Behind the masks of Persona 5: The Phantom X lurks a secret weapon: Revelation Cards-enigmatic upgrades that can transform even the weakest Phantom Thief into a powerhouse, if you know how to wield their mysterious effects and bonuses. Are you ready to unravel the mechanics behind the game’s most complex gear system and unlock your full potential?
For those struggling to defeat Shadow bosses, Revelation Cards might be your key to victory. Revelation Cards are vital to improving your characters’ damage and survivability. However, the card system can be very confusing as it’s thrust into your face with little to no explanation.
These cards are similar to the artifact, relic, or drive disc system in Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, or Zenless Zone Zero, respectively – but it also has a few more complicated quirks that set it apart from these systems.
Confusingly enough, some Revelation Cards have one name visibly on the card, but the card is referred to by a different name in all of the game’s text. So if you’re lost, know that you’re not alone.
Below, we’ve explained everything you need to know about Revelation Cards in Persona 5: The Phantom X.
What are Revelation Cards in Persona 5: The Phantom X?
Revelation Cards in Persona 5: The Phantom X are a crucial type of equipment that enhances a character’s stats and provides additional effects, significantly boosting their combat capabilities. Unlocking at account level 35, these cards come in different rarities and feature a primary stat along with various substats that improve as the cards level up. Players can equip multiple cards to build sets that activate powerful bonuses, making Revelation Cards essential for strengthening your team against tougher enemies and maximizing overall performance in battles. The system resembles artifact or relic mechanics seen in other RPGs but has its unique complexities within the game.
Revelation Cards are one of the main ways to make your characters stronger in Persona 5: The Phantom X. Once you reach account level 35, you’ll unlock the ability to equip cards to your characters and earn more cards through the Realm of Repression. Revelation Cards are split up into marks and sets.
There are five different marks and each character can equip one of each type – Sun, Moon, Star, Sky, and Space. Each card comes with a main stat and a set ofsubstats. The Sun card’s main stat will always be HP and the Space card is the only card that comes with two main stats, which will always be attack and defense. The rest of the stats, including the main stats for the other marks and all of the substats, will be random. However, the number of substats a Revelation Card has will depend on the card’s tier. There are four different rarities:
- Gray – Up to two substats
- Blue – Up to three substats
- Purple – Up to four substats
- Orange – Up to four substats
Revelation Cards can also be enhanced to provide your character with even more stats. Every time you level up a card, its main stat will increase. Also, every five levels, either a random substat will increase or the card will gain a random substat if there’s space.
Additionally, Revelation Cards will provide your character with bonus effects.
What do Heavens (Sun, Moon, Star, and Sky) Revelation Cards do?
The Heavens cards, which is another name for the Sun, Moon, Star, and Sky cards, will dictate the effects that your characters receive. If two or four of your Heavens cards are from the same set, you’ll gain a bonus effect, which varies depending on the set.
For more information on what effect each set provides and where to get them, check out the table below:
Revelation Card Set |
2 Set Effect |
4 Set Effect |
Realm of Repression |
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Peace | Increase defense by 20%. | Increase shields by 18%. | Words of Serenity |
Hindrance (Interference) | Increase Curse damage by 10%. | Increase Curse damage to foes with debuffs by 20%. | Words of Serenity |
Control (Dominion) | Increase max HP by 12%. | When attacking with a skill, deal 8% of own HP as bonus damage to the target. | Words of Nature |
Renewal (Completion) | Increase Electric damage by 10%. | After allies use Electric skills, increase own Electric damage by 9%. Stacks up to 3 times. | Words of Nature |
Courage (Valor) | Increase Physical damage by 10%. | Increase critical damage by 30% for 2 turns. Reapply effect after dealing a critical hit. | Words of Feuds |
Strife | Increase Fire damage dealt by 10%. | Increase attack by 15%. If target is weak to Fire, increase attack by 15% more. | Words of Feuds |
Love | Increase healing by 9%. | Increase healing to allies with less than 50% HP by 23%. | Words of Life |
Opulence (Luxury) | Increase Ice damage by 10%. | Increase Resonance damage by 40%. | Words of Life |
Power | Increase attack by 12%. | From the start of battle, increase attack by 10% every 6 turns. Stacks up to 3 times. | Words of Ruling |
Victory | Increase Wind damage by 10%. | When attacking, 25% chance to deal 20% of the user’s attack as bonus damage. | Words of Ruling |
Prosperity (Abundance) | Decrease damage taken by 8%. | At the start of battle, fill the Highlight gauge by 25%. This effect won’t activate if stacked. | Words of Bonds |
Truth (Science) | Increase Nuclear damage by 10%. | When attacking with a skill, deal 30% of user’s attack as damage if the target has an elemental ailment. | Words of Bonds |
What do Space Revelation Cards do?
The Space card, which is unlocked at account level 40, also provides your character with an effect. The effect is determined by your Space card and Heavens set, but you’ll only gain the effect if all four of your Heavens cards are from the same set. For more information on the Space card effects, check out the table below:
Space Card |
Heavens Set 1 |
Heavens Set 2 |
Heavens Set 3 |
---|---|---|---|
Acceptance | Strife – For each foe on the field, increase attack by 8%. Maximum of 40%. | Peace – After taking damage, increase Defense by 40% for 2 turns. | Love – After using a healing skill, increase user’s attack by 25%. |
Awareness | Truth (Science) – Increase damage dealt to foes with elemental ailments by 12%. Stacks up to 2 times. | Control (Dominion) – Increase party’s Fire damage by 6%. When a foe is Burning, increase party’s Fire damage by 6% more for 2 turns. | Hindrance (Interference) – Whenever dealing damage to a foe with a debuff, increase user’s attack by 9% for 1 turn. Stacks up to 3 times. |
Departure | Control (Dominion) – When attacking with a skill, decrease main target’s defense by 23% for 2 turns. | Prosperity (Abundance) – After attacking a foe, increase party’s damage by 8% for 1 turn. | Hindrance (Interference) – After defeating a foe, increase user’s attack by 30% for 3 turns. |
Faith | Peace – Each time a shield is granted, increase target’s defense by 7% for 2 turns. Stacks up to 3 times. | Love – For every 800 HP, increase user’s healing effect by 1%. Maximum of 20%. | Only two combinations. |
Growth | Opulence (Luxury) – When activating Resonance, increase own Ice damage by 10% for 2 turns. Stacks up to 3 times. | Renewal (Completion) – Increase critical damage of Resonance by 50% | Prosperity (Abundance) – Increase maximum number of attack buff stacks to 5. |
Harmony | Victory – When activating a Revelation set effect’s bonus damage, increase target’s damage taken by 12% for 2 turns. | Power – Increase damage of allies with the same main attribute by 10%. This effect won’t activate if stacked. | Truth (Science) – For each elemental ailment inflicted, increase party’s Nuclear damage by 5% for 2 turns. |
Meditation | Love – After dealing a critical hit, increase user’s healing effect by 28% for 2 turns. | Courage (Valor) – Increase Physical and Electric damage by 12%. If there is only 1 for on the field, increase by 24% more. | Opulence (Luxury) – When activating Resonance, increase critical damage by 50%. |
Trust | Renewal (Completion) – When 3 Electric damage buffs are stacked, increase party’s Electric damage by 12%. This effect won’t activate if stacked. | Power – At the start of battle, increase other allies’ attack by 10%. This effect won’t activate if stacked. | Prosperity (Abundance) – After using a skill on an ally, increase party’s damage by 8% for 2 turns. |
How to get Revelation Cards in Persona 5: The Phantom X
To obtain Revelation Cards in Persona 5: The Phantom X, you must first reach account level 35, which unlocks the ability to both equip and acquire these cards. Once unlocked, Revelation Cards can primarily be obtained in two ways: by farming the Realm of Repression, which consumes your limited energy reserves, or by opening treasure chests while exploring the Path of Aiyatsbus and Palaces. For higher-tier cards and better set effects, it’s recommended to target higher-level challenges (level 60 and above) as they have increased drop rates for rare Revelation Cards. Additionally, after reaching level 40, Space/Heavens cards (a specific type) can be acquired from Nightmare’s Gateway battles, exchanged for Companio Coins in the Companio Shop, and rewarded through certain in-game plans and pass progression. Farming for ideal sets and rarities often requires repeated runs and patience, as stat rolls are randomized and high-rarity (orange or purple) cards are less frequent, advising players to avoid heavily investing in lower-rarity cards early on.
At account level 35, you can farm for Heavens cards by opening chests inside Palaces or completing Revelation Card challenges in the Realm of Repression. Each challenge is associated with two Revelation Card sets:
- Words of Serenity – Peace and Hindrance (Interference)
- Words of Nature – Control (Dominion) and Renewal (Completion)
- Words of Feuds – Courage (Valor) and Strife
- Words of Life – Love and Opulence (Luxury)
- Words of Ruling – Power and Victory
- Words of Bonds – Prosperity (Abundance) and Truth (Science)
If you’re farming for Heavens Revelation Cards, it’s recommended to wait until you’re a higher level (60 ) because higher level challenges have a higher probability of giving you high-rarity Revelation Cards. (Investing in lower-rarity cards is fine, but it is a waste of materials since you’ll need to upgrade them down the line anyway.)
Space cards are unlocked a little differently. Space cards are unlocked at account level 40, and you can get more by doing the following:
- Complete Nightmare’s Gateway battles and earn cards as a reward.
- Exchange Companio Coins in the Companio Shop.
- Level up your special pass (paid pass) to level 30.
- Finish certain steps in Plans.
Could Revelation Cards be the key to defeating the toughest Shadow bosses in Persona 5 X
Revelation Cards are widely recognized as one of the most important keys to defeating the toughest Shadow bosses in Persona 5: The Phantom X. They provide significant stat boosts and grant powerful bonus effects essential for both offense and survivability, often making the difference between victory and defeat during boss encounters.
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Essential for Boss Fights: Multiple guides note that players are expected to equip at least a couple of Revelation Cards on each Phantom Thief before attempting Shadow boss battles, as the added stats from the main and substats are invaluable for overcoming damage checks and surviving high-damage attacks.
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Huge Stat Boosts and Synergies: Revelation Cards don’t just boost basic stats like HP, attack, and defense; they also offer specialized bonuses, such as increased elemental damage, enhanced healing, and even skills that synergize for massive burst potential. Certain card sets can, for example, increase a character’s damage by over 30% for several turns, or dramatically boost survivability, depending on your team and the boss mechanics.
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Customization for Strategy: Selecting the right combination of Revelation Cards for each character, especially matching set bonuses with each character’s strengths and your team composition, is frequently cited as necessary for clearing endgame content. Recommended sets often maximize a character’s strongest abilities or compensate for the party’s weaknesses, particularly against the toughest bosses.
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Unlock and Enhancement Required: Revelation Cards unlock only after reaching account level 35 and must be leveled and enhanced to be most effective, with higher-rarity cards yielding better stats and more substat growth.
In summary, *if you have been struggling against difficult bosses, optimizing your Revelation Card setups is often the critical step recommended by both guides and experienced players. Proper use of the right Revelation Cards isn’t just helpful-it’s often considered mandatory for tackling Persona 5 X’s hardest battles.
How can players optimize Revelation Card setups for different Shadow bosses in P5X
Players can optimize Revelation Card setups for different Shadow bosses in Persona 5: The Phantom X by tailoring card sets, main stats, and substats to both the demands of the boss and each character’s role.
Key steps for optimization:
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Match Card Sets to Roles and Boss Mechanics
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Use four-piece set bonuses for maximum impact, rather than mixing random cards.
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Choose sets that exploit boss weaknesses or amplify team strengths. For example:
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The Ruin set increases curse damage and is optimal for characters who inflict curses or debuffs.
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The Power set is strong on attack-scaling characters, offering overall damage boosts.
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The Trust set buffs party-wide attack and is valuable for supports.
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Prioritize Main Stats by Character Class
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DPS (damage dealers): Select cards with main stats like attack, crit rate, or damage bonus where relevant.
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Supports and debuffers: Focus on main stats that boost survivability (like HP or defense) and useful effects (such as speed for acting earlier).
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Navigators: Main stats may include crit rate to pass on buffs, defense, or HP, depending on their passive stat-sharing abilities.
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Tune Substats for Boss-Specific Requirements
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Against bosses with strong status effects, consider ailment resistance or HP substats.
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For burst windows or bosses with frequent add phases, increase crit rate, crit damage, or elemental bonus substats as suits your main DPS and the boss’s elemental vulnerabilities.
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Card Enhancement and Rarity
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Prioritize leveling and enhancing your best four-star (orange/purple) cards to maximize both main stat and substat potential.
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Pay attention to set completion-fully unlocking set bonuses dramatically outperforms partial sets or unfitting cards.
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Adapt for Each Boss
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Research boss mechanics (e.g., weaknesses to elements, necessity for speed or defensive stats) and prepare sets accordingly.
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For example, use high-HP and defensive main stats for survivability against bosses with heavy AoE (area of effect) damage, or stack attack bonuses for quick single-target burst when bosses are only vulnerable for short windows.
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Practical Example:
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For a debuffer specializing in status effects (for example, Sepia), equip a full Ruin set with an Awareness Space card (buffs attack after applying debuffs), and prioritize ailment accuracy in the Star card slot and HP on the others.
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For a navigator, use the Trust card for party team-buffs and stack crit rate to enhance team crit potential passively.
Optimization is context-specific-adjustments should be made after analyzing each boss’s unique mechanics, resisting the urge to use one-size-fits-all builds.
Most expert guides stress that full set effects, best-in-slot main stats, and high enhancement levels are the three foundations for Revelation Card optimization