The late-game Palaces in Persona 5 Royal, Futaba's Palace and Sae's Casino, present challenging boss encounters that demand a refined understanding of combat mechanics and party synergy.
Futaba Sakura (Futaba's Palace: The Tomb of Treasures)
Deadline: December 22nd
Futaba's Palace is unique as it doesn't feature a traditional human antagonist boss. Instead, the climax involves a battle against a powerful Shadow manifestation of Futaba's own psyche, and later, a Shadow that represents her desire to be forgotten.
- Shadow Futaba (The Will of the People):
- Weaknesses: This boss is weak to Nuclear attacks.
- Strategy: Focus on exploiting its Nuclear weakness with Joker's Personas or Makoto. The fight is relatively straightforward once its weakness is identified.
- Shadow Futaba (The Shadow of Futaba):
- Weaknesses: This boss is weak to Bless and Curse attacks.
- Strategy: This is where Akechi's Confidant abilities and Personas become invaluable, as he often has access to Bless and Curse skills. If Akechi is not available or his Confidant is low, you'll need Personas with these affinities.
- The fight involves managing its powerful attacks and ensuring your party stays healed.
- Key Takeaway: This encounter highlights the importance of having Personas with diverse elemental coverage, particularly Bless and Curse, for late-game challenges.
Sae Niijima (Sae's Palace: The Casino of Greed)
Deadline: December 18th
Sae's Palace culminates in a challenging boss fight against Sae herself, who uses several attacks and can summon her own Persona, "Maria."
- Weaknesses: Sae is weak to Nuclear attacks. Her summoned "Shadows" have varying weaknesses, often including Fire and Wind.
- Strategy:
- The fight begins with Sae using her gun attacks and summoning Shadows. Exploit the Shadows' weaknesses (Fire and Wind) to gain turns and build up your All-Out Attack meter.
- Once Sae transforms into her Persona, "Maria," she becomes vulnerable to Nuclear attacks. Focus your attacks here.
- Sae's "Roulette" attack can be devastating, so be prepared to heal.
- Makoto's healing and debuffing abilities are crucial for survival.
- Haru's Psychic attacks can also be effective against Sae's Persona.
- Ensure you have a Persona with strong Nuclear abilities for Joker.
- Key Takeaway: This fight emphasizes adapting to different phases of the boss battle, managing summoned enemies, and consistently exploiting the boss's primary weakness.
These late-game bosses require a well-prepared party, a strong understanding of elemental matchups, and efficient use of your most powerful Personas and skills.