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Persona 5 Royal is the definitive version of the hit JRPG from P-Studio and Atlus. Royal adds an entire extra semester to the Persona 5 high school story, as well as introducing new characters and mechanics throughout the game. However, reaching the True Ending of Persona 5 Royal is easily missed and requires players to make the right decisions along the way.
This guide will avoid any spoilers while helping players reach the Persona 5 Royal True Ending without making any mistakes. These are the four important steps to unlocking the True Ending:
- Reach Rank 9 with Maruki, the Councillor Arcana before 18th November
- Reach Rank 8 with Akechi, the Justice Arcana before 18th November
- Reach Rank 5 with Kasumi, the Faith Arcana before 18th December
- Select the correct answers during a few key dialogue options
Reaching Confidant Rank 9 with Takuto Maruki
School counselor Takuto Maruki is a new character in Persona 5 Royal, and players will automatically unlock him as a Confidant on May 13th. He can be found outside the nurse's office after school on the first floor of Shujin Academy's practice building on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
This high level of availability gives players plenty of time to get Maruki to Rank 9 before November 18th. There are no social stat barriers to overcome, though he cannot be progressed past Rank 5 before the 20th of September.
Reaching Rank 9 with Maruki is not only essential to the True Ending, but also to the entire extra semester of Persona 5 Royal, so players should prioritize him whenever possible.
Reaching Confidant Rank 8 with Goro Akechi
While Goro Akechi's Justice Confidant was automatic in the original Persona 5, Royal players will need to put an effort into leveling it up. This is probably the hardest of the three deadlines for the True Ending, as Akechi's Confidant is often gated behind certain dates and stat thresholds.
Akechi's Confidant will unlock automatically on June 10th, after which he will be available every night except Sundays outside the Penguin Sniper club in Kichijoji. Here are the thresholds that players will have to overcome to max Akechi out in time:
- Rank 3 - Joker must have Level 3 Knowledge (Scholarly) and Charm (Suave)
- Rank 6 - Unavailable until September 3rd, and triggered by meeting Akechi in Leblanc
- Rank 7 - Unavailable until November 2nd, and Joker must have Level 4 Knowledge (Encyclopedic)
- Rank 8 - Requires players to win a tough solo battle, which can be repeated if they lose
Reaching Confidant Rank 5 with Kasumi Yoshizawa
Kasumi Yoshizawa is another new character in Persona 5 Royal and will automatically become the Faith Confidant on May 30th. Players will be able to advance Kasumi by accepting her invitations when they're sent to Joker's phone.
Just like Maruki, there are no social stat requirements to level up Kasumi's Confidant, and players shouldn't have too much trouble reaching Rank 5 before the 18th of December. It's worth noting that 5 is the max Rank for Kasumi's Confidant before the new semester, so players should work on other Confidants once they've reached it.
Choosing the True Ending Dialogue Options in Persona 5 Royal
There are a few points at which players can choose a different ending through dialogue options in Persona 5 Royal, but they're generally very obvious. Here's what to look out for:
November 20th Deal
Players will be offered a deal on November 20th; to reject it, they must answer "No" or "Never heard of them" to the second question, and "There were no such people" to the third.
December 24th Deal
Players will be offered another deal on this date, and must answer "I refuse." It's at this point that the third semester will trigger if players have maxed out Maruki's Confidant.
January 9th Question
After starting a segment of the new palace in Persona 5 Royal, players should choose to say "I can't accept this reality."
February 2nd Deal
This first dialogue option in this big confrontation doesn't matter, but players should choose "We're stopping (spoiler)!" for the second. Again, this interaction revolves around players being offered a deal, and refusing is the only route to the True Ending.
Persona 5 Royal is available now on PS4. A PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass release is scheduled for October 21, 2022.
