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Having trouble figuring out Yakuza: Like A Dragon? It’s understandable because even though there are many similarities to the past entries (of which there are quite a few), this game stands unique on its own. That’s because it’s a turn-based RPG and not a straightforward brawler like all the past mainline games have been.
Plus a lot of the game’s mechanics take a while to be introduced, making it hard to guess what’s around the next corner. So, these are a few things to note when playing Yakuza: Like A Dragon to make the most out of one’s time and to lessen the grind. There are some minor spoilers in here, but only in regard to features with the gameplay and not with story-related content.
Updated on April 16, 2023, by Axel Bosso: With the upcoming sequel to Ichiban's story, we thought it was a good opportunity to go back to the seventh main installment in the series and do a new walkthrough. That's why you'll find that we have updated this guide to our current style, featuring many useful Yakuza: Like A Dragon tips for you. Grow that party!
Getting A Party Together
In the beginning of Yakuza: Like A Dragon, when the Job system is first unlocked, it is recommended to stick with that first job choice for a while, or at least until level 28. Most of the main job "skills" are already unlocked by 28, and at that point, it's a lot more beneficial to swap to the next one, get its stat boosts and skills, then the next, and so on.
But, while doing this, try and keep someone who can heal, a tank, a "magic" user, and a raw damage attacker if possible. If you manage to pull it off okay, your party should have the job skills and stat bonuses to easily propel themselves to overpowered once you gain access to the grinding areas of the game.
Area-Of-Effect Skills Are Key
Here is a little tip to be aware of when trying to figure out what the best Job to take on will be. Every ability that will be learned can be looked at before even accepting the Job. It’s important to have abilities that can strike multiple enemies because of the way both the party and enemies randomly move on their own during combat.
Later on in the game, you'll get "Extreme Skills" that hit every enemy, regardless of where they're standing, but getting a good AoE attack early on can make or break your initial experience.
Our recommendations are:
- Both Mega Swing and Giga Swing from the Hero Job.
- Pyro Belch and Pyro Breath from the Hero Job.
- Clobberwheel from the Barmaid Job.
- Thumbtack Scatter from the Clerk Job.
- And the Windmill Skill from the Breaker Job. This one is by far the best in the early game especially.
Keep An Eye Out For Job EXP Accessories
Jobs, like normal levels, go up with points. Enemies don’t dish out as much JP or "Job Points" as they do EXP but there is a way to increase the output.
Every single class in Yakuza: Like A Dragon has a corresponding item that, when equipped, will increase the amount of JP received. It would take too long to list every single one with their location in here. But, most of them will be gained in side quests so always make sure to do those and keep them equipped while grinding up Jobs.
Gather SP-Based Equipment As Well
SP is everything in Like a Dragon, especially the further along you get in the game. Once you start unlocking the Extreme moves and using them against most high-level encounters, having equipment to recover SP or to increase your max amount is huge.
Our personal favorites are the Mouthguards since they reduce the amount of SP used per Extreme Skills specifically. The easiest one to get is the one that’s rewarded from the Part-Time Hero Quest Death Knuckle or the Shriomon Premium Exchange. But, you can also get a couple from using the Tojo Clan Crest NPC, as well.
You might as well wait until Sotenbori is unlocked then gun for the Extreme Skill Mouthguard that’s rewarded after the 19th floor of the Battle Arena.
Don't Sleep On The Buffing And Debuffing Systems
A lot of the late-game battles revolve around spamming Extreme Skills, healing, and repeating.
To get around this early, simply focus on getting Saeko built as much as possible for her eventual role as the team's Idol. As the Idol job, Saeko has access to some of the best heals, buffs, and debuffs in the game. This is a party RPG after all, so a big part of making Kasuga feel as overpowered as you can involves getting the party built to support him.
If you really don't want to make Saeko an Idol, Nanba as a Musician or Fortune Teller, Eri as a Barmaid or Dealer, or Kasuga as a high-level Hero can work decently well as a substitute.
Do The Side Stories
It should be reiterated that every side story in Yakuza: Like A Dragon should be tackled. As it was just highlighted, these often lead to exclusive items that can really deck out the team.
Plus it’s a great way to make money, unlock Poundmates, and earn experience especially early on in the game. And, the Yakuza series is basically known for the absurd situations they put their characters in during these side stories.
Don’t Waste Time On EXP Gear
The Job items are useful but there are also items that can help with gaining more traditional experience. For example, some vending machines have Kiwami soda, which will increase EXP in battle.
One can also get good at baseball in the batting cages to earn enough points for the Yakuza Training Gear. But, gaining normal levels is much easier than gaining Job levels, and you're usually better off just using that time and equipment slots for more character-specific items.
Pound Food And Boost Relationships
Growing bonds with party members will not only unlock new abilities, but they will also get more experience when not in the party. So, it’s a good idea to have a party that is around the same level aka maxing out Bond Levels as fast as possible.
An easy way to do this is to find something cheap at a restaurant and eat it with the party. Frankly, going from restaurant to restaurant and eating everything on the menu (once you're rolling in Yen) is a fantastic way to get some great temporary buffs, gain Bond Level points, and make progress towards certain Part-Time Hero challenges, as well.
Become A Millionaire Mogul
Through an odd series of events involving an elderly woman, a chicken, and a naive go-getter, Ichiban eventually becomes the head of a family-run company called Ichiban Confections, which leads into a business management mini-game.
Almost every game in the Yakuza series has a management sim mini-game, and most of them completely break the economic system of their own games. Actively participating in it will unlock a secret party member, Eri, as well as one of Ichiban’s best techniques.
This is also an extremely quick way to gain cash. It can be time-consuming and a bit confusing, but once you figure it out it's actually hard to stop playing it. So yeah, getting to the end of this side story as soon as possible will overpower the party for sure.
Utilize Sotenbori Battle Arena
In Chapter 12, a rather late chapter, the party will travel to Sotenbori for certain story reasons. This place, while smaller than Yokohama, has a plethora of great items for both consumption and equipping.
The most notable thing to point out is the Battle Arena, which consists of 30 floors. Every five floors there will be a checkpoint so it doesn’t have to be completed in one go either. It can also be completed multiple times with some items only being rewarded once, and others being rewarded every time you beat that floor.
Grinding out items and EXP here is a surefire way to get Ichiban and the cast ready for the big difficulty jump the game takes at about this point in the story.
Work Towards Everyone’s Ultimate Weapons Early
It should go without saying but a big part of becoming overpowered in any RPG is usually finding/crafting the ultimate-type weapon. In Kingdom Hearts it's the Ultima Weapons, as a reference to Cloud Strife’s Ultima Weapon from FF7.
In Like a Dragon, each party member has an ultimate version of this that usually follows an upgrade path starting from their default weapon. But, to get these "ultimate" weapons as early as possible, it's gonna take a lot of Yen, a lot of investing in Romance Workshop, and a ton of materials.
So, while Like a Dragon offers a bunch of different types of equipment paths to go down and weapon choices for you to craft at the Romance Workshop, you should honestly just spend those resources and Yen on getting each character as close to their ultimate weapon as you can, as early as possible.
Hariti’s Amulet
One of the best items players can get in the Sotenbori Battle Arena is the Hariti’s Amulet. This simple accessory makes it so random battles won’t be triggered even if the party runs into gangs. It doesn’t matter who equips it, they don’t even have to be in the party.
Once you are able to access the Yokohama Underground, the Sotenbori Battle Arena, and the Millenium Tower, there's actually little reason to put up with random encounters. So, using this item saves you a lot of time avoiding fights running around the open world, which is time you can then spend grinding in the most optimal areas.
Yokohama Underground Dungeon
To go a bit more into Yokohama's Underground for our last entry, it can be tackled a bit earlier than Chapter 12’s Battle Arena, although it is more of a grind since the checkpoints aren't as generous. There are some good items down there but the best thing to look out for are Invested Vagabond.
They are like Metal Slimes in Dragon Quest as in they dish out tons of experience, can only take one point of damage per hit, and are a pain to fight. Plus they’re hard to find. But, if you're not quite at Chapter 12 yet, this is a fantastic way to gain some levels, some Job Levels, and some great items.