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In the world of RPGs, leveling up is crucial for success, and Persona 5 Royal is no exception. Failing to level up your team can lead to struggles against formidable late-game bosses and unnecessary time spent grinding in Mementos. Persona 5 Royal, an enhanced version of the original, introduces numerous quality-of-life improvements and adds over 20 hours of new content.
This updated version includes an additional semester for the Phantom Thieves and tweaks to existing boss encounters. To navigate the expanded content effectively, it's essential to keep your team's levels high and understand the most efficient ways to gain experience.
Updated on January 13, 2025, by Renri Seong: Over-leveling can make Persona 5 Royal too easy, but matching the Palace Rulers' levels, especially on a new file, is key. There are several strategies to make experience farming easier in P5R, from utilizing Confidant Skills to leveraging Jose's help in Mementos. Joker can also gain EXP for non-active Personas with a specific passive skill. This guide now includes a new section on using the Insta-kill ability to farm experience quickly.
Accessories and The Moon Arcana
Mishima Yuuki's Confidant
In Persona 5 Royal, players can enhance their EXP gain by equipping the Team Glasses accessory, available as a free DLC from the PlayStation Store. Each character must equip these glasses to benefit from a 15% boost in EXP earned from battles. However, only Joker and three other Phantom Thieves can participate in battles at a time, leaving the backline members to receive less experience.
To ensure that all team members gain EXP, players should focus on advancing the Moon Confidant, Mishima Yuuki. By reaching Rank 3 and Rank 5 with Mishima, backup team members will start receiving EXP. Achieving Rank 10 allows backup members to earn the same amount of EXP as those on the front lines.
Building a relationship with Mishima is straightforward if players select dialogue options that resonate with him and bring a Persona of the Moon Arcana when spending time with him. In Persona 5 Royal, Mishima's Mementos Missions are now linked to his Confidant progression, so neglecting these missions can hinder your ability to rank up.
Mementos: Increase EXP Gain
Cognition of Mementos
Persona 5 Royal introduces Jose, a character who, while not central to the plot, significantly aids gameplay. Throughout Mementos, players can collect "flowers" and visit "Stamp Stations." These can be traded with Jose for items or to alter the Cognition of Mementos. In Jose's Shop, players can choose to increase EXP, Money Rewards, or Item Rewards, but these enhancements only apply within Mementos.
To maximize EXP gain, players can spend 5 Stamps to increase EXP from battles to 110%, or 12 Stamps to reach the maximum of 200%. There are 165 Stamps available in the game, but you'll need 85 to fully boost EXP. Stamp Stations are hidden in "dead ends" behind breakable walls on Mementos floors, and you may encounter Jose when moving to a new floor.
Fight the Reaper
What Level is the Reaper?
The Reaper is a formidable foe in the Persona series, appearing in Mementos if players linger too long on a floor. Warning signs include a blinking red screen, the sound of chains, and alerts from Morgana or Futaba about an ominous presence.
Early in the game, defeating the Reaper is nearly impossible unless you're on a New Game+ file. The Reaper boasts -dyne tier spells and Support skills like Concentrate and elemental Breaks. At level 85, with high stats across the board, the Reaper's lowest stat is Agility at 75, yet it's still fast enough to outpace unprepared Phantom Thieves.
Defeating the Reaper yields a massive amount of experience and money, often resulting in level-ups for all characters. It's advisable to engage the Reaper at level 60 or above, equipped with Defense-raising Support skills and Makarakarn to reflect its magic. Alternatively, if you have the Izanagi-no-Okami (Picaro) DLC, you can stack Concentrate, Heat Riser, and use Myriad Truths for heavy Almighty damage.
Defeat Treasure Demons
How to Summon Treasure Demons
Treasure Demons are unique Shadows that first appear in Madarame's Palace and subsequently in the Metaverse. These non-aggressive Shadows will flee after a few turns, but defeating them before they escape can be rewarding.
Each type of Treasure Demon has specific Affinity Weaknesses and Immunities, though all are susceptible to regular damage from Almighty attacks. The most effective method to down them is using Shinya's Rank 1 Ability, Down Shot, which allows for an All-Out Attack. Alternatively, a high-crit attack like Morgana's Miracle Punch can work, provided the Treasure Demon doesn't nullify Physical attacks.
Treasure Demons are more likely to appear in Palaces with high security. Players can also craft the Treasure Trap infiltration tool to increase encounters, using the following materials:
- 2x Silk Yarn
- 3x Plant Balm
- 1x Cork Bark
Use Persona with EXP Skills
How to Get Growth Passive Skill
Typically, Personas not equipped by Joker at the end of a battle won't gain EXP. However, the Passive Skill Growth allows inactive Personas to earn a percentage of the battle's experience. There are three levels of Growth Skills:
- Growth 1: Persona gains a quarter EXP when inactive.
- Growth 2: Persona gains half EXP when inactive.
- Growth 3: Persona will gain full EXP when inactive.
The following Personas learn Growth naturally upon leveling:
| Growth 1 | Growth 2 | Growth 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Saki Mitama (level 7) | Lachesis (Innate) | Izanagi (level 25) |
| Koppa Tengu (level 12) | Kurama Tengu (level 36) | Izanagi Picaro (level 28) |
| Thoth (level 42) | Narcissus (level 50) | |
| Ananta (level 47) | Raphael (level 81) |
Once the Electric Chair is unlocked in the Velvet Room, players can convert Personas into Skill Cards. In Persona 5 Royal, only Izanagi Picaro can be turned into a Growth 3 Skill Card. Growth 1 Skill Cards are unavailable in P5R, while Growth 2 Skill Cards can be obtained by taking Caroline and Justine to Miura Beach from September 2nd to September 29th, after completing event 6 (Sky Tower). Spend evenings with them by the Velvet Room Door outside Mementos.
Ryuji Sakamoto's Confidant
How to Unlock Insta-Kill
Insta-kill is a powerful ability that allows Joker to defeat Shadows instantly without engaging in battle. To use it, ambush the enemy when Joker's level is at least 10 levels higher than the Shadow's. In Persona 5 Royal, a successful Insta-kill not only defeats the Shadow but also rewards items, yen, experience, and potentially a new Persona, provided you have inventory space.
To identify Shadows vulnerable to Insta-kill, use Joker's Third Eye ability; those with a green outline are susceptible. To unlock Insta-kill, advance Ryuji's Confidant to Rank 7. Ryuji's Confidant is one of the easiest to max out, with no Social Stat requirements. To gain Insta-kill quickly, spend time with Ryuji and choose dialogue options that maximize points, ideally before unlocking other Confidants.
