Persona 5 Strikers (aka Persona 5 Scramble) is a direct sequel to Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal. The Phantom Thieves are back at it again, leaving cards and stealing hearts across Japan. With musou-style gameplay incorporating classic elements of the series, the game is packed with exciting stuff to do. Facing a new threat called the “Jails” (similar to Castles from the mainline game), the Phantom Thieves must prevent the “monarchs” from stealing the desires of the people around them. However, there are quite a few glaring differences in this title compared to the main game.
The first main thing is that the pressure of time management has been reduced significantly. This is owing to the fact that players are allowed to re-visit any jail they have unlocked at any time. Effectively opening up the jails to more detailed exploration, this feature definitely eases the burden on the time crunch aspect. Another key difference that fans of the traditional games might be surprised by is the fact that there are no relationship goals to be achieved or any kind of life simulation to be had. This fits well with the scope of the game that it is, but it is definitely a point of conflict for many fans.
Let's get right into some tips for those starting their journey.
New and Returning Music
The game boasts a variety of new music that was made specifically for it. The tracks have the signature “Persona 5 vibes” (no pun intended), varying from smooth and mellow to robust as required by the situations.
In addition, the Legacy BGM Pack that can be purchase with the game (or comes included with it, depending on which version you buy) allows players to experience tracks from the following games:
- Persona 1 and Persona 1 PSP remake
- Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
- Persona 3 and Persona 3 Portable
- Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden
There are also options to replace the OST of Persona 5 Strikers with those of Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal. These tracks will also be available once you complete the game. Additionally, if you purchased the game on the Nintendo Switch and have save data from Super Smash Bros Ultimate, then you’ll unlock these bonuses right at the start.
Bonds
The BOND is a skill that applies to all characters and has a variety of effects, both inside and outside of battle. Some skills are very basic (+1 to a character stat etc.), but there are some unlockable ones that give some very useful bonuses such as an increase in your ammo capacity, discounts at the shop, Persona drop rate buff, etc. Each skill has several levels, with some being locked behind requests or progress.
It is highly recommended to acquire the Bondmaker skill at the earliest. This will help in acquiring experience towards the skills faster. It is also available to acquire as soon as you unlock the BOND system. Aside from this, in order to regain health after successful ambushes, you could also go for Oracle Recovery as well as Ambusher. Leveling up the bond skills is a must, so keep an eye on the experience you earn. This can be done in many ways – defeating Shadows, completing requests, progressing through the story, etc.
Missables
Unlike the mainline games wherein you had to complete the castles while you had access to them, in Persona 5 Strikers, the requests (side quests) will have you traveling back and forth between various jails, including ones you might have already completed. This removes an immense pressure from missing any item in the metaverse. However, there are some requests that take place in the real world in-game that involve some missable items. You will usually be notified of these via text and will be warned about moving on from them, so there’s nothing to panic about in that regard.
Aside from requests, it is also advisable to purchase recipes as soon as you come across them as they would be the cheapest at that time. Some recipes receive terrible price markups later, so it is best to be smart about this. We will be writing a guide on where to get them soon, so watch this space!
Combat
Each character in Persona 5 Strikers has a unique playstyle. You get access to most of the Phantom Thieves right at the start (some get unlocked later) as soon as you complete the tutorial. Take your time and test out each of the characters and try to get a hang of their playing styles. It is imperative that you continuously use all the Phantom Thieves in tandem and make sure they are all around the same level. It is also beneficial to have a good grasp of each character’s style individually. You can unlock four Master Arts per character, which are advanced techniques that give you a massive advantage in battle. Aside from the master skills, each character has their own elemental affinity that allows them to deal more damage against specific Shadows that are weak to their element types. This allows you to easily master each jail.
Buy cooking ingredients whenever possible and prioritize cooking SP food whenever possible. Above Leblanc Cafe is the Hideout. At the hideout, you can infiltrate a jail, use Sophia's Shop, and access the Velvet Room. Other hideout features become available as you progress through the story. If you find yourself low on health, change the difficulty, or leave a jail quickly with a checkpoint. There is no penalty for doing so, and your HP and SP will be restored. The Security Level of a Jail will also be reset, and you can always head back in immediately after. You can heal a party member in a jail using a Persona skill by having them selected as the party leader and casting a healing spell like Dia out of combat. You can also Auto Restore as in the main game by pressing down on the d-pad. If you're running low on resources, open your items menu through the command menu, and choose who to use items on manually.
The “One More Time” system grants you one additional strong attack during combat. However, doing this will cycle out the Phantom Thief you’re controlling. Additionally, each character has a Showtime Attack that servers as an ultimate finisher move, dealing an immense amount of damage to enemy Shadows. In order to build up the showtime attacks faster, you can acquire a skill that increases the showtime gauge when swapping between characters. This will complement the “one more time” attacks and allow you to build your ults faster.
Powerful enemies will have shields under their health bars. Always be mindful of how much damage they take, and how many shields they currently have. Critical hits and powerful attacks from Personas will be very helpful in destroying the shields. Once you break all the shields, the enemy gets stunned, prompting the player for unleashing an all-out attack. However, the shields slowly regenerate while they are stunned, and the prompt for the all-out attack only goes away after the last shield is back. Take this time to whack away at the stunned enemy or heal up instead of immediately jumping into an all-out attack. Then, right before they regenerate their last shield, unleash the all-out attack. This allows you to maximise your damage output.
Point of No-Return
As is customary with most Persona games, Persona 5 Strikers also has a point of no return. However, its timing is peculiar – to say the least. Since the game allows you to backtrack to jails you have previously completed, the game is rather lax and open compared to the mainline game. Even after you defeat the final boss, you will be allowed to reload a save from before the final battle and continue exploring and collect anything you may have missed.
So, where might be the point of no-return if not at the very end of the game, you ask?
Well, let me tell you. Once you complete the final request in the game – “Knocking on Death’s Door”, and collect the key item from Lavenza, you will notice that your save file will be stamped with the word “Mastered”. This indicates that you have done everything there is that could be done in that playthrough. When you load the “Mastered” save file, you will be prompted to start a New Game+ mode. This is where you get a point of no-return, technically speaking. In order to not lose your progress and to continue playing as you normally would in your mastered save file, it is advisable to make a copy of the save before starting New Game+. There is a persona you can only fuse in NG+, so it is definitely worth starting it.
New Game+
Persona 5 Strikers boasts the NG+ feature, and in order to access it, you do need to beat the hardest boss in the game.
When you begin an NG+ file, the following things carry over:
- Character Levels and Stats
- Current Persona’s, Persona Bestiary, and 3, 4, and 5-way fusions
- Save game clock
- Consumable Items, Skill Cards, Ingredients, Materials, Key Items related to Recipes and fusions, and equipment
- Bonds (plus experience and points)
- Money
New Game+ exclusive features include:
- Merciless difficulty
- Lucifer unlocked for fusion
- Incense is purchasable from Sophia’s Shop
- All characters playable from the beginning
Merciless Difficulty
Merciless is the hardest difficulty available and can only be selected upon starting a “Mastered” save file (New Game+). Boasting increased battle rewards and extra content, but no additional story content, it is definitely worth doing a playthrough on Merciless difficulty if you love the game. Keep in mind, once you select merciless you WILL NOT be able to change the difficulty.
That's all for our beginner's guide!
Got the game early? Feel free to share your own tips and tricks in the comments down below! We will be updating this guide with links to other guides we write for Persona 5 Strikers, so keep an eye out!
Persona 5 Strikers releases worldwide on the 23rd of February, 2021. Digital Deluxe Edition owners get early access to the game starting 19th of February, 2021.
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