Persona 3 Thread of S. Link of awesomeness maxed out

[Kevin Grey]

Damn, that's a tall tower.

I've only gotten up to floor 8 or so.  Is there a storyline reason that the night before full moon you don't get tired? Also, does the game stop you at a certain point in the tower to prevent you from running up 50 floors on pre-full moon night?

I'm really liking the battle system.  Very quick and streamlined, but still fairly dangerous if you're not prepared.  I'm a bit nervous about screwing myself up with fusing pesonas, but it seems like at the moment, I'm not high enough level to really do much fusing anyway.  Hopefully after I get finished with Bioshock, I'll be able to put in a bunch more time on this one.

Storyline reason?  No, I don't think so.  It's just their way of making sure that you can't completely screw yourself over.  There are periodic "barriers" that prevent you from preceding past a certain floor until completing the next full moon event.

You can't screw up persona fusions- Very slight spoiler and explanation:

Spoiler for Hiden:

  After the first full moon you will receive a compendium that saves all of the Personas you've encountered and allows you to summon any of them for a fee.  You can also choose to update these entries as well.  For example, the game may initially default to a Level 8 Jack Frost Persona with it's base skill set but if you've created a Level 10 Jack Frost with better skills then you can update the entry so that it's the one you can summon (for an increased fee due to better abilities). 

[Xmann]

can someone give me a general idea about purchasing new items such as weapons and armor?  do i need to upgrade relatively often?  how scarce is $$ to come by?  i know you can get $$ by chests and card shuffles, but should i be careful in my spending?   how about items too?  will i get enough drops of healing items or do i need to buy some spares of those as well?

[Kevin Grey]

Money is very plentiful.  There is a sidequest you can do in the second block that will net you 31,000 yen.  In general, if you explore Tartarus regularly you should get lots of pretty substantial cash drops. 

I don't find the need to buy many healing items (except for Dis-Poison for a boss).  In general I almost never use healing items.  I rely on spells for healing and if I run out of SP I see it as a sign that it's time to warp back to start of Tartarus to get replenished.  Consequently I've got tons of healing items in my inventory thanks to drops. 

[Calvin]

Dude, you're so bipolar on RPGs it's hard to tell.  Be warned- the game is MASSIVE.  I don't think I've heard of anyone beating it in less than 70 hours. 

I've put in about 16 hours and it's hellishly addicting.  Instead of "One More Turn" it's "Just One More Day".  Consequently there wasn't a day this weekend where I wasn't up until at least 3am playing. 

The game isn't very story heavy.  The story stuff occurs on a pretty rigid "week leading up to the full moon" schedule so in between that stuff there isn't much in the core plot going on.  It is very character intensive though- there are a ton of primary and secondary character interactions and all of it it very well written and voice acted so that goes a long way to fill up the gaps in the story.  In a way it's kind of reminiscent of the structure of a Harry Potter book or a season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer- you know the story won't end until the end of the school year so there is going to be a certain lack of urgency inherent to the structure. 

Gameplay-wise it's easily the most accessible SMT game ever IMO.  Difficulty is slower to ramp up than past games and the fact that you are only controlling one character instead of your whole party takes some of the burden off.  It helps that the party AI is outstanding.  The dungeon-hack element also makes it easy to learn since you can spend as much or as little time in the dungeons as you want to learn the intricacies of the systems. 

Overall, I'm more impressed that I thought I would be and I'll be coming back to it as soon as I finish up Bioshock. 

LOL Kevin I'm sure I should be insulted about that bi-polar thing if it wasn't so totally true! Ok, maybe after Blue Dragon I will pick this sucker up.

[Kevin Grey]

LOL Kevin I'm sure I should be insulted about that bi-polar thing if it wasn't so totally true! Ok, maybe after Blue Dragon I will pick this sucker up.

You might want to consider reversing that.  It's an Atlus game (and a very well reviewed one) so I'm not sure how long it will be around and it certainly isn't likely to drop in price.  Blue Dragon, on the other hand, being published by MS isn't ever going to be rare.  Indeed you could probably buy Persona 3 and sell it for not much loss at all if you don't like it.  That's what I'm doing at least- playing Persona 3 now and I'll get to Blue Dragon whenever I'm in the mood for another RPG and by then it might even have dropped in price. 

[Calvin]

LOL Kevin I'm sure I should be insulted about that bi-polar thing if it wasn't so totally true! Ok, maybe after Blue Dragon I will pick this sucker up.

You might want to consider reversing that.  It's an Atlus game (and a very well reviewed one) so I'm not sure how long it will be around and it certainly isn't likely to drop in price.  Blue Dragon, on the other hand, being published by MS isn't ever going to be rare.  Indeed you could probably buy Persona 3 and sell it for not much loss at all if you don't like it.  That's what I'm doing at least- playing Persona 3 now and I'll get to Blue Dragon whenever I'm in the mood for another RPG and by then it might even have dropped in price. 

Well I am extremely psyched for BD, and want that to be my next RPG-I know if I start persona now it will delay that a long time, and then eternal sonata comes out and...but you make a great point. Maybe I will make use of that 10% coupon and pick up persona and leave it sealed. Worse comes to worse I sell it sealed for probably not much of a loss, rather than risk losing it go out of print. I will do that, thanks for the advice!

[Kevin Grey]

Sure thing but, man, putting Eternal Sonata over Persona 3....

[semiconscious]

just received the guide - 'fast times at gekkoukan high', for sure ...

really liked the first boss battle. the second block is even harder than i'd anticipated (splitting up is a great way to find a transport point quickly if you need to bail & save, btw)...

[maccwerk]

A couple quick questions about the options menu for those that have the game:  Is there an option for inverting the X or Y axis, and is there a volume adjust/disable for the music?

I had a heck of a time with FFVII due to the lack of inversion, and I'm not a big fan of hip-hop music...other than that the game sounds great!

Thanks in advance,

maccwerk

[rrmorton]

Do I just have to worry about equipping myself or do I also have to equip my party members?

Last night I fused some personas and lost access to Orpheus and the joint full-party healing spell he had with Asparagus. I thought you made a new one but I didn't realize you'd lose the personas you were fusing. So in that regard, it felt like I'd screwed up. Shortly after, I got wiped out by the 10th floor monsters. Fortunately, I didn't ever save so I can try again.

[depward]

A couple quick questions about the options menu for those that have the game:  Is there an option for inverting the X or Y axis, and is there a volume adjust/disable for the music?

I had a heck of a time with FFVII due to the lack of inversion, and I'm not a big fan of hip-hop music...other than that the game sounds great!

Thanks in advance,

maccwerk

Not entirely sure about inverting the axis... I'm at work right now but I can check tonight.  Not sure about volume adjust either - I'll check on that as well (if someone doesn't sooner).  But really, I wouldn't be concerned about the music - I'm not a fan of hip hop at all, and it's not truly "hip hop" music.

rrmorton - Yes you need to equip both yourself and your party members.  You'll have to actually walk up and "check equipment" or whatever in the menu for your party members to equip them.  The main character can have any type of weapon - this is not the case for the supporting characters.  They can only have the kind of weapon that they come default with.

[Kevin Grey]

It has X-Axis inversion.  Y-Axis inversion is N/A since you can't look up or down.

rrmorton- You'll get a compendium soon that will allow you to easily summon any Persona you've found/made for a price so no worries about losing one through fusion. 

[Calvin]

Sure thing but, man, putting Eternal Sonata over Persona 3....

Ok fine, you and depward win, I will buy this with BD next week, and play it after BD but before ES

OK?!

[kathode]

Sure thing but, man, putting Eternal Sonata over Persona 3....

Ok fine, you and depward win, I will buy this with BD next week, and play it after BD but before ES

OK?!

Quick - name the last RPG you finished

[Calvin]

Final Fantasy 12. Its the last one I played too. So there?

[Knightshade Dragon]

I don't have an answer for ya maccwerk, but I will say welcome to the forums!

[Xmann]

another general question.....

i'm at 5 hours played and i've only made 4 floors of the dungeon.   is it ok to take my time and level my social links or do i need to really hit the dungeon regularly?  also, how much further can you really go after your teammates tell you they are tired?  seems like mine get tired before i'm done with 1 floor.   can i go on a ways before i need to stop?

[Chaz]

After someone gets tired, you can continue on, but the tired people get hit easier, take more damage, and miss more. Depending on how easily you're taking out enemies, you might be able to go on for a bit, but you'll run into trouble if you hit something with more bite.

I think as your characters level, they take longer to get tired.  I'm on floor 8 right now, and my last run went noticeably longer than my previous runs.

[depward]

Also remember - as you ascend the tower, you don't need to kill every single enemy on every floor.  I try to run up to the barrier or the next teleporter out, teleport out, save, then reenter and start fighting mobs.

And yep maccwerk - no music options but you can invert the X axis like what Kevin said.  There is no Y axis in the game.

[Kevin Grey]

Also remember - as you ascend the tower, you don't need to kill every single enemy on every floor.  I try to run up to the barrier or the next teleporter out, teleport out, save, then reenter and start fighting mobs.

Yeah, people trying that are probably in for a rude awakening when they get to the second block since you have to go much farther before getting to a teleport which is especially tough early in levels when you get tired easily. 

[EddieA]

Does anyone know how the game determines when someone becomes tired while exploring?  Is it the amount of time spent in Tartarus, the number of steps you take, or the number of battles?

[Kevin Grey]

Does anyone know how the game determines when someone becomes tired while exploring?  Is it the amount of time spent in Tartarus, the number of steps you take, or the number of battles?

I read somewhere that it's the number of battles. 

[Chaz]

If anyone's planning on getting the guide for this one, grab it while you can.  Apparently Gamestop only ordered a small number of them for the stores, and now doesn't even list the book on their website.  The only places I can find that have the guide are DoubleJump itself (where the shipping is ~$6), or Amazon, who's charging $25, which is $5 above list price.

Of course, since Gamestop won't even list it on their site, you can't use the inventory checker to see who around you might have it, which is a really annoying quirk of the GS website, as they frequently remove older items from the website, making searching for them a lot more difficult.

[Xmann]

Got some more questions as i'm making my way through the early parts of the game....possible spoilers below


I just met a boss on the 6th floor (i believe), that i couldn't put a dent into and wiped my group in 1 turn.   Are those the bosses and are they typical?   I mean geeeez.

Secondly, i'm finding some items in chests now such as a dirty coin that it says might look valuable.   Also found some type of Emperors mask or something.   Do i just sell those or will they be for quests or to help some S. Links?

Lastly, other than that boss, the fights are ridiculously easy.   When does the fights begin to be a challenge?   I just hit the 7th floor.

[depward]

Got some more questions as i'm making my way through the early parts of the game....possible spoilers below


I just met a boss on the 6th floor (i believe), that i couldn't put a dent into and wiped my group in 1 turn.   Are those the bosses and are they typical?   I mean geeeez.

Secondly, i'm finding some items in chests now such as a dirty coin that it says might look valuable.   Also found some type of Emperors mask or something.   Do i just sell those or will they be for quests or to help some S. Links?

Lastly, other than that boss, the fights are ridiculously easy.   When does the fights begin to be a challenge?   I just hit the 7th floor.

The boss at the six floor, if I remember correctly, should be easily exploitable by an elemental weakness you should have.  No wait, I do believe that enemy was weak against pierce... what you should do is equip a bow on the main character, down each enemy & all out attack them.  That should do the trick.

About items you're finding - I'd say keep the healing-type items.  The dirty coin and items that are just labeled as being "valuable" you might as well sell.  Emperor's Mask - keep.  If I recall correctly, that's a nice healing item.

Fights will get harder.  Right now, you're fighting enemies that have weaknesses that your personas can exploit.  SMT is about attacking an enemy's weakspot - it'll get trickier as you progress    

Just wait until you hit enemies who cast the insta-death skills - that's fun   

[Xmann]

So is it trial and error when you analyze a creature and it won't show what they are weak against?

Also, will the better equipment and items come from drops or will i find those in the shop?   Lastly, how do you enter the dungeon to get back where you left off?   Do you teleport or take the staircase?

[Chaz]

At some point around where you are, you should find a 2-way teleporter that lets you warp back to that floor from the entrance.  Prior to finding one, you have to start from the entrance and climb.

[Xmann]

but in between those warps, where do you go?   i just left the 20th floor and teleported out.   when i start back will i go back to 16?  and do i go through the teleport or up the stairs when i start back?

[Kevin Grey]

Bosses generally can't be analyzed but almost every other monster I've encountered can.  Also, there should have been a special teleport station that the game called out to you right before that boss.  You can now teleport immediately to the fifth floor. 

[Xmann]

ya i got the teleports now.   but when i want to start back on another night, where will i begin?   i just left floor 20.....will i use the teleport and be back to 16 and i gotta make my way back to 20 again?

[Kevin Grey]

16.  Next teleport after that isn't until 25. 

[depward]

I feel dirty playing the Innocent Sin MMO (love the series references in there) instead of studying.

Quick question - I would LOVE to hook up with Mitsuru but I dunno, Yukari is also very likable... but so is the Student Council Treasurer and we already shared an "awkward moment"!  I forgot (read it somewhere) - I know I need to max Academics for Mitsuru, but what about Yukari?  Isn't it charm?  What about the Student Council Treasurer?

[Kevin Grey]

Pretty sure it's Charm for Yukari.  Both Yukari and Mitsuru are date dependent too- I don't think they can be activated until July and November respectively.

For the Treasurer you just have to talk to her several times and finally she'll ask you to walk her home. 

[rrmorton]

I got to the top of the first part of Tarturus last night. Nothing like collecting something called "Old Document 01" to really know you're playing a JRPG.

[depward]

Yeah, Old Document 01... nice.

Have you obtained the beetle shell yet (the other request)?  For the life of me, I was in Tartarus around the area Elizabeth told me and couldn't find one!  I had to move on without doing  the request   

[Kevin Grey]

Is that from the Grave Digger?  Yeah, they're pretty rare.  I think I've encountered three of them so far. 

[rrmorton]

Yeah, Old Document 01... nice.

Have you obtained the beetle shell yet (the other request)?  For the life of me, I was in Tartarus around the area Elizabeth told me and couldn't find one!  I had to move on without doing  the request   

Yep, I did that request. There was no trick to it... I just encountered a big beetle that I had to fight around level 6 or 7. I think I came across 3 or 4 of them before I had to go back to the dorm.

[semiconscious]

Yeah, Old Document 01... nice.

Have you obtained the beetle shell yet (the other request)?  For the life of me, I was in Tartarus around the area Elizabeth told me and couldn't find one!  I had to move on without doing  the request   

Yep, I did that request. There was no trick to it... I just encountered a big beetle that I had to fight around level 6 or 7. I think I came across 3 or 4 of them before I had to go back to the dorm.

just got the old lanterns for the second block timed request - i'm thinking the enemies you need to find become more available the closer to the full moon you get...

[Nth Power]

Does anything ever happen in the nightclub?  So far, nothing has happened in there except the lady who tells you a fortune.

[depward]

My girlfriend just told me she hates hearing the music when I'm playing.  Hates..  This is coming from someone who kinda enjoys other SMT soundtracks.

I shed a quick little tear... but I told her she'd be hearing a whole heck of a lot more of it.