Black Mask Boss Guide
Black Mask or Goro Akechi is the first boss you’ll face in Shido’s Palace. The boss battle has two phases and so, he can be quite annoying, especially if you don’t have enough sustain for your SP.
| Recommended Level | 60~65 |
|---|---|
| Persona Roster | Melchizedek, Nebiros, Rangda, Black Frost, Trumpeter |
| Recommended Team | Ryuji, Makoto, Morgana (High Sustain, High Attack)
Ann, Morgana, Ryuji (High Attack, Debuff) Haru, Yusuke, Makoto (High Crit Rate, High Attack) Morgana, Yusuke, Makoto (High Sustain) |
Boss Stats
First Phase
| Level | – |
|---|---|
| HP | – |
| SP | – |
| Strength | 60 |
| Magic | 60 |
| Endurance | 36 |
| Agility | 50 |
| Luck | 36 |
| Inherit | – |
| Reflects | – |
| Absorbs | – |
| Block | – |
| Resists | – |
| Weak | – |
| EXP | – |
| Money | – |
| Item Rewards | – |
Second Phase
| Level | – |
|---|---|
| HP | – |
| SP | – |
| Strength | 80 |
| Magic | 30 |
| Endurance | 43 |
| Agility | 50 |
| Luck | 45 |
| Inherit | – |
| Reflects | – |
| Absorbs | – |
| Block | – |
| Resists | Bless, Curse |
| Weak | – |
| EXP | 6,270 |
| Money | ¥20,000 |
| Item Rewards | – |
Boss Skills
First Phase
1) Charge
Raises damage by 2.5x next turn.
2) Megaton Raid
Severe single-target physical attack.
3) Kougaon
Severe single-target bless attack.
4) Eigaon
Single-target curse attack.
5) Megidolaon
Multiple target severe almighty attack.
Second Phase
1) Negative Pile
Single-target attack that inflicts despair on the target.
2) Brave Blade
Single-target attack that deals huge damage.
3) Deathbound
Multiple-target attack that deals around 58 damage to each party member hit.
4) Tetrakarn
Physical shield buff on himself.
5) Desperation
Buffs his attack at the expense of defense.
Second Phase (50% or less)
1) Makarakarn
Magical shield buff on himself.
2) Eiga-attacks
Single-target attack such as Eigaon or a multiple target attack like Maeiga.
3) Maragion
Moderate Multi-Hit Fire attribute Skill.
4) Laevateinn
Bless attribute damage that targets every member of the party.
Boss Strategy
1) Channel your support on Ryuji (First Phase)
In the first phase, Goro will send out two shadows: Cerberus and Cu Chulainn. After doing so, he casts Desperation on them to buff their attack. However, in doing so, they lose defense. This makes them easier to break.
Take note that Cerberus and Cu Chulainn will have High Counter which will occasionally throw attacks back at you. This may deal heavy damage, especially if you attacked after Charge.
Focus fire them if you can. Use ice attacks to knock down Cerberus with Yusuke or Joker. Or, if you’re using Haru, have Yusuke use Masukukaja and have Haru use One-Shot Kill. Joker will just need to use Melchizedek’s God’s Hand to deal damage or Nebiros’ Maiegaon to put them down.
However, if you’re running Ryuji, Makoto, and Morgana, use Ryuji as your main attacker. Joker and Makoto can rotate roles in attacking and healing while Morgana solely heals. If Joker has either Debilitate (Trumpeter) or Rakunda (any random persona,) you will have an easy time this fight. Ryuji should have Matarukaja and Charge in order to end this battle quickly.
Tip: When I fought him, my Black Frost and Melchizedek did very well. Not only did Black Frost have no weaknesses, he had Ice Amp and Rakunda, which doubled the damage of his Diamond Dust. For healing SP, I used Melchizedek.
2) Goro Akechi (Boss)
When fighting Goro Akechi after Cerberus and Cu Chulainn, he’ll unleash everything he has. This is what Melchizedek or Rangda are for. Goro has Megaton Raid, it also becomes a problem when he uses Charge as well. He’ll have some fixation with Joker so have your healers (be it Morgana, Makoto, Ann) keep him up. He’ll also use a variety of Kouha-attacks which Melchizedek can block. There’s also some Eiga-attacks which Melchizedek will nullify as well.
So much the better if you have Melchizedek running Invigorate 2 and you on SP Adhesive 3. That way, you can replenish your Stamina Points (SP). The effects stack so having to regenerate 12 SP per turn isn’t bad. He’ll use Charge every now and then. When he does, switch to Rangda.
3) Cast magic spells first, then use physical attacks later (Second Phase)
■ When he’s at 50% or more HP
With more than 50% health left, he tanks Physical attacks efficiently with Tetrakarn and performs attacks like Maragion, Negative Pile, and Deathbound.
In comparison to the first phase, his HP and attack will have increased drastically. It is recommended to have Party members who can restore each member’s HP. The party should use magic during the first phase since it bypasses the barrier formed by his Tetrakarn. With Negative Pile having a chance to inflict a party member with Despair, having Energy Drop and Energy Shower to lift its effect will be very useful.
■ When he’s at 50% or less HP
After he has suffered significant amounts of damage, he will now prioritize Makarakarn to handle magic spells. Having Makara Break alongside Tetra Break seems tempting this round, however, it does not offer a significant advantage. Akechi will also start launching multi-target skills like Laevateinn.
Goro Akechi’s second phase emphasizes on damage-dealing with heavy Physical attacks. So, casting Masukukaja helps the party secure the fight. If the party is formed with Yusuke in mind, be prepared to endure Maragion, as Goemon/Kamui-Susanoo-o is weak to it.
Boss Battle Video (Joker, Fox, Queen, and Noir)
| ← Shadow Niijima Boss Guide | Shadow Shido (Samael) Boss Guide → |
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Related Articles
- Shadow Shido (Samael) Boss Guide
- October Story Walkthrough
- November Story Walkthrough
- Shido Palace Guide
- Mementos Dungeon
Persona 5 Royal Recommended Article List
| Persona 5 / Persona 5 Royal Recommended Articles | ||
|---|---|---|
| News and Features | Story Walkthroughs | Palace Guides |
| Boss Guides | Characters | Confidants |
| Persona Compendium | Electric Chair and Skill Cards | Confidant Gift Guide |
“The party should exploit his weakness to magic” is a poor phrase here. Weakness mean something in Persona — when a shadow is weak to something, using it knocks them down and lets you all-out attack. Akechi is not weak to magic in this phase. Please consider rewording that to avoid that confusion!
Hi, I think its English translation is Desperation.
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