Persona 5 Royal Ways To Make The Most Of Your Time

When one talks about some of the greatest JRPGs ever released, it goes without saying that Persona 5 Royal would be an inevitable part of this conversation. Persona 5 was an excellent game in itself, and Persona 5 Royal decided to augment things even further with a whole slew of additions, revamps, fixes, and everything else along the same lines. The end result is easily the greatest modern-day JRPG to have been released, and one of the best PS4 exclusives by a country mile.

Persona 5 Royal integrates life sim mechanics with the core of a JRPG, integrating both these aspects in a seamless manner. The free time that players get during their virtual life in Tokyo is a great outlet to do any number of things… but players shouldn’t take this time for granted. After all, a big part of what makes Persona 5 Royal so fleshed out is that it has too many things to do… and most players might not have the time to explore every aspect of the game.

Updated On December 14th by Joshua Leeds:
Ranking up your social stats is crucial in making the most of your free time by always being ready to rank up your social links once they are ready. While there are a lot of ways to rank up your social stats by spending time, there are many ways to rank them up that don’t take any time at all. A bullet point list has been added at the beginning of the article listing all the ways to get free social stat points throughout the game that don’t spend any time.

Social Stat Increases Without Spending Time

• Check the TV in Leblanc every night, some nights will have Trivia answers that can be answered for free Knowledge.
• Some nights in Leblanc a Crossword puzzle can be filled out for free knowledge.
• Getting questions right in class gives you free Knowledge.
• Scoring high on your exams increases your Charm.
• Visiting the juice stand in the Underground Mall on Sundays gives rotating drinks for one point a Social Stat.
• Reading while on the train or when given free time in class from the Temperance social link.
• Feeding the plant in your bedroom gives Kindness.
• Speak to the info desk woman in Kichijoji for a free Knowledge point.
• Sit on the fancy blue couch in Kichijoji for a free point of Guts.

25 Study In The Library Early On

Earn Knowledge & Guts

• Only in effect during the first in-game month.

During the first in-game month, Joker is not very welcome in his school and that makes spending time there a gutsy move. Whenever you study in the Library during the Kamoshida section of the game, you’ll only get one point in Knowledge, but also a point in Guts.

This does make studying in the Library less effective if you’re trying to prepare for the first exam but does make it effective in getting your guts up early in the game to take advantage of the next option on this list.

24 Attempt The Big Bang Burger Challenge Whenever Joker Meets The Requirements

A Great Way To Boost Joker’s Stats When The Time Is Right

• Still earn Guts if you fail.
• Useful accessories when you succeed.

Big Bang Burger is a popular fast food joint present in the Persona games that most people are pretty familiar with. This restaurant is present in Persona 5 too, with players having a chance to try the Big Bang Burger challenge whenever they visit this joint. This is also a great location to buy healing consumables to use in later Palaces.

After gaining a few stats, players should definitely try this challenge. Succeeding nets a major bonus to all of Joker’s stats, which helps players max out his stats and unlock new content in no time.

23 Prioritize Party Members And Their Confidants

Unlocking Better Personas Makes Combat Easier To Deal With

• Party member confidants increase their effectiveness in combat.
• Some of the best confidant perks are with party members.

There are a wealth of Confidants to interact with in Persona 5, and each one of them has their own benefits. However, if players have to choose, then focusing on a party member is of the utmost priority.

This unlocks better Personas, makes their abilities stronger, and takes care of their strengths & weaknesses too. It’s a must for players who don’t want to discriminate and use every party member they have against the numerous Shadows and villains that stand in their way.

22 Send Calling Postcards

Free Confidant Points

• Can only be purchased during a limited time.
• Does not take any time.

During the Okumura section of the game, players are able to purchase Calling Postcards from the Discount Store in Shibuya. Taking one of these Calling Postcards to the Postbox in Yongen-Jaya will let you send them to any confidant who isn’t already maxed out.

Sending a Calling Postcard to a Confidant will give you a free confidant point with them, getting them closer to ranking up without spending time with them, as buying and sending the Postcard doesn’t take up any time. The only downside is that only one Postcard can be purchased at a time, limiting how many confidants you can boost with this method.

21 Never Go Back Into Leblanc After Leaving It For The Night

Wastes An Entire Night

• Most confidants are during the day making it the most important time.
• There is always something to do even if it’s just going to the Gym.

This is a pretty obvious point, but players should still be made aware of it if they’re not already. No matter what, never go back to Leblanc after leaving it at night, otherwise the day will end.

It’s just a waste of the player’s time, as they are better off exploring Tokyo instead. There are many things that players can accomplish, and staying cooped up at home will be detrimental to enjoying the overall experience. Even if you have nothing else to do, visit the gym or temple to pass time and also increase Joker’s base HP and SP.

20 Go To Vegetariano Every Sunday

Sells Unique Beverages That Permanently Boost Joker’s Skills Without Wasting Any Time

• The drink you receive only cycles when you purchase them, meaning missed drinks carry over to the next week and push the next drink back a week.
• 5,000 Yen for each drink.

There’s a shop that sells unique beverages in Persona 5 which bequeath permanent boosts to Joker’s social skills. It’s present in Shibuya’s Underground Walkway and is only active on Sundays.

The player should make it a habit to go to this drinks stand at the end of every week to make the most of these bonuses. The best part is that time doesn’t progress when buying and ingesting these drinks, which serves as a reward for diligent players who remember to come here every week!

19 Use The Bathhouse On Mondays And Thursdays

Increases Both Charm And Guts In One Go

• Can be accessed as soon as Joker gets the keys to Leblanc.
• Some confidants require high charm even early on.

The bathhouse is a pretty decent place to build up the protagonist’s Charm. However, going here every day is nothing short of a futile endeavor that players are better off skipping.

This is because the true potential of the bathhouse comes out on Monday and Thursday. With more people in the mixed bath during these days, Joker will be able to increase both his Charm and Guts for undertaking such a herculean endeavor.

18 Study When It’s Raining

Gives A Boost To Knowledge

• Get more out of studying without needing more time.

The sound of rain does a great job of helping people focus while studying. Joker is no exception to this rule, and players should definitely make the most of the weather when the exams are coming up.

Studying when it’s raining gives a boost to the Knowledge stat, which is pretty helpful indeed. If players don’t want to do a lot at night when it’s raining, then studying is the way to go.

17 Don’t Waste Time Doing Laundry

Kawakami Can Handle It For Joker After Paying A Fee

• Yen is easily obtained later in the game.
• Kawakami can do many tasks in Leblanc for a fee.

During their excursions in the Palaces, players will find several dirty pieces of equipment that need to be washed for their true potential to come out. However, this takes up one slot in a player’s day, which might not be ideal.

Thankfully, doing laundry becomes an option that takes no time at all when the Temperance Confidant is ranked up to a particular level. Players can hire Kawakami to do their laundry for them while they explore Tokyo to their heart’s content!

16 Don’t Attempt Akechi’s Challenge Unless Completely Ready

Losing To Him Wastes An Entire Night For No Good Reason

• Additional content in the third semester.

Akechi’s Confidant is completely revamped in Persona 5 Royal, allowing players to manually level up their bond with this character and engage with him in a manner that was completely missing in the base game.

However, in order to level up Akechi’s Confidant to Rank 8, the player needs to fight him in a one-on-one duel in Mementos. The problem here is that, if the player loses, then the night will be wasted and they have to attempt the duel once again. Therefore, make sure to stock up on restoratives and the like to ensure that this battle goes by without any major problems.

15 Read Up On The Appropriate Confidant Responses To Develop Bonds Faster

Some Responses Are Annoying Obtuse, Which Can Make Progress Slow If The Wrong Answers Are Chosen

• Don’t waste time with casual hang outs.
• Find ways to get free confidant points when needed.

While this might be considered cheating by many, the best responses that Joker can give while hanging out with his Confidants can be quite odd and random at times.

Sometimes, the player is better off reading the best responses that they can give to their Confidants online so that the relationship can progress without any major problems arising in the process. Selecting the right answer will give you many more social link points than the wrong answer that the confidant doesn’t want to hear. Always saying the right thing helps you rank up your confidants faster than also having to hang out with them normally between ranks.

There’s Nothing Better To Do

• You’ll always need more lockpicks.
• Kawakami can be used to make tools.

On the night when the player decides to send a calling card to their target, Joker will be unable to head out into the city and will be forced to hang around in his room without being able to do anything, except for one particular action.

The player can still make infiltration tools before having to go to sleep, which can prove to be quite a boon indeed. This way, players can store up on tools and gain a quick Proficiency boost without wasting a night.

13 Keep A Stock Of Bio-Nutrients For A Quick Kindness Boost

A Swift, Easy Way To Raise Joker’s Kindness

• The only time-free way to earn Kindness.
• Costs 1,200 Yen.

One thing that most Persona 5 Royal players might not be aware of is the fact that the plant in their room can actually be tended to without any time passing. Since it’s in Joker’s room, it can only be accessed at night where you have free time while in Leblanc.

By keeping a stock of Bio Nutrients, Joker can tend to the plant at regular intervals to get a small boot to Kindness and still have time left to engage in some other activity as well. Different types of nutrients will be unlocked throughout the game, and will give more kindness at once than the base nutrients.

12 Check A Guide For The Right Classroom Answers

The Guessing Game Becomes Irritating And Unoptimal After A Point

• Get questions right give free Knowledge points.
• Metaverse accessories from Sojiro.

While checking a guide might be heresy in any game, one can still make an exception for Persona 5 Royal, since some of the answers that Joker needs to give can be incredibly obtuse.

Giving the wrong answer will lead to the player missing out on a crucial Knowledge stat boost, so it’s recommended that they avoid the same and cheat just this once to optimize their game somewhat.

11 Always Do The Crossword When It’s Available

A Simple Way To Increase Joker’s Knowledge

• Free knowledge points without taking time.

The Crossword puzzle is a new inclusion in Persona 5 Royal and a fairly simple one at that. One simply needs to check the leftmost table in Cafe Leblanc periodically for an orange pamphlet, which only appears on certain days.

The difficulty of these Crosswords varies by quite a bit, and figuring out the answer leads to the Knowledge stat being boosted by one point and some interesting trivia coming up on the word in question as well. And — as is the case with the Plant Nutrients — doing so won’t pass the day either.

10 Focus On Certain Special Confidants

The Bonuses Unlocked Can Be Extremely Useful For Raising Joker’s Stats And Making Dungeons Easier To Navigate

• Max out Kawakami right away as it gives more time.
• Maruki is very important to max out ASAP.

There are many Confidants in Persona 5 Royal that the player can interact with to progress their relationship and also gain a boost to Persona Fusion. However, there are some Confidants that can also provide the player with some useful abilities to save up on time.

The Death Confidant allows for SP recovery items to be bought, making one’s traversal through a Palace and Mementos infinitely easier. The Fortune Confidant lets players rank up in other Confidants without losing time. Finally, the Temperance Confidant will do various chores for the player, negating the need to waste time doing the same. There are a number of other Confidants with some useful benefits too, although these ones are perhaps the most useful ones that help the player save up on time.

9 Make Sure That One Of The Persona’s Arcana Matches The Confidant

Maximizes Relationship Progress With Said Confidant

• Get additional Confidant points whenever you hang out with that confidant.
• Use the Compendium to summon any Persona you’ve ever had.

One golden rule when it comes to hanging out with any Confidant is that Joker should have a Persona in his arsenal whose Arcana matches the Confidant players wish to hang out with.

This makes said Confidant rank up even faster, preventing the player from wasting days just hanging around with a Confidant without furthering their progress — a boon in a game like Persona 5 Royal, where time is of the essence.

8 Buy A Relevant Gift For The Confidant In Question

Makes The Most Of The Time Players Spend With A Person

• Gifts are expensive but free confidant points are worthwhile.

Of course, if the player has no other option than to aimlessly hang out with the Confidant, then a surefire way to boost relations would be to give an appropriate gift.

Always keep a gift handy at all times, and check the guide in order to figure out the best gifts for each character. The more expensive gifts will give more points, and almost always guarantee that confidant will be ready to rank up next time you hang out with them.

7 Always Carry A Book Around

Can Read A Book On The Subway If Joker Manages To Snag A Seat

• The Speed reading book in the school library becomes available on 7/1.

Along with gifts, another thing that players should carry around is books. While reading them in the morning or night is definitely a colossal waste of time, it’s their usefulness during metro travel that should be kept in mind.

If Joker gets a seat on the subway, then he can read a book without wasting any time, which is a great way to increase stats in a hassle-free manner.

6 Play Darts As Often As Possible

Enhances Baton Pass Effectiveness, Confidant Relationship Progress, And Proficiency In One Fell Swoop

• Save before trying and retry to make sure you always win and get level 3.

Persona 5 introduced a new area in the game called Kichijoji, where the player can head to the Penguin Sniper to play darts.

Doing this is highly recommended since it improves the Baton Pass rank of each party member, improves the Confidant ranking of said members, and increases Joker’s Proficiency as well. It basically kills three birds with one stone, which is quite useful when it comes to effective time management.