can be used repeatedly for a chain of counterattacks, while the weapon action counter performs a long combo of attacks. There’s even more nuance to Slayers after considering their class abilities, and players will have a lot of fun figuring out how best to use them in different situations.

Slayer is great fun and those who like a challenge with their gameplay will really appreciate it. Slayer was released on April 12th. If you’ve managed to acquire some Slayer Operation Preparation Tickets from the limited-time tasks available during the Get Ready for Slayer! Campaign, you can exchange them in the dedicated Exchange Shop in one of the regional hubs until June 6th. Exchange Shop items include several coveted gunblades and gunblade weapon camos.

If you are a new or returning player, now is a good time to check it out Fantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis to see if Slayer is right for you! Download the game from the Windows Store for free on PC, Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S and get ready to kill all day!