May: Walkthrough

Welcome to May! This month sees the introduction of new Social Links, the conclusion of the first major dungeon, and the opportunity to significantly boost your social stats. Prioritize completing the dungeon early to free up time for character development and avoid the looming deadline.

May 1st - May 6th: The Search for Yukiko

May 1st (Sunday): Day off. Consider spending time with a Social Link or working part-time. The "Hospital Janitor" job (available via the Town Bulletin Board in the Central Shopping District) is a good option for earning money and boosting your Diligence stat.
May 2nd (Monday): School day. After school, you'll have the opportunity to start the Strength Social Link (Kou Ichijo / Daisuke Nagase) by joining a sports club.
- Choose the Basketball Club to pursue the Strength Social Link with Kou Ichijo.
- Choose the Soccer Club to pursue the Strength Social Link with Daisuke Nagase.
- Important Note: These are two separate Social Links under the same Arcana (Strength). Choosing one will not lock you out of the other entirely, but you can only pursue one at a time. If you later decide to switch clubs, your progress with the previous club member will be paused until you rejoin their club. For your first playthrough, it's generally recommended to stick with one to maximize your progress. Both offer excellent benefits.
May 3rd (Tuesday): Holiday. You can explore Inaba further. The "Aiya Chinese Restaurant" in the Central Shopping District offers the "Mega Beef Bowl Challenge."
- Mega Beef Bowl Challenge: This challenge is only available on rainy days and requires a significant amount of Yen (3000). If successfully completed, it significantly boosts multiple social stats: Courage, Knowledge, Diligence, Expression, and Understanding. This is an excellent, albeit expensive, way to power-level your stats early on. If it's not raining, you can still eat at Aiya for smaller stat boosts.
May 4th (Wednesday): School day. You'll be prompted to visit the TV World. This is your chance to tackle Yukiko's Castle.
May 5th (Thursday): Holiday. If you haven't started Yukiko's Castle, today is another good day to do so.
May 6th (Friday): School day. The deadline for rescuing Yukiko is approaching! Make sure she is rescued by the end of May 6th, or it's game over.

Yukiko's Castle Dungeon Guide

Yukiko's Castle is your first full dungeon. It has 8 floors, culminating in a boss battle on the top floor. Aim to complete this dungeon in one or two visits to maximize your free time. Stock up on healing items (e.g., Medicine, Soul Drops) and revival items (e.g., Revival Bead) before entering.

Recommended Party Setup:

Protagonist: Focus on Personas with various elemental attacks (especially Ice and Electric for coverage) and healing spells. Early Personas like Ukobach (Agi), Slime (Bufu), and Omoikane (Zio, Dia) are very useful.
Yosuke: Your primary Wind attacker and early-game healer (Dia). He also has physical attacks.
Chie: Your physical damage dealer and Ice attacker (Bufu). She's excellent for exploiting Shadow Yukiko's initial weakness.

Key Shadows and Weaknesses:

Exploiting weaknesses for "1 More!" and All-Out Attacks is crucial for efficient dungeon crawling.

Calm Seraph: Weak to Electric. Found on Floors 1-3.
Positive King: Weak to Ice. Found on Floors 1-4.
Black Raven: Weak to Wind. Found on Floors 4-6.
Laughing Table: Weak to Fire. Found on Floors 5-7.
Magic Hand: Weak to Ice. Found on Floors 6-8.
Avenger Knight: Weak to Wind. Found on Floors 7-8.

Important Items to Find:

Keep an eye out for chests. Some contain valuable consumables or equipment.

Chest on Floor 3: Contains a Soul Drop (restores SP).
Chest on Floor 5: Contains a Snuff Soul (restores a large amount of SP).
Chest on Floor 7: Contains a Magic Mirror (reflects one magical attack). This can be very useful for the boss.
Note: break all objects (boxes, vases) in the dungeon for potential items like Goho-M (returns you to the entrance) or healing items.

Boss Battle: Shadow Yukiko (Floor 8)

This is your first major boss. Come prepared with a full SP bar for your party, especially Yosuke, and a few healing items.

Shadow Yukiko:
- Weakness: Ice (initially, but she will eventually block it).
- Resistances: Fire.
- Strategy:
  1. Phase 1 (Initial): Start by having Chie use Bufu to knock Shadow Yukiko down, initiating an All-Out Attack. Yosuke should use Garu or physical attacks. The Protagonist should use physical attacks or Personas with non-Fire elemental spells (e.g., Zio, Bufu). Focus on dealing as much damage as possible while her Ice weakness is active.
  2. Charming Prince Summon: After taking some damage, Shadow Yukiko will summon the Charming Prince. Immediately shift your focus to defeating the Charming Prince! He can heal Shadow Yukiko with Dia and use Assault Dive for physical damage. The Charming Prince is weak to Ice, so have Chie repeatedly use Bufu on him. The Protagonist can also use Ice spells if available. Once the Prince is down, Shadow Yukiko will be stunned for a turn, giving you a free turn to attack.
  3. Phase 2 (Post-Prince): After the Charming Prince is defeated, Shadow Yukiko will no longer be weak to Ice; she will now block Ice attacks. Switch Chie to physical attacks (e.g., Skull Cracker). Continue to chip away at Shadow Yukiko. Keep your party healed with Yosuke's Dia. The Protagonist should continue with physical attacks or other elemental spells.
  4. Burning Shroud: Be prepared for her signature attack, "Burning Shroud," which deals heavy Fire damage to the entire party. If your party's HP is low, have everyone Guard to reduce incoming damage. Using a Magic Mirror (if you found one on Floor 7) can reflect one of her magical attacks, including Burning Shroud, back at her for significant damage.
  5. General Tips:
    - Keep your HP above 50% at all times.
    - Use items like Soul Drops on Yosuke if his SP runs low, as his healing is vital.
    - If the Protagonist has a Persona with Rakukaja (defense buff) or Tarukaja (attack buff), use them to your advantage.
    - Don't be afraid to use items like Physical Mirrors if you have them, though her physical attacks are less threatening than Burning Shroud.

May 7th - May 17th: Post-Dungeon Activities & New Social Links

May 7th (Saturday): After rescuing Yukiko, you'll automatically progress. You'll gain access to the Lovers Social Link (Yukiko Amagi). Start building this immediately by talking to her at school or in the Central Shopping District.
May 8th (Sunday): Day off. Consider working part-time at the "Tutoring" job (available via the Town Bulletin Board) to boost your Expression and Understanding.
May 9th (Monday): School day. You can now visit the "Daidara Metalworks" in the Central Shopping District to sell materials found in dungeons and forge new weapons and armor. This is crucial for keeping your gear up-to-date and making future dungeon crawls easier.
May 10th (Tuesday): School day. The Hierophant Social Link (Dojima) becomes available tonight. Spend time with him at home to advance this link.
May 11th (Wednesday): School day. The Justice Social Link (Nanako) becomes available tonight. Spend time with her at home to advance this link.
May 12th (Thursday): School day. You can now begin the Sun Social Link (Ayane Matsunaga / Yumi Ozawa) by joining either the Drama Club or the Music Club.
- Choose the Drama Club to pursue the Sun Social Link with Yumi Ozawa.
- Choose the Music Club to pursue the Sun Social Link with Ayane Matsunaga.
- Similar to the Strength Social Link, these are two separate Social Links. You can only pursue one at a time, but can switch later if desired.
May 13th (Friday): School day. Consider visiting the "Bookstore" in the Central Shopping District to purchase new books. Reading books can boost your social stats and unlock new activities.
May 14th (Saturday): School day. You can now accept requests from the Fox in the Tatsuhime Shrine. Completing these Fox Requests will increase the Hermit Social Link and earn you money. This is a great way to earn Yen and SP recovery items.
May 15th (Sunday): Day off. A good day to work on Social Links or part-time jobs.
May 16th (Monday): School day.
May 17th (Tuesday): School day.

May 18th - May 31st: Mid-Term Exams & Further Development

May 18th (Wednesday) - May 20th (Friday): Mid-Term Exams. Your performance on these exams depends on your Knowledge social stat and your answers to the questions. Aim for a high Knowledge rank (at least Rank 3: Savvy) for the best results.
May 18th Question: "What is the name of the tool used to remove a foreign object from an eye?" Answer: "An eye dropper."
May 19th Question: "What is the name of the person who said, 'I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul'?" Answer: "William Ernest Henley."
May 20th Question: "Which of the following is a type of bird that cannot fly?" Answer: "Ostrich."
Achieving a high rank will earn you rewards from Dojima later and impress your classmates.
May 21st (Saturday): Exams are over! You'll receive your results soon. You can now resume normal activities.
May 22nd (Sunday): Day off. The "Aiya Chinese Restaurant" is a good option if you need to boost social stats after the exams (especially if it's raining for the Mega Beef Bowl Challenge).
May 23rd (Monday): School day. You'll receive your exam results today. High scores will grant you a Courage Up bonus and a Dojima's Allowance (money) from Dojima.
May 24th (Tuesday): School day.
May 25th (Wednesday): School day.
May 26th (Thursday): School day.
May 27th (Friday): School day.
May 28th (Saturday): School day.
May 29th (Sunday): Day off. Consider fishing at the Samegawa Flood Plain. You can exchange fish for items at the Shiroku Store. This is also a good day to advance Social Links.
May 30th (Monday): School day.
May 31st (Tuesday): School day. This marks the end of May.

General Tips for May:

Social Stats: Aim to raise your Knowledge, Courage, and Diligence. These are frequently required for Social Link advancements, part-time jobs, and doing well on exams. Reading books, eating at Aiya, and working part-time are your main avenues.
Social Links: Prioritize the party members (Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko) and your family (Dojima, Nanako) to unlock powerful abilities and Personas. Don't forget the new Strength and Sun links. Always carry a Persona of the matching Arcana when spending time with a Social Link to maximize your relationship points.
Part-time Jobs: The "Hospital Janitor" (Diligence) and "Tutoring" (Expression, Understanding) jobs are excellent for stat boosts and money. Check the Town Bulletin Board in the Central Shopping District.
Books: Read books whenever possible, especially during rainy days or evenings when other activities are limited. They provide passive stat boosts and can unlock new activities. You can buy them at the Bookstore in the Central Shopping District.
Fishing: A relaxing way to pass time and gather items. You can exchange your catch at the Shiroku Store for useful consumables. You'll need to buy a fishing rod first.
Daidara Metalworks: Regularly check for new equipment. Keeping your party well-equipped makes dungeon crawling much easier and reduces the need for excessive grinding. Sell materials obtained from Shadows to fund new purchases.
Save Frequently: Especially before entering the TV World or attempting a boss battle.