Persona 5 Royal introduced new features that are not found in the original, essentially as an enhanced version. Additional confidants and improved gameplays system make for the most obvious add-on.
But, there is more about the Royal version that may not be as talked about as it trudges spoiler territory—unlocking the third semester that leads to the game’s full true ending.
Unlike any other RPGs where the most common requirement would be to simply finish the game once, doing it in Royal is a little special. This is thanks in part to the game’s unique gameplay design, involving the moving calendar and the building of confidant ranks.
There are already plenty of confidants to befriend from in the original Persona 5. But Royal added more to the roster which places more options on how players would experience the game.
The Councilor Confidant
To unlock the third semester, however, a certain confidant must be prioritized before hitting 11/17 date. That character is the Councilor confidant, Dr. Maruki, that requires a confidant rank of 9.
Those who are currently playing Persona 5 Royal would recall Dr. Maruki as the part-time guidance counselor at Shujin Academy. Dr. Maruki will not start showing into the game until 5/13.
Getting Dr. Maruki’s rank to 9 should be easy enough with the right method and consistency. But do not overdo it as rank 10 will not necessarily kick in until during the third semester. You had best spend your time raising another confidant’s rank instead of wasting it on the guidance counselor after reaching rank 9.
Conversely, failing to raise the Councilor confidant to rank 9 before the set deadline would render the third semester inaccessible. That is, until the next playthrough.
Having met the condition to unlock the third semester, a handful of new conditions will appear to get the True Ending. This is an ending that is unique to Royal and therefore not something players had seen before.
The Justice Confidant
However, to get the True Ending in its entirety, there is another confidant that is critical to the event—the Justice confidant, Akechi.
To do so, simply raise the character’s confidant to rank 8 before 11/17. Meeting this requirement, the game will progress naturally leading to events that will drive Akechi’s confidant rank to 9 and 10—and, ultimately, reaching the True Ending in its fullest extent.
Image used courtesy of YouTube/BuffMaister