{"id":63286,"date":"2026-03-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=63286"},"modified":"2026-03-17T15:28:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T06:28:54","slug":"granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/","title":{"rendered":"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok CBT: smooth\u00a0crossplay, much needed quality-of-life improvements, and a look at Beatrix\u2019s straightforward gameplay\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the weekend, Cygames allowed a select few to try the closed beta for Granblue Fantasy: Relink<\/strong>\u2019s upcoming expansion, Endless Ragnarok. While the purpose of the beta is to test the game\u2019s new crossplay feature, the improved settings and addition of Beatrix as a playable character make waiting for July 9 much harder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Crossplay makes playing with friends easier than ever <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A new \u201cCrossplay\u201d option has been included in the game\u2019s Online mode, which is found by interacting with any settlement Quest Counter. The option can be adjusted when creating or joining an online session (it is set to \u201cAll Platforms\u201d by default).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Matchmaking Region option allows you to further customize what players you come across, it was not available in the beta test. Nevertheless, I did not experience any noticeable lag in the online sessions I played with users on my system nor through crossplay (this applies to both sessions where I was the host and when I in other players\u2019 lobbies). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New quality-of-life features make navigating menus and gameplay easier <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Endless Ragnarok beta includes some helpful features in its Game Options menu. For instance, the Gameplay section includes an option that lets controller players switch the \u201caccept\u201d and \u201ccancel\u201d buttons. Likewise, the User Interface section lets you set what face buttons you would like to see on screen (this option is available on the PC version). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Equally helpful are the gameplay features, which include being able to adjust the Battle Effects Intensity (setting this to \u201cMinimal\u201d makes combat exceptionally easier to navigate, especially in multiplayer) and the brightness of the Player Silhouette when characters are hidden behind terrain or enemies.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of the features mentioned are currently available in Granblue Fantasy: Relink, but given that they\u2019re integral to menu navigation and gameplay, it\u2019s likely they will be added to the base game via a future update for free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beatrix is a powerhouse, but the demo is rather limiting <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Probably the main reason many players signed up for the beta is Beatrix. As the only new playable character in the beta\u2019s roster, she is as straightforward as they come.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of Beatrix\u2019s gameplay is her Delta Clock mechanic. By holding down an input, you can switch between passive attack, defense, and healing buffs.\u00a0Her Delta Clock charges whenever you land combo finishers, allowing you to activate\u00a0the\u00a0Undying Blue\u00a0state\u00a0when it is full\u00a0to\u00a0temporarily\u00a0increase her attack speed and combos. Undying Blue is activated by holding down the same input for the Delta Clock for a longer duration.\u00a0You\u00a0rarely get confused as to whether\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0activating Undying Blue or Delta Clock\u00a0in the middle of battle,\u00a0but\u00a0holding down an input\u00a0feels clunky and\u00a0opens Beatrix up to enemy attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As neither Delta Clock nor Undying Blue increases Beatrix\u2019s effective range, most of her skills in the beta allow her to get close to enemies quickly. Unchained lets her quickly dodge up to three times, with each successful dodge against an enemy attack allowing her to follow up with a combo finisher. Riding Free is another gap-closing skill, with Beatrix lunging straight at the enemy with her sword. Though not as far-reaching, Thunderbird has her jumping into the air to avoid ground attacks and slamming down with a stun-dealing kick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beatrix has two more skills in the beta, with Star Chaser allowing her to fire a long-range energy slash,\u00a0and Eternity Loop\u00a0dealing\u00a0an area of effect attack that slows down enemies in her vicinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These skills showcase Beatrix\u2019s general playstyle, but the beta isn\u2019t a real test of her or any of her companions\u2019 abilities. Only three missions are available, all of which are from the base game and capped at a certain difficulty. Likewise, players are set to level 10 and are provided with preset gear for all of the characters. No loot or experience can be earned from completing missions, which could have helped returning players theory craft builds and new players get a better understanding of Granblue Fantasy: Relink\u2019s core gameplay loop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the lack of progression and customization, the Granblue Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok closed beta test gives players a taste of what Cygames has been working on for two years since the last major update. Crossplay works seamlessly with the other online features, several quality-of-life features make the experience smoother, and Beatrix\u2019s initial gameplay translates to the character\u2019s brash and blunt fighting style. Endless Ragnarok is still a few months away, but from the look of things, the developers seem to be on the right track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink is available for PlayStation 4 and 5, and Windows (Steam<\/a>). The Endless Ragnarok expansion is set to release on July 9 for the\u00a0aforementioned platforms, alongside a Nintendo Switch 2 version on the same day.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:\u00a0Granblue\u00a0Fantasy to host\u00a0Fullmetal\u00a0Alchemist collab event, with Edward Elric featured as the first\u00a0gacha\u00a0character<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Butt-controlled fighting game\u00a0Ketsu\u00a0Battler to welcome\u00a0Granblue\u00a0Fantasy Versus: Rising\u2019s Beelzebub as its first guest fighter<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Impressions of Cygame’s recent closed beta test for Granblue Fantasy: Relink’s Endless Ragnarok expansion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":63288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-reviews"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nGranblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok CBT: smooth\u00a0crossplay, much needed quality-of-life improvements, and a look at Beatrix\u2019s straightforward gameplay\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Impressions of Cygame's recent closed beta test for Granblue Fantasy: Relink's Endless Ragnarok expansion.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok CBT: smooth\u00a0crossplay, much needed quality-of-life improvements, and a look at Beatrix\u2019s straightforward gameplay\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Impressions of Cygame's recent closed beta test for Granblue Fantasy: Relink's Endless Ragnarok expansion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-17T15:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260317-63286-header.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1686\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carlos "Zoto" Zotomayor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carlos "Zoto" Zotomayor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok CBT: smooth\u00a0crossplay, much needed quality-of-life improvements, and a look at Beatrix\u2019s straightforward gameplay\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST","description":"Impressions of Cygame's recent closed beta test for Granblue Fantasy: Relink's Endless Ragnarok expansion.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok CBT: smooth\u00a0crossplay, much needed quality-of-life improvements, and a look at Beatrix\u2019s straightforward gameplay\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST","og_description":"Impressions of Cygame's recent closed beta test for Granblue Fantasy: Relink's Endless Ragnarok expansion.","og_url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/","og_site_name":"AUTOMATON WEST","article_published_time":"2026-03-17T15:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1686,"height":940,"url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260317-63286-header.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Carlos \"Zoto\" Zotomayor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AUTOMATON_ENG","twitter_site":"@AUTOMATON_ENG","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carlos \"Zoto\" Zotomayor","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/"},"author":{"name":"Carlos \"Zoto\" Zotomayor","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/2812ca8facd5f161edfbc531cf81eb31"},"headline":"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok CBT: smooth\u00a0crossplay, much needed quality-of-life improvements, and a look at Beatrix\u2019s straightforward gameplay\u00a0","datePublished":"2026-03-17T15:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/"},"wordCount":1008,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260317-63286-header.jpg","articleSection":["News","Reviews & Impressions"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/","name":"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok CBT: smooth\u00a0crossplay, much needed quality-of-life improvements, and a look at Beatrix\u2019s straightforward gameplay\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260317-63286-header.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-17T15:00:00+00:00","description":"Impressions of Cygame's recent closed beta test for Granblue Fantasy: Relink's Endless Ragnarok expansion.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260317-63286-header.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260317-63286-header.jpg","width":1686,"height":940,"caption":"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink Beatrix"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-cbt-smooth-crossplay-much-needed-quality-of-life-improvements-and-a-look-at-beatrixs-straightforward-gameplay\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u30db\u30fc\u30e0","item":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok CBT: smooth\u00a0crossplay, much needed quality-of-life improvements, and a look at Beatrix\u2019s straightforward gameplay\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/","name":"AUTOMATON WEST","description":"AUTOMATON is a website that covers the Japanese gaming world. We bring you the news on video games from Osaka and Tokyo.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#organization","name":"\u682a\u5f0f\u4f1a\u793e\u30a2\u30af\u30c6\u30a3\u30d6\u30b2\u30fc\u30df\u30f3\u30b0\u30e1\u30c7\u30a3\u30a2","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/activegamingmedia_logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/activegamingmedia_logo.png","width":374,"height":190,"caption":"\u682a\u5f0f\u4f1a\u793e\u30a2\u30af\u30c6\u30a3\u30d6\u30b2\u30fc\u30df\u30f3\u30b0\u30e1\u30c7\u30a3\u30a2"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/AUTOMATON_ENG","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCabvYnvuUUbbGUrxkaFRgSA"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/2812ca8facd5f161edfbc531cf81eb31","name":"Carlos \"Zoto\" Zotomayor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/display-pic-100x100.jpg","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/display-pic-100x100.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/display-pic-100x100.jpg","caption":"Carlos \"Zoto\" Zotomayor"},"description":"Automaton West writer. Zoto has been playing video games for 30+ years now but has only recently come to grips with PC gaming. When he isn't playing video games, he watches romance anime and gets mad when his best girl never wins.","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/author\/carlos-zotomayor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63286"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63297,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63286\/revisions\/63297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}