7 essential Persona 5 Strikers tips to turn you from a beginner to a seasoned pro
Persona 5 Strikers. (Atlus)
Persona 5 Strikers is a direct sequel to the celebrated RPG Persona 5 from Atlus, available on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC. You can read our review here.
Yet unlike the original game, its battle system is inspired by the Warriors style of Musou game. That means turn-based battles are out and real-time hack and slash combat is in.
With so many overlapping systems and fast-paced action it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But don’t fear! We’ve got you covered. Here are our top tips to get you started.
Don’t rush in
The temptation is to rush into combat button mashing attacks and hoping for the best. Don’t! Unlike other Musou games, Persona 5 Strikers requires more strategy and precision. Often it’s better to sit back, learn enemy attacks and when to dodge, and take your time testing different Persona to find enemy weaknesses. Having a varied deck of Persona will give you the best chance of forming a strategy before your attack.
Always aim for an ambush
Taking your time also goes for exploring each jail. There are various hiding points throughout the environment where enemies won’t see you – from here it’s easy to initiate an ambush that puts the enemy on the back foot, often allowing you to hit them immediately with an all-out-attack. Squeezing the left trigger analyses the environment with Third Eye to find hiding points. From there, it’s simple enough to sleuth your way through the jails.
Persona 5 Strikers. (Atlus)
Use the environment to your advantage
Scattered in combat arenas are various environmental features that give a massive advantage in combat. Explosive barrels hit multiple enemies, vantage points can be used for a rush attack, and if you look up hanging platforms can be dropped. It’s easy to whip through smaller encounters this way, but in boss fights environmental hazards are an integral way to overcoming their unique attacks.
Level up your Bond skills
Through both interactions with your fellow Phantom Thieves, cooking meals for the first time and finishing battles, you’ll gradually level up your Bond. This allows access to a load of abilities that can be individually levelled up, from increasing basic stats, to adding counter attacks and restoring health after an ambush. We’d recommend starting with the Bondmaker skill which gives you more Bond skill points each time you level up, allowing you to gain new abilities more quickly over time.
Use checkpoints regularly
Unlike Persona 5 where exiting the dungeon would advance time by a day, there are no penalties for this in Strikers. That means each time you find a checkpoint in a jail you can exit, automatically replenish your health and skill points, and jump straight back in where you were. That also gives you a chance to visit the Velvet Room to enhance your Personas, cook a few meals to take with you, and visit the shop to sell any junk and buy upgraded gear.
Keep up with requests
Part way through the game you’ll unlock requests. These are essentially side quests in jails you’ve already visited, for instance to kill a certain number of enemies, or defeat a certain boss and are a great way to gain extra experience. Completing these are fairly painless but the rewards are often priceless – new powerful weapons, an expanded roster of items in the shop, or precious Bond experience – and can make or break your journey through the next jail.
Don’t forget your guns
With all your melee weapons and Persona skills it’s easy to forget your guns, especially as they can’t be upgraded. Yet they remain among one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. Unlock the Bond skill to increase your ammo and you can shoot away to finish bosses with ease.
Persona 5 Strikers is available from Amazon here.
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