Topic: Shin Megami Tensei V Thread

@JokerCK @Snaplocket Not happening. Atlus isn't stupid.

@Snaplocket Have your demons roughly on the same level as it. Buy dark and fire dampeners to make it lose turns. Grab a demon with a skill that heals multiple allies. Grab a Mermaid for her amazing multi-hit ice attack, and have a few other demons with bufu.

Hard mode is hard, but def not impossible, and normal is quite a bit easier. I was even under leveled and still beat it.

@JaxonH Glad you're finally seeing the appeal of this series. I'm glad they made negotiations so much easier, since, I agree, it feeds into the appeal of the monster collecting. It was pretty approachable in the 3DS duology as well. Nocturne's negotiations were a bit of a nightmare, unfortunately.

I love Persona as well, but the unbalanced gameplay will always keep it from its full potential, IMO.

Hard to say where this one will land for me, but, so far, it's reaffirming why Atlus is my favorite modern JRPG dev.

I wish I could turn off the audio for that multi ice attack for the mermaid. Haha.

Just beat a mermaid (mini?) boss. Too bad there's a limit on how many demons you can have with you at any given time. I gave a Cat Sith a bunch of money & quite a bit of MP, & the only reason it didn't join me is because all my slots are apparently full.

Are the items you get from vending machines only good for selling, or should I hold onto them for later?

How do I change my weaknesses? I assumed it was based on the essence you use, but even changing the essences my weaknesses remain. I don’t wanna be weak to dark, as both dark and light are the only elements that include insta-kill moves as far as I know.

I'll be joining you all in here. Got SMTV in the post this morning and have been enjoying it ever since. I've set the game to Hard and died so many times just trying to recruit the Slimes and the things with the big mouths at the beginning. However, after grinding a bit and saving often I've made my way just past the first abscess recruiting everything so far.

One probably really basic tip for people: save your macca don't use it to recover after battles. Just backtrack a bit and collect the hp and mp crystal things which are lying around. The same applies to recruitment, offer your hp and mp ahead of macca and run back to restore them.

Yeah, I'm playing on hard as well and it's really tough, but in a good way. I'm pretty used to SMT games pretty tough in the early going too. Really like how the demons look and the overall UI and menus.

I figured it out in the end. There is a Miracle called something like Divine Amalgamation or something, when you unlock that, it unlocks the ability to take on a demons affinities, rather than their skills, when you do the Essence Fusion thing. Now I am immune to fire, weak to ice - knowing my luck, the next boss is gonna have ice attacks but at least there is no risk of insta death as I am now no longer weak to Dark. It cost me more immunities than before, but anything to be free of the insta death risk.

Wow... a JRPG where the side quests don't feel irritating (as in Ni No Kuni II for example), at least so far.

I love this game! Played it for three hours, now I'm at the first big boss. Seems like I need to level up a bit though, because it slaughtered my demons in a couple of hits. 😅

Personally in my experience, casual and normal are a bit of a muchness really. A boss is just as likely to kick your ass on casual, as it is on normal, if it is so inclined. And with the right team comps, proper levelled characters and systems engaged, the moment to moment is as easy on casual as it is normal.

I just stuck with casual in the end, as if there's even a small percentage chance it'll mean less progress stealing gameovers, then I'll take it, as that punishment just sucks.

You do also unlock things as you go which mitigate your chances of gameovers more and more, but I am still dipping into safety now and then, as even on casual, some bosses can be absolutely brutal.

Are people counting the abscesses as bosses? I was at first but they don't seem that intimidating? Maybe one or two new enemies but nothing to worry about.
I guess they just needed a reason to stop us running through the areas so quickly.

Not sure how I feel about Essences but I'm sure I'll adjust eventually. I guess it is a middle ground between Magatamas and Demon Whisper but I don't love how they can only be used once. Too much pressure!

@Kimyonaakuma I'd call them mini-bosses. They're clearly tougher than run-of-the-mill enemy encounters.

Yeah, I just beat the first main boss as well (currently at 6 hours, 30 minutes play time). I did beat it on my first try, but admittedly that's probably only because others here already mentioned the correct weaknesses & resistances to keep track of for it. Even then it nearly got me though (I did good during the first phase, but during the second it absolutely wrecked my stuff).

While the theory seems to be that having enemies visible in the world will mitigate some of the frustration from random encounters - it seriously felt like a fight every other step in Nocturne - in practice, it really is just two different flavours of the same annoyance. They cram environments full of so many enemies, with so little leashing, I feel like I have to sprint through environments and just never stop as I am guaranteed to get attacked the moment I try to. Trying to somehow get the map open, without interrupting my sprint.

And I get there is a certain degree of necessary evil to this, you need to keep grinding XP in this game, as bosses will often take a huge leap ahead of your level so you gotta keep grinding but I feel like there is a way you can do this, where I can also just stop and look around for a few seconds before the next attack comes. Especially as, even if you escape, it still leaves you right next to a bunch of enemies, it doesn’t despawn the enemies around you, so if you try and move away you just end up in another battle again.

Will it be possible to buy MP restoring items from the merchant later on in the game?

@Quarth
I believe so, yes. I think I heard it talked about it in a video I watched.

@JaxonH Thanks! It's most likely the case, as it was possible in Nocturne, for example.

What do you think of the game so far? I love it! Probably GOTY if it keeps up.

Oh, by the way... I guess it's wise to put a lot of the experience points towards agility? It helped a lot in Nocturne.

@Quarth
I've read that's not a wise strategy in SMTV, based on an actual test someone performed. Said evasion increases weren't significant enough.

Vitality is the best Stat to pump for the first third of the game according to them. That's what I've been doing.

Game is fire. Absolutely fire. I'm stuck between Monster Hunter Rise, Metroid Dread and Shin Megami Tensei V being my GotY 2021. I haven't played enough of SMTV to know where it'll ultimately land, but just from what I've played so far, it's definitely up there with the best of 2021. It may even be my new favorite JRPG of all time, edging out Xenoblade Chronicles, Persona 4 Golden and Final Fantasy X.

I honestly try to have a pretty balanced character if I can, rotating between all the stats. When you level up, some stats will get boosts automatically I guess based on the essence you're using? So I haven't found a really easy way to focus on just one thing.

That's true, one of the only ways to really counter an enemy chaining weaknesses together, which is the main way a boss kills me. I appreciate that's more on my team dynamic, but you can only work with what you have. I'm still rocking the mermaid I made fairly early on, because her hit everyone ice attack is unique and can't be transferred into a fusion but she's really falling behind levelwise.

Also agility helps with escaping too, right? Which is vital when it comes to this war of attrition gameplay loop.