Can You Max All Confidants and Social Stats in One Persona Game? The Ultimate Guide
Yes, it is absolutely possible to max out all Confidants and social stats in a single playthrough of games like Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal. It requires meticulous planning, efficient time management, and a good understanding of the game’s mechanics. While challenging, especially on a blind run, subsequent playthroughs become significantly easier with acquired knowledge and strategic planning. Let’s delve deeper into how you can achieve this impressive feat.
The Key to Mastering Your In-Game Life
Successfully balancing your time between raising social stats and building Confidant ranks is the crux of this challenge. Here’s a breakdown of essential strategies:
- Prioritize Social Stats: Many Confidant ranks are locked behind specific social stat levels. Focus on boosting Knowledge, Guts, Charm, Proficiency, and Kindness early in the game.
- Utilize Confidant Abilities: Certain Confidants offer abilities that significantly improve stat gains or time management. For example, the Fortune Confidant (Chihaya Mifune) allows you to boost Confidant relationships with specific characters. The Temperance Confidant (Sadayo Kawakami) gives you access to time saving activities.
- Strategic Gift Giving: Giving the right gift to a Confidant can dramatically increase your relationship points, saving you valuable time. Consult online guides for optimal gift choices.
- Exploit Time Slots: Be mindful of how you spend each time slot (daytime and evening). Prioritize activities that offer the most efficient stat gains or Confidant progress. Reading books, watching DVDs, and completing part-time jobs are valuable options.
- Take Advantage of School Questions: Always answer correctly in class. This is a consistent and effortless way to boost your Knowledge stat.
- Optimize Palace Runs: Complete Palaces in as few days as possible to free up more time for social activities.
- Persona Matching: Always carry a Persona of the same Arcana as the Confidant you are spending time with. This grants bonus points and helps you rank up faster.
- Utilize New Game Plus: For the true completionists, New Game Plus allows you to carry over social stats and other bonuses, making maxing out Confidants considerably easier.
- The Importance of a Guide: While some enjoy blind playthroughs, a reliable guide can significantly increase your chances of success, especially for maximizing your time efficiently.
Confidant Deadlines: A Critical Consideration
Keep a close eye on Confidant deadlines. Failing to reach certain ranks before these deadlines will lock you out of their storyline for that playthrough. In Persona 5 Royal, the Councillor (Takuto Maruki), Justice (Goro Akechi), and Faith (Kasumi Yoshizawa) Confidants are crucial for unlocking the true ending and have earlier deadlines. Don’t neglect other Confidants, as the ultimate deadline for all of them is typically in December.
Social Stats: The Foundation for Success
As mentioned, social stats are critical gatekeepers for progressing many Confidant relationships. Maxing them out early provides more flexibility later in the game.
- Knowledge: Acquired through studying, answering questions in class, and reading books.
- Guts: Developed through challenging activities, like taking on difficult part-time jobs or facing scary situations.
- Charm: Increased through interacting with certain characters and completing specific tasks.
- Proficiency: Boosted by crafting infiltration tools, batting cages, and working at certain jobs.
- Kindness: Enhanced through caring for plants, helping others, and working at specific jobs.
Remember, you don’t necessarily need to max out all social stats to max out all confidants, but the more you max, the easier it becomes to complete all activities like reading, gaming, and fishing.
Maximizing Your Confidant Benefits
Maxing out Confidant ranks unlocks powerful abilities that can significantly aid you in battle and exploration. Furthermore, achieving max rank with a Confidant grants you a unique item that carries over to New Game Plus, providing benefits from the start.
Don’t Forget About Fun!
While optimization is key, remember to enjoy the game! Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal offer rich stories, compelling characters, and engaging gameplay. Don’t get so caught up in min-maxing that you forget to appreciate the journey.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is it possible to max all Confidants in one playthrough without a guide?
Yes, but it’s extremely challenging, especially for first-time players. It requires a deep understanding of the game mechanics, perfect time management, and a bit of luck.
2. What happens if I miss a Confidant deadline?
If you fail to reach the required rank before a Confidant’s deadline, you will be locked out of their storyline for that playthrough and unable to max their rank.
3. Which Confidants are the most important to prioritize?
In Persona 5 Royal, the Councillor (Takuto Maruki), Justice (Goro Akechi), and Faith (Kasumi Yoshizawa) are crucial for unlocking the true ending. Fortune (Chihaya Mifune) and Temperance (Sadayo Kawakami) are extremely helpful due to their time-saving abilities.
4. How do I increase my social stats quickly?
Focus on activities that provide the most efficient stat gains, such as studying in the library, watching DVDs, and completing part-time jobs with bonus days.
5. Do gifts really make a difference in Confidant ranking?
Yes, giving the right gift to a Confidant can significantly increase your relationship points, saving you valuable time and interactions.
6. Can I still max out a Confidant even if I choose the friendship route instead of romance?
Absolutely. You can reach rank 10 with any romancable Confidant without entering a romantic relationship.
7. Are there any Confidants that rank up automatically?
Yes, some Confidants, like Igor (Fool), Morgana (Magician), and Sae Niijima (Judgement), rank up automatically as you progress through the story.
8. What happens when you max out all Confidants in Persona 5 Royal?
You unlock powerful abilities from each Confidant, and you receive a unique item that carries over to New Game Plus, providing starting bonuses. Additionally, maxing all characters can lead to new story scenes and endings.
9. Is Persona 5 Royal the longest game in the series?
Yes, Persona 5 Royal is the longest game in the Persona series, with over 110 hours of content.
10. How many endings are there in Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal?
There are multiple endings, including bad, good, and true endings. In Persona 5 Royal, unlocking the true ending requires specific Confidant ranks.
11. Do social links break in Persona 5?
Social Links can be negatively affected by negative choices or neglect but they are not considered broken like in previous games. Confidant relationships don’t “break” in the same way as in some earlier Persona titles.
12. What is the canon name for the protagonist in Persona 5?
While players can choose the protagonist’s name, the canonical name used in most official media is Ren Amamiya. Akira Kurusu is used in the manga adaptation.
13. What are the biggest challenges in maxing out all Confidants?
The biggest challenges are time management, prioritizing social stats, and meeting Confidant deadlines. Yen can also be a limiter.
14. Should I complete Palaces in one day to save time?
Yes, completing Palaces in one day is highly recommended. This frees up more time for social activities and Confidant ranking.
15. Is New Game Plus necessary to max out all Confidants?
No, New Game Plus is not strictly necessary, but it makes the process significantly easier by allowing you to carry over social stats and other bonuses.
Ultimately, mastering the social life of Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal is a rewarding challenge. With careful planning, strategic execution, and a little help from online resources, you can indeed achieve the coveted title of ultimate social butterfly. You can explore more about the educational aspects of gaming and learning with resources like the Games Learning Society on their website GamesLearningSociety.org. Happy playing!