Star Ocean 2 Characters: RANKED From WORST To BEST

[@davidvinc]

Check out my Star Ocean 2 Review! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHWZg61obax2r6s Check Out Anomaly Collapse on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/2082410/Anomaly_Collapse/?

[@airiakizuki5592]

if its ranked by "combat" dias is number 1, if its by "utility" than rena number 1 every time

[@omidiartgaming]

thank you for covering all of my childhood so far!

[@Thatonedud-i8n]

Dumbass just called himself a girl

[@AM-uk7jv]

I play Rena's side all the time specifically to recruit Dias.

[@Game_Daddy]

yep thats the trick there hahaha

[@johnnymac3263]

This

[@JTNOLA504]

SAME! Dias is my favorite!

[@panjibp9270]

Same rena playthrough Diaz claude aston Rena 3 dps 1 buffer

[@Krakenflax]

Ya, Dias sexy as hell

[@Holy2Tack]

This is one of the most underrated greats. Can't wait for the Remake to drop. Best Star Ocean game to date.

[@BB-te8tc]

I liked actually using Leon in terms of controlling him. His attack animation is neat, and it's fun to line him up in just the right place to hit as much as possible with the Gremlin Lair spell. Plus, I'm always gonna gravitate towards the characters with cat ears.

[@JustAnOldStone]

I know some people didn't like the cutscene effects for spellcasting but... That shit was KING man, you cast the Explosion spell enough and it goes from exploding for 2-3 seconds to like a full on 30. Those extended cutscenes REALLY made you feel your magic improving. Edit: I don't know what you people are talking about for spellcasters. They worked fine in the old PS2 game (dunno about the first remake they did). All you had to do was cast your spells a *LOT* and they would improve both visually and damage wise. I literally took Celine to endgame because she could decimate entire squads with Southern Cross.

[@thequestingbunny]

So, this is my daughter's favorite game, and the remake is coming out on her birthday this year!! Her Sweet 16 is going to be Star Ocean 2!! That's what she asked for, and my husband and I are so so excited and so is she! This has been our family game since she was a toddler. Anyway, we've been talking about the teams we want to have, because we plan to go achievement hunting together with us all on our own Steam. We absolutely HATE Noel. He's the worst to us. (to the point that my daughter wants a rewrite of the story where Noel goes and dies, and we get to take Alen in the team to possibly give him a redemption) She wants Opera and Ernest to avoid getting Noel. I told her that I'm going Ashton and Precis, because I love them as a ship and I think they compliment each other on the battlefield. We both want Dias and Chisato. Her favorite character to play is Dias, and I usually control Rena because I like controlling when the heals come. My husband is gonna go Claude, and says he wants to do Ashton and Bowman. He likes to play as Ashton. Ernest is cute, and I'm sad it takes so much to get him but he's kinda shit in battle. When I get him, I use him for the special skills. Though I feel like Precis is even better at him that he is, and he's from an alien world with better technology. WTF.

[@davidvinc]

Oh I loved reading this! How wholesome!! :) and happy birthday to your daughter!

[@thequestingbunny]

@@davidvinc Thank you~! We love your channel, David!

[@kcmac9298]

Ha, this is awesome. Glad it's your family game. Need a follow up story after you guys play the remake for awhile, see if your habits changed.

[@ehabib]

Basically, choose any 4 out of these 6 characters and you have the best team: Claude - Dragon Howl & Ripper Blast (Long range) & Eternal Sphere Spam - Amazing and Safe Damage throughout the whole game. Rena - Heal and Support and some quick spells for interruption - All you need in a mage Opera - Alpha on One & Healing Star - Long range damage dealer with Healing capabilities. Precis - Alley-Oop & Barrier - Very Safe Mid Range Fighter with arguably the best spammable single target lockdown and Crowd Control. Bowman - Poison Pills & Explosive Pills - One dimensional character but by spamming pills the damage racks up really fast. Chisato - Whirlwind & Tear Gas - Whirlwind can lock an enemy down very well (even better before the proficiency upgrade) and Tear Gas is a contender for the best damage in the game but generally requires someone to lock the enemy down first. Special Mention to Ashton - Once you have angel armband he is godly, but you've pretty much beaten the game at that point. Shame that his killer moves are so bad/slow (with the exception of hurricane slash) as he is a fav. Barrels! Why not the other fighters? Dias - again super one dimensional. Air Slash spam is crazy safe but at too long a range you will miss very often and at one hit it won't make a big dent in most bosses health. If you spam air slash at more a mid range then you will be more accurate but then you are better off using a better mid range fighter like Precis. Ernest- Broken Heart is a very serviceable KM and access to battle suits very early is nice but he is very much outclassed and not worth the effort. Welch - Meh, nothing in her arsenal stands out to put her above the other fighters.

[@Tilkino]

Welch - Nibelung Valesti That's not the actual name in the game, but I just like saying that line.

[@veghesther3204]

Except Welch still sucks even WITH it useable and she can't even LEARN that attack until you can access the Cave of Trials to begin with.

[@Tilkino]

Drains up all her MP after few uses. Fairy ring helps but still, not by much overall.

[@veghesther3204]

Its ALSO BLOCKABLE so even on Universe mode she is still pure crap.

[@ivancouto1028]

only 1 healer is needed in this game. People overrate opera wayy too much. Chisato should be in everyones party btw and you need either dias or ashton as your 2nd swordsman. If you go claude run u should go for ashton.

[@ryulee1996]

Rena is definitely either 2nd or first place along with Claude.

[@Panda_Roll]

I've always had a soft spot for Ashton so I don't think I've known how OP Opera really is. I've pre-ordered this game for the nostalgia and just can't wait!

[@WilliamScavengerFish]

Leon's attack has the best reach.

[@RaymondTheCat]

the most fun ive had with this game is when i tried to beat it with a full mage party of rena, leon, celine, and noel. its the worst team combination i can think of but beating the game with 4 of the worst classes felt more satisfying than using opera/dias/claude cheese

[@misterturkturkle]

Noel above Celine? Ashton outside the top 5? Chisato? Mans is trippin balls

[@SheIsTheOneNamedSailorMoon]

I want to play Star Ocean 2! I never played 1 and 2. You have completely sold me!

[@zengram]

I still remember,when i made it to the final boss,i was so overleveled,when i entered the battle,dias says "piece of junk" to the final boss!!!

[@bandrew1442]

I'm going to try to make my playthrough as blind as possible but I always love going back and seeing how my choices stacked up

[@pauldijkstra6173]

What are you talking g about dude. Celine is by far number one character. Her damage is outrageous with spell 50% plus and extra break in here spells she break everyone. Rena for healing on the side and additional damaage . With the trait superamor so no one can disturb her spellls and then 2 fighters for upclose best team

[@lukasfogel7892]

I played this game so much as a kid and am pumped. I didn't know Celine was optional!! I'm skipping her annoying pausing combat ass this time around!

[@pcrizz]

Spell casters and Celine from what I remember were nice starting out then turned into situational utility as I recall, where I seem to remember switching characters in and out after the game hit me with a few power curves after I started thinking I was doing good and got tossed right in the dumpster. For some reason I remember liking Celine's spells in certain tough fights to help manage the time, since it was either a pause if not an interrupt to some attacks and for whatever reason, I recall late game on some occassions where she was the only one left alive against some attacks that party wiped everyone else and she would get me back in the fight. It's been way too long though, it was such a good game.

[@yakamen]

I always had Celine. I just liked her. Simple as that.

[@AlbinosaurusR3X]

Usually when one person consistently is the lone survivor, it's because the rest either have insufficient hp or the wrong resists.

[@ismaeltevenal7492]

So I wasn't the only one who thought she was the more resistant of the damage oriented mages? 🤔

[@drakemane]

My biggest gripe with opera was her english voice actor and how she screamed all the time. Otherwise yeah she is a bomb.

[@agranosclem]

Here's hoping the remake makes casters more viable with most spells no longer freezing the field. (And PLEASE give Ernest a way to be more useful!!!)

[@davidvinc]

I heard that they are going to make it more fluid for the casters :)

[@veghesther3204]

They don't in fact with spells no longer freezing they made attack magic even WORSE and in the Demo I had Claude/Rena's 1000 Str weapons before entering Cross Cave in the Demo so in the full game Celine Noel Leon are still going to be pure Crap EVEN Rena's FIRFST attack spell Crush in the demo is completely useless since enemies can easily move OUT of the way of A single target spell making it miss completely. Ashton Precis Welch still won't ever be in my party either other then loading a save file after their joining the party trophies in the PS4 version unlock by loading a save file that takes place WITHOUT them EVER in the party. a 100% monster book/open all chests trophy can't be done on a 1st run only and sadly the crappy party members of Celine Ashton Leon and Celine MUST ALL be in the party for a open all chests trophy due to their spells + the Tri Ace skill for Ashton all be gotten IN the Cave of Trials BUT those chests can't be opened without them in the party. The Chest for Welch and her useless skill that chest in Eluria Tower still shows up TO open it even WITHOUT HER in the party though its ONLY accessible at the same time the Cave of Trials is.

[@agranosclem]

never change, do ya Vegh?@@veghesther3204

[@brentabel5094]

In the remake demo Celine and Rena both cast without stopping game its pretty cool.

[@veghesther3204]

But attack spells are still PURE CRAP in the demo so I'll still have my 1000+ Str Claude and Rena USE physical hits in the Demo in the full gamer I won't actually have my 1000+ Str Rena try to KILL the Lasguss mountains enemies until lv 40+ let Claude do that instead and Celine still won't be in my party in the FULL game once you exit Cross Cave.

[@BigMhatty]

Bless you for not even including Welch in your list. She really is just a giant reminder of the bad plot decision for SO3.

[@eliasfranca7173]

SO3's plot twist is wonderful. There is no problem with what happened and it could even be the same with our reality. If game characters feel like they are in the real world then it is enough to be in one. Remembering that games are generally fantasy and technically games like this are in another reality and we are participating in it.

[@chaoscrimsonia]

Like that guy said, SO3 plot twist is wonderful. I get that some people kinda felt cheated by the plot twist, or it felt like the twist is forced or kinda like an asspull, but to me it's a clever way to tie in the lore, settings, and general feel of these sagas of sci-fi met magical fantasy. Without the existence of the 4D beings and the simulation/game, symbology, bunnies, the same humanoid shaped like species across the galaxy, will feel weird in a story full of detailed scientific terms like gravity warp drives, positron cannon, etc. In terms of plot writing, as long as the 4D beings themselves serve as just a reminder in most of the SO series, that they just live in a huge universe sized simulations, then it doesn't really matter. The "gods" didn't do anything in most of the series, they just spectates while their creations are fooling around doing wars in backwater planets or across the interstellar space cause these so called creations do have free will, as told in SO3 ending.

[@ZenKrio]

@@chaoscrimsonia Not to offend, but if the plot twist was as good as you say, Tri Ace wouldn't be afraid to deal with the consequences of it, but they havent had the balls to make an SO game take place after SO3 as a result of how badly said twist turned out. In saying that, I have a plot idea for an SO game that takes place after SO3..

[@brit69]

​@@ZenKriojust because people don't get it, doesn't make it bad.

[@ZenKrio]

@@brit69 IT doesn't. The "I think, therefore I am" ending that came from it did though. Don't get me wrong, I have an SO7 plot that could easily take place after SO3 I could sell them right now, and it would be golden. Doesn't mean SO3's twist was good, it wasn't. But it wasn't as bad as they say, and TriAce could fix it up to make it work. The big issue with SO3 is that it makes the plots of every other game kind of useless in the grand scheme. SO4's villain was just a glitch, SO2's 10 Wise Men were anomalies, like, it makes it seem like the villains of the games before it weren't actually people themselves.

[@BaristaShin]

Chisato = Not Chy Say Do It's pronounciated Chisato = Chee Sah Toe

[@jowston100]

Noels pronunciation of "Energy Arrow" is the best VA in the game, therefore making him top tier. And to be real here, Ashton is top tier if you abuse Attack Speed/Multi hit stun animation.

[@Trynackle]

Honestly I rated Celine higher, just because when you get her a mage at that point is useful, being able to hit all enemies and slow them down for Claude was very useful at least for the first continent. Also I rated Chisato lower than Ashton, I like Chisato but she doesn't do too much damage as a corpse.

[@veghesther3204]

For me Celine in every version is still pure CRAP as soon as you GET her and yes I had Claude/Rena BOTH at lv 40 on the PS1/PSP version BEFORE entering Cross Cave with Celine and the MARVEL Sword still equipped on Clajude.

[@sharmist]

Exactly. Just pop Starlight/Lunar Light all day and Angel Feather then use items when needed. She's way better than he let on.

[@veghesther3204]

even with THOSE 3 spells Celine is still pure CRAP.

[@Trynackle]

@@veghesther3204 Personally I think you are being too harsh on Celine, I think she has early game merit, especially if you don't over-level and abuse crafting early on. I agree that level 40 with a Marvel sword before cross cave fights would be easier without waiting for spells to cast, but not all players will be able/willing to do this.

[@Trynackle]

@@sharmist I will say, I tried using Celine through Energy Nede, but it was around Fun City that could not keep listening to "Explosion!"

[@DejvisTheFool]

Precis in the remake absolutely dominates. If there was a tier list she would be leagues beyond everyone else. Her superweapon plus forcefield

[@carlaarnold5321]

Is she hard to recruit. I was trying to have a mostly lady team but dias is kinda cool!

[@SpanishFly120]

Precis can be really good yeah, but I don't think she's better than Opera since late game when you can get stuff that lowers MP cost/has MP absorbing means you can literally just sit back and let her spam Seeking Plasma (aka Alpha on One) and Hyper Launcher.

[@gremlinn7]

She's my top pick as well (at least in the remake; I don't remember the PS1 original too well).

[@joeybuddy6]

I haven't played this game since the early 2000s... but I used Celine the whole way through? I never thought she was trash. This will be interesting when I play the remake

[@DiogoJ1]

Opera is great, make no mistake. But getting healing star takes a lot of luck just to craft the item in question. You will be reseting a lot even at max machinist level with help from orchestra. And after you do get it, you have to use it many hundreds of times before it actually becomes worth it. 200 HP healing per use at start is pretty meager, requiring you to use at least 400 times before it actually becomes the absolute best healing move. By the time I get White Upgrade and make her use it 400 times, chances are, that all content that remains is the bonus dungeon and unlimited Gabriel.

[@Seegtease]

I don't think I ever gave Opera a fair shot in the one run I had her. Didn't know about that heal...

[@justinc882]

Great list, I always loved Ashton. Bad luck be damned there's something about a sword master with dragon's popping out of his head. Makes me think of that weird villain from the old Jeremy Irons DND movie :)

[@loricbrandt]

Easily one of my favorite RPGs, and definitely my favorite Star Ocean game! The music is so nostalgic! I still hear the characters' voice lines in my head, all these years later. 🤣 "BLACK... SABER."

[@yonaxl]

It's "pear into peaches!" in my head lol

[@Peter_1986]

I lost this game some time in 2012, and for some reason I haven't tried to get a new copy yet, but I played it like absolutely crazy between 2007-2012, and I must have beaten it literally like 100 times. For this reason, this game is burned into my memory so strongly that I still remember practically everything by heart, even how to get all the best equipment.

[@yakamen]

Man I WAS RIGHT THERE WITH YOU. This game is my all time, all consoles, GOAT. Too much of a impression left on me in adolescence. It is an irational love I have for this one.

[@josephfrechette9916]

You know they just released the remake right? Instead of just making it prettier they added plenty of quality of life improvements like optional fast travel.

[@ZenKrio]

I will watch the vid in a second, but in the OG star Ocean 2, this would be the tier list imo: Top: Opera - Healing star makes it so you don't need to actually have Rena if you control her, and her higher end arts deal a lot of damage. Claude - just really powerful, all his arts starting with Meteor Palm are already doing more than 4 hits. And a few of his moves have great crowd control. Rena - she's your best healer, she's needed on your team. High tier: Precis - a lot of her moves give you the room to deal damage without taking much, she's quite versatile. Chisato - Read Above she's quite strong despite her lower attack, and she's looking to be stronger in the new game. Bowman - Explosion and Poison Pills are just so good lol. Mid tier: Ernest: his early arts are actually quite good. Dimension whip is a fast 4 hit move and thousand whip is like meteor palm with more reach. He's better than most seem to believe. Ashton - I love him, but a lot of his moves suffered from long start times and him not really moving after casting his moves. So unless you can trap a foe, he isn't doing the numbers you'd like. Dias: He could go above or below Ashton, but I find that at least Ashtons moves have multi hits, Dias suffers from having very few hits in overly flashy moves. Illusion is his best at 4 hits, where Ernest does that with his first attack. I know Gale Thrust and Air Slash are good, but they are held back by being single hit. And I hope they fix his sub par moves in R. Welsh - I found her moves really meh. Similar issues to both Ashton and Dias, only at once. She doesn't move while using a lot of them, and they don't deal a ton of hits. Magic User Tier - Do I need to say. In the OG game Magic Users aren't worth using. They make gameplay slower by pausing it, and they only did single hit. Edit: Damn, you reminded me of creepy and weepy. Gyoro and ururun were the better names.

[@MrPLleBOSS]

I don’t remember but I tried Chisato and ended up using Rena, Claude, Dias, Opera while controlling Opera most of the time to control when to use healing stars or not. I think I ended using Dias over Chisato because during those secret end bosses Dias was able to spam his move from up close while Chisato needed to back off and the boss were always trying to get close so she had a hard time doing any damage… But this is from what I remember from about 25ish year ago so I might be totally saying non-sense here.

[@veghesther3204]

I used BOTH so I'll blood armor Claude Dias Opera and Chisato (Bowman and Chisato) joining Claude and Opera on a Claude game since Leon is pure CRAP.

[@MrPLleBOSS]

Is healing star enough healing for the secret endbosses? Or are you relying on something else ?

[@veghesther3204]

if you bloody armor Claude Opera Chisato and Dias/Bowman then yes it IS as long as all BUT Opera are doing 9999 PER hit (5000) per hit in Second Evolution.

[@cremilar]

The first time I saw Celine, i assumed she was cosplaying as Daniel's halloween costume in Karate Kid

[@Neon002121]

Like the old saying goes. Sticks and stones… will still be more useful than Ernest.

[@Eughwwww]

*me watching this while enjoying doing the arena with Noel* 😢 On my first playthrough of SO2 ever, SO3 was one of my favorite games on ps2 (and I pretend the plottwist never happened). Playing my first playthrough blind, but fun to see whay characters Ive missed out on and will make part of my team next playthrough. My team atm is Rena-Claude-Celine-Ashton-Precis-Welch-Dias-Noel I generally really like the magic hybrid characters in these games, in SO3 my favorites were Adray and Nel, in SO4 i really enjoyed Faize. Ashton I guess is the closest to this style in so2 Adray charging into the centre of the battlefield and then firing off Northern Cross always felt great

[@vedbergsmagicalworld]

Hopefully they wont lock out Characters in the remaster

[@michaelbrown1585]

I've already beaten 2nd story, and 2nd evolution 1x each this year, and just finished 1st departure. Told myself I have to finish BG3 before SO:SSR comes out but I just started a Claude playthrough of 2nd evo right as you said "Bowman"...

[@poyopotpie]

I "get" people's annoyance with mages in the first 2 Star Ocean games, but then I do not when you consider the hardware limitations at the time. Also I found the mages super useful for clearing out certain mobs--especially ones that can easily one or two-shot you at times--so was surprised that you favor the melee users. I've only played The Second Story once before on the PS1 as I actually prefer the first game much more (my fav in the series). I am however super looking forward to the Remake of SO2 and honestly often question if I recall or paid attention to certain parts of the game. One thing that is for sure, though, is apparently I need to try Opera and I figured Dias would be good so with the remake I'm definitely gonna choose Rena in the beginning.

[@SpinDlsc]

Honestly, mages wouldn't have been so bad if their damage just scaled higher mid to late game, and they were able to break the 9999 damage cap. If Celine and Leon were able to hit around 40-50k damage off their best spells with late game equipment, then I would be perfectly fine with keeping either of them in the party.

[@AlbinosaurusR3X]

Long cast times, spell animations, low dmg cap, and sometimes restrictive mana costs are why casters are "caster tier" in this game. If it takes them 12s to complete a spell (not counting animation run time) to do at most 9999 dmg, but a melee can land 6 hits for 3k each in the same window, there's just no comparison.

[@HybridAngelZero]

Claude can cover all my physical needs any time >v> Okay, okay, I'll calm down xD Y'know, despite playing this game probably over a dozen times in my life, I never did figure out how to get Earnest. Hopefully, with the gameplay adjustments of Second Story R allowing mages to cast without bringing combat to a halt, my girl Celine can get the buffs she needs ;v;

[@Jman19781]

I agree with most of this. I’d put Celine above Noah. And I’d put Rena above chisato. Rena was always clutch for me. Chisato not as much, although she was great. And yeah Opera is one of my first characters I want to recruit on my first play though of the remake. Never got a lot of use out of Bowman, Ernest or Leon. Celine was there until mid game, when (you were so right) mages kind of became useless. Except for Rena.

[@ivancouto1028]

Huhh.. chisato should be top 1 and not even below rena dafuq. Chisato is literally the strongest character in the game with the highest damage output. She should be in everyones party.

[@grey_wulf]

Hi David! Anxiously awaiting SO2R. Love the list! Thanks and have a blessed day!

[@davidvinc]

Thanks! You too!

[@humeseraph]

You should have a special tier. Both Bowman and Chisato can become the most OP in the game with the right equipment: I think its the Weird slayer and bloody armor. The armor makes you invulnerable except it drains your life as you wear it and the slayer gives half your attack back as healing. They both destroy the extra endgame bosses with those.

[@veghesther3204]

Yes but BEFORE you get that weapon you MUST have Opera and healing star at 999 uses which is why Ashton is pure CRAP.

[@thequestingbunny]

Give Chisato the Bunny Shoes. She always wrecks house for me, faster than I can even keep up with!

[@veghesther3204]

About that KM's with her are still SLOW with those but you can only get Bunny shoes NOT counting the STOLEN Fun City one after the Cave of Trials shows up anyways since the Bunny Shoes via the Bunny Races at fun City are NOT worth it.

[@ivancouto1028]

Not true. @@veghesther3204

[@SheIsTheOneNamedSailorMoon]

"B!tch becomes a house." 🤣😂

[@Expelsword]

Claude should absolutely be number 1. His ultimate weapon, Aeterna, lets him solo the game *easily*. The only argument against it is that a new player won't know how to get it. Even disregarding that, there's no bad way to use Claude, he's consistently effective even if you put no effort in. From a newbie perspective, Rena has to be 2. Nobody is going to beat the game without her, and even if you didn't need the healing, she has Angel Feather and Growth for buffing, plus offensive spells too, which means she can also do the only thing casters are good for - quickly interrupting all enemies. Ashton is definitely too low. He's got some things against him - namely that he can't use most shields, and most of his KMs are cool but really slow, (Hurricane Slash is good). However, the fact that he has the best normal swing in the game means he needs no investment at all. What he lacks in shields he also makes up for in his weapons, which offer him numerous stat boosts (Mephistophar), or broken damage increases (Gemini is effectively +75% normal attack damage; even his weaker arena weapon comes with a built in Berserk effect). That's not even getting into the post-game equipment that he naturally benefits from as a swordsman, with which he will boast the highest DPS in the game. Opera is indeed very good, but she does have flaws. I don't think she has any standout weapons, and she's best spamming Alpha-on-One as a hybrid support. Her claim to fame is being able to replace Rena, however that takes a lot of investment (making Healing Star *and* grinding it up to heal a large amount takes some real time). This is the primary reason I would dock her points. I would say Bowman is better than Precis. He might struggle getting in compared to her, but once he's there, his Poison Pills will put out insane damage. Like Ashton, he benefits from having his best option right away, whereas Precis has to make Barrier first (at least it's not as bad as Healing Star). Ally-Oop is okay in the meantime. Chisato is bit overrated. Her normal attack is terrible (a problem shared by Bowman, and especially Dias and Precis), but unlike those characters, the moves you want to be spamming on her cost a lot of MP, and it takes a while to even learn Tear Gas. Once you get to post-game she really takes off though. Ernest should be above every caster for sure. Merely being a melee fighter (even with a bad normal) is enough. Broken Heart is actually a really good move, it just feels like it takes forever to get it, since you have to suffer through playing him without it first. Celine should be above Noel. When she joins, you actually need a party member, whereas the only thing Noel can do that Rena can't (which comes at the cost of Angel Feather and even Raise Dead) is wear Bloody Armor. This is of course a fool-proof tactic, but if you're going that route, just use characters that can heal themselves instead.

[@ivancouto1028]

Chisato overrated? It's literally the strongest character in the game with the highest damage output.

[@Expelsword]

@@ivancouto1028 No, that would be Ashton.

[@ivancouto1028]

@@Expelsword ashton and claude are super close 2nd with chisato. Tbh it's arguable and i could agree with you in some categories For me chisato is weaker than claude and ashton until she reaches late game with the tear gas.

[@Expelsword]

​@@ivancouto1028 Tear Gas is very powerful for sure, but there are some downsides. First of all, its cast time this leads to intermittent bursts of damage rather than straight forward numbers. It also costs MP, and actually its damage is capped pretty low. Even at 255 with a Berserk Ring, Atlas Ring, Piano 2 playing, and a Kamikaze Tonic, I was only hitting in the 4-6k range on most hits. Compare this to Ashton with the Levantine Sword, Angel Armband, Slayer's Ring, at 1HP you're hitting 10k and 5k on nearly all of your 27 hits and you never need to stop. Chisato's long time to recruit, that she doesn't come at full effectiveness, and the fact that she has windup on her signature attack all prevent me from saying she's the best.

[@35infinite]

Love me some SO2. The Top 4 you listed is always my final party. Thanks for the vid, David.

[@brit69]

I have a soft spot for Celine's humongous milkers, I mean personality 🤔. I remember i got the ending where she and Rena ended up together. 🤔 No but seriously i love this game so much. Been playing the remake non stop since release.

[@Fa1nTy]

My question is : Is the remake going to nerf Opera's Healing Star, to make it so other healing is actually required lol

[@sharmist]

I have a bad feeling too lol

[@veghesther3204]

Even if they NERF to 3000 per use that's still better then bloody armoring NOEL since HIS fairy light/Heal spells barely top 2000 PER use when he uses those 2 spells.

[@michaelt1154]

Bish becomes a house, well said ❤

[@ZappBranniglenn]

Years of thinking Celine was an old witch rather than someone that happens to have gray hair. What a difference character portraits make

[@InitialDL84]

I never got a chance to play the original, but always wanted to try it out. But now that the remake is releasing and ive played the demo, im for sure getting this when it releases. Thanks for this character dissertation!

[@lens_hunter]

Really hope the remake rebalances some of the characters (and maybe add some new ones??) ESPECIALLY spellcasters. There need to be multi hitting spells because their damage just gets absolutely dwarfed by fighters. And I get it, this is an action RPG, we wanna up close and personal doing stuff, but I like casting magic damnit! I'd personally put Dias above Chisato. Illusion is bananas, super fast, and move him forward. Ashton would be tippy top tier if Swords Dance didn't plant him in place. Although if you can pin the boss down between two/three fighters, you can get the full damage from Swords Dance. Also wish Tri-Ace wasn't awful, considering what you have to do to get it. Dead Triangle has a long start up but I love using it. Fuck, I need to stop there or Im gonna write an essay. Love this game, and it's the reason why I call every bonus dungeon the "Cave of Trials" of the game.

[@OmegaLogos]

Dias’ air slash can solo the entire game. He’s literally the best character based on just that move.

[@whiteiswong]

David100K! Will we have a revised remake tier list should things get better for casters?

[@chadkimmel8957]

I only managed to recruit Opera once. Since we’re talking 24 years ago, I can’t remember how I did it, but I believe I picked Rena as the main character on my second play through.

[@melonusk6120]

My party 1. Claude 2. Chisato 3. Bowman 4. Opera 3 hitter + 1 healer. EZ Win

[@melonusk6120]

You can also steal 2 battle suits with pickpocket from Ernest. Very broken early to mid game

[@veghesther3204]

That's the only reason he should join else Ernest is crap on a Rena game replace Bowman with Dias and keep Claude Opera and Chisato in the party to join Dias.

[@melonusk6120]

@@veghesther3204 dias is slow hitter. Bowman or ashton is way better

[@veghesther3204]

Dias can still easily spam 9999 Air Slashes with the Marvel Sword Ashton is still PURE CRAP and BOWMAN is only useful UP to Eluria tower then starts to suck after Chisato can join the party.

[@louisdellalucca8969]

In my older playthroughs I NEVER recruited Opera and Ernest. But the only reason to get Ernest, is for the battle suit I do wonder if in the remake, you can rock a full physical party and use casters as support with the new call function

[@veghesther3204]

You can but Celine Ashton Precis Noel Leon Welch still won't ever be in my party if you can still Bloody armor a lv 100+ Claude Opera Dias Chisato/Bowman party even IF Healing Star ONLY restores 3000 HP not 5000 per use I'll still do that.

[@SuperDR2K]

Opera and Chisato. Just love their play styles and characters.

[@CrashPad56]

i've got divine force and the last hope but i haven't had time to check them out yet, i actually haven't ever tried a star ocean period yet but figured i'd try the graphical ones first, but this looks like it has promise

[@davidvinc]

Oh this is the best one!

[@CrashPad56]

i'll take your word for it we literally have the same taste in video games, i pretty much take your reviews as law at this point lol

[@jeffereykizior1605]

Does Claude really have all my physical needs covered?

[@TheCACopland]

Opera and her Tracking Plasma move completely annihilated the final bosses for me in my second run through. I remember the first time I was wrecked many times so I was sweating and racking my brain on how to handle it this time. Opera went brrrr lol

[@alkristopher]

I'd argue that Leon is worse than Celine and Noel. At least with Celine, she fills up the party early on and is useful as a distraction/meat shield until you get Bowman or Precis. By the time you get Leon, you have far better options available, and the only reason I even bother with him is completion. Ashton vs Opera is always a tough call. Do you get a pretty good fighter early on, or do you get a better fighter later, and risk having Ernest stink up your party? There are better swords available in the late game (Laeveteinn, anyone?), but Opera has better skills. Opera is pretty, Ashton is funny. Ashton has a good sidequest early on, which powers you up for the trials ahead, so I usually stick with him--at least in the Rena playthrough. Claude actually gets the #1 spot for one reason: the Aeterna blade. If you're patient enough, you can make a sword that basically lets you beat the entire game, right as soon as you're done with the tournament. Not only does it deal a silly amount of damage, it also sprays a shotgun blast for every swing, which piles even MORE damage on. Even tough bosses will melt after just a few hits, and the sword is good enough to carry you deep into the post-game as well. If you've never had the Aeterna blade before, I urge you to try and make one. Yeah, it's an RNG nightmare where you have to save-scum a thousand times, but once you get it, it is SOOOOO worth all the trouble! And hey, don't forget Welch!!!

[@Asch519]

I will always call it the Eternal Sphere. One of my favorite things to do is get the weapon immediately after the tournament. I love being broken so early in the game.

[@SomeRPGFan]

Ashton is the best character in the game personality-wise in my opinion and he is pretty useful too. So I would always choose him over Opera

[@veghesther3204]

IT sucks the Marvel Sword is still better and yes at lv 255 WITH the Eternal Sphere and Claude Bloody armored on Earth mode I could still NOT HIT Iselia queen at all With it I had her Block Claude's physical hits IN the Front Row at lv 255 on Earth mode using the Eternal Sphere so I kept the Marvel Sword on Claude/Dias for the entire game. Yes I could NOT have Dias HIT Iselia queen lv 255 on Earth mode with the Crimson Diablos weapon at all so I still had to Marvel Sword him as well. Chisato is the 3rd party member with a 100% hit/unblockable weapon BUT unless you give her a MP DRAIN factor on this version that weapon of her's WILL easily drain all HER MP to zero before Iselia queen even at lv 255 dies.

[@eliotwildermann]

But yeah i spammed claude with the helm splitter technique i think its called where he jumps up and bops u on the head with the sword i beat the game with that move alone 😊😅

[@Daviddododo]

STOKED for the remaster!🎉🎉🎉

[@AwkwardSauce-hi5xn]

"BITCH, BECOMES A HOUSE" 😂

[@deejmateo832]

I will always use celine because I wuv her. Lol

[@markwalker091]

You guys I'm literally crying about this Remake. This IS my first RPG ever! And it was the first Gift my Stepbrother ever gave me when I first met him. I was 8 years old and played this game to death. This game undoubtedly shaped my mind. My love for both Science Fiction and High Fantasy and even the My own Creative today is influenced by this game.

[@ShadesMan]

Man am I stoked for Star Ocean 2R!!!! With the updates to combat the mages will be improved, for sure. Lymle tier will be based squarely on the character, itself (personality-wise). Combine the worst characters into one, Lymle, Roger, Reimi... Reimyle - a fusion of obnoxious proportions tho it's opinion-based and results may vary! Wait... Chai- Say-to? I always thought it was Chi-Sah-to... well I know for sure I pronounced both Press-ee's and Nowl wrong as a kid (tomato, tomahto, maybe all work!)

[@NateDJ123]

Wait what about Welch? I know she wasn't in the original game but she was in Second Evolution and I'm pretty sure she'll be back in Second Story R.

[@veghesther3204]

She's still pure Crap.

[@iamthetie]

Good list! My first PlayStation play through I picked up Ashton, but on my PSP run I did Opera and she was fantastic. Her counterpart is a loaf of bread, but you don’t need him anyways 😂

[@Valancet]

People that say Ernest is bad have never actually used him. The dude has a lot of hidden perks.

[@ebossnz6838]

It seems they changed alot.

[@densetsuno6487]

I've always thought Ashton to be #2 or even #1 because of endgame. His normal attacks are god-tier speed. They were outdamaging everyone else I tried, even after ~10 playthroughs. I never tried Opera much, so that's where the #2 possibility comes in. I have a tech endgame with Angelic Garb 1hp via Mandrake followed by a 1hp res and Blue Talisman x2 where Ethereal Queen/Iseria Queen hit for 0, and since Ashton gets point blank with normal attacks and they're fast as heck, they will guard, send stars back on guard, Ashton will guard 90% of them and send more stars back with each hit doing 9999, she will guard 80% and send even more stars back, Ashton will guard and send more, so on so forth until she dies in like 1 minute.

[@carlaarnold5321]

David you are the best. I am loving this game You are my fav rpg youtube person. ❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤

[@deatho0ne587]

Hope they update the champs a bit, make some better and some worse. My biggest hope is they make the magic users more like modern mages in SO games.

[@momintim]

I’ve never played the game yet but from my understanding everybody hated magic because it cut into the battle but since it’s been revamped I wonder if perception will change

[@FallicIdol]

I found this game at Best Buy after Christmas in 1999 for $19.99. Bought it and loved it. Beat it and then never got back to it for 23 years. Hard to believe. Love the new version though.

[@Eternalwarpuppy]

I am so not down with this idea of Lymle tier being the bottom of the bucket. If you upgrade her healing spells, she will be more than sufficient at keeping your party alive, but what truly matters for a healer is being alive to heal you. Her dodge roll is excellent for getting anywhere on the battlefield quickly and safely, and if running away isn't an option she can call on Cerberus to keep her enemies at bay long enough to heal.

[@ALDWINJASPERJONIEGA]

the only reason to recruit ERNEST besides to get OPERA is to pickpocket the Strongest Armor from him during the scene in the ship.

[@edralev7671]

I'm a simple man i see Star Ocean 2 i click.

[@evilvoice1]

Are you still streaming on Twitch? I never get notified anymore. I'm missing the RPG streams!!!

[@IchigoKurosaki10]

This game comes 2 days before my birthday, and you just sent my hype to the clouds for the remake! Thanks a lot for the great video!

[@davidvinc]

I hope you have a very Happy birthday!

[@PenDreamt]

Look at that pristine jewel case! You earn major points for quality care of things that scratch just by looking at them!

[@chisaten]

I got this on my PSP, and loved it so much that after I completed the game, I hunted on eBay and bought an official guide so that I could find everything. I completed this game at least three times.

[@doritochip2760]

i got overwhelmed on the demo on earth mode! like i just kept dying everytime the battle started like i was stunned and my party would die before i could recover.should i have bought more equipment?

[@veghesther3204]

That's why the 1000 + str weapons for Claude/Rena are a MUST before entering Cross Cave on Earth mode else I didn't even last for 10 seconds before nearly all those Cross Cave enemies KILL you in 1 hit with the BEST STORE bought armors equipped you still won't last for long on earth mode.

[@doritochip2760]

@@veghesther3204 holy crap dog i thought it was supposed to be baby mode 🥹

[@veghesther3204]

IT USED to be too bad this remake practically gave everything on EARTH mode UNIVERSE MODE stats take Allen the FIRST boss you fight on a Rena game on this version with Claude at lv 1 I actually had Allen IN 1 hit do over 150 damage KILLING a lv 1 Claude on Earth mode instantly. He also has UNIVERSE mode HP on this version ON EARTH mode meaning in the PREVIOUS versions of the game Allen only has 400 HP and won't actually KILL a lv 1 Claude on a Rena game on Earth mode on those in 1 hit on This R version on Earth mode the game DOUBLED his HP so that you now have to deal with Him having 900 HP on Earth mode while he can still easily kill Claude in hit and a LV 8 Rena dies in ONLY 2 to 3 hits afterwards. Sadly due to CHANGING that spells no longer pause when used which is a GOOD thing the BAD thing about that is they changed the AI to party members you don't play as to BE PURE CRAP so if Allen on Rena game at lv 1 on Earth mode doesn't kill him in 1 hit her AI almost NEVER uses HER OWN HP restore spells ON Claude or herself even when you SET her AI TO ONLY using such spells so your better off just forcing Rena to manually use those.

[@doritochip2760]

@@veghesther3204 dang dog thats insane i dont have the patience for it but i wish i did thanks for the feedback tho 👊🏻

[@veghesther3204]

On the other versions I pretty much only had UNIVERSE mode enemies kill you in 1 hit at ANY lv that never happened until the games END on Earth mode ON the PS1/PSP version so what that means is that my lv 100 Claude Opera and Bowman party on EARTH mode on this version may need the BLOODY armors to survive the NORMAL hoffman ruins enemies over still being killed with 9999 HP in 1 to 2 hits their even on earth mode. Star Ocean 1st Departure R pretty much ALL the LATE game enemies had Universe mode stats so that a LV 130 party won't even survive the 1st floor OUT of the 30 its 7 Star ruin enemies had I actually still TOOK 9999 damage per hit but that game LACKS this ones bloody armors. it doesn't help that ALL 30 7 star ruins floors have 0 save points besides its entrance that is and First Departure R doesn't HAVE a AUTO Save option it in it this one will making the Cave of Trials LESS brutal by saving automatically every time you START the NEXT floor.

[@shier_it4956]

celine is an extremely slow spellcaster. Even with motormouth skill, she's still too slow. But I love how her spell visual effects (Southern Cross and Lunar Light are pretty). Rena has the fastest casting speed in the game for me. Her Starflare is one of my favorite skills to "spam" to interrupt the boss' spell casting. I will usually keep on toggling the spell casting on Rena until it's ready and immediately cast another Star Flare. Though the spell casters are indeed not the best DPS in the game, but the spells' interactions with each other were interesting. If the boss and character cast the same type of spell, the stronger one will push through, but if both are of the same level, they will CANCEL or REFLECT each other . I found that out when Rena and Leon both casted Star and Shadow Flare at the same time, and the mobs did not get any damage. Then there's that high level eagle mob that can also cast star flare, and when Rena casted starflare at the same time, both spells reflected each other (my characters got the damage from Rena's and the mob got damaged by it's own). There are also spells that will combine to give a higher damage. Celine's Lunar Light and Rena's Star Flare is a good example. Or Rena's Light Cross and Celine's starlight. Can't wait until this game comes out next month. Ill be buying it for my switch immediately.

[@JanHarveySevilla]

The spell combination is only applicable in Star Ocean Second Story (PS1) unfortunately. It doesn’t work on the PSP version (SO2 Evolution)

[@shier_it4956]

@@JanHarveySevilla oh... I didnt get to play the PSP version. That's too bad. It was always a surprise seeing the spells combine or get reflected/cancelled

[@JanHarveySevilla]

@@shier_it4956 they made a lot of changes on the PSP version which is why I prefer the PS1 version honestly. Haha

[@akitothegeek]

Remember that mages got rebalenced in thisgame so that they dont suck anymore. their specials don't screenlock anymore

[@ChrisKuglerDev]

I'm gonna have to check out a character guide for the remake. I want to try and get characters I never got as a kid cause I took certain early game characters.

[@murkywaters5502]

Cool ranking!

[@tomico9154]

Will be playing this for the first time with the remake, unsure if I should preorder or wait though.

[@TonyViauTV]

OKAY I just subbed but I can't wait to follow your content

[@davidvinc]

Welcome aboard!!

[@johntracy72]

I renamed Ashton to Rusty because I knew someone in Florida named Rusty Anchors.

[@eitherorlok]

Thanks for this. I just picked up the Switch remake after not touching the game since the PS release and this was a good refresher.

[@reas0nless]

I love seeing David getting sponsors. Werk! It really all just be about Dias, huh.

[@Asch519]

It's a real shame that we have to choose between Opera/Ashton. I've always wanted to recruit him but Opera is just too essential to pass up. It sucks cuz I'd choose Ashton over Precis/Bowman and Chisato/Noel. This time I'll do my Claude with Opera/Ernest, Precis and Chisato. Rena I'll go with Ashton, Bowman, Noel and Welch (I think I have room for her?)

[@irvingkirvan5284]

Yes! I personally think Ashton may even be just as good as Claude, with his biggest downside really only being that he locks you out of recruiting Opera.

[@ryxyr]

I was drinking when he pronounced Chisato as "chy-suh-toh" and I almost spit my drink all over my screen. It's "Chee-suh-toh" (チサト) my dear Davidvinc...

[@Yeaster]

I liked Leon and Celine as characters, but gameplay wise the mages left much to be desired. Chisato was the best of both worlds for me ❤

[@MarxasThomas]

Chisato uses magic

[@eliotwildermann]

Where these mages suck lymle was a great character in the last hope i spammed the hell out of her Cerberus techniques 😊

[@theeveryman3493]

I am personally attacked that Dias Flac is not in the top 4.

[@Palidor]

You're literally the giga chad meme. 'One copy of Star Ocean 2 R please'