I plan on buying SMT IV for the first time, any tips for a beginner?

[Busterman64]

I've been wanting to play SMT IV for a good long while, but since I didn't have the money(or a job yet), that made things somewhat difficult. Now that I do have it(and since it's on sale on the eShop), I'm gonna get it!

Now, I already know it's a hard game(I mean, its an ATLUS game, duh), but I've heard even early game can be difficult(and possibly brutal) and while I have experience with the Persona and Devil Survivor series, I wanna be safe and ask others for any possible tips...just to be on the safe side. (Forgive me if I'm just overreacting a bit though!)

Anything helps(even tips for later on is fine with me), Thanks in advance!

Edited April 14, 2016 by Busterman64

[Samias]

The "tutorial" is the hardest, most brutal part of the game. You will curse and maybe cry a little bit for all the times you get one shot by randoms and you have no team yet. If you can make it out of the first area, congrats, you can probably coast through the rest of the game.

Also save often. Just because the game gets a lot easier, sometimes you just run into asshole mob configs that will wreck your day. Usually spamming Blight or some other miserable AoE.

Strength kinda sucks as dex increases skill damage more than strength does. If you want to build a physical MC, go for dexterity.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Samias

[Captain Karnage]

if you don't play on casual well...

it's like Dark Souls x Pokemon

your going to die alot while catching demons

Gotta'Catchem'all SMT

[eclipse]

Catch demons. Catch a lot of demons. Breed 'em, because good stuff will eventually happen when you do. During mid/late-game, Estoma Sword is a lifesaver. During early game, see if you can grab a demon that heals, so that you stop dying in three hits.

[Busterman64]

Hhh...guess I'm in for quite the interesting and...strange journey.

Thanks for the tips everyone! It really helps! I hope I don't die...a lot( God help me...)

[B.Leu]

Pretty much my entire experience here, don't take as face-value though. Notably because while it did get be through most of the game, it was really not good in late-game challenge quest. Really, really not good. Still managed to do everythings with efforts, but eh... that's what I get for counting on my MC much more than my demons.

-The tutoriel is cruel, but don't give up ! It will be nicer later on.

-Each level up, 3 in Mag, 1 in Luck, 1 in Agi. Though it's really not the most optimized build.

-Make your MC covers all magic element, find the weaknesses of the ennemies/boss, and spam the hell out of it. With your boosted Mag, it will do wonder, as in, probably one shot the ennemies and take a huge ammount of a boss health. I personally dislike multi-target spells, since they do much less damage than their One-target counterpart (Duh), and they can severly screw you up if one ennemies have Res/Rfl/Null against it. I prefer to leave those to some demons. You WILL die of course, it's an Atlus game. At least you'll either kill fast or die fast. Except for a boss, where it will be longer (Duh) and you'll have to be smarter. (x2 Duh)
-Healing spells to everyone. It is just too good, and with the MP apps...

-Buy all the MP recovery apps as soon as possible, it, surprise surprise, recover your MPs while walking, and once maxed, it does that for your entire team. This is an Atus game, so this is not broken that much.

-Get Archangel... or is it Angel ?... as soon as possible too. Not only it is a good demon to have all around, but it's a demon who evolve at a certain level into another demon with a higher level. Very, VERY handy, especially since it's 'line' is the longest of the game.

Once you have Megido/Megidola/Megidolaon (I prefer Megidola, Megidolaon is too much costy for the aps to catch on), you have pretty much won the game. Those skills deals Almighty damage to all ennemies. they cost a lot of MP to cast, but thanks to the MP recovery apps, it will not be a problem, Just don't neglect stats buffs/debuffs skills, and you'll be perfect. Oh, and just because you have the Megi-spells, doesn't mean that you won't need the others elements, so don't discard them. Smirk is very important after all.

Again, don't take what I said as face value, there's much smarter and better player that I am outta there, notably, I've heard about the famous Dex/Agi build who really seems do the job much better, but I did not tested it so...

Edited April 15, 2016 by B.Leu

[MrStardustRicon]

Thanks for the tips everyone! It really helps! I hope I don't die...a lot( God help me...)

God doesn't care about you in this series, that's why should just go up and punch god in the face! Good luck and try to have fun.

[Busterman64]

God doesn't care about you in this series, that's why should just go up and punch god in the face! Good luck and try to have fun.

Oh right, forgot about that.

Also,(even though I figured out ways to make things easier like talking to demons who are already in my party or backups and have the battle end right there and then...)Playing the game, having fun, dying alot, sweeping enemies, enemies sweeping me, fun times for all! ;3

[Reality]

I kind of feel like smt4 is choppy compared to the other games. The beginning to Medusa is difficult, but then I curb stomped basically everything until I got to Pluto, and then moving from there to the end of the game was difficult again (not quite forced to heal between every other random encounter and Minotaur level hard though)

I met some people who dropped the game because of the first two bosses, so here's some emergency strategies.

If minotaur is annoying, I really recommend just catching fairy twice, and fusing it with other stuff so you have the ice spell on (non-fairy monsters) Even A "fire type" like Pele can carry around bufu no problem. If he really messes with you, and want to win no matter what RNG he gives you then recruit Tangata Manu (in the domain, and also a rare spawn on basement 4) and keep it in your party for an obnoxiously long time (4 levels) and it will learn sukukaja. It doesn't really have the MP to use it himself, so you need to fuse him afterwards. I don't think I've ever lost to minotaur with this spell available (of course I have extra levels on main charather from lugging him around).

If medusa is annoying, go to Basement 1, and get a Lham Derg (the Scottish guy with swords stuck in him) and then Basement 2-3 and get a melchoim (the tax collector). They can fuse into Zhu (looks like a chia pet). Zhu's abilities are nothing special, but it is immune to both of medusa's attack types (needle and electricity) so even if she wipes your party, he can kill her solo* (You have to lower her health enough to get her into phase two of her attack pattern, she has attacks in phase one he isn't immune too, so don't die TOO fast).

Pluto to endgame doesn't like Marakaram, Terrakaram, Megido (your monsters need the second stage of it, but the main charather's magic stat just lets him spam the first one) Of course it's different for physical main charaather, but you still basically want those skills on your demons (megaton press=physical megido... kinda) Don't forget to have defensive, offensive, evasive buff spells and to stack them all the way to level 3(don't do anything after that). Debuffs help every now and then, but honestly, until pluto, no mandatory enemy is worthy.

Two general hints.

Save all the time, especially before and after bosses. Sometimes the only thing keeping you from winning is the bosses "extra turns" from hitting your weaknesses, so remember to switch the main charathers armor (have two types at all times, even if one has bad stats, extra enemy turns>extra 8 HP) and what demons you bring.

When a monster tells you that it is about to evolve, make sure that you go to the compendium, and overwrite the current monster data (not fuse). You might not think you'll want this, but there are things that evolve twice in quick succession (divinity, power) and when you want to use the "early form" for special fusions, it's nice to be able to re-summon one that already has some attacks ingrown. Especially compared to the timesink of remaking a 2nd-3rd stage demon.