Soul Hackers 2 has you stepping into the role of Ringo, an AI created by Aion that is tasked with saving the world with the help of her partner, Figue. For Shin Megami Tensei and Persona players, there are a lot of familiar elements, and you'll know a fair few of the basics.
However, there are plenty of new mechanics to master, even for long-time fans, so we've compiled a list of our top tips and tricks to help you get started. Here's everything we think you need to know.
Plan Your Party And Demon Setup
You'll quickly grow into a team of four, and each of your party members can have one demon equipped at a time. As each enemy you encounter has a range of different elemental strengths and weaknesses, you'll want to ensure you can cover all those bases.
Ideally, you want each party member to focus on a different element and have a Mistique and demon equipped that strengthens the chosen element.
Naturally, you don't have enough party members to dedicate to each element, but as you progress, you'll unlock the ability to change demons mid-battle, and at that point, you should ensure you keep decent demons with different elemental affinities in reserve that you can switch to as needed.
We highly recommend ensuring that one of your party members is a dedicated healer at all times.
You'll also want to ensure you keep your team equipped with the best accessories available that suit the role they play in your party steup.
Speak To Every Demon On Demon Recon
One of the mechanics you'll quickly be introduced to in Soul Hackers 2 is Demon Recon. While in a dungeon, any demons you have in your possession have a chance of appearing around the map. Make sure you always take the opportunity to speak to them.
Using Demon Recon, you can get money, items (including rather rare ones), have your HP or MP replenished, or even have a chance of recruiting new demons. The symbols above your demon's head dictate what kind of conversation and benefit you'll have with them. Additionally, some requests are solved by collecting items only obtained via Demon Recon.
| Demon will give you items, money, or COMP upgrade materials. | |
| Demon will heal your HP and/or MP. | |
| Your demon will introduce you to a new demon you can recruit to your team. | |
| This is a rare marker. When it surrounds one of the three Demon Recon icons, it means the item or demon is rarer, or the effect will be greater. |
Even if you don't want to recruit any more demons, or you know you have no space for more, still speak to any demons with the recruitment icon as you'll get other benefits instead.
Stock Up On Items
It's always wise to keep a stock of decent items in your inventory for two reasons. Firstly, if you find your healer incapacitated in battle, or you need another party member to help out but they're restricted from swapping to a healing demon, you'll need those consumables to revive your team and keep them healthy.
Secondly, demons that are willing to join your team will often ask for items in exchange and will eat into your precious stock of consumables. Other items also help to buff your team or even do damage, so make sure you check out the stores and keep your bags stocked.
Choose COMP Skills Wisely
Rather than swapping out weapons for your team, each party member keeps the same COMP, and you just upgrade it at COMP Smith. There is a range of upgrades available for each character, and you'll need money and items in order to enable each one.
Pick your skills carefully — money and items are limited, and some skills are far more beneficial than others. Additionally, there's no point investing in elemental skills for a certain character if they never use a demon of that type. It's better to prioritise something that would benefit them far more so they're a stronger addition to the team.
Don't Neglect The Soul Matrix
You'll have to venture into the Soul Matrix more than once as part of the main story progression, but there's so much more to it. Each of your teammates has their own section of the Soul Matrix and delving into these, defeating bosses, and opening up more floors will allow you to unlock additional skills for each character.
The Soul Matrix is also a great place to farm for items and materials and has its own dedicated requests in the form of Aion Directives that have a range of worthwhile rewards.
You'll need to increase your Soul Level with each party member in order to explore their Soul Matrix further.
Try and balance out your conversation responses to raise your team's level at the same time, and make use of the Hangout function to raise your levels even further.
Complete Requests And Aion Directives
Requests and Aion Directives are optional side quests, but they're well worth completing. Not only can they earn you a range of items and money, but completing specific requests will unlock additional stock in stores, give you discounts, and unlock brand-new demon fusion options.
You'll be notified when new requests come into Club Cretaceous, but you'll have to visit the Soul Matrix to manually check in on new directives. Additionally, some requests can be found in dungeons or in city areas, so be sure to explore them well to find them all.
Don't Be Afraid To Lower The Difficulty
Punishing demon battles aren't necessarily for everyone, so don't feel bad about lowering the difficulty in Soul Hackers 2. Easy mode allows unlimited Continues, so if your team falls in battle, you can revive them countless times while the enemy retains its lower HP.
Normal mode allows you to use Continues via items, while hard mode has none. Pick a difficulty that best suits your playstyle, and don't be afraid to lower it from the menu if you change your mind.
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