Shin megami Tensei IV, starting out, any comments/advice

[Jotari]

Shin Megami Tensei IV was recently on sale for €9.99 which got my buy. Just started playing it today while taking a train journey. I probably won't get around to playing it properly for a little while as I still have a lot to do in Final Fantasy Tactics but it's officially started now and I intend to see it through before the cross over comes out. To compare it to the only Shin Megami Tensei game I've played, Digital Devil Saga II, it seems quite similar in terms of gameplay with the series staple summoning being the only immediate difference. Anyway, the series is known for being pretty hardcore in terms of difficulty so I was wondering if there's any hints or tips you more experienced players could give me that'll make things flow a bit better.

[Nobody]

Pay attention to the monsters' weakness and resistence when fighting them, specially bosses. Fighting bosses with monsters weak to them is almost suicide

On boss battles, use buffs and debuffs, they really help you out.

The best MC is one with focus on dex. Increasing 3 dex 1 luk and 1 agi or 2 dex 1 agi 2 luk every level up is a good build

Magical MCs are also good (but not as much as the dex ones). If you want that, go with 3 mag 1 agi 1 luk.

STR is crap. Avoid it. Give every incense to the MC.

When recruiting monsters, don't always acept their requests. Believe it or not sometimes agreeing with them make them run from you, and some requests are just ridiculous

Fusing demon's is almost always better than leveling them up

And enjoy it! It's my favorite 3ds game

Edited April 3, 2015 by Nobody

[Jotari]

Yeah, I've already died twice in the first dungeon. It seems nice that the game offers to let you restart from the last battle you did but since it costs something I probably will be saving often. So far I've been leveling up strength and agility the most (agility since, in my limited experience, missing is fatal) but if strength really isn't great then it's still early enough to change.

[Topazd]

Yeah, the difficulty drops drastically after Minotaur, so it's not going to be a long-lasting trend.

As for the Burroughs apps, I recommend at least the ones that increase your skill/demon slots and the ones that heal MP after every battle. It's been a while since I played, so take note that I might have missed something important. I'd also vouch for the Mag build, it really does go a long way in terms of getting rid of enemies fast.

You'll unlock Easy Mode after a couple game overs, but if you want to play it on the regular setting (which I recommend), the best way to go about it is to just soft reset after you die.

EDIT Sorry, meant hard reset <_<

Edited April 3, 2015 by Topazd

[Irysa]

A quick warning, if you are a typical completionist the game will effectively force you onto the neutral route. Be careful about deciding to partake in every sidequest, I'd reccomend you simply do the ones you "agree" with, if that makes sense.

[EricaofRenais]

I need to get back to this game because I bought it when Club Nintendo did the $30 eshop credit and started playing it then put it down for a really long time. It is really good and yes it does get easier go along.

[Jedi]

Shin Megami Tensei IV was recently on sale for €9.99 which got my buy. Just started playing it today while taking a train journey. I probably won't get around to playing it properly for a little while as I still have a lot to do in Final Fantasy Tactics but it's officially started now and I intend to see it through before the cross over comes out. To compare it to the only Shin Megami Tensei game I've played, Digital Devil Saga II, it seems quite similar in terms of gameplay with the series staple summoning being the only immediate difference. Anyway, the series is known for being pretty hardcore in terms of difficulty so I was wondering if there's any hints or tips you more experienced players could give me that'll make things flow a bit better.

Be very careful, grind a little if a foe is too difficult, pay massive attention to the weaknesses as this will allow you to press more and more turns against your foes. When you defeat a foe its weaknesses are seeable from then on, or if you've owned the demon in the past.

Fusion is key to upgrade your fighting force however, wait for some demons to get to the level they can "whisper" abilities to you so Flynn is prepared for stuff depending on how you build him. There are also a select few demons who will become stronger demons upon level up, not unlike Pokemon, but they are few.

Save often, don't waste items unless you absolutely have to early game. Rely on abilities like Dia when able, or if you are close enough to the surface. The Barracks, later on remember where terminals and healing locations are.

Expect to die, quite often at first. Even after Minotaur, while the game gets easier, this doesn't mean its easy by any means.

Alignment is effected by choices, it may be hard to get neutral your first run without a guide, but I'd say just see what happens on your first run of the 3 paths. There is another 4th ending, but that is often considered a "bad" end effected by only one choice.

Some boss fights will also have choices, these don't usually serve for alignment, but for stat ups for you or your opponent or stat downs for either as well. If you'd like I could tell you the best choices for Minotaurs dialogue options.

Also also, ENJOY THE OST.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Jedi

[eclipse]

Early game will hand you your ass. If you want to increase your survivability a wee bit, snag a demon that can heal you. Don't rely on healing items too much, because they're expensive - enough to make most Pokemon inflation hacks drool. As you get further into the story, your money problems should ease a bit (unless you're giving them all to demons when you recruit them). The answers you give to the questions will influence your route far more than taking sidequests. Someone made a tool to help you figure out what you need to fuse things, but I think you can wait until later.

[Jedi]

Early game will hand you your ass. If you want to increase your survivability a wee bit, snag a demon that can heal you. Don't rely on healing items too much, because they're expensive - enough to make most Pokemon inflation hacks drool. As you get further into the story, your money problems should ease a bit (unless you're giving them all to demons when you recruit them). The answers you give to the questions will influence your route far more than taking sidequests. Someone made a tool to help you figure out what you need to fuse things, but I think you can wait until later.

Napaea is the first demon with Dia, but funny enough also one of the MOST STINGY. Careful around her and other faries, they tend to ask for a-lot and a-lot of times don't even GIVE.

Speaking of early demons with healing, when you fuse demons you can choose what skills go into the new demons skill list. They have a recommended set depending on the demon, but you can also select what you want.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Jedi

[eclipse]

Dunno how far TC has gone, but IIRC, these should be pretty low-level stuff.

Grab a Centaur and Fuxi, and fuse 'em. Congratulations, you have an Angel!

[Jedi]

Dunno how far TC has gone, but IIRC, these should be pretty low-level stuff.

Grab a Centaur and Fuxi, and fuse 'em. Congratulations, you have an Angel!

Yep those 2 are like 2 of the first possible encounters ^^

[Jotari]

Wow. Loads of responses. I'm expecting a high quality game now. A lot of you seem quite enamored by it.

Dunno how far TC has gone, but IIRC, these should be pretty low-level stuff.

Grab a Centaur and Fuxi, and fuse 'em. Congratulations, you have an Angel!

I think that's the only demon I can fuse right now. At least it's the only one appearing in the recommendations list.

What about the DLC? Is that worth getting? It looks like there's a lot of it but each one is quite cheap.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Jotari

[Jedi]

Wow. Loads of responses. I'm expecting a high quality game now. A lot of you seem quite enamored by it.

I think that's the only demon I can fuse right now. At least it's the only one appearing in the recommendations list.

What about the DLC? Is that worth getting? It looks like there's a lot of it but each one is quite cheap.

Sadly despite my love of SMT4 I haven't invested in the DLC yet. Someone like Esme may be able to tell you how cool it is though

Edited April 3, 2015 by Jedi

[eclipse]

Wow. Loads of responses. I'm expecting a high quality game now. A lot of you seem quite enamored by it.

I think that's the only demon I can fuse right now. At least it's the only one appearing in the recommendations list.

What about the DLC? Is that worth getting? It looks like there's a lot of it but each one is quite cheap.

Said demon comes with Dia, which is why I recommended it. No need to haggle with Napaea!

The DLC's great for late-game story things (if you absolutely crave it), but not totally necessary unless you're going full completionist. I didn't bother with it.

[Jedi]

Said demon comes with Dia, which is why I recommended it. No need to haggle with Napaea!

Did you have the same issues haggling with Napaea I did? I found

PIXIE

to be more reasonable.

[Esme]

Sadly despite my love of SMT4 I haven't invested in the DLC yet. Someone like Esme may be able to tell you how cool it is though

The DLC's consist of several cosmetic armors, three superbosses, and three "grinding" maps. There's also a DLC that lets you fight and unlock fusion requirements for the four archangels. They aren't really must-haves, so you won't be missing much if you decide to skip out on them. If you are looking to make the ultimate demons and want to tackle some crazy difficult bosses, then I would suggest getting the superboss DLC's. They'll reward you with OP skills if you complete them.

[eclipse]

Did you have the same issues haggling with Napaea I did? I found

PIXIE

to be more reasonable.

She took a decent chunk of change, but wasn't a pain in the ass, otherwise. I think I got lucky.

[Jedi]

She took a decent chunk of change, but wasn't a pain in the ass, otherwise. I think I got lucky.

Possibly I remember the first time in my first run.

"You aren't popular with girls are you"

- Says something condescending (in older games the fairies like if you are kind of a jerk to them)

- Gets a Bufu to the face

Edited April 3, 2015 by Jedi

[Topazd]

On top of what Esme mentioned, the grinding maps did include palette swaps for already existing demons (marketed as new demons).

I own all of the DLC, and out of those I'd recommend you get at least Clipped Wings 1 & 2 and the three superboss ones. In hindsight I do slightly regret buying all of it - it was unclear whether or not PAL would get the game at all so when it finally did come out here, I immediately bought all of the DLC as means of support. It essentially boils down to whatever floats your boat, and they're not terribly expensive in the end.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Topazd

[Esme]

Sadly despite my love of SMT4 I haven't invested in the DLC yet. Someone like Esme may be able to tell you how cool it is though

I sure can!

Firstly, the DLCs are pretty small and totally optional. Some of them include cosmetic armors (One of which is actually really, really good.), three grinding areas for macca, app points and EXP, three superbosses, and two other DLCs that include fights with the archangels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and Uriel. The boss fights other than the archangel ones are insanely difficult. I have had them for a long time and I have yet to beat any of them. If you plan on fusing the ultimate demons, then I suggest considering the superboss DLCs to truly test your demons. If you want convenience, or if you want to actually be able to purchase things in Ginza without grinding your ass off for weeks, then I suggest getting the grinding DLCs, or at least the one for macca.

So, yeah, all-in-all the DLCs are just small extras. There aren't must-haves per say. (IMO the macca one is a godsend, but, again, it is not required.)

Oh, also, don't feel like you actually have to invest in MAG, STR or DEX. You could beat the game with an AGI/LCK-based support build if you wanted to. It's actually one of the more fun ways to play the game.

[eclipse]

Oh, also, don't feel like you actually have to invest in MAG, STR or DEX. You could beat the game with an AGI/LCK-based support build if you wanted to. It's actually one of the more fun ways to play the game.

Actually, you don't have to optimize, full stop (I had the scrubbiest Flynn ever). It'll be more difficult, but it's still doable.

[Esme]

Actually, you don't have to optimize, full stop (I had the scrubbiest Flynn ever). It'll be more difficult, but it's still doable.

Yeah, you could go balanced. Anything is possible, really.

I didn't realize that my initial post went through because I got an error message after posting it. If it could be deleted that would be great.

[Jedi]

Dex is good for Gun/Melee builds. Str is a weird stat, I mean it DOES help, but not as much as Dex which confuses me.

Fun fact in SMT 1 and 2, Mag did nothing for the Protagonist because he couldn't magic, he could just summon, slice and shoot. Those games had a Cha skill though which you HAD to invest in, it was how good you were at talking with demons.

[Jotari]

I sure can!

Firstly, the DLCs are pretty small and totally optional. Some of them include cosmetic armors (One of which is actually really, really good.), three grinding areas for macca, app points and EXP, three superbosses, and two other DLCs that include fights with the archangels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and Uriel. The boss fights other than the archangel ones are insanely difficult. I have had them for a long time and I have yet to beat any of them. If you plan on fusing the ultimate demons, then I suggest considering the superboss DLCs to truly test your demons. If you want convenience, or if you want to actually be able to purchase things in Ginza without grinding your ass off for weeks, then I suggest getting the grinding DLCs, or at least the one for macca.

So, yeah, all-in-all the DLCs are just small extras. There aren't must-haves per say. (IMO the macca one is a godsend, but, again, it is not required.)

Oh, also, don't feel like you actually have to invest in MAG, STR or DEX. You could beat the game with an AGI/LCK-based support build if you wanted to. It's actually one of the more fun ways to play the game.

Sounds like the DLC is a lot like Awakenings in terms of relevance.

Dex is good for Gun/Melee builds. Str is a weird stat, I mean it DOES help, but not as much as Dex which confuses me.

Fun fact in SMT 1 and 2, Mag did nothing for the Protagonist because he couldn't magic, he could just summon, slice and shoot. Those games had a Cha skill though which you HAD to invest in, it was how good you were at talking with demons.

So was magic completely useless? As in giving points to it isn't possible or is just a 100% waste/obvious design oversight? Cha sounds like an interesting stat, I wonder why they removed it.

[Jedi]

So was magic completely useless? As in giving points to it isn't possible or is just a 100% waste/obvious design oversight? Cha sounds like an interesting stat, I wonder why they removed it.

To the protagonist it gave Magic Resistance, but every other person could use it offensively so *shrugs*

Edited April 3, 2015 by Jedi