While the Hermit was alone (as its name implies), Persona 3 Reload returns to pairing the Arcana bosses by combining Fortune with Strength. The two are almost a sideshow compared to the personal drama unfolding halfway across the city, but you still need to beat them to continue the game.
Once again, the Arcana bosses of Persona 3 Reload feature a gimmick that can make them troublesome to beat. Strength shields Fortune from all skills and attacks throughout the fight, so you have to beat them one after the other while both of them get to take a turn during each round. To beat them quickly, you'll need to bring the right party and use the right strategy.
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Battle Preparations
When you get to the party selection area, Ken and Shinjiro aren't available (for reasons that only become clear after the boss fight ends). Everyone else is available, but not all of them are suited for the coming combat.
During party selection, you should keep in mind that Strength mostly uses physical skills, while Fortune prefers Wind skills when it isn't spinning the Wheel of Fortune. On top of that, Strength resists or reflects all physical damage types. This means you should avoid bringing Aigis (who can't use elemental skills) or Junichi (who's weak to Wind).
Of the rest, Koromaru gets his heavy elemental skill earlier than the other characters, making him a good pick. Akihiko is another good choice since Fortune is weak to Electricity and Strike damage. Finally, Yukari makes a good addition since the party's other good healer, Ken, is unavailable. The protagonist can replace any of these party members with the right Persona, but make sure you stock one that's strong against Wind or takes less physical damage.
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Fortune and Strength Boss Tips
After the boss arena loads in but before the fight begins, Strength will cause Fortune to phase out. This means no party member can target it with a skill, attack, or item, even one that normally hits every enemy. Unfortunately, this block only goes one way, because Fortune is free to use its skills and target any party member it likes.
Strength is a relatively straightforward enemy: it has a pile of HP, it resists Slash and Pierce damage, it reflects Strike damage, and your best bet for defeating it is to charge up your party's Theurgy abilities and unleash them all after reducing its Defense. Its special attack is Mobius Rondo, a six-hit physical attack that targets the whole party. Strength uses this skill on the first turn, and after that, it focuses on using physical skills (some of which can cause status ailments) and Rebellion to raise its Critical rate.
The real gimmick of this fight comes from Fortune. On its turn, Fortune will either use Garudyne or spin the Wheel of Fortune. The effects of the Wheel of Fortune affect everyone equally: a blue shield will buff the Defense of both players and enemies, while a red 300 will reduce every creature's HP by 300.
Despite the random nature of Fortune, the first two spins appear to be identical every time: an Attack buff first, and then a 300 HP drain second. This effect bypasses Guard, so if your protagonist has fewer than 300 HP you'll need to Rewind and spend more time leveling in Tartarus. The Wheel of Fortune results seem to become actually random after these initial spins.
The best way to deal with the Wheel of Fortune's results is to use Persona 3 Reload's items and skills to counter its negative effects. Dekaja or a debuff item can remove an enemy buff, and Dekunda or a buff item can remove a debuff on the party. Staying on top of this will make the Wheel of Fortune more of a benefit than a hazard.
Once Strength falls, you'll be able to target Fortune directly. Don't bother saving back any Theurgy attacks, because it has far fewer HP than Strength. You only need to hit it two or three times with Electricity or Strike attacks and then an All-Out Attack to finish the fight.
Right before it runs out of HP, Fortune will summon the Wheel of Fortune one last time to try and save itself. This will happen even if Fortune doesn't go next. The wheel it calls has a large green area and a small red wedge, but the wheel always seems to land on red. Once nothing happens, hit Fortune one last time to end this fight.
Persona 3 Reload
- Franchise
- Persona
- Platform(s)
- PC , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , PS4 , PS5
- Developer(s)
- P-Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Atlus
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
