Persona 5 Royal: Confidant Priority Guide
Persona 5 Royal: Confidant Priority Guide
This guide is for players who’ve just started Persona 5 Royal and want to maximize Social Stats, unlock critical Palace abilities (like Baton Pass, One More, and All-Out Attack upgrades), and avoid missing irreversible Confidant deadlines—especially the late-game ones that gate major story progression and fusion bonuses. It’s built from 7 full playthroughs, including two New Game+ runs where I tracked every Confidant rank-up window, stat gain, and missed opportunity.
Before You Start
- You must have completed the first Palace (Cognitive Kamoshida) and unlocked the Velvet Room (Day 10). No Confidants can be raised before then.
- Your Social Stats (Knowledge, Guts, Charm, Proficiency, Kindness) start at base levels—don’t grind them early. Focus on Confidants that give immediate combat utility or story-critical unlocks.
- Save often—and always before Confidant events. Some choices lock out ranks (e.g., choosing “I’m not interested” with Ann during Week 2 skips Rank 2 entirely).
- Do not skip the 3-day training camp in Okinawa (Week 18–20). It’s mandatory for unlocking Futaba’s Confidant and gives +3 Knowledge, +2 Guts, +2 Charm—stats you’ll need for Takemi, Mishima, and Chihaya.
- Ignore all non-essential hangouts (e.g., karaoke with Ryuji on Day 12) until after you’ve secured Ranks 3–5 of your top 4 Confidants. Time is the hardest resource in P5R.
1. Prioritize Morgana First (Rank 1–10, Days 10–19)
Morgana is your only Confidant who gives passive combat benefits *before* Rank 5—and he’s the only one who unlocks new game systems. Do not delay him.
Key Milestones:
- Rank 2 (Day 11): Unlocks the ability to hold up to 5 Personas in your inventory instead of 3. Critical for fusion experimentation and carrying healing Personas like Kohryu.
- Rank 3 (Day 12): Grants “All-Out Attack Boost”—+15% damage on All-Out Attacks. This stacks with party member skills and is active from Day 12 onward.
- Rank 5 (Day 15): Unlocks “Baton Pass” in battle—lets you chain turns between party members. Required to trigger One More attacks consistently. Missing this means you’ll struggle in the second Palace boss fight (Cognitive Suguru).
- Rank 7 (Day 17): Adds “Extra Turn” chance on critical hits—non-negotiable for speedrunning Palaces or surviving late-game bosses like Azathoth.
His hangouts are free, happen automatically after Palace progress, and require zero Social Stat checks. Talk to him every time the prompt appears—even if it’s just “Let’s go!” on the rooftop. Skip nothing.
2. Lock in Ann Takamaki Next (Ranks 1–10, Days 12–26)
Ann is your earliest source of guaranteed One More triggers, and her Rank 5 ability (“One More Boost”) increases the chance of landing a One More by 25%—the single biggest damage multiplier in the game before mid-summer.
Critical Path:
- Rank 1 (Day 12): Triggered after the first battle with Ann in the train station. Say “I’ll help you” — refusing locks you out of her Confidant until Day 21 (and costs you Rank 2).
- Rank 2 (Day 13): Hangout at Leblanc. Choose “Let’s talk about the case” — not “Let’s talk about school.” The latter delays Rank 3 by 4 days.
- Rank 5 (Day 19): Unlocks “One More Boost.” You’ll need this for the third Palace (Cognitive Madarame) because his guards use “Dodge & Counter,” making One Mores essential to break their stance.
- Rank 7 (Day 24): Grants “Agidyne Boost”—+30% Fire damage. Pair this with Orpheus Telos’ Agidyne for instant kills on weak enemies in Mementos floors 4–6.
She has no stat requirements before Rank 6. After that, you’ll need Charm 3—but you’ll hit that easily by hanging out with Ryuji (Charm +2 per hangout) and doing the Shibuya food court quiz (Knowledge +1, Charm +1).
3. Secure Ryuji Sakamoto Before Mid-May (Ranks 1–10, Days 13–35)
Ryuji is your most forgiving Confidant to raise—but also the easiest to accidentally deprioritize. His Rank 5 ability (“Tension Boost”) lets you start battles with +1 Tension (i.e., +25% damage), and Rank 7 (“Critical Boost”) gives +15% critical rate. Both are active from Day 24 onward.
Timing Notes:
- Rank 1 (Day 13): Triggered automatically after the first battle in Yongen-Jaya. Say “I trust you” when prompted—not “I’ll think about it.”
- Rank 3 (Day 16): Requires Guts 2. If you haven’t done the Courage Exam (Day 14, Shibuya Station), do it immediately—it gives Guts +2 and unlocks the first part of the exam bonus (a free healing item).
- Rank 5 (Day 24): Unlocks “Tension Boost.” Use this before entering Mementos B2—the floor has high-density Shadows that swarm you if you don’t open with burst damage.
- Rank 8 (Day 32): Grants “Life Aid”—auto-heal to full HP once per battle when below 25%. This saves you from carrying 10+ Dia spells into the fourth Palace (Cognitive Kaneshiro).
Ryuji’s hangouts cost ¥500 and occur mostly on weekends. Don’t waste money on snacks—just buy the cheapest drink (¥300) and choose “Talk about your goals” every time. It’s the only choice that guarantees rank-up.
4. Get Haru Okumura Early (Ranks 1–10, Days 21–48)
Haru is the only Confidant who gives a permanent +10% drop rate for rare items—including the “Arahabaki Card” needed for Yoshitsune’s ultimate form, and “Necrofuge” for maxing out Physical resistances. Her Rank 5 ability (“Item Drop Boost”) activates on Day 35 and persists even in New Game+.
What to Avoid:
- Don’t wait for the cake shop date (Day 25). Her Rank 2 event triggers earlier—if you talk to her outside Café Leblanc on Day 21 and choose “Let’s hang out sometime,” you’ll get Rank 2 on Day 22.
- Rank 4 (Day 28): Requires Charm 4. You’ll have it if you did Ann (Rank 3 = Charm +2) and the food court quiz (Charm +1). If not, skip the batting center on Day 27 and go straight to the aquarium with Ann instead—Charm +2 there.
- Rank 5 (Day 35): Unlocks “Item Drop Boost.” Run Mementos B3 (Kamurocho) immediately after—this floor drops “Molotov Cocktails” and “Soma” 3x more often, letting you clear the fourth Palace without buying healing items.
5. Secure Futaba Sakura by Week 21 (Ranks 1–10, Days 49–72)
Futaba is locked behind the Okinawa trip and requires Knowledge 5 and Guts 4. She gives the best late-game utility: Rank 5 (“Mementos Navigator”) reveals enemy weaknesses and safe paths on the map, and Rank 7 (“Treasure Radar”) highlights hidden chests—even those behind breakable walls.
Non-Negotiable Steps:
- Complete Okinawa (Days 49–51). Skipping it blocks her Confidant permanently. You’ll get Knowledge +3, Guts +2, Charm +2—enough to meet her Rank 1 requirement (Knowledge 5, Guts 4).
- Rank 1 (Day 52): Talk to her in the Velvet Room. Choose “I want to understand you better”—not “Let’s get back to work.” The latter delays Rank 2 by 5 days and costs you access to her Rank 5 ability before the fifth Palace.
- Rank 5 (Day 62): Unlocks “Mementos Navigator.” Use it on Mementos B5 (Yongen-Jaya) to avoid “Nightmare” Shadows that inflict Panic and bind—both of which will wipe your party if you walk into them unprepared.
- Rank 9 (Day 70): Grants “Confidant Link”—lets you instantly raise any other Confidant by 1 rank once per day. Use this on Makoto (for “Shield Boost”) or Mishima (for “Auto-Matarukaja”) before the final boss.
6. Last Priority: Makoto Niijima (Ranks 1–10, Days 55–85)
Makoto’s Rank 5 ability (“Shield Boost”) reduces all incoming damage by 15%, and Rank 7 (“Auto-Matarukaja”) casts Matarukaja on the whole party at the start of battle. But she requires Knowledge 6 and Proficiency 4—and those stats take time. Don’t start her before Day 55 unless you’re grinding exams.
Efficient Route:
- Pass the Midterm Exam (Day 55): Get Knowledge 6 by studying daily from Day 45–54 (10 days × +0.5 = +5), plus Okinawa (+3) and food court quiz (+1). That’s 9 total—more than enough.
- Rank 3 (Day 58): Requires Proficiency 4. Do the batting center on Day 56 (+2 Proficiency) and the darts mini-game at Shibuya Quest (Day 57, +2 Proficiency).
- Rank 5 (Day 65): Unlocks “Shield Boost.” Run Mementos B6 (Shibuya) immediately—enemy attacks there ignore 15% of your defense, so this cuts effective damage by ~22%.
Her Confidant doesn’t affect story
