When is the ideal time to start Phantom Liberty?

[MSgt Peterson]

Legit question. Do you start it in Act II? Act III? I'm not sure where it make sense from a story perspective.

[Sir Danglefrögge]

Takes place after you finish your business with the Voodoo Boys in Pacifica

[CITIZEN KANE]

i think storywise it would make sense after finishing panam's and voodoo boys quests, then start PL when you get the quest objective "pursue other leads or wait until Takemura is ready" in Play it Safe

so i usually save takemura's quests for last, after finishing dogtown.
this way, you go into dogtown finding more ways to deal with the relic, and without having to make hanako wait for days at the embers.

[Bjørn]

I found this online somewhere when I started playing, although it's mainly meant for when wanting to get the new ending, I guess, but it could be a pointer. I didn't fully complete the game the first time, but started a new game now, and using this as a general guide now as well:

Rather than beginning Phantom Liberty when the opportunity presents itself, hold off on jumping right in and play until you unlock the Act 3 mission ‘Nocturne Op55N1, which is one of those “You can’t turn back beyond this point” missions.
That means you’ll need to complete Act 1, and the following Act 2 missions:

Search and Destroy
Play It Safe
Gimme Danger
Automatic Love
Down on the Street
Playing for Time
Tapeworm
Ghost Town

By jumping into Phantom Liberty at this time, you’ll be far enough in the main game that the new ending, which you can only unlock by beating Phantom Liberty, will actually make sense. That’s because depending on which endings you unlock in Phantom Liberty, there’s a chance the game will end right then and there for you. But by reaching Act 3, you’ll essentially replace the Act 3 missions and endings with Phantom Liberty’s creating a much more satisfying, and complete, story arc for V. Plus, characters from the main game will factor into new Phantom Liberty ending, but their appearances will make much more sense once you reach Act 3 of the main campaign.

[Tokenn]

Dunno if there's an ideal time to start PL... For my first play into Dogtown, I skipped a lot of the non-main quests in the base game. No Peralez's, no River, no Kerry, no Judy after the rescue, no date with Rogue. When I got to the PL ending, I realized that I had missed a lot. In my current game, I've done as much as possible before entering Dogtown, and will definitely complete the main game (except for the Meeting at Embers) before going to the conclusion of Phantom Liberty.

[SplinteredSilhouette]

The gear you get in PL makes the main game pretty easy imo.

I play it concurrently with the main game after Pacifica. Just jump between missions in both.

[Magnouver]

I played it before the parade mission, but i regretted it. There is a headset cosmetic you can get from lizzy which only obtainable if youve met her on the main game (i think after u complete Search and Destroy after a few hours the side mission to meet her is available). And i want it to complete my female V looks. Now im restarting again lmao. If you dont care about that, then it doesnt rly matter when u start it ig