The Baton Pass system is a fundamental combat mechanic in Persona 5 Royal that allows for incredible offensive flexibility and efficiency. Mastering it is key to chaining attacks, conserving SP, and maximizing damage output, especially when aiming for a perfect playthrough.
What is Baton Pass?
When you knock down an enemy by hitting their weakness, you gain an extra turn. Instead of using that turn to attack, you can choose to "Baton Pass" to another party member. This transfers the extra turn to them, and they can then act. The party member who receives the Baton Pass gains a sificant stat boost (Attack, Defense, and Accuracy/Evasion) depending on the rank of their Confidant with Joker.
How to Perform a Baton Pass:
- Land a critical hit or exploit an enemy's weakness to gain an extra turn.
- Select the "Baton Pass" option from the command menu.
- Choose the party member you wish to pass the turn to.
Benefits of Baton Pass:
- Stat Boosts: Higher Confidant ranks with Joker grant greater stat boosts upon receiving a Baton Pass. This makes your party members hit harder, defend better, and evade more effectively.
- Chaining Attacks: You can chain multiple Baton Passes together, allowing your entire party to act consecutively. This is incredibly useful for setting up devastating All-Out Attacks or for focusing down a single powerful enemy.
- SP Conservation: By using Baton Pass to have party members use their skills, you can sometimes avoid having Joker use his own SP for certain actions, preserving it for more critical moments.
- Exploiting Weaknesses: If one party member can exploit a weakness, they can Baton Pass to another who can exploit a different weakness, or to a party member who can deal heavy damage to a downed foe.
Maximizing Baton Pass Effectiveness:
- Prioritize Confidant Ranks: Focus on ranking up the Confidants of your core party members (Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Akechi) as their Baton Pass boosts are crucial.
- Strategic Targeting: Always aim to hit weaknesses to initiate the Baton Pass chain.
- Party Composition: Consider your party's elemental coverage when deciding who to pass to.
Mastering the Baton Pass system transforms combat from a turn-by-turn affair into a fluid, strategic dance of coordinated attacks, allowing you to overcome even the toughest challenges with style and efficiency.