Persona 3 Reload is all about fusing badass monsters and nailing down the weaknesses of all the shadows you come across. However, a keen knowledge of your party members is also quite invaluable. There is a lot to wrap your head around in the RPG remake, so here’s a selection of tips and tricks to help you make the most of combat.

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Strengths And Weaknesses Are Everything

Similar to other Persona games or basically anything else inside the Shin Megami Tensei pantheon, you will be taking control of teenagers who can summon ancient monsters to do their bidding. Each of which is outfitted with a selection of elemental skills and abilities. These range from Bufu (Ice) to Zio (Thunder) to Agi (Fire) to Mudo (Dark).

All of these come with upgraded and group variants too, meaning you can strike a single foe or several at once depending on how much SP you intend on spending. There’s also many physical attacks to take into consideration, but these will shed HP instead of SP.

Everyone in Persona 3 Reload has a weakness, and being exposed to it will see you either receive loads of critical damage or be made vulnerable to another attack, lending either you or the enemy another turn in the process.

Thankfully, Reload will automatically let you know which of your party members can currently inflict such an attack as you select a move or switch between them, while pressing the assist button will have Mitsuru or Fuuka take you right to the prompt for you to immediately use.

You Aren’t Invisible, And Buffs Are Important

Persona 3 Reload is significantly easier than FES and Portable during the opening hours. That is, until you stumble upon bosses and promptly eat your words. If you fail to take into account the health and weaknesses of your party, they will perish quickly without support.

So it’s best to ensure that during tougher battles you are casting spells like Rakukaja to increase a party member’s defence or Tarukaja to bolster their attack. On the flipside, it works wonders to cast Tarunda and Rakunda to do the opposite to your enemies. Make them weak and then give them a good clobber.

You might be tempted to pass on these additional steps, but later floors and optional boss encounters will change your mind.

I find that its useful to have a single party member dedicated to both healing and applying buffs, even if it means taking a backseat in regards to dealing damage. Battles will take longer, but victory is all but guaranteed with this more careful approach.

Use And Check On Your Items As Often As Possible

You’d be shocked to learn how much cool stuff you pick up on the streets of Japan and in the midst of dungeons. Gems that deal hundreds of damage points and items that heal my entire party’s health are just a few of the spoils to be found in your pockets.

Because we are so busy using spells and focusing on weaknesses, it can be easy to forget that there is an entirely different arsenal awaiting in your coat pockets. Have a rummage in there every now and then, since chances are it could save your skin when it really counts.

Also, be sure to sell all of your unwanted loot to the police station. After a few Tartarus runs, these spoils will normally net you the funds to purchase several new weapons and armour sets for your party.

Don’t Be Afraid To Experiment With Different Persona

In games like Pokemon, you can stick with a single monster and level them up to such an extent that brute force will see you through to the end. Persona 3 Reload doesn’t offer you that privilege. In fact, it is liable to punish the player if they don’t start fusing Personas or at least start playing around those found in Shuffle Time.

While your party members aren’t able to change from their default Persona, they’ll still learn new moves after levelling up and can be equipped with distinct skills and abilities. Protag, on the other hand, is a multi-faceted beast, and is able to switch between available Persona in a combat encounter without wasting a move or bringing attention to themselves.

This is great if you want to bust out a different set of elemental moves or change your current weakness, so it isn’t used against you, something that went over my head until I got into the swing of it all.

Open Treasure Chests To Avoid Unwanted Battles

Shadows will not hesitate to chase you down if you try to avoid them in Tartarus. Even being in their field of vision for a second will send them running. Or floating. Or whatever they do.

You either press the square/X button to smack them from behind and initiate an advantage, or if a shadow is around a treasure chest, simply open it, and after the animation they’ll have vanished.

Mitsuru, Fuuka, and pretty much every other party member will make it abundantly clear when there is a treasure chest nearby ready to be opened. They don't shut up about it.

This is especially useful for powerful red shadows, who provide better loot and extra bouts of challenge, but when you’re low on health and just want to stay alive, it’s best to avoid them.

Don’t Hesitate To Make Use Of Theurgy Attacks

Theurgy attacks are an all-new mechanic for Persona 3 Reload and allow each character to perform powerful and unmissable attacks. However, they can’t be spammed over and over.

To perform a Theurgy attack, you must first fill the Theurgy gauge of each party member, and only then will they become available. Boasting gorgeous animations and damage which can even overpower All-Out-Attacks on some occasions, these moves are worth using in hectic boss battles or during encounters when you seriously need to turn the tide.

Keep in mind that they aren’t unlocked until several hours into the campaign and characters like Mitsuru and Fuuka have joined your party. They add an extra layer of strategic spectacle that sets this remake apart from the original.

Hang Out With Your Friends In The Real World

This is the Persona 3 Reload equivalent of going outside to touch grass. Grinding Tartarus is all well and good, but you will inevitably hit a wall if you decide to neglect everything else that Reload has to offer.

It is an anime social sim as much as it is a turn-based dungeon crawler. Much of your time is spent hanging out with friends and advancing social links, which in turn increases the general power of certain Persona fused inside the Velvet Room.

All the people you establish a social link with have a different Persona, so it might be worth it to get all chummy with whoever best fits your playstyle. Or whoever you fancy the most.

Core party members such as Junpei, Akihiko, and Yukari may also ask to hang out during the weekends or on days off. While this doesn’t always advance your social link, there is a chance it will increase the overall stats of their Persona.

Next: Persona 3 Portable Was The First Step On My Trans Journey