You're not playing as Adol this time around

Ys Online: The Ark of Napishtim has finally made its way to Android. An action RPG MMO gacha from the classic Ys series, developed by Falcom and published by Zilong Game Limited, which also published Counter:Side, one of the best gacha games on Android. Neither is it the first MMORPG Ys entry; we've had Ys Online — The Call of Solum, released back in 2007 from CJ Internet, known as Netmarble today. Ys Online: The Ark of Napishtim is adapted from the world of Ys VI, where you come across two sisters living on Canaan Island, and so you'll follow events in the Ys VI storyline, which essentially means you can view this game as a remake of the original.

Thankfully you don't need a top-of-the-line Android phone to play Ys Online: The Ark of Napishtim, but be prepared to face complex grinding systems that'll stop you in your tracks from progressing further, which is precisely why Android Police has compiled a beginner's guide, detailing how the game plays, and the valuable features and systems that you won't want to neglect.

Before getting into the servers, you'll choose a login method to create an account. You have access to Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Email. So far, it seems impossible to sign in with a guest account, so you'll have to choose your login method either way.

The next step is to pick your server; remember your progress is tied to the selected server. You'll aim to choose a server within your region and one that is less busy if you prefer reliable connectivity. Once you're ready, Tap to Start.

Once you're in the game, you're greeted by the Goddess Alma. She will ask you a survey of questions.

Answers to question 1 (determines your main class):

Answers to question 2 (determines your class promotion):

Answers to question 3 (determines your talents):

You'll have a recommended starting class after answering Alma's questionnaire. However, if you're uninterested in the recommendation, tap on Choose Your Class.

You have a choice of one of four main classes, which breaks out into specializations between two advanced classes (similar to Fire Emblem).

You can decide between four main classes:

You can name your character on the character class select screen or tap the dice icon to randomize a name for your character. Once you're ready, tap Start.

Ys Online adopts the action RPG combat system where you can dodge, jump, normal attack, and activate skills. Some of your equipped skills will require choosing a direction to cast/activate, and the same logic can be applied when facing enemies that transmit their skills using a red line of sight. So if you see an area lit up in red, always dodge and move out of the area. This way you'll avoid taking trash damage during a fight.

Tapping on a mission will put you on auto-path, where your character auto-runs to the objective marker. You can directly control your character if you don't want to turn on auto-pathing. The game's first section doesn't offer a map, so if you ever get lost tracking an objective, turn on auto-pathing to travel towards the task at hand.

You'll have the opportunity to interact with NPCs to help advance a quest or get a reward. When you select "chat," you're required to fill in the blanks using multiple choice answers. Choosing the correct answer increases your success rate. If you're successful, you'll see "convince" pop up on your screen.

You can further interact with NPCs by sending gifts, receiving gifts, and raising affection levels. Bonding with NPCs may grant you helpful rewards and perks.

You can equip Soul Cards in four equipment slots: weapon, chest, legs, and helmet. Equipping Soul Cards adds primary and special attributes, activated by leveling up Soul Cards.

Some Soul Cards offer skills that activate in battle. The first you'll unlock is the Pikkard Soul Card, where you'll transform into a Pikkard to cast Meat Shield, dealing 2000% damage while protecting you from taking damage with a sturdy shield.

You'll acquire a few Soul Cards by completing the first few missions. But the rest depends on using the Soul Card wish system. When you wish, you consume attempts, and a wishing attempt will distribute random rewards, eerily similar to a typical gacha system where more banners are unlocked by fulfilling extra conditions (like completing story missions).

Adding Soul Cards, leveling, and putting on equipment will raise your Battle Points (BP). Tapping on your BP breaks down your total and all the sources you can acquire more BP. Your BP reflects your power level, so do your best to raise your BP as you start gaining levels. Owning too low of a BP rating may gate you out of future content or prevent you from completing it.

The primary progression system is Adventure Rank. Each node has a trial, a list of requirements that need to be fulfilled before completing that node level. Tap on the completed trial to claim your reward, and you'll earn points to raise your Adventure Rank. Your Adventure Rank is displayed next to your character name while on the field.

You'll unlock the upgrade tree for your skills around the twenty-minute mark while playing. Open the Skill menu, select a skill, and then tap Upgrade. You'll acquire new skills, viewing access to your advanced class trees and configuration for your battle skills (choosing which to equip) through the Skill menu. Skills are all level locked, but once you've learned the skill, you can begin investing points to start upgrading. You'll raise your BP this way.

Ys Online: The Ark of Napishtim is the average run-of-the-mill MMO with gacha game mechanics, which is not necessarily bad. And this isn't Falcom's first rodeo bringing the MMO genre to one of the Ys titles, meaning you shouldn't expect too many surprises on what you'll get. Ys Online: The Ark of Naphishtim is a title worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of Ys VI since it borrows characters from the world and lets you experience the Ys VI story as your own character (sorry, Adol). You may surprise yourself that this game is fine without needing to shake up the formula, but still be your own judge on whether the game is for you or not, which is precisely why we included the Google Playstore download below. If Ys Online: The Ark of Napishtim isn't your cup of tea, we have many great MMORPGs on Android that you can check out.

Faith writes guides, how-tos, and roundups on the latest Android games and apps for Android Police. You’ll find her writing about the newest free-to-play game to hit Android, or compiling explainer guides on popular social networking apps like Twitch and Discord. Her area of expertise is in action RPGs and gacha games, but will play and study the occasional competitive shooter. Before joining Android Police, Faith studied Chemistry and graduated with an honors specialization in Chemistry in 2016; leading her to spending many hours toiling around the lab during her time spent as an undergraduate, eventually developing her analytical mindset to dissect and dissemble information and data to arrive at an answer. Her favorite pastime was writing reports, presentations, tutorials, and literature reviews, which led to her pursuing a career in writing after completing a graduate certificate in technical writing. Faith’s first Android phone was Samsung Galaxy Note II in 2012, giving her a taste of how a small piece of powerful hardware can open anyone up to endless opportunities for your favorite hobbies. She’s also been a gamer for over 20 years, starting with Super Mario Bros. on the NES; she has owned over 15 devices for gaming ranging from handhelds to consoles. Now with her analytical mindset, passion for writing, and core identity as a gamer, she can finally chase her dreams as a technical writer and gaming journalist. Nowadays, you’ll find Faith studying spreadsheets and assembling data to theorycraft new teams and builds for Genshin Impact. You’ll also see her trying to dig deep to discover Android gaming’s most hidden gems.