Mastering the combat system in Persona 5 Royal hinges on effectively exploiting enemy weaknesses and capitalizing on the resulting All-Out Attacks. This synergy is the core of efficient combat, allowing you to dispatch foes quickly and conserve valuable resources.
Identifying Weaknesses
Every Shadow in the game possesses specific elemental or physical weaknesses. These are indicated by icons above their heads during combat. When you hit a Shadow with an attack it is weak to, it will be knocked down, granting you an extra turn. This is the foundation of the "one more" system in Persona games.
- Elemental Weaknesses: These correspond to the various Personas' affinities (e.g., Fire, Ice, Electric, Wind, Psychic, Nuclear, Bless, Curse).
- Physical Weaknesses: Some Shadows are weak to Gun or Physical attacks.
- Status Ailments: Certain Shadows can also be knocked down by inflicting specific status ailments like Sleep, Shock, or Freeze.
The "One More" System
When you successfully hit a Shadow's weakness, you gain an additional action. This allows you to chain attacks, target multiple enemies, or set up for an All-Out Attack. The goal is to knock down as many enemies as possible in a single turn.
All-Out Attacks
Once all living enemies on the field are knocked down, you can initiate an All-Out Attack. This unleashes a powerful, cinematic attack from your entire party, dealing sificant damage to all enemies. The damage scales with your party's level, your Personas' stats, and certain Confidant abilities.
- Maximizing All-Out Attacks: The more enemies you knock down, the more effective the All-Out Attack will be. Prioritize hitting weaknesses to achieve this.
- Technical Damage: Certain actions, like hitting a downed enemy with a different attack type, can trigger "Technical" damage, which also knocks enemies down and can lead to an All-Out Attack. For example, hitting a Shocked enemy with a Physical attack can trigger a Technical.
By consistently identifying and exploiting enemy weaknesses, you'll chain together extra turns, leading to devastating All-Out Attacks that can quickly end encounters, conserve SP, and secure victory with minimal risk.