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In the world of RPGs, leveling up is crucial, and Persona 5 Royal is no exception. Failing to level up your team can lead to struggles against late-game bosses, forcing you to spend extra time grinding in Mementos. As an enhanced version of Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal offers numerous quality-of-life improvements and an additional 20 hours of gameplay.
The game introduces a new semester for the Phantom Thieves and modifies some pre-existing boss fights. With all this new content, maintaining high levels for your team and knowing the fastest ways to gain experience is essential.
Updated January 13, 2025 by Renri Seong: Being over-leveled can make Persona 5 Royal too easy, but matching the level of Palace Rulers is crucial, especially on a new file. There are several strategies to make farming experience more efficient in P5R, from utilizing Confidant Skills to leveraging Jose's help in Mementos. Joker can also earn EXP for non-active Personas with a specific passive skill. This guide has been updated to include a new section on quickly farming experience using the Insta-kill ability.
Accessories and The Moon Arcana
Mishima Yuuki's Confidant
In Persona 5 Royal, players can enhance their EXP gain by downloading the free Team Glasses accessory from the PlayStation Store. Equipping these glasses on each character boosts their EXP gain by 15% during battles. However, only Joker and three other Phantom Thieves can participate in battle at once, leaving the backline members to receive less experience.
To address this, players can rank up the Moon Confidant (Yuuki Mishima) to Rank 3 and Rank 5, allowing backup team members to gain EXP. Reaching Rank 10 with Mishima ensures that backup members receive the same amount of EXP as those on the front lines.
Advancing Mishima's Confidant is straightforward; players should choose dialogue options that resonate with him and bring a Persona of the Moon Arcana when spending time with him. In Persona 5 Royal, Mishima's Mementos Missions are now linked to his Confidant progression, so neglecting these missions can hinder your ability to rank up.
Mementos: Increase EXP Gain
Cognition of Mementos
Persona 5 Royal introduces Jose, a character who, while not central to the plot, significantly aids in gameplay. Throughout Mementos, players can find "flowers" and "Stamp Stations." Collecting these allows you to trade with Jose for items or to alter the Cognition of Mementos. In Jose's Shop, under the Cognition menu, players can choose to increase EXP, Money Rewards, or Item Rewards, but these boosts are exclusive to Mementos. Upgrading EXP gain to 110% costs 5 Stamps, while reaching the maximum 200% EXP boost requires 12 Stamps.
There are 165 Stamps in total in Persona 5 Royal, but you'll need 85 to max out the EXP Up. Stamp Stations are hidden in "dead ends" on Mementos floors behind breakable walls. You might encounter Jose when transitioning to a new floor.
Fight the Reaper
What Level is the Reaper?
The Reaper, a formidable foe in the Persona series, appears in Mementos if players linger too long on a floor. Warning signs include a blinking red screen, the sound of chains, and alerts from Morgana or Futaba about an ominous presence.
Early in the game, defeating the Reaper is nearly impossible unless you're on a New Game+ file. The Reaper wields -dyne tier spells and Support skills like Concentrate and elemental Breaks. At level 85, with exceptionally high stats, his Agility, though the lowest at 75, is still enough to outpace the Phantom Thieves if they're not adequately prepared.
Defeating the Reaper yields a massive amount of experience and money, often resulting in a level up for all characters. It's advisable to engage the Reaper at level 60 or higher, equipped with Defense-raising Support skills and Makarakarn to reflect his magic. Alternatively, those with the Persona DLC featuring Izanagi-no-Okami (Picaro) can stack Concentrate, Heat Riser, and use Myriad Truths to deal heavy Almighty damage three times.
Defeat Treasure Demons
How to Summon Treasure Demons
Treasure Demons, unique Shadows introduced in Madarame's Palace, start appearing in the Metaverse after your first encounter. Unlike typical Shadows, they are harmless and will flee after a few turns.
Each type of Treasure Demon has different Affinity Weaknesses and Immunities, but all are susceptible to regular damage from Almighty attacks. The best strategy to defeat them before they escape is to use Shinya's Rank 1 Ability, Down Shot, which knocks them down for an All-Out Attack. Alternatively, a high-crit attack like Morgana's Miracle Punch can work, provided the Treasure Demon doesn't nullify Physical attacks.
Treasure Demons appear in Palaces when security is high. Players can also craft the Treasure Trap infiltration tool to increase encounters with Treasure Demons. The materials needed for the Treasure Trap are:
- 2x Silk Yarn
- 3x Plant Balm
- 1x Cork Bark
Use Persona with EXP Skills
How to Get Growth Passive Skill
Typically, Personas not equipped by Joker at the end of a battle do not earn EXP. However, those with the Growth Passive Skill can still gain a percentage of the battle's experience even when inactive. There are three levels of Growth Skills:
- Growth 1: Persona gains a quarter EXP when inactive.
- Growth 2: Persona gains half EXP when inactive.
- Growth 3: Persona gains full EXP when inactive.
The following Personas learn Growth upon leveling:
- Growth 1: Saki Mitama (level 7), Koppa Tengu (level 12)
- Growth 2: Lachesis (Innate), Kurama Tengu (level 36), Thoth (level 42), Ananta (level 47)
- Growth 3: Izanagi (level 25), Izanagi Picaro (level 28), Narcissus (level 50), Raphael (level 81)
With the Electric Chair in the Velvet Room, players can transform Personas into Skill Cards. However, in Persona 5 Royal, only Izanagi Picaro can be turned into a Growth Skill Card (Growth 3). Growth 1 Skill Cards are unavailable in P5R, while Growth 2 Skill Cards can be obtained by taking Caroline and Justine to Miura Beach between September 2nd and September 29th, after clearing event 6 (Sky Tower). Spend evenings with them by the Velvet Room Door outside Mementos.
Ryuji Sakamoto's Confidant
How to Unlock Insta-Kill
Insta-kill is a powerful skill that allows Joker to instantly defeat a Shadow without engaging in battle. To use it, ambush the enemy; if Joker's level (not his Persona level) is 10 levels higher than the Shadow, it will be instantly defeated. In Persona 5 Royal, a successful Insta-kill not only defeats the Shadow but also rewards items, yen, experience, and, if space allows, a Persona.
You can identify Shadows susceptible to Insta-kill using Joker's Third Eye ability; those with a green outline are vulnerable.
To unlock Insta-kill, reach Rank 7 with Ryuji Sakamoto's Confidant. Ryuji's Confidant is one of the easiest to max out, with no Social Stat requirements. To quickly gain Insta-kill, spend time with Ryuji and choose the best dialogue options to maximize points. It's advisable to do this before unlocking other Confidants.
