If it isn’t already obvious, Personas are an integral part of the gameplay experience in Persona 5 Royal – it’s in the name after all! However, certain Personas are better than others and share a lot of similarities with another franchise, Pokémon. In this guide, we’re going to focus on some of the best early-game Personas in Persona 5 Royal, but you may be thinking, “what is considered early-game?”. For the purpose of this guide, we’re going to focus on Personas up to level 20, which should be available during the first two palaces in the game. Here are four of the best early-game Personas in Persona 5 Royal!
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Berith (Level 9) – Hierophant Arcana
Berith can be found in Kamoshida’s Palace or can be fused when you reach Level 9. As soon as you grab Berith, it has access to Cleave and Rakukaja. Cleave is a good early-game physical attack, but you should be more focused on Rakukaja, a buff that grants one party member increased defence for 3 turns.
At Level 10, it learns another physical attack Double Fangs, followed by Dodge Fire at Level 11, and Sledgehammer at Level 13. Sledgehammer in particular is excellent during P5R’s opening hours, as you have a chance of inflicting Dizzy on an enemy.
Jack Frost (Level 11) – Magician Arcana
Jack Frost is an iconic Persona, as it just so happens to be the mascot of Persona’s main franchise, Shin Megami Tensei. This Persona is available for fusion when you reach Level 11, so for the sake of context, this will likely be shortly after the completion of Kamoshida’s palace. Jack Frost has access to Bufu upon acquiring it, giving you excellent versatility against certain enemies in the early game that are weak to Ice-type attacks.
This Persona can also receive the Frigid Bloodline trait – an ability that lowers the SP cost of Ice attacks. Additionally, depending on the Personas you fused, Jack Frost can be used as a support Persona, having access to various buffs and debuffs. Overall, Jack Frost is a great addition to your early-game Persona squad and should help you out in a variety of scenarios.
Ame-No-Uzume (Level 13) – Lovers Arcana
Ame-No Uzume can be found during the infiltration in Madarame’s Palace or can be fused at Level 13. It has access to Mazio, Magaru, and Media – giving it both offensive and healing capabilities. Ame-No Uzume also has Electric Bloodline – a trait that halves the cost of Electric skills, which is effective considering this Persona’s access to Mazio.
In our playthrough, we also equipped Ame-No Uzume with some support-related skills such as Rakunda and Sukunda, allowing it to weaken your enemies. This Persona proved especially useful during the second palace’s final boss fight.
Shiisaa (Level 15) – Strength Arcana
Shiisaa can be found in Madarame’s Palace or can be fused when you reach Level 15. The best reason for obtaining this Strength-based Persona is for its access to Double Fangs and Skull Cracker. The former deals light physical damage twice, while the latter deals medium physical damage with a chance of inflicting confusion on your opponent.
You can also equip Shiisaa with some elemental attacks for extra versatility. Although Shiisaa is weak to curse and psychic damage, you don’t need to worry about much until later on, as most enemies during the early game utilise Fire, Ice, Electric, or Wind attacks.
That’s everything you need to know about some of the best early-game Personas in Persona 5 Royal. Hopefully, you’re opening hours will be much easier now that you know what’s worth using during early-game encounters.
Persona 5 Royal is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.