Ready to dive into the thrilling world of Persona 5 Tactica? Before you don your Phantom Thief mask and lead your team into tactical battles across Nintendo, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, these 10 essential beginner tips will give you the strategic edge you need to master cover usage, optimize your team’s unique skills, and conquer every mission with style and precision. Whether you’re new to tactical RPGs or a seasoned Persona fan, these insights will transform your gameplay and help you unlock the full potential of this exciting spin-off.
Regardless of your experience with Persona, there’s a lot to keep track of in Tactica once you get past the tutorial. So, in this Persona 5 Tactica guide, we’ll impart 10 beginner tips we wish we knew before starting the game.
One More attacks are your most powerful tool
One More attacks are your most powerful tool in Persona 5 Tactica, allowing you to extend your turn by earning extra actions when you exploit enemy weaknesses or land critical hits. These attacks enable you to chain together devastating combos, setting up your team in a triangle formation to trigger Triple Threat attacks-an area-of-effect strike that deals massive damage to enemies caught within. Mastering One More attacks not only maximizes your damage output but also lets you control the battlefield by taking down multiple foes in a single turn, making them essential for dominating encounters and turning the tide of battle in your favor.
Chaining One Moreis your primary means for success in Persona 5 Tactica, and you should be looking to get as many as you can in a single turn.
Every time you attack an enemy that isn’t behind cover or is unable to resist your damage at all, you’ll activate One More. This primarily happens when you catch an enemy out in the open before they reach cover, or if you attack them after another character has cast a skill on them that turn.
One More knocks your enemies down and refunds your turn. Now, you could attack the same enemy twice in a row to deal devastating damage – maybe even kill them in one turn. But the real ticket is using your One More to try and get another One More. If you set things up properly, you can chain One Mores until you’ve knocked down every enemy on screen.
Don’t get caught out of cover
In Persona 5 Tactica, staying behind cover is crucial to your survival and success in battles. Cover reduces or even completely negates damage from enemy attacks, making it a vital defensive tool. Ending your turn in cover not only protects your characters but also prevents enemies from exploiting your exposed position to gain extra turns against you. Different types of cover offer varying levels of protection, so learning which to use in different situations is key. Always prioritize positioning your units behind cover to minimize damage and maintain the upper hand in combat.
Anytime you’re in cover, you’re able to resist some damage. If it’s full cover, you’ll block any and all frontal attacks. But even if you’re only able to find half-cover, you’ll still take significantly reduced damage from enemies. Because of this, you want to make sure you always end your turn in cover.
However, cover is way more useful than just resistances, as it prevents enemies from getting a One More attack on you. If you’re caught out and get shot, you’ll give your enemy a second turn, which can be devastating for your cadre of Phantom Thieves.
Even if an enemy can clearly hit you from where you’re standing, it’s better to be in some cover than no cover at all.
Use your skills to knock enemies out of cover
In Persona 5 Tactica, positioning your characters behind cover is crucial since ending a turn exposed leaves them defenseless against enemy attacks. However, you can use your skills strategically to knock enemies out of their cover, making them vulnerable to critical hits and follow-up attacks from your team. Attacking with Personas or using melee moves can displace enemies from cover, allowing your allies to capitalize on their defenseless state. Planning your moves to first remove enemies from cover and then execute powerful combos like One More and Triple Threat attacks can turn the tide of battle in your favor. This tactical approach maximizes damage output while keeping your Phantom Thieves protected behind cover.
One of the best ways to knock a group of enemies out of cover and set them up for a One More attack is to use a skill on them. Using Morgana’s Magaru wind magic, for example, can knock multiple enemies away from cover, making them easy pickings for another character’s attacks.
Always look to set up an Triple Threat All-Out attack
To maximize your offensive power in Persona 5 Tactica, always aim to set up a Triple Threat All-Out Attack. This powerful move requires you to down an enemy and then position all three of your characters to form a triangle around the downed foe. The character who scored the down must have a “One More” turn available to initiate the attack. When the enemy is inside the triangle formed by your party, you can unleash a devastating area-of-effect strike that hits all enemies within the triangle, often one-shotting weaker foes and heavily damaging stronger ones. Planning your moves to create this formation and carefully managing your characters’ positions and One More turns should be a central strategy, as Triple Threat attacks deal massive damage and can turn the tide of battle in your favor.
If knocking enemies down with One More is your primary goal, using as many Triple Threat attacks as possible is a close second.
Once you knock an enemy down and score a One More, you’ll be able to form a triangle between your three characters. If you manage to position your characters to fit the knocked down enemy inside the triangle, you can execute a Triple Threat attack, which deals massive damage to all enemies inside the triangle.
Now this is great for finishing off an enemy that you’ve downed, but it can also deal incredible damage to enemies that are still in cover – as long as you fit them in the triangle. If you position your characters well, you can get most of the enemies in an arena in a single Triple Threat attack.
Use One More to increase your range of movement
Using One More in Persona 5 Tactica is essential to increasing your range of movement and maximizing your tactical options during battles. When you exploit an enemy’s weakness and score a One More attack, you gain an extra action for that character, allowing you to reposition further across the battlefield. This extended movement lets you create wider formations, set up devastating Triple Threat attacks, and maintain better control over the map. Prioritizing One More attacks not only boosts your damage output but also enhances your ability to maneuver strategically, giving you a significant advantage in combat.
Getting around the arena quickly is very important in Persona 5 Tactica, as you’ll want to be able to separate your characters out enough to create massive triangles for your All-Out attacks. One way to increase your movement area in a turn is to score a One More. Wherever you’re at when you knock an enemy down, you’ll reset your movement area, allowing you to reach new areas in the same turn.
Change up your Phantom Thief members between missions
In Persona 5 Tactica, you can change your Phantom Thief party members between missions to tailor your team for specific combat needs. Each character brings unique bonus effects and skills, so swapping them out allows you to optimize your strategy based on the mission’s objectives. Unlike previous Persona games, you only bring three members to battle, and Joker is not mandatory, giving you flexibility to create diverse team compositions. Additionally, characters not used in the previous fight enter the next battle in “Peak Condition,” gaining boosts to HP and SP, encouraging strategic rotation of your team. This system enhances tactical depth and lets you experiment with different abilities and personas to suit various challenges.
Each character in Persona 5 has their own bonus effect that they bring to combat, like increased HP or SP. But you want to make sure you’re swapping your Phantom Thieves out on a regular basis – even if you prefer their bonuses.
Whenever a Phantom Thief starts a combat sitting on the bench, they’ll gain a buff called Peak Condition in their next battle, which increases their HP and SP. This is an awesome buff which will allow you to make more risky plays and use your spells more often.
Experiment with your skill points
In Persona 5 Tactica, experimenting with your skill points is crucial to tailoring your team’s abilities to suit different mission goals and combat styles. Since each character can equip unique Personas and skills, investing skill points thoughtfully allows you to enhance support spells, offensive capabilities, or defensive tactics depending on your preferred strategy. For instance, focusing on support skills like healing and buffs can be just as important as maximizing damage output, especially in tougher battles. Additionally, skill points can unlock abilities that synergize with the environment and team formations, helping you create powerful combos like the Triple Threat. Don’t hesitate to try different skill builds and adjust them based on the mission requirements to maximize your effectiveness on the battlefield.
In Persona 5 Tactica, all of your units share a level, which keeps them on (mostly) equal footing the entire game. When your team levels up, you complete a quest in the hideout, or you get through a conversation with your friends, you’ll earn GP or Growth Points. You can use these Growth Points to improve each individual unit’s skills in their skill trees.
However, the coolest thing about GP is that you can refund it extremely easily. If one character has 50 GP to spend, and 20 of it is occupied in a skill you don’t care much for, you can refund it with a single click. Similarly, if you have some points lying around, just invest it in something you don’t care much about instead of saving it for later. Once you can afford the skill you really want, you can just reallocate those GP.
Focus on the objective of each mission
In Persona 5 Tactica, each mission has a clear primary objective, such as defeating all enemies, reaching a specific target, or surviving for a set number of turns. Beyond these main goals, missions often include additional optional objectives that reward extra experience, currency, and other bonuses when completed. These secondary goals typically require more strategic play, like finishing battles within a limited number of turns or avoiding any party member knockouts. Focusing on the specific objectives of each mission not only advances the story but also maximizes your rewards and progression, making it essential to plan your tactics carefully before and during each encounter.
Most missions in Persona 5 Tactica want you to clear the arena of enemies. However, there are some mini boss fights that ask you to destroy a flag that your enemies are using to rally themselves or reach an area. In these encounters, you must complete the objective or your enemies will continue to respawn.
Spend more time focusing your efforts on destroying the flag or reaching the area rather than on defeating your enemies. If you complete the objective, you’ll end the encounter immediately and be able to move on to the next fight.
Skipping a turn can be beneficial
Skipping a turn in Persona 5 Tactica can actually be a strategic advantage. When a character skips their turn without attacking, they build up a unique buff called Charge, which varies depending on the Phantom Thief and can enhance movement, attack range, or other abilities on their next turn. This mechanic encourages players to sometimes hold back if no beneficial move is available, allowing their characters to come back stronger and better prepared for subsequent actions. Using this tactic wisely can help you regain momentum and optimize your overall strategy in battle.
If you’re unable to get an attack out in your turn with a particular character, they’ll gain a buff called Charge on their next turn. Charge does something slightly different for each character – with Erina getting the best buff, which allows her to score a One More on enemies in cover with her gun.
More often than not, you’re going to get Charge on accident when you’re moving characters with a slow movement speed closer to the action. But, if the only option you have for an attack with your character is a bad one – like a hit on an enemy in partial cover – it might behoove you to save that attack and get a Charge out of it instead.
Remember that you can always undo your mistakes
Undoing mistakes is a powerful feature in Persona 5 Tactica that allows you to rewind to the start of your previous turn during battles. This lets you experiment freely with different strategies, reposition your team, and try various skill combinations without the fear of permanent consequences. By making full use of the Undo option-activated from the main menu in the middle of an encounter-you can refine your tactics, correct errors, and ultimately improve your chances of achieving three-star mission ratings. New players are especially encouraged to rely on Undo to master the game’s mechanics and turn challenging encounters to their advantage.
Like all tactics games, it can be easy to get yourself into a bind in Persona 5 Tactica. Thankfully, Tactica has a very generous undo button. You can open the pause menu anytime and hit “Undo” to reset the game to your previous turn. There are no limitations to how often you can do this.
What are the most overlooked tactics to master early in Persona 5 Tactica
The most overlooked tactics to master early in Persona 5 Tactica include:
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Prioritizing weapons with greater range over raw damage to maximize positioning options and avoid forfeiting turns, which enhances your ability to control the battlefield and dodge enemy attacks.
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Exploiting the “One More” system by forcing enemies out of cover with melee attacks or spells like Garu, then following up with allies to chain extra turns; this setup is crucial for triggering powerful Triple Threat (All-Out) attacks that can wipe out multiple foes at once.
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Focusing on passive abilities early on, such as Regenerate (for automatic minor healing), Mighty Warrior (boosts multi-target attacks), Defense Master (auto defense boost), Indomitable Perseverance (damage reduction when HP is low), and Sharp Eyed Wildcat (increased damage to enemies behind cover), as these provide significant survivability and damage advantages that active offensive skills alone cannot match.
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Utilizing cover effectively to reduce or negate damage, while simultaneously working to knock enemies out of their cover to gain tactical advantages and extra turns.
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Taking advantage of the Undo Turn feature to perfect your moves and reposition enemies strategically, ensuring you maximize damage output and minimize risk each turn.
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Building up Charge by occasionally skipping turns, which grants buffs to Phantom Thieves on their next action and can turn the tide in difficult battles.
Mastering these nuanced tactics early will set you apart in Persona 5 Tactica’s challenging tactical battles and help you fully leverage the unique mechanics of the game.
How important is weapon range for early tactical advantage in Persona 5 Tactica
Weapon range is critically important for gaining an early tactical advantage in Persona 5 Tactica. Choosing weapons with greater range rather than just higher raw damage allows for more flexible positioning, better dodging of enemy attacks, and reduces the need to forfeit turns due to being out of range. This flexibility is vital for controlling the battlefield and setting up follow-up attacks that trigger the “One More” system and powerful All-Out attacks.
Additionally, longer weapon range helps in knocking enemies out of cover, which is essential because cover reduces or negates ranged damage. Removing enemies from cover makes them vulnerable to extra attacks and combos, a core mechanic for success in the game. Prioritizing range also synergizes well with skills and passive abilities that boost ranged attacks, further enhancing your effectiveness in combat.
In summary, focusing on weapon range early on provides superior tactical options, enabling better positioning, more consistent damage output, and the ability to chain attacks that are crucial for dominating battles in Persona 5 Tactica.
