Can you believe it, it's been almost a year since the launch of PSO2. This summer, PSO2 will launch a 1 year anniversary event both online and offline. SEGA will be touring 5 cities across Japan to hold the "Phantasy Star Thanks Festa 2013" fan event. This fan event will showcase the latest PSO2 information while hosting the Arks Grand Prix time attack tournament. Sega will also sell various Phantasy Star related merchandise such as T-shirts, P-Spec magazines, bath towels, and smart phone cases.

 

The "Phantasy Star Thanks Festa 2013 Online" update will introduce a brand new feature and event quest. In this update, you can play ARKS Bingo, battle an all-star cast of enemies, and rescue civilians in a Burning Rangers themed E-Trial. We'll have more details about this online event once the site opens, but in the meantime, let's check out what's coming up in the offline event.

 

Phantasy Star Online 2 Thanks Festa 2013

Locations and Schedule

Event Times: 10:00 ~ 18:00 JST

• June 9th in Tokyo  東京ビッグサイト
• June 15th in Nagoya  名古屋国際会議場
• June 29th in Fukuoka   スカラエスパシオ
• July 14th in Osaka    インテックス大阪
• July 28th in Sapporo     札幌コンベンションセンター
• August 3rd (Finals)  in Tokyo  DIFFER ARIAKE

Event Features

• Main Stage (PSO2 Episode 2 Info / Arks Grand Prix Tournament)
• Naura Shop (Phantasy Star Merchandise)
• Arks Grand Prix Preliminaries
• Vol Dragon Sculpture
• PSO2 Character Banner Display
• PSO2 Concept Artwork
• Sketching Corner
• Cosplay Corner
• Ship Exchange Area
• Dining Area

June 9th Stage Program

• Live Stream Broadcast with Sakai, Haruko Momoi, Ichitaro Ai, Atsuko Enomoto
• Episode 2 information.

Promotional Items

Guests that attend the Phantasy Star Thanks Festa 2013 offline event can receive several promotional items while supplies last.

• PSO2 Original Neck Strap 『PSO2』オリジナルネックストラップ
• PSO2 Fan『PSO2』うちわ
• A Real Scratch Card リアルスクラッチカード
  (Match All 3 ARKS logos and win original merchandise.)

Each event location will offer an exclusive item code card for two T-shirts and an accessory. The accessory you receive is based upon the city that hosts the event.

 

感謝祭２０１３ＴシャツＭ Festa 2013 T-Shirt M
感謝祭２０１３ＴシャツＦ Festa 2013 T-Shirt F
(Available in All locations)

 

人形焼きイヤリング Ningyo-yaki Earing (Fried Dolls)
(Available in  Tokyo)

 

金シャチヘアピン Gold Orca Hairpin
(Available in Nagoya)

 

明太子イヤリング Mentaiko Earring
(Available in Fukuoka)

 

たこ焼きかんざし Takoyaki Hairpin
(Available in Osaka)

 

 

木彫りのクマヘアピン Bear Carving Hairpin
(Available in Sapporo)

Arks Grand Prix

PC players in teams of 4 and Vita players in teams of 2 will compete in a time attack tournament quest. First place winners in each city will take home a trophy room item, 25,000 AC, and a commemorative medal.

The tournament finals held in Tokyo will give the winning team a commemorative trophy, the ability to design their own item, 50,000 AC, and a gold trophy room item.

 

Item Design Contest

Item Design Entry Example

Now all that fluff is out of the way, let's get down to business. The PSO2 development team wants YOU to design new weapon camos, costumes and accessories! Winners will see their designs come to life as in-game items in three separate divisions; [Weapon Camo] [Costumes] and [Accessories].

Entry Period

• May 24th through July 16 @ 11:00 JST

Several Winners in Each Division

Contest Rules

• Designs should pertain to Phantasy Star Online 2
• They are not accepting hairstyles, head parts, body parts, leg parts, and arm parts designs at this time.
• Designs may be slightly modified when converted into CG models for the game.
• Entries must be original, unpublished works, created by the submitter.
• One person may enter several times.
• If a contest entrant is selected, their nickname or character name may be shown at the official site.
• Once a CG model is made, the item will be released in AC Scratch. The winner will receive the item they created directly from SEGA.
• The submitted image should be a JPEG file up to 1MB in size.
• You must use the submission form to submit your entry, using any other methods will make the entry invalid.
• Please provide some information about your work in the comments box on the official form.
• Your entry is disqualified if your design is published anywhere other than the entry submission form.
• Please refrain from publishing your design on a blog or social networking site. If they confirm your entry was published prior to the announcement of the contest results, your entry may be disqualified.
• Entries should avoid using copyrighted works owned by a third party.

Winner Announcements

• The "Nominees" and "Contest Results" are published separately.
• The winners will be announced at the players site.

Entry Categories

Use the radio buttons to select one of the three divisions your entry belongs to. Within the "Category" section of the entry form, please write in Japanese the category name of the submission. You can see the list of categories and their English translations below.

Weapon Camo Division 武器迷彩部門

• ソード Sword / ワイヤードランス Wired Lance / パルチザン Partisan
• ツインダガー Twin Dagger / ダブルセイバー Double Saber / ナックル Knuckle
• ガンスラッシュ Gunslash / アサルトライフル Assault Rifle 
• ランチャー Launcher / ツインマシンガン Twin Machine Gun
• ロッド Rod / タリス Talis / ウォンド Wand

Costume Division コスチューム部門

• コスチューム 全種族男女共用 / Unisex Costumes for All Races
• コスチューム 全種族男性 / Male Costumes for All Races
• コスチューム 全種族女性 / Female Costumes for All Races

Costume Designs Template

Accessory Division アクセサリー部門

• アクセサリー Accessory

Please note they are not accepting hairstyles, head parts, body parts, leg parts, and arm parts designs at this time.

For full contest rules, see the official site.

 

 The Missing Weapon Camo

SW-Tear Downer (Weapon Camo)

Some readers have noted that one weapon camo appears to be missing from the Border Break Union collaboration. Sega has chosen not to reveal the details on how to obtain this item. Back in the PSO2 Live Broadcast, Sakai dropped a hint that there may be something else besides Cougar NX appearing in the game. If this is true, then perhaps this weapon camo might be an item drop from another Border Break enemy.