So in Star Ocean The Second Story R, Rena or Claude are the two possible protagonists you can choose. You pick your route, but it’s important to note that each one is a little bit different.
What changes in Rena’s route in Star Ocean The Second Story R?
Rena’s story is more of an on-the-ground approach. You aren’t getting the larger context of the galaxy at large. Instead, it’s focused more on what is happening on Expel and Nede, as well as Rena’s own past. It’s interesting, but Claude’s storyline does offer a bit more to it, due to the extra insights. Rena also features a much shorter introduction, as it almost immediately jumps into her meeting Claude in the Sacred Forest just next to Arlia.
Rena is more of an all-rounder compared to Claude, when it comes to her as a fighter. She’s absolutely one of the best characters in the game and quite strong. She uses short-ranged melee attacks, by attacking with her fists, and is honestly a really good mage. She learns the Heal and Antidote spells early on, with the former being far more useful in my experience since you don’t see many poisoning foes initially. Odds are she’ll be your healer for much of the game, especially since she is the only person who learns the Raise Dead revival spell near the end of the game. I tended to use her to attack and heal or support the team, only occasionally using spells like Crush or Light Cross.
Oh, and with Rena’s route you can secure a special ending for Celine.
To round things out, Rena is the only person who can get Dias on her team. He’s arguably the strongest physical attacker. (Ashton and Claude are also quite good.) Since the best teams in the game can involve one caster-type character and three fighters, you could go with Rena, Ashton, Claude, and Dias and absolutely beat down any opponent in your way. Though if you aren’t going to use Rena for spells and are set on having a mage, Rena with Claude/Ashton, Dias, and Noel/Celine isn’t a bad option.
What changes in Claude’s route in Star Ocean The Second Story R?
Well, first of all, Claude’s introduction can feel a bit longer. This is because you’re choosing his storyline, you’re actually beginning in outer space on a ship. It offers a little more exposition about what space travel is like, the Terran Alliance war, a hint at what happened in Star Ocean: First Departure R and Ronyx, and you even see Ronyx and Claude’s strange encounter on the planet Milokeenia. So a lot happens to him before he meets Rena, while her story basically starts with encountering him in the forest. After that, their stories tend to be rather similar, but Claude’s side does offer more insight into what’s going on and the world in general.
It also means you have a strong attacker at the very outset. While he never learns spells, Claude does gain Arts. Air Slash and Meteor Palm are the two earliest ones he’ll get, and both are quite helpful.
Finally, Claude’s exclusive character is Leon. He’s… fine? He’s a solid symbologist. So since you chose the person who is primarily a melee fighter, it’s like Tri-Ace and Square Enix made up for that by giving you one of the strongest mages in the game. But also, this is a game where you only really need one mage for your party, so it isn’t as though he’s critical in the way extra long or short-ranged melee fighters are.
Should I choose Rena or Claude as the hero of Star Ocean The Second Story R?
I have always favored Rena’s route. I like her storyline, I like her ally options and interactions, and it’s fantastic to build her up as a healer and fighter throughout the story. If you want a run where you build up potentially the strongest party in the game with her, Ashton, Claude, and Dias, then tackle all the endgame and supplemental content, you’d have a good time.
However, Claude’s route is really insightful one. I do feel like you come away with a lot “more” out of the experience when you start with his storyline. Leon isn’t that great of a character though, and you will be sacrificing access to one of the best fighters in the game.
Honestly, playing through twice — with Claude first, then Rena — is the best answer. But if you are only going through one time, Claude is best if you really care about Star Ocean series lore in general and the sci-fi edge, while I feel like Rena’s is a lot more fun if you want to go for the best possible party and see everything.
Star Ocean The Second Story R is on the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC. The game can also immediately be found on the PlayStation and PSP worldwide and the PS3, PS4, and Vita in Japan.
