Summary
Persona 5: Tacticahas taken the beloved TRPG genre and created a balanced experience that appeals to both veterans of tactical RPGs who love orchestrating hellfire on the field and Persona fans who are new to the tactical genre but still want to enjoy the new story in the Persona 5 universe.
While each character is built to be used through the entire game effectively, some are going to excel at things that will give them an edge over other characters. It could be Morgana’s healing or Makoto’s strength that drives your decision, but if you aren’t sure, the list below could tentatively help you decide your next party for battle.
8Erina
Powerful, But Persona-less
When you’re first transported and in danger, Erina shows up and prevents Joker and Morgana from being captured by the first boss, Marie. Brandishing a spear and gun, Erina can deal effective ranged damage with her spear and gun while also causing light damage and the Forget status effect with her magic spells. She’s a very well-rounded unit to have in your party.
Her biggest drawback is herinability to use a sub-persona, and in turn, she loses the adaptability that the other party members can utilize. So, what you see on her skill tree is what you get: high damage and the forget status effect, but not much else.
7Joker
Protagonist: Yes, But Lacking Power
Oddly enough, Joker has his protagonist buff removed in Persona 5 Tactica by limiting him to the same persona limit as everyone else, but he’s still got a lot of utility to add to the party. His voltage ability, once activated, turns the next attack he performs into a One More, letting you set up the party for another counterattack if you play your cards right.
Joker and Arsene’s default spell, Eiga, switches out the curses status effects for Despair, which steals the target’s movement and adds it to their own. If played right, you’ll be able to move almost anywhere during your turn. Couple this with his debuff ability, and you’ve got a decent support unit.
6Morgana
Joker’s First Lifesaver
Morgana and his wind affinityright out the gate help keep enemies at bay. The sweep status effect blows the intended target up to three spots away from its current space, letting Morgana easily push people into prime spots for a triple threat attack. Not to mention, Morgana also has a decent movement distance to help.
One of the first skills he’s able to learn is Dia, which is critical if you want to survive the search for your brainwashed friends at the beginning of the game. However, once you do, you’ll find that his magic stats don’t hold up to the likes of Makoto or Ann, which will relegate him to the backup group fairly quickly.
5Haru Okumura
A Mismatch In Magic And Might
In the original game, Haru was a latecomer to the party after you’d already established your strongest characters, so it was hard for her to find the right synergy as far as tactics went. She was strong and could handle multiple targets, but her spells often felt like they weren’t needed. Sadly. That trend continues here, too.
Haru is really good for crowd control when using her grenade launcher. And, her Psy magic casts hypno on the enemy, compelling them to move toward a trap you’ve set up. It’s nice, but it falls short of other status effects in the game.
4Yusuke Kitagawa
A Masterpiece In Mechanics
Whether he’s holding a paintbrush or katana, Yusuke will create a divine work of art with his Ice skills. Bufu causes great damage but has the added benefit of stopping an enemy in its tracks while slowing the enemy’s speed. Then, his gun has incredible range and stopping power to single targets but has the versatility to hit multiple targets as well, albeit with less damage.
However,his Voltage move, Like A Phantom, is a game-changer. Once activated, it creates several decoys modeled after the artist, making any enemy near them waste their attacks and opening them up to retaliatory damage from Yusuke and company. It’s really useful when you’re in a sticky situation.
3Ryuji Sakamoto
Letting His Track Training Shine
Outside of Morgana, Ryuji has the largest movement space of the party. If you combine that with every time you’re able to use a One More, he’ll damn near have complete control of the field. He is a strong Melee fighter and can blow multiple enemies away with his shotgun.
His electrifying Zio skills are nothing to underestimate either, as they will shock the enemy into position without being able to move, which is great if you’re trying to move past enemies when you’re trying to escape.
2Makoto Nijima
The Fist Of Justice Rises Once Again
Makoto has always been a powerhouse of pain, no matter what game she’s in. She is coming in strong here in Tactica as well, with strong melee damage, strong magic damage that pulls enemies out from cover with a vortex, and strong healing skills that can heal the whole party once it’s available.
As if her innate strength wasn’t enough, Makoto’s passive trait significantly raises the party’s attack, making the beatdown she gives just that much more egregious once you have her fully powered up. Finally, her voltage skill, Full Throttle, clears out a straight path through enemies while knocking them back. It’s great for damage and to place your enemies into a compromised position.
1Ann Takamaki
The Femme Fatale With The Fiery Whip
Ann Takamaki is the person you want on your team for literal explosive damage. Her fire element allows Ann to come threefold:
She is also the party member to get Tarukaja at a very early time in the game, which gives you or the whole party a significant attack boost for three turns.
What puts Ann at the top, though, is not her strength, her fire abilities, or even her AOE shooting. No, instead, what puts Ann over the top is her passive ability, Soul Synergy. Soul Synergy raises the overall SP of the entire party, and trust me, you’re going to need every single point if you want to make it back to Tokyo.
