Embarking on the thrilling journey of Persona 5 Royal, maximizing confidants is not just crucial for boosting your statistics, but also for unlocking new cutscenes, dialogue options, and even changing the story's outcome. Here are some strategic tips to help you max out your confidants in an efficient and enjoyable way.
Before we delve into specific strategies, it's essential to understand the confidant system. Confidants are the game's NPCs whom you can build relationships with, and each one has its unique rank, from level 1 (knowing them barely) to level 10 (becoming best friends, or in some cases, more). Rank-ups require specific dialogues, gifts, and sometimes, Personas.
Understanding Confidant Abilities
Each confidant offers unique abilities, such as getting extra experience points, improved item drop rates, or even readying your-character specific skills. So, it's wise to prioritize confidants based on your playstyle. For instance, those who prefer stealth should focus on confidants like X, who provides vital exploration advantages.
Similarly, confidants likeческих provide significant combat benefits. Knowing which ones suite your playstyle best will help optimize your confidant journey.
Ranking Up Confidants
To rank up confidants, you'll need to complete specific story challenges and social links. These can often be found in your calendar, marked by a small heart. Once completed, you'll unlock a confidant dialogue and, if all goes well, rank up!
Some rank-ups might require specific gifts, like Steaks for Makoto or Vinyl Records for Yusuke. Keep an eye out for item-drop enemies or purchase these items from shops to anticipate your confidants' needs.
Fus租ng Personas for Rank-Ups
Certain rank-ups require Personas. To fuse these, you'll need to go to the Velvet Room and combine specific Personas in your inventory. The Velvet Room clerk will provide detailed information on which Personas to fuse to get the one you need.
If you're short on Personas, don't forget about persona theft and redistribution. During battles, you can steal Personas from enemies, and redistribute them onto your team to meet your fusing needs.
Efficient Confidant Farming
Maintain a balance between your story progression and confidant farming. While it's tempting to rush through the story to unlock more confidant options, rushing might cause you to miss crucial rank-ups or misinterpret your progress.
Instead of racing, take things slow and steady. Prioritize confidants based on your playstyle as mentioned earlier, and consider reloading your game if you lose a rank-up opportunity. Some confidant ranks unlock crucial abilities or open up new story options.
Using New Game Plus Advantages
If you're playing New Game Plus (NG+), you have a significant advantage: confidant memory. This keeps track of your confidant progress from your previous playthrough, allowing you to skip the common knowledge dialogue and get straight to the point. This is a time-saver, and allows for more efficient confidant farming.
Also, on NG+, you'll have access to better equipment and Personas earlier in the game, which could make some confidant's rank-up requirements easier to meet.
In your quest to max out your confidants, remember to take your time. The game's depth and intricacies are designed to be discovered and enjoyed, not rushed through. And who knows, you might find yourself falling in love with some of these unique characters, making your time spent together all the more worthwhile.