With plenty of new mechanics added to Persona 3 Reload to make it feel distinct from past iterations of the game, there’s a lot to see, do, and discover. One such mechanic is known as Theurgy, and through charging these meter on your SEES teammates, you can unleash some pretty powerful attacks.
RelatedPersona 3 Reload: All Twilight Fragment Locations
There are tons of Twilight Fragments to find, but you'll need to wait to collect two of them for a couple months in-game.
PostsWith everyone’s method of charging their skills unique, based on the character’s personality, and with the protagonist able to use a growing variety of Theurgy skills akin to the impressive two-Persona fusion spells of previous P3s, the inclusion of Theurgy can really turn the tide of your battles.
Updated on September 10, 2024: Now that Episode Aigis -The Answer- DLC has launched for Persona 3 Reload, we're back to update our guide to Theurgy in P3R to include Metis' Theurgy and Aigis' power changes in their own section to ensure you're unlocking everything you can.
This guide contains spoilers for Persona 3 Reload.
What Is Theurgy?
Introduced after Fuuka joins SEES as your navigator following the second Full Moon boss battle against Emperor and Empress, one of the first times you head into Tartarus with Fuuka as your navigator, she’ll introduce you to the concept of Theurgy.
You’ll begin your exploration with Theurgy in the second half of the Arqa block of Tartarus, which brings with it some powerful foes, but you can go back to previous blocks and use it there as well. When your team enters a battle, they can’t use their Theurgy attacks right away, though – they need to charge their Theurgy meters, and the way each character charges their attack is unique, based on their personality.
Thankfully, though, there’s no guesswork to it – in the Theurgy menu, the game tells you exactly how to charge each character’s Theurgy, and you can trigger personality characteristics that change how they use their Theurgy skills.
Although Theurgy charges slowly throughout regular battle, each character has a battle action that charges their Theurgy faster, and performing them a few times will quickly fill the meter. The colors on your meter will gradually become warmer, and you’ll know their attack is ready to use when there’s a red bar with Max in white writing.
Once a character’s Theurgy is charged, on their turn, you can choose to have them use their Theurgy skill instead of a regular skill to deal out colossal damage that ignores enemy resistances to the elemental or physical damage they're about to dish out in great numbers.
However, affinities still come into play, as hitting a Shadow with a Theurgy attack to which they're weak Downs them, if it doesn't outright defeat them.
Just beware that getting KOed in battle halves your Theurgy gauge upon resurrection.
It may take a bit of getting used to, redesigning your battle strategy to include the team’s Theurgy moves. If you don’t usually take advantage of certain aspects of battle, some party members may be a bit more challenging to charge more efficiently, but including them helps you rethink and expand your battle strategy outside of pure offense.
A good way to charge some of the more specific Theurgy moves is to take advantage of moves in battle when one character can’t strike a weakness if they attack. If there’s not much else for them to do, it doesn’t hurt to try a move that charges their Theurgy.
Experiment with everyone’s Theurgy skills and see what works best and most naturally for you and your playstyle! Different Theurgy attacks and considering the battles that lie ahead can be critical in helping you choose the right party for a mission.
Evolved Personas Receive New Theurgy Skills
As you progress through Persona 3 Reload and your teammates grow as characters, you'll find that almost everyone in SEES' Personas evolve beginning after the October Full Moon operation.
Any teammate whose Persona is evolved will learn a secondary Theurgy skill, often dealing additional damage, inflicting status effects, lowering stats, and more.
Your Protagonist Has Multiple Theurgy Skills
Much like the Fusion Spells from Persona 3 and Persona 3 Portable, Persona 3 Reload allows you to access multiple Theurgy skills based on different combinations of Personas. By simply logging specific Personas in your Compendium throughout the game, Elizabeth will tell you when a specific combination of Personas has unlocked a new Theurgy skill for you.
You do not need to have these Personas in your stock - simply logging them in the Compendium is enough, unlike in previous iterations of P3.
And since your skills are so centered on your various Personas, it makes sense that you charge your Theurgy by changing Personas on your turn. Regardless of the attack you use, simply swapping your active Persona on your turn is enough to give your protagonist an extra boost to his Theurgy skill.
Even (and especially) if you're using the default attack mechanic or an item, change Personas on your turn for the boost anyway.
With everything from offensive damage to party-wide buffs and healing, using a variety of Theurgy skills throughout battles as the protagonist is helpful in several situations, so acquaint yourself with his skills and use them in the right instances.
Fuuka Also Has Theurgy Skills
Unlike the rest of the team and unlike in previous Persona games, Fuuka is a bit more included in the team’s battle mechanics than other navigator characters – she has a Theurgy meter like the rest of your team.
Throughout your battles, you'll occasionally get a cut-in of Fuuka when she's ready to use her support skills to provide Attack, Defense, Accuracy, and Evasion boosts to the entire party.
Any teammate can trigger Fuuka on their turn before they take their turn in battle, and doing so will not use their turn - they can still attack after asking Fuuka for help.
RelatedPersona 3 Reload: Rare Shadow Hands, Explained
Just get back here, you little...
PostsAll Theurgy Attacks And How To Charge Them
Since each character in Persona 3 Reload charges their Theurgy meter differently, we’ve kept track of everyone’s Theurgy in the table below, including how to charge it and what kind of damage the move does when used.
Personas Required To Unlock Each Of The Protagonist's Theurgy Skill
Name
Personas Required
Effect
Cadenza
(Default)
Restores half HP and boosts Accuracy/Evasion for all teammates.
Jack Brothers
Jack-o'-Lantern (Magician)
Jack Frost (Magician)
Medium Almighty damage to all foes with a high chance to Down.
King and I
Black Frost (Fool)
King Frost (Emperor)
Heavy Ice damage to one foe with a medium chance to inflict Freeze.
Best Friends
Forneus (Emperor)
Decarabia (Fool)
For one ally of choice, their next attack will deal more than double damage.
Scarlet Havoc
Siegfried (Strength)
Mithras (Chariot)
Severe Slash damage to all foes.
Trickster
Loki (Fool)
Susano-o (Fool)
Massive Almighty damage that may inflict an ailment.
Armageddon
Helel (Star)
Satan (Judgement)
Deals severe Almighty damage to all foes, but drops your HP and SP to one.
Every SEES Character's Theurgy Attack And How To Charge It
Character
Charges Quicker By
Persona
Skill Name
Skill or Damage
Yukari
Healing anyone in the party.
Isis
Cyclone Arrow
Severe Wind damage to one foe.
Io
Tranquility
Everyone's next magic attack deals double damage.
Junpei
Dealing critical damage to any foe.
Herrmes
Hack n' Blast
Severe Slash damage to one foe.
Trismegistus
Blaze of Life
Massive Fire damage to one foe that replenishes Junpei's HP after use.
Akihiko
Buffing his stats.
Polydeuces
Lightning Spike
Heavy Electric damage to all foes.
Caesar
Electric Onslaught
Severe Electric damage to one foe.
Mitsuru
Inflicting a status ailment.
Pentheselia
Blizzard Edge
Severe Ice damage to one foe.
Artemesia
Blade of Execution
Massive Almighty damage to one foe that decreases all their stats.
Fuuka
Battle advice and navigation.
Lucia
Revelation
Party-wide boosts (randomly selected each time Fuuka's Theurgy triggered).
Juno
Oracle
Improved boosts.
Aigis
Using physical attacks in battle.
Palladion
Orgia Mode
Heavy Pierce damage to all foes for three turns in a row.
Requires one turn to cool down after the three turns are up.
Athena
Maximum Firepower
Severe Pierce damage to one foe.
Koromaru
Exploiting weaknesses in battle.
Cerberus
Hound of Hades
Severe Dark damage to one foe.
Power Howling
The next physical attack all allies perform will deal more than double the damage.
Ken
Battling with his SP less than half-full.
Nemesis
Divine Retribution
Severe Light damage to one foe.
Kala-Nemi
Divine Intervention
Revives fallen party members and fills everyone's HP, and repels the next magic attack
Shinjiro
Battling with his HP less than half-full.
Castor
Bleeding Fury
Severe Strike damage to one foe.
The SEES members also gain these attacks during Episode Aigis -The Answer-, so be sure to keep up with leveling everyone outside the Desert of Doors, too.
RelatedPersona 3 Reload: All Second Theurgies, Ranked
Which of the party's second Theurgies are the best in P3R? Let's find out.
PostsMetis And Aigis' Theurgy In Episode Aigis: The Answer
Although the Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis -The Answer- DLC changes how your teammates function in battle, the regular SEES members will slowly but surely regain their powers again, eventually unlocking both of the Theurgy skills mentioned above. However, not only does Metis get introduced as another party member, but Aigis' Theurgy changes significantly.
At the beginning of the Episode Aigis DLC, Aigis awakens to the Wild Card ability that the Persona protagonists always have, now able to switch between Personas at will. Because of this, Aigis can use her own list of Theurgy skills, differing from the base game protagonist significantly. If you played the original Persona 3 back in the day, some of these may sound familiar - like the remaining Fusion Spells that didn't make it into the base game for Makoto.
Aigis' Theurgy Skills In Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis
Skill Name
Personas Required
Effect
Cadenza
Orpheus (Fool)
Apsaras (Priestess)
Restores half the party's HP, and boosts the party's accuracy/evasion.
Justice
Archangel (Justice)
Angel (Justice)
Medium Pierce damage to all enemies, high chance to crit.
Dreamfest
Succubus (Devil)
Incubus (Devil)
Heavy Dark damage to all enemies, high chance of Charm.
Best Friends
Forneus (Emperor)
Decarabia (Fool)
One ally's next attack (physical or magic) will deal more than double damage.
Shadow Hound
Scathach (Priestess)
Cu Chulainn (Tower)
Massive Pierce damage to one foe, high chance to inflict Fear.
Metis, meanwhile, uses Orgia Mode just like Aigis in the base game for Persona 3 Reload, focused on smart physical combat moves for three turns, during which time you cannot control or interrupt her. After her third move, Metis will be out of commission for a turn to recover before rejoining the fight as normal. Additionally, Metis will receive the Charging Blitz skill as a secondary Theurgy ability. This allows her to deal severe Strike damage to one foe.
NextPersona 3 Reload: Complete Social Link Availability And Location Guide
Because the first step to befriending your social links in P3R is finding them.
Posts
