Ok, I'm restarting Persona 4. First time I tried to play this I did while also playing other games and I lost interest at some point. That was stupid. This game is amazing but It's important to be immersed in it's story and characters to properly appreciate the whole thing.
So I'm going back in. Not only that. I'm restarting the game. I remain very lost when it comes to what am I supposed to do with my personas tho.
When should I fuse my personas? How can I tell if a persona is stronger than the one I already have? Is it a good idea to keep 1 persona of each "type" because of social links?
Also, I wanna do this "blind". I mean without a guide. What should I watch for in order to get the true ending without a guide?
Plus, should I worry about buying equipment or do I get what I need by just playing?
Edit: One more lol: When it comes to social links... are there specific social links that I have a really small window of opportunity to finish? I really don't wanna use a guide on my first playthrough, but If I lose something importnat because of that I'm gonna be PISSED!
1- Personas: Keep a varied group with you at all times. Ones with different weaknesses and elemental attacks, ones that can heal, buff (btw those are very useful, it'll boost by 1.5x so if you buff your party's attack of debuff the boss' defense you'll get 1.5x damage out of every attack). Basically, as the main character, your level is tied to that of your Persona's. Of course you also have an actual level for yourself but that only grows your HP and SP. What your level is really used for is for fusing more powerful Persona.
So say you hit Lvl 10 and you're still rolling with a Lvl 5 Izanagi. Well you have Lvl 10 HP and SP but you have your Izanagi's Strength (physical attacks) Magic (magic attacks) Endurance (straightforward) Agility (hit/accuracy and evasion) and Luck (Critical hits and evasion). Those stats will probably be lower than a Lvl 10 Persona you could go fuse (since you're Lvl 10) so you'll want to fuse your Izanagi and other ones you've gotten for a better one (that's done in the Velvet Room). You can always buy them back from the Compendium in the Velvet Room too.
Sometimes a boss will be weak to Ice and use Fire attacks for example, so you'll want to use a Persona who has Ice skills and/or who resists Fire (or at least one that's not weak to Fire as if the boss hits your weak point it'll get an extra turn)
Also, having a Persona of, say, the Magician arcana (like Pixie) when doing the Magician social link (Yosuke) is useful. Your good answers (when stars come out of the character's head and he's happy) will be worth more. But you can get cheap ones from the Compendium if you want to do a social link. It's not necessary to have your group of Persona made up in function of all the social links you might do.
2- True ending: Just remember one of the game's main theme when you get to a crucial point late game. You'll know when you reach it. In fact the game will warn you that you should create a second save file when you reach it. You'll get some choices shortly after. Make the right ones and you'll extend the length of the game by a great amount.
Also, do the Marie social link sooner rather than later. Getting the Rank 10 for her will add a fair amount of content to the ending too. The window of opportunity is still large enough for you not to feel obligated to spend every opportunity you have with her. If you keep in mind that you should get her to Rank 10, you'll be fine.
3- There's the home shopping show on Sundays and such from a certain point in the game. There's great deals on equipment there. You can also buy equipment at other times, it is useful, so if you have the money do it but you find some good stuff in dungeons too.
4- Don't try to do everything. You'll ruin the game. Just do whatever you feel is best. If you have a 2nd save file when the game tells you, choose the right answer and have the Marie social link done by late-game, you'll be more than fine. You can carry over your Courage and Diligence and other such social stats to a New Game +. Doing all the social links, reading all the books, upgrading all your stats, doing all the quests, etc., don't try that. It's impossible to do that blind on a first play through.