SMT Tips & Tricks

This is a general tips and tricks guide for people just starting out in a game.  More detailed information can be found places that aren't here.  Make sure to use buffs, retard.

SMT 1
- There are some gamebreaking sequence bugs that can be avoided by following a guide.
- 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 STM (tanking is a priority), for Law Hero focus on MAG/SPD, for Chaos Hero focus on STR/STM, and for Heroine focus on SPD/STM/MAG.
SMT 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.
Nocturne
- 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 defence, but do ignore Lu as it is largely terrible).
- Do not dismiss or sacrifice the first Pixie you get.  You can fuse her or let her evolve, but you cannot dismiss or sacrifice her fusion result either.
- Buffs and debuffs are very important for boss fights.
- To make demon fusion planning much easier, download Heretic Mansion from: http://phpsimplicity.com/heretic
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 possiblilites.
- Do not waste sources on throwaway demons.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
- Allow your party members to handle issues on their own when confronted with an opportunity to help them.
- Spread the most expensive shop rumors.
- Use the velvet room sparingly, since the personae you get from Philemon for very little work ("handouts") are pretty useful.
- Use fusion spells at every opportunity; they rank up your personae faster and do tons of damage.
- To get the ultimate personae, 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).
- Get accustomed to demon contacts; try to get blank cards whenever possible.
Persona 3
- Prioritize less accessible social links (ones available on fewer days of the week, or not available during the summer) over more accessible ones.
- Aim to reach the top of the current Tartarus block before the next full moon (i.e. go as high as you are allowed).
Persona 4
- 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 to regain mana.
- On rainy days, you can visit Aiya to get a large social stat increase.
- Complete the fox's quests as soon as you can; increasing the hermit social link will reduce the fox's prices.
- Prioritize the Social Links of party members you intend to use in combat, since they get various combat bonuses (like taking a blow meant to kill you, or performing a follow-up attack).
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.
Digital Devil Saga
- A magic-based Serph is usually recommended, with a party of Gale/Argilla for DDS1 and Gale/Cielo for DDS2.
- Cover a party member's weakness by learning mantras of the element he or she is weak to.
- Gun attacks are generally useless, so don't bother spending money on ammo.
- Combo skills don't find much use in DDS1, but are better in DDS2.
- If you plan to grind for noise (stat-boosting items) in DDS1, note that Magic/Luck Noise is relatively easy to obtain, while Strength/Agility Noise is much harder to come by.
Devil Survivor
- A magic build is preferable to a physical one.
Devil Survivor 2
- A demon's base level plays heavily into their usefulness.  Thus, it is important to fuse often to maintain survivability and damage.
- Do all required events (especially those related to death clips) immediately before optional/Fate events.
- Ensure all party members that you wish to retain are at Fate Rank 4 by the end of Day 6.
- To fuse demons cheaply, check out the following guide: http://pastebin.com/B76YWLS0
IMAGINE
- There are multiple guilds that SMTG resides in, but one in particular is Oberst.
- There is a SMTG Mumble server for IMAGINE - Server: smtg.mumble.com / Port: 4370 / Password: mothman
- Make sure to stick to a plan for you 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.


Last updated 2012/04/17.