Persona 3 Reload - Beginners Guide: Things to Do Fist

Beginners Guide: Things to Do First in Persona 3 Reload (P3RE)

Starting the Game

Choose your preferred difficulty mode.

Before starting a New Game (NG) in Persona 3 Reload, you must select the difficulty you want to play on. There are a total of 5 available difficulty levels, each with their own unique features. Note that the story and content is generally the same across all difficulty settings so feel free to pick one that suits your skills and preference.

Note that game difficulty can be changed at any time under System.

Persona 3 Reload Permanent Events and Missables

List of Difficulty Modes

Persona 3 Reload Game Difficulty Guide

Enter the protagonist character’s name.

You must also decide on the protagonist character’s name when you begin the main story.

Canonically, the main character goes by the name Makoto Yuki, though you are free to name him to anything you want. Afterwards, you will not be able to change the protagonist’s name at any point during the main story.

School Life

Listen to students at the school gate.

You can pick up rumors and gossip by listening to the students found at the Gekkoukan high school gate. It is also possible to get information on other characters in the game, though these are mostly for story (lore) purposes only.

Attend classes in the morning.

Classes begin in the morning where teachers start the day’s lesson. You may be called to recite on certain dates so its recommended to pay attention to certain events so you can answer correctly.

Raise Charm by answering the teacher’s questions correctly.

Your Charm increases whenever you give the correct answer when called to recite. There are not a lot of ways to raise Charm in this game which makes doing well in class important.

Persona 3 Reload How to Increase Charm

Increase your Academics by not dozing off in class.

Listening attentively in class by not falling asleep will help you raise your Academics. On the other hand, choosing to doze off will allow you to be in better condition to explore Tartarus at night. Try to weigh the advantages and downsides of the two based on your priorities throughout the main story.

Persona 3 Reload How to Increase Academics

Spend time with people during lunch breaks.

Some characters (Social Links) will invite you to spend time with them during lunch break.

Increasing your relationship with various characters gives you access to many useful features in addition to unlocking certain Personas for fusion. Because of this, try to raise your Social Link ranks with as many of the game’s cast as possible by interacting with them whenever you can.

Persona 3 Reload Social Links List and Guide

Attend classes in the afternoon.

As with morning periods, classes in the afternoon require you sit through lessons with various teachers. Some events and special dates may not require you to attend morning or afternoon classes at all based on your progress in the game’s story and calendar.

Do activities you like after school.

Clearing the game’s tutorial lets you freely explore the school and other locations. You can choose to visit the shrine to draw fortunes or stop by the mall to purchase items that may come in handy later in the game.

Persona 3 Reload Things to Do After School

Explore Tartarus during nighttime.

Once the day ends and night begins, you can talk to Mitsuru to explore Tartarus during Shadow Hours. Outside of the dungeon, you will only be able to move around the dormitory or the mall so try to do other activities before dark.

Spend time your way during holidays.

School is out on holidays, giving you the whole day to do things you want to do in the game. Many Social Link characters will also invite you to hang out with them on free days so do not miss out on such occasions to increase your relationship with them.

Persona 3 Reload Things to Do on Holidays

Exploring Tartarus

You can explore Tartarus during the Shadow Hours by talking to Mitsuru. Note that the layout and structure of the dungeon floors change as you progress through the higher levels. More powerful Shadows also appear the higher you climb Tartarus.

Persona 3 Reload Tartarus Dungeons List and Guide

Talk to Mitsuru at the dormitory at night to enter Tartarus.

To enter Tartarus, talk to Mitsuru at the dormitory. You will then be automatically transported to the first floor dungeon entrance.

Prepare your party at the 1F entrance to Tartarus.

While at the entrance, take the time to organize your party and equipped Personas. You can also access the Velvet Room before proceeding through the dungeon floors or recover the party using the clock.

Explore Tartarus floors.

Your objective inside Tartarus is to explore the different dungeon levels by finding the stairs that take you higher up the tower. You will also find various terminals on the different floors that let you instantly travel to and from the first floor entrance.

Return to the 1F entrance.

Once you are done with your objective inside Tartarus, return to the first floor entrance and go through the exit. Doing so lets you go back to the dormitory and advances the day to the next morning.

Tartarus Party Commands (Exploration)

You can give specific commands to your party when exploring Tartarus’ different floors based on your goals inside the dungeon.

Back Attacks

Attacking enemies from behind lets you act first at the start of battle, giving you the early advantage to seize victory. Because of this, always try to sneak up on Shadows while exploring Tartarus to ambush them.

Gatekeeper Shadows

Formidable Shadows are found guarding the vital passageways that lead to Tartarus upper floors. Expect these foes to give you a fair challenge as they are considerably more powerful than regular enemies roaming the floors inside Tartarus.

Persona 3 Reload Shadows List and Guide

Boss Shadows (Full Moon Operations)

Boss Shadows will appear in Tartarus during Full Moon Operations that occur only during a full moon. Taking down these mandatory bosses lets you progress further into the main story so spend your days preparing your equipment, leveling up Personas, or ranking up your Social Links to be able to fight competitively during these major encounters.

Persona 3 Reload Full Moon Operations Guide

Having good gear and items is of particular importance for main story battles so be sure to drop by the police box at Pawlonia Mall to check out any new stock up for sale.

Choosing Personas to Use Against Bosses

Exploiting a boss’ weaknesses while being mindful of their resistances is crucial for winning story encounters throughout the game. This means that you should use different Personas for taking on major story battles based on attacks that a boss is vulnerable and strong against, skills that the boss uses (including buffs and debuffs), possible allies that a boss may have during the fight, and other special story-related mechanics unique to them when you engage them.

Persona 3 Reload Recommended Article List

Other Persona 3 Reload (P3R) Guides

Beginner Guides

Basic Information

Strategy Guides

Useful Information

Tier List Guides

Social Stats Guides

Romance Guides

Facility Guides

Game Database

Character Weapons

Character Armor and Equipment