The Phantom Thieves & Combat System — Persona 5 Royal Walkthrough

The Phantom Thieves & Combat System

Persona 5 Royal's combat system is a dynamic blend of turn-based strategy and stylish action, centered around the Phantom Thieves' unique abilities. Mastering the "1 More" system, Baton Pass, and exploiting enemy weaknesses is key to overcoming the game's formidable challenges. Understanding the roles of each party member and their Personas is crucial for success.

The heart of Persona 5 Royal lies in its engaging combat system, where strategic thinking and timely execution are paramount. As the leader of the Phantom Thieves, you'll command a team of unique individuals, each wielding powerful Personas. This guide breaks down the core mechanics of combat, from basic attacks and skills to advanced techniques like All-Out Attacks and Baton Passes, ensuring you're well-equipped to face any foe.

Core Combat Mechanics

Combat in Persona 5 Royal is turn-based, with each character and enemy taking turns based on their Agility stats. The goal is to deplete the enemy's HP to zero. Key mechanics include:

• Attacks: Basic physical attacks deal damage based on Strength and weapon stats.
• Skills: Personas grant access to a wide array of skills, including elemental attacks (Fire, Ice, Electric, Wind, Psychic, Nuclear, Bless, Curse), healing spells, buffs, and debuffs.
• Weaknesses: Most enemies have elemental weaknesses. Hitting a weakness grants you a "1 More" turn, allowing another character to act immediately.
• Baton Pass: If you successfully exploit an enemy's weakness or land a critical hit, you can pass your turn to another party member, granting them a damage bonus. Mastering Baton Pass is crucial for chaining attacks and dealing massive damage.
• Hold-Ups: If you knock down all enemies, you can initiate a "Hold-Up." You can then choose to demand money/items, negotiate for a Persona, or launch an All-Out Attack.
• All-Out Attack: When all enemies are downed, you can unleash a devastating All-Out Attack, dealing massive damage to the entire enemy party.
• Persona Switching: As Joker, you can switch between your equipped Personas at the start of your turn, allowing you to adapt to any enemy's resistances or weaknesses.

Combat Strategies

• Exploit Weaknesses: Always aim to hit enemy weaknesses to gain "1 More" turns and set up for Hold-Ups or All-Out Attacks.
• Utilize Baton Pass: Chain your "1 More" turns with Baton Pass to maximize damage output and maintain momentum.
• Buffs and Debuffs: Use skills like Tarukaja (attack up), Rakukaja (defense up), and Sukukaja (agility up) on your party, and Marukaja (all attack up), Tarunda (attack down), and Rakunda (defense down) on enemies.
• SP Management: Conserve SP by using physical attacks when effective and utilizing items or skills that restore SP.
• Persona Synergy: Ensure your party members have Personas that cover a wide range of elemental attacks to exploit various enemy weaknesses.

The Phantom Thieves' Roles