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StarTopic SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI V |ST| It's Not Persona(L), It's Demon Negotiations

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I’m eager to reach the fourth big zone, I’m right at the end of the third but got to the boss and have to quit for the night. Feels like I’m right on the cusp of a lot of plot, too, which the game really needs soon.
 
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Beginning fourth area progression and spoilers

I gained about three levels, an almost new team with holy block and Abdiel went down fairly easy. Using an attack with defense down, Dracostrike and a high critical physical attack made for and easy battle. Used a physical barrier to block attacks from Abdiel. She had very little to say.

Then the info dump happened and its like “get in loser we’re going to dethrone god.” In a totally not surprising event Tao joined up. I’m Ueno, it seems massive.
 
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Useful Tips For The Game's Mechanics
  • Index
    • Here are some detailed explanations from posters of the game's mechanics in regards to essences and affinities for anyone having some trouble.


    I'd also recommend you to check the Analyze tab in the main menu frequently for new demons. Sometimes you will see ones that have useful utility skills (e.g. healing, escaping battles, buff, debuff etc.) You can then get them in two ways:
    • Check their location, go there and "catch" them with negotiation.
    • Fuse them in the World of Shadow, and this can be done more easily using reverse fusion, or at advanced level, reverse compedium fusion.

    Another important aspect of raising and fusing demons is skill inheritance. Most of the time, you will choose the skills for your fused demon from a skill pool from its "parents". Some skills will be greyed out since they are unique and can only be learnt by one demon. At an advanced level, you can be prepared to chain-fusing 3 or 4 times to get your desires demon with desired skill set.

    Regarding changing affinity, you can do so in the World of Shadow as well, but it will be unlocked later I think.

    Regarding stats distribution, I don't think you have misssd out too much, since we don't have that many points we can freely allocate to V-kun upon leveling up anyway. I think the ultimate purpose of such design is to ensure new players will not hamstring themselves, and experienced players can enjoy more flexibility in building V-kun as they wish (most of the time to counter particular bosses).
    Click to expand...

    Most people either focus on MAG or STR as their main damage attribute, mixing them ends up with lackluster performance.

    I feel MAG is easier as a newcomer because you can always check weaknesses that way.

    Essences are (mainly) used for your Nahobino to learn skills. When you want to inherit ... say ... Heat Wave from an essence, you come to a screen where you pick your Nahobino's new skillset. The options there are the skills you had/have so far and the skills the essence offers. Pick accordingly.

    You can also use essences to change your Nahobino's elemental affinities. For example, you start with a so called "Block" in Lightning. Meaning if an enemy hits you with lightning, their turns ends, or at minimum is cut short.
    For some bosses it's recommended to change affinities via demon essence because they focus on attacking you with a certain element.

    Don't be shy with essences, demons give them to you on level ups, or you get them as rewards from random battles. At one point they also get purchasable in Gustaves shop.
    Click to expand...

    The only missable things (like charge in Nocturne) are the Aogami essences. If you fail to learn their unique spells, they're pretty much gone for good unless you get very lucky via random loot on the map. Beyond that, the game is much more forgiving. Invest your points in Str and Vit and you're fine.
    Click to expand...
     
  • Index
    • The boss in the second area is pretty hard. Two tries and I have not even damaged half of it before dying. I'm finding this game pretty challenging even in normal mode.

    Before starting the third try, I have obtained that lion demon who resists Zio and Zan. I still need to upgrade my character with Agi attacks.

    And Neko Shogun is already in level 20 so FREIKUGEL BABY!!

    I'm in level 21 and snake lady in red is level 22, perhaps I still need to level up twice minimum.
     
    marmoka said:
    The boss in the second area is pretty hard. Two tries and I have not even damaged half of it before dying. I'm finding this game pretty challenging even in normal mode.

    Before starting the third try, I have obtained that lion demon who resists Zio and Zan. I still need to upgrade my character with Agi attacks.

    And Neko Shogun is already in level 20 so FREIKUGEL BABY!!

    I'm in level 21 and snake lady in red is level 22, perhaps I still need to level up twice minimum.
    Click to expand...
    Use dampers. I was 2 levels below that boss and still won easily. It's insane how OP dampers are.
     
    32 hours in and I've now entered Area #3 - that must be halfway through the game, right? Some general thoughts so far:
    • No wonder Nahobino is front-and-center in all promo material, the design is still striking to me after all these hours.
    • The scale of the world (and the demons) is everything I could've wished for and more. Atlus went big here, I have to hand it to them.
    • Localization is exceptional.

    • Oof. Ok, so. I'm wondering if a 2.0 update is coming ala Monster Hunter bc the plot is just missing here - there is no story. And what's more frustrating is that 30 hours in and Aogami is the only other character name I recall on the spot; coming off of IV, I'm positively blindsided lol. Who are these people? I'm sorry to SMT purists (Nocturne fans?) but this choice has been a misfire, it's not it folks. Say what you will about IV but at least I can remember Jonathan, Walter, the Black Samurai sub-plot etc. I really thought they would take that and build upon it, that it'd be the most character-focused SMT yet. I can't believe they'd show all this ambition otherwise and just drop the ball there like that. Are we sure this is written by the Devil Survivor / Radiant Historia people? Idk you guys. Maybe the 2nd half picks up or maybe it doesn't - right now I'm hoping there's an IV: Apocalypse overhaul that truly takes it there.
    • Area #2 combined with the Switch Lite screen was not ideal for my eyes.
     
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    I'm still at awe of the normal battle theme at the end of area 3.


    This just exudes the old school SMT spirit through and through. I mean we had these:



    Of course the instruments are different, but I feel a great similarity in term of chord progression. Now I'm really curious who is the composer for the the above track in SMT V.
     
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    Herb Alpert said:
    It's probably cheating a bit but I find the game far less stressful and more enjoyable when playing with a guide 😅
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    I don't remember the last game I played without lookiong at a guide at least once lol I just don't have the time or patience to stay stuck in a game anymore.
     
    In RPG I tend to grind or level a lot. And with SMT I found out that having a Naga with Puncture Punch and seek out Mitama is a very nice way to 'cheat' lol
     
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    I brute forced that orochi-infested abscess and cleared that part of the map first. Pretty satisfying considering the level gap. The rest of the abscess ended up being too easy though lol.
     
    rAndom said:
    I brute forced that orochi-infested abscess and cleared that part of the map first. Pretty satisfying considering the level gap. The rest of the abscess ended up being too easy though lol.
    Click to expand...
    I like how that abscess fight is like 5 levels below the encounters it spawns lol.

    The whole area is wild. Such a massive spread of levels for the encounters and it's fun figuring out where to go without getting murdered. Ended up getting one of the keys last night about 10 levels under the boss and it felt so good lol.
     
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    Some story spoilers

    I sort of wish the plot would have focused on all the different Bethel branches from the start, or at least established them earlier. I think a story written around those would have been more interesting. Would have been a really cool way to put the spotlight on demons from certain myths, you could have dungeons and areas themed around the Norse or Greek or whatever branches etc. Would have some potential for really cool scenes.
     
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    I've been playing the game on Casual as I don't have much experience with SMT series but I am loving the game I think I just completed Area 2 and I am just about getting the hang of the game and the essense fusion(i think i went through all of the first area and most of area 2 without doing any)
     
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    Ummm.....seems like the game is getting review bombed for some reason.

    Shin Megami Tensei V

    The ambitions of god and human clash amidst the horror of a dying world. Neither human nor demon, the newly-forged Nahobino and his friends must decide what is worth saving... and prepare to sacrifice everything in its name. In a world without its Creator, which path will you choose?
    www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com
     
    Moltres006 said:
    Ummm.....seems like the game is getting review bombed for some reason.

    Shin Megami Tensei V

    The ambitions of god and human clash amidst the horror of a dying world. Neither human nor demon, the newly-forged Nahobino and his friends must decide what is worth saving... and prepare to sacrifice everything in its name. In a world without its Creator, which path will you choose?
    www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com
    Click to expand...
    Seems pretty normal to me unless it got cleaned up already? Most SMT games have pretty low user scores on MC.

    Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

    (Also known as "Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call") Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is actually the third game in the series, which first appeared on the Super Famicom. Remakes of the first two titles were recently released in Japan for the PlayStation and Game Boy Advance. While Nocturne...
    www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com

    Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

    When the black spot appeared in the Antarctic, mankind became nervous; when it began to spread, that anxiety turned to panic. The Joint Project, convened to discuss how to deal with the expanding anomaly, decided to send in four ships carrying humanity's finest soldiers and most cutting-edge...
    www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com
     
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    Moltres006 said:
    Ummm.....seems like the game is getting review bombed for some reason.

    Shin Megami Tensei V

    The ambitions of god and human clash amidst the horror of a dying world. Neither human nor demon, the newly-forged Nahobino and his friends must decide what is worth saving... and prepare to sacrifice everything in its name. In a world without its Creator, which path will you choose?
    www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com
    Click to expand...

    It's an exclusive, it's probably why.
     
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    Ozzie said:
    Oh what the...I wasn't expecting
    Tao joining you as a party member?? She also has a busted healing ability similar to Idun, healing everyone, cancelling ALL debuffs AND buffing all stats by 1 rank. Yeesh lol
    Click to expand...

    I should not have read that lol

    I just beat a surtain boss in area 3, how far am I from that?
     
    Spoilers Last Dungeon (?)

    Just smoked Metatron, really easy fight. I never expected Nuwa to be neutral before playing the game lol Really cool to be honest, also Shohei is pretty awesome. I always pick Chaos in the first playthrough, but this time i'm team Nuwa/Shohei.
    Also to be in the cover of the game Khonsu has not importance in the plot so far, just sidequest stuff.
     
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    I was at the end of Area 3 and back to Tokyo now for more story beats.
    Bethel Tokyo's plan to declare independence is surprising to me, but I'm not really impressed with the way it is presented. Looking back to the story so far, I think it's a lossed potential for SMT V that it did not push more for the desolate and lonely Da'at, plus too much distillation of the world setting into a few characters, and the heavy handholding with quest marks and what not.

    The off-putting narrative design to me is the way grand events are limited to the knowledge of only a few familiar characters. It's like they are trying to change the world, but the world keeps standing still, unaware of what is going on. To me such events can be delivered more deliberately in multiple layers. The main characters are still at the center, but outside of it, there can also be rumors spreaded around Tokyo about what is changing around them. Preferably, I should read those rumors first before the conversation at the lab, like peeling an onion to feel how the world changes its heartbeat over major events.

    There is an attempt to flesh out Da'at with demonic NPCs sharing tidbits about the Armageddon and its outcome, but it was a bit too trivialized by all the icons sprinkled generously over the map. May be I'm biased because of my preference for cyberpunk settings, but I feel like SMT II did a much better job at allowing more agency for players despite its shortcomings about dungeon design and dated gameplay elements.
    Okay I was prepared for a spank upon seeing Abdiel 4 lvl higher than my V-kun and up to 10 lvl higher than demons in my party. But it is still especially salty upon getting a Game Over due to a ficking wrong button press. She had like 100 HP left and Lahmu was the next in line to have the last half turn. But no, somehow I got a brain fart, commanded the demon before him to attack with no mana left (i.e. only a normal attack) thus consumed the whole turn instead of just waiting and giving the tentacle master with the remaining half turn. Of course, Abdiel impaled V-kun shortly after with her 2 phys moves... Such is the great cost of a single brain fat :(
     
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    Exploring the fourth area now… it’s massive. Like really massive. It might be me, but I have not found any additional save points yet. Maybe I’m just wandering about, but it’s a surprise.

    Enemies are giving me lots of exp points though. Went from lvl 56 to 60 due to encountering the Mitami and they gave me like 130k worth of experience aa a bonus.
     
    Finally got to dig into this a little & it's so good. Loving how open the areas are

    also I'm really bad at negotiating
     
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    Sadist said:
    Exploring the fourth area now… it’s massive. Like really massive. It might be me, but I have not found any additional save points yet. Maybe I’m just wandering about, but it’s a surprise.

    Enemies are giving me lots of exp points though. Went from lvl 56 to 60 due to encountering the Mitami and they gave me like 130k worth of experience aa a bonus.
    Click to expand...
    I just got to area 4 and I love the concept of it. Also the music is excellent, might be my favorite area theme. Now I just need to survive long enough to take out those abscesses so I can spend this glory I’ve been hoarding…
     
    I'm trying to go for a neutral alignment but man the Chaos choices in the "pick one of 2" sidequests are not making it easy

    Look I like you Black Frost but I'm not going to side with someone who explicitly says they want to become a loan shark

    Edit: On the other hand, Black Frost is going to be a pain to fuse if I go that route. Damn, might have to side with the loan shark anyways

    Honestly in general Law seems like a much more reasonable alignment than in SMT IV at least, probably because the game starts you off pretty firmly aligned with Law. Remains to be seen if that'll stay the case.
     
    NabiscoFelt said:
    I'm trying to go for a neutral alignment but man the Chaos choices in the "pick one of 2" sidequests are not making it easy

    Look I like you Black Frost but I'm not going to side with someone who explicitly says they want to become a loan shark

    Edit: On the other hand, Black Frost is going to be a pain to fuse if I go that route. Damn, might have to side with the loan shark anyways

    Honestly in general Law seems like a much more reasonable alignment than in SMT IV at least, probably because the game starts you off pretty firmly aligned with Law. Remains to be seen if that'll stay the case.
    Click to expand...
    Those quests have alignment repercussions??? Huh, I had no idea. I am wondering how hard it’s going to be for me to get neutral since I’ve been playing without any guides and I’m still lawful, apparently, even though I know I’ve made several chaos choices and responses.
     
    SammyJ9 said:
    I just got to area 4 and I love the concept of it. Also the music is excellent, might be my favorite area theme. Now I just need to survive long enough to take out those abscesses so I can spend this glory I’ve been hoarding…
    Click to expand...
    That’s where I’m at as well ha.

    Got surprised by two groups as well and had to retreat hehe.
     
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    SammyJ9 said:
    Those quests have alignment repercussions??? Huh, I had no idea. I am wondering how hard it’s going to be for me to get neutral since I’ve been playing without any guides and I’m still lawful, apparently, even though I know I’ve made several chaos choices and responses.
    Click to expand...
    Well, I'm assuming they do since they seem to have a very obvious Law/Chaos split each time so far, haven't actually checked but it seems like a natural place to put alignment points.

    The first one has Aspsaras as Law and Leanan Sidhe as Chaos, the second one has Principality as Law (duh) and Lilim as Chaos, and the third has Black Frost as Chaos and Dionysus as Law

    Also,

    While I'm not close to endgame yet, from what I've seen by cautiously poking around you get to freely choose your end route, though you'll get benefits if the route chosen matches your given alignment
     
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    So I beated the second boss and need to talk about it

    Diet building: Nuwa is pretty hard, using buff/debuff makes her weaker yes, but the fight becomes eternal, as her HPs are like 5000 or who knows how much.

    To my surprise, the fight was over when I damaged her to the half of her HP. Fortunately, because I was running out of chakra drops and good demons to fight her. What annoyed me was that I didn't gain any experience from this fight.

    Now I'm back to Tokyo. Let's see what happens from now on.
     
    Nearing the end, but I've slowed down my progress on this game. I don't want it to end. Still have at least two late-/endgame sidequest left to finish before I want to progress further.
     
    I'm now at the beginning of Area 4 and had cleared one abcess there, however I'm curious about a question from Aogami shortly after I enter the area.
    He asked V-kun explicitly about what kind of world he would want to create upon ascending to godhood. Is this alignment lock? My mind tells me yes since it phrases the L/N/C alignment very explicitly but I still want a confirmation.
    Also it's kinda hilarious that Amanozako has to stop herself from calling V-kun father as he is the Knowledge half of Susano'o lol
     
    There is so much content and side quests in area 4 and even unlocks some even more side quests and hidden areas in other Da'ats. Wow lol.

    I'm still not done and I'm currently lvl72.
     
    Mercury_Sagit said:
    I'm now at the beginning of Area 4 and had cleared one abcess there, however I'm curious about a question from Aogami shortly after I enter the area.
    He asked V-kun explicitly about what kind of world he would want to create upon ascending to godhood. Is this alignment lock? My mind tells me yes since it phrases the L/N/C alignment very explicitly but I still want a confirmation.
    Click to expand...
    No, it just gives you alignment points
     
    Haven't posted in a while since I've been knee deep into SMT for the last few days lol. At around the beginning of Area 3 where I have to Find the group at the Shrine to get past Surt's fire and I'm at Level 44. Cirronup is the MVP of my game so far, Cautious Cheer is the best buff spell in this stage of the game since its like a mini luster candy.
     
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