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Shin Megami Tensei IV |OT| The Dark Souls of Persona

Lissar

Reluctant Member
The game that keeps on giving.

What does new game+ entail?

Just in case I'm leaving my second save per decision untouched so I can go back.

There are new quests that are NG+ only. You can also choose to start with all your levels/items/etc. (Current demons in your party do not carry over though. You CAN keep one in NG+ by sticking it to a streetpass card before importing your game. You will have a chance to do this after the final boss, so you can take whoever is your favorite.) You can also choose to not take anything over, but you and your demons will all start with eight skill slots. Also, the save file marks each ending you get. Not really useful for anything, but if you want a "complete" save file with all the endings NG+ is the only way to do it.
 

Young Magus

Junior Member
Nope, just optional sidequests that can sway you one way or the other. Nothing repeatable or reliable.

The alignment scale is from -100 (chaos) to +100 (law), and neutral is from -8 to +8, so a tiny window. There are several major choices which will push you +10/-10, and a forced +5 law choice at one point. This creates a window between -3 and -6 where it's actually impossible to get neutral.

You'll basically need to use a guide or get very lucky if you want to go for a neutral end the first time through.

When is the +5 Law choice?
 
Anyone know if Tangatu Manu is any good? I recruited him at level 3 through dumb luck.

I'm in Naraku and found a waste door with some big lock thing on it, can I slash it open without consequences?
 

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
I think this needs to be said again: The battle system in this game is fucking awesome. Exploiting a demon's weakness, getting critical hits, press turn; it all just works so well. I just fought a major boss and was getting two full rounds of attacks with each character for its one round, which would sometimes get eliminated by a null, a miss, or a block.

If you know what you are doing with the battle system, the game is almost too easy.

I'd say the opposite. The battle system can either be easy as hell or be hard as fuck, which isn't good game design.
 
I'd say the opposite. The battle system can either be easy as hell or be hard as fuck, which isn't good game design.

It's mostly about having a good game plan ahead of time. The pre-battle preparation - fusing the right demons, setting up the right skills, getting the right resistances - is just as important, if not more so, than what you do in battle. It was the same in Nocturne.
 

duckroll

Member
My detour continues as I spend some time unlocking all the areas in downtown Ginza. That was really great. I love how the game acknowledges Ginza as the place where rich people shop and all the most expensive retailers are. The relic spawns in the inner areas are really good too. I think the money invested into this side venture will be made back pretty easily. But even then, the equipment sold in the special store are all sooooooooooo expensive. Lol.

I've cleared almost every challenge quest on my list now, so I think it's really time to move on with the story again this time!
 

Lissar

Reluctant Member
My detour continues as I spend some time unlocking all the areas in downtown Ginza. That was really great. I love how the game acknowledges Ginza as the place where rich people shop and all the most expensive retailers are. The relic spawns in the inner areas are really good too. I think the money invested into this side venture will be made back pretty easily. But even then, the equipment sold in the special store are all sooooooooooo expensive. Lol.

I've cleared almost every challenge quest on my list now, so I think it's really time to move on with the story again this time!

The fact that Ginza is far and away the most expensive place to shop made me laugh.

I sold half my stuff and was able to afford one piece of armor. Repel Physical is so worth it though.

Is there a choice guide for alignment out yet?

I haven't seen any, but I'm sure there must be something out there. I was going to write a guide based on the Japanese guides on my second playthrough, but forgot about it. Whoops.
 
The fact that Ginza is far and away the most expensive place to shop made me laugh.

I sold half my stuff and was able to afford one piece of armor. Repel Physical is so worth it though.
Was it worth the weakness to gun? The store's heaving a sale and I can't decide between it or the Demonica suit.
 

Narras

Member
I just started this game and wanted to know, are there any recommended builds for the MC? I wanted to head towards a physical build. I leveled up twice and placed my points only in strength, dexterity and agility about evenly.
 

Lissar

Reluctant Member
Was it worth the weakness to gun? The store's heaving a sale and I can't decide between it or the Demonica suit.

I found myself smirking so much that I dodged quite a few attacks. Obviously, not helpful in ALL cases. Chaos path special boss murdered me and Vishnu was the one to carry me through the fight. But otherwise, I found getting those extra smirks (Smirk + Concentrate + Elemental Weakness = Kablam) more helpful than not.
 

jorgeton

Member
The fact that Ginza is far and away the most expensive place to shop made me laugh.

I sold half my stuff and was able to afford one piece of armor. Repel Physical is so worth it though.

Where's the armor shop in Ginza? Only saw an item store.

And I agree, that quest line was oddly fun. I enjoy how this game encourages a lot of exploration. I also put the main quest on hold to complete side quests.
Lucky for me you need to in order to progress in the neutral path!
 

Lissar

Reluctant Member
Where's the armor shop in Ginza? Only saw an item store.

And I agree, that quest line was oddly fun. I enjoy how this game encourages a lot of exploration. I also put the main quest on hold to complete side quests.
Lucky for me you need to in order to progress in the neutral path!

http://gamers-high.com/megami4/map/map10.html

Not sure if this will be easy for you to understand. It's located on the upper left portion of the map at the location where the upper left label is pointing to.
 

duckroll

Member
Btw, I invested a significant number of App Points into the Fundraiser series of apps, and now I'm regretting it a little. It seemed like a good idea at first, since I could pretty easily exhort 1-2k worth of macca from enemies, but its still a bit time consuming and I seem to be able to make so much more money quickly by simply selling relics. Are there demons who give more macca? Once I managed to instantly exhort over 4k of macca from a bunny, but that seems extremely rare. Thoughts? What's the best way to use Fundraise?
 

Dresden

Member
Btw, I invested a significant number of App Points into the Fundraiser series of apps, and now I'm regretting it a little. It seemed like a good idea at first, since I could pretty easily exhort 1-2k worth of macca from enemies, but its still a bit time consuming and I seem to be able to make so much more money quickly by simply selling relics. Are there demons who give more macca? Once I managed to instantly exhort over 4k of macca from a bunny, but that seems extremely rare. Thoughts? What's the best way to use Fundraise?

It's terrible. The scout+ line of apps gives 2k+ macca per demon when you recruit them, and you recruit them two at a time.
 

Lissar

Reluctant Member
Yeah, I invested in both fundraiser and the scout gift line of apps and getting money from scouting blows fundraiser away. Fortunately on NG+ (assuming you've decided to carry over all your stuff) all app choices are wiped except for skills. You can make better choices then.
 

Blusby

Member
I have to ask, are there any exculsive demons that can only be unlocked in each route?
Also in spoilers, do you get exclusive weapons, armor, or demons in Law?
Oh and for NG+ if I decide to keep my levels and stuff do I get the chance to respec my stats and apps?
 

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
It's mostly about having a good game plan ahead of time. The pre-battle preparation - fusing the right demons, setting up the right skills, getting the right resistances - is just as important, if not more so, than what you do in battle. It was the same in Nocturne.

Yes, but relying on the guide to tell you this is defeating the purpose if you are talking about good game design. Calling the game easy "if you know what you are doing" because you know Minotaur's weaknesses to begin with is kind of defeating the purpose.
 

Dresden

Member
In English

should be obvious in google translate unless blind

Yes, but relying on the guide to tell you this is defeating the purpose if you are talking about good game design. Calling the game easy "if you know what you are doing" because you know Minotaur's weaknesses to begin with is kind of defeating the purpose.

Who said anything about a guide? Get into the battle, probe his weaknesses, then prep up for the second encounter.
 
Yes, but relying on the guide to tell you this is defeating the purpose if you are talking about good game design. Calling the game easy "if you know what you are doing" because you know Minotaur's weaknesses to begin with is kind of defeating the purpose.

Even without the guide, you can go in and start using each different attack type. You have fire, wind/force, ice, lightning, light, dark, physical, shoot, nerve, and mind attacks. If a boss is weak to none of those, you must then start using your buffs and debuffs. If he is weak to a specific attack type, exploit it. If you don't have a demon for an attack type, get one.
 

Eusis

Member
Yeah, I invested in both fundraiser and the scout gift line of apps and getting money from scouting blows fundraiser away. Fortunately on NG+ (assuming you've decided to carry over all your stuff) all app choices are wiped except for skills. You can make better choices then.
For NG+ I plan to just get the App points DLC and grind to buy everything ASAP. But yeah, glad that the only "mistakes" I made were mainly buying things I would've earlier than maybe I should have, and by that I mean loads and loads of demon slots. Hell, I kinda needed that many in the end with how anal retentive I was about fusing, I keep wanting the demons to max out their skills first!
How many save files does the game allow?
2.
 

Lissar

Reluctant Member
For NG+ I plan to just get the App points DLC and grind to buy everything ASAP. But yeah, glad that the only "mistakes" I made were mainly buying things I would've earlier than maybe I should have, and by that I mean loads and loads of demon slots. Hell, I kinda needed that many in the end with how anal retentive I was about fusing, I keep wanting the demons to max out their skills first!

All of my first buys were skill slots, stock slots, and demolingual. Everything else was just icing.

Especially that 50% off the compendium. I didn't even attempt to buy anything before that.

What's the end game like? Are there good places to grind and level up?

There is an area that opens up with 70-80 demons. And in the final dungeon they were giving away exp like candy.
 

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
should be obvious in google translate unless blind



Who said anything about a guide? Get into the battle, probe his weaknesses, then prep up for the second encounter.

Well yeah, some people are probably using the guide though and knowing to bring in 3 demons that can hit the bosses weak spot. It makes a fight go from hard as balls to trivial because you are hitting them 8 times in a row from the very beginning. Being able to swap in demons during the fight also changes things though, I didn't realize you could do that for awhile. I'm used to the MC having the only control over summoning. It makes bringing in the right demons for the job a lot easier.
 

Lissar

Reluctant Member
Can someone give me a list of the domains where you can get
the sacred treasures?
That Amaterasu quest is driving me nuts.

One is north-west of Shinjuku near a poison lake (the nearest poison lake to Shinjuku, you have to go through it). Another is near Ginza (in the desert area to the north-east). I don't remember where the third one is exactly, but I believe that one was near to Shinjuku as well. edit: looking it up it is in the southern part of the largest poison lake in the Shinjuku area. http://gamers-high.com/megami4/map/area3.html A and B show exact locations.
 
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