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In the world of RPGs, leveling up is crucial, and Persona 5 Royal is no exception. Players who neglect to level up their team will find themselves struggling against formidable late-game bosses, potentially wasting precious time grinding in Mementos. As an enhanced version of Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal boasts numerous quality-of-life improvements and an additional 20 hours of gameplay.
This updated version introduces a new semester for the Phantom Thieves and modifies some of the pre-existing boss encounters. With the influx of new content, maintaining high levels for your team is essential, and understanding the most efficient methods to gain experience is key.
Updated January 13, 2025 by Renri Seong: While being over-leveled might make Persona 5 Royal less challenging, matching the levels of Palace Rulers is crucial, especially on a new save file. There are several strategies to streamline experience farming in P5R, from leveraging Confidant Skills to utilizing Jose's services in Mementos. Additionally, Joker can earn EXP for non-active Personas with the right passive skill. This guide has been updated to include a new section on how to quickly farm experience using the Insta-kill ability.
Accessories and The Moon Arcana
Mishima Yuuki's Confidant
In Persona 5 Royal, players can enhance their EXP gain by downloading the free Team Glasses accessory from the PlayStation Store. Equipping these glasses on each character boosts their EXP gain by 15% per battle. However, remember that only Joker and three other Phantom Thieves can participate in battle at a time, meaning those on the backline receive less experience.
To ensure the backline members also benefit from EXP gains, players should focus on increasing their bond with the Moon Confidant, Yuuki Mishima. Reaching Rank 3 and Rank 5 with Mishima allows backup team members to earn EXP. By achieving Rank 10, backup members will receive the same amount of EXP as those on the front lines.
Progressing Mishima's Confidant is straightforward; players should choose dialogue options that resonate with him and bring a Persona of the Moon Arcana when spending time with him. In Persona 5 Royal, Mementos Missions are now linked to Mishima's Confidant progression, so neglecting these missions can hinder your ability to rank up with him.
Mementos: Increase EXP Gain
Cognition of Mementos
Persona 5 Royal introduces a character named Jose, who, while not central to the plot, significantly aids in gameplay. Throughout Mementos, players can find "flowers" and "Stamp Stations." Collecting these allows you to trade with Jose for items or to modify the Cognition of Mementos. In Jose's shop, you can choose to enhance EXP, Money, or Item rewards, but these enhancements apply only within Mementos.
Increasing battle EXP to 110% costs 5 Stamps, while reaching the maximum of 200% requires 12 Stamps. There are a total of 165 Stamps in the game, but you'll need 85 to max out the EXP boost. Stamp Stations are hidden in "dead ends" behind breakable walls on each Mementos floor, and you may encounter Jose when moving to a new floor.
Fight the Reaper
What Level is the Reaper?
The Reaper, a formidable enemy in the Persona series, appears in Mementos if players linger on a floor too long. Warning signs include a blinking red screen, the sound of chains, and alerts from Morgana or Futaba.
At the game's outset, defeating the Reaper is nearly impossible unless you're playing on a New Game+ file. The Reaper boasts -dyne tier spells and powerful Support skills like Concentrate and elemental Breaks. At level 85 with exceptionally high stats, his Agility, though his lowest at 75, still outpaces the Phantom Thieves if they're underleveled.
Successfully defeating the Reaper grants a substantial amount of experience and money, often leading to level-ups for all characters. It's advisable to tackle the Reaper at level 60 or higher, equipped with Defense-raising Support skills and Makarakarn to reflect his magic. Alternatively, using the Persona DLC with Izanagi-no-Okami (Picaro), players can stack Concentrate, Heat Riser, and use Myriad Truths for heavy Almighty damage.
Defeat Treasure Demons
How to Summon Treasure Demons
Treasure Demons are unique Shadows introduced in Madarame's Palace and can appear throughout the Metaverse. Unlike typical Shadows, they are non-aggressive and will attempt to flee after a few turns.
Each type of Treasure Demon has specific Affinity Weaknesses and Immunities, but all are vulnerable to Almighty attacks. The most effective way to defeat them before they escape is by using Shinya's Rank 1 Ability, Down Shot, which stuns them for an All-Out Attack. Alternatively, high-crit attacks like Morgana's Miracle Punch can be used if the demon doesn't nullify Physical attacks.
Treasure Demons are more likely to appear when Palace security is high. Players can also craft the Treasure Trap infiltration tool, which boosts encounters with Treasure Demons. The materials needed for the Treasure Trap include:
- 2x Silk Yarn
- 3x Plant Balm
- 1x Cork Bark
Use Persona with EXP Skills
How to Get Growth Passive Skill
Typically, any Persona not equipped by Joker at the end of a battle won't earn EXP. However, equipping a Persona with the Growth Passive Skill allows it to gain a percentage of the battle's EXP even when not in use. There are three tiers of Growth Skills:
- Growth 1: Persona gains a quarter EXP when inactive.
- Growth 2: Persona gains half EXP when inactive.
- Growth 3: Persona will gain full EXP when inactive.
The following Personas learn Growth at certain levels:
Once the Electric Chair is unlocked in the Velvet Room, players can transform Personas into Skill Cards. However, in Persona 5 Royal, the Personas that could be converted into Growth 1 and Growth 2 Skill Cards in the original game no longer yield these cards. Izanagi Picaro is the only Persona that will produce a Growth 3 Skill Card when used in the Electric Chair.
Growth 1 Skill Cards are not obtainable in P5R. To acquire the Growth 2 Skill Card, players must take Caroline and Justine to Miura Beach between September 2nd and September 29th, after completing event 6 (Sky Tower). This can be done during evenings by interacting with them at the Velvet Room Door outside of Mementos.
Ryuji Sakamoto's Confidant
How to Unlock Insta-Kill
Insta-kill is a powerful skill that allows Joker to instantly defeat Shadows without engaging in combat. To use it, players must ambush the enemy, and if Joker's level is 10 levels above the Shadow's, it will be instantly defeated. In Persona 5 Royal, a successful Insta-kill yields items, yen, experience, and potentially a new Persona.
To identify Shadows susceptible to Insta-kill, use Joker's Third Eye ability; those with a green outline can be instantly defeated.
To unlock Insta-kill, players must reach Rank 7 with Ryuji Sakamoto's Confidant. Fortunately, Ryuji's Confidant has no Social Stat prerequisites, making it one of the easiest to max out. To achieve this quickly, spend time with Ryuji and select the dialogue options that yield the most points, ideally before focusing on other Confidants.
