Persona 5 Royal came with a lot of new content, but the main thing out of all the content offered is, without a doubt, the new third semester. The new third semester offers you a glimpse into events that happen after the first game (Persona 5). It includes the ninth and final palace as well. This new semester is a must to explore if you are getting Persona 5 Royal.
However, it is possible that you entirely miss out on this new semester all together if you do not do the required things for it. There is no point in playing Persona 5 Royal over the original Persona 5 if you end up missing up on the new content this new semester offers, because it is one of the main things about Persona 5 Royal.
In short, the general things you need to do in order to enjoy the new semester is to rank up the three confidants required for it. Those 3 confidants are Akechi, Kasumi and Maruki. You need to rank them all up before certain dates otherwise you will miss out on them all together. If you end up missing out on them, you will not be able to experience the third semester the updated game has to offer and miss out on all the additional content.
Many players including you may still overlook these important things and end up missing all the new content. Therefore, we have prepared this guide for you which you can follow to rest assured that you do not miss any content and unlock the third and final semester in Persona 5 Royal.
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Why Should You Unlock The Third Semester In Persona 5 Royal?
There are a number of reasons why you should unlock and play through the new Third Semester offered in Persona 5 Royal. It offers you an expanded look on the events after the first game, and a lot more stuff. Following is the summary of stuff you can expect to experience in the new semester:
- New ninth palace.
- New characters.
- A new and extended journey through the mementos.
- Third evolutions for the Personas of Phantom Thieves members.
On top of all that, if you end up missing out on the third semester, you basically just skipped out on the whole reason of playing Persona 5 Royal over the original Persona 5.
Unlocking the third semester also plays a heavy role in the game’s storyline. You cannot get the new true ending (which is considered the best) without taking part and playing through the third semester.
In addition to that, you will also be able to upgrade your Phantom Thieves member’s Personas to their third evolution now. This is also one of the biggest changes and every Phantom Thieves member has a new evolution for their Persona now. You are able to get the third evolution after maxing out the original Social Link to Rank 10 and then meeting with them again in January.
How To Unlock The Third Semester In Persona 5 Royal?
Next, let’s talk about how you can go about unlocking the third semester in Persona 5 Royal. To unlock the third semester, you must first reach rank 9 for the Councillor Confidant, Dr. Maruki. You must do this before November 17, otherwise you will miss out on your chance. He is the only confidant that you need to unlock the semester, and he will not be available to talk to during Summer at all, so pay more attention to him and prioritize over other confidants.
If you do not reach Rank 9, You will entirely miss out on your chance to enjoy the third semester. Persona 5 Royal will exclude you from enjoying the Third Semester entirely, instead giving you the original Persona 5’s True Ending. The original good ending is decent, but the new true ending offered in Persona 5 Royal is much much better, so you should aim for that.
On top of all that, before you enter the 3rd semester, you should also keep Kasumi and Akechi in mind. If Kasumi (Faith Confidant) does not reach Rank 5 before December 22, her Social Link will be gone for the entire rest of the game. Similarly, Akechi (Justice Confidant) can be raised to Rank 8 before November 17 to unlock a new post-credits scene.
Takuto Maruki (Councillor Confidant)
As mentioned above, Dr. Maruki or casually known as Takuto Maruki, is one of the keys to getting access to the 3rd semester in Persona 5 Royal. He is without the doubt, the most important confidant you need to max out rank wise, in order to get access to the new third semester.
Dr. Maruki will join the story after you finish the first palace. He is hired by the school to help all the students with any problem they are facing. You cannot miss his introduction because he is automatically introduced in the story. You and your friends have to go visit him as soon as possible because of the traumatic experiences (the palace) you just went through. After you visit him, you will progress his confidant rank to Rank 1 automatically.
For his Ranks 2 to 5, you can go about raising them as soon as you can after getting rank 1. You just need to interact and spend time with him. He is usually spending his time outside the nurses office after school. You will also receive a text message from him when he is available. You will not be able to progress to Ranks 6 or more until September 20 as they are simply locked and time-gated.
Let’s talk about how you can efficiently raise his confidant rank. You can easily do rank 1 to rank 9 after September 20. They will not get locked out. One thing to note is, if you have managed to reach rank 9 by November 18, your confidant rank will automatically be upgraded to rank 10. However, if you do not reach rank 9 by November 17, you will forever be locked out of his confidant rank 10.
It’s also worth mentioning that Takuto Maruki increases your party’s SP cap and grants extremely useful abilities like Detox, Flow, and Mindfulness which are very useful in the battles and exploration. He also has a very nice and refreshing personality. He is a greatly written character who provides sources for mental health for all the school students, including the Phantom Thieves, which will be very needed by the time you reach the new semester.
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Goro Akechi (Justice Confidant)
Next, let us talk about Akechi. Things are a bit different with Akechi in Persona 5 Royal which we will explain below.
Unlike the original Persona 5 where Akechi’s confidant arc was like Takuto which was unmissable and tied to the story, in Persona 5 Royal, you have to make time and hang out with him yourself. Akechi is first introduced when you go on a class field trip to the TV Station. This happens in June in game time and is an unmissable story event which will automatically move the rank to rank 1.
After his confidant is raised to rank 1, Akechi is found hanging out in Kichijoji. It is worth noting that Kichijoji is a new area in Persona 5 Royal, which was not available in the original game. When you go up and meet him there, he will show you around and introduce you to all the new things you can try out, which include minigames such as Billiards and more.
Rank 2 to Rank 5 can be easily achieved immediately after the start of confidant rank 1. The good thing about Akechi is there is no time limit on his ranks. However, his confidant rank 3 required that you have rank 3 in Knowledge and Charm social stats before interacting with him.
Next up, you will need to be in Leblanc on September 3. You will experience a story event there after which the confidant rank will be upgraded to 6. Rank 7 and 8 are locked until November 2. This is where it starts to become a bit of a hassle. You need to complete Rank 7 and Rank 8 before November 18. After that, you need to prepare for a big fight for Rank 8 (we will not be mentioning any spoilers about the fight). After that, your work is basically all done. Rank 9 and 10 will be automatically achieved as the story progresses.
Kasumi Yoshizawa (Faith Confidant)
Let’s now talk about the new character in Persona 5 Royal, Kasumi Yoshizawa. She is the new transfer student at Shujin Academy. You will get introduced to Kasumi very early on in the game, when you are traveling on a train. However, you will not really have an opportunity to interact with her until a new event on May 30th. This event is an unmissable story event, which you must experience. After that, Kasumi’s confidant rank will be 1 and you can unlock her route.
One important thing to note is that Kasumi has only five Confidant ranks, which is different from everyone else having 10 confidant ranks. Good thing is that Kasumi’s rank are insanely easy to rank up. Ranks 2 to 5 are not restricted in any way and can be easily unlocked after you meet her for real. You’ll find her in Kichijoji if you want to interact with her. You have until December 22 to complete all of this, so don’t slack off.
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Conclusion
That’s all you need to know about unlocking the third semester in Persona 5 Royal! To rank up Confidants faster, make sure you’re carrying a Persona with the same arcana as that of the person you’re hanging out with. This way, selecting the proper dialogue options that compliment the confidant you are hanging out with will earn you more points. Finally, throughout the story, make sure to reject any deal that would be against the morals of the Phantom Thieves.
If you complete all of these steps, you should be prepared for the new palace, third semester, and everything else that comes with it in Persona 5 Royal!
