The lack of modern features in Persona 4 Golden compared to Persona 5 makes it a bit daunting for new players only familiar with 5. Considering Persona 4 Golden was locked up on the PlayStation Vita for so many years, this is quite understandable.
Golden is also not very friendly to new players with his explanation of the mechanics. With the many quality-of-life changes Atlus made in the 9 years between 2008’s Persona 4 vanilla and 2017’s Persona 5, there may be a number of things that you may find confusing. Hopefully, this list will put you in better hands in the long run.
10 avoid spoilers
I don’t know if there is a more obvious tip for any medium, but this is especially true for Persona 4 Golden. The nature of the game as a murder mystery means that spoiling yourself with the culprit takes a lot of the power away from not just the ending, but all the way to it. Persona 4 is arguably one of the most spoiled games ever made.
The main plot points of the game were already discussed before the game was localized in English. Despite Persona 4’s legacy as the video game equivalent of “Snape kills Dumbledore,” do your best to avoid any online discussion of the game until you’re done.
9 Securing everything
The same advice I would have for any Persona game is to make sure you fuse every Persona you come across. Obtaining personas is a different process in 4 for those of you who have only played 5. Instead of the bargaining system, you have the chance to add one to your party after finishing a random encounter.
The same principle applies though: don’t get too attached to a Persona you’ve acquired, as most of the fusions will be an improvement over what you have now.
8 Post-Battle “Card Shuffling” Strategy
Golden’s system for obtaining Persona or items after a battle includes a card system. Several cards will appear on the screen and you will be assigned a certain number from which to choose. These cards can range from a new Persona to a chest key, added EXP or even just a blank card. While you already know what each card will do, the real strategy is to clear the board. In most situations you will have to leave something desirable behind.
If you manage to clear the board, you’ll have an extra card to select from your next selection after the battle. Don’t be afraid to select some cards like half EXP or no money if you think the +1 will give you an advantage in the next run.
7 Farm golden hands
Once you’ve spent a decent amount of time in Persona 4 Golden, you’ll run into the enemy of the golden hand. This enemy will run away from you in the opposite direction and will occasionally hit a wall and be stunned. If you manage to attack it and get into a fight, you can fight one for a huge EXP or cash reward. These enemies have no weaknesses, so it’s best to find items or personas that increase your chance of a critical hit. Make sure you do your very best to fight against golden hands whenever you come across one.
6 SP is crucial
SP is significantly harder to find in Persona 4 Golden than in other Persona titles. Fortunately, there are a few options to solve this problem. The easiest way is to find TAP soft drinks in the vending machines in the central shopping area. Make sure to buy the maximum allowed as there is a limit every week before it resets.
The better long-term options are to find a Persona with the invigorating ability that SP recovers after a fight — and by improving the Fox’s social bond. The social link will begin in early May, and by helping NPCs in the city you can advance the Fox and unlock the ability to find him in dungeons and restore your SP. The higher you rank it, the cheaper this service becomes, so make sure you help it as best you can.
5 Prioritize fighting social links
The social bonding bonuses in Persona 4 Golden are largely not worth your time. Other than the Fox’s social link, the only real ones you should be working towards in regards to rewards are those in your group. Aside from the usual bonuses for group members, like taking a death blow for you and the chance to heal a status ailment, they also have the advantage of learning new skills. These abilities can range from increasing the chance of critical hits to having a higher elemental ability than is normally available at that stage of the game.
4 First big boss is the biggest roadblock
The first real dungeon boss in Persona 4 Golden is also possibly the toughest in the entire series. This has little to do with the boss himself, but rather the lack of options for you leading up to that point. The game’s system for acquiring and merging Personas, as well as how little time you’ve had to build your team at that point, make this a challenging battle. Try your best to grind as little as possible before the fight, but keep in mind that once this part is done it should go relatively smoothly by comparison.
3 Eat at Aiya’s on rainy days
Social statistics, in addition to blocking the launch and promotion of certain social links, also allow you to choose certain dialogue options. If you’re hoping to get as many social links as possible in your first run, it’s inevitable to upgrade your social stats. 4 lacks the various ways to upgrade these stats that 5 does, but it does have an ace up its sleeve. On rainy days, there are far fewer social contacts available in the afternoon.
An advantage of this is the Chinese Diner Aiya. Located directly north of the central shopping district, this event allows you to upgrade each social stat once on rainy days. Once all your stats hit a certain point, eating at Aiya will have a bigger boost to any social stat than just that one, allowing you to make the most of your stats.
A new feature added in Persona 4 Golden is the ability to see what other players are doing on a given day. Once you have player check at the start of the day, by activating the icon in the corner you can see what percentage of players have done on a given day. If you’re not sure what social links are available, or it’s too early to start a particular dungeon, this mechanic can be very helpful.
Unfortunately, Atlus didn’t realize that everyone just cheats on test answers, so that particular mechanic’s function wasn’t introduced until Persona 5. Hopefully, what this mechanic offers will help you quickly see who is available on any given day.
1 Max Marie’s social link for the best ending
New to Persona 4 Golden is Marie and her bonus dungeon at the end of the game. Even if Marie is most people’s least favorite character (dubbed “Poochie” by fans for her habit of being forced into scenes where the entire party is the sole focus), much of the game’s extra content is locked in about vanilla. behind her social link.
She will appear in front of the Velvet Room entrance in the shopping area. If you don’t see her out the door, be sure to go in and see if she’s available, because sometimes coming forward means going in and asking for her. Her Social Link will no longer be available around Christmas, so make sure to max it out while you can.
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