The second title in the Star Ocean franchise and all of its later remakes feature two possible protagonists to its story, and the same is true for The Second Story R. Here you’ll find all the differences between picking Claude or Rena as the main lead in the game.
Should You Pick Claude or Rena as the Protagonist in Star Ocean Second Story R?
Right after hitting New Game, you’ll be prompted with the choice of picking either the human Claude or the expelian Rena as the game’s protagonist. Certain events will be slightly different as you’ll have access to your chosen protagonist’s thoughts and insights. Claude’s story has more important info about the main plot and might be better for first-timers, but Rena allows an easier playthrough as she has access to a certain character.
But the story will be mostly the same regardless of your choice. The main differences will be during rare story instances where Claude and Rena are apart, and you’ll follow the story from your chosen character’s point of view until they eventually meet again.
Each protagonist also has a few exclusive Private Actions, but the vast majority is shared between them. Picking Claude will give you more overall lore about the universe and the game’s main plot, while Rena gets you more lore information on locals and expands more on certain characters’ personal backstories.
All Claude and Rena Story Differences in Star Ocean Second Story R
Even though your protagonist choice won’t impact the main plot that much, there are a few key differences between their stories. The most important are listed below:
- The game’s intro is vastly different until Claude and Rena meet for the first time.
- The party’s default leader will be your chosen protagonist (can be changed anytime).
- Exclusive story portions will be available for both characters.
- Certain PAs are exclusive to Claude or Rena.
- Claude cannot recruit Dias, while Rena cannot recruit Leon.
- Claude’s PAs are often related to his past and the overall universe, while Rena’s are more about other characters.
Aside from the story differences, the main gameplay difference is having Leon (the strongest mage) if you pick Claude or having Dias (the strongest sword fighter) if you pick Rena. Both are still optional recruitable characters, but there’s little to no reason not to have them on the team unless you’re doing a self-imposed challenge.
Items, strategies, and similar features will be exactly the same with both characters, save for certain special PAs. The game incentivizes you to play it multiple times with its 80+ endings, so you might wanna give both protags a shot eventually. At the end of the day, just pick the one you like the most and you’ll be fine through the whole game.
