Topic: Shin Megami Tensei V Thread

To those whom have at least finished the 3rd main area:

Am I the only one who's kind of getting lost in the second main area? Everything looks samey there, and it's hard to remember how to get to certain points due to how there's so much elevation in the area itself. These areas are nice, but I don't really enjoy how complex they can be when it comes to travel.

The second area is by far the worst area imo. It doesn't help that they used some sort of red filter so on top of being hard to navigate due to the layout it is also hard to make out anything under the red colours. It's especially bad if you are in the container area.

@RR529 Afaik there's no downside to doing it. The only thing that is affected are the battle diffculty and the dialogue at the start of the battle.

@VoidofLight Third area is about a million times more confusing to navigate, lol.

@MajinSoul Thankfully the Fairy forest is better, but that's only because the skies are clear, like they are in Tokyo.

@Ralizah Oof. I somewhat enjoy the complexity of the place, but at the same time.. it bugs me how hard it is to get around, or to tell where I am half the time. Thankfully the Founts have a way to teleport back to them... and that was probably implemented because people kept getting lost in play testing or something.

Also, side note, but this game might have one of my favorite atmospheres in gaming. The decrepit city ruins, with the haunting music that plays over them. The appeasing to look at sand in the areas, combined with the amount of things hidden all around the world. The hidden spots around the areas too are great as well.

I think I'll have to agree that overall the second area is worse than the third, largely due to that garish red filter that covers half of it. Most of the third area is split into two planes & it can be kinda tricky if you fall down to the lower one (it's stated multiple times that you're supposed to stick to the high ground as much as possible), but honestly instead of fumbling around looking for a way back up it's much easier to just warp back to the last leyline. While it's true that there are some Miman and other goodies down there, it's fine to wait to poke around down there until you have most of the area mapped out/destroyed all the abscesses to make it easier on you (plus, by that point you should be strong enough that most of the enemies run from you, making exploration all the easier).

@MajinSoul, okay, that's good to know.

Same here those areas where just not good. I usually explore all the areas as that is the only way to get a complete map to see and zoom in. If I missed anything or those red mimam that I am suppose to look for. But I am not Speed player I take much time as I need or replay from the last last save to get it right.

Started up on the Demon King's Castle today, and just reached the dreaded 3rd Stratum that I've heard so much about. I know it's apparently been patched to be easier, but wish me luck, lol.

@RR529 You'll be fine. It wasn't that hard even before it was patched.

Honestly, the save mechanics for this game don't bother me that much. Maybe because I made it a habit in every game I own to constantly save when I do anything, but I haven't really felt like I'm losing out when I get a game over.

I started/finished the Demon King's Castle today, and it just seemed really odd? No idea what it was like before the patch but it wasn't difficult at all....but also not particularly entertaining. I also assumed that it was the final dungeon from the patch notes so I was caught off guard.

I think my main issue is with the moments between the areas. I don't really have much of a problem when each area is contained, but then they throw in some cutscenes between each chapter to make the story seem bigger than it is. Maybe it gets better, but I'm not impressed so far.

-however the game is amazing overall! Even if the script is bad, the cutscenes look quite nice

Man, it is crazy, because I am usually worse than everyone on here at things and while the 3rd floor was hella annoying, I cleared it before it was patched. If I can do it, anyone should be able to do the new one with no problems at all!

It is also nice to read that people are slowly coming to terms with the fact that the level design in general just really isn’t that great in this game. Just long corridors with smoke and mirrors over the top that just adds frustration, rather than any meaningful sense of exploration or traversal. I appreciate they are limited due to Switch hardware but it still kinda sucks overall.

Cleared Demon King's Castle today. It was a tad annoying in spots & wasn't my favorite part of the game, but it really wasn't hard at all (at least not harder than any other part of the game).

Then I got killed by Abdiel. Looks like I'm gonna have to update my resistances for the first time since the first area, lol.

So, I got into the fight with Lahmu, and I really need to get defense buff moves, since this fight is hitting me like a brick wall. I feel like this is probably the hip-check boss, which forces you to learn the game's mechanics in order to actually beat him this time around.

My second attempt I managed to beat Abdiel without taking a single hit. First time I made it through a boss without a scratch.

Sorry for the double post, but which of the keys in the 4th area would be easiest to go for first? Enemy levels in the area seem to be all over the place, with the lowest being in the low-mid 50's, but there's also a lot of demons with mid 60's levels too (and even one that was summoned when I got too close to one of the abscesses that was low 70's!).

I've kinda been running around mapping the area fighting the enemies I can (and even destroyed one abscess), but I'm not sure which direction to commit to yet.

I'm at the same point, and it's a weird mix of demons. There are definitely plenty at the mid 50s but Cerberus and a few others are 64/65. But somehow I haven't been wiped out (yet!).
Personally, I'm clearing the abscesses and naturally seeing where I go. Ideally hoping to get the miracles that add the final skill slot.

Is this area supposed to be open or linear though? I keep stumbling into cutscenes with main characters but they never seem to lead to anything.

Yeah, Zeus was like 10 levels above me, so I doubt you're supposed to to him first.

EDIT: Odin was the same level, so it looks like I'm just going to have to suck it up & grind a bit. I think those Yamata no Orochi are the strongest regular enemies in the area (level 72), so I'll focus on them.

I hope avoiding spoilers is worth it, my brother and his family gave me this for Christmas!

Seriously, was not expecting the steelbook edition too, this looks really nice. Already downloaded any updates, so looking forward to playing either tomorrow or over the next few days.

@Sunsy - What an awesome Christmas present. Hope you enjoy it.

On my Hardcore Blind run I've just reached the end of the 3rd area (I think?) and beat Ishtar. I have also now gone back to all the previous areas to beat the big bosses hanging around, found all 150 Miman and reached level 50. Heading into the Mansion next.