Persona 5 Royal FAQ#

This page gathers the questions Persona 5 Royal players ask most often and answers them in five sections: versions and platforms, endings and the third semester, confidants and growth, exploration and combat, and systems and achievements. Every answer states the mechanic it rests on; where official data simply doesn’t exist (drop rates, a fixed floor count), the answer says so plainly instead of guessing.

For the full breakdown behind each section, see the site’s Palace Guides, Combat System, Confidant Profiles, Endings Guide, and Trophies and Achievements.

Versions and Platforms#

What’s the difference between Royal and the original Persona 5?#

The original Persona 5 launched in Japan on September 15, 2016 (PS3/PS4); Royal is its full-scale enhanced edition, which first hit PS4 on October 31, 2019. The differences between them concentrate on two layers, story structure and systems:

How to read this: Royal adds exactly two new confidants — Takuto Maruki and Kasumi Yoshizawa; Goro Akechi is not an addition, he moved from “levels up automatically with the story” to “needs normal raising”. If this is your first time with the game, just play Royal — it contains everything the original has; only players who finished the original and want to compare differences need to go back to it.

Can PS4 saves be used directly on PS5, PC, or Switch?#

No. Atlus has made clear that the re-release doesn’t support upgrading from the PS4 version to a PS5 version, and the PS5 re-release can’t read saves from the PS4 original to continue playing. This is the most common mistake among all cross-platform questions — if you want the re-release, accept starting over on the corresponding platform. Saves are equally incompatible between the re-release platforms themselves, so decide which device you’ll mainly play on before buying.

Does the re-release include the original game’s DLC?#

Yes. The HD re-release that shipped on October 21, 2022 for Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch comes with all of Royal’s DLC at no extra charge. In other words, whichever re-release platform you start on, you get the most complete version of the game.

What other differences are there between versions?#

How to read this: players who already own the PS4 version and want to keep their saves should stay on that platform; for higher frame rates and portability, pick the corresponding re-release platform; subscribers can play the re-release straight from the Xbox Game Pass library.

Endings and the Third Semester#

How do you unlock the true ending and the third semester?#

The unlock condition for the third semester is exactly one: Takuto Maruki’s (Councillor) confidant must reach Rank 9 by November 17. On November 18 his confidant automatically climbs to Rank 10 (max), and the third semester opens. If he isn’t there by November 17, the main story converges at the end of December along the original’s structure — no third semester, no new Palace, no true ending.

Two more requirements apply inside the third semester: refuse every deal, and clear Takuto Maruki’s Palace by February 3 — that Palace’s final deadline is precisely February 3; miss it and the game treats it as game over (time rewinds one week) and the true ending is void.

The true ending’s final opponent is Takuto Maruki, whose Persona is Azathoth, awakening into Adam Kadmon for the decisive battle. For the exact choices at every branch point, see the Endings Guide.

Is Kasumi Yoshizawa’s confidant a requirement for the true ending?#

No. Kasumi Yoshizawa (Faith) has no mechanical cause-and-effect link to the true ending; presenting her as one is a common error. Her actual restriction: if her confidant hasn’t reached Rank 5 by December 22, it can no longer be progressed at all for the rest of that playthrough — what you lose is her personal story and its rewards, not true ending eligibility.

In short: Takuto Maruki decides “can you enter the third semester”, while Kasumi Yoshizawa only decides “is her own storyline complete”. To see her full story, just raise her to Rank 5 before December 22.

What does Goro Akechi’s confidant do?#

Goro Akechi (Justice) leveled up automatically with the story in the original; Royal turns him into a complete confidant you raise normally. He has exactly one mechanic that touches the endings: reaching Rank 8 by November 17 unlocks the extra scenes of the Royal Ending.

His confidant progression has social stat gates: Rank 3 requires Knowledge 3 and Charm 3; Rank 7 requires Knowledge 4. If you want this line maxed, leave lead time for the five social stats in your schedule planning.

How many endings does the game have?#

Five main endings in total: three Bad Endings, plus the Normal Ending (the original’s good ending), plus the True Ending. Clearing the true ending also adds one extended scene, the Royal Ending — an extended cut of the true ending, not an independent sixth ending.

Confidants and Growth#

Can you max every confidant in a single playthrough?#

No. Royal has 22 raisable confidants, and each day only offers three slots — daytime, after school, and evening — a large share of which is consumed by the main story, Palace exploration, exams, and fixed story scenes. One playthrough simply doesn’t provide enough total time to cover every confidant. Full completion is a New Game Plus (NG+) goal: a new cycle carries over growth elements such as the five social stats, the stat gates no longer stall progress, and with a proven schedule plan it becomes achievable.

What does Takuto Maruki’s confidant provide?#

Takuto Maruki’s confidant unlocks automatically with the story on May 13, and it is the sole key to opening the third semester. Atlus has published the reward name for each rank:

The exact effect of each rank follows the in-game confidant description; only the officially published reward names are listed here, with no additional inference.

Exploration and Combat#

How does the weakness-chaining core loop work?#

Hitting a weakness or landing a critical triggers “1 More” for one extra action; “Baton Pass” hands that action to an ally and stacks damage bonuses; once every visible enemy is knocked down, an All-Out Attack can close out the fight in a single stroke.

How to read this: open each battle with scouting to confirm the weakness layout, and give the final link of the Baton Pass chain to the ally with the highest elemental payoff; the burst after three passes is far more effective than spreading turns evenly.

What about powerful enemies without weaknesses?#

Take the ailment route instead: inflict an ailment first, then follow up with the matching element to trigger Technical damage and very likely knock the enemy down.

How to read this: Freeze or Shock into a Physical attack is the most cost-effective combination; against enemies that absorb or reflect damage, switching elements promptly or falling back to an All-Out Attack is the safer play.

How many floors does Mementos actually have?#

Atlus has never published a fixed floor count for Mementos — its structure is randomly generated, and the floor layout can differ on every visit, so circulating claims such as “20 floors in total” have no official basis. Mementos opens track by track with story progress, and the explorable depth is tied to how far the story has advanced; Royal also adds the Stamp Rally run by new character Jose, trading collected stamps for all sorts of growth rewards.

Plan around it as a free dungeon you can enter and leave at will: pushing deep into the lower tracks after your confidants and gear are in shape is far more efficient than forcing your way through.

When does the Reaper appear?#

The Reaper is a powerful enemy that prowls the deepest reaches of Mementos. Officially, the only statement is that its appearance is tied to how far the cognitive world has been damaged and defiled; the exact probability and floors have never been published. Only two practical responses exist: if you meet it early, prioritize escaping and consider a head-on fight once the party is built; and since defeating the Reaper corresponds to one silver trophy, a full-achievement route must take it head-on at least once.

Are there official star ratings or weapon strength rankings?#

No. Atlus has never released any difficulty ratings, weapon strength scores, or character tier rankings; the “strongest rankings” circulating online are all fan-made content and do not represent the official position. This site has removed all self-made five-star scores and rewritten every recommendation as mechanical statements — for example “required for main story progress”, “affects efficiency only, not endings”, “can be skipped entirely in a first playthrough” — with the basis noted. The right basis for choosing weapons and Personas is stat lines, bonus effects, and synergy with your current lineup, never any ranking.

Systems and Achievements#

How long does full achievement completion take? How are trophies distributed?#

Reference times: a full achievement (platinum) run takes roughly 100 to 120 hours, and collecting all five main endings roughly 90 to 150 hours. The PlayStation trophy list totals 53:

Five execution-themed trophies correspond to the five official execution methods: the Guillotine, the Group Guillotine, the Gallows, the Electric Chair, and execution during a Fusion Alarm (Accident-Prone). The “I am Thou…” trophy requires obtaining a Persona through negotiation rather than fusion. Two points are easy to confuse: the 52 Awards displayed inside the Thieves Den are an in-game feature — they are neither platform trophies nor a platinum requirement; the Xbox version has no platinum trophy, only the achievement list.

Are there difficulty options? Do they affect the story?#

Yes. You choose from five difficulty levels right at the start, from the forgiving tier suited to first-timers up to the most demanding one, and you can switch at any time in-game. Difficulty only affects combat margin for error and resource pressure; it does not affect story direction, ending determination, or confidant events. Atlus recommends first-time players pick the two lowest tiers (Safety and Easy), experience the complete story first, and then take on higher difficulties by preference — this game’s sense of accomplishment comes from schedule planning and combat coordination, not from the difficulty tier itself.

Can I save mid-way through?#

Yes. Palaces contain Safe Rooms where you can save your progress at any time — the official checkpoints during exploration; outside Palaces you can save manually from the menu, and the settings menu also offers an auto-save toggle. Save at every Safe Room you come across, especially before boss fights and key branching points, so an accidental party wipe doesn’t cost you a whole stretch of exploration.

Does the game require an internet connection?#

No. This is a single-player, turn-based RPG that is fully playable offline; whether you’re online has no effect on story progress or achievement unlocks.

What is the protagonist’s name?#

The protagonist’s name is customizable, and how the characters address him changes accordingly. The formal name commonly used across wikis and derivative works is Ren Amamiya; the manga instead uses Akira Kurusu. There is no single “official true name” within the game, and whichever name you pick has no effect on story or system content.

Quick Navigation#