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The boss battles in Persona 3 Portable work a little differently than you may be used to, with boss shadows appearing on every full moon, looking for a fight. And your very first full moon boss fight against the Priestess guardian is your introduction to how it works.

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But between the slog to get to the boss shadow, a time limit, and risking your lives to try to stop it, the fight can be a lot to take in. If you need some help getting past the Priestess full moon boss fight in P3P, you’ve come to the right guide.

We detail combat in our boss guides, but this article may still contain spoilers for the story of Persona 3 Portable.

How Do Boss Fights Work In Persona 3 Portable?

junpei eager to fight in the control room in persona 3 portable while talking to mitsuru

Unlike other entries in the Persona series, Persona 3 Portable doesn’t offer straightforward dungeon-crawling. Instead, you and the SEES team are making your way through Tartarus, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top by the end of the game.

Each section of Tartarus has a blockade that prevents you from moving further up the tower until after you’ve defeated the Full Moon boss related to the block.

Instead of facing the boss on a predetermined floor of Tartarus, they’ll instead appear every full moon, which is what the counter in under the time of day on your UI is counting down to.

And don’t worry about finding them – they’ll come to you.

The Priestess guardian is Lv. 10, so we recommend being at least around there before you take her on.

The fight isn’t the most difficult, but it’s still easy to become overpowered if you haven’t done much grinding in Tartarus beforehand.

Priestess Stats And Attacks

the priestess guardian using assault drive in persona 3 portable

Below, you’ll find information on Priestess’ stats, skills, and known attacks.

Table Key

Label

Explanation

Str

This shadow is strong against this element, and attacks of this element deal less damage.

Wk

This shadow is weak against this element, and attacks of this element deal more damage.

Rep

This shadow will repel attacks of this element, reversing the damage onto you.

Nul

This shadow will nullify attacks of this element, and as such, they deal no damage.

Drn

This shadow will gain health from attacks of this element, so attacks of this heal the shadow.

-

Attacks of this element deal normal damage to the shadow.

Priestess Guardian Affinities

Affinities and Weaknesses

Slash

Strike

Pierce

Fire

Ice

Elec.

Wind

Light

Dark

Almi.

-

-

-

-

Rep

-

-

Nul

Nul

-

Skills and Attacks

Bufu

Light ice damage to one foe, with a chance to inflict freeze

Mabufu

Light ice damage to all foes, with a chance to inflict freeze

Assault Drive

Light strike damage to one foe

Pulinpa

Inflicts panic to one foe, with a 40% chance to succeed

Marin Karin

Charms one foe, with a 40% chance to succeed

Summon

Summons a Muttering Tiara support shadow

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How To Get Through The Monorail Within The Time Limit

the iwatodai monorail on the first full moon in persona 3 portable

As soon as you arrive in the Dark Hour to begin the fight, you’ll hop aboard the monorail, in which you find a mix of coffins and shadows. You enter on the 10/11th Carriage and will need to fight your way up to the front car.

The coffins throughout the monorail mean you no harm, but the shadows are there to prevent your progress toward the boss.

Make good use of Mitsuru's Analysis ability to deal with the shadows ahead.

After the first shadow fight, regardless of your dialogue choice, your crew will momentarily lose Junpei when he opts to run off by himself. You and Yukari are, for now, on your own to make your way through the monorail.

There are a few shadows on the way to the front – mostly Muttering Tiaras as Spurious Books, with the occasional Heat Balance.

Eventually, you find Junpei up ahead, surrounded by shadows and in a pinch. You and Yukari join Junpei’s battle to reunite the team and take out the shadows that were giving him trouble.

mitsuru warning the sees team to stop the monorail so it doesn't crash in persona 3 portable

After Junpei is back, tensions are high, but there’s still a boss ahead to worry about. The monorail begins moving after the team is reunited, quickly picking up speed and heading to crash into another train.

Mitsuru tells you the boss is in the front car, and that you’ll need to defeat it to stop the monorail.

As soon as this dialogue is over, you notice that an eight-minute timer appears in the corner of the screen and begins counting down.

That’s the time until the crash, which means that’s how long you have to defeat Priestess in the first car.

There will be a few shadows milling about trying to waste your time, but with three fighters and few shadows in each cluster, they shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Make your way up to the front of Carriage 2, where Mitsuru warns you the boss is just ahead. Heal before going inside, and then open the door to challenge Priestess.

Priestess Battle Strategy

junpei reacting in surprise to the appearance of priestess in persona 3 portable

The eight-minute timer does not reset when you challenge Priestess directly, so keep your remaining time limit in mind.

When the fight begins, Priestess is on her own, but she quickly summons a couple of Muttering Tiaras to try to distract you.

They shouldn't be overlooked, though, as they'll often use Dia to heal Priestess.

However, the Muttering Tiaras are weak to wind. Because of this, it may not be a bad idea to designate Yukari to deal with them with her Garu skill, while Junpei and your protagonist lay on Priestess herself.

Yukari also knows healing skills if you find your team in a pinch.

the members of sees about to fight priestess in persona 3 portable

Have your protagonist and Junpei use any attacks except ice to deal damage to Priestess within the time limit.

Be aware of Priestess’ ice magic when choosing the Persona with which you’re attacking.

Your protagonist has the affinities of the shadow you’re using. If you use one with a weakness to ice, Priestess can exploit One More Attacks by knocking you down.

From here, it’s an outright exchange of damage. Keep laying it on Priestess until she finally goes down, then follow along as your protagonist stops the monorail.

NEXT: Persona 3 Portable: Achievement/Trophy Guide