What are PAs in Star Ocean The Second Story R? – Answered

Entering a city in Star Ocean The Second Story R might trigger a special event known as Private Actions, or just PA for short. These unique and sometimes temporary events are very important for the usual gameplay loop and shouldn’t be neglected by anyone going through the main story.

What Are Private Actions in Star Ocean Second Story R?

Private Actions are events that expand on a character’s backstory in the game. They let you see what characters usually do when the party’s not around. They’re triggered according to which point you’re in the story and which characters you recruited/are currently traveling with you. They range from small interactions between two characters (not necessarily including your protagonist) or simply a tiny flashback for Claude or Rena.

To trigger a PA, enter a city and press Square (Playstation), X (Xbox), Y (Switch), or R (Keyboard) to switch to PA mode. Each party member will go their own way, and you can follow the PA icon on the map (if there are any available) to start this special event. Multiple PAs can be active in the same area at the same moment, but you’ll have to make them one at a time.

PAs are basically some extra lore you get for characters, but they also increase your party members’ friendship values according to who was involved in said PA. Some PAs might even get you extra items, trigger character recruitment quests or sometimes even alter some main story events permanently.

How to Find PAs in Star Ocean Second Story R

New PAs will be available as you recruit more party members and progress through the main story. To make sure you’re not missing out on any of them, press the Fast Travel button (up in Controls, 1 in Keyboard) whenever you advance in the main story to check if there’s a new PA icon somewhere.

PA icons with hourglasses mean they’re temporary and will vanish forever if you don’t complete them soon.

This makes triggering certain PAs a bit trickier, and some of them will even have more specific requirements. There’s a PA in Harley that requires pickpocketing a boy with Claude, for example. Completing certain PAs can also unlock more PAs in other areas. It’s basically an endless loop, and new party compositions could trigger entirely new PAs, as well as having different protagonists.