Persona 5 Royal - Morgana Report #3 Showcased New Combat Mechanics, More Activities, and Other Changes

Morgana Report #3

New tactics and improvements focusing on combat, as well as new sources for raising social stats and experience appeared in the latest Morgana Report. The video was posted on July 11, 2019.

A New Combat Mechanic

Morgana starts the presentation by discussing one of the game’s new features, combination attacks. The Phantom Thieves have acquired new moves called “Show Time,” which are attacks reminiscent of Persona Q2’s “Unison Attacks”. To unleash this attack, two thieves must pair up and lend their strengths to one another in a dramatic performance. In the video, we saw Fox interacting with Panther on the subway. It seems that two thieves must strengthen their bonds to unlock this effect. Panther and Fox dazzle their foes with an attack reminiscent of traditional Japanese performance arts.

Assign Characteristics to your Persona

Shortly after, the video brought up a twist on an old mechanic which focused on a Persona’s characteristics. Previously, knowledge on a persona’s characteristic proved useful in negotiation. Whenever the thieves converse with a downed Persona, they need to respond with statements that play well to their captive’s nature. Here, thieves can make great use of these natures to produce different outcomes in combat. Other than that, the team can also choose which characteristic they prefer. Try each characteristic to find which one caters to your play style.

Skills from Accessories

While accessories existed in the previous game, Mona showed that some accessories now come with skills. In the video, we saw Joker stylishly defeat a Shadow with the help of “Technical Damage.” This should help open up team compositions, allowing each Phantom Thief to fill in different roles You can now freely form teams using different characters with the help of these accessories.

Baton Pass Upgrades

Mona couldn’t contain his excitement as he delivered this new feature for the combat section. Baton Passes can now benefit from various upgrades. Upon completing a full chain of baton passes, the final member to gain the buff will be able to use any ability they’d like at no cost. Looking at the video, we saw Noir’s persona, Milady, use an empowered area of effect Psy skill for free.

Fan Questions

Over on Reddit, user Theroonco was able to provide a break down of the translations of the fan questions and answers. The first question tackled the story. Morgana answered that the story of Persona 5: Royal is the same as its predecessor, just with an added chapter. Mona emphasized that details on the school counselor, Takuto Maruki, will be discussed in future episodes. Morgana also gave a glimpse of a new Persona that will be available in the game, stating that there are more newcomers as well.

New Activities

Again, thanks to user Theroonco, various points were shown regarding school life such as an explanation of the affected stats and ranks. In the next section, Morgana presented the new location, Kichijoji, a place that is filled with new activities. The Phantom Thieves can now spend time boosting their ranks and stats by doing a combination of refreshing activities.

Darts

First off, Mona directed our attention to the new darts mini-game. Taking a closer look, playing darts is more than just another mini-game. Morgana explained that a darts session requires choosing and inviting specific members. Different Phantom Thieves can improve their Show Time attacks and Batton Passes by playing together. Similar to confidants, Baton Pass caps at a certain number. While confidants, for the most part, cap at rank 10, Baton Pass caps at rank 3. By reaching the final rank, the ally that gets the Baton Pass will double thier damage, an increase in HP recovery, and an added SP recovery. In the report, we saw that the protagonist invited three people to play darts.

However, it left a couple of loose ends. For one, we don’t know if we can only raise one ally’s rank at a time. We also don’t know whether each session gives a rank up, or if experience has to be earned like with social stats.

Billiards

Mona also presented another new mini-game, billiards. Unlike darts, details on this one were scarce. In the video, no other thief was seen playing aside from Joker. When Joker landed the shot, he was able to raise his “Technical Rank” and Charm. Technical Rank follows the same progression as Baton Pass by capping at rank 3. In the first two ranks, thieves gain “Technical Power Up.” Upon achieving the third rank, however, thieves also receive a “Critical Rate Up” boost.

Again, more questions could be raised here. We don’t have enough grasp of the Technical Rank yet. Currently, we could infer that it is responsible for influencing the chance to gain added effects when dealing technical damage. It could alternatively influence the amount of damage done when dealing technical damage. On the social stats side, it could be that the points given were either randomly assigned or locked to charm.

Nightlife

Much later, Mona teased a scene where we have the Protagonist and Makoto Niijima shared time together at a Jazz Club. They made a toast and Makoto’s persona, Johanna, gained a level. We can also confirm Johanna’s characteristic through the clip. Again, more questions were left unanswered.

We still can’t confirm if bringing someone over for a drink at the bar would guarantee a raise in the persona’s level. Also, as mentioned above, we’re not sure if an initial persona will keep its characteristic when it transitions to the awakened form.

Temple

We then find Joker sitting at a temple beside Morgana. Mona tells us that Joker can raise his max SP through his visit.

We still need to wait for further announcements about this mechanic, though.

Sell your Excess Loot

In the original version of the game, players faced an overwhelming amount of gear piling up in their inventory. Here, we see yet another quality of life change through the “Vintage Clothing Store.” Possibly, starting in the month of June, the Phantom Thieves can sell some leftovers that were extracted from previous heists instead of selling them at Munehisa Iwai’s model gun shop. In return, they can get points for selling a certain amount of gear. Points can then be exchanged for some items. The items that can be claimed were two items that cure status recovery, a souvenir, and an accessory with an auto skill. The recovery items cost 30 points each, the souvenir costs 50 points, and the accessory, being the most expensive, can be obtained for 150 points.

Shops

As Mona prepared to wrap up the coverage of this report, he quickly ran through a couple of shops in Kichijoji. On the top left is the liquor store which showed Joker investigating something. To its right is the “Stoneon,” the power stone that sells the Black Rock. Over at the bottom left is the stationery store which offers souvenirs. Last is the street vendor which sells Chinese Dumplings. Among the shops, the liquor store didn’t show the shop’s selection.

Last, but not least, Mona presented a brief summary of the previous character-focused trailers.

That wraps up coverage of the third Morgana Report. For more news and updates, visit our Persona 5 / Persona 5 Royal game guide page!

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