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Series Newcomer Booting Up Persona 5 For the First Time. Any Tips?
- Thread starter DragonKnight
- Start date
I picked it up yesterday as well. I ruined my P4G experience by trying to be OCD and do everything on the first playthrough. This time I'm just going with the flow and enjoying it much more. I'm sure there are certain confidants that are better than others but fuck it I'm going to be the best barista there is.
boybrushdRED
Member
Search "persona 5 for beginners" on youtube. Its spoiler free, I think.
I know that you're referring to the voice overs, but not all text in the game was translated. Quite a bit of flavor text was left in Japanese.
As far as fusing personas goes, keep in mind that keeping a persona of an arcana matching a social link that you want to level up will make you level up that social link more quickly. Like if you would have earned +2 on a particular hangout, you'll earn +3 instead. So if you have an idea of what confidants you're going to be leveling, it's a good idea to keep a matching persona in your active party.
There's a lot of "background" dialogue and conversations that have no English text translation, they're purely audio. Not a huge deal since it's never plot critical information, but it is a bit of extra context (or humor, in the case of the "movies" you can go see) that you might be missing out on by playing in Japanese if you don't understand it. It's pretty much the one and only drawback to playing in Japanese. Well, that and the fact that the English text is for the localized dialogue, which is not always a 1:1 match with the original Japanese VO (nor should it be).
SatelliteOfLove
Member
^^^^
SirNinja
Member
Some random tips:
Do all the palaces as early as you can. Some take multiple days to get through (for various story reasons), plus then you have to spend a day to make/send the calling card, and another day after that to steal the treasure. Seriously, do them early.
Play on Normal. It's really well-tuned for most players, though it does inevitably get easier as the game goes on (a constant problem with SMT; the first few dungeons/bosses are always among the hardest due to low levels, few confidant bonuses, and meager supply of items). You can always adjust the difficulty if things are too easy/difficult, but keep in mind if you set it to Safety you won't be able to change it again until New Game Plus.
For your first playthrough, focus on getting all your Social Stats (Charm, Knowledge, Guts, Proficiency, Kindness) to max rank. These carry over to NG+ and will make your life easier in tons of different ways. Some confidants make this a cakewalk; hanging out with Toranosuke will give you tons of Charm, ranking up Shinya will give you lots of Kindness, etc.
Always try to have a persona of matching Arcana when you spend time with Confidants, with the exceptions of Tora and Haru (as they're basically guaranteed Rank Ups every single time).
Focus on the fortune teller's confidant as soon as Shinjuku opens up. It takes a while (and 100,000 yen) to begin it, but once you do, you'll see why everyone's raving about her.
Try to get at least these Confidants to rank 10 before the end of the first playthrough: Fortune, Temperance, Hierophant, Moon, Star. These people will give you items at the end of the game that carry over to NG+. When you establish their Confidant again, these items will automatically unlock several/all of their bonuses right off the bat. Also, rank up Death early and often to get access to an accessory that regenerates SP (rank 7 will let you buy them for half price).
Do all the palaces as early as you can. Some take multiple days to get through (for various story reasons), plus then you have to spend a day to make/send the calling card, and another day after that to steal the treasure. Seriously, do them early.
Play on Normal. It's really well-tuned for most players, though it does inevitably get easier as the game goes on (a constant problem with SMT; the first few dungeons/bosses are always among the hardest due to low levels, few confidant bonuses, and meager supply of items). You can always adjust the difficulty if things are too easy/difficult, but keep in mind if you set it to Safety you won't be able to change it again until New Game Plus.
For your first playthrough, focus on getting all your Social Stats (Charm, Knowledge, Guts, Proficiency, Kindness) to max rank. These carry over to NG+ and will make your life easier in tons of different ways. Some confidants make this a cakewalk; hanging out with Toranosuke will give you tons of Charm, ranking up Shinya will give you lots of Kindness, etc.
Always try to have a persona of matching Arcana when you spend time with Confidants, with the exceptions of Tora and Haru (as they're basically guaranteed Rank Ups every single time).
Focus on the fortune teller's confidant as soon as Shinjuku opens up. It takes a while (and 100,000 yen) to begin it, but once you do, you'll see why everyone's raving about her.
Try to get at least these Confidants to rank 10 before the end of the first playthrough: Fortune, Temperance, Hierophant, Moon, Star. These people will give you items at the end of the game that carry over to NG+. When you establish their Confidant again, these items will automatically unlock several/all of their bonuses right off the bat. Also, rank up Death early and often to get access to an accessory that regenerates SP (rank 7 will let you buy them for half price).
Let go of a desire to do everything. While this entry is easier to max everything than other Personas, you're still not going to do it your first time as a newcomer without a guide. Do not use a guide.
When you get asked a question in class by a teacher, you can press the touchpad on the controller to see the right answer. Do it. You're unlikely to know a lot of the Japanese history or folklore they often ask about.
The English voice acting is great. There's no need to use the Japanese audio unless that's your default preference.
Always bring a Persona of the same arcana when you hang out with someone. It's a simple thing to do that will save you a lot of time.
When you get asked a question in class by a teacher, you can press the touchpad on the controller to see the right answer. Do it. You're unlikely to know a lot of the Japanese history or folklore they often ask about.
The English voice acting is great. There's no need to use the Japanese audio unless that's your default preference.
Always bring a Persona of the same arcana when you hang out with someone. It's a simple thing to do that will save you a lot of time.
EekumBokum
Member
Seeing everything there is to see on a first run is NOT the intended way to play, don't stress out about it otherwise you'll have a bad time.
Battle: weakness, negociation, Fusion
Try to do palaces as fast as you can, until most of your party runs out of SP.
Social links: first sell things, do the shopping, then social links.
The cat often makes you go to bed early, don't waste the nights he lets you do whatever you want.
Mementos: only go there once you finished the palace to become stronger.
Make coffee, curry, more coffee, more curry.
Try to do palaces as fast as you can, until most of your party runs out of SP.
Social links: first sell things, do the shopping, then social links.
The cat often makes you go to bed early, don't waste the nights he lets you do whatever you want.
Mementos: only go there once you finished the palace to become stronger.
Make coffee, curry, more coffee, more curry.
Try to do dungeons in one day. At least make the attempt.
A few beginner tips
1. As soon as you unlock them Kawakami and the Chiya the most valuable Confidants in the game.
2. Gather several missions before entering Mementos.
3. Early on there are hints about when to go visit a particular area to level up your social stats. Keep them in mind.
4. Drink Juice every sunday you can. Visit Chiya before hand if you have her unlocked and power up the stat the juice gives you for an extra buff.
5. Feed the plant the best nutrients you can asap.
6. Fuck Morgana. I sleep when I want to.
7. Confuse is a nice way to make money.
8. Play at your own pace. Miss a social link? There is always NG+ which retains your social stats and items making the first 2/3rds of the game a breeze.
9. Lucky punch is invaluable.
10. Save often
11. anagroM kcuF.
1. As soon as you unlock them Kawakami and the Chiya the most valuable Confidants in the game.
2. Gather several missions before entering Mementos.
3. Early on there are hints about when to go visit a particular area to level up your social stats. Keep them in mind.
4. Drink Juice every sunday you can. Visit Chiya before hand if you have her unlocked and power up the stat the juice gives you for an extra buff.
5. Feed the plant the best nutrients you can asap.
6. Fuck Morgana. I sleep when I want to.
7. Confuse is a nice way to make money.
8. Play at your own pace. Miss a social link? There is always NG+ which retains your social stats and items making the first 2/3rds of the game a breeze.
9. Lucky punch is invaluable.
10. Save often
11. anagroM kcuF.
Iva Demilcol
Member
2 things to take into account:
-Do not leave the exploration of the palaces for the last days or you'll reach a bad ending.
-When you spend time with a confidant it's better to have a Persona of the same Arcana of the confidant. For example: Ryuji is the Chariot, therefore you'll benefit more if you have a Chariot persona with you when you talk to him (for example Agathyon). You don't need to equip it, but you have to have it with you.
Extra: Don't let people fool you: Playing with the English voices is wrong, Japanese voices are vastly superior.
-Do not leave the exploration of the palaces for the last days or you'll reach a bad ending.
-When you spend time with a confidant it's better to have a Persona of the same Arcana of the confidant. For example: Ryuji is the Chariot, therefore you'll benefit more if you have a Chariot persona with you when you talk to him (for example Agathyon). You don't need to equip it, but you have to have it with you.
Extra: Don't let people fool you: Playing with the English voices is wrong, Japanese voices are vastly superior.
Iva Demilcol
Member
So great they can't bother to pronounce names correctly.
... And that's without taking into account that "Whassup Persona" and lines like that.
kamineko
Does his best thinking in the flying car
1) Prioritize the Death SL (confidant) up to level 7, so you can afford those SP recovery accessories. SP is the only limiting factor (outside of plot) as to how much of a palace you can explore in one trip.
2) having a matching persona (same arkana as the SL) is critical. Do not waste your time doing these SL when you could be studying or advancing another SL quickly
3) Avoid getting knocked down in fights. Change your persona unless you can shut them all down with "one more" before they get a move. After that, prioritize enemies that can knock down your friends. A bad knock down can get you a game over quickly
4) gun upgrades are good, but never as good as weapons or armor due to limited uses
5) side quests don't expire, so wait until you have a few so you don't waste multiple nights in Mementos fighting enemies that are below your level and give crap experience/money
2) having a matching persona (same arkana as the SL) is critical. Do not waste your time doing these SL when you could be studying or advancing another SL quickly
3) Avoid getting knocked down in fights. Change your persona unless you can shut them all down with "one more" before they get a move. After that, prioritize enemies that can knock down your friends. A bad knock down can get you a game over quickly
4) gun upgrades are good, but never as good as weapons or armor due to limited uses
5) side quests don't expire, so wait until you have a few so you don't waste multiple nights in Mementos fighting enemies that are below your level and give crap experience/money
Iva Demilcol
Member
Japanese voice is better.
Since I don't speak Japanese, it's impossible for me to rate the quality of a Japanese performance.
I thought her English VA did a perfect job though.
Iva Demilcol
Member
Then you'll have to believe me when I say it's better.
Do you speak Japanese? If so can you elaborate on what makes it better?
Patrick S.
Banned
- Play it in Japanese
- In the early game there will be some times when you can go to a dungeon and reach an endpoint but still have a ton of SP remaining. I would recommend grinding until you run out of SP when this happens. This will give you more Personas to work with for early game fusion and social links, the extra cash helps a lot (you're always going to be running tight on cash if you're playing efficiently), and the extra level or two makes it easier to clear dungeons in fewer days.
- If you want to clear dungeons one and three in a single day don't be afraid to use the Somas from the free DLCs, because they're not really useful after that point (by dungeon four you should be able to get SP restore accessories).
- When negotiating with demons, check their personality type before starting off (upper left corner of the screen during the hold up). Remember that you're not trying to find the answer that the demon wants to hear. Instead you're trying to find the answer that best reflects what the demon would answer themselves if asked the same thing. Your answer might appear to annoy or piss off the demon while still being the correct one.
- On rainy days you can get bonus skill up points by studying at the Diner in Shibuya.
- On every Sunday you can buy a drink at the Shibuya underground walkway that gives you a free point in a social skill.
- Make sure you're buying fertilizer for the plant in your room and check it every day to see if you can give some to the plant. Buy it from the plant store in the Shibuya underground mall until Shinjuku opens up, then use the fertilizer from there instead.
- Working out is hilarious but a waste of time on your first playthrough. Keep it in mind for your second playthrough if you do one because the animations are funny as heck.
- Hangout days with Mishima might sound pointless since you don't need points with him to level his link, but they offer opportunities to get tons of points with other people and are usually pretty entertaining. My recommendation on these days is to save, go to the hangout event, and reload if it was with a person you didn't need the points with.
- Use every save slot and save as often as possible (every day/night and every time you reach a safe point in dungeons). Sometimes you'll realize "oh wait, I wanted to do THAT a couple days ago" or "man that last encounter used way more SP than I could afford" and it's nice to be able to reload in those circumstances.
Iva Demilcol
Member
I've studied Japanese for quite some time now. Japanese Makoto sounds more mature (yet silly at times), while the English actress sounds more childish than Futaba... In fact that's my problem too with English version of Futaba. They missed the mark with certain characters in the English version: Futaba, Makoto, Morgana and other NPCs (Yukari Takeba as Ms. Kawakami is a no no imo), they managed to make Ryuji annoying in the English version too.
I tried to play the game in English several times but always return to the Japanese voices.
Drillary Clinton
Banned
Kwansu Dudes
Member
P5 was my first too. English was fine aside from one character who sounded like a 40 year old woman doing Minnie Mouse. Didn't have any issues with the localization.
If you care about maxing confidants/social links, try to complete palaces in as few days as possible.
If you are a trophy hunter, I recommend you enjoy your first playthrough, then go for the ones you missed in NG+.
Enemy Compendium (if you want to cheat like me. Possible small spoilers)
Persona Fusion Calculator
If you care about maxing confidants/social links, try to complete palaces in as few days as possible.
If you are a trophy hunter, I recommend you enjoy your first playthrough, then go for the ones you missed in NG+.
Enemy Compendium (if you want to cheat like me. Possible small spoilers)
Persona Fusion Calculator
That's interesting, I thought the English VA got the seriousness of Makoto right on with just the right amount of vulnerability and the feeling that she is not always sure of herself. I also thought Ryuji was perfect (he's supposed to be annoying no?) and Futaba and Yusuke were very good. Haru was a bit off and I can see how people would have issues with Morgana. But I will probably check out the Japanese voices next play through.
You lost me at "sounds more childish than". She really doesn't.
I would actually ignore advice regarding choosing a specific VA if even the experts are getting it wrong.
Listen to both and choose which you prefere. They're both very good.
Quick edit: seems like you already did. Enjoy!
yanipheonu
Member
Take Your Time.
Also, abuse persona fusing. You can choose skills that transfer, so just throwing personae together can give you good results.
Also, abuse persona fusing. You can choose skills that transfer, so just throwing personae together can give you good results.
UserDoesNotExist
Member
Sell the Soma you get in the free DLC to buy gear for your party for the first Palace.
Speaking of which, the first Palace is bullshit even by Persona first-dungeon standards. Especially an insane end-dungeon difficulty spike. Don't give up.
As has been said before, get Death to 7 ASAP to buy the SP regen items at a discount. This will ensure that you don't have to leave a Palace early due to lack of SP.
Always make sure your main character has a Persona that can hit any weakness.
I ordinary would advise against planning your days because that takes the fun out of the game (I usually do whatever confidant IM's me the day)... BUT, don't be wasteful. Save trips to the bathhouse for Mondays and Thursdays, and study in the diner whenever it's raining. Also remember that many confidants give social stat boosts, so it's not a great idea to continue focusing on a stat once you hit rank 4.
Holding up Shadows in Mementos is a good way to make money.
Don't listen to the others here, Ryuji's English VA completely nails the character. One of the best VA jobs I've heard in a game. 'Course, you may hate the character, but that has nothing to do with the VA.
Fuck the cat. Continuously remind it that it is a cat. Which it is.
Speaking of which, the first Palace is bullshit even by Persona first-dungeon standards. Especially an insane end-dungeon difficulty spike. Don't give up.
As has been said before, get Death to 7 ASAP to buy the SP regen items at a discount. This will ensure that you don't have to leave a Palace early due to lack of SP.
Always make sure your main character has a Persona that can hit any weakness.
I ordinary would advise against planning your days because that takes the fun out of the game (I usually do whatever confidant IM's me the day)... BUT, don't be wasteful. Save trips to the bathhouse for Mondays and Thursdays, and study in the diner whenever it's raining. Also remember that many confidants give social stat boosts, so it's not a great idea to continue focusing on a stat once you hit rank 4.
Holding up Shadows in Mementos is a good way to make money.
Don't listen to the others here, Ryuji's English VA completely nails the character. One of the best VA jobs I've heard in a game. 'Course, you may hate the character, but that has nothing to do with the VA.
Fuck the cat. Continuously remind it that it is a cat. Which it is.
NoctisVsStar
Member
Don't be the OCD gamer that wants to 100 percent everything, play in small doses and enjoy.
The Xtortionist
Member
play it on hard, i just played it on normal and it was my first persona game and i finished most of the dungeons in 1 or 2 days and felt challenged, but never threatened by enemies or bosses
also if you dont like someone or think their skills they give in the confidant aren't useful don't hang out with them
its possible to max everything on your first run with like a perfectly executed series of steps but you won't finish everything, focus on getting social stats up and unlocking access to confidants and seeing who you can hang out with
there is a newgame+ mode that lets you carry over social stats and a few other things so then you can worry about trying to get every confidant in one run
also if you dont like someone or think their skills they give in the confidant aren't useful don't hang out with them
its possible to max everything on your first run with like a perfectly executed series of steps but you won't finish everything, focus on getting social stats up and unlocking access to confidants and seeing who you can hang out with
there is a newgame+ mode that lets you carry over social stats and a few other things so then you can worry about trying to get every confidant in one run
tenderbrew
Member
I was in same spot. My recommendation is to play naturally and not use any guides on explicit plot points. You may miss stuff but it will be less stressful and more enjoyable.
The English voice acting in Persona 5 is one of the best I've ever heard from a non-American game (not counting Ubisoft titles).
If you are not obsessed with Japan you are not missing anything by playing in English.
Also, do palaces as quickly as possible. You learn to appreciate this.
If you are not obsessed with Japan you are not missing anything by playing in English.
Also, do palaces as quickly as possible. You learn to appreciate this.
morgana and ryuji actually have cute voices in japanese and sound fucking obnoxious in english
the english voice directing explicitly asked va's to mispronounce names
thats about as late into the game as i could stomach watching footage of
all of the japanese people speaking english jokes are completely lost in an english dub
if you have any tertiary knowledge of japanese common sayings or phrasings or even a few words you can just listen and actively untranslate the lines that were translated poorly / common shitty localization processes
always play original language if there's an original language option
the english voice directing explicitly asked va's to mispronounce names
thats about as late into the game as i could stomach watching footage of
all of the japanese people speaking english jokes are completely lost in an english dub
if you have any tertiary knowledge of japanese common sayings or phrasings or even a few words you can just listen and actively untranslate the lines that were translated poorly / common shitty localization processes
always play original language if there's an original language option
Not even close to true.
Sure, there are some localisation issues, but they were blown way out of proportion. The English VA is stellar in P5, and from what I can tell the Japanese is too.
Pick the one you like the sound of most, but ignore fanboy statements like the above.