Beginners guide to Persona 5 Tactica

Fans of the Persona series will have plenty of new systems to learn and use in Persona 5 Tactica. You’ll be battling on a grid of squares, where moves can be as important as the skills you employ.

The game does a pretty good job of describing how the basics work, for players new to the genre, much is left unsaid. Follow the tips below and you won’t have to restart like I did, once I realized everything I’d missed! 

Top 12 tips for beginners in Persona 5 Tactica

Managing your money

Having the best weapon for each of your characters is crucial to your success in the early game of Persona 5 Tactica. Using gun attacks means you can save your SPs for when you really need them, so be sure to pack the biggest punch you can by upgrading weapons as soon as they come up in the shop. Make sure you have the best weapon equipped for each character before you consider spending Yen on summoning Personas.

Skip the first tier of weapon upgrades

Each character will have two weapons you can buy when they rejoin the team. Never buy the cheaper of the two, as it is a false economy. You get a lot less money when you sell them back later, and the cost difference is so small you will barely see the difference. 

Disassemble old weapons

As soon as you upgrade a weapon, immediately disassemble the old one the character had. To sell your weapons, go to the Hideout menu, select V.Room, hover over the weapon, and select the Disassemble option. You’ll get less than half of the laue back, but that could be enough to get the best weapon for another character or summon a Persona.   

Replay missions

If I find I’m a little short on cash for a weapon, I replay an old mission to make the cash I need. Replaying old missions is a fun reminder of old content, especially if you didn’t three-star it the first time! Replay missions by going to the Hideout menu and choosing the Replay option. 

Related: All Persona 5 Tactica skills, ranked

Talk to your allies

Always talk to your Allies when you get the chance. You’ll know a character has something to say when you see the New tag appear on the Talk icon. Even if you skip through the conversations, talking will give each member of the party 2GP. This can push you over the edge to a new skill, so stay on top of those chats!

Complete quests as early as you can

Occasionally you’ll be told that one or more new quests have become available. To check them, go to the Hideout menu and select Quests. You can only complete each quest once, so there will only be new quests on the list.

Related: Quietly Storming the Castle guide (Persona 5 Tactica)

Quests may seem less important because they're optional and don’t progress the story. However, each quest gives massive one-time GP rewards for some of the characters participating. A 20GP reward is enough to buy a character a good skill, so you want them as soon as you can get them. I’ve found all quests can be completed as soon as they become available, as they tend to need more brains than brawn. 

Persona 5 Tactica battle tips and tricks

Pre-battle checks

Visit the V.Room

Remember you can visit the Velvet Room before each battle, allowing you to switch or create new Personas to better suit the objective. You’ll probably have some information about the battle by now, such as how big the map is and what skills may be most important. Is it a limited-time mission, or defeat all the enemies? Pick the Personas that will be the most useful to you.

Check your SP-to-skill ratio

Think about how much SP a hero has before you assign them a Persona. For example, consider how many times they'll be able to trigger a strong skill in a single battle. If a skill costs you 45SP and you only have 80, maybe you have a Persona you could attach that gives you 10 extra SP? Using that big shot twice could make all the difference. 

Watch out for the Personas limit

You can only have 15 Personas registered at any one time. If you complete a battle and earn Personas as a reward, but hit your limit, you will have to choose any excess Personas and delete them. Annoyingly you’ll have to choose to delete one or more of those just earned, so it is always best to make sure you have no more than 12 when entering a battle (as you can gain up to three as rewards). 

During the battle 

Just One More and movement

When a character can act, they can move. This makes Just One More a double threat; an extra action is powerful on its own, but extra movement is a game-changer. Not only can you move again, but you can also move further. This means you can attack another uncovered target, triggering yet another Just One More. 

Equally importantly, you can switch to another character after gaining Just One More. This can make moves such as Triple Threat far more effective, allowing you to move your triangle to the best possible position. If you know a character is about to make their last move, make sure they’re in a good position for a potential Triple Threat. 

Save those SP for when you need them

While it’s always tempting to use your skills, longer battles can see you run out of SP if you’re not careful. Melee attacks can be super useful as they knock back enemies, potentially damaging other targets. Gun attacks are also great for targeting distant enemies that don’t have cover, allowing you One More Move and extended range. You don’t always need to use those skills. 

If you’ve put some points into Futaba though, and she has a chance to boost your SP during battle, it is worth using at least one skill per character early so you can get the benefit of her buffs. If you have no SP spend, there’s nothing to regenerate! 

Don’t be scared to take some damage

Finally, while it’s great to be in cover, sometimes you have to take a hit to ensure maximum carnage! If one of your characters has to end up in no man’s land to set off that perfect Triple Threat, then it’s likely going to be worth it in the long run. Just make sure you have a healer in your party!

For more on Persona 5 Tactica, check out All Persona 5 Tactica characters, ranked and All Persona 5 Tactica skills, ranked right here at Pro Game Guides!