Persona 5: Confidants Guide

Welcome to our in-depth Persona 5: Confidants Guide! Whether you're a seasoned Phantom Thief or a newcomer to Tokyo's supernatural underworld, this guide is your key to mastering the intricate web of relationships in Persona 5. Dive into the world of Confidants--your strongest allies and secret weapons throughout your journey. You'll discover Understanding Confidants, learn who the Best Confidants to Prioritize are, and find essential strategies for Maximizing Confidant Benefits. Plus, get expert advice on Managing Time for Confidants and actionable Tips for Building Relationships. Ready to strengthen your bonds and unleash your true potential? Let’s get started!

Understanding Confidants

One of the core elements of Persona 5 revolves around building relationships, or “Confidants,” with different characters in the game. These interactions are more than just side quests--they offer essential boosts to your abilities, social stats, and Personas. Here's a comprehensive guide to understanding, managing, and maximizing these friendships.

What Are Confidants?

Confidants are characters you can form bonds with throughout your journey. Each Confidant is tied to one of the 21 arcana from the Tarot deck, like The Fool, The Magician, or The Lovers. By spending time with these characters, you can level up your relationship, unlocking new abilities, bonuses in battle, or access to special items.

Importance of Confidants

• Abilities and Perks: Each Confidant provides unique perks. For example, the Temperance Confidant allows you to slack off in class occasionally, giving you time to boost your social stats.
• Fusion Boosts: Raising a Confidant rank makes fusing Personas of the corresponding arcana more powerful. The higher the rank, the stronger the resulting Persona will be.
• Story and Character Depth: Engaging with Confidants gives deeper insights into the game's lore and the characters' backgrounds, making the game richer and more immersive.

Making the Most of Your Time

Time management is crucial in Persona 5. Here's how to efficiently spend your days when working on Confidants:

• Prioritize Compatibility: Sometimes, to advance a Confidant, you need certain social stats (e.g., Charm, Knowledge, Guts). Plan your activities to raise these stats early.
• Matching Personas: When hanging out with a Confidant, bring a Persona of the same arcana as this boosts the relationship gain. If you’re meeting the Emperor Confidant, having an Emperor Persona like King Frost can accelerate your ranking up.
• Optimal Days and Weather: Some Confidants can only be visited on certain days or weather conditions. Check your calendar and plan accordingly. For instance, the Fortune Confidant Chihaya prefers meeting during the evenings.

Confidants to Look Out For

Some Confidants offer extremely beneficial perks that can make a significant difference in both combat and daily life. Here are a few to focus on early:

• Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot): Progressing with Ryuji rewards you with abilities that let you instantly defeat weaker shadows, saving time in dungeons.
• Takuto Maruki (Councillor): Introduced in Persona 5 Royal, Maruki provides powerful combat and healing abilities, making battles smoother.
• Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant): Sojiro’s perks allow you to make powerful SP items, crucial for prolonging dungeon exploration without having to leave.

Tips for Effective Bonding

• Gifts: Give gifts to certain Confidants to quickly boost your relationship. Items like sweets, books, or gadgets can make a big difference.
• Responses Matter: During conversations, choose responses that align with the Confidant's personality. Use guides if needed, as correct replies offer more points, speeding up the ranking process.
• Utilize Free Time: Don’t forget to use free time activities, like going to the gym with your Confidant or studying together. These actions often provide dual benefits--boosting Confidant ranks and improving your social stats.

Confidants are integral to your success in Persona 5. They not only enhance the storyline and character depth but also provide tangible in-game benefits. By understanding how to efficiently manage and maximize these relationships, you’ll find yourself well-equipped to tackle the many challenges that come your way. Happy bonding!

Best Confidants to Prioritize

Navigating through the realm of "Persona 5" can be overwhelming with so many characters and choices. But, fear not! We've got a handy guide that pinpoints the Confidants (characters you build relationships with) you should prioritize to make the most out of your time in the game.

1. Takemi (Death Arcana)

Location: Takemi Medical Clinic

The local back-alley doctor, Takemi, is a character you definitely want to spend time with. Her Confidant ranking rewards you with discounts on healing items and unlocks new, more powerful ones. This comes in handy during those tough battles in Palaces and Mementos. Also, her storyline is intriguing!

Priority Tips

• First Advantage: Discounts on healing items.
• Availability: Most days after school.
• Progression: Boosting Guts will help rank up faster.

2. Kawakami (Temperance Arcana)

Location: Your house after school or at night

Your homeroom teacher doubles as a maid service. Unlocking Kawakami can reshape your game experience by giving you more free time. She allows you to:

• Craft infiltration tools during class.
• Use time after school more efficiently.
• Get free time at night even after exploring a Palace or Mementos.

Priority Tips

• First Advantage: Slack off during class.
• Availability: Nights during the week.
• Progression: Requires a certain level of Guts to start.

3. Futaba (Hermit Arcana)

Location: Yongen-Jaya, Café Leblanc

Futaba is a hacker who's crucial for providing strong battle support. As you progress with her Confidant, she helps with Shadow analysis, enemy weaknesses, and even gives you the ability to leave the Metaverse without wasting your entire day. Plus, her character arc is a heartfelt dive into self-acceptance.

Priority Tips

• First Advantage: Oracle Recovery (health recovery).
• Availability: Most days.
• Progression: Slightly delayed until after summer.

4. Ryuji (Chariot Arcana)

Location: Shibuya, Arcade

Ryuji is your first buddy from Shujin Academy and increasing his Confidant rank has immediate gameplay benefits. His abilities help you sprint within Palaces without alerting enemies and, later, instantly defeat weaker Shadows on the map. This saves valuable time and SP.

Priority Tips

• First Advantage: Instant stealth runs in Palaces.
• Availability: Most days after school.
• Progression: Early access makes rapid rank-ups possible.

5. Mishima (Moon Arcana)

Location: Shinjuku or Central Street

Mishima isn't part of your battle team, but his Confidant abilities are game-changers for overall XP. His perks boost experience gained by all members, including those not actively in combat. This allows your team to stay balanced and lessens the grind.

Priority Tips

• First Advantage: Increased XP gains.
• Availability: Nights.
• Progression: Story progression dependent; stays consistent.

6. Hifumi (Star Arcana)

Location: Kanda, Church

Hifumi is a shogi player who imparts crucial battle techniques. Her strategic lessons add significant depth to your combat, including advanced maneuvers like swapping out characters mid-battle. This feature can be a lifesaver, especially when you're deep in Mementos or challenging a tough boss.

Priority Tips

• First Advantage: Koma Sabaki (swap party members).
• Availability: Certain nights.
• Progression: Raises through proper dialogue choices and gifts.

Final Thoughts

While all Confidants in "Persona 5" offer unique benefits, prioritizing these characters can significantly enhance your gameplay. Balancing your time between these key relationships will make your journey through Tokyo’s shadowy corners a breeze. Enjoy building those bonds and uncovering compelling stories along the way!

Persona 5: Confidants Guide

Maximizing Confidant Benefits

Confidants are more than just friends in Persona 5. Each of them offers unique bonuses that can help you both in and out of the Metaverse. Here's how to maximize your Confidant benefits effectively.

Build Relationships Early

The earlier you start working on your Confidants, the more you’ll get out of them. Prioritize characters who give you the most valuable bonuses. Some of the key Confidants include:

• Tae Takemi (Death): By leveling her Confidant, you can buy better healing items and accessories at her clinic.
• Sadayo Kawakami (Temperance): She can make classes more productive by crafting items for you or letting you slack off.
• Munehisa Iwai (Hanged Man): This shady airsoft shop owner lets you customize and enhance your weapons as you grow closer.

Make the Most of Your Time

Time management is crucial in Persona 5. Optimize your schedule with these strategies:

1. Use Gifts: Giving Confidants gifts they like can boost your relationship. This is especially useful for boosting social stats and saving time.
2. Hang Out on Free Days: Spend time with your Confidants on days off or after school to level them up.
3. Utilize Kawakami: Her special abilities can give you more free time in the evenings. By having her make coffee or do laundry, you free up time for other activities.

Take Advantage of Bonuses

Each Confidant offers unique perks that can significantly aid you in your journey. Here's how:

• Battle Benefits:
  • Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot): He gives you combat perks like instant kills for weaker enemies and improved negotiations.
  • Makoto Niijima (Priestess): She provides tactical advantages, like scanning for enemy weaknesses.
• Social Benefits:
  • Hifumi Togo (Star): Gain new battle strategies that introduce new moves and escape options.
  • Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant): He teaches you how to make better coffee and curry, restoring SP during Metaverse runs.
• Special Abilities:
  • Shinya Oda (Tower): He teaches you gun skills that prove especially useful against tough foes.

Effective Dialogue Choices

When conversing with your Confidants, picking the best dialogue choices is vital:

• Pay Attention to Prompts: Responses that show interest, agreement, or support usually result in better relationship points.
• Use a Guide (If Needed): While it's fun to go with your gut, using a guide can ensure you're making the max-out choices.

Persona Matching

Lastly, don't forget about the power of matching Personas:

• Equip the Right Persona: Whenever you hang out with a Confidant, having a Persona of the same Arcana will give you a relationship boost. For example, bring along a Death Persona when spending time with Takemi.
• Fuse Wisely: Fuse Personas strategically to always have those that match the Arcana of the Confidants you're focusing on.

By following these tips, you'll level up your Confidants more efficiently, unlocking all those sweet bonuses that make exploring the Metaverse and living your student life a lot easier. Happy socializing!

Managing Time for Confidants

So, you're deep into Persona 5 and overwhelmed with all the things you need to juggle. Between infiltrating Palaces, studying for exams, working part-time jobs, and maintaining social stats, your schedule is tight. But if you really want to maximize your strength and unlock the best abilities, you'll need to focus on managing time for your Confidants. Here’s how to become a master at it:

Understanding Confidants and Ranking Up

Confidants are essentially your relationships with various characters in the game. Each Confidant falls under a different Arcana, and building relationships with them unlocks new abilities and bonuses. Spending time with Confidants raises their ranks, but you only have so much time in a day, so you need to plan wisely.

Prioritize Your Confidants

Not all Confidants offer the same benefits, so it's wise to prioritize. For instance:

• Ryuji (Chariot): Boosts your physical abilities and helps you with combat.
• Takemi (Death): Grants you access to better healing items.
• Kawakami (Temperance): Lets you do more activities at night, which is super useful.

By focusing on these key Confidants first, you can unlock perks that make managing your time easier and more effective in the long run.

Take Advantage of Free Time

Certain events and actions can free up your time, allowing you to hang out with a Confidant more often:

• Kawakami’s Housekeeping Service: Once you rank up Kawakami to a certain level (Temperance Rank 3), she lets you slack off in class or use her housekeeping service to free up your time at night.
• School Holidays and Rainy Days: Use these days wisely. For example, during school holidays, you have more free time to spend with your Confidants. Rainy days affect which NPCs are available, so plan accordingly.

Fit Confidants Into Your Daily Schedule

You have two main time slots each day: Daytime and Evening. Think about how you can fit in your Confidant activities without neglecting other important tasks like:

• Studying/Reading: Helps improve your social stats.
• Jobs: Earn money and sometimes even increase your stats too.
• Palace Infiltrations/Mementos: Essential for main story progression and gaining experience.

Always check the availability and location of your Confidants on the map to see who’s free to hang out.

Use Your Calendar Wisely

Your calendar isn’t just for decoration; it’s your best friend for planning. Key dates and deadlines are marked, such as exam periods and story events. It's a good habit to look ahead to see if there are any upcoming free time periods where you can grind out multiple Confidant ranks without interruptions.

Maximize Gains with Matching Personas

When hanging out with a Confidant, you get more Affinity Points (the points needed to increase ranks) if you have a Persona of the same Arcana in your inventory. Always stock up on Personas that match the Arcana of the Confidants you want to focus on.

Gift Giving and Choices Matter

Occasionally, you'll have the option to give gifts or make dialogue choices. Pay attention to what each Confidant likes and choose your gifts wisely to boost your relationship quicker. The right choices in conversations can also give you more Affinity Points, so consider looking up guides on the best responses.

Balance and Efficiency is Key

Remember, the goal is to be as efficient as possible with your time. Balance your activities so that you’re making the most out of each day. Whether it’s exploring the Metaverse or sipping coffee at Leblanc, every action should bring you a step closer to maxing out those Confidant levels and unlocking those game-changing perks.

By managing your time well, you'll be able to enjoy all the benefits of strong Confidant relationships and become the ultimate Phantom Thief. Good luck!

Persona 5: Confidants Guide

Tips for Building Relationships

Building relationships in Persona 5, known as "Confidants," is essential for maximizing your abilities and gaining various perks. Here's a handy guide to help you form stronger bonds with your friends and allies in the game.

Prioritize Certain Confidants

Not all Confidants are created equal. Some offer perks that will greatly benefit you in battle and everyday activities. Here's who you should focus on:

1. Morgana (Magician): Morgana unlocks new abilities and provides much-needed guidance throughout the game. Max out this Confidant early to make sure you get the most out of your experience.

2. Takemi (Death): Takemi sells valuable medicine and items. Higher ranks unlock more powerful and varied items, which can be a game-changer in dungeons.

3. Kawakami (Temperance): As your teacher, she offers invaluable services, like doing your laundry and making coffee, giving you more free time. Invest in her Confidant early!

Time Management is Key

You have limited time each day to build relationships, so plan wisely. Focus on maxing out a few key Confidants before spreading yourself too thin. Here's how to make the most of your time:

• Afternoons and Evenings: Balance your afternoons and evenings. During the day, attend school events or visit places where your friends hang out. Use evenings to meet up with adults, like Takemi or Kawakami, who may not be available during the day.
• Rainy Days: Some Confidants are only available on specific days or during certain conditions. Rainy days are great for visiting Big Bang Burger for the challenge or spending time with characters who have more flexible schedules.

Utilize Gifts and Answers

Gifts and the right dialog choices can make a difference in how quickly you level up relationships.

• Gifts: Shop for gifts at places like Shibuya and give them to Confidants to increase their affection. Be sure to choose gifts that cater to their tastes.
• Correct Answers: During conversations, select responses that align with the Confidant’s personality. Paying attention to their stories and needs will help you pick the best responses. If you're not sure, many online guides list the best answers to ensure maximum point gain.

Persona Fusion Benefits

Having a persona that matches the Arcana of the Confidant you’re trying to level up can significantly boost your relationship points. This means if you're working on the Death Arcana with Takemi, make sure you have a Death Persona in your inventory.

• Matching Persona: Always carry a Persona that corresponds with the Confidant’s Arcana when spending time with them. This boosts the points you earn and speeds up the process.

Balancing Stats and Confidants

Balancing your social stats (Guts, Knowledge, Charm, Kindness, and Proficiency) with building Confidants is crucial.

• Stat Requirements: Some Confidants require high social stats to progress beyond certain ranks. For example, Takemi needs a high level of Guts to continue after Rank 4.
• Develop Stats Efficiently: Efficiently boost your stats by reading books, working part-time jobs, and participating in activities like studying or playing video games.

Take Advantage of Free Time

Use school holidays and free days efficiently. These periods are perfect for catching up with Confidants you’ve neglected or boosting necessary social stats.

• School Holidays: Prioritize Confidants during these times to maximize the time you have with them, as school events won't interfere.

Optimize Relationship Building

Focusing on these tips will help you maximize your relationship-building efforts, leading to more powerful allies and better perks. Keep in mind the importance of prioritizing certain Confidants, managing your time effectively, and making the most out of every interaction. Go forth and form those meaningful bonds!