Can You Play Xenoverse 2 Story Multiplayer? Everything You Need to Know
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The answer is a nuanced yes, but with significant caveats. While you cannot directly play through the entire main story campaign of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 with another player in a traditional cooperative mode, the game offers several ways to experience parts of the story and other engaging content with friends online.
Understanding Xenoverse 2’s Multiplayer Structure
Xenoverse 2 features a hub world, Conton City, where players can interact, take on quests, and engage in various activities. The multiplayer functionality is primarily focused on these activities and specific mission types, rather than the core story progression.
Where Multiplayer Shines: Parallel Quests and Expert Missions
While the main story is a solo experience, Parallel Quests (PQs) and Expert Missions provide ample opportunity for cooperative play.
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Parallel Quests: These are alternate scenarios based on events from the Dragon Ball universe. Many PQs directly retell or re-imagine storylines, offering a way to experience key moments with up to three other players. This is the closest you’ll get to playing through “story-related” content together. You can choose to play with friends or be matched with random players online.
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Expert Missions: These are significantly challenging battles against powerful foes where teamwork is crucial. You’ll team up with five other players to take down formidable opponents like Demigra, Mira, and other super-powered threats. Success depends on coordinating attacks, reviving fallen allies, and utilizing strategic abilities.
The Time Machine and Limited Story Co-op
A limited form of story co-op exists through the Time Machine mechanic. After completing specific portions of the main story, you unlock certain story missions as replayable events that can be played with a friend online. However, this isn’t the entire story, only specific parts of it. This allows you and a friend to tackle those specific boss battles and moments. The main story is primarily single-player.
Why Not Full Story Co-op?
The design choice to keep the main story campaign largely single-player might seem disappointing to some. However, there are likely several reasons behind this decision:
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Story Focus: The main story of Xenoverse 2 centers around your custom character’s journey and their impact on the Dragon Ball timeline. Allowing multiple players to control different characters within the narrative could dilute the narrative’s focus and create inconsistencies.
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Balance and Difficulty: Adapting the difficulty and enemy AI for multiple players would require significant adjustments to the game’s combat system. Balancing the experience to be challenging but fair for different team compositions could be a complex undertaking.
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Cutscene and Dialogue Integration: Seamlessly integrating multiple player characters into pre-rendered cutscenes and dialogue sequences would present considerable technical challenges.
Alternatives to Story Co-op
Even though full story co-op is absent, players can still find ways to share the Xenoverse 2 experience with friends:
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Create a Team: Form a dedicated team with your friends and tackle PQs and Expert Missions together regularly. This fosters a sense of camaraderie and allows you to develop strategies and tactics as a unit.
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Share Custom Characters: Showcase your unique custom characters to each other and engage in friendly sparring matches.
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Discuss the Story: Discuss the main story with your friends as you progress through it, sharing your reactions and theories.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some common questions about multiplayer functionality in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2:
FAQ 1: Can I play the entire main story of Xenoverse 2 with a friend?
No, the entire main story campaign is designed as a single-player experience. You progress through it with your custom character alone.
FAQ 2: What parts of Xenoverse 2 can I play with friends online?
You can play Parallel Quests, Expert Missions, some Time Machine story missions, and engage in online battles with friends.
FAQ 3: How many players can participate in Expert Missions?
Expert Missions support up to six players online.
FAQ 4: How many players can participate in Parallel Quests?
Parallel Quests support up to four players online.
FAQ 5: Is there local co-op in Xenoverse 2?
No, Xenoverse 2 does not feature local co-op. Multiplayer is strictly online.
FAQ 6: Can I invite specific friends to play Parallel Quests or Expert Missions?
Yes, you can create private lobbies and invite specific friends to join your games.
FAQ 7: Do I need PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold to play online multiplayer?
Yes, you need an active PlayStation Plus subscription on PlayStation consoles or an Xbox Live Gold subscription on Xbox consoles to access online multiplayer features. The Nintendo Switch online service is also required for multiplayer on the Switch.
FAQ 8: Are there different difficulty levels for Parallel Quests and Expert Missions when playing multiplayer?
The difficulty of Parallel Quests and Expert Missions adjusts based on the number of players participating.
FAQ 9: Can I still play Parallel Quests and Expert Missions solo?
Yes, you can play both Parallel Quests and Expert Missions solo, although they are generally designed to be more challenging when played alone.
FAQ 10: How do I unlock Expert Missions?
Expert Missions are unlocked by progressing through the main story and completing specific quests.
FAQ 11: What are Raids in Xenoverse 2?
Raids are limited-time multiplayer events where players team up to defeat incredibly powerful bosses for rewards. These are not part of the main story.
FAQ 12: Can I transfer my Xenoverse 2 character to play with friends on a different platform?
No, character progress and data are typically platform-specific and cannot be transferred between different platforms.
FAQ 13: Does playing with friends in Parallel Quests and Expert Missions affect the story progression?
No, playing with friends in Parallel Quests and Expert Missions does not directly impact your progress in the main story. These are separate activities.
FAQ 14: Can I voice chat with other players during online multiplayer?
Yes, Xenoverse 2 supports voice chat during online multiplayer, allowing you to communicate with your teammates.
FAQ 15: Are there cross-platform multiplayer features in Xenoverse 2?
No, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 does not support cross-platform multiplayer. Players can only play with others on the same platform.
Conclusion
While the lack of full story co-op in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 might be a drawback for some, the game still offers plenty of engaging multiplayer content through Parallel Quests, Expert Missions, and other online activities. By teaming up with friends and exploring these options, you can still enjoy a cooperative experience within the Dragon Ball universe. So, gather your Saiyan squad and jump into Conton City!