Not a member of Pastebin yet?
Sign Up,
it unlocks many cool features!
- Last updated 03/15/2014:
- This is a general tips and tricks guide for people just starting out in a game. This guide is mostly free of spoilers. More detailed information can be found places that aren't here.
- If you'd like to add something, post in the generals and I might see it. If not, try posting on my talk page on the SMT Wikia. My username is also Zahlzeit there.
- > Shin Megami Tensei 1
- * Use Orden's patch. The AGTP patch is buggy.
- * Nerve bullets are the best ammunition in the game, so buy them as soon as you can.
- * Hero should be balanced with a focus on VIT (tanking is a priority), for Law Hero focus on MAG/SPD,
- for Chaos Hero focus on STR/VIT, and for Heroine focus on SPD/VIT/MAG.
- > Shin Megami Tensei 2
- * By fusing a Messian/Gaian with a demon, you can fuse above your level limit. You may not have enough
- magnetite to summon it though, so be warned.
- > Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
- * If you are running into problems with the game crashing, set it to NTSC 60hz mode regardless of the
- region.
- * If you are playing on hard mode, the first few battles are completely luck based so just keep trying
- if you die. It will eventually smooth out the further you get into the game.
- * A physical build is highly recommended, especially for the True Demon Ending; St is most important,
- with secondary stats Ag for hitrate and Vi for survivability. Do not ignore Ma entirely as it is used for magic
- defense, but do ignore Lu as it is largely terrible.
- * Keep track of what demon your Pixie fuses/evolves/sacrifices into and make sure you keep her, or
- that demon into end game. There is a certain part in the game where you will need her again.
- * Buffs and debuffs are very important for boss fights.
- * To make demon fusion planning much easier, download Heretic Mansion from: http://phpsimplicity.com/heretic
- * Fusing demons of the same family will create an Element which can be used to rank down or rank up a demon within
- it's family.
- Fusing two Elements will result in a Mitama which will boost the stats and add skills to the skill
- pool of a demon it fuses into without changing it's EXP at all.
- > Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
- * The questionnaire you answer at the start of the game determines your stat distribution, as you cannot
- set your stats manually. Visit gamefaqs to see the different possibilities. This however, does not make
- a huge impact on the game.
- * Your alignment is determined through the choices you make in the game. Because there is a repeatable
- question in the Fairy Village of Sector Antlia, right before the Sector H scenario, you can be any
- alignment you want throughout the game and then switch to get the ending you want.
- * Don't be cheap with sources but don't waste them on throwaway demons like fusion fodder.
- * Don't be afraid to use demons that aren't the same alignment as you. In fact, the neutral final boss is
- easier with varied alignments. However, it is recommended that you use a same-alignment team for the
- Ouroboros battle for reliable damage.
- * You can crabwalk and back pedal by holding down the B button and moving in a direction.
- > Shin Megami Tensei IV
- Giant FAQ: http://pastebin.com/Q60wjYMA
- Neutral Guide: http://i.imgur.com/cjVFxlQ.png
- > Persona 1
- * Max out DEX and get Megido.
- * Unless the enemy will absorb or reflect it, always use your personas. When they level up, ALL of their
- stats go up.
- * If you want to go on the much harder Snow Queen Quest, and completely alternate quest, make sure you
- talk to everybody at school every single time you're there. Visit every room and talk to everyone.
- Twice.
- * The best 5th party member is Reiji, but you have to talk to everybody, including his mother at the
- mall before the real game starts, and you have to encounter him in front of SEBEC and at the
- abandoned factory at specific times. If you don't have him by the end of the school dungeon, you
- messed up.
- * Mediarama and regular Medicine will last you well past half way through the game
- * If you get into the lost forest dungeon, save your game on an alternate slot. Trust me on this.
- * Fill out every space on your map and fight everything you encounter to make sure you're leveled up.
- > Persona 2: Innocent Sin
- * Max out DEX.
- * You can play the game using only the Persona you get from Philemon directly ("handouts").
- * Allow your party members to handle issues on their own when given the choice, however don't leave
- Yukino behind (you will understand the meaning of this eventually).
- * Spread the most expensive shop rumors.
- * Use fusion spells at every opportunity; they rank up your Persona faster and do tons of damage.
- * To get the ultimate handout persona, you must collect all the masks hidden in Mt. Iwato.
- > Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
- * Use the Velvet Room on a regular basis, as your handouts are not strong enough to carry you the whole
- game like in IS.
- * Stock up on Lucky Bags and Antidoes before going to the Sanitarium.
- * When warned to stock up on the next area, take the chance to do so.
- * Talk to everyone everywhere because there are missable unlockable contacts and sidequests.
- * Only go to the Bomb Shelter if you are prepared for a challenge.
- * Give Baofu personae with Tec or Agi bonuses.
- * Get accustomed to demon contacts; try to get blank cards whenever possible.
- * Vivian and Susanoo (make sure to get its mutation to Nodens) are some Persona with Estoma.
- * Don't give Katsuya a TEC Persona.
- > Persona 3 (& Portable)
- * It is possible to max out all social links in your first run without a guide. Prioritize less accessible social
- links (ones available on fewer days of the week, or not available during the summer) over more accessible ones.
- Here are some SLs to take note of.
- > High Priority
- a. [Lovers, Empress, Priestess] The SEES girls (male protagonist), only a small time frame to do them
- b. [Sun] Akinari Kamiki
- c. [Moon] Shinjiro (P3P), very little time to rank him up. Must focus on him intensely when available.
- > Low Priority
- a. [Hierophant] Bunkichi and Mitsuko, avaliable on many days
- * Aim to reach the top of the current Tartarus block before the next full moon. Go as high as you are allowed.
- * Do Elizabeth's requests, even if they are difficult. They will pace the game well and they should level you up
- sufficiently for any upcoming important battles.
- * Don't bother trying to level up characters outside of your active team. Use your own persona to cover for
- shortcomings in the team composition as well as fusing often without staying too attached to one Persona.
- > Persona 4 (& Golden)
- * You can max social links in your first run without a guide. Prioritize less avaliable social links over more
- accessible ones. Also, don't bother spending free time with characters who already get a lot of social link
- points through events, but still advance their social links when possible. Here are some SLs to take note of.
- > High Priority or Hard
- a. [Temperance] Eri, daytime SL and yet no special events to add SL points as well as easy to forget about
- b. [Death] Old Lady, activated on Devil 4, only avaliable on Sundays and holidays but will always rank up
- c. [Jester] Adachi (P4G), avaliable at inconsistent times, sometimes on rainy days. Max doable rank is 6.
- > Low Priority or Easy
- a. [Magician] Yosuke, many special events, avaliable during breaks
- b. [Priestess] Yukiko, many special events, avaliable during breaks
- c. [Chariot] Chie, too much special events, avaliable during breaks, absolute lowest daytime priority
- d. [Hermit] Fox, actual social link event can be done in the rain. Try to finish before Janurary for ease.
- e. [Strength] Kou/Daisuke, many days to attend to the social link
- f. [Sun] Yumi/Ayane, one of the few social links that can be done on rainy days
- g. All nighttime SLs, plenty of time to do them. Don't rush.
- > Other
- a. [Moon] Ai, save before each event in case
- b. [Aeon] Marie (P4G), need rank 10 to unlock an extra dungeon. December is the last month to do so.
- * In December, the schedules of SL members becomes inconsistent. The Investigation Team related SLs will become
- less avaliable while Marie will be extremely more avaliable making it easy to do a lot of the Aeon rank up work
- this month. Clearing the December dungeon will skip to the end of the month days-wise, so try to do it on the
- 22nd so you can clear it and still get the Christmas date event.
- * The aim of a perfect SL run is to have SL events running almost each day. You should be spending almost no free
- time with anyone but the non-school Social Links. If you cannot advance a SL, go to another one or use small
- talk at night time or fortunes to get SL points. Or, increase your social stats and await for special events to
- give the sufficient SL points you need to continue Social Linking.
- * You won't need a matching Persona for the early ranks of a social link, as correct answers will level them
- sufficiently or they are designed so you have to obtain non-in-SL event points anyway.
- * Don't bother trying to level up characters outside of your active team. Use your own persona to cover for
- shortcomings in the team composition as well as fusing often without staying too attached to one Persona.
- --
- * Mana management tips:
- > Buy TaP sodas from one of the vending machines; you can buy five per week (replenishes on Monday).
- > At level 17, you can fuse a Sarasvati with Invigorate 2.
- > If you are cheap and patient, you can grind on weak enemies for Cup cards. (P4G)
- * Only go into dungeons on days without a daytime or nighttime social link. Try to complete each in one day.
- * On rainy days, you can visit Aiya to get a large social stat increase.
- * Save scooter explorations for rainy days. (P4G)
- * When trying to catch the Guardians, cast and recast until you get a giant, splashing ripple. If you have to ask
- whether you've got the correct ripple or not, it's not.
- > Persona 4 Arena
- * Play through Lesson Mode to learn the fundamentals of the game. Then, go into Challenge mode and do ~20 of the
- first challenges for your intended main character to learn the basics of him/her.
- * Play with other people a lot to get experience, no one is good when they start fighting games. You just have to
- keep on trying!
- > Raidou
- * A physical build for Raidou is recommended.
- * You can let Raidou do the damage and use a healer as your demon for the majority of the game.
- * You can bring up the R1 menu (this pauses the game) to dismiss your demon to protect it from danger;
- this is much more reliable than calling it to your side.
- > Soul Hackers
- * MC should focus on St and Ag, with some En. A bit of In helps in negotiations. Nemissa should focus
- on Ma, In and Ag.
- * Nemissa's skill path is determined by an early question about Hitomi. When Spooky asks what she's
- like, you get to pick from upbeat (Fire and Expel skills), calm (Ice and Death skills), and sexy
- (Electric and more Almighty skills).
- * Conserve MAG by not having a full party of demons out unless you need to. MC and Nemissa are often
- enough to get through dungeons.
- * Demons have a chance of disobeying depending on their loyalty level. You can increase their loyalty
- by ordering them to do things they like or giving them gifts from the Item menu. The digital manual
- (home screen, touch 'Manual' on the bottom screen when selecting the icon) and the game give you good
- descriptions of each personality type. You can also give demons booze to change their personality for
- a small amount of time.
- * Zoma Zeed is a special demon you unlock at some point in the game. It takes no MAG to summon or
- upkeep, is always at Maximum loyalty, and is also great at inheriting skills, but it has lower
- stats than demons at the same level. When you initially fuse it, it'll gain the level of the other
- demon. It's level will change to the average of its and the other demon's level on subsequent fusions,
- but you can reset him by fusing him on New moon. Since it's weak, it's often put in support role, with
- healing, buffs/debuffs, etc. Or used as a decoy in random encounters.
- * The best way to acquire yen is to sell MAG.
- * In the casino you can acquire amazing swords and armor which can easily last to the endgame, though
- they're not the best in the game. Use back-upper to save outside the casino and try either Vs. Poker or
- Dice Game, reload if you lose too much money. In the case of Dice Game, always bet 100 on your 3 picks
- (2, 3, 11 and 12 tend to give the most money) and max out the Frost Bet. You can then keep doing bonus
- rolls to quickly multiply your coins, but if you get a 7 you lose them.
- * After maxing a demon's loyalty, you can go to Victor and use Mystic Change to turn that demon into an
- item. A lot of demons give great equipment.
- > Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 1+2
- * Any build is fine.
- * Cover a party member's weakness by learning mantras of the element he or she is weak to.
- * Don't ever buy ammo unless you are planning to hunt DDS1 Omoikanes.
- * Get Dekunda and Dekaja as soon as possible, obtained by doing the buff and Expel Mantra route respectively.
- * In DDS1,
- Magic/Luck Noise is easier to obtain than Strength/Agility Noise.
- Don't bother learning skills for party members you are not planning to use.
- Sell Cells at Full Solar Noise to get the most profit.
- * In DDS2,
- Use whoever you want. The final dungeon is rich with EXP.
- Learning the Zio-based mantras are imperative.
- If you want to fight the angel sidebosses, learning ailment resistant mantras is imperative.
- Poison and Charm attacks will allow you to bulldoze through the final dungeon.
- Null Element from the Almighty mantras will make most fights a breeze, especially the final boss.
- > Devil Survivor (& Overclocked)
- * A magic build is preferable to a physical one, although it is possible to do even the hardest routes with phys.
- * Strive for no leader deaths so you can get a title which will help in NG+. Guest deaths do not count. (OC only)
- * A demon's base level plays heavily into their usefulness, especially in terms of damage. Fuse often.
- * If you are playing Overclocked, get strength and vitality to 12 for Null Physical.
- * Up STR and VIT to 15 to get Repel Physical if you are doing the 8th day of Amane's route.
- * You can ignore all of Honda's events after experiencing his initial one.
- > Devil Survivor 2
- * Any build is fine. There are more skills than DeSu 1 to play around with and distribute among party members.
- * Strive for no leader deaths so you can get a title which will help in NG+. Guest deaths do not count.
- * Do all required/plot events immediately. No exceptions.
- * A demon's base level plays heavily into their usefulness, especially in terms of damage. Fuse often.
- * To fuse demons cheaply, check out the following guide: http://pastebin.com/B76YWLS0
- * Ensure that all the party members you are planning to keep are Fate 4 by the end of the 6th Day.
- > High Priority
- a. Yamato's events become sparse after the 5th Day.
- b. Ronaldo has forced events at the beginning of the 6th Day but becomes mostly unavaliable afterwards.
- He should be Fate 4 OR a high Fate 3 by the end of the 5th Day as the forced events will bump him to 4.
- c. Joe
- d. Otome
- e. Io needs to be Fate 3-4 ASAP and, when given the option (you'll know when) you need to console her
- and answer her questions correctly.
- > Low Priority
- a. Makoto has a lot of forced events and even gets Fate points in some other people's events (Airi).
- b. Keita
- * To get the Daichi+ ending, all characters need to be Fate 4 except for: Al Saiduq, Daichi, Jungo,
- Hinako, and Io (but she is required to survive). Also, the player must choose to restore the world.
- > Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE
- * Make sure to stick to a plan for your character, as it is expensive to undo changes.
- * Melee characters focus intently on STR with occasional VIT/LUCK; Enhancers focus utterly on INT; Mages
- focus on MAG.
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment