Can You Beat Persona 4 WITHOUT the Protagonist?
Nam’s Compendium・2 minutes read
Persona 3 had AI-controlled party members, distinguishing its combat system, while Persona 4 introduced Direct Control in response to mixed reception towards AI control; an extensive, challenging gameplay involving strategic combat, relationship-building, battling various bosses, and preparing for critical encounters culminates in a final battle against Izanami, emphasizing the importance of bonds and humanity's potential.
Insights
- Persona 3 introduced AI-controlled party members, giving the game a unique identity, while Persona 4 addressed mixed reception towards AI by offering Direct Control as an option.
- Persona 4's challenge run requires strategic use of Social Links, emphasizes boss battle tactics due to the absence of buffs, and highlights the flawed AI system, showcasing the importance of preparation and adaptation in overcoming challenges.
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Recent questions
What is Persona 4's challenge run rule?
No Direct Command, specific protagonist actions, no new game plus.
How does Persona 4's AI system differ?
AI-controlled party members with limited tactics options.
Why are Social Links crucial in Persona 4?
Provide bonuses in battle and unlock ultimate personas.
What is the strategy for defeating Shadow Kanji?
Eliminate minions first, then focus on Kanji.
How does the battle against Shadow Teddy unfold?
Requires balance of offense and healing to overcome.
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Summary
00:00
Persona 4 Challenge: Strategy and Social Links
- Persona 3's combat system featured AI-controlled party members, a unique aspect in the series, giving the game a distinct identity.
- Persona 4 introduced Direct Control as an option due to mixed reception towards AI control in Persona 3.
- Rules for a challenge run in Persona 4 include no Direct Command, protagonist limited to specific actions, and no new game plus.
- The challenge run is attempted with the vanilla PS2 release of Persona 4 for increased difficulty.
- Social Links are crucial for the challenge run, providing bonuses in battle and unlocking ultimate personas.
- Initial gameplay involves meeting characters, learning about the Midnight Channel, and awakening to Persona abilities.
- First dungeon encounter involves strategic use of AI-controlled party members to exploit enemy weaknesses.
- Lack of robust tactics system in Persona 4 poses challenges, including no guard command or buffs available for party members.
- Boss battles in Persona 4 require careful strategy due to absence of buffs and limited AI tactics.
- Successful completion of boss battles unlocks party members' personas and progresses the storyline.
12:13
"Shadow Kanji Battle Strategy Persona 4"
- Shadow Kanji poses a significant challenge due to dealing excessive damage, requiring the player to grind their party up to level 30 for a fighting chance.
- Kanji fights alongside two minions, the Nice Guy and the Tough Guy, with the strategy being to eliminate the Nice Guy first, then the Tough Guy, and finally target Kanji.
- Persona 4's AI system is flawed, with characters often disregarding assigned tactics, leading to strategic difficulties during battles.
- The fight against Shadow Kanji involves a routine of taking down minions first, focusing on survival, and eventually defeating Kanji after about 15 minutes of combat.
- Rise Kujikawa's arrival in the town prompts an investigation, leading to the team confronting a suspicious individual believed to be the killer.
- Kanji's inclusion in the party allows for customization, with his higher attack stat and lightning skills making him a valuable asset for upcoming challenges.
- Preparation for the battle against Shadow Teddy involves acquiring specific armor to increase magic evasion, strategic party member selection, and optional boss fights for better equipment.
- The fight against Shadow Teddy is challenging due to his powerful ice-based attacks, requiring a balance of offense and healing to overcome his abilities.
- With the defeat of Shadow Teddy, Rise is rescued, but a new murder victim is discovered, leading to the addition of two new party members and the introduction of Naoto Shirogane.
- The team gears up to confront Mitsuo Kubo, the self-proclaimed murderer, with strategic persona fusion, party composition, and preparation for the upcoming battle.
23:58
"Leveling up and defeating Shadow Mitsuo"
- Solo grinding with Yukiko to level her up and learn Agidine and Media Rama.
- Leveling up Teddy and Yosuke to acquire their boost passives.
- Equipping party with strongest weapons and Teddy with Book of Serenity for status ailment recovery.
- Facing Shadow Mitsuo, a boss requiring armor destruction to deal damage.
- Emphasizing SP management and physical skills during the fight.
- Strategy involves conserving SP initially and then using magic attacks.
- Concerns about exploiting weaknesses, especially Yukiko and Teddy's.
- Successfully defeating Shadow Mitsuo after overcoming challenges.
- Progressing through Social Links during summer break.
- Fusing Rongda persona for repel physical passive.
36:00
"Forgiveness or vengeance: Namatame's fate decided"
- The group faces a decision regarding Namatame's fate: forgiveness or vengeance.
- They choose to push Namatame into the Midnight Channel for his actions.
- Despite some unanswered questions, they spare Namatame temporarily.
- Nanako's recovery is attributed to sparing Namatame.
- Adachi is revealed as the true killer, leading to the penultimate dungeon.
- The group prepares for the dungeon by obtaining the Chakra Ring.
- The Magatsu Inaba dungeon is not overly challenging.
- Adachi's boss fight requires a focus on magic due to his physical resistance.
- Amino Sagiri presents a formidable challenge with high damage output.
- The Divine Pillar accessory aids in surviving Amino Sagiri's attacks.
48:35
"Grinding for Levels and Bonds in Game"
- Grinding in the game is necessary to level up characters, but it can be time-consuming, potentially taking up to 10 hours to reach level 99 for each character.
- The player decides to focus on grinding Teddy and Yukiko to improve their endurance stats, with Teddy reaching level 92, Yukiko at 89, and Kanji at 79 after a full day of grinding.
- Specific armor and accessories are assigned to each character based on their strengths and weaknesses, such as Kanji holding the Divine Pillar and Aegis Shield for defense, Yukiko with the Chakra Ring for SP, and Teddy with the Book of the Void to block status ailments.
- During the final battle against Izanami, the characters face challenges, with Teddy and Kanji going down while Yukiko survives due to her Endure ability, reviving Teddy later on.
- The battle intensifies as Izanami's HP diminishes, leading to a critical moment where the characters must defeat her to avoid a devastating attack, showcasing the bonds they've formed throughout the game and ultimately proving the potential of mankind.
