The Matterboard

 

So now that you understand the basics of wtf is going on, let's get on with what's best to focus on in the beginning!

 

The Matterboard, or MB for short, is given to you by Xion upon meeting her in the shopping area for the first time. This board serves several purposes, which will now be explained.

 

In the very beginning, after making your character, you did a mission with a blonde boy named Afin, meeting Zeno and Echo along the way, right? Well, that's only the beginning, and there's a lot more story to see! A LOT more! At the time of writing this, there are 3 Episodes, each with differing numbers of Chapter. Each MB you get is a single Chapter in the story.It main purpose is the game's story. 

 

If you don't care for the story, there are still other things it does for you, especially in the beginning. The Matter Board requires you to sometimes get items (weapons, armor, etc) that don't normally drop from certain enemies. For example, a Tri-Boost 50% from a Gwanahda. That never happens, ever. But if you're on the part where you need it, from that enemy, it will drop it eventually. These drops are incredibly helpful to you, especially at low levels. This cannot be stressed enough. As you continue to level, you'll get more and more stuff that's relevant to what you're after. Some matter boards will not have anything you want/need, but rest assured, the next one or the one after will.

 

The third purpose ties into both of the previous points: titles. Titles are exactly what they sound like; titles for your character that anyone can see, depending on their overhead display settings. BUT, there is something else that goes along with this. When you unlock an MB, complete it, and/or reach 100% completion, you will not just get a title, but you will also get a reward. These items may be way better or close to what the MB itself asks you to farm for. For example, you may eventually get a Red or Blue weapon of what you use, such as, say, Blue Dual Blades. These are amazing to have at lower or even mid levels. You won't start getting better stuff unless you either buy it or start doing EQs on higher difficulties. 

 

TL;DR:

How to do each MB: Get Chapter -> Do Gold circles > Complete Story Mission that follows > Do the same mission again, except now do what you DID NOT do before (when applicable) > Go to Xion. Xion never moves from her spot, and each Chapter is done basically the same way.

Each matterboard consist of Gold and Blue objectives, and your aim is to complete every gold objective. Not all blue objectives are needed, but they do offer some great drops, so take a look at the ones out of the way to see if anything is relevant to what you're after.

 

Eventually progressing through a chapter will unlock a Story Mission. Generally there is an objective square to complete said mission, but you are free to do them whenever you like.

 

For the beginning 2 episodes, most Story Mission upon completion will only show a half star next to its mission. This is an indication that you must do the mission again, but select an alternative route to progress through the story. This alternative route will only appear once all Gold objectives have been completed. Once both sides of the story mission is complete, return to the shop area to trigger a Xion cutscene to receive your next Matter Board chapter.

tl;dr

For more information on Matter Boards, including clear requirements and specifics, please visit the following:
http://pso2.cirnopedia.info/matter_overview.php

 

Feel free to ask any of the Managers for more information.