LTTP: Shin Megami Tensei 3

[Falselogic]

I believe I bought this game when it came out on the PS2. Did not understand what it was or where it came from at the time and stepped away. I recently picked it up again. I have played through P3P and some of SMT4 on the 3DS. But, like what did I need to know going in? Are there some tips and tricks I should be using?

 

[Mightyblue]

The game isn't super hard as long as you know and follow (and exploit) the rules it operates by; it's not a particularly hard JRPG if you do that, and most of the complaints about difficulty are people expecting to just hammer Fight to get through routine encounters which is not how SMT is balanced in general.

Basically as long as you're fusing demons regularly as you reach new areas and tiers of demons and keep pretty solid coverage for elemental weaknesses/etc you should be fine. The main game doesn't really require any specific character/party builds to complete, and if you're interested in doing the post game super bosses you'd probably be pretty conversant with the game systems by then anyway.

 

[Falselogic]

I know there are chaos, law, and neutral playthroughs. How much do i have to pay attention if i want a certain one and is there a canonical one?

 

[Zef]

Not exactly. Nocturne is unique in that regard in that, at first, you're supporting three social philosophies that only kinda sorta map to L/C and kind of an extreme Neutral, but are much more nuanced. But you can also actively reject all of them, and seek to bring about *your* philosophy (well, the Protag's philosophy, anyway), or you can also passively deny them and shirk the responsibility.

Also, none of these directly relates to the so-called "True Demon" ending, which you get if you complete the optional dungeon regardless of your choices throughout the main game (unless you're going with the passive wishy-washy option, that is). If you completed it, TD will override whichever path you went with at the very end of the game.

As to your specific question, it's just a matter of agreeing with or rejecting the three main proponents of the philosophies, and whether you show decisiveness or uncertainty when your teacher confronts you with general life questions. The only major difference is that, in other SMTs, "achieving balance" meant you got Neutral; here, you have to proactively reject everyone to forge your own path, or stumble into a stagnant balance by being indecisive.

Also, don't listen to people who say True Demon is canon. It's one of the more compelling paths, sure, and it has the most story/gameplay content, but there's nothing set in stone there.

 

[Falselogic]

If you fuse a demon do you lose access to it completely? Do you have to recapture them? For some reason I had this thought that you could just re-summon another if you fused it. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

I'm guessing I shouldnt be too precious with these demons, right? Just fuse them and not worry to much about min/maxing things? I suffer from FOMO if I don't min/max but I also hate the tedium that min/max usually requires. (this is me just telling you about my own failings I am working on them.)

 

[Neo Skimbleshanks]

You can resummon demons not too long from wherever you are. Fuse away. Note about getting rid of demons, as opposed to fusing them: You lose… something in Amala (a demon with unique characteristics of some sort) if you get rid of the Pixie who can join you or her evolution/fusion descendant. I clearly don’t remember the specifics! Anyway, if this troubles you, just fuse; don’t send demons away (?) or whatever.

 

[Zef]

Right, like most SMT games, demons can and will learn useful skills upon level up, but you should only keep them around until you can fuse them into something more powerful (which may already have those skills built-in). There's no point in keeping an old demon in your team since they will see diminishing returns with level-ups, until they plateau completely. Unless you specifically want them around a little longer to learn a skill for an even better fusion, or if it's one of those rare demons that evolve on their own (like Pixie.)

Also, there is a Demonic Compendium from which you can resummon demons*, but you will only have access it when you reach the Cathedral of Shadows. If you're already fusing them then that means the Compendium should be an option at the Cathedral, no?

* Sometimes the price is prohibitive enough that it's actually easier to go and catch another copy in the wild, especially if you're fine with that demon's standard skillset

 

[Peklo]

The compendium isn't unlocked at the same time as demon fusion is but somewhat later on (at Ikebukuro, after Matador--it's a really weird decision). It feels like it should be and makes leveling up early-game demons for skills a partial waste as their movesets can't be registered into it until it becomes available.

 

[Falselogic]

I'm not there yet. And I need to keep the Pixie as is?! That's good to know I almost fused them.

 

[Peklo]

You can fuse Pixie; it only matters that the demon that results and any thereafter in the fusion lineage is not dismissed from the party. Because Pixie is the first demon you meet, they and their fused forms will always occupy the first slot in your roster if you don't actively kick them out. It's not really something to be wary of, and even then, what's unlocked from keeping them around is an end-game bonus at the end of a massive optional area many players might not even explore, and the effects of which can be realized with your own demon fusions at that stage of the game. It's an extremely minor thing.

 

[spines]

i will point out that pixie's evolved form will eventually learn trafuri, the guaranteed escape spell, which is indispensable on hard and still well worth having access to at all times on normal. though to be honest i feel this is not a stringent requirement in the first place because the only way to "fail" it is to release demons rather than fuse them to free up slots, which should never be particularly necessary in the first place as i recall

 

[Falselogic]

Not Puzzle Boy! Sokoban is a curse!

Double curses that I have to clear all the stages in one sitting?!

 

[Falselogic]

So I am the point in the game where Reasons are starting to manifest themselves and I'm really not a fan of Yosuga, Musubi, or Shijama. All of them seem like really flawed ideologies. So I looked the alternative and Demon doesn't seem great at all. So I guess Im going for True Demon.

 

[Zef]

I mean, before TD came into play, the "proactive" alternative to the stagnation of Demon was the Freedom ending...

 

[Falselogic]

I mean, before TD came into play, the "proactive" alternative to the stagnation of Demon was the Freedom ending...

That certainly would be easier I think. I knew that I needed to go through the Amala Labyrinth to do the TD ending and I was doing okay at it too I think. Having to backtrack to find some of the Fiends threw my off a little. But I eventually managed it. What is getting me now is that I don't have any demons with a high enough agility to get through the a door in the 5th level of the labyrinth. Apparently, there's a super fairy I could get if I could remember which demon I had fused my original fairy with but I long ago forgot that and/or that demon was then fused with another demon.

I've tried fusing a demon with a high enough Agility (I broke down and looked that up) but all I've managed to do is burn through about a million macca.