Huh, holy shit.
Well, too late, I already recorded the Palace, but good to know.
[details=Part 12]Part 12: 4/18-4/20
First on today’s agenda is finding out what was up with that weird medicine over at the clinic.
What are you here for today?
Huh? …… You’re the kid who was at Leblanc. …Regular medicine won’t do the trick?
…… Fine… Just head into the examination room for now.
Music: Suspicion
Takemi locks the door.
It was obvious, actually. You call that hiding? …Not that I care, of course. I was going to dispose of that medicine anyway. I got a little too carried away with it. …But tell me; why would a high schooler like yourself be so interested in that medicine?
It’s very strange, indeed. You don’t seem to be very athletic, so… …What exactly are you up to?
Exams…? Oh, your entrance exams for college? So you’re looking to improve your concentration and reduce fatigue? Hm, that’s not the best idea. But if that’s what you want to do…
Takemi unlocks the door.
I have no obligation to help you with that. Why don’t you have an energy drink or something?
…… You’re really annoying, you know that? The medicine is really expensive. And it’s not something a high schooler can get his hands on. It costs almost as much as a car. Got it? So how about you just go home?
sigh …Do you consider yourself someone with a good amount of stamina?
I admit I have been looking for a young person around your age to help me out. But I haven’t been able to find one, even after putting an ad in the paper. …Are you up for it?
Let’s just say that it’ll be worth it.
OK then. You’ll be participating in clinical trials for my medicine.
Hang on. I’ll be right back.
…Worried about the side effects, huh? Well, you can relax. Rest assured, my autopsy is guaranteed to find out exactly what part of it killed you.
What, aren’t you going to take it? The exit’s right there if you want to leave.
If I don’t drink this, Takemi probably won’t sell me her medicine… ……
Well? Go on.
Maaku gulps down the entire concoction in one massive swig.
I can’t believe you actually drank it…
Bitter, yet sour. It’s beyond description… …However, it’s nothing I can’t handle…
Wow… Still doing OK, huh? Hm. Not bad, for a high schooler. Uh…
…Welp. Game over, I guess.
Some time passes…
Music: Butterfly Kiss
Do you remember anything from the moment you took the medicine until now?
Hm, by the look in your eyes, I’d say you don’t. You briefly woke from your coma, but you were completely dazed during the entire examination. …You eventually lost consciousness, and fell back asleep.
Fine. By the way, the reason you lost consciousness was because of the taste. It produces a foul smell when it mixes with gastric juices, similar to surstromming. Oh, well. All that matters is that thanks to you I was able to get some good data. OK, it’s my turn to make good on my part of the deal. That’s why I waited until you woke up. I don’t want the general public to know about my original medicines. So you’re strictly prohibited from disclosing what happens here to anyone… Understood?
Then it’s a deal. As long as you come here for it, I’ll give you the medicine at a good price whenever you want. I may even add additional selections, in time. …I look forward to your continued patronage.
I’ve made a deal with Takemi…
Who? And how did you treat your wounds? It’ll be easy to find out who if we look into this, you know!
Do it, motherfucker, I ain’t squealin’. It’s kind of ridiculous that Sae doesn’t realize that we might have been getting help from the doctor who works down the street.
Death represents endings and new beginnings, change and transition, but also resistance to the same and inability to move on. It’s a commonly misunderstood arcana, not at all what its name would suggest. It’s about transformation, letting parts of your life come to an end for the sake of new things, and starting over.
Raising Takemi’s Confidant increases the selection at her clinic. She eventually gets some incredibly useful items, including things that are vital for just about any run, so we’ll make sure to visit her often.
So… when can you come back for the next clinical trial?
Oh, you don’t remember that part, either? Well, I was saying that teenage test subjects are quite valuable in the medical research industry. So I’ll provide you the medicine for your entrance exams, and in return you’ll be my guinea pig.
If you’re able to move now, you can go home. All right, take care. Bye.
Maaku gets Guts +1.
Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)
You make just one mistake and your life’s over.
Thanks for the concern, Sojiro, but I’ll be all right.
The owner delivered it. Had him put it in your room.
Let’s check the news.
The Minister of Transport has made his first public appearance since the tragic train accident. He refused to respond to claims that he had ignored safety risks that may have led to the accident.
He ignored it, even though he knew about it? That sounds pretty serious.
Seems like they’re really pushing forward with the malfeasance angle instead of the “conductor went psycho” angle.
An uncluttered room is an uncluttered mind!
It has a tuner so you can watch basic channels, plus it even comes with a DVD player. Don’t you think this was a good purchase?
Even a dreary room can be brightened up with a little green foliage… Let’s take good care of this plant so it won’t dry up and wither away. This is a good opportunity. The bookshelves over there are looking a bit messy. Let’s clean everything up while we’re at it!
Oh! Maybe you’d be able to read this one!
Maaku gains the book Yoncha Wanderer.
I wonder why this one is mixed in with all these difficult books… Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.
Now you can change up this room however you like! All right, let’s go to sleep for the day.
Is there something wrong with me?
Maybe. Maybe you need to do some self-improvement. Try reading some books. Broaden your horizons so you’ll have more things to talk about. You’ll be more desirable if you’re more intelligent. It’ll take hard work, though—won’t happen overnight.
Yeah, but books make me sleepy… Guess I can give it a go, though, if it’ll help make me more popular with the ladies! Uh, is the library where you go to borrow books?
Reading books is an important way to expand your mind.
Pff, reading’s for suckers.
That’s too bad… But you should at least put some effort into it. There’s a lot that reading can teach you. You can apparently read for free at the school library, so you should try and take advantage of that. I think there’s also a bookstore over on Central Street…
We’ve already been to the bookstore Morgana, keep up.
Music: So Boring
You must all be shocked by what happened with Suzui-san. It was a shock to me too… Although, I can relate to how she felt.
Oh, really? This should be good.
Her eyes were devoid of life as they looked upon this sad, hopeless world. Well, I suppose everyone views the world differently. Let’s have a test.
Hm, we could try to guess…
…Or just use the internet to cheat and see what other players picked, in case the answer wasn’t obvious just from the way the question was asked.
Correct. It seems your eyes see the truth.
Isn’t it strange that they view the same image differently? Humans don’t see the world as it is. We simply process visual information with our brain.
Wow, really?
Hamiru seems kind of smart, doesn’t he?
Wow, you must be really smart to be able to answer a question like that!
Maaku gets Knowledge +1
How you see the world is nothing more than a trick of the mind… It is all mere cognition. There is no proof that the world each of us sees is the same.
How you see the world depends on your brain’s cognition, huh… Optical illusions and the Metaverse might be more similar than you’d think.
Music: Tokyo Emergency
Hey, I thought of somethin’ the other day when we were running around the Palace. Maybe it’s cause I haven’t been moving around as much lately, but I feel like I’m getting weak. We’re prolly gonna run into some pretty tough Shadows sometime. We should try to get stronger too. It’s sunny outside. Perfect for training! So, you wanna get your blood pumpin’?
Seems like even Ryuji has a lot on his mind… It’s true that training your body will let you be able to move when it counts.
The messages won’t actually expire if you “wait too long,” it really just means you have to answer within that “block” of time. The messages are useful because they let you teleport directly to the Confidant if you accept, but even if you don’t get a message it’s possible the Confidant is still available, which is why you want to check from the map screen.
He went to the trouble of inviting you, so why not listen to what he has to say?
Please don’t.
‘Sup, Maaku? You got any big plans for today?
I realized when we were runnin’ through that Palace that I can’t really move like I used to… So, how ‘bout we do some trainin’? I can’t just sit on my ass here.
This message tells us Ryuji is ready to rank up. It’s a handy feature that was added to the series in P4 Golden, but we can also check it from the map screen in P5.
It’s good to take a break every so often. Do you want to hang out with Ryuji?
“Check bond” just tells us our rank with him and gives us a list of Personas of his Arcana.
Sweet. Let’s go work up a sweat behind the gym then. Go get changed.
Well, I’m gonna go take a walk while you’re busy with him. Let me know when you’re ready to leave.
Music: What’s Going On?
This is my secret trainin’ spot. Er… was. Back when I was on the track team. Actually, I’ve been thinkin’ about tryin’ to run again.
Fightin’ in that other world was a total shock. I couldn’t move like I used to. It just felt… lame. So I started thinkin’, maybe I need to build up my muscles again. Anything’s gotta be better than this flimsy body, right? Plus, maybe then I’ll be able to help out a little more.
The number of notes above their head corresponds (loosely, I believe) to the number of points you get from selecting that answer.
…U-Uh, I mean that in a good way! Anyways, you act like it’s only me who’s gonna be doin’ this, but you’re gettin’ in on it too.
It’d be pointless if I was the only one gettin’ super fast, right? All right, I’m gonna do some knee lift sprints. You’re stuck with the normal ones!\
nods
Music: Alright (Elp Version)
Damn, my legs’re all tight… ……
But it all changed after he got our coach fired and took over as the sub.
He’d give us crazy workouts, then when we couldn’t do ‘em, he’d add even more on top of that… Day after day was nothing but that bullshit… He was goin’ after me especially. He knew… He knew I was the kinda guy who’d fight back. If my time dropped even a little, he’d cuss me out. Then on top of that, he brought up my parents…
…… Truth is, my mom’s the only one I got. All my dad did when he was still around was drink. Sometimes he’d even beat me, or my mom. I dunno how that bastard Kamoshida found out, but he told the whole goddamn team… …… And as you can guess, I lost it and hit him. It was like he wanted me to do it though. He called it an “act of violence” and shut the team down… Thanks to that, the other guys on the team treat me like some kinda traitor… and they ain’t wrong. ‘Cause of me, that all lost their shot at the championship. ……
…… C’mon, don’t ask me tough questions like that. I’m not very smart, y’know!
I’m only thinkin’ about the future now! That’s what we’re gonna do—build the future! We gotta think positive thoughts, brother!
Ryuji gives Maaku a really weird high-five. He steps forward to shove his palm into Maaku’s, who then receives it by windmilling his arm around 180 degrees. It looks really goofy and it’s pretty endearing.
I feel like my bond with Ryuji is growing deeper…
Ryuji learns Baton Pass from this little diversion, which will be a great help when we infiltrate the Palace.
By the way, you’re actually pretty good at runnin’. Not as good as me though!
Later.
Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)
I’ll know what’s what as soon as I see your grades. Wanna prove you’re turnin’ over a new leaf? Make studying a habit as second nature as breathing.
Criticism of the government is on the rise, and the minister may be forced to resign. The incident drastically affected his approval rating, as evidenced by a poll conducted by this show.
Huh. So he’s lost popularity because of the accident.
We have some stuff we need to do here, but first we need this dude to leave. We can accomplish this by chatting his ear off.
Ah, I apologize if I have overstayed my welcome. I finished a critique for work, so I am partaking in a moment’s rest. The ambience of my favorite cafe at closing time… This perfect silence soothes my very soul.
The TV’s on, though.
The man leaves. First, we need to head upstairs.
…I have a good idea. Bring me that chair, the one in the corner.
You’re just on a chair, it’s not that high up… Anyway, let’s train your body using that ceiling beam! I’ll be leaving you in charge, but you’ll need to train your body too. I’m going to whip you into shape, so you better be prepared.
Training increases your maximum HP in exchange for spending the evening. You can also increase the amount of HP gained by using a protein shake (like that Protein we bought last time), and the game seems to suggest the more you do it the better the gains will be. That’s pretty decent, but we’re still never going to bother doing it. The test I just ran gave me +5 with an additional +1 because of the Protein and that’s okay, I suppose.
Let’s move over to the houseplant.
Come to think of it, you bought some plant nutrients, right? Why don’t you try using them?
These are some reasonably priced nutrients. This outghta to bring a bit of life back to the plant!
Maaku gets Kindness +2. The cheaper nutrients give only one, though. Two is the best we can get at this point. Feeding the plant is great because it’s a free action (read: spends no time) repeatable every 16 days.
That should do it for a while!
Let’s read our library book.
Well… Don’t leave a mess. I’m headin’ home.
Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)
The pirate captain Kidd, huh… Ryuji should read this book.
shakes head
Seems like you still have some pages left. You should continue some other time.
What better time than right now? Because…
Music: Everyday Days
And you have a book you haven’t finished yet…! Now, this is nice. Why don’t you read that book until we get there?
We can even read books during moments where we have free time on the subway.
So, you’ve finished reading Pirate Legend. I love how Captain Kidd was the leader of a ragtag group of outlaws. You must have learned more about courage after reading Captain Kidd’s exciting adventures.
Maaku gets Guts+3!
Oh, we’re almost at the station. I’d say that was an effective use of your time.
Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)
Guess you’re getting yourself a job. Those job magazines they have at the train station are useful.
Maybe I’ll swing by the Shibuya underground and pick one up after school. Then again, work’s for losers. I hope I find something easy.
Music: So Boring
Why are you bringing that up now?
Don’t make it sound so easy…
Why don’t we get part-time jobs?
I dunno, I don’t feel like it… Oh, shit. I’m in class! Sorry, I gotta leave the chat for now. Seeya!
Music: Beneath the Mask -Rain (Instrumental Version)
Like Lady Ann said—a part-time job might be the better bet. There are job magazines at Shibuya Station, aren’t there? Maybe you should pick one up.
Are you feeling all right, Morgana? I’m already ignoring one job, you want me to get another?
While we’re here, let’s return Pirate Legend and get this new book, Zorro, the Outlaw.
That’s all the prep work we needed, done. Are we ready to head into the Palace? I sure hope so, because I’m the one who suffers if we’re not![/details]
2 Likes
A small hint/tip that may or may not be useful. Whenever you get the musical relationship points, you can tell if you earned enough to rank up a confidant if the musical notes have sparkles on them. If they don’t, they just show up as plain notes.
Of course this isn’t too helpful since you can check if you’re ready to rank up by pressing square on the map, but it was a neat touch.
[details=Part 13]Part 13: 4/20
We’re finally heading into the Palace today.
Music: Suspicion
We basically just have to go to that castle and steal the treasure from Kamoshida, right?
But wait, what even is a Treasure? I wanna know that before we do anything.
A Treasure is the physical form of the Palace ruler’s distorted desires. In other words, it’s the core of the Palace. Once we steal it, the Palace will crumble… I think. Having said all that, even I don’t know what Kamoshida’s Treasure is going to be.
And where can we find it?
There’s no way of knowing that until we go in and find out. But if I had to guess, I’d say he has it locked up somewhere in the depths of the Palace.
Eh, I think I get it now. We just gotta find the Treasure, yeah?
Pretty much. There’s just a lot we won’t know until we go in… In any case, our objective is to find the Treasure’s location somewhere in the Palace. Make sure we go about this with time to spare so we can avoid any unforeseen circumstances. …I expect great things from you guys.
We can “check our progress” with the Hold Meeting option, or just select Infiltrate Palace now and head on in.
Music: King, Queen, and Slaves
I think I’d feel a lot better about Ann and her costume if this game wasn’t so damn thirsty over her.
Hm? What’s up?
N-Nothing. I was just thinkin’ we should choose a code name for you too.
A code name?
I’m Skull, he’s Joker, and that’s Mona.
Judging by your costume…
I mean, she’s got that tail and stuff, so… Whadda you think, Maaku?
What do you wanna be called, then?
Um, something better than just a little cat… Maybe… “Panther”? That sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?
Huh? Why?
‘Cause it sounds more… ferocious?
She’s a cougar…!
Don’t call me that! More importantly, Kamoshida…!
Oh, right. Let’s go!
It’s game time from this point forward. I’ll teach you guys the basics of infiltrating a Palace as we go.
My master would like a word with you.
nods
Music: Aria of the Soul
Well done. It seems you have remembered my words… You truly make it worth rehabilitating you.
chuckle I am not attempting to withhold information from you. The essence of the rehabilitation that you must complete will be explained in due time. Once you encounter friends who share your aesthetics and discover your place in reality…
This game has an interesting sense of the word “aesthetics.”
I mean, I guess that works. Sort of.
…Only then, will I explain it all. Such a day should not be far off. This time, I wish to introduce you to the aid we are providing.
Due to your potential in wielding the power of the wild card, you can handle more than one Persona. That power holds infinite possibilities. We will assist you in nurturing that potential. …To that end, we must execute your Persona.
Well, that’s morbid.
chuckle Do not be alarmed. Personas are personalities that exist within you… Thus, you will only be discarding old personalities to have them be reborn as new ones.
Think of it as the fusion of your Personas. Now then, let us try an actual Persona fusion.
By fusing together multiple Personas, we can create a new one at the cost of the old ones.
To start, select the first Persona you want to use.
Do you remember how I mentioned forming bonds with Confidants? Personas are the power of the heart… The stronger those bonds, the stronger your Persona will be. In other words, the effect of your bonds on execution… or fusion, if you will, are quite substantial. When you fuse a Persona that shares its arcana with one of your bonds, it will gain great power.
So, when we fuse a Persona of the same arcana as our Confidants, the resulting Persona will gain bonus experience. This boost, called Arcana Burst, increases with the rank of the related Confidant. This is a big help because Personas require much more experience to level up than party members.
This will be a guiding principle for your forays into fusion… Try not to forget it. Moreover, there is one thing I must warn you about. You cannot create a Persona that surpasses your current level. This is because the resulting Persona would be too powerful for you to handle effectively.
This is a straight-up bullshit gameplay contrivance, for the record. It only applies during the original fusion (or negotiation). If the Persona is resummoned in NG+ or gains experience beyond your level through Arcana Burst, it doesn’t apply.
Now then, check the fusion results and choose a Persona that suits your stature.
So, we select two Personas…
When fusing a new Persona, you can select skills for it to inherit from the base Personas.
This Agathion seems good.
But let’s give it Zio from Pixie for good measure. It’s already about to learn a Physical skill and there isn’t much use for Curse this early in the game.
Are you certain this Persona is acceptable?
Bye, Arsene.
diabolical laughter
Though I may disappear this moment, I shall always be at your side. We shall meet again… when your fate reaches its conclusion. diabolical laughter
That scene always plays the first time you fuse Arsene, whenever it might be.
JESUS
I’m Agathion. I’m gonna be your new mask now! Use me, use me, use me!
I don’t say it enough but these new Persona models are really excellent across the board.
A stronger Persona has been born from the body and bloody of the old. It shall be your new strength.
You better understand it at once! You’ll end up dead if you don’t master it.
Gather Personas, and bring them here. Gather a great many, execute them, and continue to give birth to even stronger Personas. Developing your powers as such will play an integral role in the stand against ruin.
So that your rehabilitation goes well, we have a variety of rituals to choose in regard to executions.
And depending on the effort you put in, our master might consider further development of new rituals. Cry your tears of joy, Inmate!
Your heart is steadily gaining the strength of rebellion. IT seems your rehabilitation is proceeding smoothly—a joyous fact, indeed… In anticipation of this, I have prepared a gift for you. I hope that you shall accept it.
I feel a deepened connection with Igor…
Now we can see hidden secrets in the environment.
That is a thief’s skill, allowing one to tap into their sixth sense and see what is hidden in the dark. I believe you can handle it now. May you continue devoting yourself to further rehabilitation.
…Now then, if you have any requests, we will heed them.
Actually, we’ll just head out. Seeya Igor.
Music: King, Queen, and Slaves
To my teammates, it looked like I wasn’t moving…
Why’re you spacin’ out like that? …It’s kinda hard to tell what you’re thinkin’ sometimes.
Let’s just say he’s a man of high caliber.
Uh, sure. Let’s go with that. As we also saw in Persona 3, the Velvet Room is not a physical place, and when you “enter” it, to everyone else you’re simply zoning out.
We’re counting on you, Joker!
Let’s head to the safe room we found last time. It’s in the first floor of the west building. That’s pretty close to our usual entrance. It should be a pretty decent starting point.
Safe room…?
It’ll make sense when you see it. Welp, let’s head out!
This is a godsend for moving through the Palace, especially if you’re forced to leave and come back. We’ll be trying to get through this Palace in a single day (operative word there being “trying,” because oh boy) but even so just being able to pop out from a safe room and hit up the Velvet Room is great.
There’s also this weird thing. We can get help from other online players occasionally. Very occasionally. So occasionally that I don’t even really remember most of the situations it’s useful for. We get three help requests per dungeon visit and that’s it, though, and we’ll be seeing at least one of those potential situations within this Palace.
We can steal goodies from environmental features that glow using Third Eye.
It’s just more loot to sell at Unbreakable, but hey, more cash is always nice.
It’s a gap in the cognition. A safe room, if you will.
Yeah, still not getting it.
Right? Uhhh, I’m fuzzy on the details, but I think it’s some kinda spot where Shadows can’t find us.
Huh… I didn’t think a place like that existed in here. So, what do we do in this “safe room”?
Take a break, duh. Oh, and we talk about stuff too.
Huh… Those are important. I guess I’ll rest for a bit too then. Let me know when we’re ready to head out, Joker.
Time to get to work. I’ll be explaining enemies’ gimmicks and some of their weaknesses.
This Bicorn is weak to Electricity and uses mainly Physical strikes, while the Pixie primarily heals and uses Electricity, and is weak to Gun and Curse.
Ryuji can hit the Bicorn’s weakness easily, then Baton Pass over to Ann. Morgana still doesn’t know Baton Pass, which is going to be something of an issue for his usefulness in this Palace.
Ann’s gun also has an interesting gimmick. She has an SMG with more than double the amount of bullets anyone else has, but no way of controlling which enemy she targets, forcing you to fire repeatedly until you hit your mark.
Ann’s finisher is something, all right.
These Incubuses are prone to using Life Drain repeatedly to suck health from your party members and give it to themselves. They’re weak to Gun and Bless, the latter of which we have no source of as of yet.
They also have massive spiky dicks because SMT is weird.
And here’s Ryuji’s finisher.
Oh well… Guess we just gotta ambush it from behind again…
Well sure, if you want to go about it the orthodox way. But there’s a more stylish route!
Once it’s in range, jump on it and rip its mask off!
Whoa… That does sound pretty damn cool…
Hey! This isn’t a movie!
Joker, with your poise, you should be able to finish it off. Give it a try!
This is a lot of tutorial text for the act of hiding behind a couch. The controls for moving around cover aren’t great, for the record. They’re much too sensitive and I often find myself flipping around my hiding place trying to return to where I was.
But hey, guaranteed ambushes are pretty great.
These Agathions use Wind and are weak to Electricity.
These Silkys, on the other hand, use Ice and are weak to Fire… and Electricity. Noticing a pattern here?
Further in, we come to a room with bars blocking the inside.
If he’s protecting it this securely, it has to be important. That means there should be a way in and out of there. Joker, do you think you can solve the mystery of this room? I’m sure your observation skills will help you get through!
If it wasn’t obvious enough, we need to use Third Eye to see these footprints and the glow of the switches.
Pull the first switch…
…run to the opposite side of the room…
…and do the same thing.
The bars recede.
Whoa…
As expected from you, Joker!
It’s a trap! The bars drop back down and a Garrador drops from the ceiling!
…Not really.
You’re hopeless… Don’t you realize how vital a map is?
It’s a true necessity for a phantom thief. This should make securing a route much easier.
Wait, does it say where the Treasure is on there?
Oh… Actually, it seems like this map is incomplete… There might be more of them around.
Mkay, let’s start checkin’ what we can. We’ll prolly find another map along the way somewhere.
Further in, we return to the entrance hall, where we’re forced to climb above to the rafters.
From there, we jump across the chandeliers…
…Right into an enemy trap. Sometimes enemies will just sprout out of thin air at set points and fuck you up.
Not only do they get to go first, we can’t escape. It’s a rough situation all around.
After dealing with that and returning to solid ground, we find a safe room and a treasure chest.
It needs a Lockpick… We have 1 of those. Want to open it?
We have to use a Lockpick to open this chest. What’s in it?
Straight garbage, that’s what. The Gold Breastplate is barely better than Ryuji’s default armor, and with half the evasion. It’s designed to be sold to Unbreakable along with that Onyx, which is vendor trash. Oh, hey, that was also our last Lockpick, meaning we can’t open any of the other chests in here either! Great!
If the map’s right, we still got a long way to go…
Hey… Look to the left… There are some Shadows here too. Now, you can’t just blindly rush into a fight. First you need to ascertain how strong they are.
How’re we supposed to do that?
Well, we’ll need to observe the enemy’s actions and get some insight into their skills. That should be possible for you, Joker.
This nearby enemy is yellow, so it’s the same level as us. Using this is handy because it lets us know what kind of enemy we’ll face, which is useful if you’re trying to conserve SP and skip fights like we are. Through this, we can game our encounters to only fight enemies we want or need to for Personas or experience.
These Kelpies use Wind skills and are weak to, guess what, Electricity, but also have the annoying habit of summoning more of themselves. If you can defeat them quickly enough, it’s more experience for little cost, but they can also overwhelm you if you’re not careful.
There’s also this Berith, too strong for us to grab just yet, but it’s weak to Ice.
He’s also capable of fucking us right up.
Further in we pick up this Snuff Soul, which restores 50 SP and we’re going to be saving for a later dungeon, because 50 SP is massive at this point in the game.
Door’s locked.
Th-The hell…? It ain’t openin’!
Wait… I can hear a faint breeze blowing in from somewhere… Is there another way through?
We can climb on top of the bookshelves to this vent.
From there, we can crawl through.
Uh, there’s a guard there…
That’s OK. Hey, Joker, do you think we can ambush it from here? It should be the same as hiding and jumping toward an enemy. Give it a try.
Morgana’s just trying to tell us that we can also ambush from above.
I don’t have anything to say about this shot, I just happened to stop on this frame and thought you all should see it.
Anyway, let’s beat the piss out of this enemy.
We don’t quite manage to kill it (because it’s invincible for the purpose of this tutorial). Instead, it starts talking to us.
Shadows will only beg if they’re the only one left. We ask it for an item and send it on its way.
Shadows have emotions too, you know. Of course they’ll be afraid if you corner them like that. It might be worth purposely creating such situations to get them begging for their lives.
This Muscle Anklet raises Strength by 2, so we slap it on Ryuji.
Finally, we hit another saferoom. This update’s getting a bit long in the tooth, so we’ll resume next time. We’re doing relatively well on SP, for the most part, but we’ve already spent a good portion of our healing, so we’ll need to be careful if we want to complete the Palace in a single day.[/details]
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[quote=“Ari, post:44, topic:1906”]
Part 13: 4/20
[/quote]Nice
Also holy shit you get to choose what skill you inherit in this one?
You do, to a certain extent. Personas still have elemental affinities that prevents them from inheriting certain skill types.
Wait… I thought you only got Baton Pass as an early level confidant perk from each party member, but you can’t start with Ann yet. Unless I forgot something or this is NG+, I’m confused.
Ann gets Baton Pass at rank 1 (instead of 2 where most people get it), which she starts at on joining the party unlike every other party member.
Ah, I forgot that her confidant started when she joins the party, instead of later. I’ve been so used to how it works for future party members.
[details=Part 14]Part 14: 4/20
Music: King, Queen, and Slaves
We’re still exploring this damn castle.
Entering this library, we find a rather conspicuous book.
Are you curious about that book, Joker? Hmmm… I guess we can always take it with us if you want!
The Slave Book, huh…? That sounds kind of important…
Something I neglected to point out is that Ryuji does this absurd faceplant every single time he uses his finisher. It’s pretty great.
Ann also learns Dormina around this point, which has high odds of causing an enemy to fall asleep. It’s not useful very often, but we’ll find some applications for it.
See that barred door at the end of the hall? We need some sort of circular key to activate the switch that opens it, which means we’re going to have to scour this floor looking for it.
In another library, we find another book.
Did that catch your attention, Joker? We should take it with us!
The Queen Book? Is this some kinda special book?
And again in the third library.
Then let’s bring it along!
The King Book? What is this?
Here’s a locked chest we can’t open because we wasted our only Lockpick. I have no idea what’s inside it.
This is the only room left in this area to check.
A library, huh? This definitely seems fishy.
Whaddya mean?
Come on, it’s a library in a castle. There has to be some kind of secret mechanism in here. Let’s look around, Joker.
Music: Suspicion
Looks like we’ve got a puzzle to solve.
“Tracing Kamoshida’s Steps”… “Kamoshida’s Heroisms”… “Kamoshida’s Law”…? What the hell!? All these goddamn books’re about Kamoshida!
That reminds me, we found a book earlier, didn’t we?
Yeah, something might happen if we put a book in here…
We insert The King Book. Now, to move over to one of the other slots…
There are all sorts of books here… The titles don’t have any rhyme or reason to them. Huh? This book… has Shiho’s name in the title… Wait… It’s not just this one! All of the books here are about female students…!
“Ann Takamaki: The Charming Doll.” Holy shit…
What the heck is this…!?
>Insert “The Queen Book”
And now for the third shelf.
Hm… Wait a second. The books on this shelf seem familiar.
These’re the names of the volleyball team members! Wait, what the hell!? All of the titles are boys from our school!
“Ryuji Sakamoto: The Vulgar Ape.” There’s one here for Skull.
Way to just spill his name, Mona. Weren’t code names your idea?
That bastard! Who the hell does he think he is!?
>Insert “The Slave Book”
The bookshelf slides out of place, revealing a hidden room.
You got it, Joker! Let’s take a look inside!
Music: Desire
Wait… It’s all pics of her…?
……
Yeah… Thanks. If anything… I feel even more motivated to do this now.
I’m sure it’ll feel awful, but we should search this room. There has to be something in here if he was hiding it with such an elaborate trick.
I spy a shiny object over in the corner.
Is this… a medal?
Well, it has to be important. He went through all the trouble to hide it here, after all.
Guess we’ll take it then.
Wait, there’s something under the medal too.
So is it gonna tell us where the treasure is?
That’s a weird-shaped building… Could it be a tower or something?
Considering our current position… I’d say we’re about halfway there.
All right! Let’s hurry over there!4
No. Now that we know how much we have left, we can calculate the best way to pace ourselves. Let’s keep exploring, but take breaks when you need to, Joker.
We’re halfway through, eh? Well, we’ve got a little under half of our SP left, so that’s good. We might make it through in one day yet.
For now, let’s just head back to that door we couldn’t open.
Music: King, Queen, and Slaves
Insert the medal and pull the switch, and…
The bars lower.
Sweet! Looks like it worked.
Now we can keep going!
This must lead somewhere important. Let’s go!1
Over here we find a safe room.
…and a Devil Fruit. If Kamoshida turns out to be some weird giraffe man I’m done with this game.
Let’s pop out using the safe room and go fuse some Personas.
First up, a Genbu using Incubus and Agathion.
I shall become a mask and make use of my wisdom to create a profitable future for you.
This thing is some weird CatDog-style amalgamation of a tortoise and a dragon, which is actually pretty blasé as far as SMT goes. It’s actually one of the four symbols of the Chinese Constellation, representing the north and the color black.
Next, a Saki Mitama using Jack-o’-Lantern and Bicorn.
Love and sympathy are all you need in life. I shall become your mask and guide you to intense passion…
This weird teardrop with a face is one of the four great aspects of Shinto thought, aiding in love, profit, and growth. Speaking of growth, Growth 1, which we get from having started Ann’s Confidant, lets it gain 25% experience even when inactive. It’s handy but we won’t be using this one all that much. I fused it primarily to consolidate my damage skills onto as few Personas as possible. Now, let’s head back into the Palace.
But the Treasure’s up ahead, right? We don’t got a choice but to keep goin’.
I guess that’s true… but we need to make sure we’re ready for whatever might be ahead. What do you think, Joker? Should we continue onward?
The building distorts, revealing the image of a gymnasium.
Wait, was that… the gym…?
I can’t believe he can think like that… especially after what he did to Shiho…
God, that bastard makes me so freakin’ sick! Just you wait, Kamoshida…!
It is preposterous for miscreants like yourselves to come waltzing in like this.
You will pay for foolishly defying King Kamoshida… with your lives!
I knew this would happen! Well, we don’t have a choice! Let’s take it down!
Music: Keeper of Lust
Uh-oh. This guy means business. Charge increases the damage of the next attack by 2.5x. We’re in trouble.
Look! He’s trying to do something! It’s important to guard if you think you’re in danger!
That took more than half of Ann’s health even blocked, which means that strike is more than enough to decimate any of our party members from full health.
And he uses his next turn to charge up again. We’re forced to spend half our turns guarding and the other half frantically trying to do damage. It’s a rough situation. Complicating matters is the fact that it resists fire, meaning Ann is ineffective.
Yeah… It looks like he’s making a concerted effort to stop us now. Joker, I’ve helped you learn a few different things so far, but there’s no more time for lessons. I’ll compile some info you’ll need to know for battle, so be sure to take a look later.
We’ll review the information in here another time. For now, let’s just keep moving.
…Or not, because a ton of enemies suddenly spawn, surrounding us.
What should we do? Head back?
No, the Treasure is definitely up ahead, and there has to be a path to it somewhere. Let’s look around, Joker!
Easier said than done, Morgana.
He gets taken out pretty much instantly at the start of this fight. And since he can’t navigate while unconscious, the game does something interesting.
Morgana jumps away and takes cover nearby, continuing to give us information. It’s neat if kind of pointless because he never actually says anything useful, but whatever.
Eventually we can manage to avoid the rest of the enemies and climb up above.
Hey… That stuff is disgusting. You should get it cleaned somewhere… Anywhere… Wait, wasn’t there a coin laundry near Leblanc?
You can find useless, stained gear in Palaces and use the coin laundry to clean it up. I’ve never actually bothered to do this because it fucking spends time, so I have no idea if any of the gear is worth it. Scratch that, I will say that it’s unilaterally not worth it because, again, it fucking spends time, holy shit, and you can easily make do without bothering.
We continue to make our way across the room.
Uh-oh, the enemy’s captured Ryuji!
If the hostage negotiation fails, the captured party member will be instantly KO’d.
We could call the Thieves’ Guild for help, but I’m feeling bold. Let’s let him drain our health.
And so the fight resumes. Whew, barely got out of that one. Time to heal!
YO HO HO HE TOOK A BITE OF GUM GUM
…I’m sorry.
Down just leads to an enemy and yet another treasure chest we can’t open. Instead, let’s go up.
Music: Tension
Oh! That matches up with the map. There’s no doubt that’s the tower we’re headed for.
So the Treasure’s up there!
Hell yeah, we did it! So… where’s the entrance?
And right on cue, a ton of Shadows so strong they’re visibly growing red appear.
Ugh, not again…
It’s no surprise that security would be tight around here. But as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained! Let’s go, Joker!
In this case, “strong Shadow” means “double Berith,” which ends up being quite the drain on Joker’s SP. We don’t end up having to fight all four because enemies tend to despawn between successful fights and won’t reappear until you move away, but multiple nearby enemies means you’re going to end up with at least one linked encounter, where defeating one set of enemies causes a new set to spawn immediately.
Also, the door’s locked, because it’s never easy.
Instead, we have to climb up above and run along the walls.
See that itty-bitty hole in the tower near those banners? That’s our goal.
Music: King, Queen, and Slaves (Another Version)
And we’re finally inside.
The distortion is getting stronger… The Treasure has got to be nearby!
Over in a side room, we find something interesting. It seems to be a rather strange-looking elevator.
Music: King, Queen, and Slaves
Why, we seem to be in some secret area of the castle! Let’s check this place out a bit.
If we walk over to where another elevator seems like it should be, Ann pipes up.
Oh dear.
These Succubuses (Succubi, I guess) are weak to Gun and Bless just like their friend Incubus. They also like casting Fire, as well as using Marin Karin to Brainwash the party.
This Bead is a full HP restore for one party member, which is great… but not yet. We’ll be saving this for way down the road.
Turning around, we see… a portrait of Kamoshida?
Either way… it’s kind of strange that this would be our dead end.
Let’s examine it, then.
It’s the entrance hall! Have you already forgotten!?
I didn’t realize we would end up here…
Hey, look! There used to be tons of soldiers wanderin’ around, but I don’t see any of ‘em now…
Well, we finally made our way back to the entrance hall. While we’re down here, we also unlock some of the paths so we can head back to a nearby safe room before returning to the tower. This is good, because…
There’s a righteous asskicking waiting for us up there.[/details]
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Having done laundry (on NG+ where I ran out of things to spend time on some days) I can say that it is definitely not worth it. The random gear will sell for about 2000 yen on average I’d say and will usually be slightly below the curve of what you could’ve bought (always was for me). Now you can wash 4 items at a time, and you can get a way to make it not cost time (instead costing 5000 yen) but that requires you do laundry yourself once beforehand.
Also Heavenly Punisher was my first game over my first playthrough, good to see I’m not the only one he gives trouble.
However, laundry becomes extremely worth it after palace 4 when you can get access to a certain source of dirty clothes in combination with the ability to do laundry without wasting time. I think the dirty clothes found in a palace often provide protectors that are better than what you can get at Untouchable at the time, since that has proven to be the case so far since I gained access to those two things.
My first game over, and also when I had to abort this palace early since I spent way too much SP, was against the midboss in the latest update because I ran out of healing. Heavenly Punisher also got me once because I didn’t want to engage red enemies at all, and then I got ambushed by one out of carelessness. I think I didn’t realize at that point that hiding means you cannot be seen from any angle.
You know, it’s funny. I don’t remember when I first encountered hostage negotiation in my playthrough, but it couldn’t have been before the fourth dungeon, and I think it only happened to me twice. Each time, I just took the free help right away.
For a good portion of the game, I thought the negotiation was watered down compared to other SMT games. Now I’m kinda embarrassed, because it turns out the part I was missing–the part where enemies ask things from you–was just hiding in a different kind of interaction.
But now that I know, I’m way into it.
As an aside I love how the Justice enemies sound. IN THY NAME! FEAR AND OBEY THE WORD OF THE LORD!
My guess is that the hostage situations are more common on harder difficulties when you can get into standard encounters that last more than one or two turns. And even then, only when you haven’t figured out which characters should stay on the bench due to weaknesses. I think my only hostage situation so far was around palace 4 as well, and I just called on the network to save me.
In my three playthroughs of Persona 5, I have never even seen a shadow take one of my party members hostage. From what I see around the web, you either get taken hostage at Kamoshida’s Palace or bust lol.
First playthrough Morgana got critted and taken hostage in Kamoshida’s palace. Second playthrough (NG+) I think Ryuji got critted in the third palace and taken hostage. Current (hard mode) playthrough at fourth palace and no hostages so far. It’s a weirdly underused mechanic.
For what its worth I looked up a trophy guide for getting the ‘rescue a hostage’ trophy and it recommends playing on hard difficulty.
I’m kinda surprised that they didn’t make it a tutorial thing like recruitment negotiation. There’s one other thing you can use internet help on that hasn’t happened in this thread yet, and since that happened to me in Kamoshida’s palace, I assumed that was a tutorial too.
[details=Part 15]Part 15: 4/20-4/21
Let’s try that again, shall we?
Music: Last Surprise
Thankfully, this iteration of the Heavenly Punisher is weak to Electricity.
We dispatch it in short measure.
And right ahead is another safe room.
This owl thing is called Andras, and it uses… Ice? I think? I never really let it attack much because it’s weak to Fire and Ann still had about half her SP at this point.
Music: King, Queen, and Slaves (Another Version)
Skipping ahead a bit, we come to an odd corridor.
Odd because it’s full of swinging implements of death, you see.
It’s a classic security measure. My tail might be in danger if we try to force our way through…
Oh yeah, same for Panther’s. So… what do we do? No way we’re gettin’ through here as is.
I didn’t think it would be that easy. We’ll probably need some kind of key for it…
We gotta look for a key again? What a pain in the ass…
Where would it be though? There weren’t any suspicious rooms on the way here.
Hm… What do you think, Joker?
Hm… That probably would be the most likely scenario…
An enemy? Y’mean one of them Shadows that’s roamin’ around? Dude, how many of ‘em do you think there are? We can’t beat the crap outta all of them!
The key is for this tower, so it would have to be one of the Shadows around here. On top of that, it would have to be a relatively high-ranking one.
Then we just need to look for Shadows like that and defeat them!
Let’s do this, Joker! We need to find the Shadow with that key!
First up, though, we need some more SP. Mmm, Placentastic!
I should also note that this is the point where we finally run out of those 30 Adhesive Bandages we bought. I’ll need to pick up more later.
Back downstairs, we see a captain over on the left.
Music: Keeper of Lust
Double Fangs is a light Physical strike that hits twice, which means…
…it takes this guy no time at all to pound us flat. So, the head-on approach clearly isn’t going to work. Let’s try a different tack.
If we use the Dormina skill Ann learned…
We can put the War-hungry Horseman (Eligor) to sleep for its turn.
It gets a minor amount of HP and SP back, but nothing we can’t handle.
We can also score a Technical attack while we’re at it. Ultimately, it goes down without much trouble (poor Ryuji).
Oh, I just figured it out! This must be how we stop those scythes!
Oh, yeah… Now that I think about it, the statue didn’t have eyes…
Ugh, how much grosser can he get? So this is gonna stop those things, huh?
Well, we’ll need one more. Another guard captain probably has it. Let’s try checking the other floors, Joker!
Crap… They all look like high-rankin’ soldiers! Are we gonna have to beat all of ‘em!?
That would work, but there should only be one actual guard captain among them. Do you have any way to tell them apart, Joker? I’d think you of all people would have the skills to figure out which is the real one.
(We have to use Third Eye, in case the game wasn’t screaming it loud enough)
The one glowing gold is the one we’re after. It’s just the same enemy, I won’t bother explaining how to fight it twice.
Ryuji also learns the very useful skill Tarukaja from the fight, which increases an ally’s Attack for three turns.
Sweet, we got both of that bastard’s eyes! Let’s go stop those swingin’ things!
Back upstairs…
>Use the eyes
A fucking Legend of Zelda chime plays. Yeah, real tough “solving” that “puzzle.”
Further in, we come to another room with a set of stairs that refuses to activate.
Are you ready, Joker?
It is nowhere for children like yourselves! Prepare for your punishment!
What kind of selfish reasoning is that!? The only one who needs to be punished is–
Uh, well, this is really–
A-Ahhhhhhhhh!
–Yeah, more or less.
It’s coming!
GROSS
‘Sup, dickhead.
Okay, so the Torn King of Desire… ugh… will stare at Ann.
This is her cue to defend.
Which is good, because it’ll hit with Assault Dive for a ton of damage.
It tries to heal itself, but there’s no real point. We take it down within three turns.
I-I’m so done with this place…
YEP. SAME.
Hang in there, Panther. We’re almost at the Treasure.
Further in, we find our next (and final) safe room.
Next, we have to climb up this ass…
…to reach this window.
Quiet down, you idiot!
Music: Desire
And a ton of soldiers…
How have you not captured the intruders yet!?
I apologize, my liege!
I bet he’d never imagine we’re in the same room as him. Come on, let’s keep moving…
Music: Disquiet
That Treasure thing’s gotta be in here!
Just hold on a second. I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far. Simply finding the Treasure isn’t enough. We’ll need to make it materialize before we can steal it.
Whaddya mean…?
Desires have no physical form by nature. Hence, we’ll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a Treasure. Once they’re conscious that their desires might be stolen, the Treasure will finally show itself.
But how do we do that?
So we’re gonna send a calling card!? That’s totally what a phantom thief would do!
That again…? Either way, sounds like it’s worth givin’ it a shot!
Our infiltration route is secure. All that’s left now is to pump out a calling card in reality, then come back to take the Treasure!
This is it, huh?
That’s the spirit! Once we send out the calling card, there will be no turning back.
Well done, team. The mission was a success. We managed to get through the Palace in a single day, which is really, really difficult. My first run through this game, I needed three days. The benefit’s really just having more time to do Confidants, but it’s well worth the trouble.
The Infiltration Log is pretty pointless. It keeps track of what you’ve done, sure, but there’s no way of knowing how much further is left from it.
Music: Beneath the Mask -Rain (Instrumental Version)
Let’s hurry to bed and get some rest.
Wait, what?
Yeah, so you can’t do shit on days you enter the Metaverse. It’s a huge bummer. Persona 4 gave you some options, but for now we’ve got nothing.
Not too tired to hang out with Sojiro, cat.
It hit me like a goddamn ton of bricks right when I sat down…
Well, I guess we did walk pretty far in. I’m glad we found that Treasure thing though.
So Kamoshida’ll turn into a good guy if we steal that, huh…
See ya!
The real challenge is coming up. I hope you’re ready.
The opposition party is blaming the prime minister for appointing him in the first place…
That’s the opposition party for ya. What a bunch of lovable rapscallions.
Sheesh… It seems like someone who was pretty high up was forced to resign.
Good idea. Goodbye, weed number. I’m glad we could spend three updates on you.
Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)
Makes sense, having nutrition handy and all. Makes it easier to study. OK… No more food talk. Hurk!
We found the Treasure, so all that’s left is to send the calling card. We have some time until the board meeting though. What do you want to do today?
These before-school events give us a chance to “commit” and head straight to the hideout once class ends. We can always duck out and come back though if we’re feeling underprepared. Let’s try it.
I can’t just sit and do nothing when I think about Shiho. And I won’t let you guys get expelled either. Kamoshida won’t get away with this…! We’ll talk in more detail after school.
I’m sure both Ryuji and Lady Ann are uneasy, too. So make sure you talk to them about it, OK? Oh, yeah, we said we’d meet at the hideout… OK, let’s head there now!
Music: Suspicion
Couldn’t we have just sent one at the beginnin’ of all this…?
It’s not that simple. A Treasure won’t stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, the Treasure will disappear. I think it’ll last around a day, at most.
The hell…? That’s like no time at all… Anyways, we can send a callin’ card right now, yeah? Let’s do it and steal that bastard’s heart!
So, the important stuff here is to remember that we have to be fully prepared before sending the calling card, because that eats a day for some reason. We’re not fully prepared, so we need to duck out for a quick second.
But it’s raining… so I may get an influx of people with colds.
Come to think of it, I might collapse again if I take that medicine…I feel like I need Bold Guts in order to take that medicine… I shouldn’t suggest a clinical trial…
Aww, no hanging with Takemi. Well, we’re not here for that anyway.
We need some of these Takemedic-Alls, as well as more Revivadrins and Recov-R: 50 mgs. The Takemedic-Alls will be vital later because they restore 50 HP for the entire party.
Next, we head to Untouchable to get all this junk we found in the Palace off our hands. I totally forget to sell the useless armor we found in that chest while we’re here, because I’m a dumbass.
Music: Beneath the Mask -Rain (Instrumental Version)
On the way out, we spy something unusual…
Return here whenever you wish. It shall be of your own accord…
That’s what he said… But, how do I go back to that room?
Music: Suspicion
Hey, Inmate!
Our master awaits. Please come this way.
Caroline just gives you a swift, impatient kick in the ass.
Music: Aria of the Soul
How does it fell slipping into the unusual from your usual life…?
Our master has arranged an access point to assist you in coming here directly from the real world.
That door you just went through is it! Be thankful, Inmate!
This too shall aid in your rehabilitation. Make good use of it.
So, now we can also access the Velvet Room from the real world, which we’re going to make heavy use of later.
Also worth noting: I totally missed two SP drinks in the arcade, mainly because they weren’t in the guide, dammit.
Well, let’s send the calling card.
I’ve been waitin’ to hear you say that!
Music: Suspicion
So we send the calling card in the morning… and carry out the plan by the end of the day, right?
Correct. The effect won’t last that long. …Are you worried?
Heh. Waited too long.
Perfect.
So, who’s going to write the card?
Why?
Why…? Why wouldn’t it be me!?
This is important. Are you sure you can handle the pressure?
I must agree.
I really wanna get him good! Lemme write it… C’mon, please?
Hey, are you sure about this…? If they find out our identities, all this work will be for nothing…
I know, I know!
You’d better not slack off on this.
It’s a bit late for that, Morgana.
Are you sure you’re really capable of this!?
Don’t worry, I got it. I even made a logo for us.
…A logo?
Yup. You’ll get to see it tomorrow.
Well that’s worrying…
Yup, I’m sure we can do this.
Just remember, we can’t trust any shitty adults. That’s why we gotta do this ourselves. Anyways, let’s pull this off and surprise everyone!
Many other incidents similar to this one have been reported recently. In all cases, there was no warning or indication exhibited by the afflicted. Police have not released an official statement regarding this similarity, but…
So there’ve been a lot of strange incidents, huh? Seems like this world has got its own problems.
There’s pretty much only one thing the game will let us do on the day we send the calling card: make tools. I have no idea why. It’s not like the game wants you to be spending an extended amount of time in the Palace on the day you steal the Treasure.
Anyway, we make two Lockpicks and receive Proficiency +2. Tomorrow, we’re finally going after Kamoshida’s Treasure.[/details]
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This majestic tower penetrating the sky represents the admirable King Kamoshida’s most sacred place…
Phrasing.
Torn King of Desire
PHRASING.
Here’s hoping that Kamoshida’s treasure isn’t nearly as… subtle.