Shin Megami Tensei 5 has just launched on Nintendo Switch, offering a familiar sequel for any fans of the series. The game follows the protagonist as he finds himself suddenly transported into a future where Tokyo has become a desolate wasteland filled with demons.
As you begin your journey to discover what has happened to the world you knew and come to terms with your newfound powers, there is plenty to learn. That's why we've put together a list of some top tips to help you get started.
Save Often
As with most games, you'll want to save often to avoid having to re-do a whole load of content should you fall in battle and get kicked back to the title screen. Battles can quickly turn sour if enemies start hitting your weaknesses or getting critical hits in.
Unlike most games, you can't just save whenever you want. You can only save at leyline founts by choosing the "Chronicle Deeds" option — that's those large pillars of blue light. It's also worth keeping multiple save files throughout the game too, as there are different choices that can be made that affect the ending you get, so you might want to revert to an earlier save to change your decision.
Always Keep Some Macca On Hand
Macca is the currency in Shin Megami Tensei and it comes in useful in multiple ways. Not only do you need money for purchasing items from Gustave at Cadaver's Hollow, but you need it to heal at leyline founts too.
That's not all, you'll often need Macca to recruit demons to your party, or even to pay off enemies if they start the battle with the upper hand. For that reason, you should make sure you always have some money on hand for when you really need it.
Keep A Good Stock of Items
It's always worth keeping a decent stock of consumables on hand, especially when it comes to healing items. These are great for when you find yourself in a pinch in battle, such as if your healer gets KO'd or you run out of MP.
Some demons will request items when being recruited or for subquests too, so don't go out of your way to sell consumables that aren't relics. Additionally, the Spyglass item is super useful as it can tell you an enemy's weaknesses and resistances — so try and keep one or two of these on you at all times too.
Recruit Demons Whenever You Can
Recruiting demons is one of the main features of the game and one you should use as often as possible. You can recruit demons in battle by using the "Talk" option during battle and then selecting the correct responses or giving the right items. Some demons can only be recruited once you reach a certain level.
Once a demon is recruited, they will join your party and you can use them in battle. It also means they'll be added to your compendium and you can use them to fuse brand new demons. You should aim to recruit demons you don't already have so you can get more powerful allies to use in battle or create new fusions. You can only hold a finite number of demons at any one time, but there are ways to increase how many demons you can keep on hand.
Upgrade Your Party Often At Leyline Founts
As you progress through the game, more and more options will open up to you at leyline founts. Whenever you stop at a leyline fount, you should use this opportunity to save, heal (if needed), then visit the World of Shadows to purchase Miracles (buffs and abilities for the protagonist), fuse Essences (to teach yourself and your demons new skills), or fuse new and stronger demons to create a powerhouse of a team.
It's also worth registering your demons here while you have the chance, so if you fuse them to create a new demon and then later want to resummon them from the compendium, you will have saved them in their stronger state with all the abilities they had learned.
Vending Machines Restock
You'll come across vending machines often during your travels and you should always interact with these to grab "relics" — items that Gustave is only too happy to buy from you. Make sure you always interact with these whenever you see them as they're a great way to get some free Macca.
However, they eventually replenish too — you can see on the map when they have replenished as their icon will turn yellow instead of grey. If you're ever backtracking in an area for quests or some other reason, make sure you hit up all those machines again.
Explore Every Nook And Cranny
There are lots of great things to be found by traveling away from the beaten path. Hidden inside derelict buildings or behind rubble, you can find all sorts, including treasure boxes, Amalgams, optional subquests, and even Miman — strange little creatures that belong to Gustave.
Each time you find a Miman, you'll receive five Glory. For collecting certain milestones of Miman, Gustave will give you additional rewards when you visit him in Cadaver's Hollow.
Take Part In Subquests
You'll come across lots of optional subquests throughout Da'at and it's worth taking part in these as many offer some decent rewards for little work. Be warned, some subquests will have more than one outcome and you may have to make a choice, so weigh up your options carefully.
Focus On Weaknesses In Battle
You'll be introduced to this mechanic early on, but it's worth always bearing in mind — you should always aim to focus on your enemies' weaknesses in battle. Hitting their weaknesses will give you extra actions per turn, this means you can potentially take out the enemies in one turn before they can even attack your party in response.
You'll naturally learn the weaknesses of most enemies as you progress, but you can always rely on a Spyglass to discover an enemy's weakness in a pinch. You should also try and cover most of the different kinds of skill affinities across your party, so you always have at least one character capable of targeting a particular weakness.
Look Out For Mitama Enemies
Mitama are rare enemies that you'll encounter throughout the game. Sometimes you'll see them on the overworld, or sometimes they'll appear in a battle alongside other enemies, either way — focus on these first when they appear as defeating them yields a great deal of EXP as well as rare items.
They have a bad habit of fleeing at the first chance and they're also impervious to most damage, with their weakness being randomly selected each time, so how do you defeat them? We've got a handy guide right here.