Persona 5 Strikers: Bond Skills Explained
Musou-fans and Persona players alike have agreed that Persona 5 Strikers stands out as one of the most creative games in the series. Though Omega Force might be a bit of a one trick pony, it delivered a title that feels true to Persona's jazzy personality and deep storylines. Persona 5 Strikers also changed some of the most familiar in-game mechanics. The Confidant system is out and Bonds are in.
YouTuber Rozalin shared a sneak peek at Persona 5 Strikers before it released in America, and gave important insight into the Bond system. Initially called the Band system in the Japanese version of Strikers, the Bond system allows players to earn new skills by forming social connections with other members of their party. Players receive Bond XP for performing almost any activity in the game, including spending time with friends and cooking.
Earning more Bond XP raises the player's Bond level, which in turn awards Bond points and allows players to purchase perks from a skill tree. In other words, increasing Bond skills grants access to special abilities. Rozalin suggested picking up the perk "Further Ties" first and leveling it up as quickly as possible in order to earn more Bond XP. There are also a few more key strategies to keep in mind.
How do you earn Bond XP in Persona 5 Strikers?
Bond XP comes from performing almost any activity, including simply progressing through the story. YouTuber Donut Worry offered an overview of the Bond system, and noted that players gain experience through fighting, story progression, and side quests. In cutscenes, players often have dialogue options and picking the most suitable answer for the situation awards extra Bond XP. Even mundane activities like cooking will earn the Phantom Thieves some XP. Just as the name "bond" implies, anything that brings the team closer together or enriches their cross country road trip results in XP.
After accumulating Bond XP, players can spend that XP to purchase Bond perks. These benefits permanently improve some aspect of the Phantom Thieves, either by granting them better stats or by allowing them to perform a special ability, like recovering some SP and HP after each battle. Playing the game, progressing, and exploring the world all amount to in-game abilities that make combat easier and the game more enjoyable overall.
Some fans have found workarounds to earning Bond XP, including exploiting glitches that may or may not be patched out in the future.
What Bond Skills can you earn in Persona 5 Strikers?
Some of Persona 5 Strikers' perks seem standard, like the HP and SP boosters, which permanently increase the HP and SP gauges. Similarly, the Power Booster increases the strength of all party members, while Magic, Defense, Ability, and Luck Boosters all improve their respective categories. Beyond boosters, players can unlock the Baton Pass, a familiar skill from Persona 5 that increases the rate at which the Showtime meter fills, allowing characters to perform their special moves more quickly.
Some perks help Personas out by improving their Martial and Spiritual attacks, or helping their tricky status effect moves hit more consistently. Some perks just allow characters to do things more, by increasing stats or the amount of ammo a character can hold.
There are too many perks to list individually, but each Bond ability improves character performance in some ways or offers a healing boon to the party. The closer the characters feel to each other via their bonds, the more cohesively they can work as a fighting unit.
Since Persona 5 Strikers clocks in at about 45 hours, players will have plenty of time to acclimate to the Bond system. Of course, 45 hours might be an underestimate considering all the fun that gamers can discover in New Game+.