Persona 5 Royal — Complete PS4 Campaign Walkthrough

1. Treat Councillor Rank 9 by November 17 as the mandatory route gate

Takuto Maruki’s Councillor Confidant must reach Rank 9 by November 17 on the in-game calendar. This is the requirement that unlocks Persona 5 Royal’s third semester and its additional Palace route. If Rank 9 is not completed by that date, the save follows the original campaign’s endgame instead of continuing into Royal’s added semester.

Do not confuse Rank 9 with Rank 10. Rank 10 is awarded automatically through the story after Maruki’s departure if Rank 9 was completed in time, so there is no reason to wait for a separate ordinary Rank 10 appointment. Whenever Maruki is available, choose him over repeatable activities, part-time work, or a small social-stat gain.

Carry a Councillor Persona before every Maruki visit. Check the map, text messages, and school schedule each day because his availability is limited and some visits are blocked by story progress. If an appointment does not produce a rank-up, the matching Persona and a Fortune reading can reduce the number of future visits needed.

• Councillor Rank 9 is complete by November 17.
• A Councillor Persona is carried for Maruki appointments.
• A save is preserved before the final November opportunities.

2. Protect the optional Faith and Justice targets

Kasumi Yoshizawa’s Faith Confidant should reach Rank 5 by December 22 if you want her later Royal progression. This is not required to enter the third semester, but missing it prevents the Faith Confidant from continuing into its later ranks. Schedule Kasumi whenever she is available after Maruki and Palace obligations are protected, and carry a Faith Persona for her visits.

Goro Akechi’s Justice Confidant should reach Rank 8 by November 17 for his expanded Royal scenes and later third-semester content. Justice Rank 8 is not required to unlock the third semester or obtain the Royal ending, but it preserves important optional character material and later combat-related content. His availability is restricted, and some ranks are gated by story progress or social-stat requirements, so do not leave all of his appointments for the final weeks.

When Maruki, Kasumi, and Akechi compete for a day, use this priority: Maruki first if he is available, then the deadline-bound Confidant with the least remaining time. Kasumi’s December 22 date is a safe cutoff; do not plan around a final December 23 appointment.

• Faith Rank 5 is complete by December 22 if Kasumi’s full Royal progression is desired.
• Justice Rank 8 is complete by November 17 if Akechi’s expanded Royal content is desired.
• Kasumi and Akechi are treated as optional additions, not third-semester entry requirements.

3. Know which Royal systems are required and which are optional

The grappling hook changes Palace traversal by opening marked anchor points, alternate paths, shortcuts, and access to Will Seeds. Use every grapple point that leads toward a route objective, shortcut, treasure, or Will Seed, but do not delay Palace completion to collect every item.

Will Seeds are optional collectibles. They provide useful recovery and equipment benefits, and each Palace contains three, but collecting all of them is not required for the Royal ending. Showtimes are also optional attacks: use them to finish dangerous enemies or help conserve normal resources, but never wait for a Showtime prompt before attempting a boss.

Fusion Alarms, Persona strengthening, new Personas, third-tier party Personas, and advanced Velvet Room procedures make combat and fusion more flexible. They are valuable for optimization but are not mandatory campaign gates. The Thieves Den is an optional hub for artwork, music, scenes, records, awards, and Tycoon-related unlocks; it does not determine access to the third semester.

• Use grappling points to shorten routes and reach useful side areas.
• Treat Will Seeds, Showtimes, Fusion Alarms, and Thieves Den awards as optional.
• Do not mistake Royal’s many additions for additional ending requirements.

4. Use a Palace-first calendar routine

Begin every Palace early enough to secure the route to its Treasure before the displayed deadline. A reliable pattern is to make an initial infiltration, learn the layout, activate safe rooms and shortcuts, then return on another day to reach the Treasure, send the calling card, and fight the boss. Completing the route early protects later days for limited Confidants.

Leave a Palace when Joker’s SP, healing items, or ammunition are becoming scarce. Exit through the entrance or an unlocked safe route, recover in the real world, and return with a prepared party. Once the route to the Treasure is secured, you no longer need to spend the final deadline days exploring.

After the Palace route is finished, prioritize Confidants with limited availability. Use evenings for reading, studying, crafting, or other activities that do not displace an important daytime appointment. Raise Knowledge, Charm, Proficiency, Kindness, or Guts when a known rank requires it, but do not sacrifice a limited Maruki, Akechi, or Kasumi visit for a minor stat increase.

• Every Palace route is secured well before its deadline.
• The calling card and boss attempt have recovery time available.
• A flexible day remains before major story deadlines whenever possible.

5. Maintain separate checkpoint saves

Use multiple save files rather than one rolling file. Keep a normal daily save, a Palace-entry save, a pre-boss save, and deadline checkpoints. Preserve a file from before November 17, another from before December 22 if Faith Rank 5 is unfinished, and a pre-original-endgame file after confirming Maruki Rank 9.

Before committing to a free-day activity, check the calendar, map icons, incoming messages, current Palace deadline, and each target Confidant’s rank. If a Confidant is available and close to ranking, carry the matching Arcana Persona and consider a Fortune reading before spending time elsewhere.

Never overwrite the only file before a deadline, Palace boss, or major story sequence. The November checkpoint protects the Royal route from a missed Maruki appointment. The endgame checkpoint lets you revisit the original finale or continue into the third semester without replaying the entire campaign. Keep these files until the Royal ending and any desired optional scenes have been confirmed.

• Daily, Palace, boss, deadline, and endgame saves are kept separately.
• A pre-November-17 save is preserved.
• A pre-original-endgame save is preserved after Maruki Rank 9 is confirmed.
• Each free day is checked for limited Confidants before social-stat activities.

Finish the tutorial and create a reliable save routine

Follow the opening sequence through the casino, Velvet Room, and the first school days. The game introduces Arsène, ambushes, the basic battle interface, and the first Palace visit before normal scheduling opens. Once you regain control of Joker during the calendar, create a regular rotating save. Keep one separate save for the current week and another before major Palace objectives, especially before sending a Calling Card.

Safe Rooms are your staging points. They let you save, review the map, discuss the next objective, and fast-travel between discovered Safe Rooms in the same Palace. Use one whenever you find it. If an encounter goes badly, reload there rather than spending the rest of your medicine trying to recover in an unsafe corridor.

• Keep a rotating calendar save and a separate Palace save.
• Save at every Safe Room before taking a route with unfamiliar enemies.
• Use the Velvet Room whenever the story permits it so Joker is not dependent on Arsène alone.

Reach the first Castle Safe Rooms without wasting SP

The opening Castle sequence is largely scripted. Follow Morgana through the prison and West Building, use cover to approach Shadows from behind, and complete the mandatory battles. When the game later allows free exploration, return to the Palace and work toward the West Building Safe Room before pushing deeper. You do not need to fight every Shadow. Ambush enemies that block the route, bypass patrols when possible, and save expensive skills for enemies that resist ordinary attacks or guard important rewards.

When Joker’s SP or the party’s healing items become scarce, leave the Palace for the day instead of forcing the next section. Returning on a later infiltration day preserves experience, Personas, opened routes, and collected items while giving you a fresh resource pool. Will Seeds also restore a small amount of SP when collected, but they should be treated as a bonus rather than a substitute for leaving when the party is exhausted.

• Unlock the first West Building Safe Room before exploring the Castle’s deeper routes.
• Ambush or bypass unnecessary Shadows.
• Leave and return on another day when SP is too low for safe exploration.

Use weaknesses, Hold Ups, negotiation, and Baton Pass

Test elemental attacks against unfamiliar Shadows, then remember the result for later encounters. A weakness knocks a Shadow down and grants a One More turn. Use that turn to hit another weakness, negotiate during a Hold Up, or pass to another character. Baton Pass is especially valuable after a knockdown because it concentrates damage on the next action and helps you avoid spending SP on every remaining enemy.

Keep Joker’s Persona stock broad. Carry at least one Persona with a physical option and several different elements, rather than relying on Arsène for every fight. Ryuji provides physical and electric damage, Ann provides fire damage and support, and Morgana provides wind and healing. Their roles overlap enough to cover mistakes, but Joker should still recruit or fuse Personas so one missing element does not stop progress.

Negotiation is most reliable after knocking an enemy down. If you want the Shadow as a Persona, select responses that suit its personality; otherwise request money or an item. Do not keep negotiating with a dangerous group after the first failure. End the fight if the enemy can recover or threaten a downed party member.

• Maintain several elemental options across Joker and the active party.
• Use Baton Pass to chain weaknesses or finish weakened enemies with ordinary attacks.
• Recruit or fuse replacements before dismissing a Persona that supplies a needed element.

Cross the East Building Annex and collect useful Royal additions

From the Castle’s central areas, follow the route toward the East Building Annex. Use the balconies, beams, ladders, and marked grappling-hook points to cross gaps and reach upper walkways. The East Building Annex Safe Room is an important checkpoint. From there, continue through the chapel and adjacent corridors toward the tower route. When a patrol blocks a walkway, look above and around the room before starting a costly fight; Royal’s grappling hook often provides the intended bypass.

The first Will Seed is in the East Building Annex, reached through the grappling-hook route to the vine-covered door. The second is in the Central Tower roof route, reached by entering the tower window, using the upper ledges, and taking the vent path rather than dropping immediately to the lower platform. The third is in the Central Tower’s secret lower area. Use the elevator, pass through the large Kamoshida painting to return toward the central section, activate the necessary lever, then use the newly powered elevator and defeat the strong guardian before entering the final Will Seed room. These items are optional, but each restores some SP and the completed set can be useful later.

• Unlock the East Building Annex Safe Room.
• Use grappling-hook points to bypass patrols and reach upper routes.
• Collect Will Seeds only when the detour does not jeopardize SP or the Palace deadline.

Open the tower route and secure the Treasure

Continue from the chapel and annex toward the Central Tower. You will encounter locked paths, switches, a roof section, and the large Kamoshida painting. Inspect the painting when you reach it: it functions as a shortcut between the tower area and the central Castle section. Pull the nearby levers that open the barred central routes, then use the elevator sequence to reach the tower’s upper areas. If a chest is guarded by a Savage Shadow and your party is weak, mark its location and return later rather than treating it as required progress.

Follow the story objectives through the tower until the game confirms that the route to the Treasure is secured. At that point, leave the Palace. Buy medicine and SP recovery items that are available, sell unwanted equipment, check armor and weapons, replenish lockpicks if needed, and save in a separate slot before sending the Calling Card. The Palace deadline is May 2, but do not plan around the final day. A failed boss attempt or a missed optional route is much easier to recover from when several calendar days remain.

• The game confirms that the route to Kamoshida’s Treasure is secured.
• A separate save exists before sending the Calling Card.
• Joker’s Persona stock, equipment, medicine, and lockpicks are ready for the final infiltration.

Defeat Shadow Kamoshida and preserve the post-Palace schedule

After sending the Calling Card, enter the Castle through the established route and use the Throne Room Safe Room before approaching the boss. Shadow Kamoshida does not offer a simple elemental weakness, so focus on reliable physical and magical damage, Tarunda or other attack reduction, and consistent healing. Ann’s Tarunda is useful for reducing incoming damage, while Morgana’s healing keeps the party stable. Guard when Kamoshida prepares a major attack instead of spending every turn on offense.

Kamoshida first relies on heavy attacks and can heal through the Trophy of Obsession. Damage the trophy when it appears so he cannot recover freely. Later, Cognitive Shiho enters the fight. Focus her down quickly so the boss cannot freely use the dangerous Gold Medal Spike sequence. After the story gives you the option to steal the crown, send Morgana or Ryuji rather than Ann. The chosen character leaves the field while the rest of the party attacks Kamoshida for the required turns; keep damaging him and do not allow the distraction to stall. Once the crown is removed, his damage and durability are reduced, making the final phase much safer.

If the boss defeats you, reload the pre-Calling Card or pre-boss save, then change one variable at a time: improve armor, fuse a Persona with better physical resistance or support skills, buy more healing items, or raise the party by fighting only along the shortest safe route. Do not spend several boss attempts with the same low-SP setup.

• Destroy the Trophy of Obsession when Kamoshida uses it to heal.
• Defeat Cognitive Shiho promptly and guard against Gold Medal Spike when signaled.
• Send Morgana or Ryuji to steal the crown, then keep attacking during the distraction.
• Defeat Kamoshida before May 2 and retain a save from before the Calling Card.

Prepare Joker and establish a fusion routine

Before entering the museum, register every useful Persona in the Compendium. Fuse only when the result fills a real need: healing, a missing elemental attack, a useful resistance, or a support skill such as Rakunda or Tarunda. Do not fuse away your only Persona with healing or debuff coverage simply to obtain a slightly stronger damage dealer.

Bring healing items and any SP-restoring supplies you have obtained. Joker should have access to several elements because the Palace contains enemies with different weaknesses. Ann supplies fire, Morgana supplies wind and healing, and Yusuke becomes the main ice specialist after joining. Keep at least one backup Persona with healing or status recovery rather than depending entirely on Morgana’s SP.

Save before the first infiltration and again before the boss attempt. Madarame’s Palace is designed to be cleared over multiple visits, so leave when Joker’s SP is low or the party has used most of its healing items. A clean retreat is more efficient than triggering alarms and spending the next visit recovering from avoidable damage.

• Register useful Personas before every fusion.
• Keep healing, debuff, and several elemental options available.
• Create a separate save before the final Palace infiltration.

Reach the First Exhibition Room and open the first shortcuts

Enter through the Museum Entrance and follow the accessible route toward the First Exhibition Room. Security cameras and laser barriers are the main hazards here. Watch patrol routes before crossing open spaces, use cover, and avoid touching a camera unless you are deliberately accepting the increased Security Rating. If a guard spots you, retreat behind cover and reposition instead of starting unnecessary fights in an exposed area.

Activate the First Exhibition Room Safe Room as soon as it becomes available. Search nearby side rooms for chests and items, but treat them as optional. Royal’s grappling hook can reach balconies, upper ledges, and side routes near marked grapple points. Use those points for shortcuts or loot, but do not spend time searching every ceiling if the main objective is already clear.

From the First Exhibition Room, continue through the museum’s accessible galleries and stairways until the route leads toward the Central Garden. Open doors and gates from the far side whenever possible. These shortcuts reduce the distance required on later visits and make it easier to leave when resources are low.

• Activate the First Exhibition Room Safe Room.
• Use cover around cameras and patrols.
• Open return doors and gates whenever the route permits.

Use the Central Garden as the main staging point

Proceed to the Central Garden and activate its Safe Room before exploring further. The garden is the important mid-Palace landmark and the correct place to stage later returns. Follow the objective toward the Treasure Hall, where the security system blocks direct progress. Do not repeatedly attack or interact with the barrier; the Palace requires a story-driven route through the museum’s security areas.

Explore the connected galleries and security rooms until the party reaches the event involving Madarame’s security information. Once that event occurs, the Palace route changes and the control system can be accessed properly. If a corridor previously appeared useless, revisit it after the story event rather than assuming you missed a hidden switch.

Yusuke is now available as an ice-focused party member. Use him against enemies weak to ice, but rotate him out when his damage is resisted or when another party member has the better matchup. A practical general team is Joker, Ann or Morgana, and Yusuke, with the fourth slot changed according to the enemy weaknesses in the current gallery.

• Activate the Central Garden Safe Room.
• Trigger the security-information event before forcing the control-room route.
• Rotate party members instead of spending Joker’s SP to cover every weakness.

Find the password and disable the security system

Continue toward the security room and examine the control terminal. The terminal asks for a password, but the answer is not obtained from the computer itself. Leave the room through the newly accessible route and listen to the nearby Shadows discussing the password clue. Continue to the mural and examine the statue in the room with the ramps. The clue resolves to 1120.

Return to the security room and enter 1120 at the terminal. This removes the relevant laser barriers and opens the gates needed for the Treasure Hall route. After entering the password, leave the room and use the newly available passage instead of retracing the entire museum. Check the map for the opened shortcut and activate the nearby Safe Room if you have not already done so.

Use Third Eye to identify interactive paintings, hidden objects, and grapple points. The paintings are part of the required route, not merely decorative scenery. Some lead to connected galleries or alternate elevations, while others return you to an earlier location. Follow the exits and switches until the route reaches the Treasure Hall Lounge. The three Vanity Will Seeds are optional; collect them when the detour is safe, but do not sacrifice an infiltration because of them.

• Learn the password from the mural and surrounding clues.
• Enter 1120 in the security room terminal.
• Confirm that the laser barriers and gates have been removed before advancing.

Complete the painting route and secure the Treasure

In the Treasure Hall Lounge, follow the available painting route and inspect the surrounding galleries for the required switches, doors, and exits. When a painting transports the party to another area, use its visible landmark to orient yourself. If the route appears to loop, check for an exit, switch, or newly opened door before returning to the previous gallery.

Continue through the opened route until the Main Treasure Hall is reached. Activate its Safe Room and search nearby side rooms only if Joker still has enough resources to finish the visit. Once the party confirms that the route to the Treasure is secured, leave the Palace and send the calling card on a later available day.

Before the calling-card infiltration, restore HP and SP, equip the best available armor and accessories, and review Joker’s Persona stock. The heist route uses the doors, shortcuts, and grapple points opened during earlier visits. You should not need to re-solve the entire museum. Preserve a separate save before beginning the final infiltration so a failed boss attempt does not erase your preparation.

• Reach the Main Treasure Hall Safe Room.
• Confirm that the route is secured before leaving the Palace.
• Restore HP, SP, equipment, and items before sending the calling card.

Defeat Shadow Madarame in the Royal version

The first phase consists of four painting parts: two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Their resistances prevent careless elemental or physical spamming. The eyes absorb fire, ice, electric, and wind attacks, while the nose absorbs psychic, nuclear, bless, and curse attacks. The mouth absorbs physical and gun attacks. Use the attack types that are not absorbed, keep the party healed, and avoid wasting a turn on a reflected or absorbed hit.

After the painting phase, Shadow Madarame summons Ersatz Madarames. Their colors indicate the element they use and the opposite element that can knock them down: the red Fury copy is weak to ice, the blue Sorrow copy is weak to fire, the green Mirth copy is weak to electric, and the yellow Joy copy is weak to wind. Confirm the target’s displayed name and attack behavior before using a multi-target spell, because striking the wrong resistance can waste the turn or expose the party to retaliation.

Exploit one weakness, pass with Baton Pass, and continue the chain against another copy when possible. When all four copies are present, multi-target attacks can finish several at once if you have confirmed the affinities. Keep Joker protected from weaknesses and reserve SP for healing. Shadow Madarame can resummon copies, so focus on maintaining the weakness chain until the real Shadow is exposed, then concentrate damage on him.

If the attempt fails, do not simply repeat it. Fuse a Persona with stronger elemental coverage or better resistances, replace a party member whose damage is being resisted, improve armor, or bring more healing items. A party around the high teens to approximately level 20 is a reasonable preparation range, but equipment, weakness coverage, and resource management matter more than grinding far above the Palace’s intended level.

• Do not use absorbed attack types against the four paintings.
• Use ice on red, fire on blue, electric on green, and wind on yellow Ersatz copies.
• Preserve SP for healing and the later copy-summoning phase.
• Keep a pre-boss save until the Palace is cleared.

1. Finish the forced visit and prepare for the full infiltration

During the first story visit, follow the required route through the bank and escape when the game directs you to do so. The initial fights include Oni, which resist Physical and Gun attacks, so use elemental skills instead of wasting HP on repeated weapon strikes. After Makoto’s awakening, use her Nuclear attacks against Sui-Ki, which is weak to Nuclear, and keep the party healed while retreating.

Before entering the Palace for the real infiltration, make a manual save outside. Restock healing items, ailment recovery and lockpicks. Keep a healing Persona on Joker, and make sure the group has access to Electric, Nuclear, Psy and preferably Bless damage. A party around the mid-twenties is a sensible guideline, but equipment, Persona coverage and SP management are more important than reaching an exact level.

• Save before the second infiltration.
• Bring healing, Fear recovery and Sleep recovery.
• Keep Electric and Nuclear attacks available for the key guardians.

2. Secure the bank entrance and disable the first camera network

Use the pig statue route beside the bank entrance to reach the interior. Follow patrol patterns and ambush isolated Shadows, but do not fight every group if the path is open. The Palace’s surveillance fields are more dangerous than its ordinary encounters when you are trying to conserve SP, so prioritize electrical boxes and route-opening switches over unnecessary battles.

Move through the upper corridors, crawlspaces and maintenance passages until you reach the first safe room. Activate it immediately. Nearby doors and stairways create a useful return loop, allowing you to retreat to the entrance without repeating the opening route. When a grappling-hook prompt appears, inspect the destination before using it. Royal’s grapple points can bypass a camera corridor, reach a chest or connect upper ledges, but they do not replace the required electrical switches.

Continue to the communicator and activate Makoto’s plan. This separates the two key-bearing enemies. Fuu-Ki is weak to Electric and Sui-Ki is weak to Nuclear. Use Ryuji or Joker for Fuu-Ki, Makoto for Sui-Ki, and Baton Pass after each knockdown when possible. Defeat both to obtain the Right Key and Left Key, then continue toward the vault.

• Activate the first safe room.
• Break electrical boxes before crossing monitored routes.
• Defeat Fuu-Ki with Electric and Sui-Ki with Nuclear.

3. Cross the first vault sections and use the correct passcode order

After obtaining the keys, use the card reader and the giant partition controls to open the route into the Underground Vault. A safe room is located near the elevator; use it before beginning the code section. The first panel displays RICH. Enter 0102, then follow the newly opened route and collect the clue pages from the golden pig statues.

The next panel displays REAP. Search the surrounding vault area for the clue fragments, then enter 0931. This code is required even if you already know the later answers; skipping it leaves the concentric vault route closed. Take the fast-travel option back toward the Underground Vault and save at the next safe room.

In the following section, climb the platforms and use the electrical box to shut down the fences. A grappling point reaches an optional chest. Continue through the vault doors and camera corridors until you find the next panel, which displays HUGE. Enter 2319. This opens the route to the deeper vault and the next progression encounters.

• Enter the passcodes in this order: 0102, 0931, 2319.
• Use the safe rooms before each deeper vault section.
• Treat grapple-accessible chests as optional unless you need their equipment.

4. Clear the deeper vault and reach the final lock

After entering 2319, defeat or bypass the Shadows near the platforms and destroy the electrical box controlling the fence. Continue through the camera corridors, disabling boxes whenever you find them so the return route is safer. Take-Minakata appears as a Savage Enemy encounter near a grapple route; it is weak to Psy, repels Electric and is not required if you choose to avoid the fight. Defeating it can provide experience and loot, but do not spend scarce SP just to force the encounter.

Use the control panels in sequence to shift the vault sections. When a panel offers left or right movement, follow the newly created passage and return to the previous panel when the route requires another adjustment. Kumbhanda is weak to Bless and can use Bloodbath, including Fear, so use Joker’s Bless option if available and keep Fear recovery ready. Later, Cerberus is weak to Ice; bring Yusuke or an Ice Persona for that encounter.

After the central passages align, reach the final vault area. Disable the electrical boxes, use the shelves and vents to reach the golden pig and collect the last clue. The final panel displays GOLD. Enter 1841, then use the opened concentric route to reach the elevator and Treasure. Once the route is secured, leave the Palace and send the Calling Card on a later story-directed day.

• Use Psy against Take-Minakata if you fight it.
• Prepare Bless for Kumbhanda and Ice for Cerberus.
• Enter 1841 at the GOLD panel and reach the Treasure elevator.

5. Prepare the party and defeat Piggytron

Save immediately before the Treasure confrontation. A practical Royal party is Joker, Makoto, Ryuji and Morgana, although the exact fourth member can vary. Makoto supplies Nuclear damage, healing and defense support; Ryuji supplies Electric damage and physical power; Morgana provides group healing and can help remove Sleep. Equip Sleep-resistant accessories if available and carry items that cure Fear, Sleep and Burn.

Royal begins with Kaneshiro inside Piggytron. Piggytron has no dependable elemental weakness, so use your strongest Physical or magical attacks while maintaining Tarunda, Rakukaja or equivalent defensive support. Do not empty the party’s SP during this phase. Fear Gas can disrupt the entire group, Missile Party can Burn the party, and Ocular Vulcan can heavily damage one target, so heal before characters fall into critical range.

When Piggytron enters Super VIP Form, it prepares March of the Piggy. Guard through the first unavoidable charged attack if necessary. On the later cycle, the game prompts you to throw a valuable item. Do so when prompted; this interrupts the repeated March of the Piggy pattern and leaves Piggytron open while Kaneshiro is distracted. Continue attacking and keep the party healed rather than spending every turn on support damage.

• Save at the Treasure entrance.
• Maintain Tarunda or another damage-reducing effect.
• Guard the first charged March of the Piggy and use the requested item on the later cycle.

6. Defeat Kaneshiro’s hirelings and confirm Palace completion

After Piggytron falls, Kaneshiro summons Hitman-for-Hire and Bodyguard-for-Hire. Bodyguard-for-Hire blocks attacks aimed at Kaneshiro, so prioritize it when direct damage is being intercepted. The hirelings resist most ordinary damage, making Sleep, Dizzy or another ailment followed by a Technical attack useful. Panther’s Dormina, Makoto’s or Joker’s ailment options, and Queen’s Flash Bomb can create openings if they connect.

Watch Kaneshiro’s Lullaby followed by Snap, which can create a Technical against sleeping characters. Morgana’s Me Patra or single-target recovery items can prevent the party from losing several turns. Keep debuffs active, heal after group attacks, and focus on Bodyguard-for-Hire until Kaneshiro can be damaged consistently. When Kaneshiro begins using Make It Rain, heal immediately and continue attacking; the attack becomes less threatening once his remaining health is reduced.

If the fight fails, reload the pre-battle save and change one variable: improve armor, replace a depleted Persona, add ailment recovery, or adjust the party. If the group is underlevelled, farm only near a safe room and leave once the required upgrade or Persona is obtained. The Palace is complete when the Treasure route is secured, the Calling Card sequence is finished, and Kaneshiro is defeated. Unopened chests, unused grapple ledges and optional Savage Enemy encounters do not block campaign progression.

• Defeat Piggytron and the two hirelings.
• Keep Bodyguard-for-Hire from shielding Kaneshiro whenever possible.
• Confirm the post-battle story sequence advances before treating the Palace as complete.

1. Complete the mandatory first infiltration

Enter the Pyramid on the story-designated day and explore the exterior rather than trying to force the front entrance immediately. From the entrance, follow the western stone path to the elevated landing with the Anubis statue, then return and inspect the eastern route. The southeastern path contains the Return Point, while the stairs farther east lead to a later shortcut.

Return to the entrance and use the front door. Shadow Futaba will trigger the Palace security sequence, forcing the team to retreat. This visit is not a failed attempt and is not meant to reveal the entire dungeon. Once the story establishes the Palace mission, note the August 19 deadline. Do not leave the full infiltration until the last possible day.

On the first full exploration day, activate every safe room and use Return Points when the route gives you one. A manual save before each major puzzle is worthwhile because a wrong route can cost supplies and force unnecessary backtracking. Palace exploration consumes the daytime slot and normally prevents a separate evening activity, so finish the dungeon early enough to preserve calendar time for confidants.

• Finish the scripted first visit before planning the full route.
• Treat August 19 as the Palace completion deadline.
• Save at safe rooms and before major puzzle rooms.

2. Reach the first Anubis orb and open the central routes

From the Pyramid Entrance, follow the exterior route to the western elevated landing and examine the Anubis statue. The statue holds an orb that can be carried to a nearby pedestal. Anubis statues and pedestals act as the Palace’s key system: an orb is not a permanent collectible, so move it again when a later barrier requires it elsewhere.

Use the map to distinguish the main route from optional rooms. The Palace contains locked chests, Will Seed doors, face vases, and grappling points that reward exploration but are not required for the Treasure. Take side paths when they are close to your route and your party is healthy; return later for distant loot instead of draining SP early.

When an arrow barrier or sealed path blocks progress, do not assume the Palace is bugged. Retrace the route and check whether an orb must be returned to its original statue or moved to a different pedestal. The correct placement opens the next section and usually creates a shortcut back toward the entrance or a safe room.

• Carry Anubis orbs between statues and pedestals as needed.
• Use the map to separate required rooms from optional loot.
• Return to a safe room if SP or healing items become strained.

3. Solve the first binary sarcophagus puzzle

After the route introduces the code panels, read the stone tablet before changing any sarcophagus. The first blue code is B01010. Treat 1 as illuminated and 0 as unlit. Number the blue sarcophagi from the northernmost position as B5 through the southernmost as B1. Set B5 off, B4 on, B3 off, B2 on, and B1 off.

Once the blue arrangement is correct, use the southwestern button to activate the mechanism. The Palace changes the nearby route and opens access toward the boulder corridor. Inspect the new tablet there to obtain the red and blue codes for the second panel.

For the next panel, set the red sarcophagi to R01100: R5 off, R4 on, R3 on, R2 off, and R1 off. Set the blue sarcophagi to B10011: B5 on, B4 off, B3 off, B2 on, and B1 on. Press the button after both colors match. This opens the sealed red door to the north.

• Read each stone tablet before touching the controls.
• Use the northern-to-southern numbering shown by the room layout.
• Check both color patterns before pressing the activation button.

4. Take the boulder route and collect the first progression items

After opening the red door, follow the looped corridors and collect the bird, dog, and human face vases only if the nearby Shadows do not threaten your resources. A spear trap blocks one branch, so use the loop to approach the green Will Seed door and the boulder route from the correct side.

For the main route, return to the boulder area, climb onto the boulders, and jump west. At the western end, turn south onto the ledge and drop down to bypass the boulder trap. Continue north, collect the face vase behind the pillar, and go west through the door. The stairs and passage return you to the Great Corridor.

The green Wrath Will Seed is optional. Its door is in the corridor loop, and a guardian protects it. If you attempt it, heal first and bring a party member who can exploit the guardian’s weakness. Will Seeds are useful for their accessory reward and SP recovery, but skipping one does not prevent Palace completion.

• Use the western ledge to bypass the boulder trap.
• Do not fight a Will Seed guardian while the party is depleted.
• Treat face vases and Will Seeds as optional unless you specifically want their rewards.

5. Complete the reflective-panel and light-platform sections

In the Great Corridor, interact with the reflective panel to begin the second mural-style puzzle. Move the triangular pieces into the indicated slots and rotate the piece that does not align with the image. Use the mural and the clue rather than random placement. The correct arrangement redirects the beam and opens the next large door.

The following Chamber of Rejection and Chamber of Sanctuary sections combine crawling passages, ledges, moving platforms, and colored light. When a passage ends at a giant hole or a sand-sealed door, search the nearby wall for a crawl space rather than trying to cross the obstruction directly. Use buttons to disarm traps before opening nearby chests.

In the light-platform room, follow the active green-light platforms across the room to reach the next stone pedestal. Later, the route requires placing the Sanctuary Gem at the appropriate pedestal. If the light path appears incomplete, search the surrounding upper and lower ledges for the missing gem or the switch that changes the route. Grappling points often connect the upper statue platforms to the next required ledge.

The blue Wrath Will Seed is reached from an elevated route near the statue platforms and requires defeating its guardian. The red and green Will Seeds are likewise optional. Collect them during the first run only if you can do so without risking the deadline or exhausting the party.

• Use crawl spaces around giant holes and sand-sealed doors.
• Follow active green-light platforms instead of jumping blindly.
• Place the Sanctuary Gem at the required pedestal before searching for another route.
• Use grappling points to connect upper statue platforms and shortcuts.

6. Secure the Treasure route and prepare for the boss

Continue through the sanctuary and final puzzle rooms until the story confirms that the route to Futaba’s Treasure is secured. The Palace then gives you the opportunity to leave before the calling-card sequence. Take it. Return to Leblanc, restore your supplies, buy status-recovery items, inspect armor, and fuse Personas appropriate to your level.

Keep a Persona with reliable healing and bring access to defensive buffs or debuffs if available. Cognitive Wakaba uses heavy physical and wind attacks, can inflict Dizzy, and later threatens the party with Despair. Wide-Eye Drops or comparable Dizzy recovery and items that cure mental ailments reduce the chance that one status effect ends the attempt.

Create a separate save after securing the route and another before sending the calling card if your schedule allows. Sending the calling card leads directly into the final infiltration and boss sequence, so do not do it with low SP or damaged equipment merely because the Palace deadline is approaching.

• Secure the Treasure route before August 19.
• Restock healing, Dizzy recovery, and mental-status recovery items.
• Save after securing the route and before sending the calling card.

7. Defeat Cognitive Wakaba

The first phase is a survival and damage phase against the Beast That Rules the Palace. Use mid-tier magic, Gun attacks, and physical attacks as appropriate, but do not burn all SP trying to end the phase immediately. Mona and Queen can handle healing while other members attack. Keep the party healthy and maintain buffs or debuffs if you have them.

Watch for Rapid Ascent. This signals Sphinx Dive, a powerful party-wide attack that may be followed by another action. Heal before the dive and Guard when the boss is airborne, especially if a character is already injured or vulnerable to the incoming damage. Wing Blast can inflict Dizzy, so remove it quickly rather than wasting turns with a disabled attacker.

After the story transition, Futaba creates an opening and the ballista becomes available. On Joker’s next turn, choose a party member to operate it. The boss is knocked down onto the platform. During the grounded period, use strong physical attacks; this is substantially more effective than relying only on long-range magic or Gun damage.

When the boss uses Sphinx Swipe and the game presents Futaba’s response, choose “That’s not true.” and then “You’re a fake.” These responses help Futaba resist the attack and produce a protective countereffect. If the boss remains airborne, heal, buff, and attack while waiting for the next ballista opportunity. When another ballista prompt appears, use it again, then repeat the physical-damage burst while Wakaba is grounded.

If the fight is lost, do not simply retry with the same depleted setup. Improve armor, replace a Persona with a stronger healer or defensive skill set, carry more recovery items, or adjust the active party. The ballista and grounded physical-damage windows are the main efficiency gains, so preserve enough HP and SP to exploit them.

• Guard and heal before Sphinx Dive.
• Cure Dizzy promptly and prepare for Despair.
• Use the ballista whenever the battle provides the prompt.
• Spend physical attacks during the boss’s grounded state.
• Use the confirmed Futaba responses during Sphinx Swipe.

8. Use Futaba as navigator support and schedule the aftermath

After awakening, Futaba is the Phantom Thieves’ navigator. She does not occupy one of the four frontline battle positions, so select the combat party for elemental coverage, damage, healing, and boss mechanics while Futaba provides support from the rear. Her assistance can trigger recovery, analysis, defensive effects, and later emergency support, but it is chance-based and does not replace normal healing supplies.

The Hermit Confidant begins automatically on August 31 during the story trip to Akihabara. Futaba is then available outside Leblanc during the daytime on eligible non-rainy days. Rank 2 requires Kindness 4, so clearing the Palace does not erase that social-stat requirement. If the rank is blocked, spend free time on Kindness through activities such as Sojiro events, plant nutrients, books, or other available sources rather than repeatedly paying for a non-progressing meeting.

Clearing Futaba’s Palace opens later activities, including Akihabara access and the path to the Tower Confidant’s request, while Futaba’s own Confidant provides increasingly valuable navigation and battle support. Once she is available, carry a Hermit Persona when meeting her and prioritize her when she is ready to rank up, but do not sacrifice Maruki, Kasumi, or Akechi deadlines for optional early ranks.

Use evenings after Palace days for non-time-slot activities when possible: craft infiltration tools, make coffee or curry, read, improve a social stat, or handle available room activities. Group Mementos requests into one trip instead of spending separate days on each request. Keep a post-Palace save with the next daytime priorities recorded.

• Choose four frontline combatants; Futaba is not a normal battle-slot character.
• Start Hermit automatically on August 31 when the story unlocks it.
• Reach Kindness 4 for Hermit Rank 2.
• Carry a Hermit Persona for Futaba meetings.
• Keep Royal deadline confidants ahead of optional cleanup.

Step 1: Enter the Spaceport and establish safe retreat points

Enter the Spaceport of Greed during the Okumura arc and activate the Facility Passageway Safe Room as soon as you reach it. From the opening area, use the console and elevator to reach the central facility, then follow the balcony and connected rooms until you reach the terminal controls. Interact with the controls to open the first doors and obtain the Palace map. Royal adds grappling points above the walkways; use them to reach upper ledges, vents, and shortcuts instead of fighting every patrol on the lower floor.

The Palace deadline is October 10 in the standard Royal calendar flow, but do not postpone the infiltration unnecessarily. A practical plan is to secure the route to the Treasure on one or more infiltration days, then return to the real world before the boss attempt. Carry healing items, ailment recovery, and elemental attack items. Joker should have Personas covering several elements, especially Psy and Curse. Keep Haru available for the boss because her Psy skills are important against the green robot wave.

• Activate the Facility Passageway Safe Room and save there.
• Use Royal grappling points to reach upper walkways and vents.
• Keep a separate save before sending the calling card.
• Leave the Palace when SP is low instead of consuming all restorative items.

Step 2: Obtain the employee IDs in the Barracks

After the initial terminal sequence, return to the central area and use the button that activates the elevator to the Barracks. Follow the worker robots into the relevant rooms and inspect the conversations for information about the Section Chief. The Chief Clerk encounter gives the first ID after its robot group is defeated. The associated enemies can be handled by targeting their displayed weaknesses; do not waste SP on broad attacks when a direct weakness and All-Out Attack will finish the group.

Use the Chief Clerk ID at the locked door in the central section. The next group of rooms contains the Section Chief clue and another required robot fight. Follow the dialogue prompts that identify the correct robot, defeat the accompanying workers, and collect the Section Chief ID. Return to the central route and use the newly opened doors and elevator to reach Facility Surroundings. The optional chests and Will Seed paths can wait if they would consume the SP needed for the main route.

• Use the terminal controls before searching for the first ID.
• Collect the Chief Clerk ID, then use it to reach the Section Chief area.
• Follow the story clues to identify the correct Section Chief robot.
• Use the Barracks and Facility Passageway Safe Rooms before continuing.

Step 3: Cross Facility Surroundings and the Export Line

At Facility Surroundings, look upward from the landing opposite the Safe Room. The grappling point leads to circular platforms and the elevated route across the factory exterior. The main path eventually leads north through the door toward the Export Line; several platform loops contain optional treasure and the Red Greed Seed. Take those detours only if the party can defeat the stronger Shadows without exhausting its resources.

In the Export Line, activate the Safe Room before returning to the factory floor. Follow the route toward the mechanical arm and use its terminal to set the arm to the required setting so it forms a bridge. Consoles elsewhere control the hydraulic presses and security lasers. When a console starts a short timer, identify the destination before activating it, then sprint directly across the now-stopped press. Ignore nearby Shadows during timed sections. Disable the security grid from the appropriate console, use the grappling point near the machinery, and cross the elevated pipes or vent to continue toward the Disposal Line.

The Disposal Line contains another mechanical-arm and hydraulic-press sequence. Use the console, cross the disabled press, and activate the next controls in the order shown by the route. A mandatory robot encounter in this section uses Ice weakness, so keep an Ice user or Ice items ready. Activate the Disposal Line Safe Room after the encounter and save before proceeding to Central Factory.

• Use grappling points to bypass lower-floor patrols where possible.
• Set the mechanical arm before attempting to cross the factory gap.
• During timed press sections, run directly to the target platform.
• Keep Ice coverage for the mandatory Disposal Line robot encounter.
• Activate and use the Disposal Line Safe Room before moving onward.

Step 4: Solve Central Factory and Transfer Line airlocks

From Central Factory, activate the Safe Room, then use the airlock to reach the next hallway. A nearby console opens locked doors and provides access to the lift leading to Transfer Line. Search the unlocked side rooms only after the main route is clear; the airlock can be reused to return for optional items.

The Transfer Line puzzle uses Alpha and Omega airlocks controlled by matching levers. If an airlock is inactive, locate the nearby control room and switch the corresponding lever before returning. Move through the active airlocks one section at a time rather than guessing. The route to the third Will Seed includes a strong guardian, so heal and save before entering that room. Afterward, backtrack through the airlocks, change the Alpha or Omega settings as required, and continue until you reach the next Safe Room.

The final Transfer Line route is a sequence of small rooms in which the airlock behind you deactivates and another becomes active. Continue through the functioning airlock, then use the lever room in the western section to change the Omega setting. Return through the central airlock, proceed east through the newly opened passage, and use the northern airlocks to reach the final control area. Activate the control that opens the route back toward the Treasure, then follow the functioning Omega and Alpha passages to the elevator.

• Learn which levers control Alpha and Omega airlocks.
• Do not assume an inactive airlock is broken; search for its matching lever.
• Save before the third Will Seed guardian.
• Activate the Transfer Line Safe Room before attempting the final airlock sequence.

Step 5: Secure the Treasure route and prepare for the boss

The elevator leads to Weapon Production, the final section. Activate the last Safe Room immediately. The nearby route contains optional treasure and a locked chest, but the required path continues up the ramps toward the Treasure area. Trigger the story scene, then return to the entrance and leave the Palace. Make a hard save outside before sending the calling card.

Use the preparation time to restore HP and SP, refill ammunition, update armor, and visit the Velvet Room. Prepare at least one reliable Psy skill and one reliable Curse skill for Joker. Haru should have a multi-target Psy option if possible. Stock single-target elemental damage items for Fire, Ice, Electric, Wind, Nuclear, Bless, Psy, and Curse; the first five robot waves are much easier when every party member can start or continue a Baton Pass chain. A matching accessory or skill that improves SP efficiency is useful, but correct weakness coverage matters more than grinding.

Recommended party roles are Haru for Psy damage, Morgana for Wind and healing, and either Makoto for Nuclear coverage or another member who supports the weakness order you plan to use. Joker should carry multiple Personas because no fixed party can cover every wave efficiently.

• Activate the Weapon Production Safe Room.
• Leave the Palace and make a hard save before the calling card.
• Restore SP, ammunition, equipment, and healing supplies.
• Prepare Psy, Curse, and single-target elemental items.
• Keep a separate save before the boss date.

Step 6: Clear the robot waves with Baton Pass chains

Shadow Okumura’s boss fight has a 30-minute timer, and the timer continues while you spend time in battle menus. Okumura repeatedly summons groups of four robots. The first five groups use this weakness pattern: blue robots are weak to Fire and Wind; yellow robots are weak to Ice and Psy; red robots are weak to Electric and Nuclear; light-blue robots are weak to Wind and Bless; green robots are weak to Psy and Curse. Check the target’s actual affinity if a skill behaves unexpectedly, but use this order as your preparation guide.

The practical objective is to defeat the entire group before its retreat check. A robot wave that survives too long can withdraw, allowing Okumura to summon a replacement group at full strength. Royal’s later waves, especially the green group, demand a complete clear rather than slow damage spread across several turns. Start with a single-target weakness attack or elemental item, then Baton Pass to a character who can hit another robot’s weakness. Continue the chain and finish with a strong multi-target spell from Joker or Haru. Do not open with a weak multi-target spell that fails to knock enemies down; it wastes the turns needed to finish the wave.

Okumura can raise a robot’s defense, lower your party’s defenses, remove buffs, inflict Hunger, and order a robot to self-destruct. If one robot receives a defense increase, leave it for the strongest member at the end of the chain or remove the buff before spending your best attack. Save a Showtime attack for a dangerous wave, but do not rely on it as your only answer. If a wave escapes, reload the boss save and change the Baton Pass order rather than repeating the same sequence.

• Keep the 30-minute timer in mind from the opening turn.
• Defeat each early robot group before its retreat check.
• Use single-target elemental items to begin Baton Pass chains.
• Finish chains with a strong multi-target Psy, Curse, or matching elemental attack.
• Bring Haru or Joker’s Psy coverage for the green wave.
• Reload and revise the setup if the same group escapes twice.

Step 7: Defeat Execurobo, survive Cognitive Haru, and finish Okumura

After the robot waves, Execurobo MDL-ED appears. It does not have the normal elemental weakness pattern, so use reliable damage, Charge or Concentrate when safe, and Tarunda or other defensive debuffs to reduce incoming damage. Keep the party healed and avoid spending every remaining SP on low-impact attacks. Ailments such as Forget, Confuse, Shock, Freeze, or other applicable effects can create safer turns, but they are support options rather than requirements.

When Execurobo uses Big Bang Order, treat it as the warning, not the attack itself. Big Bang Challenge follows on the next turn. Guard with the whole party during that turn unless a specific situation makes another action necessary. Big Bang Challenge deals severe Almighty damage and can inflict Hunger; guarding is the dependable way to survive it. Cure Hunger afterward if it prevents a character from acting effectively.

Cognitive Haru follows Execurobo. Damage her normally while watching for Sacrifice Order and the preparation for Selfless Devotion. If you cannot defeat her before the detonation, have the entire party Guard. Her self-destruct is survivable when guarded and the battle continues afterward. Once that sequence ends, Okumura is exposed and has little resistance. Use a final reliable attack to end the fight before the timer expires.

• Use buffs and debuffs without sacrificing the turns needed for damage and healing.
• Guard the turn after Big Bang Order appears.
• Cure Hunger when it prevents effective actions.
• Guard during Cognitive Haru’s Selfless Devotion preparation.
• Finish Okumura after Cognitive Haru’s sequence resolves.

Step 8: Recover from a failed boss attempt

If the boss timer expires or a robot wave repeatedly retreats, reload the hard save made before the calling card. First restore SP and purchase more elemental items. Then change one major variable at a time: replace a low-damage Persona, give Joker a stronger Psy or Curse skill, place Haru earlier or later in the Baton Pass order, or bring a party member who can cover a missing weakness. A stronger multi-target finisher is usually more valuable than another defensive buff.

If the party reaches Execurobo but dies to Big Bang Challenge, keep more HP available before Big Bang Order, apply attack reduction, and Guard the warning turn. If Cognitive Haru is the problem, stop spending SP on her before the self-destruct sequence and reserve enough HP for a full-party Guard. If you are significantly below the Palace’s expected strength, use Mementos or the Palace’s remaining enemies for levels and money before resending the calling card. Do not overwrite the pre-boss save until Okumura is confirmed defeated.

• Reload the pre-calling-card or pre-boss save after failure.
• Restore SP and restock elemental items.
• Change the Baton Pass order if a wave retreats.
• Improve Psy and Curse coverage before attempting the green wave again.
• Guard Big Bang Challenge and Cognitive Haru’s self-destruct.
• Keep the pre-boss save until the post-battle story sequence is complete.

Start with Niijima’s Casino after Okumura’s Palace

This chapter begins after Okumura’s Palace, with Sae Niijima’s Casino of Jealousy. The first Casino visit is a short story infiltration. Follow the objective markers, use the available safe room, and leave when the story forces the team out. The full return visit is where the Palace route and boss preparation matter.

On the return visit, use the Main Floor and Members Floor safe rooms as hubs. Follow the objective toward the dice area and play only until the Palace establishes that the games are rigged. Do not spend time trying to win normally. Move into the staff-only control area, defeat the guarding Shadow, and operate the terminal that disables the dice cheating. Return to the dice game and use the altered conditions to obtain the required coin progress.

Continue to the slot area. Locate the Palace control panels and disable the red and green systems before using the giant slot machine. This produces the High Limit Card. Ordinary slot machines and prize purchases are optional; the card is the required progression item. Take the card to the High Limit Lobby, unlock its safe room, then proceed through the House of Darkness and Battle Arena routes toward the Treasure.

Royal’s grappling points can reveal ledges, shortcuts, and Will Seed paths. Use them when they shorten the route or provide a useful recovery point, but do not delay a Confidant appointment for optional loot. Before sending the calling card, restore HP and SP, replace outdated equipment, stock revival and status-recovery items, and save in a separate slot.

• Begin this chapter with Niijima’s Casino after completing Okumura’s Palace.
• Disable the dice controls before trying to earn the required coins.
• Disable the red and green slot controls before using the giant slot machine.
• Obtain the High Limit Card and unlock the High Limit Lobby safe room.
• Keep a separate save before the Casino boss.

Expose Shadow Sae’s roulette cheating

Shadow Sae begins the battle with a scripted roulette sequence. During the first Roulette Time, attacking triggers her Penalty counterattack, which reduces the targeted characters to 1 HP. Use this turn to heal, guard, or apply buffs. The betting result is rigged: the high-risk choice deals more damage to the party, while the safer choice deals less, and Sae recovers HP from the damage.

After the scripted result, answer Futaba’s prompt to investigate the cheating. Choose the response that confirms you understand there is a glass lid, then send a party member to shoot it when Sae begins cheating again. The selected character does not determine the route; send someone who is not your primary healer if possible. Once the glass is broken, Sae changes form and the fight becomes a conventional damage battle.

Keep one reliable healer active and carry revival and ailment-recovery items. Sae’s roulette attack adopts elemental properties, so switch Joker’s Persona when necessary and avoid leaving a party member exposed to the displayed element. Charge and Concentrate make the long fight shorter. After she falls below half health, she can use stronger Gun and Almighty attacks, so maintain defensive buffs, heal before anyone is near knockout range, and guard when a powerful attack is telegraphed.

• Do not attack during the first Penalty sequence.
• Use the glass-lid investigation prompt after the rigged result.
• Send a nonessential damage dealer to expose the cheating if your healer is needed.
• Save before the calling-card battle and restore all supplies beforehand.

Use Mementos for targeted preparation

Before committing to Shido’s Cruiser, review the current Mementos request list. Combine several requests into one visit when their targets are accessible at the same time. Prioritize requests that unlock useful rewards, remove a known obstacle, or provide money and experience needed for Palace preparation. Do not spend a full visit on unfocused grinding if a deadline-bound Confidant is available elsewhere.

Royal’s Mementos systems include Jose, flowers, stamps, Disaster Shadows, and additional rewards. Stamps let you improve experience, money, or item yields; choose one category that matches your shortage instead of changing it without a purpose. Flowers are temporary visit currency, so spend them during that visit when Jose offers a useful item. Disaster Shadows provide better rewards but are dangerous if your party is already depleted. Ambush them only when you can defeat them quickly.

Use the Velvet Room before and after the visit. Joker should have access to healing, party buffs, attack or defense debuffs, Charge or Concentrate, and multiple damage types. Preserve at least one Persona that reduces or nullifies physical damage and another that protects against Bless or Curse. Mementos is also a good place to raise the party toward the late-game range, but Palace safe rooms and requests should determine your route rather than random floor-clearing.

• Bring several Mementos requests before entering.
• Spend useful flowers before leaving the visit.
• Use stamps to address a specific money, experience, or item need.
• Fuse replacements for weak Personas before entering Shido’s Cruiser.

Collect the five Letters of Introduction aboard Shido’s Cruiser

Shido’s Palace is the Cruiser of Pride. After the opening investigation, the team must obtain five Letters of Introduction from VIPs before the central route to the Treasure opens. Follow the story’s information-gathering objective first, then use the Restaurant route to obtain the membership access needed for the VIP areas.

The first VIP route runs through the Restaurant and ends in a major Shadow confrontation. After receiving the first letter, use the ship’s central passages to reach the Pool Deck. Defeat the Shadow Noble there and claim the second letter. Continue through the upper starboard and back-deck passages to reach the Entertainment Hall. The mouse passages in the upper hallway are required in Royal: when transformed, use the small corridors and ducts to pass doors that cannot be opened in normal size. The Entertainment Hall confrontation provides the third letter.

From the Entertainment Hall, follow the lower-port and Side Deck routes. Grapple to elevated platforms when the blue indicator appears, and use safe rooms before taking on the next VIP encounter. The Shadow IT President battle grants the fourth letter. The IT President’s assistants are weak to Psychic while the main enemy is weak to Nuclear, so Haru and Makoto can combine with Joker for efficient knockdowns; direct damage also works if your Personas are stronger.

After the fourth letter, choose the Engine Room objective when prompted. Leave the Side Deck through the duct, descend through the exterior ship passages, and enter the Engine Room. The final route contains additional fights and the Shadow Cleaner. Save and heal before entering. The Cleaner has no convenient weakness, uses physical and Curse damage, and can combine Foul Breath with instant-death Curse attacks. Keep Bless and Curse protection on Joker, maintain defense buffs, use Debilitate or another defense reduction, and spend Charge or Concentrate on your strongest attacks. Defeating the Cleaner awards the fifth letter.

With all five letters collected, return through the Engine Room and central passages to open the Assembly Hall route. Will Seeds, chests, and some miniboss rewards are optional, but the five letters, safe rooms, mouse passages, and Engine Room are required.

• Obtain the five Letters of Introduction, not merely the earlier four-letter milestone.
• Clear the Restaurant, Pool Deck, Entertainment Hall, Side Deck, and Engine Room progression.
• Use mouse transformations and ducts to pass Royal’s locked ship passages.
• Save and heal before the Shadow Cleaner.
• Open the Assembly Hall route after receiving the fifth letter.

Defeat Akechi before assaulting Shido

After the Engine Room and Shadow Cleaner, restore HP and SP before returning through the central passage. The required Akechi encounter begins before the final Shido assault. It is a multi-stage fight, so do not enter with a depleted party or a Joker Persona that is weak to Bless, Curse, or physical damage.

The first portion pits the party against Cerberus and Cu Chulainn. Physical damage is reliable, Cerberus remains vulnerable to Ice, and Fire or Electric attacks can be absorbed by the two enemies. Marakunda, Matarukaja, Tetrakarn, and strong physical or Almighty attacks shorten the battle. Heal before the enemies fall because Akechi’s next phase begins immediately.

Akechi’s Robin Hood phase focuses heavily on Joker and uses Bless, Curse, physical, and Almighty attacks. A Persona immune to Bless and Curse is valuable. In the later Loki phase, Akechi gains two actions per turn and alternates physical attacks, Tetrakarn, Makarakarn, Fire, Curse, and Almighty skills. Check his current barrier before attacking; use low-cost attacks or spells to remove a reflection barrier, then spend Charge or Concentrate on safe damage. When the battle warns that Akechi is targeting Joker with Laevateinn, fully heal Joker, raise defense, and guard. The fight ends after this sequence and the story opens the way to Shido’s Treasure.

• Enter the Engine Room route with full or near-full HP and SP.
• Carry Bless, Curse, and physical protection for Joker.
• Check Tetrakarn and Makarakarn before using reflected damage types.
• Guard and heal Joker when Laevateinn is announced.
• Save after the Akechi encounter and before the final Palace assault.

Prepare for Shadow Shido and protect the Royal route

Shadow Shido is a long, multi-phase battle with no simple weakness to exploit. Prepare a Joker roster with reliable single-target physical or Almighty damage, broad elemental coverage, healing, defense against physical attacks, and protection from common instant-death or ailment effects. Bring party members who collectively provide healing, revival, buffs, debuffs, Charge or Concentrate, and ailment recovery.

Open with an attack or defense reduction and refresh it whenever Shido removes or outlasts the effect. Maintain party defense and attack buffs, use Charge or Concentrate before major attacks, and do not spend all SP in the early phases. Shido changes forms and attack patterns, including physical and elemental pressure. Watch the combat text, switch Joker’s Persona when an element becomes dangerous, and guard during telegraphed heavy attacks. His later phases are more dangerous than the opening rounds, so preserve healing items and SP rather than forcing maximum damage every turn.

The one-on-one section against Shido makes Joker’s Persona defenses especially important. If the attempt fails, reload the pre-boss save and change a specific variable: fuse a stronger Persona, remove a weakness, add physical resistance, improve an accessory, replace a party member, or stock more revival items. Do not repeat the same setup while expecting a different result.

Maruki’s Councillor Rank 9 must have been completed by November 17 on the in-game calendar. Shido’s defeat cannot repair a missed deadline, and neither can the original final boss. Kasumi’s Faith and Akechi’s Justice progression unlock additional Royal scenes and benefits, but neither replaces Maruki’s requirement.

Keep a separate save before the December 24 original endgame sequence. Do not overwrite it while continuing through the original final boss and the January transition. Once the game visibly confirms that Royal’s third-semester content is available, create another preserved save before entering the new final arc.

• Enter Shadow Shido’s battle with a broad Joker Persona roster.
• Keep healing, revival, buffs, debuffs, and Charge or Concentrate available.
• Protect Joker against physical, Bless, Curse, and common instant-death threats.
• Confirm Councillor Rank 9 before the November 17 deadline.
• Preserve a save before December 24 and another after January confirms the third semester.

1. Make Maruki the mandatory priority

Takuto Maruki’s Councillor Confidant becomes available during the early story after the Kamoshida arc. Whenever Maruki is available, treat his appointment as the default use of that time slot until Councillor Rank 9 is complete. The deadline is November 17. If Rank 9 is not recorded by the end of that date, the third semester and its Royal Palace are unavailable on that save.

Rank 10 does not require another normal Confidant appointment. After Maruki leaves, the story supplies the remaining Councillor progression if Rank 9 was achieved. His abilities can improve Joker’s recovery and battle preparation, but those rewards are secondary to reaching Rank 9. During November, do not replace an available Maruki appointment with a convenient evening activity, social-stat session, or non-urgent Confidant.

• Councillor Rank 9 is complete by November 17.
• A Councillor Persona is in Joker’s stock before each Maruki meeting.
• A manual save exists before the final November appointments.

2. Complete Kasumi’s Faith Rank 5 by December 22

Kasumi Yoshizawa’s Faith Confidant is advanced through daytime meetings, primarily around Kichijoji. Her availability is limited and can change with the month, story progress, weather, and scheduled events. Check the calendar and her location before committing each free afternoon.

Use December 22 as the firm player-facing cutoff: Faith Rank 5 must be complete by that date. Do not plan around a possible final appointment on December 23. Kasumi is not required to unlock the third semester, but missing Rank 5 prevents her later Faith progression and the associated Royal scenes and combat development on that save.

Her early ranks provide infiltration-related benefits, while later Faith ranks add party support and defensive options. These rewards are valuable, but they do not change the requirement. The safest routine is to accept every useful Kasumi appointment before December 22, use a matching Faith Persona, and keep a pre-cutoff save in case a story event consumes an expected time slot.

• Faith Rank 5 is recorded by December 22.
• Kasumi’s daytime availability is checked before every free afternoon.
• A Faith Persona is carried before each appointment.
• A separate save is preserved before the final December scheduling window.

3. Reach Akechi’s Justice Rank 8 by November 17

Goro Akechi’s Justice Confidant is manually advanced in Royal rather than relying only on automatic story ranks. His meetings occur at specific times and locations, including Kichijoji, and his later ranks depend on story progress and Joker’s Knowledge. Once Rank 6 becomes available in the autumn, keep checking for his next appointment instead of assuming another meeting will be offered immediately.

Reach Justice Rank 8 by November 17. Rank 8 is not required for the third semester, but it preserves expanded Royal scenes, later Justice progression, and additional third-semester combat content. Later Justice ranks are supplied through story progression if the relevant prerequisite was met. Some extra scenes also depend on later story responses, so Rank 8 alone does not replace those decisions.

If an appointment is temporarily unavailable, first check the calendar, story progress, Knowledge requirements, and current location. Do not treat a blocked rank as proof that the route has failed. Once the appointment opens, prioritize it over flexible activities until Rank 8 is secure.

• Justice Rank 8 is complete by November 17.
• Any Knowledge and story requirements for the next Justice rank are satisfied.
• A Justice Persona is carried to Akechi meetings whenever possible.
• A pre-November save remains separate from the post-deadline save.

4. Carry matching Arcana Personas

Before meeting one of these Confidants, keep a Persona of the corresponding Arcana in Joker’s stock: Councillor for Maruki, Faith for Kasumi, and Justice for Akechi. The matching Persona increases relationship-point gains and reduces the number of non-ranking visits needed to reach the target.

Matching Personas do not bypass story gates, Knowledge requirements, date restrictions, or the December cutoff for Kasumi. If a meeting will not rank up, use Chihaya’s Fortune consultation when available to improve the relationship before the next appointment, or spend the time on another deadline-bound Confidant. Avoid repeatedly attending meetings without checking whether the next rank is actually ready.

• The correct Arcana Persona is present before each target appointment.
• Fortune consultations are used when they can prevent an extra visit.
• A non-ranking visit is not allowed to consume a rare deadline appointment.

5. Use an early-clear Palace routine

Finish each active Palace well before its deadline rather than waiting for the final infiltration days. Clearing early protects daytime and evening appointments from calling-card events, forced story scenes, fatigue, and last-minute travel. The free days gained from an early Palace clear are especially important from September through November, when Maruki and Akechi compete for limited appointments and Kasumi’s availability can be sparse.

From June through August, reserve available Maruki appointments first, then use Kasumi’s limited daytime openings and Akechi’s available evenings. From September onward, review the calendar at the start of every week. The practical order is Maruki until Rank 9, Akechi until Rank 8, and Kasumi until Rank 5, while still taking whichever target is actually available when the others are not.

• The current Palace is cleared early enough to preserve free days.
• The weekly calendar is checked from September onward.
• Mementos and social-stat activities are scheduled around the three deadline-bound Confidants.

6. Protect the November and December checkpoints

Use rotating manual saves instead of one overwritten file. Keep a save before the final week of November appointments, a save immediately after Councillor Rank 9, and a save before the last practical Kasumi appointments. Saving every few in-game days during deadline months gives you a recovery point if a meeting is missed or an unexpected story event changes the schedule.

After November 17, open the Confidant menu and verify the actual ranks. If Maruki is below Rank 9, reload the pre-deadline save if one exists. If Akechi is below Rank 8, the third semester can still be unlocked through Maruki, but his expanded content is lost. If Kasumi is below Rank 5 by December 22, the third semester remains possible, but her later Faith ranks and related scenes are unavailable on that save.

• A pre-November checkpoint has not been overwritten.
• A post-Maruki Rank 9 save is preserved.
• A pre-December Kasumi save is preserved.
• The Confidant menu, not a text message or assumption, confirms each rank.

1. Confirm the mandatory Maruki requirement

Before the original endgame begins, check the Confidant screen and verify that Takuto Maruki’s Councillor Confidant reached Rank 9 no later than November 17. This is the requirement that determines whether the Royal third semester can occur on the current save. Rank 10 is awarded automatically during the story afterward; do not spend time looking for a normal Rank 10 appointment.

If Maruki was below Rank 9 when November 17 passed, that save cannot access the third semester. Kasumi’s Faith progression and Akechi’s Justice progression cannot repair the missed requirement. Reload an earlier calendar save only if you want to recover the Royal route; otherwise, finish the campaign knowing that it will follow the original ending structure.

• Councillor Rank 9 completed by November 17.
• Maruki’s automatic Rank 10 event is still allowed to occur later.
• Do not treat Kasumi or Akechi as substitutes for Maruki.

2. Make a protected save before December 24

Use a separate save slot at the last convenient opportunity before the December 24 endgame sequence. The goal is to preserve access to the Depths of Mementos and the Holy Grail and Yaldabaoth battles without overwriting the file you will use for the rest of the campaign. Keep the protected file untouched and save the active run in another slot.

Before entering the sequence, refill healing items, review armor and weapons, and check Joker’s Persona stock. Bring reliable healing, broad elemental coverage and defensive support. The Depths and final battles are long enough that arriving with depleted SP or an untested roster can turn one defeat into a frustrating replay.

• A protected save exists before the December 24 sequence.
• The active run uses a different save slot.
• Healing items, equipment and Persona skills are checked before departure.

3. Clear the Depths of Mementos and defeat Yaldabaoth

On December 24, enter the Depths of Mementos and follow the story route toward the Holy Grail. Continue through the required encounters until the Yaldabaoth battle begins. Royal does not replace this original endgame with the new Palace; the Holy Grail and Yaldabaoth remain the campaign’s first final confrontation.

During the battle, watch the additional arms and weapons rather than attacking only the main body every turn. Remove a dangerous summoned part when it is creating severe pressure, then return damage to Yaldabaoth. Keep party healing available, refresh buffs and debuffs when necessary, and avoid spending every recovery item before the final phases. If you lose, reload the protected file and make a concrete change: improve Persona coverage, alter equipment, replace a weak Persona or conserve more SP during the Depths.

• The Depths of Mementos are completed.
• The Holy Grail is defeated.
• Yaldabaoth is defeated and the post-battle story begins.

4. Refuse the post-battle offer on December 24

After Yaldabaoth is defeated, the game presents an offer that can end the campaign on an alternate route. Refuse it. This choice occurs after the Yaldabaoth battle, not before it, so do not assume that winning the boss automatically guarantees the Royal continuation.

If Maruki met the November 17 requirement, refusing the offer allows the story to proceed through the late-December and New Year events and into January. If Maruki did not meet the requirement, refusing the offer still produces the normal campaign conclusion rather than creating the Royal semester. The deadline was determined earlier in the calendar and cannot be restored by a later choice.

• The December 24 offer is refused after Yaldabaoth.
• The game does not end immediately on the alternate route.
• The result is checked against Maruki’s verified deadline status.

5. Recognize whether the third semester is active

There is no need to search for a special menu badge proving that the Royal route is active. The dependable confirmation is the story and calendar: after the original endgame, the schedule continues into January instead of proceeding directly to the standard final conclusion. Royal-exclusive scenes begin, and the new Palace becomes part of the available campaign.

If the game moves toward the ordinary ending without January’s Royal story, the save missed the third-semester gate. Do not use Kasumi’s or Akechi’s rank as the test. Maruki Rank 9 by November 17 controls access to the semester itself; Kasumi and Akechi determine additional content within that route.

• The calendar continues into January after the original endgame.
• Royal-exclusive story scenes begin.
• The new Palace becomes available during the third semester.

6. Preserve the Royal route before the later ending decisions

Once January begins, create another backup before the major January 9 decision if the save system and available calendar timing allow it. During the Royal story, reject the proposed alternate reality and continue opposing it. A second decisive choice occurs on February 2; reject that offer as well and choose the route that leads to the final Royal confrontation.

These choices matter even when Maruki’s requirement was completed. Reaching the third semester only makes the Royal ending available; it does not force the correct conclusion. If an offer is accepted, the game can move to an alternate ending and skip the remaining Royal campaign on that branch.

• The January 9 alternate-reality offer is rejected.
• The February 2 offer is rejected.
• The story continues to the final Royal confrontation.

7. Check optional Royal confidant progress and preserve the result

For the fullest Royal route, verify that Kasumi reached Faith Rank 5 by December 22 and that Akechi reached Justice Rank 8 by November 17. These targets are optional for unlocking the third semester, but they add later scenes, dialogue and combat-related benefits. Missing either target does not mean the Royal route is lost if Maruki’s Rank 9 requirement was met.

After clearing the Royal Palace and final Royal confrontation, create a clear-data save in a new slot. Keep both the pre-December 24 backup and the completed file. The earlier save lets you replay the original endgame sequence, while the clear save supports New Game Plus and preserves proof that the Royal campaign was completed.

• Maruki Rank 9 was completed by November 17.
• Kasumi Rank 5 was completed by December 22 if optional Royal content is desired.
• Akechi Rank 8 was completed by November 17 if optional Royal content is desired.
• The Royal Palace and final Royal confrontation are complete.
• A clear-data save and the untouched pre-December 24 backup remain available.

1. Confirm that the Royal third semester is active

Continue through the original campaign’s December climax. If Councillor Maruki reached Rank 9 by November 17, the story continues into January instead of ending with the original Persona 5 schedule. Maruki’s Rank 10 is completed by the story after his final pre-semester availability; you do not need to arrange a separate Rank 10 meeting before January.

Make a manual save when January free time begins, then keep another save before each major infiltration. This gives you a recovery point if you spend too much money or SP, miss a Palace objective, or want to replay the final Royal sequence. Kasumi and Akechi are not required for the semester to appear, so do not mistake their missed ranks for a Maruki failure.

• Councillor is Rank 9 or higher before November 17.
• The calendar proceeds into January after the original December events.
• A separate January save is preserved.

2. Treat the first Palace visits as scripted reconnaissance

Enter Maruki’s Palace whenever January’s story directs you. These initial visits are short, forced infiltrations rather than a complete dungeon run. The party reaches laboratory areas, encounters the cognitive systems and eventually retreats because the deeper route is blocked by wires.

Open any Safe Room that the story allows you to reach and collect convenient items, but do not spend consumables trying to force a blocked passage. Being removed from the Palace is expected progression. Once the story sends you back to the real world, use the remaining time for Confidants, equipment, healing supplies and Persona preparation.

• Finish every forced infiltration before attempting the full route.
• Use the available Safe Rooms as later travel points.
• Do not try to reach the Treasure during the blocked introductory visits.

3. Investigate the Research Ward and Exam Room in order

During the next Palace visit, use the Research Ward and its Safe Rooms as your landmarks. Move through the laboratory corridors, unlock blocked doors from the accessible side and inspect containment rooms, offices and side areas before advancing. Maruki’s Palace uses evidence-based examinations, so search desks, rooms and documents rather than repeatedly guessing at a panel.

When the route presents old televisions or recording equipment, inspect the relevant notes first and watch the recording before returning to the examination controls. In the Exam Room, speak with the attendants and the listed subjects, inspect the guidance panel and use the consultation tables. The three special room selections are B, then C, then D. The needed evidence and conversations must be completed before the corresponding selection is accepted.

• Search each current laboratory wing before leaving it.
• Inspect notes and watch the required recordings on the CRT equipment.
• Complete the consultations and choose B, C and D in order.

4. Enter Mementos and open Path of Da’at

After the Palace confirms that wires are blocking the route, leave and enter Mementos. Travel down to the lowest accessible area near the Holy Grail route, then take the newly available elevators to Path of Da’at. This is a required story expedition, not an optional experience-farming trip.

Advance through Da’at toward its upper areas. The route contains battles and shifting passages, so bring healing items and at least one reliable Persona for physical, gun or Almighty damage. You do not need to clear every stamp, treasure chest or optional encounter. Continue until you reach the upper section, then interact with and deploy the cable there. That action neutralizes the wires connected to Maruki’s Palace. If the Palace remains blocked afterward, confirm that you reached the top objective rather than merely entering Da’at.

• Reach Path of Da’at through the lower Mementos route.
• Climb to the upper objective instead of leaving after the first few areas.
• Deploy the cable and confirm the Palace obstruction has been removed.

5. Resume the Palace and clear its investigation puzzles

Return to Maruki’s Palace after the cable objective. The main expedition is longer and includes stronger Shadows, environmental switches, grappling-hook routes, recording checks and additional consultation sections. Use a manual save before committing to the full push, and divide the run at Safe Rooms rather than spending all recovery items at the first difficult encounter.

When a corridor appears to end, check for a crawl space, grapple point, side door, panel or nearby evidence object before backtracking. Third Eye helps identify interactive objects and alternate routes. The consultation sequence is easier if you speak to every available person in the current section before using the table. The goal for this stage is to reach the Treasure, send the calling card when the story permits it and be ready for the February 3 confrontation.

• The Da’at cable objective is complete.
• The deeper research, treatment and consultation areas are accessible.
• A separate save exists before the calling-card sequence.

6. Protect the February deadline

Maruki’s Palace follows a special schedule. Complete the exploration necessary to secure the Treasure route by the end of February 2. The game handles the calling-card and final confrontation sequence around the next story date, so do not leave the route unresolved until February 3. If you reach February 2 without a secure route, reload the previous Palace save and prioritize the objective over optional chests, Mementos farming or Confidant visits.

Before the final sequence, refill healing items, restore SP where possible, review equipment and keep Personas covering several elements. The Palace’s later fights reward flexible Baton Pass chains and status recovery more than a single fixed party. Preserve the pre-calling-card save until the Royal ending is confirmed.

• The Treasure route is secured by February 2.
• The calling-card sequence has been triggered when the game permits it.
• The pre-calling-card save has not been overwritten.

7. Use Kasumi and Akechi’s ranks for optional Royal content

For Kasumi’s later Faith progression, complete Rank 5 by December 22. Her later meetings become available during the third semester only if that earlier target was met. This affects her additional story, later Confidant ranks and associated Persona development, but it does not determine whether Maruki’s Palace opens.

For Akechi’s expanded Royal material, use November 17 as the conservative deadline for Justice Rank 8. His later scenes, automatic Justice progression and third-semester development also depend on the relevant story choices, including rejecting Maruki’s proposed reality when the game presents that decision. These targets provide the fullest Royal route, but neither Faith Rank 5 nor Justice Rank 8 is the condition that unlocks the third semester itself.

• Faith Rank 5 was completed by December 22 if Kasumi’s later content is wanted.
• Justice Rank 8 was completed by November 17 if Akechi’s expanded content is wanted.
• Councillor Rank 9, not Faith or Justice, is treated as the semester unlock requirement.

Complete the opening infiltration visits

The first visit begins in the entrance hall. Ride the lift, climb the stairs, open the chest on the left, and continue through the double doors until the cutscene stops you. Defeat the two Macabre, then return toward the test-track route. Go around the blocked door, climb the stairs, turn back at the next upward stairway, and enter the side door for the long story scene. When control returns on the mezzanine, move south, enter the door, and cross the bridge. Continue through the open area until the visit ends after the encounter involving Belial and Hastur.

On the next infiltration, take the left-hand route from the main hall and follow the earlier path. After the dialogue, use the door on the left instead of heading upward. Cross the access passage, turn left, climb the stairs to the top, and enter the southern door. Follow the dark path to the auditorium sequence and defeat Cendrillon. This visit also introduces the Treasure Persona encounters Diamond and Orichalcum; recruit or defeat them according to your current roster needs.

On the following visit, defeat the group of Loa, repeat the auditorium route, and use the grappling hook twice to reach the upper path. Return through the passage, defeat Dionysus and Chimera, then cross the warehouse. Use the grappling hook around the containers if you want the nearby chest. Continue toward the Monitor Room and activate its Safe Room before fighting Cu Chulainn and Scathach.

• Complete the preliminary visits before attempting the full heist.
• Activate the Monitor Room Safe Room.
• Keep Bless, Electricity, Wind, and Curse options available for late-Palace enemies.

Reach the Monitor Room and collect the red Will Seed

For the full infiltration, first climb to Area 15 of Da’at in Mementos and deploy the cable. This is the required Mementos connection for the Palace’s complete route. Because this trip can consume SP before the laboratory route begins, restore at the entrance and bring SP-recovery items.

From the Monitor Room, inspect the security door, then circle behind it and enter the ventilation opening. Cross the platforms, drop down, and enter the vine-covered door to collect the red Will Seed. The seed detour is optional; if you skip it, return to the main route from the same platform section.

Leave the seed room, cross the gap in the fence, climb the stairs, and remove the lock. After the poster event, the nearby door remains inaccessible. Travel to the far southern side and use the ventilation opening there. Move through the damaged research area, trigger the scene, unlock the double doors from the far side, and return to the previously locked door. Inspect it and choose Lover. Ride the lift and exit into the Lab Research Ward.

• Use Lover for the first security question.
• Collect the red Will Seed from the Monitor Room ventilation route if desired.
• Save at the Safe Room before continuing into the Research Ward.

Cross the Research Ward and answer Proof

In the Research Ward, move to the left side and break the glass. Drop down, cut through the vines, and collect the green Will Seed. This is the second seed in the Palace route; it is not in the Monitor Room.

Continue to the upper floor and enter the cluttered research area. Examine the computer to trigger the scene, then leave and turn right toward the spiral staircase. Climb to the locked door and select Proof when asked for the passcode. Follow the opened path to the lobby and speak with the Shadow at the counter before using the laboratory Safe Room.

From the Safe Room, go north and enter the psychological exchange area. The next rooms use colored sections and switches. Inspect the central panel, investigate the red section, and operate its lever. In the three-color room, enter the double doors, stay along the left wall, and use the central panel. Inspect the blue side room and choose Think, then Organize when prompted. Pull the lever in the gray section. In the five-color room, organize the information in the rightmost room, then use the cyan-side lever and open the chest. Follow the active route rather than repeatedly crossing inactive color barriers.

• Use Proof for the Research Ward security question.
• Collect the green Will Seed by breaking the glass on the left side of the Research Ward.
• Use the laboratory Safe Room before entering the treatment section.

Clear the Treatment Room and reach the blue Will Seed

After the treatment-area scene, turn around and pass through the duct. Activate the nearby Safe Room, then return to the central portion of the map and enter the door on the right. Inspect the monitor, go back, and follow the central path between the stairways. Defeat the Shrinking Giant and choose I want to be that person to release the lock. Take the elevator onward.

At the next monitor puzzle, turn the red dial fully, then do the same with the blue dial until all three colors are lit. Confirm the panel and defeat Fafnir when it blocks the route. The blue Will Seed lies beyond this section. After collecting it, return to the second panel, which begins with green and blue active, adjust the red dial, and confirm the solution.

Continue up the long stairs. Use the next Safe Room before the final laboratory approach. If you are fighting every Shadow, stop and recover rather than exhausting Joker’s SP; the remaining route and boss require sustained healing and support.

• Use I want to be that person in the treatment-area prompt.
• Defeat Fafnir before attempting to pass toward the blue Will Seed.
• Collect the blue Will Seed if pursuing the optional Palace reward.

Open the final route and prepare the calling card

At the Twilight Recovery section, leave the Safe Room, stay to the right, and enter the nearest door. Inspect the monitor, then return to the locked terminal and choose Persona’s Complete Awakening. Defeat Siegfried, board the lift, and enter the garden route. Return to the main entrance after the scene and final route confirmation.

Make a separate save before sending the calling card. Restore HP and SP, purchase revival items and party healing items, and equip your best armor and accessories. A strong preparation includes party-wide buffs such as Thermopylae or equivalent support, Debilitate or another dependable debuff, a dedicated healer, and Personas with Almighty, strong physical, or strong gun damage. The first boss phase rewards Fire, Ice, Electricity, Wind, Nuclear, Bless, and Curse coverage, so do not enter with only one damage type.

Enemies in this Palace are generally level 70 or higher. A party around the mid-80s with upgraded equipment is a practical target, but the game does not impose a single required level. If you are substantially underleveled, clear late Palace encounters or farm upper Da’at areas in Mementos after restoring at a Safe Room.

• Choose Persona’s Complete Awakening at the Twilight Recovery terminal.
• Preserve a pre-calling-card save.
• Carry revival items, SP recovery, buffs, debuffs, and broad elemental coverage.

Defeat Maruki and Azathoth

The first final encounter includes Maruki, Azathoth, and three types of tentacles. Destroy the tentacles before committing to the main body because they provide protection and recovery effects. Assistant Tentacles are weak to Fire, Ice, Electricity, and Wind. Healing Tentacles are weak to Nuclear, Bless, and Curse. Protective Tentacles are weak to Physical. Use single-target attacks to hit each weakness safely, then Baton Pass through the party and finish the chain with Joker or your strongest attacker.

Once the tentacles are down, attack Azathoth or Maruki with Charge-boosted physical or gun skills, Concentrate-boosted magic, or Almighty skills. Reapply buffs and debuffs when they expire, and heal before the party reaches critical health. Do not waste turns using a reflected damage type against a tentacle; inspect the target’s information and switch to its listed weakness. If Maruki or Azathoth restores the tentacles, repeat the weakness-and-Baton-Pass sequence rather than spreading damage randomly.

Use your best resources in this battle. The following confrontation restores the party’s condition, so conserving every SP point here is less valuable than securing the win. If a party member is disabled or targeted, switch them out, guard, or use a recovery item instead of allowing the boss to gain repeated knockdowns.

• Destroy all active tentacles before focusing sustained damage on the main target.
• Use the correct weakness group for each tentacle type.
• Keep one party member ready to heal or revive every round.

Defeat Adam Kadmon and recover from failure

Adam Kadmon has no normal elemental weakness. Use your strongest Almighty, physical, gun, Charge, and Concentrate options while keeping party support active. Single-target attacks are effective when the battle is focused on Maruki; do not spend turns on unnecessary multi-target attacks if only one target can be damaged. Adam Kadmon uses charged attacks and scripted sequences that can reduce the party to critical health, so follow the battle prompts and guard when the game clearly signals a major attack.

The later portion is heavily story-driven. Continue attacking with the available commands, follow the prompted sequence, and complete the final direct confrontation when control changes. You do not need to invent a special weakness solution for this phase; the battle is designed to advance through its scripted exchanges once enough damage has been dealt.

If you fail, reload the pre-calling-card save and change one factor at a time. First replace an underperforming Persona with a stronger healer, debuffer, Almighty user, or physical attacker. Next improve armor and accessories, then alter the party to cover the tentacle weaknesses more efficiently. If level is the problem, use late Palace encounters or Da’at Mementos farming. Do not sacrifice your only reliable healer or debuffer during Fusion Alarm experiments. Completion is confirmed when both final encounters resolve and the calendar advances beyond the Palace into Royal’s concluding endgame sequence.

• Adam Kadmon is defeated after the prompted battle sequence.
• The calendar advances beyond the Palace instead of returning to the calling-card state.
• A pre-calling-card or pre-boss save remains preserved for retries and optional cleanup.

1. Confirm that the Royal route is available before the original finale

Check Takuto Maruki’s Councillor Confidant before November 17. Rank 9 must be completed by that date. The final Councillor rank is then handled automatically through the story, so you do not need to spend another ordinary Confidant appointment reaching Rank 10. If Maruki is below Rank 9 when his availability ends, the third semester and its Palace will not become available on that save.

Kasumi Yoshizawa’s Faith Confidant is not required to unlock the third semester. For her complete Royal progression, reach Faith Rank 5 by December 22. This preserves her later ranks during the third semester. Akechi’s Justice Rank 8 is also optional for access to the third semester, but reaching it by November 17 preserves his additional Royal material. Some of Akechi’s later scenes and benefits also depend on earlier relationship choices, including maintaining the promise established during his Confidant events.

Make a manual save before Maruki’s final required rank-up, then keep another save before November 20. Do not overwrite those files with ordinary rotating saves. A separate December save is useful because the original endgame contains another ending decision before January begins.

• Councillor Rank 9 is complete by November 17.
• Faith Rank 5 is complete by December 22 if pursuing Kasumi’s full Royal content.
• Justice Rank 8 is complete by November 17 if pursuing Akechi’s additional Royal content.
• A pre-November deadline save is preserved.

2. Pass Sae’s November 20 interrogation

During Sae’s interrogation on November 20, do not identify the Phantom Thieves or agree to betray your accomplices. The interrogation is an independent route check: having Maruki at Rank 9 does not protect the save if you deliberately provide the information Sae requests.

The game presents more than one question during this sequence. The important result is that you deny knowledge of the group and refuse to cooperate against your friends. If you are using a spoiler-light approach, select the answers that do not identify the Phantom Thieves or their members. Keep the pre-interrogation save until the story has reached December without triggering an early bad ending.

• The Phantom Thieves were not identified.
• No deal was made to betray the group.
• The story continues into the December endgame sequence.

3. Refuse the December 24 Velvet Room offer

On December 24, the game presents an offer in the Velvet Room. Refuse it. This is a separate Royal ending check, even if Maruki’s Councillor requirement was satisfied. Accepting the offer diverts the story into an altered-reality ending and prevents the intended third-semester route from continuing.

After refusing, continue through the original final confrontation. If the game proceeds into January, the Royal route is active. If the story ends at the original conclusion instead, do not overwrite your earlier saves; reload the pre-deadline or pre-offer checkpoint and verify that Maruki reached Rank 9 by November 17.

• The December 24 Velvet Room offer was refused.
• The story continues into January.
• A pre-December save remains available.

4. Reject Maruki’s January 9 proposal

During the January third-semester story, Maruki presents his version of reality and asks the Phantom Thieves to accept it. Reject the proposal and choose the response that refuses to accept this reality. The exact translated wording can vary by language setting, but the correct action is to reject Maruki’s offer rather than agree that the altered world should continue.

The January 9 sequence includes Palace progress and story events before and around this decision. Once the offer is rejected, continue with the investigation. Use Safe Rooms as checkpoints, return to the real world when the story requires it, and do not treat the first January infiltration as the entire Palace route. The dungeon’s later sections depend on story progress and the required Mementos work.

• The January 9 altered-reality proposal was rejected.
• The investigation of Maruki’s Palace continues.
• The January save is preserved after the decision.

5. Preserve Akechi’s optional Royal content

If Justice Rank 8 was reached by November 17, continue making the relationship choices that preserve Akechi’s added Royal scenes. His later progression is partly story-driven, but the optional third-semester material is not unlocked by Rank 8 alone if earlier promise-related choices were rejected.

On February 2, the story presents the final major decision about Maruki’s reality. Choose the response that commits the Phantom Thieves to stopping him. The other dialogue choices in that scene are less important than the final decision to oppose Maruki. If Akechi was not developed far enough, continue the campaign anyway: Justice Rank 8 is an optional content target, while Maruki’s deadline and the ending decisions determine access to the main Royal route.

• Justice Rank 8 was reached by November 17 if pursuing the added Akechi material.
• The relevant Akechi promise choices were preserved.
• The February 2 decision commits the group to stopping Maruki.

6. Secure and clear the final Palace on the correct dates

After the February 2 decision, the final Palace route must already be secured by the February 2 story checkpoint. This means reaching the Treasure route and completing the required preparation before the day ends. Do not confuse securing the route with defeating the Palace ruler.

The final Palace’s actual deadline is February 3. On that day, proceed through the final confrontation and defeat Maruki’s Palace ruler. There is no February 9 extension for this route. If you fail to secure the route by February 2 or fail to complete the final confrontation on February 3, the save reaches a deadline-based failure instead of the Royal conclusion.

Before the final battle, restore HP and SP, equip appropriate accessories, and bring Personas that cover several elements, healing, buffs, and debuffs. The fight is extended and changes phases, so reserve enough SP for the later sections. If you fail, reload a Palace or day-start save and make a specific adjustment: improve equipment, replace a poorly matched Persona, restore SP, change the active party, or revise the timing of buffs and healing. Do not repeatedly retry with exactly the same setup.

• The Treasure route was secured by February 2.
• The final Palace was completed on February 3.
• Maruki’s final confrontation was won.
• The altered reality was never accepted.

7. Confirm the Royal true ending without spoiling the final scenes

Keep the pre-November, pre-December, January, and final-Palace saves until the credits and postgame scenes have finished. The route is confirmed when the game continues through the Royal third-semester conclusion after the final battle instead of ending at the original December conclusion or switching to an accepted-reality ending.

For a complete Royal playthrough, verify each condition separately: Maruki reached Rank 9 by November 17; Sae’s interrogation was passed without betraying the group; the December 24 offer was refused; the January 9 proposal was rejected; the February 2 decision opposed Maruki; and the final Palace was cleared on February 3. Kasumi Rank 5 by December 22 and Akechi Rank 8 by November 17 add Royal content but are not substitutes for Maruki’s requirement.

Do not delete the preserved saves until the ending scenes have played. A pre-December or pre-January file lets you view alternate branches later without replaying the entire campaign, while the pre-November file protects the route if you discover that Maruki’s required rank was missed.

• The third semester was unlocked through Councillor Rank 9.
• The November 20 interrogation did not identify the Phantom Thieves.
• The December 24 Velvet Room offer was refused.
• The January 9 proposal was rejected.
• The February 2 decision committed the group to stopping Maruki.
• The final Palace route was secured by February 2.
• The final Palace and ruler were defeated on February 3.
• The game continued through Royal’s post-battle conclusion and final scenes.

1. Create Clear Data without losing your final checkpoint

After the ending credits, choose to create Clear Data and place it in a new save slot. Do not overwrite your last ordinary save. The ordinary save preserves your completed campaign state and is useful if you want to revisit the final Palace, inspect your ending route, or keep a pre-battle checkpoint. Clear Data is the file used to begin New Game Plus.

From the title menu, load the Clear Data. The game asks whether to carry its progress into a new game; choose yes to start New Game Plus. The calendar and story restart from the beginning. Joker’s level, party members’ levels, Confidant ranks, Palace completion and story flags do not remain completed.

• Keep the final ordinary save and Clear Data in separate slots.
• Load Clear Data from the title menu rather than selecting a normal story save.
• Confirm that the opening sequence is beginning a new calendar run before saving over any NG+ slot.

2. Use the Thieves Den as a separate completion hub

On the PS4 version, the Thieves Den becomes available after you clear Kamoshida’s Palace and formally establish the Phantom Thieves. It is not a campaign Palace and does not consume a calendar afternoon. Open it from the title-menu option once it has been unlocked.

Use the Den to review Awards and spend the associated Den currency on optional music, artwork, scenes, videos and room decorations. Tycoon is also available as a card game. Den records and displays are completion goals rather than story requirements: they do not unlock the third semester, improve a Confidant, or change the ending route.

Review Awards after major milestones instead of waiting until the credits. Some objectives involve Confidant progress, Palace completion, combat conditions, Persona collection or Fusion Alarm results. If an Award requires a calendar action, plan it into the campaign rather than assuming the Den itself will satisfy the requirement.

• Unlock the Thieves Den after Kamoshida’s Palace.
• Check Awards after Palaces, major Confidant milestones and difficult battles.
• Treat Den currency, decorations, scenes and Tycoon as optional goals.

3. Attempt Velvet Room Challenge Battles when your roster is ready

Challenge Battles are selected through the Velvet Room’s special-battle option when Caroline and Justine are present. They are scored encounters with specific reward thresholds. Some opponents and rewards are associated with downloadable content, so on PS4 confirm that the relevant DLC is installed before troubleshooting a missing battle.

Read the score conditions before entering. A high level alone may not be enough: conditions can reward particular damage types, technical attacks, turn efficiency or other methods. Build Joker’s Personas around the listed requirements, bring healing and defensive support, and save before experimenting with expensive summons or equipment changes. Losing a Challenge Battle does not end the campaign; return to the Velvet Room, revise the build and try again.

Challenge Battle scores and earned rewards carry into New Game Plus. Record any unfinished battle and the score you need rather than repeatedly entering with the same setup.

• Read every Challenge Battle condition before selecting a party.
• Prepare elemental, technical, buff, debuff and healing options as required.
• Keep a record of incomplete battles and carried-over scores.

4. Use Fusion Alarms carefully for advanced Persona construction

In Royal, Fusion Alarms begin after you secure the Treasure route in Kaneshiro’s Palace. The game signals an active Alarm after a battle. Alarm rules alter fusion, Gallows, Electric Chair and related Velvet Room services, generally improving results but also increasing the chance of accidents and changing how repeated use of a facility behaves.

Before an Alarm experiment, register any valuable Persona and retain at least one copy of rare skills or required fusion components. A reliable routine is to enter Mementos, trigger an Alarm through combat, return to the Velvet Room, and perform one controlled operation at a time. Check the result before continuing; do not chain expensive fusions blindly.

For high-end builds, prepare a component list and use the in-game fusion menu to verify the recipe. Advanced and group fusions require specific Personas, not merely a convenient Arcana or approximate level. If you dismiss a component, summon it again from the Compendium rather than dismantling the only combat Persona carrying a needed skill.

• Register important Personas before using an Alarm.
• Plan specific components for group and advanced fusions.
• Stop and reassess after an accident or changed fusion result.

5. Finish ultimate Personas and third awakenings deliberately

Satanael is the protagonist’s major NG+-only ultimate Persona. It becomes available for fusion in a later New Game Plus run after the game has recorded the required completed ending sequence. Keep money available for Compendium summons and use the current fusion menu to confirm the six-person recipe before dismissing any component.

Party members’ third Personas are tied to their Confidants and third-semester events. Clearing the Royal ending does not automatically grant every third awakening if the relevant event was not completed. In NG+, rebuild the required Confidant progress, reach the third-semester event, and attend it. This is separate from ordinary second awakenings obtained through the main story.

Maxed Confidants also provide special farewell items, and selected Christmas or other relationship gifts can improve the corresponding Confidant’s progress in later runs. These items do not replace unlocking the Confidant again, so establish each relationship before relying on its inherited benefit.

• Reserve funds and registered components for Satanael.
• List any party member who missed a third awakening.
• Re-establish each relevant Confidant before expecting its inherited item to function.

6. Plan the optional superboss route

The Reaper can appear when you remain in Mementos for an extended period. Royal removes the original Flu Season instant-defeat exploit, so prepare for a genuine high-level fight. Enter with a reliable Almighty or broad-damage plan, healing, resistance coverage and enough resources to survive repeated turns. If the attempt fails, leave Mementos, fuse a more suitable Persona and return rather than repeating the same encounter.

Caroline and Justine’s optional battle is a New Game Plus challenge. It is separate from their ordinary Strength Confidant activities and should be attempted only after you have strong Personas, appropriate resistances, reliable critical or technical options and enough healing. The fight has strict damage and turn requirements, so study its phases before committing your best resources.

Lavenza is a Royal-only New Game Plus superboss available during the third semester after you secure the route to the final Palace. She is encountered through Mementos during the January-to-February window. Her fight imposes phase-specific requirements, including elemental responses, technical damage, critical hits and a final damage race. Use a fixed party, prepare multiple specialized Personas and save immediately before entering Mementos. These fights award optional recognition and rewards; none is required for the Royal ending.

• Attempt the Reaper only after preparing for a normal high-level battle.
• Schedule Caroline and Justine for a later NG+ build.
• Reach Royal’s third semester and secure the final Palace route before looking for Lavenza.

7. Route New Game Plus around missed content

Social Stats, the Persona Compendium, Skill Cards, equipment, money, permanent HP and SP increases, Mementos Stamps, Challenge Battle scores and rewards, and qualifying special Confidant items carry into Royal’s New Game Plus. Story progress, Palace states, party levels, Confidant ranks and the ordinary calendar reset.

Use the opening months to clear Palaces efficiently because carried-over equipment and registered Personas reduce combat and shopping time. Prioritize Maruki again if you want the third semester, then schedule Kasumi and Akechi for their Royal content. With Social Stats already high, spend free days on missed Confidants, Strength fusion requests, Fortune services, Mementos requests and Award conditions.

Keep separate NG+ saves before the Maruki deadline, before the original final sequence, at the start of the third semester and before superboss attempts. This makes it possible to preserve a successful Royal route while still testing optional fights or alternate completion plans.

• Confirm the expected carryover items in the NG+ opening inventory and Velvet Room.
• Rebuild the Maruki, Kasumi and Akechi priority route.
• Keep deadline and superboss saves separate from the main NG+ file.

1. Preserve the completed route before starting NG+

Keep a separate manual save before entering the December 24 final sequence. Do not overwrite it when you create Clear Data. This file preserves your route to the original-game climax and lets you replay the finale if you want to compare outcomes or recover a missed objective without replaying the entire campaign. Use a different slot for the completed Royal file and another for any late-game cleanup.

Finish the campaign and save Clear Data when the game offers it after the ending sequence. The Royal route is confirmed only when the third semester has opened, Maruki’s Palace has been completed, and the Royal finale has been reached. Before transferring, record unfinished Confidants, Mementos requests, Thieves Den Awards, minigames, Velvet Room battles, Persona registrations, and any Royal scenes you deliberately want to see in NG+.

• Manual save preserved before the December 24 final sequence
• Clear Data saved in a separate slot
• Maruki Rank 9 confirmed before November 17
• Third semester and Maruki’s Palace completed
• Royal finale completed before using the file for NG+

2. Load Clear Data and verify what transferred

From the title screen, load the completed file and choose the option to inherit its data into New Game Plus. At the first opportunity, check your money, social stats, Persona Compendium, Compendium discounts, weapons, guns, armor, accessories, Skill Cards, fishing equipment, darts equipment, pool cue, Perma-Pick, Confidant gifts, secret-boss rewards, and other listed permanent items. These are the resources that make the second campaign substantially faster.

Royal also carries over Mementos stamp collection, Shadow Analysis, Challenge Battle progress, certain Jazz Jin stat increases and relearnable party skills, permanent HP and SP increases earned through activities, downloadable content, and Thieves Den progress. Stamps transfer, but you must still re-enter Mementos and reassign them when the feature becomes available. Permanent benefits do not mean that every item used to obtain them remains in your inventory.

Expect Joker’s level, party levels, Personas currently in your stock, Palace completion, Confidant ranks, and Mementos Requests to reset. Ordinary consumables and many activity-specific items also need to be reacquired. The campaign calendar starts over, and story locks still control when party members, Palaces, Mementos, the Velvet Room functions, and Confidant meetings become available.

• Social stats checked before spending any free days
• Compendium and summoning funds confirmed
• Equipment, Skill Cards, and permanent accessories confirmed
• Party levels and active Personas correctly expected to reset
• Mementos stamps retained but ready to be reassigned

3. Rebuild the deadline Confidants immediately

Your previous Confidant ranks do not carry into the new calendar. Make Councillor your first hard requirement: reach Maruki Rank 9 by November 17. Rank 10 follows through the story, and Rank 9 by that deadline is the requirement that unlocks the third semester. If you miss it, that NG+ file follows the original campaign schedule instead of adding Royal’s third-semester route.

Faith and Justice are optional for the third-semester unlock, but they should be scheduled early if you want their Royal content. Reach Kasumi’s Faith Rank 5 by December 22 rather than relying on a final-day appointment. Reach Akechi’s Justice Rank 8 by November 17 if you want his additional Royal scenes, later rank progression, and related third-semester combat content. Neither Kasumi nor Akechi is required to unlock the third semester itself.

Carry a Persona of the matching Arcana before every Confidant visit. Once Chihaya is available, use her affinity reading on relationships that are close to advancing so fewer calendar slots are spent on non-progression meetings. Check the weekly calendar for limited availability before booking optional activities. After Maruki is safe, prioritize Kawakami, Chihaya, party Confidants, and any characters required for your remaining Awards or trophies.

• Maruki Rank 9 scheduled no later than November 17
• Kasumi Rank 5 scheduled no later than December 22 if desired
• Akechi Rank 8 scheduled no later than November 17 if desired
• Matching-Arcana Personas prepared
• Limited-availability Confidants placed on the calendar before optional activities

4. Compress Palace and Mementos work

Use the Compendium to summon a strong exploration Persona once the Velvet Room allows it, then add specific elemental, healing, buff, debuff, or ailment coverage when a Palace requires it. High-level equipment and registered Personas shorten early fights, but they do not bypass story events, party recruitment, Palace locks, or required infiltration days. Aim to complete each Palace in the fewest safe infiltration days your SP and healing supplies allow, then reserve recovered days for Confidants.

Group Mementos Requests into planned visits. Take several requests at once and combine them with stamp collection, experience, money, item farming, or Jose-related objectives. Requests reset in NG+, so review the request list rather than assuming a target is already cleared. Your collected stamps remain, but the new campaign still requires you to revisit Mementos and progress its story gates before all areas and rewards are available.

Do not use NG+ power as a reason to ignore preparation. Register Personas with the skills you want before sacrificing them, preserve useful elemental coverage, and keep one save before major bosses. For cleanup, a small number of deliberate Mementos visits is more efficient than repeatedly entering for one request at a time.

• A powerful exploration Persona registered
• Boss-specific elemental and support skills available
• Palaces completed in short, resource-conscious visits
• Mementos Requests grouped by objective
• Separate saves maintained before major bosses

5. Plan Royal cleanup and Velvet Room battles

If the previous campaign missed Royal content, the new campaign must still satisfy the relevant calendar conditions. Maruki Rank 9 by November 17 unlocks the third semester. Kasumi Rank 5 by December 22 and Akechi Rank 8 by November 17 add optional Royal scenes, abilities, and later content; they do not replace the Maruki requirement.

The Velvet Room’s NG+ battles are separate completion goals. The Twins can be challenged during the main campaign’s later Mementos period, generally from May until the story advances past December 22, subject to the encounter’s New Game Plus conditions. Lavenza becomes available during the third semester, from January 14 through February 2, when her requirements are met. Keep a late-game save before attempting either fight so a failed attempt does not consume your only route to the Royal finale.

Prepare these fights as specialized superboss encounters rather than ordinary Palace battles. Build Personas with reliable damage, resistance or immunity coverage, healing, critical support where appropriate, and the required technical or turn-management tools. Do not assume that a high level alone is enough. Review the current boss rules before spending a limited calendar day on the attempt.

Satanael is the NG+ exclusive special fusion needed for full Persona Compendium completion. Gather its component Personas, maintain enough money for the fusion and any Strength Confidant fee, and register the result immediately. A strong registered Persona from the completed file is also useful for shortening Palaces, but remember that Joker’s level resets and low early-game SP can limit how often powerful skills can be cast.

• Third semester re-unlocked when Royal cleanup is required
• Twins availability and Mementos access verified
• Lavenza’s January 14–February 2 window protected
• Satanael components and fusion cost prepared
• A separate save made before each superboss attempt

6. Use the Thieves Den as a shared completion ledger

The Thieves Den becomes available during the campaign after the Phantom Thieves have been established. Its content includes models, music, movies, artwork, conversations, Tycoon progress, and Awards-related unlocks. The Den’s progress is stored in shared system data rather than belonging solely to one campaign save, so progress can remain available across saves on the same PS4 system profile even if an individual campaign file is overwritten or deleted.

Review the Den before beginning NG+ and divide unfinished objectives into three groups: deadline-based Confidants and story content, repeatable or postgame battles, and activities that fit into spare calendar time. Complete Maruki, then Kasumi and Akechi if desired, before spending early free days on fishing, Tycoon, books, gifts, or other cleanup. Confirm that Awards and Den purchases have registered before deleting campaign data or changing system storage.

The Den is not a substitute for a campaign save. It can record shared achievements, but the new campaign still needs its own Palace progress, Confidant ranks, Mementos Requests, ending route, and Royal-story triggers. Keep the original pre-final save and completed Royal save in separate slots even after the Den records their related accomplishments.

• Thieves Den unlocked and shared progress reviewed
• Awards, music, models, and scenes divided into completed and unfinished lists
• Deadline objectives separated from repeatable cleanup
• System-data progress confirmed before deleting campaign files
• Original pre-final and completed Royal saves preserved