Route Idea

What are you testing?
I’m looking to see if Ali Dance works as a viable alternative to Firm Stance in Golden. This would require a massive overhaul to the end of the run, as Futsunushi would be no longer required.

What is Ali Dance?
It’s a passive ability that gives a 50% dodge chance.

Okay… so you dodge half the time? Why does that matter?
The big reason that Futsunushi was so important to the old route was Firm Stance, which gave 50% damage reduction in exchange for never dodging. You’ll notice that those numbers are in theory identical, although this will be more luck based.

So you’re trading in guaranteed damage reduction for luck? Why?
The only way to reliably get Firm Stance is off Futsunushi. He’s a level 80 Persona, but more than that, he requires a maxed Chariot Social Link. Given that each cutscene is a minute or so, this could save about 10-15 minutes. It also allows for a radically different fusion route, which, if it follows my theory route, would save 9 fusions at a minimum of 40 seconds each, and just as likely a minute each. This also means fewer fusion mistake chances, which can cost anywhere from 40 seconds, to multiple minutes if there is no recovery option. There's the potential that dodging twice in a row is better due to how buff stacking works. And lastly, the sources for damage in some fights may change, which could make them faster as well.

What’s the other big difference?
Well, Futsunushi was our physical damage source. So we need another one. We also probably want to have some way to stack Sukukaja, which really is only going to feel good with Heat Riser… As it happens, there’s a persona that infamously gives out gobs of physical damage and is one of 3 personas with access to Heat Riser: Yoshitsune. This also is nice since there's now only one fight where another magic damage is even needed or matters, which is Marie. We'll still be using Surt, since we need a source of magic damage for Marie.

Wait… you’re fusing Yoshitsune?
Well… it’s not necessarily for the reason you think. There are so few personas that get access to Heat Riser/Debilitate that he is actually the easiest to get. Him filling a secondary niche as large amounts of physical damage is a (happy) accident.

What has to happen for this route to work?
Well… I need to be able to survive at least 3 hits from any given boss (12.5% chance or so), as well as use Yoshitsune potentially (Hassau Tobi uses 12.5% of my max HP). This may require extra levels for health. Money is a potential problem, as the fusion route is very backloaded. And lastly, I need to actually get the necessary abilities to beat the game. I’m pretty confident that I haven’t missed any. There’s also a chance that Yoshitsune levels slowly, given that unlocking Tower and maxing it is not something that can be justified (requires maxing understanding, which can’t be done quickly).