Persona 5 Strikers: Complete Guide

A spoiler-light guide to Persona 5 Strikers: how its action combat and Persona systems fit together, how to build the party with BOND skills and Master Arts, the Jail-by-Jail road trip structure, optional bosses, and what to prioritize for a smooth run and 100% achievements.

Researched September 2026 — current as of PC version 1.02 plus the October 2025 security update (a Unity update with no content changes). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Exploit weaknesses, then All-Out Attack. Hitting a Shadow's weakness or landing criticals knocks it down; knock enough enemies down and trigger an All-Out Attack. This is the core damage loop, just like Persona 5, but in real time.
2. Pause with Persona skills. Opening the skill menu slows/pauses combat so you can pick a spell and aim it. Use it freely — it's how you hit weaknesses reliably.
3. Joker is the Wild Card. Only Joker switches Personas. Carry a spread of elements so he can hit any weakness.
4. Use Showtime. When the Showtime gauge is up, trigger a flashy team attack with huge damage ("It's Showtime!" is the first achievement).
5. Ambush whenever you can. Sneak up on Shadows that haven't spotted you to start fights with an advantage.
6. Watch the Alert meter. Getting spotted raises it; at 100% the party is forced to leave the Jail. Stay in cover and ambush rather than running into Shadows' sight lines.
7. Leaving a Jail doesn't cost time. Unlike Persona 5, there's no calendar pressure. Go back to the safe room, restock, and return.
8. Cook every night you can. Food made at the camper heals, restores SP, and gives buffs. It's much cheaper than shop items.
9. Spend BOND points immediately. BOND skills give permanent bonuses to the whole team.

Party and Characters

You control a party of up to four in the Jail; Joker is always in the party and can't be removed. You can swap which character you're directly controlling on the fly. Oracle navigates from the back line.

Each playable character has a set of Master Arts (unlockable combo extensions and abilities). Achievements exist for unlocking all Master Arts for Joker, Skull, Mona, Panther, Fox, Queen, Noir, Sophie, and Wolf, plus one for all characters. Master Arts unlock mostly by leveling and story progress; check each character's list to see what's next.

Combat Systems

Basic actions

• Light and heavy attacks chain into combos; the heavy-attack finishers differ per combo length and per character.
• Guns have limited ammo. Use them to hit enemies with gun weaknesses, to interrupt, or to finish downed foes.
• Dodging is your main defense. Well-timed dodges open space for combos.
• Phantom Dash zips you across the battlefield using highlighted points and can be used offensively ("Phantom Striker" wants 200 enemies defeated with a phantom dash).
• Third Eye highlights points of interest and enemy information in the Jail and in battle; use it when you enter a new area or fight.
• Environmental attacks like cars and objects can be triggered for big crowd damage.

Persona skills

• Each party member has an element; Joker can have any.
• Enemy HP bars show weakness icons once discovered. Use analysis early in a new Jail.
• Magic costs SP. SP recovery is scarce, which is why cooking matters.

Showtime and All-Out Attacks

• Showtime: a duo attack between party members when the gauge is ready. Massive damage, great against bosses.
• All-Out Attack: triggered when enough enemies are down. Performing 150 unlocks "Unshakeable Teamwork."

Persona Management (Joker)

• Getting Personas: Personas are earned from Shadows' masks as you fight and from defeating mini-bosses.
• Velvet Room: Fuse Personas into stronger ones and check the registry. Completing the registry unlocks "Mask Connoisseur."
• Persona Points (PP): Spend them to raise a Persona's stats ("Eye for Talent").
• Incense: Consumable items that boost a Persona's stats ("Seeker of Power").
• Build rule: keep at least one Persona covering each common element plus one with healing. Swap based on the Jail's enemy weaknesses.

BOND Skills

BOND replaces Persona 5's Confidants. You raise your BOND level through the story and requests, earning points to spend on BOND skills.

Maxing one BOND skill unlocks "Best Friend"; maxing them all unlocks "Eternal Bonds."

Cooking, Shopping, Requests

• Cooking: learn recipes as you travel and cook at the camper with ingredients from shops. "Short Order Cook" and "Master Chef" (12 types) come from this. Pack cooked food for long dungeon runs.
• Limited-time sales: some shops run timed sales ("Impulse Buyer").
• Souvenirs: pick one up for the camper ("A Little Memento").
• Requests: side quests from characters and townspeople. They give items, BOND points, and money. Special requests from the Phantom Thieves themselves are tracked by "What are Friends For?". "Those Who Heed the Call" wants 50 completed requests.

The Road Trip: Jails and Cities

The story takes the Phantom Thieves across Japan in a camper, visiting a Jail in each city. Each Jail is ruled by a Monarch who has stolen the desires of citizens.

The story also passes through Yokohama. Achievements track each Jail's cage by name, in story order ("Cage of Lust Closed", "Cage of Vanity Conquered", "Cage of Gluttony Torched", "Cage of Desolation Condemned", "Cage of Wrath Collapsed", "Cage of Arrogance Cracked"). Story-completion achievements have hidden descriptions, so avoid reading them if you want to stay spoiler-free.

Jail tips

• Explore fully the first time. Treasure chests ("Treasure Hunter": 50 chests), items ("Item Sweeper": 200 items), and ambushes all add up.
• Use safe rooms. They're save points and your exit back to the city.
• Learn mini-boss weaknesses. Strong Shadows guard key areas. They drop Personas for Joker.
• Boss prep: full SP, food buffs, a Persona for each weakness, and a Showtime gauge ready at the start.

Optional Challenges

• Dire Shadows: powerful optional enemies, much stronger than the Jail's normal Shadows. Defeat one for "Who Dares Wins" and all of them for "The Most Daring of All."
• Treasure Demons: rare enemies that give great rewards; 10 defeated unlocks "All That Glitters."
• The Reaper: the series' infamous superboss returns. "Death Defied" is for beating it. Come prepared with a well-leveled team and fused Personas.

Difficulty

Difficulty settings range from easy options through Hard, with a tougher mode for experienced players. If you're here for the story, the easier settings are fine. For achievement hunters, difficulty doesn't lock achievements, so choose what's fun.

Achievement Roadmap

All 47 Steam achievements can be earned in one save if you do the post-game cleanup; none are tied to difficulty.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Button-mashing without skills. Weakness exploitation and All-Out Attacks are much faster than normal hits.
• Hoarding BOND points. Spend them; the effects are permanent.
• Neglecting Joker's Personas. Fuse regularly to keep up with the level curve.
• Ignoring the Alert meter. Being thrown out of a Jail wastes time.
• Skipping cooking. SP is scarce, and food is your best source.
• Not doing requests. They're a big source of BOND points and useful items.
• Challenging the Reaper early. It's endgame content.

Advanced Tips

• Swap characters to match weakness. Control the character whose element matches the enemy's weakness instead of relying on AI.
• Showtime on bosses. Build the gauge on minions, then unleash Showtime on bosses.
• Master Arts matter. New Master Arts change combo finishers. Test each new one; some are much better crowd control.
• Hit weaknesses for achievements. "Know Your Enemy" asks for 300 weakness hits; it'll come naturally.
• Level everyone. "Best of the Best" wants every Phantom Thief to level 70, so rotate the bench in grinding sessions.
• Plan for post-game. Save before the final boss so you can clean up requests, Dire Shadows, and the Reaper.

PC Notes

• Supports up to 4K and full keyboard and mouse controls, with Japanese or English voices.
• Version 1.02 (April 2021) rolled up stability fixes for crashes and hangs and fixed an erroneous OS error on Windows 10.
• An October 2025 patch updated the Unity-based component for security; there were no gameplay changes.

FAQ

Do I need to play Persona 5 first? Strikers is a direct sequel set after Persona 5. You'll get more out of it if you've played Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal, but the game re-introduces the cast.

Is there a time limit like Persona 5? No. Leaving a Jail doesn't advance time.

Who is the best character? Joker for flexibility. Otherwise, pick whoever matches the current Jail's weaknesses.

How do I get more Personas for Joker? Defeat Shadows and mini-bosses in Jails, then fuse them in the Velvet Room.

What is BOND? The team-wide progression system that replaces Confidants. Earn points through the story and requests and spend them on permanent skills.

How many achievements are there? 47 on Steam, ending with "True Phantom Thief."

Is there New Game Plus? You can carry progress into a new playthrough after the credits, which helps with leveling and achievement cleanup.

Sources

• Persona 5 Strikers on Steam
• Persona 5 Strikers Steam news (version 1.02, security updates)
• Persona 5 Strikers Steam achievements
• Persona 5 Strikers — Wikipedia
• List of Persona 5 characters (Strikers antagonists) — Wikipedia